At this, Wen Zhi's feelings grew terribly complicated, and she could not help glancing at her good friend Peilan.
Peilan asked, "What is it, A-Zhi?"
"Last time..." Wen Zhi hesitated a moment before asking, "That bottle of Clear Void Pills you took-did you sell it afterward?"
[Ah!] Qiaoqiao's suddenly raised voice startled Wen Zhi. [Just mentioning that makes me furious!]
[The Clear Void Pills happened to be exactly what a mighty cultivator from the Profound Heaven Sect needed, and she sold them for a hundred thousand Spirit Stones! That mighty cultivator wanted to befriend the Alchemist who refined them, but she actually said the Alchemist was dead!]
[Not only did she resell the pills for profit, she also ruined Third Senior Sister's fortuitous opportunity to befriend a mighty cultivator. If heavenly lightning had eyes, it ought to strike you down!]
It was clear that her junior sister was truly furious.
She did not know where Qiaoqiao had gotten this information, but hearing her defend her so fiercely, Wen Zhi felt a soothing warmth in her heart.
Peilan had no idea that Qiaoqiao's thoughts had exposed her completely. She smiled and said, "A-Zhi, those Clear Void Pills were really hard to sell. I asked so many people, and none of them wanted them. In the end, I sold them cheaply to a Rogue Cultivator, for a hundred Spirit Stones altogether."
As she spoke, she took out a hundred Spirit Stones and gave them to Wen Zhi.
[She sold them for a hundred thousand, and she actually spared a hundred for Senior Sister!]
[She really... I'm crying myself to death.]
Wen Zhi: ...
[Come to think of it, who did she sell the Clear Void Pills to again?]
[I think his name was Immortal Venerable Changyun?]
Wen Zhi's lashes stirred slightly. "Why did I hear that Immortal Venerable Changyun recently bought a bottle of Clear Void Pills at a high price?"
Fairy Peilan's expression abruptly changed.
Had she been exposed?
Chapter 10: Severing ties
Fairy Peilan was utterly shocked.
How could Wen Zhi possibly know about Immortal Venerable Changyun?!
She was Wen Zhi's only friend in the sect. Wen Zhi spent all day behind closed doors refining pills and never associated with anyone else. She was cut off from news, so where could she have heard about Changyun?
Her suspicious gaze turned to Qiaoqiao. Had she told her?
Meanwhile, Qiaoqiao was also wondering how Senior Sister had found out.
Perhaps she was already suspicious of Fairy Peilan.
"I-is that so?" Fairy Peilan said with a smile. "What a coincidence."
"But weren't you the one who named the Clear Void Pills?" Wen Zhi asked. "I only refined this one bottle. Where did the Immortal Venerable buy his?"
Wen Zhi had only recently succeeded in refining these pills, which could reverse clear Qi into turbid Qi. When the pills were completed, Fairy Peilan had suggested naming them "Clear Void Pills."
Ordinary cultivators indeed had no use for them, but Immortal Venerable Changyun was different. He had entered the Dao through the mortal world and cultivated with turbid Qi. Not only did he want them, he needed them in large quantities.
Peilan had been preparing to coax her into refining a few more bottles so she could make another sum from the Immortal Venerable in the dead Alchemist's name. She had never expected Wen Zhi to ask about this!
"There are only so many words used to name pills. It's perfectly normal for names to overlap. A-Zhi, you're overthinking it."
Wen Zhi fell silent.
Fairy Peilan said, "A-Zhi, I know you want to refine powerful pills, but those pills of yours really are hard to sell... I'm your best friend. Would I cheat you?"
Putting on an earnest, well-meaning air, she said, "A-Zhi, I only help you sell those pills because I genuinely consider you my friend. You know yourself that those pills of yours... they're useless. Why would an Immortal Venerable take an interest in them?"
Then she changed tack. "But if you want to give it a try, why don't you refine a few more bottles of Clear Void Pills? I'll find a connection and ask the Immortal Venerable for you."
Wen Zhi said, "I can ask him myself."
Alarmed, Peilan hurriedly said, "A-Zhi, why force yourself? You're not good at dealing with outsiders, and you're so withdrawn. If you say the wrong thing and offend Immortal Venerable Changyun, I'm afraid even your master won't be able to protect you!"
Wen Zhi's heart sank sharply.
[Bullshit!]
[You use these words to beat Senior Sister down all day long and stop her from making other friends, while spreading nasty rumors about her outside, saying she looks down on everyone and has a bad temper. You're the one who ruined her reputation!]
[Aaah, Senior Sister, don't believe her lies! You're clearly beautiful and gentle. No one could dislike you!]
The young girl looked at her with eyes as clear as spring water, her gaze as soft as the March breeze and the warm spring sunshine, filled with boundless expectation and affirmation.
[In my heart, Senior Sister is the best!]
[Senior Sister is an alchemy genius! Those pills didn't sell because they hadn't found the right buyers. It wasn't Senior Sister's fault at all!]
At Qiaoqiao's words, warmth surged through Wen Zhi's heart, and her eyes grew a little moist. No one had ever spoken of her like this. Was she really as good as her junior sister said?
"A-Zhi, there's no time to lose. Let's hurry back and refine pills," Peilan urged when she saw her attention repeatedly wandering.
Qiaoqiao quickly linked arms with her third senior sister, intent on protecting their own senior sister, and looked at Fairy Peilan with a hint of hostility.
A trace of viciousness surfaced in Peilan's eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and said with a smile, "A-Zhi, I heard this junior sister of yours failed the sect trials ten times. With such poor aptitude, she's dragged your master's lineage's reputation down for nothing."
These words made Wen Zhi deeply uncomfortable, and she could not help retorting, "Junior Sister is very talented. She was just a little too fond of playing before. As long as she prepares properly, she'll definitely pass this sect trial."
[Exactly!]
[Senior Sister is the best in the whole world. She's practically my kindred spirit!]
At this, a faint blush spread across Wen Zhi's face.
Her junior sister's straightforward praise was becoming a little too much for her to handle.
[Right, I remember Senior Sister just refined a Truth Pill. If she wants to know whether Peilan is telling the truth, couldn't she just have her take it?]
Wen Zhi abruptly raised her head.
Her stare rattled Fairy Peilan. "A-Zhi, what is it?"
"I recently refined a pill."
"You have another new pill? What kind is it this time?" Peilan's expression grew somewhat eager. Wen Zhi had no idea how sought-after her pills were outside the sect. As long as the right buyer was found, they would sell no matter how high the price.
Wen Zhi hesitated, glanced at her junior sister beside her, and said as though she had made up her mind, "I refined it especially for you. A Beauty Nourishing Pill."