Twenty low-grade Spirit Stones.

  In the past, getting such a fortune would have made Lin Ke'er so happy she couldn't sleep.

  But today, looking at the twenty low-grade Spirit Stones, Lin Ke'er felt utterly uninterested.

  Twenty low-grade Spirit Stones couldn't even buy a single Magic book or a Storage Bag. In comparison, it seemed so little.

  Yet, Ye Chen seemed completely lost in Lu Jing's charms. He hadn't come to see her even once since she returned.

  Clearly, it was Ye Chen who betrayed her. Did she really have to go to him first?

  Lin Ke'er felt she couldn't do such a thing.

  Back in the courtyard, Lin Ke'er could smell the aroma of stewed meat. It was coming from Lu Jing's room.

  The scent made Lin Ke'er grit her teeth in frustration. She knew all too well that Lu Jing, as a talisman crafting apprentice, never learned anything substantial and lived a tight life. She couldn't afford to eat beast meat more than a few times a month.

  But in the past few days since she returned, Lu Jing seemed to be eating beast meat every day.

  Lu Jing's financial situation had improved drastically, undoubtedly because of Ye Chen.

  Just then, Lu Jing heard the commotion in the courtyard, opened the door, and peeked out to see Lin Ke'er. She smiled lightly and closed the door without a word.

  The two of them were just ordinary housemates, and because of Ye Chen, even the usual politeness was gone.

  To Lin Ke'er, Lu Jing's smile was pure provocation. "I stole your Lick Spirit, what can you do about it?"

  The more Lin Ke'er thought about it, the angrier she got. She couldn't focus on her cultivation and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.

  Until midnight, Lin Ke'er suddenly sat up. She couldn't take it anymore.

  Why should that bitch Lu Jing steal Ye Chen and still dare to provoke her? And she had been sulking, ignoring Ye Chen, which pyed right into Lu Jing's hands.

  This wasn't about resources anymore. It was a matter of dignity.

  Lu Jing liked to steal, huh? Then she'd steal Ye Chen back, leaving Lu Jing with nothing.

  She was very confident about this. Compared to her, Lu Jing was so mundane. She hadn't realized it before, but now she did. Ye Chen would be hers for the taking.

  After all, even when she was cold to him, Ye Chen was infatuated with her. Now that she was taking the initiative, Ye Chen couldn't possibly refuse.

  Lu Jing's so-called charms were meaningless in front of her. Soon, Lu Jing wouldn't get a single thing from Ye Chen.

  Having figured it out, Lin Ke'er decided to find Ye Chen the next day. With newfound confidence, she finally got a good night's sleep.

  That night, Lin Ke'er even had a rare dream. She saw Ye Chen kneeling before her, apologizing for his betrayal and offering countless gifts enough to help her break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, begging for her forgiveness.

  In the dream, Lin Ke'er smiled with delight.

  ...

  Waking up in the morning, Ye Chen gnced down, marveling at the effects of his body cultivation techniques. They were indeed powerful. He was full of vitality every day.

  Of course, Lu Jing's frequent favors pyed a part too. To be honest, with Ye Chen's methods, there were many ways to win over Lu Jing.

  However, the System had requirements for matching partners. Ye Chen couldn't guarantee that after winning over Lu Jing, she would still provide tenfold returns.

  Currently, there weren't many stable high-return channels. Among the many female cultivators at Silver Moon Market, Ye Chen had only found three with over tenfold returns.

  He hadn't even approached Sun Ruoxin yet. Lin Ke'er might go into the mountains.

  So, to be safe, it was best to do nothing for now. Ye Chen had the willpower for that.

  As for the young dies outside, Ye Chen wasn't interested. There were beautiful female cultivators in those buildings, but he heard they practiced all sorts of chaotic Secret Arts, which could affect one's foundation if visited too often.

  Ye Chen's talent was average. Even with daily consumption of Top Grade Pills, his cultivation was slow. There was no way he'd do anything to harm his foundation.

  So, he let it go. Ye Chen was always on the lookout for treasures that could enhance Spiritual Roots, even if just a little.

  With higher returns, his aptitude could be greatly improved. Ye Chen had already heard that such treasures existed in this world, but they were extremely high-end, beyond the reach of the low-level cultivation world.

  Ye Chen wasn't disappointed by this. He only feared that the cultivation world cked such things. As long as they existed, he could accumute resources through the System's feedback and eventually obtain them.

  Once he did, especially with a high-return female cultivator, wouldn't he soar to new heights?

  In short, Ye Chen was full of hope for his future.

  ...

  In the afternoon, Ye Chen went to Steward Zhang to hand in a task. Five hundred low-grade Essence Cultivation Pills, not one missing. They were still sold to Ye Chen by the same person as st time, thirty percent below market price.

  Steward Zhang was increasingly indifferent to Ye Chen. Even though Ye Chen had broken through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining, it was nothing noteworthy.

  After all, as a family disciple, breaking through to the mid-stage of Qi Refining at his age was already slow.

  Not to mention, Steward Zhang had heard that Ye Chen had switched to another Lick Spirit. He even said things like "loving someone means giving everything for her without counting the cost," which made Steward Zhang internally sentence Ye Chen to death.

  This one was beyond saving. Even if Ye Chen were a genius, he'd suffer greatly because of women one day.

  Not to mention, Ye Chen's talent was already poor. Such a person wasn't worth much attention. Slowly squeeze him dry, then find an opportunity to expose Ye Chen.

  Steward Zhang's only curiosity now was how many Spirit Stones Ye Chen's father had prepared for him. Ye Chen was spending on women and buying pills for tasks, yet he could still manage such expenses, which was quite absurd.

  Ye Chen's father was too indulgent, wasn't he? But it was this indulgence that raised a waste like Ye Chen.

  Steward Zhang thought Ye Chen couldn't hold on much longer.

  ...

  If Ye Chen knew Steward Zhang was waiting for him to fail, he'd probably ugh. Steward Zhang's pn to squeeze him was like sending him benefits.

  Even if the world ended, he wouldn't fail.

  In the afternoon, Ye Chen continued with his alchemy as usual. After finishing one batch, there was a knock on his door.

  A maid announced that a female cultivator named Lin Ke'er had come to visit. Ye Chen nodded, acknowledging it, but didn't pn to go out. Instead, he continued to light the fire and start on a second batch of pills.

  Lin Ke'er had come looking for him after just three days, which surprised Ye Chen a bit. But so what? He'd deal with it after finishing his alchemy.

  ...

  Outside the back door of the One Leaf Pill Shop, Lin Ke'er stood at the entrance, waiting to go in. When she received the maid's reply, her expression changed.

  "Master Ye is currently refining pills..."

  Hearing that she had to wait, Lin Ke'er was a bit displeased. In the past, whenever she came to see Ye Chen, she never had to wait.

  But thinking of Lu Jing, Lin Ke'er held her temper and waited at the door, feeling particurly irritable.

  Ye Chen was being too much! What pills could be more important than her coming in person?

  CPDD