Assessment and a Late-Night Surprise

Looking at the pills' description, Luo Can's breathing grew uncontrollably heavy.

"What's wrong with you now?" Seeing his stunned expression, Qian Renxue could not help asking.

Luo Can came back to his senses, a teasing look on his face. "Don't be too surprised by what I'm about to say."

"I am the dignified Angel Douluo. What treasure haven't I seen?" A trace of pride flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes. "What could possibly surprise me?"

The corners of Luo Can's lips lifted slightly as he said, word by word:

"This Pill can increase a Spirit Ring's age limit by ten thousand years with just one dose."

Qian Renxue blinked when she heard that.

Then—

"Impossible!"

The three words blurted out, firm and absolute.

As far as she knew, a Spirit Ring's age was fixed the moment it was absorbed. Other than God Trial rewards, she had never heard of any way to increase the age of an already absorbed Spirit Ring.

Luo Can smiled but said nothing more.

With a thought, nine Spirit Rings slowly rose behind him. Then, right before Qian Renxue's eyes, he swallowed the Sheng Huan Pill.

The Pill melted the instant it entered his mouth.

Buzz—

The purple of his first Spirit Ring visibly transformed into a deep black!

A Ten Thousand Year Spirit Ring.

"..."

Qian Renxue opened her mouth, her eyes fixed tightly on that black Spirit Ring.

After a long while, she finally murmured softly, "It... it's actually real."

Then she abruptly looked at Luo Can. Her eyes held undisguised longing.

She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Luo Can's arm, her voice losing its usual laziness and teasing tone. "Pavilion Master Luo~"

Drawing out the last syllable, she said sweetly, "If you fish up this kind of Pill again, can you give me one? Just one~"

Though Dark Qian Renxue was arrogant, obsessive, and crazed, unlike her true self, who was accustomed to suppressing her own heart, she never hid what she desired.

The temptation of a Pill that could directly increase a Spirit Ring's age by ten thousand years was enough to make her lower herself.

Of course, if someone else possessed such a Pill, she might have simply taken it by force.

"Hmm..." Luo Can's lips curved into a teasing smile. "That depends on your performance. Perform well, and you'll have all the pills you want!"

What he meant was her performance in contributing to Fate Defying Pavilion. But combined with the intimate way she was holding his arm, Qian Renxue clearly misunderstood him.

Qian Renxue's body stiffened slightly.

She released Luo Can's arm and took half a step back, an extremely unnatural flush appearing on her face.

"I-I'll go think about it." Leaving those words behind, she turned and hurried away, her retreating figure carrying a hint of panic.

Luo Can stood where he was, watching her disappear in the direction of the Wooden House, his face full of confusion.

"This girl... why did her attitude change so fast?"

He scratched his head, unable to figure it out.

Just then, the Fishing time ran out, and the system prompt sounded at the perfect moment, interrupting his thoughts.

[Ding! This Fishing session has ended. Overall rating: Good+, reward: 4500 Points]

[Points: 56000]

"Huh? It was only Good+, yet I got fifteen hundred more Points than usual?"

Luo Can's eyes lit up. If he got a few more high ratings, he might soon save enough Points to upgrade the fishing spot. By then, the chances of fishing up red-quality items should increase considerably.

Unfortunately, reality poured cold water over him in the following days.

For several days in a row, his Fishing rating remained "Good," and his catches were nothing remarkable. The best thing he got was merely a Sixty Thousand Year Soul Bone.

Luo Can could only suppress his impatience and let things take their course.

One morning, after preparing three meals for the three of them, Luo Can flew to Yaowang Town.

Inside Luo's Herb Shop, Bai Ningshuang and Bai Chen had already opened for business. When they saw Luo Can, both hurriedly bowed. Luo Can waved his hand, replenished the herbs, then began checking the accounts.

Near noon, Yang Yan arrived.

The young man wore obvious nervousness on his face. Walking up to Luo Can, he returned the copy of Detailed Summary of Basic Herbs.

"Have you memorized all the herbs in the book?" Luo Can asked as he put the book away.

"I-I have." Yang Yan sounded somewhat nervous.

"Mm." Luo Can nodded and began testing him. "Go to the herb cabinets and bring me a Blood Coagulation Flower. Then tell me its effects and the differences between plants of different ages."

