Pay-to-Win Cultivation: I Get 10,000x Returns

Chapter 268: Zhang Xian and I Are Open and Aboveboard, Why Panic?

Zhang Xian turned and headed to the other sword chamber to find Li Fuxi and Lin Yinyin.

Inside, the two women were whispering, but the dynamic was all wrong. It didn’t look like a master teaching a disciple; instead, it seemed the disciple was giving the master a very specific kind of lesson.

Li Fuxi listened with a flushed face, nodding vaguely as if she understood but was too embarrassed to ask for clarification.

Seeing Zhang Xian enter, they immediately stopped talking and sat up straight, their postures rigid.

Zhang Xian’s gaze instantly snagged on the fox ear accessory clipped to Li Fuxi’s hair. His heart skipped a beat.

Ah! Master is finally becoming sensible. All thanks to Yinyin’s excellent teaching.

Feeling his burning stare, Li Fuxi panicked. She snatched the ears off her head and hid them behind her back, her face exploding into a crimson blush.

Lin Yinyin, however, looked Zhang Xian up and down with a teasing grin.

“Oh, Big Brother is back? You had such a long, deep talk with the Ancestor. Did you bare your hearts to each other? You didn’t give her a token of love, did you?”

Zhang Xian laughed it off. “What kind of figure is the Ancestor? How could she fancy my trinkets? She actually did me a favor—she agreed to upgrade my puppets.”

Li Fuxi spoke up in defense. “Yinyin, don’t talk nonsense. She is our Founding Ancestor. You are going to cultivate under her soon. Zhang Xian and I both hope you achieve the Nascent Soul stage quickly.”

Lin Yinyin huffed. “I know! Master, you must keep an eye on him for me. Don’t let him go around picking wild flowers and stirring up grass outside!”

Looking at Lin Yinyin’s lively face, Zhang Xian felt a pang of softness in his heart. Parting was imminent, and he didn’t know when they would meet again.

“Ancestor lent me a sword chamber for a few days of seclusion,” he said softly. “Yinyin, come with me. I need to impart some… specific instructions to you.”

Lin Yinyin immediately scrambled behind Li Fuxi. “I won’t listen! I won’t listen! It definitely won’t be anything good!”

Little did she know, Zhang Xian and Li Fuxi were perfectly in sync. Li Fuxi chuckled and sidestepped gracefully, exposing her disciple. A soft band of water-light extended from Zhang Xian’s sleeve, wrapping around Lin Yinyin’s waist and reeling her in.

“Come here, you!”

“Ah! Master, save me!” Lin Yinyin shrieked, flailing dramatically. “Let’s subdue him together! What happened to ‘advance and retreat as one’?!”

Li Fuxi spat lightly. “You reckless girl!”

She flicked her slender hand, sending a gentle wave of Qi that pushed the pair out of the sword chamber and locked the door behind them.

From down the hall, Zhang Xian’s hearty laughter and Lin Yinyin’s coquettish protests drifted back.

The sword chamber returned to silence. Li Fuxi sat alone under the dome of star-like Spirit Stones. A small, contented smile curved her lips.

Now, she had Yinyin. And she had Zhang Xian.

She only wished these days could last forever.

Over the next two days, Zhang Xian fully embraced his role as both teacher and big brother. He meticulously instructed Lin Yinyin on the finer points of cultivation—specifically, the [Heaven-grade · Joyous Zen New Interpretation]. He led by example, conducting in-depth, hands-on discussions with her.

If Su Yunmiao hadn’t exited seclusion, her powerful aura startling everyone on the boat, Zhang Xian might have kept Lin Yinyin there for another week of “study.”

When Zhang Xian walked out of the chamber to meet Su Yunmiao, both of them wore expressions of deep satisfaction, still lingering in the afterglow of profound Dao comprehension.

Su Yunmiao smiled faintly. “The improved version of the [Twelve Turns Jade Condensation Sutra] is exquisitely marvelous. I gained immensely from these few days. Next time I encounter that old thief Taichu, he won’t be so lucky.”

“If it aids Ancestor’s cultivation, that is this disciple’s greatest honor,” Zhang Xian replied humbly.

