Ruoshui looked at her Master with some confusion.

What did she mean by that?

However, Ruoshui did not press for details. She understood her Master’s temperament well. Since she had not spoken plainly, no amount of questioning would yield a direct answer.

“Yes, Disciple understands!”

Joyous Union Sect. Inner Sect. Moon Gaze Peak.

The golden spirit characters floating in the sky above the peak suddenly shifted, their brilliance intensifying before settling into a new decree:

[Mountain Sealed for Three Months]

In the courtyard before the pavilion at the peak, two figures sat facing each other across a stone tea table.

One wore a simple yellow robe, his hair white as snow. Yet, his face was unlined and ruddy, exuding an air of immortal grace and the profound elegance of a true sage.

The other wore a long, purple palace dress that shimmered like liquid silk. The curve of her waist was faintly visible beneath the gown, and the fabric strained slightly against an ample chest.

“The Sect Master is in charge of all sect affairs; does she also need magical treasures for protection?”

Li Meng narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the breathtakingly beautiful woman seated opposite him.

The person before him was Li Qiushui, the Sect Master of the Joyous Union Sect, and also his very first Golden Core client.

Li Qiushui offered a gentle, enigmatic smile.

With a graceful wave of her slender, jade-like hand, she lifted the teapot and poured a cup for Li Meng. The steam curled between them like a silent question.

Li Meng felt somewhat overwhelmed by the honor, though his instincts screamed that this visitor had ulterior motives.

“I naturally do not need treasures for protection,” Li Qiushui said, her voice like wind chimes. “Iron Ox is you, you are Iron Ox, and you are also the Iron Ox from the auction’s Immortal Gathering.”

Li Meng took a sip of tea without changing his expression, smiling calmly as he met the Sect Master’s gaze.

Since he had used the name Iron Ox openly on his own peak, he wasn’t afraid of others knowing he was the same Iron Ox from the auction.

He was not alone. Behind him stood a great mountain—Elder Ruoshui. And the mountain behind her was the tallest peak within the Joyous Union Sect.

“Has the Sect Master come for the Longevity Fruit?”

Apart from the Longevity Fruit, Li Meng couldn’t think of anything else in his possession that would warrant the personal attention of the Sect Master.

Li Qiushui offered another gentle smile.

With another wave of her slender hand, she poured a second cup of tea for Li Meng, though he had barely finished the first.

The corner of Li Meng’s mouth twitched imperceptibly. If he drank any more, he would be bloated.

“Yes and no!” she replied cryptically.

What did that mean?

However, this was tea personally poured by the Sect Master. He had no choice but to continue drinking it.

Li Meng took a sip of the fragrant brew, then looked up thoughtfully at Li Qiushui.

“Does the Sect Master want Longevity Pills?”

Li Qiushui smiled gracefully. With a flick of her sleeve, a storage bag materialized on the tea table with a soft thud.

“This contains three hundred thousand spirit stones!”

Th… three hundred thousand?

Li Meng’s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.

Was… was this the legendary wealthy patroness he had heard rumors about in his past life?

Li Meng glanced at the storage bag on the table. Outwardly, he maintained an expression of complete calm, appearing indifferent to the staggering sum.

But inwardly, his mind was racing.

This was three hundred thousand spirit stones! It would be a crime against the Dao not to earn them.

If he were to truly refine Longevity Pills, he wouldn’t produce just one anyway. The batch would yield spares.

“After all, it’s only a thousand-year Longevity Fruit. It’s not worth that price!” Li Qiushui said, observing her Junior Nephew closely.

If one considered only its base value as a raw ingredient, a thousand-year Longevity Fruit indeed wasn’t worth that much.

Li Meng waved his sleeve, boldly taking the teapot from the Sect Master’s hand before she could pour him a third cup. He had drunk enough tea.

Instead, Li Meng poured a cup for the Sect Master, offering an apologetic smile.

