Zhou Kai’s series of deflections and counterattacks left the young woman speechless.

She stared at this Chen Family Guest Elder before her. His cultivation was clearly not high, yet he spoke like a seasoned rogue, slick and slippery. Where was even a hint of the aloofness and integrity a proper alchemist should possess?

This was no master alchemist; he was clearly a street ruffian!

And yet… what he said seemed… to have a point?

She stared at Zhou Kai, then glanced at the bottle of Yang Locking Pills, her mind racing.

Spirit Stones were Spirit Stones. Who cared if you earned them by selling Qi Gathering Pills or by selling… that kind of pill? If they could boost cultivation and buy resources, they were good Spirit Stones!

After this self-persuasion, Wang Qiaoqiao’s merchant nature began to surface.

Her eyes grew lively.

“Ahem,” she cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice calm. “These thirty mid-grade Qi Gathering Pills are of excellent quality. I’ll price them at seven Spirit Stones each, for a total of two hundred and ten Spirit Stones. How about it?”

This was the price Clerk Xiao Zhang had offered earlier. Zhou Kai had no objection. “Acceptable.”

Wang Qiaoqiao’s gaze shifted back to the jade bottle that had made her blush. “How many Yang Locking Pills did you refine?”

“Not many, just one hundred and fifty.” Zhou Kai pushed the jade bottle forward. “This pill isn’t difficult to refine; it just requires precise heat control. They are all high-grade.”

“Two Spirit Stones each, three hundred Spirit Stones total.”

Wang Qiaoqiao deftly retrieved a Spirit Stone pouch, counted out five hundred and ten Spirit Stones, and handed them to Zhou Kai.

“Guest Elder Zhou, your payment.”

Zhou Kai took it, hefted it in his hand. Combined with the Spirit Stones he had looted earlier, his net worth had skyrocketed to over fourteen hundred Spirit Stones.

“Miss Wang, I have another matter. I’d like to purchase some items from your Baolu Pavilion.”

“Oh? What does Guest Elder Zhou need? Please speak freely; I guarantee you the most favorable prices!” Wang Qiaoqiao’s eyes lit up.

“I need an alchemy furnace, one of better quality,” Zhou Kai stated.

Wang Qiaoqiao’s enthusiasm grew even higher. “No problem! I’ll have someone fetch the best few from the warehouse for you to choose from!”

Soon, several furnaces of different styles were brought in.

Zhou Kai examined them carefully and selected one that was entirely crimson-red, engraved with fire-gathering array patterns. It felt warm to the touch, with Spirit Qi flowing smoothly through it—clearly a furnace of exceptional quality.

“This furnace’s quality is decent; it should be barely sufficient to attempt refining some second-grade pills. I wonder if your esteemed pavilion has the pill formulas and materials for True Condensation Pills and Qi Gathering Pills? If so, what are the prices?”

“Excellent! This Crimson Sun Furnace…” Wang Qiaoqiao’s voice suddenly rose sharply. “Qi Gathering Pills and True Condensation Pills?!”

Qi Gathering Pills were used by late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators to aid their cultivation! Although they were among the most basic second-grade pills, anyone capable of refining Qi Gathering Pills was undoubtedly a genuine second-grade alchemist!

As for True Condensation Pills, they were high-tier healing pills among second-grade pills, capable of repairing damaged dantians. Their refinement was extremely difficult, almost on par with Foundation Establishment Pills, which were also second-grade.

This man… he wanted pill formulas and materials?! Could it be that he…

How was that possible?!

Near Crouching Tiger Mountain, second-grade alchemists could be counted on one hand; each was an object of fierce competition among major powers! Their Wang Family only had three second-grade alchemists!

She had heard of this Zhou Kai. He joined the Chen Family ten years ago; it was said his dantian was damaged and his aptitude low. He must have recently encountered some fortuitous opportunity or inheritance. Otherwise, with an alchemist’s abilities, he should have long since refined True Condensation Pills to heal himself!

An alchemist with talent, on the verge of repairing his dantian, yet unknown and with low cultivation! What did this represent? It represented immense potential, vast wealth, and… an excellent investment opportunity!

This person has enormous potential. If we can draw him to our Wang Family—no—if he can become my asset, it would be greatly beneficial for my future attempts at Foundation Establishment! I must find a way to establish a deeper connection with him, make him reliant on me and on Baolu Pavilion! Wang Qiaoqiao thought to herself.

“Might I ask if Guest Elder Zhou is a second-grade alchemist?”

“Just by luck,” Zhou Kai replied nonchalantly.

