Chapter 55: Senior Brother! It’s a Deal

Once a “Dao Exchange” partnership was established, progressing to become Dao Companions was a natural development. Within the Joyous Union Sect, female disciples generally selected their partners based on merit. They rarely maintained fixed Dual Cultivation partners; even a difference of a single minor realm would often prompt them to seek a new partner of equal standing. Only those disciples with poorer aptitudes would form dedicated Dual Cultivation pairs early on. This held true for both Outer Sect Qi Condensation disciples and Inner Sect Foundation Establishment disciples.

“It seems I need to raise Senior Qu’s Affection above 90 quickly!”

Li Meng never considered his possessiveness toward Senior Qu a bad thing. Preparing for a rainy day was a virtue, not a fault. If you didn’t want something to happen, you did everything in your power to prevent it. Knowing something was possible yet doing nothing? Li Meng wasn’t that foolish. This had nothing to do with whether he trusted Qu Rou. As she had said, the human heart was the most malicious and fickle of things. Trusting others was always inferior to trusting oneself. If the worst outcome couldn’t be avoided, he would ensure there was no room for regret. When the time came to let go, Li Meng wouldn’t hesitate in the slightest.

Joyous Union Sect, Outer Sect. Little Bamboo Peak.

Li Meng returned on his flying sword, descending gracefully into his courtyard. He had guests; he had spotted Junior Sisters Sheng Shui’er and Sheng Zi’er from afar.

“Junior Sister Shui’er, Junior Sister Zi’er, it’s been a while!” Li Meng smiled warmly at them, his gaze sweeping briefly over their graceful figures.

Faced with Senior Brother Li’s intense, lecherous stare, Sheng Zi’er’s eyes flashed with a mix of embarrassment and annoyance. Her elder sister, Sheng Shui’er, remained far calmer.

Sheng Shui’er bowed with a placid expression. “Greetings, Senior Brother Li Meng!” Beside her, Sheng Zi’er bowed somewhat reluctantly.

Li Meng chuckled and returned the bow. He walked over to the recliner beside the tea table and slumped into it with an air of lazy relaxation. “Has Junior Sister Shui’er reached a decision?”

Li Meng hadn’t expected Zi’er to come as well. It seemed the sisters intended to share both fortune and misfortune. The sisters exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing a flicker of helplessness and resolve. They had considered other options, but none had yielded a way to save their mother.

Sheng Shui’er took her sister’s hand and stood beside him. “Senior Brother Li… it’s a deal!”

Li Meng looked up, his smiling eyes appraising Shui’er’s elegant, full figure. “Not feeling forced?”

Under his gaze, the sisters’ eyes held only humiliation and shame. As princesses of the State of Zhao’s royal family, how could they not feel forced? How could they not feel wronged?

“N-no… not forced!” Sheng Shui’er uttered the words through a tense body, her voice trembling slightly.

Li Meng chuckled heartily, feeling immensely pleased. “Junior Sister Shui’er, Junior Sister Zi’er, you must focus on your cultivation with haste!”

With a wave of his hand, six jade vials flew from his Storage Bag and landed neatly on the tea table. “These pills will assist your cultivation. Consider them a meeting gift from your Senior Brother.”

Sheng Shui’er looked at the table. She extended a slender hand, and one vial flew into her grasp. She uncorked it, and a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. “This… this is a first-grade, Superior-quality Prime Nurturing Pill?”

Her eyes widened. Li Meng was merely a Qi Condensation cultivator; how could he refine Superior-quality pills? With another graceful wave of her hand, she popped all the corks. The dense aroma filled the air, and the sisters’ eyes lit up with newfound hope. Superior Prime Solidifying Pills, Superior Prime Nurturing Pills, Superior Spirit Gathering Pills… all uniformly first-grade, Superior quality.

“Senior Brother Li… did you refine all these yourself?” Sheng Shui’er asked with a complex expression.

Li Meng chuckled softly, stroking his beard. “I’ve made some progress in alchemy lately. The success rate for Superior quality isn’t perfect, but it isn’t low either. Naturally, I’d give my Junior Sisters only the best.”

Sheng Shui’er silently collected the vials. Each sister took three.

[+30 Affection] [+10 Affection] [+50 Sub-profession XP]

Li Meng noticed their Affection was finally climbing out of negative territory.

“The Soul Return Pill will require more time. After the Market City’s auction concludes, you may return to find me.”

Refining the Soul Return Pill required one last ingredient: Seven Star Grass. The auction should have some, or he would have to use contribution points. He remembered the sect treasury had some in stock, though it was only seven hundred years old.

Sheng Shui’er knelt and grasped Li Meng’s arm, her face etched with anxiety. “Senior Brother… can it be faster? Yesterday I received a letter from home… my mother… I fear she cannot hold on much longer!”

Tears welled in her eyes. Beside her, Sheng Zi’er bit her lip and lowered her head. Only in their direst need would they humble themselves to beg like this. Li Meng reached out and gently stroked Shui’er’s smooth cheek.

How many who walked the mountain path could truly sever their worldly ties? For Qi Condensation cultivators, mortal family bonds remained a heavy anchor. Only time could slowly dissolve those red-dust attachments.

He withdrew his hand and placed his sect token in Sheng Shui’er’s palm. “Take my token and exchange it for the Seven Star Grass at the sect treasury. This Senior Brother will begin the refinement immediately.”

His expedition to the Scarlet Forbidden Ground had earned him a massive sum of contribution points. Using them on the sisters seemed like a worthwhile investment.

Sheng Shui’er’s face brightened with joy. “Th-thank you, Senior Brother!”

Beside her, Sheng Zi’er looked at Li Meng with an inscrutable expression. Exchanging for Seven Star Grass required nine thousand contribution points—the combined points of both sisters barely exceeded one thousand.

[+20 Affection] [+40 Affection] [+200 Sub-profession XP]

The system notifications surprised Li Meng. Why was Zi’er’s Affection increase so much higher than Shui’er’s?

“Hurry along now,” Li Meng said, patting Shui’er’s hand.

A faint blush colored her cheeks as she stood. “Senior Brother Li, we’ll take our leave then!”

She leaped into the air and soared away on her sword, with Sheng Zi’er following close behind. Watching them go, Li Meng stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“I wonder if I can actually refine a third-grade pill…”

Typically, third-grade Alchemists were Golden Core experts. Attempting to refine a pill two major realms above his own felt somewhat reckless.

“Ah well, might as well try!”

He still had faith in his system. He was a second-grade Alchemist now; while he didn’t dare hope for Flawless quality in a third-grade pill, Medium or Superior quality should be achievable. If he couldn’t even pass the Pill Condensation stage, it would just prove his “system” wasn’t all that impressive.

Li Meng stood up and walked back toward his house.