Moon Gaze Peak.

At the summit pavilion, Li Meng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, deep in cultivation.

A faint, multicolored spiritual glow emanated from his aged body. The five elemental spiritual powers did not leak outward; instead, they resonated with the surroundings, drawing the heaven and earth’s spiritual energy into him in a continuous, rhythmic flow.

This was the most fundamental ability of a cultivator: “Breathing.” The absorption of Qi was the bedrock of all cultivation techniques.

Suddenly, the five-colored glow around Li Meng dissipated.

He opened his eyes, a slight smile curling the corner of his wrinkled mouth.

A guest had arrived.

“Inner Disciple Liu Siyue pays her respects to Moon Gaze Peak!”

In the sky beyond the peak’s defensive formation, a graceful figure hovered on a flying sword. She bowed respectfully toward the mist-shrouded summit.

“Senior is too polite. Please, enter.”

The dense mist encircling Moon Gaze Peak suddenly stirred, parting to reveal a clear path leading directly to the pavilion. Liu Siyue smiled gracefully, urged her spiritual power, and flew through the opening.

She descended from the sky, her feet touching the ground with the lightness of a feather.

“Junior Nephew Li, it has been a while!”

Liu Siyue swayed her slender waist elegantly as she walked into the pavilion, her movements carrying a practiced, merchant-like charm.

Li Meng chuckled softly, stroking his white beard. “Senior Aunt Liu, please sit.”

Liu Siyue took a seat by the stone table. Her eyes drifted to the Go board placed between them.

“Would Junior Nephew care for a game?”

Li Meng offered an apologetic smile. “I fear I would only embarrass myself before Senior Aunt. I am not versed in the way of Go.”

Liu Siyue smiled faintly, covering her mouth with her hand. The way of Go was a minor art; she didn’t expect a secluded cultivator to master it. She looked at the old man with bright, intelligent eyes.

“Junior Nephew Li sent a flying sword message to summon me. Surely it was not merely for idle chatter?”

“Of course not. How would I dare waste Senior Aunt’s precious time?”

Li Meng’s words made Liu Siyue’s eyes light up with anticipation.

Could it be that he has succeeded in his alchemy?

With a genial smile, Li Meng retrieved a wooden box from his robe and placed it on the stone table. With a casual wave of his hand, he slid the box across to her.

Curious, Liu Siyue picked it up. The craftsmanship was exquisite, though the material was ordinary rosewood.

She lifted the lid.

A rich, concentrated medicinal fragrance instantly wafted out. Inside lay a single pill, crystalline and translucent, glowing with a jade-green hue.

Liu Siyue’s pupils contracted sharply.

“This… this is a Flawless Ageless Pill?”

Her exclamation echoed within the quiet pavilion. She looked up at the withered old man sitting across from her, an expression of utter disbelief on her face.

“The Flawless Ageless Pill that appeared at the recent Market City auction… was it refined by you, Junior Nephew?”

Li Meng chuckled again, his hand smoothing his beard. “Indeed, it was this humble junior’s work. I hope Senior Aunt can keep this matter confidential.”

He could have denied it. But he chose not to.

A useless man would never earn a woman’s Affection.

A faint blush appeared on Liu Siyue’s cheeks as she gazed at him with sparkling eyes.

Junior Nephew Li was merely a cultivator at Peak Qi Condensation! To refine a Tier-2 pill at the Qi Condensation realm was rare enough… but to produce a Flawless one?

What kind of monstrous talent in the Dao of Alchemy was this?

She suddenly thought of Senior Brother Su.

Senior Brother Su, you fool. Of all the people to provoke, why did you have to pick him?

Not only did Li Meng hold a Supreme Elder’s token as the Registered Disciple of Moon Gaze Peak… he was an Alchemist of terrifying potential. With these identities stacked together, even Golden Core Seniors would think twice before crossing him.

A wry smile touched Liu Siyue’s lips. She gently closed the lid of the wooden box and, with a flick of her sleeve, pushed it back across the table.

“Junior Nephew Li, even if you sold me, I’m afraid I couldn’t afford a single Flawless Ageless Pill.”

Li Meng chuckled. He flicked his sleeve, sliding the box back toward her.

“Then Senior Aunt can simply sell herself to me.”

Liu Siyue gave a charming smile, batting her eyelashes at him playfully.

“Is Junior Nephew joking… or is he serious?”

Still smiling, Li Meng did not answer immediately. Instead, he took out a second wooden box and placed it on the stone table.

He slid this box before Liu Siyue.

Liu Siyue glanced between the smiling old man and the new box. Her curiosity piqued once more, she carefully picked it up and slowly opened the lid.

Whoosh.

A wave of pill fragrance, far more potent than the last, washed over her.

The medicinal power within the aroma was staggering. Liu Siyue felt her mind instantly clear, entering a state of serene focus.

“A… A Flawless Dustfall Pill?”

Her voice trembled.

Sitting by the stone table, Liu Siyue covered her mouth with her hand, staring dumbfounded at the pill.

It emitted a faint halo of spiritual power, radiating a Dao rhythm that seemed to resonate with heaven and earth itself. Merely smelling it made her feel as if she were on the verge of an Epiphany.

It took her a long moment to regain her composure.

“Haaa…”

Liu Siyue took a deep breath, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

With the utmost care, as if handling a priceless treasure that might shatter at a breath, she closed the lid.

“Junior Nephew Li… what exactly do you want?”

She lifted her head, fixing him with an intense stare.

Her mind was already made up. No matter what demand he made, she would agree.

These two pills represented an opportunity that effectively guaranteed her future Golden Core. With these resources, her success rate for breaking through would be at least eighty percent.

Eighty percent.

How could any cultivator remain unmoved by such temptation?

Li Meng chuckled amiably, looking every bit the kindly senior, though his eyes were sharp.

“If this junior can successfully establish his Foundation… then I want Senior Aunt to assist me in my cultivation.”

Things of value were never free.

To raise Affection to its maximum, friendship and gratitude were insufficient. It had to develop into something deeper, something romantic—or at least, intimate.

Even if Senior Aunt Liu was hesitant now, feelings could be nurtured.

He would stake his claim first. Everything else could come later.

Liu Siyue’s face flushed a deep red. Her eyes grew languid, like silk threads tangling in the wind. She had never imagined the old man would make such a direct, improper request.

A conflicted expression crossed her face as she looked at the two boxes on the stone table.

The value was beyond imagination. If an ordinary cultivator possessed these, they could trade for enough resources to reach the mid-Golden Core stage.

“I… I need to think about this properly!”

Biting her lower lip, her face etched with internal struggle, she rose abruptly.

She hurried out of the pavilion, her graceful figure leaping into the air. She stepped onto her flying sword and fled into the distance as if escaping a terrifying beast.

“Senior Aunt Liu! I will keep these items for you! If this junior manages to establish his Foundation… I will come find you then!”

Li Meng’s voice projected from the pavilion.

Liu Siyue’s spiritual energy faltered. Her flying sword wobbled erratically in the air.

“You… rascal!”

She dared not look back.

She feared that if she turned around, she wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to throw herself at him right then and there.

Flawless pills!

Junior Nephew Li… are you testing my resolve?

Without looking back, she accelerated, disappearing deep into the clouds and mist.

Inside the pavilion, Li Meng watched her vanish and shrugged helplessly. He hadn’t expected the shrewd merchant to be scared off so easily.

[System Message: +30 Affection] [System Message: +150 Sub-profession XP]

The prompt made Li Meng grin widely.

Excellent. Senior Aunt Liu’s Affection had finally broken through.