“Matters in the Southern Region are settled,” she said. “I must return to Penglai to oversee things. Your journey to the Central Continent is fraught with peril. You must be extremely careful.”

“This disciple understands. The situation with the Heavenly Abyss Alliance is unclear. Miss Long Zhi is venturing in alone, and I am truly uneasy.”

Later, they went to see Wen Yan, who was being held in separate quarters.

Su Yunmiao looked her over. The woman was indeed a good seedling for cultivation. It was just a pity Zhang Xian had been so ruthless, shattering her Dantian. Who knew how long it would take to recover her peak?

Su Yunmiao made a direct proposal: Wen Yan would come to Penglai and assist in refining [Star Marrow Iron] for one hundred years to atone for her crimes.

Hearing this, Wen Yan felt a surge of reluctance.

She was a dignified Palace Master! To be reduced to a laborer’s assistant? Her face changed colors, and she opened her mouth to argue.

Su Yunmiao merely glanced at her. A trace of Half-step Soul Formation Pressure leaked out, instantly freezing the air in the room.

Wen Yan felt like she had been dropped into an ice cellar. She swallowed her words hard.

Zhang Xian added leisurely from the side, “If Palace Master Wen is unwilling to go to Penglai… she can stay here. My maid, Lu Yao, is looking for a subordinate to order around.”

Go to Penglai for skilled artifact refining… or serve a former furnace disciple who hates my guts?

Thinking of Lu Yao’s ruthless, smug face, Wen Yan shuddered violently.

“I am willing to go to Penglai!” she bowed quickly. “I will refine artifacts!”

Faced with two evils, she chose the lesser one instantly.

Seeing her submit, Zhang Xian offered a sweetener. He bestowed a set of healing pills and tossed her the [Mortal Shedding Heavenly Heart Fruit].

[Ding!] [Ding! Gift of Mortal Shedding Heavenly Heart Fruit successful. Triggered Return: Mortal Shedding Heavenly Heart Fruit x1000.] [Mortal Shedding Heavenly Heart Fruit: Earth Grade material, Epic-level rare treasure. Direct consumption has a probability of improving Spirit Root quality. The effect diminishes with repeated consumption.]

Zhang Xian grinned internally as the system notifications chimed.

Wen Yan swallowed the fruit and pills. Impurities were purged from her body, her Dao Foundation reshaped, and her aptitude forcibly elevated to a Heavenly Grade Wind Spirit Root.

She was utterly shocked. On the surface, she wept with gratitude, bowing repeatedly.

Zhang Xian glanced at her System Panel. Her Favorability was still deep in the negatives. He sneered internally but didn’t bother exposing her.

As long as I get the return, I don’t care what she thinks.

Finally, the moment of parting arrived.

Seeing Su Yunmiao praise the flying boat incessantly—especially the star-domed sword chamber—Zhang Xian waved his hand grandly.

He gifted her a brand-new flying boat, complete with a mountain of High Grade Spirit Stones for fuel. Su Yunmiao declined politely a few times but ultimately accepted.

Then, Zhang Xian handed her a [Mandarin Duck Winged Jade Pendant].

Seeing the Love Token returned to her, Su Yunmiao looked bewildered.

“Ancestor, don’t misunderstand,” Zhang Xian explained with a straight face. “I can mass-produce these things now. They’re just very convenient for long-distance travel.”

Su Yunmiao hesitated.

To refine a pair-linked artifact with my grand-disciple? Is he hinting at something again?

Forget it. She hardened her heart.

Zhang Xian and I are open and aboveboard. Why panic?

She accepted it.

[Ding! Current Favorability: 47.]

Finally, Su Yunmiao departed for Penglai Immortal Island, taking a reluctant Lin Yinyin and a submissive Wen Yan with her.

Zhang Xian and Li Fuxi piloted the other flying boat, pushing the engines to maximum as they raced toward the western borders of the Central Continent.

Inside the cabin, Zhang Xian couldn’t wait. He started gorging on the [Mortal Shedding Heavenly Heart Fruits], eating until he was stuffed and couldn’t absorb another bite.

The result was worth the indigestion. His Wood Spirit Root successfully ascended to Heavenly Grade, while his Fire and Earth Spirit Roots rose to High Grade.