Aunt Qing, I Need Your Help to Cultivate!

"Sir, please wait."

Xiao Yan had just reached a corner when Meng Chen's voice sounded beside his ear. Alarm bells rang in Xiao Yan's mind, and he secretly cursed his bad luck.

Could it be that Brother Meng had discovered his flaw?

Yao Lao told Xiao Yan to stay calm. He would handle it.

"What is it, little brother?"

Xiao Yan turned around, and Yao Lao's voice sounded from beneath the black robe once more.

"From your conversation with Yafei just now, I assume you are an alchemist, sir. I stopped you for no other reason than to ask you to refine a pill for me."

Meng Chen smiled. He truly wanted to ask Yao Lao to refine a pill for him.

Heavenly Flames were not so easily refined. To be safe, Meng Chen felt he needed to prepare a few pills for himself.

Hearing this, Xiao Yan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as he had not been exposed.

"Refining pills? Surely you know an alchemist's rules, little brother?" Yao Lao asked Meng Chen in return.

Meng Chen nodded. "Of course. I am willing to offer a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill in exchange for you refining a fifth-tier pill for me, sir."

"Oh? A Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill for just one fifth-tier pill? That is quite generous. What pill do you want refined, little brother?"

Yao Lao was somewhat surprised.

Earth-Rank battle skills were publicly acknowledged as high-grade battle skills on the continent. They could be exchanged even for sixth-tier pills, or some low-tier seventh-tier pills. What fifth-tier pill could possibly be worth a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill?

Meanwhile, Xiao Yan was completely stunned by the Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill, inwardly crying out again and again.

Brother Meng was ridiculously rich! He was actually trading a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill for a fifth-tier pill!

No, it was alchemists who were ridiculously profitable!

Learn! I absolutely have to learn!

Meng Chen pondered for a moment before three words left his mouth.

"Blood Lotus Pill."

Blood Lotus Pill!

Yao Lao was slightly startled and gave a soft snort.

"Little brother, are you refining the Blood Lotus Pill for...?"

Meng Chen smiled and nodded. "It seems you have already guessed it, sir. Can you refine it?"

"Master, refine it! A Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill! You have to refine it!" Xiao Yan kept communicating with Yao Lao in his mind.

That was a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill—a high-grade battle skill that the entire Jia Ma Empire might not even possess a few copies of!

Yao Lao did not immediately agree to Meng Chen's request. He merely fell into thought.

After a long while, Yao Lao spoke.

"I can refine the Blood Lotus Pill for you, but you also know that it is a fifth-tier pill. Even a sixth-tier alchemist cannot guarantee success on the first attempt, so you must prepare two sets of ingredients."

"Sir, do not push your luck."

How could Meng Chen fail to see what Yao Lao was after? He simply wanted to get an extra set of ingredients and refine a Blood Lotus Pill for Xiao Yan.

He had already offered one Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill. There was no way he would pay even a bit more.

Yao Lao chuckled. "Hehe... Since you are unwilling to provide another set of ingredients, little brother, then seek someone else. I cannot speak for elsewhere, but within the Jia Ma Empire, this old man is the only one who can refine the Blood Lotus Pill."

"Farewell."

Without another word, Meng Chen turned and left.

Seeing Meng Chen leave without looking back, Yao Lao was not worried in the slightest, but Xiao Yan exploded.

"Damn it, old man, why didn't you stop him? A Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill! You just let Brother Meng walk away like that? Didn't you say your pill-refining skills were exceptional? Why do you need two sets of ingredients just to refine a fifth-tier pill?"

Being called an old man by Xiao Yan made Yao Lao blow his beard and glare.

"What do you know? Who did I ask for two sets of ingredients for? Wasn't it for you? The Blood Lotus Pill is an essential pill for refining Heavenly Flames. The extra one would be just right for you!"

Xiao Yan grew anxious. "I can look for Blood Lotus Pill ingredients later, but once this chance for a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill is gone, it is gone!"

"It is only a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill. It is not as though this old man does not have one. Besides, in the Jia Ma Empire—even across the Northwestern Continent—this old man is the only one who can successfully refine a Blood Lotus Pill in one attempt. He will definitely come back for me."

Yao Lao was brimming with confidence. He firmly believed that Meng Chen would return shortly to seek him out.

