Favorability: 80

Even though Qin Nanyue came from the Qin Household, a Golden Core Aristocratic Clan, and was a direct descendant of the Lineage, she possessed only two Supreme-Grade Law Artifacts.

A Supreme-Grade Law Artifact was never something one could buy just because one had money.

Artifact refiners capable of making Supreme-Grade Law Artifacts were rare to begin with, and their success rate was outrageously low.

Every one that reached the market was immediately snapped up by the major powers.

Some particularly powerful Supreme-Grade Law Artifacts could even go head-to-head with the Low-Grade Spirit Artifacts used by Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

At auction, it was hardly unusual for a top-tier Supreme-Grade Law Artifact to sell for tens of thousands of Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

If a cultivator urgently needed one, the price would climb even higher.

And now, she had seen Lu Yang take out a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact and casually offer it as a gift.

Even she, Qin Nanyue, could not produce a gift of that caliber.

Never mind producing one; she wouldn't even dare imagine it.

If Qin Nanyue reacted like this, Lin Ying's reaction went without saying.

The moment the pale purple spiritual light appeared, Lin Ying sensed that the robe was extraordinary.

When Qin Nanyue cried out, Lin Ying froze as if a binding spell had been cast on her.

Her red lips parted slightly, and she stared straight at the robe, her mind blank. She even forgot to breathe.

A Supreme-Grade Law Artifact!

To her, those four words were as distant as the stars in the sky.

Even if the Lineage behind her devoted all its resources, it could not obtain one.

And now, Junior Brother Lu said he wanted to give it to her.

Lu Yang took in both their reactions.

He smiled faintly and said calmly, "Yes, it's a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact I happened to obtain by chance. This robe can calm the mind, deepen one's insights into pill refinement, and improve the success rate of refining pills. It isn't much use to me. Senior Sister Lin is an Alchemist herself, so I thought you were the person best suited to this Law Treasure."

Qin Nanyue's delicate body trembled slightly, and her voice rose several pitches. "It's a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact that can improve pill-refining skills too?!"

The way she looked at Lu Yang changed, and disbelief colored her voice.

"Junior Brother Lu, do you know just how valuable this Law Artifact is? Supreme-Grade Law Artifacts that improve skills are rarer than ones meant for combat. This Supreme-Grade Law Artifact is probably worth more than an ordinary Low-Grade Spirit Artifact! If you found an Alchemist who truly needed it, it wouldn't be impossible to sell it for close to a hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

A hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones!

The number fell heavily upon the private room, and even the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Lu Yang raised an eyebrow.

He had long known that Supreme-Grade Law Artifacts were valuable, but he truly hadn't expected one to be worth this much.

Still, he was only a little surprised.

He was in no shortage of Spirit Stones.

Eight thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones were sitting in his Storage Bag, and "Tycoon's Confidence" would provide him with a steady stream of income afterward.

By comparison, giving this Supreme-Grade Law Artifact to Lin Ying could earn him valuable rewards directly through an increase in her favorability.

There might even be good things like Cultivation Method experience.

For him, that was a better deal than selling it for a hundred thousand Spirit Stones.

His expression remained unchanged, a faint smile still playing on his lips as he spoke gently.

"No matter how valuable a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact is, it needs to be in the right hands. Senior Sister Lin is the person best suited to it."

Qin Nanyue opened her mouth, but for a long while, she couldn't find a word to say.

She realized that she seemed to have completely underestimated Lu Yang.

She had originally guessed that Lu Yang, like her, was a scion of a Golden Core Aristocratic Clan. Now it seemed that this junior brother's background was probably even more terrifying than that.

As a direct descendant of the Qin Household, she knew better than anyone that even a power like the Qin Household could never casually give away a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact that improved pill-refining skills.

For a great Lineage, a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact that improved the success rate of pill refinement was a strategic resource used to train its core Alchemists.

A powerful Alchemist could provide a steady supply of high-quality pills and support an entire generation of disciples in cultivating faster. Their value simply couldn't be measured in Spirit Stones.

And now, Lu Yang had given it away as casually as a passing breeze.

Qin Nanyue turned to look at Lin Ying beside her.

The girl still looked dazed and absentminded.

A very faint trace of envy suddenly welled up in Qin Nanyue's heart.

Yingying really is lucky.

Junior Brother Lu Yang is genuinely good to her, willing to press something this precious into her hands.

His feelings are entirely sincere.

Seeing that Lin Ying still hadn't come to her senses, Qin Nanyue reached under the table and gave her waist a gentle poke, feeling somewhat helpless.

Lin Ying shuddered and abruptly came back to herself.

Qin Nanyue leaned close to her ear and lowered her voice, teasing her a little. "Yingying, Junior Brother Lu has given you a grand gift. Say something."

Only then did Lin Ying fully come to her senses.

But once she did, her first reaction was not delight, but nervousness.

She waved her hands repeatedly, her usually gentle and composed manner giving way to a rare fluster as her voice grew hurried.

"Junior Brother! This gift is too valuable. I can't accept it!"

Her gaze drifted involuntarily to the robe, and a trace of undisguisable longing flashed deep in her eyes.

As an Alchemist, how could she not want such a supreme treasure?

Precisely because she was an Alchemist herself, she knew all too well how terrifyingly valuable this Law Artifact was.

Even if she sold herself, she couldn't afford the robe.

