Joining the Su Family

Having thought it through, Lin Fan decided that today he would look for a storefront in town, open a pill shop, and then bring his younger sister from Small Mountain Village over as well.

It was just that he did not know whether the Su Family had any shops available for rent. So he immediately spoke up.

"Miss Su, I would like to find a storefront in this town, rent it, and open a pill shop. I plan to sell some martial arts pills needed for the Three Body-Tempering Realms. Does the Su Family happen to have any shops for rent? Also, do you know what procedures are required to open a pill shop, Miss Su? I have only just arrived and do not know much about such matters."

Su Qingwei was startled upon hearing this. "Young Master, will you be refining the pills for your shop yourself?"

"That is correct. I learned some Alchemy at home, and I consider my skills fairly decent."

Alchemy, like cultivation techniques, required a great deal of time spent immersing oneself in study, comprehension, and practice before one could achieve anything. Moreover, those who trained in Alchemy were generally people whose talent in martial cultivation was insufficient, people who no longer sought higher realms and thus switched paths. Others were ordinary people with no martial cultivation at all, whose martial roots were poor, and who therefore chose to study Alchemy.

Yet for those with poor martial roots, studying Alchemy could not increase their strength or lifespan. It merely gave them an additional skill, another way to make a living. Furthermore, Alchemy required a very long time to master—at least ten years or more. If one's comprehension was lacking, even decades might not be enough to succeed. That was why Lin Fan had not recommended that the villagers study Alchemy.

Su Qingwei had not expected that Lin Fan, despite being so young, not only surpassed his peers in martial cultivation but also understood Alchemy. And from the looks of it, the youth seemed to intend to remain in town for some time longer. At once, she developed the desire to recruit him. Previously, seeing his peerless talent, Su Qingwei had always assumed that Lin Fan would soon leave this small town for a greater place.

"Young Master Lin, I never expected that not only is your cultivation extraordinary, but you have also learned Alchemy. If you do not mind, our Su Family is currently in great need of alchemists. Would you be willing to join our Su Family as an alchemist?" After thinking it over, she felt that if he were merely an alchemist, the silver might not satisfy Lin Fan, so she added, "If you are also willing to serve as a guard for the Su Family, you will not need to do much ordinarily. You need only resist enemies to the best of your ability should the Su Family come under attack from outside forces. Our Su Family is willing to hire you for twelve hundred taels of silver per month. Would that be acceptable?"

"Twelve hundred taels?" Lin Fan thought to himself. The reason he had not considered joining the Su Family from the start was that he had planned only to refine a few pills now and then in his spare time; cultivation would remain his main pursuit. But judging by Su Qingwei's intentions, although part of the offer was because he could serve as a guard with his Bone Tempering Realm cultivation, twelve hundred taels per month was considered a rather high salary even in the capital city of his previous life. Could the Su Family be planning to treat him like a pill-refining machine, squeezing him dry with a 996 schedule every day? Then he would have no time to cultivate. That was absolutely unacceptable.

Seeing Lin Fan's uncertain expression and his prolonged silence, Su Qingwei did not know what he was thinking. She thought the silver she had offered was too little and that Lin Fan looked down on it. After all, a Ferocious Beast he caught casually was worth several thousand taels.

She then tentatively asked in a soft voice, "If you think twelve hundred taels is too little, would two thousand taels per month be acceptable?"

The young girl lowered her long lashes and carefully watched Lin Fan's eyes. Her clear gaze held anticipation, yet concealed a trace of well-hidden panic, as though she feared hearing him refuse. Her eyelashes trembled faintly like the wings of a startled butterfly.

Lin Fan raised his head and looked at the girl before him, realizing that Su Qingwei had clearly misunderstood him. "No, that is not it. I wanted to ask how many hours I would need to work each day?" Then, feeling that he might not have explained himself clearly enough, he added, "What I mean is, I only want to refine some pills in my spare time outside of cultivation."

Hearing the youth's concern, Su Qingwei broke into a bright smile, like a begonia flower beneath a clear sky. "You are worrying too much, Young Master. With your unparalleled talent, cultivation should naturally come first. How could I dare make you neglect your cultivation over trivial matters?"

"You only need to refine a few pills from time to time. There are other alchemists in the household, so there is no need for you to refine a great many pills."

Hearing Su Qingwei's assurance, Lin Fan let out a breath of relief. When he first heard her offer such a high monthly salary of twelve hundred taels, he had thought that after crossing into another world, he had encountered another black-hearted capitalist who wanted to exploit him with a 996 schedule. He had not expected Su Qingwei to be so kind, only asking him to casually refine a few pills when he was not cultivating.

According to Lin Fan's original estimate, if he opened a pill shop himself, earning a steady few hundred taels each month would already be quite good. After all, he would not be refining pills full-time every day.

But Lin Fan was not the sort of person who would push his luck and then shamelessly take an inch after gaining a foot. Su Qingwei had offered such a high salary that he truly felt embarrassed to accept it. He immediately said, "Miss Su, thank you for thinking so highly of me. I am deeply honored and willing to join the Su Family as an alchemist. And in times of danger, I will certainly lend the Su Family a hand!" After expressing his thanks, Lin Fan continued, "However, there is no need for the twelve hundred taels. Since I will not need to refine pills often, one thousand taels per month will already satisfy me greatly."

Upon hearing Lin Fan's reply, Su Qingwei's worried feelings were instantly swept clean away, and all the unease weighing on her heart vanished. The pair of eyes that had concealed a trace of fear lit up at once, her long lashes fluttering lightly like a butterfly's wings. Lin Fan could not help staring, somewhat entranced. After a brief daze, he blushed faintly and turned his head away, no longer looking at Su Qingwei.

Fortunately, Su Qingwei seemed not to notice Lin Fan's unusual behavior. She continued, "Good! Since you are willing to join my Su Family, then from now on, we are family." Her brows and eyes curved with a smile, and her voice carried irrepressible delight. "One thousand taels it is. But you need not be overly reserved. From now on, the books, medicinal ingredients, and pill furnaces in the Su Family's Pill Pavilion may all be read and used as you wish. Ordinarily, you need only cultivate as you please and refine some pills when you have spare time."

At this point, she paused slightly, her expression growing somewhat more serious. She continued, "There is only one matter that I must make clear to you in advance. First, please do not reveal any of the Su Family Pill Pavilion's secret inherited pill formulas to outsiders."

Lin Fan solemnly cupped his hands. "Rest assured, Miss Su. Lin Fan will remember this well and will never reveal the Su Family's pill formulas to anyone."