We Need Closer Contact

"Xiao Yuan, Mu She's direct subordinates have all been dealt with. All the valuables are here, along with the Myriad Medicine Pavilion's various contracts."

While Steward Qian's imagination was running wild, Zhang Qingqing had already returned to the inner courtyard where Lu Yuan lived and handed him a Storage Ring.

Lu Yuan accepted it without hesitation and smiled. "Aunt Qing, thanks for your hard work."

Zhang Qingqing waved a hand and swept her gaze over Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian. Satisfaction flashed in her eyes, and she turned and left without another word.

Lu Yuan put down his teacup and told the maid waiting outside to summon Steward Qian.

When Steward Qian arrived, Lu Yuan handed him several contracts. "You can take over the Myriad Medicine Pavilion now, too."

"Once all the territory has been brought together, have someone spread the word that the Lu Merchant Guild will be buying all kinds of poisons and poisonous substances in large quantities from now on. No matter their tier, as long as they're confirmed to be poisonous, we'll pay a high price for them."

Steward Qian was baffled. He had no idea what Lu Yuan wanted with poison.

But that didn't stop him from obeying.

"Yes, Executive."

Steward Qian left to carry out his orders, taking some men to take over the Myriad Medicine Pavilion first.

After getting a basic grasp of the situation, he immediately returned to the Lu Merchant Guild to report back. There, he happened to run into the deputy stewards who had led men to take over a third of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's territory.

"Steward, the scene was horrific. Every one of them, Mu She included, was killed with a single slash." One deputy steward was pale, clearly frightened by the bloody scene.

"When we went to take over the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's territory, no one dared oppose us."

"If you hadn't ordered us to take only a third, we could have swallowed it all."

"By the time we came back, the other factions had already heard the news and made their moves."

Another deputy steward's face was full of regret.

Fools. If our Lu Merchant Guild swallowed everything, we'd become the target of everyone's arrows, Steward Qian scolded inwardly, secretly praising Lu Yuan's methods.

The Lu Merchant Guild opened its doors to do business; there was no need for it to dominate everything.

If they swallowed the Wolf Head Mercenary Group and the Myriad Medicine Pavilion in one gulp, it would be no different from telling everyone outright that they were responsible for the killings.

But now that two-thirds of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's territory had been given away, everyone would tacitly agree not to look into the matter.

By the time Black Rock City received word and sent an enforcement team to investigate, every trace would have been wiped clean.

Time flew like a white steed glimpsed through a crack.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Yuan had been in Qingshan Town for nearly a month and a half.

During that time, a six-story building housing both the Myriad Medicine Pavilion and the Lu Merchant Guild had risen from the ground, becoming Qingshan Town's new landmark.

The building was named the Yuan Treasure Pavilion; it had formerly been the Lu Merchant Guild.

Now, seventy percent of the resources in Qingshan Town flowed through the Yuan Treasure Pavilion.

"Phew!"

The top floor of the Yuan Treasure Pavilion was large and spacious, with elegant furnishings.

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on a cushion in the center, breathing out a mouthful of turbid Qi tinged with the faintest trace of grayish green. It lingered in the air for a moment before dispersing into nothing.

He opened his eyes and lifted his clothes, revealing a faint, multicolored pattern above his dantian.

The Woeful Poison Body really is monstrous, Lu Yuan marveled inwardly.

His physique contained only twenty percent of Xiao Yi Xian's physique origin, copied from her, and he also cultivated the Low Earth Tier poison-attribute cultivation technique from her Poison Scripture.

In just a month and a half, he had gone from regaining his cultivation talent and returning to the Dou Zhe level to advancing by leaps and bounds all the way to Seven-Star Dou Zhe.

Of course, such speed would not have been possible without the Yuan Treasure Pavilion's support.

Ever since he had Steward Qian put out the announcement, he had never lacked first-tier poison.