Junior Brother Lu was handsome and kind, and she sincerely regarded him as a good friend.

But precisely because of that, she could not accept such a precious gift with a clear conscience.

Lu Yang was not surprised to see Lin Ying frantically refuse.

After spending time with her several times and chatting on and off through their sect tokens over the past few days, he had gained a general understanding of Lin Ying’s character.

She seemed gentle and soft, but deep down she had her own principles. She would never accept such a grand gift for no reason.

But ever since the day he obtained the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe, he had been pondering how to give it away and gain a boost in favorability.

He smiled faintly. "If Senior Sister Lin doesn't want to accept it for nothing, then consider it a loan. As for the cost of borrowing the Law Artifact, you can pay me back with pills."

Hearing this, Lin Ying relaxed her grip on the hem of her clothes a little.

A loan...

If it's a loan, would that be all right?

Although she knew perfectly well that an ordinary Alchemist wouldn't even know where to turn to borrow a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact of this caliber, and that no one would be willing to lend one out,

the word "loan" at least made her feel a little better than "gift."

I can also pay him back with pills...

Lin Ying's eyelashes fluttered, and a thin sheen of moisture appeared in her eyes.

She raised her head to glance at Lu Yang, then quickly lowered it again, the tips of her ears burning red.

How could she not understand?

What Lu Yang said was merely a way to give her a graceful way out.

Loan or gift, what was the difference in the end?

He simply wanted her to use it with a clear conscience.

Junior Brother Lu is so sly.

Why is he so good to me?

Lin Ying felt as though her cheeks were hot enough to start smoking.

Qin Nanyue watched the two of them in silence, her gaze moving back and forth between Lin Ying's crimson profile and Lu Yang's gentle, composed smile. Her expression was somewhat complicated.

This Junior Brother Lu...

Yingying probably won't be able to handle him at all in the future.

More likely than not, he'll have her completely in the palm of his hand.

And yet Junior Brother Lu really is good to Yingying.

So good that even I, as a bystander, can't find fault with him.

Seeing that Lin Ying was still hesitating and fidgeting with her fingers, Lu Yang stood up.

The chair legs scraped lightly across the floor as he went around the corner of the table and walked over to Lin Ying.

The distance between them suddenly narrowed. Lin Ying could even smell his faint scent, as crisp and fresh as the morning breeze, and her shoulders trembled involuntarily.

Lu Yang bent down and gently pressed the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe into her arms.

The robe felt cool, soft, and smooth to the touch, like a purple cloud that had settled into her hands.

"It's settled, then."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, but his tone carried a certainty that allowed no argument. "From now on, I'll be counting on you for all my pills, Senior Sister."

Lin Ying looked down at the robe in her arms, its surface shimmering with faint purple light, and felt as though something had lodged in her throat.

She opened her mouth several times before she managed to speak, her voice soft and delicate. "J-Junior Brother, aren't you afraid... I'll take the Law Treasure and run away?"

Lu Yang straightened up and gave her a bright, sunny smile.

In Lin Ying's eyes, that smile seemed to light up the entire private room for an instant.

"I trust you, Senior Sister."

Lin Ying's breath caught. It was as though an invisible hand had gently squeezed her heart and then let go. Hot blood surged through her, and even her fingertips tingled.

She swallowed instinctively, her mind a muddle. All she could do was nod at random and reply in a voice as thin as a mosquito's whine, "Oh, oh..."

Qin Nanyue rubbed her forehead. Looking at her good friend, who seemed to have lost her soul, she felt both exasperated and amused.

Can't you show a little more backbone?!

She only just managed to suppress the urge to roll her eyes. Raising her teacup, she took a gulp and sighed inwardly.

I thought this girl could at least hold out a little longer.

But from the looks of it, he only needed a word or two to charm her so thoroughly she can't tell east from west.

She set down her teacup and coughed lightly. "Yingying, work hard at refining pills and make plenty of good ones. Perhaps one day you'll even be able to buy this Law Treasure from Junior Brother Lu properly."

Lin Ying came back to herself and looked down at the Purple Cloud Pill-Nurturing Robe in her arms, her fingertips gently brushing the flowing cloud patterns on its surface.

She pressed her red lips together and said nothing, merely nodding silently before carefully putting the robe into her Storage Bag.

Watching from the side, Lu Yang felt a weight lift from his heart.

It worked.

He stole a glance at the panel.

[Confidantes: Lin Ying (favorability: 80), Qin Nanyue (favorability: 22)]

At the eighty-point mark, a faintly glowing treasure chest icon sat there quietly.

Lu Yang drew a quiet breath.

As expected of a Supreme-Grade Law Artifact tailored for Lin Ying—it had sent her straight past the eighty-point threshold.

Of course, it also had to do with the fact that Lin Ying's favorability toward him had been rising quickly to begin with.

He still remembered opening the panel after their first meeting and finding that Lin Ying's favorability was already at sixty-two.

He couldn't help wondering whether Senior Sister Lin was secretly a sucker for good looks deep down.

Then there was Senior Sister Qin beside her, whose favorability was only twenty-two even now. The difference was plain to see.

In any case, the treasure chest for eighty favorability points was his.

Lu Yang took a deep breath and suppressed the urge to claim the reward on the spot.

Giving away that Supreme-Grade Law Artifact had been well worth it.