"What if he doesn't?" Xiao Yan challenged him.

"If he does not, this old man will compensate you with a Low-Level Earth-Rank Battle Skill."

"Fine, it's a deal!"

More than ten minutes later, Meng Chen returned to the Meng Residence.

Just then, people from the Mittel Auction House delivered two sets of body-tempering medicinal ingredients. After Meng Chen paid the gold coins, the Mittel guards departed.

The butler said, "Young Master, Madam Qing asked that you go see her when you returned."

"Mm, I understand."

Meng Chen strode toward Qing Yanjing's courtyard.

Before long, Qing Yanjing sensed Meng Chen's arrival, ended her cultivation, and walked out of the room.

"Aunt Qing." Meng Chen smiled at Qing Yanjing and greeted her calmly.

It was as though none of what had happened yesterday, none of those overstepping actions, had ever occurred.

Qing Yanjing's nose twitched slightly as she sharply caught the fragrance on Meng Chen's body. Her willow brows furrowed tightly, and a trace of discomfort rose within her.

"Chen'er, the morning is the best time of the day. Why did you run off to the Mittel Auction House instead of cultivating properly at home?"

How could Meng Chen fail to see that Qing Yanjing was jealous upon hearing her question?

Sure enough, the fragrance he had picked up from Yafei could truly provoke Qing Yanjing.

Meng Chen could not help praising his own cleverness inwardly. The best way to make a woman care about you was to provoke her with another woman.

"Aunt Qing, I ran out of body-tempering medicinal ingredients. I only went to the Mittel Auction House to buy more."

Meng Chen walked before Qing Yanjing and hurriedly explained himself. Qing Yanjing was somewhat unconvinced. If he had merely bought medicinal ingredients, why was he covered in that woman's fragrance?

"Chen'er, if you went to buy medicinal ingredients, then what is this fragrance on you?"

Qing Yanjing coldly questioned Meng Chen.

Meng Chen pretended to be confused. "Fragrance? Is there any?"

He lowered his head and sniffed himself, then suddenly understood. "Oh, I got a little too close while discussing business with Miss Yafei and accidentally picked it up."

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from that woman? Why did you get so close to her again?" Qing Yanjing said unhappily upon hearing that Meng Chen had approached Yafei again.

Meng Chen looked surprised. "Eh, Aunt Qing, you seem to have quite a strong opinion of Miss Yafei. As I recall, she has never offended you."

"This is not a matter of whether she offended me or not. Chen'er, your master told you before that the most important thing for you now is to cultivate properly and ascend from this lower plane to the Great Thousand World as soon as possible."

"Do not forget your mission. You came to the Great Thousand World to eliminate the Extraterritorial Evil Clan and destroy the Heavenly Evil God."

"The Great Thousand Demon-Transforming Formation sealing the Heavenly Evil God cannot hold for many more years. Before the Heavenly Evil God breaks free, you must cultivate to a level capable of contending with it. Therefore, you cannot waste time in this lower plane, much less devote your energy to romance..."

Qing Yanjing earnestly lectured Meng Chen.

At the same time, she told herself that she was doing this to urge Meng Chen to cultivate, for the future of the Great Thousand World. That was right, that was all it was.

After listening, Meng Chen immediately nodded.

"You are right, Aunt Qing. I should raise my cultivation as quickly as possible and ascend to the Great Thousand World soon."

With that, he reached out and grabbed Qing Yanjing's fair wrist.

Qing Yanjing had wanted to dodge, but her body was more honest than her thoughts. She did not evade him and allowed Meng Chen to seize her wrist.

Then Meng Chen exerted a little force and pulled Qing Yanjing before him. His other arm wrapped around her slender waist, holding her tightly against his chest.

The next moment, the dense and surging yang energy of a young man enveloped Qing Yanjing. She found it difficult to resist, and her delicate body trembled involuntarily several times, her full curves quivering along with it as her eyes grew somewhat unfocused.

Suppressing the tenderness in her heart, Qing Yanjing looked up at Meng Chen. Her pretty face flushed, shame and pleading surfaced in her violet eyes, and beneath her veil, her crimson lips parted with difficulty as she asked in a trembling voice.

"Chen, Chen'er, what are you doing now...?"

Meng Chen's expression was solemn as he said seriously, "Aunt Qing, I need your help to cultivate!"