What truly made him think the Woeful Poison Body was monstrous, though, was Xiao Yi Xian's own cultivation speed.

Without cultivating that Low Earth Tier poison-attribute technique, she had grown stronger simply by eating poison. She had already broken through to Nine-Star Dou Zhe, only one step away from Dou Shi.

Actually, there's no need to make such a fuss. This rate of improvement is nothing much.

Xiao Yi Xian had gone to the Chu Yun Empire alone to make her way in the world and become a Dou Zong in just six years.

Now, with his support, that time could be greatly shortened.

There's no need to be envious, either. After some more proper contact today, I can perform an intermediate copy on both Qing Lin and Xiao Yi Xian.

Lu Yuan rose and left the Yuan Treasure Pavilion's top floor, descending the stairs one step at a time.

When he reached the second floor, he headed straight to the back and made his way to the residential area behind the building.

As usual, Lu Yuan went to look for Qing Lin first, only to find that she wasn't in her courtyard.

I wonder if that girl has gone to make lunch or found somewhere to work hard in secret again.

I've already told her I'd help her improve her strength as quickly as possible, yet she's still in such a hurry.

Lu Yuan shook his head gently and turned toward Xiao Yi Xian's residence.

Xiao Yi Xian's room was on the east side of the courtyard. Several unidentified herbs grew in front of the door, and whenever the wind blew, their faint medicinal scent filled the air.

When Lu Yuan reached the entrance, however, he found that Xiao Yi Xian was neither cultivating in the secret chamber nor sorting medicinal herbs in the dispensary as usual. Instead, she was sitting alone at a stone table, drinking tea.

"Xiao Yi Xian, drinking tea all by yourself? What a pleasant way to spend the time."

Lu Yuan walked straight into the courtyard without waiting for a greeting, sat down on the stone stool opposite Xiao Yi Xian, and held out his hand.

"Same as usual."

Lu Yuan took Xiao Yi Xian's hand where it rested on the table.

"How much longer are you going to keep acting like a rogue!?"

Although she had been through this many times already, Xiao Yi Xian still couldn't help feeling shy. Blood rushed to her face, and her ears turned red.

"What do you mean, a rogue?" Lu Yuan met Xiao Yi Xian's gaze calmly. "When have I ever done anything that wasn't open and aboveboard?"

"Besides, I told you, we're saving each other."

Xiao Yi Xian wore a look of resignation.

She put down her teacup and used that hand to open a medical book.

Seeing this, Lu Yuan said, "Xiao Yi Xian, I actually have another way to speed things up."

"Hmm?" Xiao Yi Xian raised an eyebrow curiously.

"The closer our contact, the faster I can use my secret technique to analyze your Woeful Poison Body." Lu Yuan told her the truth. "Holding hands is too simple. If you don't mind, I could hold you in my arms."

Xiao Yi Xian: !

"You haven't taken enough advantage of me, have you?"

"I'm telling the truth. If I really wanted to take advantage of you, I would have done it long ago."

"Don't even think about it. If you held me, how could we still claim to be innocent?"

"Do you really want things between us to stay so innocent?"

"You... what do you mean by that?"

"I mean, things between us don't have to stay so innocent."

Xiao Yi Xian's heart fluttered like a startled fawn.

Was Lu Yuan declaring his feelings for her?

It finally worked.

Lu Yuan's gaze sharpened.

[Xiao Yi Xian · intermediate copy/plunder (progress 30/30)]

An intermediate copy took three times as much effort as a basic one.

If he didn't find another approach and make closer contact with Xiao Yi Xian,

an advanced copy would probably require him to hold her hand every day for at least three months.

Following that pattern, a complete copy might take several years.

"Xiao Yi Xian." Lu Yuan's expression grew earnest and serious, making Xiao Yi Xian sit up straight on instinct.

"I really wasn't lying to you. The time has come."

"Do you want to experience what it feels like for me to weaken your physique right now?"