A pavilion stood upon the peak.

Li Meng descended, landing softly in the courtyard before the structure. His aged eyes swept the surroundings before he strode, unhurried, toward the main entrance. With a push, the door swung open with a low creak. He stepped inside.

On the second floor, he found Senior Qu.

Behind a gauzy curtain, the silhouette of a graceful figure sitting cross-legged on the bed was faintly visible. Li Meng brushed the curtain aside and entered.

Senior Qu, seated in meditation on the bed, came fully into view. Her aura was disordered, her complexion unusually pale. Spiritual Power leaked uncontrollably from her body, a clear sign of instability.

Qu Rou opened her eyes, her gaze cold and expressionless as it settled on Li Meng. A flicker of disdain and disgust passed within them.

“You’ve chased me all the way to my abode. Men truly are all the same. Fine. Get it over with and leave immediately when you’re done!”

[-60 Affection]

The system’s notification left Li Meng silent. It seemed Senior Qu’s clash with Su Can had been more complicated than it appeared. There were undoubtedly hidden circumstances he wasn’t aware of. At least his sub-profession XP hadn’t decreased.

He asked no questions and offered no explanations. Instead, he patted the storage pouch at his waist. Three jade vials flew out, landing gently beside Qu Rou on the bed.

Bowing respectfully, Li Meng said, “These pills should aid your recovery, Senior. This Junior takes his leave.”

With that, he turned and departed, descending the stairs and exiting the pavilion without a backward glance. Outside, he summoned his flying sword and soared away.

Back in the second-floor chamber, Qu Rou looked down at the three vials beside her with a complex expression.

Had he come… just to deliver medicine?

She reached out a slender hand, picked up one vial, and removed its stopper.

An extraordinarily rich and peculiar medicinal fragrance immediately assailed her senses. Astonishingly, the chaotic leakage of her Spiritual Power ceased the moment the scent reached her.

“This… this is Flawless Dao Origin Pills?”

Shock flashed in her eyes.

While the recipe for Dao Origin Pills wasn’t exactly a secret, their refinement process was notoriously intricate. The success rate was abysmally low. Even successful batches usually resulted in Low-quality pills. Medium-quality ones were scarce beyond measure—even if priced at ten thousand spirit stones apiece, people would fight to buy them. As for High-quality or Flawless pills… one needn’t even mention their value. If auctioned, even Golden Core cultivators would vie fiercely for them.

“He… he can already refine second-grade pills?”

Qu Rou recalled the Li Meng she had just seen. He had seemed weary, dark circles under his eyes.

Had he refined these through the night… for her?

She picked up the other two vials.

“Flawless Spirit Restoration Pills… Flawless Revitalization Pills…”

All three contained Supreme-grade healing medicines.

Qu Rou hastily rose from the bed and hurried to the window, but Li Meng was already long gone from sight.

[+100 Affection] [+200 Sub-profession XP]

Mid-flight on his sword, Li Meng stumbled slightly, nearly losing his balance. He quickly steadied himself and glanced back toward Cloud Peak’s direction. A pleased smile touched his aged features.

“Senior Qu… I accept your apology.”

He continued his leisurely flight toward the Outer Sect territory.

Outer Sect, Little Bamboo Peak.

“Junior Sister Yuan!”

Li Meng descended into the courtyard. Yuan Baobao, reclining on a lounge chair, flushed slightly upon seeing him. She quickly stood up and bowed in greeting.

“Senior Brother Li! I… I saw you weren’t here, so I decided to wait.”

Li Meng chuckled warmly and patted her delicate hand. “Junior Sister, there’s no need for such formality between us.”

Yuan Baobao smiled sweetly and relaxed her posture. Li Meng took her left hand and led her to sit beside the tea table.

“What brings you to visit this Senior Brother today?” he asked as he gently drew her soft, warm form onto his lap.

Seated in his embrace, Yuan Baobao’s face grew rosy. A subtly alluring aura seemed to emanate from her, her pretty features taking on a charming flush. She glanced around nervously—Little Bamboo Peak had no restrictive formations. Being seen like this wouldn’t be good.

“In a few days, we’ll be heading to the Scarlet Forbidden Ground,” she explained softly. “Senior Brother Xuan has been getting close to all the Outer Disciples participating. There’s strength in numbers… I know what he’s planning. Feeling a bit bored, I thought I’d come keep you company instead.”

Li Meng reached up and gently tilted her chin with his fingers, bringing her beautiful face to meet his gaze. He then leaned down and captured her red lips in a kiss.

Yuan Baobao’s eyes grew languid, a hint of shyness flickering within them. She didn’t pull away; there was no trace of disdain in her gaze—only a bashful flutter as she closed her eyes.

Seeing his adorable Junior Sister like this brought a slight curve to Li Meng’s lips. Both Junior Sister Chen and Senior Qu held some aversion toward him; they never let him touch them above the neck. He didn’t enjoy forcing anyone either… but claiming it didn’t bother him at all would be self-deception.

Yuan Baobao’s eyes remained dreamy as she lifted her slender arms to wrap around his neck. After a moment, she couldn’t resist peeking at him through barely open lids. Meeting his amused gaze, she quickly squeezed her eyes shut again—an utterly endearing sight.

[+10 Affection]

Junior Sister Yuan really is easy to please, he mused.

…

Two hours later.

…

“Senior Brother… I should go now!”

Yuan Baobao blinked playfully at him before her graceful figure rose into the air on a flying sword and swiftly departed.

Li Meng stood in the courtyard watching until her lovely silhouette vanished completely into the distance before finally turning back to his cottage.

For the next several days, Li Meng remained secluded indoors. He moved between his alchemy room and study—refining pills and inscribing talismans.

Junior Sister Chen visited every morning for an hour without fail; her diligence was naturally motivated by the promise of Foundation Pills. Junior Sister Yuan’s visits were less predictable—sometimes in the morning, sometimes afternoon or evening.

One night under a full moon bathed Little Bamboo Peak in serene silence.

In his study, Li Meng frowned at a talisman in his hand—a golden Spirit Sword Talisman that emitted faint traces of heavenly pressure yet whose runes glowed dimly, indicating far from sufficient Spiritual Power infusion.

“The amount of Spiritual Power required for a second-grade Divine Firmament Spirit Sword Talisman is simply excessive,” he muttered, shaking his head before storing it away again within his storage pouch. This single talisman had already consumed three full reserves worth of Mana yet remained dulled, its runic lines still lacking luster. It was completely unimpressive so far, despite such immense cost investment. Was it futile?

“I hope your eventual power justifies all you’ve consumed,” he sighed, retrieving a High-grade second-tier Spirit Gathering Talisman. He slapped it onto himself, activating it instantly. It transformed into a golden light that merged with his body, causing the surrounding world’s spiritual energy to converge rapidly toward him. He then sat cross-legged on his meditation mat, entering a state of cultivation recovery accelerated significantly thanks to the talisman’s boost, estimating a full Mana recovery within an hour at most.

The next day evening, he finally heard the soft click sound of the door opening from inside.

Emerging first, Li Meng was followed closely by Chen Lan, whose cheeks bore a faint rosy hue. They settled beside the tea table together.

“Junior Sister, here are the prepared Foundation Pills for you.”

Saying this, he retrieved a jade vial from his storage pouch, sending it flying toward Chen Lan, who caught it eagerly, delight evident on her face.