"Assistance? Unnecessary—Nilan is an employee I hired. Since she’s my person, it’s natural that I would help her solve any problems she encounters; it’s only to be expected and doesn’t require any help," Li Chengyi stated with righteous severity.
Nilan imdiately rolled her eyes and looked speechless.
"So, no need for any token of trust. You all have fun; I have so matters to attend to." Li Chengyi waved his hand and quickly left the office, catching a taxi by the roadside and driving away.
"See? I told you the boss wasn’t like that," Dunis imdiately stood up to argue on the side.
Then he glanced at Durania and sighed, "Besides, we can’t always rely on Miss Durania for help..."
The Durania family indeed has significant clout, and even the New Moon Congregation has to show them respect, but that’s their background, not hers.
Durania’s father is a very cold-hearted person; he wouldn’t say anything if you could solve a problem with a bit of money.
But for this kind of confrontation with the New Moon Congregation, he would never allow it.
The bulk of the New Moon folks are self-proclaid nobles who are all about saving face. If Durania’s father stepped in to help, it would likely only further provoke them, making them feel severely challenged.
That would only make the situation worse.
"Ah, dad, if you don’t know anything then don’t butt in, go away, go away! You’re only making things more chaotic," Nilan impatiently shooed her own father, calling out.
At this mont, Durania couldn’t help but chi in as well.
"I also feel that Mr. Li is a very upright person. He didn’t even want my ring; I don’t think he’s unaware of the value of my token."
"How co you say that too!?" Nilan was at a loss.
"But the fact is, he really didn’t take it," Durania said, covering her mouth with a smile.
In the days that followed, Li Chengyi was out every day, searching through the city’s markets, inquiring at the Hunter Division, and asking the city’s official Wen Lin.
He had gathered most of the materials for the Condense Essence Seal Furnace from Wen Lin and collected the remaining few at the Hunter Division, lacking only the last item—the Seven-Colored Crystal Pillar, which was nowhere to be found in sufficient quantity.
For half a month, as Li Chengyi both cultivated and searched for materials, he found no suitable supplier.
The Seven-Colored Crystal Pillar itself was sowhat toxic and extrely hard to transport due to its hardness. The amount needed was also large—at least half a ton.
Late April.
A heavy rain started in the city. A misty veil made it impossible to see anything outside, and occasionally, a few people hurried across the flooded streets seeking shelter from the rain.
In the office, Durania had been almost a daily visitor lately, often chatting and gossiping with Nilan.
Li Chengyi had seen them so often that he naturally beca familiar with them.
The two girls, seeing him always in a rush every ti he went out, inquired about his purpose.
"A rainbow-colored crystal column? I’ve never heard of such a thing," Nilan said with a baffled look.
"If it’s a naturally occurring crystal column, then the Rainbow Coloured Crystal Column should et Mr. Li’s needs," Durania said with a smile.
"Oh, Miss Niya knows about this?" Li Chengyi had been worrying about where to find it, as even the Hunter Division didn’t have that much.
Unexpectedly, Durania seed to know.
"Mr. Li is a good person. However much you need, I can arrange for so to be delivered from the rchant’s guild," Durania said with a reassuring expression.
"I might need quite a bit. About five hundred kilograms," Li Chengyi said, looking at her and feeling there might be a chance.
"That’s not a lot. There’s little of this stuff on the market here, mainly because it’s not needed. You take a ton, and that would be fine," Durania said easily.
"That... doesn’t seem quite right," Li Chengyi hesitated.
"It’s mainly because the minimum transport quantity is a ton. Less than that, and the original producers won’t sell, so this is the most convenient way," Durania explained with a smile.
Nilan, on the side, had an incredulous look on her face. She had t Durania over an incident like this when Durania was being scamd on the street. Nilan had run across her and exposed the scam in no ti flat.
And thus the two of them beca good friends.
To think that not much ti had passed, and now her friend had been sweet-talked into giving away a considerable number of valuable items by her boss.
But since the items belonged to Niya, she couldn’t say much and could only squeeze Niya’s thigh with frustration, her head down.
Soon enough, Li Chengyi and Niya had arranged the delivery ti and place.
Two days later.
A green truck slowly stopped behind the office. A few strong workers got down and quickly and deftly unloaded the wrapped, bamboo shoot-like crystal columns from the truck, placing them on the ground in the backyard.
Li Chengyi went downstairs to look at them in the backyard.
Durania also jumped down from the truck, waving at Li Chengyi.
"Mr. Li, we et again." She always seed to wear a smile, gentle and delicate.
"Yes, thanks for the goods, you’ve been a big help," Li Chengyi said with a smile.
If he couldn’t find any, he had been considering whether to raid the New Moon Congregation or to look elsewhere.
Of course, that would be a last resort. With so many powers in this place, rashly making big moves could attract higher-level attention.
That wouldn’t be conducive to lying low and guarding the location of the Floral Bead.
During this ti, he had begun to sense that the place where Paine and his people had last disappeared might be another Blind Spot.
But that Blind Spot needed ti to open and wasn’t always accessible, so he could only wait patiently.
And the batch of crystal columns that Durania had sent over was the last piece of the puzzle for his Yin Canon cultivation.