“Master Zhou!” Wang Qiaoqiao immediately stood up and bowed deeply to him. “Earlier, Qiaoqiao was rude and spoke offensively. I beg Master’s forgiveness!”

The speed of her attitude change was like night and day.

Zhou Kai calmly accepted her bow; he understood—the desired effect had been achieved.

“You exaggerate, Miss Wang,” he waved his hand dismissively and feigned contemplation. “My current status is inconvenient; I’m merely a minor Guest Elder for the Chen Family, and my cultivation is still low. If my identity as a second-grade alchemist were exposed, it would likely attract many unnecessary troubles. Therefore, this matter requires Miss Wang’s discretion.”

Wang Qiaoqiao was sharp-witted; she immediately grasped Zhou Kai’s meaning.

It was time to start negotiating terms!

She quickly said, “Master Zhou can rest assured! Qiaoqiao will be absolutely tight-lipped! I will not divulge this!”

“As compensation for your discretion,” Zhou Kai timely threw out the bait, “in the future, aside from what I use personally or what the Chen Family requires, any pills I refine can be offered first to Baolu Pavilion for cooperation. Of course, regarding the price…” He drew out his tone.

“Master need not worry! The price will be absolutely fair! No! The price will absolutely be the highest for you!” Wang Qiaoqiao patted her chest in assurance. Then her eyes shifted craftily as she revealed a sly smile. “These two pill formulas shall be my gift to Master as a token of our meeting! The material costs for this batch of Qi Gathering Pills will also be covered by our Baolu Pavilion!”

“As for True Condensation Pill materials… their price is truly too high. The best I can offer is a ten percent discount.”

Free pill formulas? Why refuse such an offer? Zhou Kai raised an eyebrow—she really knew how things worked. Time to lay out her chips.

Sure enough, Wang Qiaoqiao continued immediately after, “However… Qiaoqiao has one more presumptuous request.”

“Oh? Please speak freely.”

“If Master is ever able to refine Foundation Establishment Pills in the future… could you share some with me?”

This Wang Qiaoqiao had quite an ambition! She was already planning for Foundation Establishment Pills now!

Zhou Kai pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. “If that day truly comes… I will remember today’s kindness from the Wang Family—no—from you personally today. Foundation Establishment Pills can be shared when the time comes; we can discuss specific distribution then.”

“Thank you so much, Master!” Wang Qiaoqiao was overjoyed; she felt this investment was an absolute steal! She added emphatically, “Not kindness from the Wang Family—kindness from me personally.”

To thoroughly bind Zhou Kai further, she proactively offered more advice. “To better conceal Master’s identity… perhaps we could tell outsiders that Master Zhou is… hmm… an eccentric specialist who refines Yang Locking Pills? This would explain the source of your pills without attracting too much attention; others would simply think Master has taken an unconventional path.”

This girl’s ideas were indeed cunning—a bit peculiar perhaps—but currently not a bad way to temporarily avoid drawing attention.

“Acceptable,” Zhou Kai nodded in agreement.

After finalizing their deal, Zhou Kai spent more Spirit Stones purchasing numerous talismans for self-defense.

Finally, he used almost all his remaining Spirit Stones to buy materials for refining Yang Locking Pills.

Returning to his small courtyard back at the Chen Family home base, Zhou Kai couldn’t help but laugh aloud inwardly, filled with satisfaction at his successful scheme.

Everything had unfolded according to his calculations!

Wang Qiaoqiao—he had known about her long ago, thoroughly understanding her character: seemingly warm and lively, but actually utilitarian above all else. A high-risk speculator willing to stake everything for profit, driven by immense ambition.

Such a personality was practically tailor-made as a cooperation partner for him!

Today, he originally intended to try his luck to see if he could meet her directly. Her seeing Manager Wang pulled away earlier helped. Everything went smoother than anticipated.

Indeed, merely dangling the bait of a “second-grade alchemist” was enough to make her instantly change her attitude, even proactively offer pill formulas and materials, desperately trying to win him over.

Hah. In her view, this was a potential investment for herself. But how could she know that while she was scheming how to utilize his “alchemy talent,” he already viewed her as his next target for the 【Beauty Bonding System】?

A Wang Family direct descendant, possessing Baolu Pavilion’s resources, character utilitarian, a daring investor—a perfect Beauty candidate.

As long as he fully developed her, not only could he obtain tangible Bonding Points through the system to boost his own strength, but he could also utilize Baolu Pavilion’s channels to acquire vast cultivation resources and even use her status to better conceal himself.

This “investment” would yield truly astronomical returns for him.