Jiang Qiushui had not expected Liu Yu to suddenly offer to recruit her, asking her to work for him. For a moment, she froze, her expression stiffening.
This once taciturn junior brother, a nobody among the Outer Courtyard faction, had not only surpassed her in cultivation but also risen to become an inner sect senior brother. Now he was even making such "arrogant" remarks. Her proud heart burned with embarrassment and anger, as though she had been insulted.
But that irritation faded as quickly as it had come. Cultivators put their interests first. The reality was that if she wanted to break through to late Qi Refining quickly, buying pills for breaking through a bottleneck was her safest option. Yet it would take her several more years to gather the necessary spirit stones on her own. And if she spent every spirit stone on those pills, would she have to rely solely on meditation and Qi Refining afterward?
That was nowhere near as fast as earning spirit stones by working for Senior Brother Liu, an alchemist. With her social skills, selling some pills and handling miscellaneous errands would be effortless.
Many thoughts flashed through Jiang Qiushui's mind. She weighed the gains and losses, suppressing her unease.
Suddenly, she smiled sweetly at Liu Yu, stood, and bent slightly at the waist to refill his tea. A glimpse of snowy skin showed at her neckline. As a beautiful woman, she naturally knew how to use her looks. They were something she could rely on.
"Of course I'm willing to ease your burdens, Senior Brother Liu. From now on, I'll work for you. You must treat this little woman gently!"
Holding the teapot in both hands, she moved her arms, sending a thin stream of water from its spout. At the same time, her cherry lips parted, and she spoke softly to Liu Yu.
Liu Yu sensed the change in Jiang Qiushui's attitude, and he was pleased to see it. Attitude was the mask of the heart, and it could reveal a great deal.
From his higher vantage point, he easily caught a glimpse of that lovely view. He was twenty-one in this life and had yet to touch a woman, so a trace of amorous fancy inevitably stirred within him. But he knew that, for now, this was a beauty to admire from afar, not to toy with. Reason suppressed that "bold" thought, and his gaze became clear again.
"Of course, of course. As long as you work diligently for me, Junior Sister Jiang, I certainly won't treat you poorly!"
Once the tea was poured and Jiang Qiushui had sat down again, Liu Yu raised his cup and clinked it against hers, using tea in place of wine. For a time, host and guest were both content.
He had chosen Jiang Qiushui to sell his pills for two reasons. First, he knew her relatively well. They had spent so many years on Greenwood Peak together that he understood her personality. Second, she was sociable and well informed. Although her acquaintances were only outer sect disciples, selling a few bottles of pills each month and handling some miscellaneous affairs would pose no problem.
Noticing Liu Yu's clear gaze, Jiang Qiushui felt relieved, but also a little disappointed. It meant she would have to work honestly; there were no shortcuts to take.
"Has anything major happened in the sect lately? When I went to Clear Spring Peak yesterday, I saw many fellow disciples hurrying about with grave expressions. Has something happened?"
Liu Yu took a small sip of tea and set his cup down before asking Jiang Qiushui.
At the mention of this, Jiang Qiushui's expression grew somber, and she slowly began:
"A month ago, an inner sect disciple discovered a spirit stone deposit on the border between Qing Province and Mirror Province. A thorough survey revealed that it was a medium-sized deposit."
"That disciple immediately reported it to the sect, and the sect sent people to guard it at once. But somehow, word leaked out along the way, and the Hehuan Sect in Mirror Province learned of it."
"The Hehuan Sect immediately sent a group of cultivators to ambush our disciples stationed there. The two sides have already fought several battles over the spirit stone mine, and neither is willing to yield."
"I heard that dozens of our Qi Refining Period disciples have already been killed or wounded, and even two Foundation Establishment Realm martial uncles have fallen. The fighting has gradually kindled real fury between the sects. Now, every gust of wind and cry of a crane sets people on edge. None of the Qi Refining Period disciples want to be sent to that battlefield!"
As she reached this point, she lowered her beautiful eyes, a trace of worry flashing through them. Once a Qi Refining Period cultivator entered the battlefield, their life truly ceased to be their own. Some high-level cultivator might kill them with a casual blow.
Spirit stone ore was a special kind of ore capable of absorbing spiritual energy. Deposits were usually found along spirit veins rich in spiritual energy. Nourished by that energy, these special ores slowly became spirit stones brimming with spiritual power.
A medium-sized spirit stone mine could often be worked for centuries, bringing considerable benefits even to a major sect overseen by a Nascent Soul Cultivator. It could deepen the sect's reserves, allowing it to recruit more disciples and expand its strength. Only by continuing this way could a sect grow ever stronger.
Each of the Chu Kingdom's five great sects possessed a medium-sized spirit stone mine and several small ones. Only these resources could support a sect's daily consumption, vast as mountains and seas, and allow it to nurture so many high-level cultivators, opening an unbridgeable gulf between itself and smaller sects and lineages.
Spirit stone mines could be called the lifeblood of the cultivation world. Precisely because the five great sects held that lifeblood in their grasp, they could remain standing, growing ever larger like rolling snowballs.
No sect could abandon such enormous profits. Once the Chu Kingdom's other three sects received word, they would surely join this feast as well. They would not allow the Primordial Yang Sect and the Hehuan Sect to gain the mine and grow stronger. Things might well escalate into a great war sweeping across the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world!
Liu Yu was deeply shaken by the news. He sensed that a war sweeping across the Chu Kingdom's cultivation world might be coming. If he entered such a war with only Qi Refining Period strength, he truly could perish at any moment.
At that thought, the little pride Liu Yu had felt over breaking through to late Qi Refining vanished completely. An urgent need to improve his strength rose within him.
The heavy news left the cave abode silent. The two looked at each other without speaking, neither having any particularly good solution. A direct-line cultivator from the lineage faction or a personal disciple from the master-disciple faction could ask an elder to arrange an assignment in the rear, avoiding the battlefield. Even if they went to war, they would have their elders looking after them, making them far safer than the two of them.
Disciples of the Outer Courtyard faction were all children found in the secular world. Those with good talent had long since been taken as disciples by the sect's stewards and elders. Most of those left were mediocre in aptitude and had no connections within the sect to turn to. If war truly broke out, they would probably be the first sent onto the battlefield as cannon fodder.
At this thought, Liu Yu's brows knitted tightly. Frustration filled his heart, yet he could do nothing. This was the tragedy of cultivators at the bottom: with low cultivation and no backing, they could hardly avoid becoming cannon fodder when the time came.
With that in mind, Liu Yu no longer wished to stay. He looked at Jiang Qiushui and saw that her delicate brows were slightly furrowed as well.
He took seven bottles of Pure Spirit Pills from his Storage Bag and placed them on the table, asking Jiang Qiushui to sell them. The spirit stones earned were to be used to buy the Pill Formula for Jade Spirit Pills and five sets of spirit herbs needed to refine them. She was to hand him the remaining spirit stones when they next met. All of this had to be done as quickly as possible.
After a moment's thought, Liu Yu walked lightly over and patted her fragrant shoulder with one hand. He solemnly reminded her to keep a low profile and avoid drawing too much attention. Then, after a few words of encouragement, he took his leave.
Jiang Qiushui's face reddened slightly, and she grew nervous. Smoothing a strand of hair, she hastily stood to see him out. Since she had agreed to work for him, she needed to adopt the proper attitude.
She followed a few steps behind Liu Yu, watching his figure with a complicated gaze. She felt that this senior brother was becoming harder and harder to fathom. She had never expected someone normally so taciturn to make such a forward gesture.
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