"Whatever it costs, I’ll pay you," Li Chengyi said with a smile.
"No worries, such a trifle isn’t worth ntioning, Mr. Li is too polite," Durania said softly.
"That won’t do; accepting a gift and not reciprocating isn’t my principle in life," Li Chengyi replied.
"So that’s how it is? Then... I’ll be sure to treat Nilan better from now on; that should be fine, right?" Durania said with a smile.
"No problem. By the way, since your family is so powerful, Niya, why don’t you help Nilan deal with the New Moon issue?" Li Chengyi asked the question that had puzzled him for a while.
"It’s different... Uncle Dunis broke the rules. If we help to resolve the issue, the entire comrce guild will also be seen as breaking the rules. This could seriously impact our principles in conducting business.
Therefore, I can’t use the power of the comrce guild to resolve this matter. I can only get involved in my own na," Durania explained.
"And currently, I have too little power under my control; there’s really no way to help, so I could only co here to watch over things myself. As long as I’m here, they wouldn’t dare go too far," she said, her face revealing a trace of helplessness.
"That does sound tough..." Li Chengyi sighed in agreent.
He walked over and pulled off a black cloth.
Underneath was a hollow, colorful crystal pillar about a ter long, very striking in appearance.
"How about it? Will it work?"
"Yes, it ets the needs very well, thank you!" Li Chengyi sincerely expressed his thanks.
"Don’t ntion it; it’s a small matter for . Next ti you have any trouble, Mr. Li, just co to directly," Durania said with a smile.
Looking at the girl, a flicker of indescribable emotion passed through Li Chengyi’s eyes.
"Then I won’t be polite," he replied with a laugh.
"Not a problem at all. I’m happy to be of help," said Durania.
With the arrival of the crystal pillar, Li Chengyi quickly began preparing the Yin Canon for the furnace.
This was to lay the foundation for the ensuing True Fire, and once the base was set, he could continue to condense Origin Seals all the way to the True Fire Realm.
In less than half a week, the vast array of materials was depleted.
Li Chengyi had underestimated the terrifying strength of his body after being enhanced by the Flower Language Technique; the materials previously acquired for the foundation and furnace were far from sufficient.
Four days later...
Crack.
He pushed open the large door to his office and looked at Durania playing checkers with Nilan.
"Miss Niya, could I trouble you to purchase so more of these items for ?" In order not to bother twice, Li Chengyi straightforwardly handed the list to Durania.
"Not enough? Leave it to ." After spending so ti together, Durania had co to see Li Chengyi as a genuinely easygoing and good-natured person.
Since she could be of help, she happily took the note, her actions quick and decisive—so much so that Nilan, watching from the side, her eyelids twitched with concern.
She worried that her best friend might be naïve again and not planning to ask for paynt.
As expected...
Two days later, a new large batch of goods arrived, and indeed, Durania hadn’t asked for money.
Li Chengyi did the math—if he were to give another batch of gold bars, apart from robbing a bank, he’d literally have no money left. So he didn’t even offer paynt.
After all, by the looks of it, such an amount of money wasn’t a big deal for Durania.
Four days later, the second batch of materials was exhausted... The construction of the Yin Canon’s foundation and furnace was still incomplete.
The frawork of the furnace was only roughed out.
Li Chengyi had no choice but to seek out Durania once again...
"I need to trouble you again, Niya." Now that they were familiar, Li Chengyi didn’t even bother adding "Miss."
"No problem at all. The sa as last ti, right?" Durania asked softly.
"Yes."
The third ti...
A few days later, the goods arrived, and this ti, too, no money changed hands...
Finally, Nilan couldn’t stand it any longer. After her best friend finished talking with Li Chengyi, she secretly pulled her aside.
"Have you lost your mind!? All that money and you don’t want it!? Are you intent on giving it away for free?? What are you thinking?!"
"But I lack for nothing; I have everything...." Durania said quizzically, "I have so much that I could never use it all, so what’s wrong with spending a little to help soone else?"
"Are you rich and foolish?! If you’re so willing, why don’t you go out on the street and give money to every passerby?!" Nilan was on the verge of going mad.
"Eh? How did you know I used to do that??" Durania asked with a stunned look.
"You actually did that?!" Nilan was near the brink of insanity. Could this person really be that na ïve?
"Yes, as a child I discovered that if I gave money to strangers, they would be very happy and kind to . The more I gave, the gentler people were," Durania said with a smile.
"So I thought, if I gave money to every person I t, wouldn’t my world beco a place filled with gentleness? And then, I just..."
"You started giving out money on the streets?!" Nilan was shocked, her body shaking uncontrollably.
"Yes, I did. Unfortunately... it seed not to work very well. So people even tried to rob . Later, I learned that not everyone will treat you kindly in exchange for money—only good people will. So since then, I’ve only given money to good people," Durania explained with unassailable logic.
At least, to Nilan, who was stunned by her friend’s reasoning, it seed unassailable.
And so, shocked and trembling, she began to look at her best friend with a different kind of eye.
"Dear sister, then give all your money to !"
"But you’re not lacking either. Father said that only by giving to those in need can one harvest goodwill. Giving to those who are not in need will only harvest greed." Durania lightly pushed her eagerly approaching friend back with her index finger.
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