“This Junior Nephew’s cultivation is lowly. With my Foundation Establishment cultivation, attempting to refine a fourth-grade pill is perilous. I fear I could only produce a mid-grade Longevity Pill at best. If Sect Master Aunt is not in urgent need, then please wait a while longer. However, if Sect Master Aunt wishes to buy the raw fruit from this Junior Nephew, then there is nothing more to discuss. This Junior Nephew will not sell it.”

The hand holding Li Qiushui’s teacup trembled slightly.

She looked with a strange expression at Junior Nephew Li sitting opposite her.

Just what kind of monster was this?

Fourth-grade pills could normally only be refined by fourth-grade Alchemists. And fourth-grade Alchemists were generally Nascent Soul cultivators; only they possessed sufficient mana and soul power to sustain the refinement process.

The cultivation of Junior Nephew Li sitting opposite her was merely early Foundation Establishment—barely an ant in the eyes of a Golden Core cultivator.

Yet he claimed he could refine fourth-grade pills? And even mid-grade fourth-grade pills at that?

Was she dreaming?

Li Qiushui forcefully suppressed the urge to pinch herself to check if this was an illusion.

“Junior Nephew Li, are you serious?”

Facing the Sect Master’s skeptical gaze, Li Meng chuckled and stroked his beard lightly, the picture of confidence.

“The medicinal potency of a thousand-year Longevity Fruit is relatively low, so its refinement difficulty naturally cannot compare to that of a two-thousand-year fruit. Although it will require some effort and assistance, producing one mid-grade Longevity Pill should not be an issue.”

Li Meng had absolute confidence in his alchemy skills. After all, his proficiency panel was practically a cheat from the heavens.

Looking at Junior Nephew Li’s confident expression, Li Qiushui fell silent.

Supreme Elder Nangong was right; Junior Nephew Li’s talent in alchemy was simply monstrous!

If Junior Nephew Li could form his Golden Core, it would have an immense impact on the future of the Joyous Union Sect!

“How long must I wait?” she asked.

Li Meng gave an answer without hesitation.

“Fifty years!”

Fifty years was a very reasonable timeframe. Li Meng was confident he could form his Golden Core within that span.

Longevity Fruits were far too rare. Even just this thousand-year fruit—Li Meng did not want to waste it on a suboptimal refinement.

If he refined Longevity Pills with Golden Core cultivation, producing High-Grade pills should pose no problem.

The difference in medicinal efficacy between High-Grade and Mid-Grade Longevity Pills was vast. The former added one hundred years of lifespan… while the latter could add two hundred years!

“Very well! Then fifty years it is!”

She should still be alive fifty years from now. She could afford to wait.

Although there were other Alchemists within the Joyous Union Sect—the Supreme Elder from Pill King Peak was even a fourth-grade Alchemist—the medicinal potency of just one thousand-year Longevity Fruit was too low for them to maximize.

If handed over to that Supreme Elder for refinement… only one Low-Grade Longevity Pill could be guaranteed.

Not only would that Low-Grade pill add merely fifty years of lifespan, but purging its Pill Poison afterward would also be troublesome.

If she could obtain one Mid-Grade Longevity Pill… she was willing to wait.

Li Meng gazed with burning eyes at the storage bag on the tea table.

“Sect Master Aunt… then this…”

Seeing Junior Nephew Li’s barely concealed avarice, Li Qiushui smiled faintly behind her hand.

“Take it! Consider it your deposit!”

If it truly resulted in a Mid-Grade Longevity Pill, its value would far exceed three hundred thousand spirit stones. Even at double the price, cultivators would fight to the death over it.

Li Meng chuckled and waved his sleeve.

“Then this Junior Nephew won’t stand on ceremony!”

He swiped the storage bag from the table. This truly represented a massive windfall!

He patted the Sword Nurturing Gourd hanging from his waist, feeling satisfied with the transaction.

“Sword Nurturing Gourd?”

Li Qiushui glanced somewhat surprised toward the gourd hanging at Junior Nephew Li’s waist, finally noticing its specific design.

Within the entire Joyous Union Sect… only Masked Moon Peak possessed two such gourds. One was with Ruoshui, and the other… should have been with her Master.

How did it end up here?