Gentleman's Game

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After the first day of the "Grain Rain Dao Discussion" conference came to a close, Qin Yi returned to his cave abode and pondered as he looked at the overflowing Herb Garden.

Liusu taught him the Pill Formula, but of course, she didn't just pull out a formula like toothpaste every time she needed it; it wasn't that boring.

Cultivators have solidified their spiritual souls, and those in the Heart of the Harp Realm can already High God sense. Their memories are all exceptionally good. Liusu had long ago selected a batch of Pill Formula that Qin Yi might need and taught them to him all at once.

Some of these are taken beforehand to protect the soul.

However, different methods have different effects on the soul, and even within the same art of alchemy, different elixirs have different effects. You can only refine elixirs to provide pre-emptive protection against one or a few methods; it's difficult to take a single antidote to be immune to all harms.

That kind of pill exists, but it's too advanced. Not only is it difficult to refine, but the materials are also not something that can be found in a short time.

Taking multiple medications beforehand is also not advisable, as their effects may conflict.

Therefore, one can only prepare the most targeted formulas in advance, which requires a good understanding of the methods used by the Immortal Palace Medicine Sect.

"Qingfeng Mingyue." Qin Yi suddenly called out, "Go and invite the sect leader over; we need your help."

"Is it to consider what kind of pill to refine to protect the soul?" Ju Yunxiu's voice came from behind.

"Those two big-headed boys are unreliable. How can they just let people in like that?"

"I am the sect leader."

Qin Yi turned around and saw Ju Yunxiu walking slowly towards him, her long dress trailing on the ground, as if she were floating on a cloud, her figure incredibly graceful.

She really is beautiful, so it's no wonder Qin Yi is always suspicious that someone has feelings for her. Even if one pursues "seeing beyond appearances," there is still a natural yearning for beauty; it's human nature, and how difficult it is to extinguish such a nature.

Ju Yunxiu walked over, she laughed and said, "Besides, it's not like you've never been inside my house before. Why are you putting on airs this time?"

"Uh... that's because you were too careless. I wanted to remind you to be careful, in case some lecherous guy..."

"No, over the years, the only person who has sneaked into my room while I'm sleeping is a Qin Yi."

Qin Yi stared at her with wide eyes.

Ju Yunxiu glared back.

"Alright, alright, we know Junior Brother Qin is of noble character and upright conduct." After glaring at each other for a while, Ju Yunxiu laughed first, "He's just a little cunning, though. He said he was going to discuss the arts of music, Zither, Chess, Calligraphy, Painting, and painting, but he secretly came back to cheat at alchemy."

Qin Yi said, "Isn't it all to save face for you?"

"Is that so?" Ju Yunxiu asked back, not taking it seriously, but just smiled and said, "Actually, it's pointless for you to scheme against them like this."

"Um?"

"Heavenly Mystery Child can see into the secrets of heaven and his divination is extremely profound. All your actions will be within his calculations."

Qin Yi broke out in a cold sweat. "For a competition like this, would their sect leader really need to cheat?"

Ju Yunxiu looked at him with a half-smile.

Qin Yi grinned.

Aren't they themselves also cheating as sect leaders?

He coughed twice and asked, "You said it wasn't useful before, but you mean it's useful now?"

"Regarding matters of our sect, I write down the Heavenly Pivot and draw up the rituals myself. My chess-obsessed uncle reversed the chessboard and confused black and white." Ju Yunxiu said nonchalantly, "He couldn't have foreseen this."

Qin Yi was stunned.

This sudden change in style makes it seem like we're involved in some kind of battle between powerful beings. Is it really necessary?

"Why has our sect never had any disciples? Do you really think it's because I'm too lazy to care, or it's an inherent flaw in our path?" Ju Yunxiu said calmly, "It's just that some people's schemes have led to this, leaving us without successors, and thus our sect has lost its value."

"So vicious, wiping out our entire family?"

"Not really, it's just an intention to annex. It's only natural for ambitious sects to expand. He's actually being relatively amicable," Ju Yunxiu said. "At the very least, he could have let us keep only one Main Peak and given them the rest. If we were all fools who didn't care about anything, they would have already planned this hundreds of years ago."

That makes it sound quite amicable; at least they didn't fight. It had the feel of Gentleman's Game.

Is it because the Palace Master is above them that they dare not go too far?

Ju Yunxiu knew what he was thinking and smiled, "The Palace Master's reasons are partly due to his fear of our strength. Also, their way of doing things emphasizes calculated success rather than violence, so our match was very gentlemanly and detached from worldly affairs."

Qin Yi also laughed, "Interesting, more gentlemanly than I imagined a villain to be."

Ju Yunxiu shook her head slightly. "But this game is also nearing its end."

"How so?"

"Our sect, with only a few people, has long occupied a large amount of mountain resources, which is indeed difficult to discuss with the Palace Master. The Palace Master has spoken to me about this several times, and I have always refused. In the end, he did make a promise that if there are no signs of a large-scale expansion of our disciples within a hundred years, then our sect will still have to give up the land." Ju Yunxiu laughed, "So you know why they got angry when you took in a bunch of children for me?"

Qin Yi understood. In truth, taking in just one child, or even Jing Ze, wouldn't be enough to establish the sect's foundation for prosperity in the eyes of the other side, and they wouldn't care too much. But this group of children was different. Although their numbers weren't large, this was just the beginning, possessing the potential for massive growth, rendering the schemes of the past few centuries futile.

"Accepting students is just the beginning; they'll have plenty of ways to get their disciples to switch departments," Ju Yunxiu said. "For example... someone advised you to switch departments back then, right?"

Qin Yi grinned. "Right. But who's interested in hanging out with a bunch of cunning old foxes?"

Ju Yunxiu leaned forward a few steps, getting closer to him, and said, "So... you like playing with me?"

As he drew closer, a fragrant breeze wafted over him, and Qin Yi subconsciously swallowed. * Fairy, please have some self-respect! Don't flirt with me; you might lose control!*

But he knew this wasn't flirting; on the contrary, his Senior Sister was deliberately testing his attitude.

She wouldn't want him to be after her looks; that would be very disappointing.

You must stay calm!

So, though her heart was pounding, she maintained a calm expression. "Doesn't my Senior Sister also enjoy playing the zither and flute with me, and enjoying calligraphy and painting together? This secluded paradise, now tainted with these things, is like a beautiful painting stained with dirty ink, glaringly unpleasant."

Ju Yunxiu smiled and stood up straight again.

Qin Yi breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had just chosen the right option in a game—it was so exciting!

Ju Yunxiu regained her composure and quickly got to the point. "Regarding tomorrow's competition, I'm 80% certain that they want to embarrass you in public and make you too ashamed to stay here."

Qin Yi thought for a moment and said, "Then I roughly know what kind of defensive pills I should refine."

Ju Yunxiu said, "You had a disagreement with Xi Xiangzi when you chose this cave abode. They could have guessed that you would come back to refine pills as a precaution, so don't be careless."

"That's alright. If they can't predict my fate, then they won't know my true alchemy skills," Qin Yi said. "Ultimately, it's just a comparison of whose Dao of Alchemy is stronger. And I also have the Calligraphy and Painting Dao to protect my soul, a double effect, so my chances of winning are still quite high."

Ju Yunxiu nodded and said, "Just protect yourself. As for the outcome of the debate, don't force it. If you want that painting, I can always ask the Palace Master for something in exchange."

Qin Yi stared at her intently.

Ju Yunxiu's face flushed slightly as she said calmly, "This secluded paradise should never have been tainted by such ink."

After saying that, he turned and left as if nothing had happened.