Yang Yan hurried to the row of tall herb cabinets and began identifying them. About six minutes later, he returned with a pale-red medicinal flower whose petals looked like blood.

"B-Boss Luo, this is a Blood Coagulation Flower. Crushed and applied externally, it stops bleeding and promotes coagulation. But if it is over fifty years old, it produces trace amounts of toxin."

"Cloud Dew Grass," Luo Can continued.

Yang Yan ran back again. This time, he took seven minutes before returning with an herb whose leaves were dotted with droplets like morning dew.

"This is Cloud Dew Grass. It tastes sweet and has a cooling nature. It clears heat and reduces internal fire, making it a commonly used summer herb for relieving heat. Once it is over thirty years old, it can calm the mind and soothe the spirit."

After that, Luo Can tested him on dozens more herbs. Although Yang Yan needed time to identify each one, he could always find the correct herb in the end, and his explanations of their effects were largely accurate.

"Very good."

A satisfied smile appeared on Luo Can's face.

"Congratulations. You are officially a clerk at Luo's Herb Shop."

Yang Yan let out a long breath, his tightly tense body finally relaxing. "Y-Yes, Boss Luo's book was very comprehensive."

Luo Can patted his shoulder and brought him before Bai Ningshuang and Bai Chen. "From now on, I'll leave him to you two. Help him become familiar with the sales process for every herb in the shop as soon as possible."

"Yes." Bai Ningshuang accepted with a smile.

After settling the arrangements, Luo Can left the herb shop and went to Baican Village for a look around.

The construction of Fate Defying Pavilion was progressing smoothly. Several main buildings had already begun taking shape, and with the support of the first month's resources, everyone's Soul Power had generally increased by one level. This greatly strengthened their sense of belonging to the sect, and their enthusiasm for building it had reached unprecedented heights.

Afterward, he went to Jueming Cliff.

Nearly half of the twenty-one Associate Inner Pavilion Disciples at the bottom of the cliff had already touched upon the threshold of Moderate Meditation, and their progress was encouraging. After answering their cultivation questions, Luo Can went to the top of the cliff and explained the concepts of meridians, acupoints, and circulation cycles to the thirty-one Core Disciples.

By the time he finished everything and returned to Fate Defying Valley, the sky had already darkened.

The night was silent, and the moonlight flowed like water.

Luo Can sat beside the spring, preparing to begin the day's Fishing, when a figure silently appeared behind him.

It was Qian Renxue.

"Vice Pavilion Master?" Luo Can turned around, somewhat surprised. "What is this?"

"Come with me." As Qian Renxue spoke, she grabbed Luo Can by the wrist and pulled him to his feet without explanation, heading toward the Wooden House.

"Wait! I still need to go Fishing!"

"Don't speak."

Without looking back, Qian Renxue pulled him straight toward her room.

Inside the room was a wooden bed, a desk, an oil lamp, and nothing else.

After entering, Qian Renxue shut the door behind her. Then, Soul Power flickered at her fingertips, and a black Soul Power Barrier unfolded, enveloping the entire room.

After doing all this, she turned to face Luo Can.

Moonlight illuminated the side of her face, adding a trace of bewitching allure to her peerless beauty.

She took a deep breath, raised her hand, and undid the clasp on the sash around her waist.

Her black gown slid down her smooth shoulders and pooled at her feet.

Luo Can's throat bobbed slightly.

"V-Vice Pavilion Master," he said, his voice somewhat dry. "What are you..."

Qian Renxue looked up at him, her gaze exceptionally serious. "I've thought it through. I'll give myself to you. That way, in the future, you can rest assured about investing the resources you fish up in me."

She paused, as though persuading herself. "It's a transaction. It's a good deal, isn't it?"

Then, her final piece of clothing drifted to the floor.

Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and moonlight outlined her breathtaking curves. Her ample chest left Luo Can dazzled.

Luo Can's breathing gradually quickened, the desire in his heart completely ignited at that moment.

Qian Renxue simply stood there and watched him. There was no shyness in her eyes, no avoidance. She even seemed somewhat satisfied by Luo Can's reaction.

Luo Can stepped forward, reached out, and pulled her into his embrace.

"Please take care of me from now on!"

Outside, the moonlight was perfect.

Inside, the room was filled with spring.

This night was destined to be long.