Business Plan

Zhou Yuling was only teasing Gao Xian. Deep down, she still trusted him.

After swallowing a Heavenly Gui Pill, Zhou Yuling sat on the bed with her eyes closed. Before she could even sense the changes brought on by the pill, it had already dissolved into a mass of vital essence, merging with her blood before flowing into her internal organs.

Before long, Zhou Yuling felt a trace of warmth gradually spreading from deep within the Qi Aperture in her Lower Dantian, eventually reaching her entire body.

The Bright Jade technique she cultivated was a pure yin method. After cultivating it for so long, her primordial yin had congealed, leaving her internal organs somewhat cold.

As the warmth spread, it loosened the congealed primordial yin, making the qi and blood throughout her body surge with vitality.

When the warmth faded, a trace of cool energy rose from the Qi Aperture in her Dantian and quickly spread throughout her body.

The coolness was like a gentle summer breeze, refreshing and soothing. It perfectly calmed the slight restlessness brought on by the warmth.

The two energies, one cool and one hot, cycled like this for several rounds before slowly dissipating.

Zhou Yuling had been stuck at the bottleneck of the seventh layer of Qi Refining for some time. Today, she clearly felt the Qi Aperture deep in her heart come alive.

Although she still couldn't break through the bottleneck, she had caught a glimpse of hope.

When Zhou Yuling opened her eyes, Gao Xian hurriedly asked, "How was it?"

The Wind and Moon Mirror had described the pill's effects, but it was hard to say what it would be like in practice. Gao Xian was counting on making money from the Heavenly Gui Pills, so he was eager to hear about Zhou Yuling's experience.

Zhou Yuling thought it over carefully before saying, "It really can purify primordial yin and regulate qi and blood. It feels wonderful to take. If I keep taking it, I'm sure I'll break through the bottleneck at the seventh layer."

She touched her face again. "I feel like my skin is smoother, too."

The change in her skin was subtle, and Zhou Yuling found it hard to describe in concrete terms, but she could clearly feel that her skin felt more comfortable.

Gao Xian beamed. "As long as it helps you, all my hard work was worth it."

He handed Zhou Yuling two hundred Heavenly Gui Pills. "Take them at your own pace. Come find me when you run out."

Zhou Yuling was delighted, too. She took the initiative to hug Gao Xian and kiss him. "Thank you, Brother Xian. You're the best."

Before Gao Xian could react, Zhou Yuling had already finished kissing him and pulled away.

He muttered, "That was a little insincere!"

"Hehe... Don't rush. You'll have all of me in the future."

Smiling, Zhou Yuling backed toward the door with the medicine chest in hand. When she reached the doorway, she suddenly stopped and pointed at Gao Xian. "Don't go flirting with other women, brother. And if you do, don't let me catch you. Otherwise, hmph..."

"I'm not that kind of man."

Gao Xian hurriedly promised. He really had never messed around with women. Qingping had thrown herself at him, but he hadn't even taken advantage of her.

Zhu Qiniang was a business partner. Their relationship was purely platonic.

After seeing Zhou Yuling off, Gao Xian excitedly paced around the courtyard a few times. The success of the Heavenly Gui Pill wasn't just useful to Zhou Yuling and Zhu Qiniang—it was also a powerful tool for making money.

The room was full of medicinal ingredients and refined pills. Although Gao Xian was eager to see Zhu Qiniang, he didn't dare leave.

A few days later, Zhu Qiniang finally arrived.

After inspecting Gao Xian's Iron Dragon Hand, Zhu Qiniang was fairly satisfied with his progress.

She felt that Gao Xian really had been working hard. His Iron Dragon Hand was already very practiced, and his strength had clearly increased quite a bit.

Honestly, his progress far exceeded her expectations.

Who would have thought Gao Xian actually had some talent for body cultivation?

"Not bad. At this rate, you'll reach the third layer of Qi Refining in less than a year." Zhu Qiniang rarely praised Gao Xian.

Gao Xian knew exactly why. It wasn't that he had talent. After the Lightning Dragon Hand leveled up, it had not only transformed and strengthened the bones and muscles in both his arms; the bones and muscles throughout his body seemed to have improved as well.

The Iron Dragon Hand was especially simple. With the Lightning Dragon Hand supporting it, none of its movements posed any difficulty.

On top of that, his True Yang Spear had reached master level. His divine sense was powerful, his senses had grown keen, and he could gauge the movement of his qi and blood more precisely. Naturally, he made rapid progress with the Iron Dragon Hand.

"Qiniang, I specially refined these Heavenly Gui Pills for you. They can regulate primordial yin and are perfect for someone in your situation..."

Gao Xian took out the Heavenly Gui Pills and presented them to Zhu Qiniang like a treasure, his face breaking into a kindly, maternal smile.

Zhu Qiniang looked at the green pills, her eyes full of confusion. "Heavenly Gui Pills?"

Of course she knew about Heavenly Gui Pills. This low-grade pill was completely unremarkable; it was only used to treat menstrual pain in women.

"Try one and you'll see."

Gao Xian didn't explain. Zhu Qiniang didn't know how skilled he was at alchemy, and words wouldn't make her understand.

His Heavenly Gui Pills were at the grandmaster level and had undergone a qualitative change. He didn't need to advertise them; the results would speak for themselves.

Zhu Qiniang trusted Gao Xian, so after a moment's hesitation, she swallowed a Heavenly Gui Pill.

Before long, her face flushed, and a thin sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.

Though they had taken the same Heavenly Gui Pill, Zhu Qiniang and Zhou Yuling reacted quite differently.

Zhu Qiniang seemed to have a stronger reaction.

Gao Xian only knew how to refine pills. He could now figure out some of the properties of medicinal ingredients and knew how to combine them to make them more suitable and better bring out their medicinal effects.

But the effects of a pill after it was taken involved the more complex reactions of the human body. That fell under medicine, which was not the same thing as Alchemy Art.

"How is it?" Gao Xian asked.

Zhu Qiniang replied with an odd expression, "It feels very unusual."

She was too embarrassed to say it outright. After taking the Heavenly Gui Pill, she could feel her primordial yin circulating. From her organs to her bones to her muscles, everything felt a little itchy, and her whole body had become more sensitive.

It was as if her body had suddenly come alive from the inside out.

Gao Xian's massages could bring her body to life, relaxing her skin, muscles, and even bones. But compared to this pill, they still fell short.

Zhu Qiniang was certain that the Heavenly Gui Pill was useful to her—very useful.

First-tier pills like Qi Recovery Pills and Foundation Strengthening Pills inevitably produced medicinal dregs. If taken over a long period, they would cause pill toxins to accumulate in the body.

This Heavenly Gui Pill had left no medicinal dregs behind. Her body had completely absorbed the entire pill. That showed just how exquisite it was!

If she could take it for a long time, there was a very good chance it could resolve the abnormal changes in her body.

She hesitated, then asked, "Are these pills expensive?"

Gao Xian called them Heavenly Gui Pills, but she knew they were nothing like ordinary Heavenly Gui Pills.

Even if Gao Xian could refine them, the cost had to be high. She didn't know if she could afford to take them.

"We don't need to talk about money between us."

Gao Xian swept his hand grandly through the air. "I'll give you two hundred to start. Come find me when you've finished them."

Zhu Qiniang froze for a moment. She hadn't expected Gao Xian to refine so many pills especially for her. She didn't know how many Spirit Stones he had spent, and she was deeply moved.

She could joke around with Gao Xian, but she wasn't good at expressing her true feelings.

All she could do was hug him tightly without saying a word.

Gao Xian had grown much stronger recently, but when Zhu Qiniang hugged him, he still felt as if his ribs were about to be crushed.

Even so, he could feel the sincerity of the affection she was conveying.

He endured the pain and patted Zhu Qiniang on the back, expressing his pure, brotherly friendship.

"Everyone's body is different. Take the Heavenly Gui Pills according to how you feel."

Back in the room, Gao Xian gave Zhu Qiniang another full-body massage. As it turned out, the Lightning Dragon Hand worked wonders when paired with the Heavenly Gui Pill.

Zhu Qiniang was damp all over. Not only was her body moist, but her eyes seemed ready to overflow with water.

Gao Xian began to feel uneasy looking at her. He was afraid he might do something wrong if he looked for too long. "I think taking two a day should be fine."

By now, Zhu Qiniang was thoroughly convinced by Gao Xian's alchemy skills. She nodded again and again. Whatever Gao Xian said went; she wouldn't dare question him.

"The Heavenly Gui Pill can regulate a woman's primordial yin. It also has beauty and anti-aging effects. I'm planning to refine more for sale. That includes Deer Antler Powder, too. I've already found someone to work with, but refining pills takes a lot of medicinal ingredients..."

Gao Xian briefly explained his business plan to Zhu Qiniang. He also told her about the Deer Antler Powder.

There was only one medicine shop in Flying Horse Market, and he could only buy the medicinal ingredients he needed for refining pills there.

To keep Zhu Hong'an from noticing anything amiss, Gao Xian needed Zhu Qiniang to help cover for him.

He needed to explain all of this to Zhu Qiniang.

Zhu Qiniang nodded. "That'll be easy."

Gao Xian said awkwardly, "It's just that I can't find anyone suitable to help me sell the Heavenly Gui Pills. Qiniang, you know a lot of people. Could you help me find someone suitable..."

He didn't know many people in Flying Horse Market, so he had to ask Zhu Qiniang for help.

"Sure. I'll ask around," Zhu Qiniang readily agreed.

Gao Xian said with some embarrassment, "The main thing is, don't let Shopkeeper Zhu find out."

"Don't worry. I'll definitely help you."

Zhu Qiniang's lips twitched, forming an expression that was somewhat complicated, but she said nothing more.