A Small Request from the Author
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"Lady Zhang i…"
"Hm?"
"You know, I'm not bad myself, and I agreed to help you, but…"
"What?"
"I'm tired…"
Xie Qing pursed his lips, channeling his Qi to maintain the optimal level of fire and temperature for his alchemical fla. He was at Zhang i's estate and had co here at the woman's request to help her with pills.
As it turned out, Zhang i also engaged in pill refining and could be considered quite successful in this area, although she was a few levels below Liu Yang. Nevertheless, she was still highly sought after.
At first, Xie Qing didn't mind helping her, considering she was a friend of his beloved and Master, but… well, who would have thought he would be exploited?
"You know, this is child labor exploitation…" the man complained, though he continued to maintain the fire.
"Child labor? You're already 28, you're an adult," Zhang i replied nonchalantly, tossing new ingredients into the cauldron.
"But when it's not convenient for you, I'm a child, right?" Xie Qing pursed his lips and, seeing the woman nod, was left speechless and blurted out, "Has anyone ever told you that you're very shaless?"
In response to Xie Qing's question, Zhang i rely glanced at him and returned to her work. The man couldn't complain, as he had agreed to this dirty work himself, so he continued to help until he exhausted all his Qi.
Sitting in the lotus position, he began to absorb the Qi around him to recover. Sweat appeared on his forehead due to the heat in the room. And one can only imagine how hot it was if a cultivator of his level felt the heat.
Zhang i looked at the exhausted Xie Qing and felt a pang of guilt. In truth, she was a bit excited because Xie Qing's fire was extrely rare and helped her purify the pills to near perfection.
So she thought hard about what to give him.
"Maybe so pill? Xu i recently asked to co up with a pill that increases the chances of pregnancy…" Zhang i suddenly rembered and her face froze in realization, "Wait, so that's why… damn, so they already?!"
The woman was left speechless. She suddenly felt danger—mostly because Xu i would surpass her and beco a mother while she hadn't even found a lover yet.
"Hmph, cunning woman! No wonder she's been glowing lately! So that's what it is…"
Zhang i turned away sullenly, returning to the cauldron. She opened the lid and pulled out a clean white pill with no black spots.
Her eyes shone brightly at the sight.
"Perfect purity! Damn!"
Even with her restraint, Zhang i couldn't hold back a cry. A bright, satisfied smile appeared on her beautiful face, which was so charming that it could easily captivate n's hearts.
Xie Qing woke up at that mont and raised an eyebrow, seeing Zhang i's smile.
"Is it going to snow tomorrow?"
***
"Done!"
Zhang i plopped down in her chair, holding a vial with ten clean pills. These pills helped heal even the most serious wounds, and considering their purity, they could be sold at a very high price, no less than 100 million spiritual stones.
"Thank you for your help. Your fire is truly amazing," Zhang i said with a faint smile, addressing the exhausted Xie Qing.
"No problem… and the reward?" he muttered hoarsely, sitting down in the neighboring chair and letting out a long sigh. He drank a cup of water and then licked his dry lips, "I'm as tired as a dog. The alchemical fla consus my Qi in twenty minutes. It's absurd."
"That's natural," Zhang i replied, twirling a lock of hair between her index finger and thumb. She brushed her hair aside, adding, "Alchemy is an extrely labor-intensive process that requires knowledge, strength, and concentration. Therefore, any alchemist in the world is worth their weight in gold."
Xie Qing nodded briefly. Even when he practiced alchemy under a pseudonym, he had many clients, and even if so had to wait a long ti, no one complained, considering the quality of his pills was always high.
"I can't even imagine how many orders you have, Lady Zhang i," the man asked curiously, turning his gaze to Zhang i, who happened to be looking at him.
"H-huh?" The woman blushed, eting his gaze, and then, hesitating a bit, touched her index finger to her lips and thoughtfully muttered, "Let count… I complete between one hundred to five hundred orders a day, so it's quite difficult to calculate the exact number, you know… well, over twenty thousand a month is certain…"
"T-twenty thousand? Seriously…"
Xie Qing couldn't hold back a shocked cry. Twenty thousand orders a month, and that's not even the final number. He looked at Zhang i in horror, who simply tilted her head to the side in confusion, which looked quite cute and innocent.
"Listen… maybe you're not really human? That could explain why you complete so many orders in such a short ti and still don't have a relationship…" Xie Qing muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"…I'll wring your neck, bastard."
Zhang i snapped at Xie Qing's joke and growled, grabbing his cheek and pulling him towards her.
"Ow… sowwy…" Xie Qing said in a muffled voice.
"Hmph!"
Although the woman looked displeased, she let go of his cheek, which had turned red, and averted her gaze, pouting in offense.
"It's not my fault that all the n around are such cowards…" she whispered softly.
"Cowards? Listen, ma'am, climbing into bed with you is like sticking your head into a tiger's mouth… ow!"
"Bastard!"
And he still doesn't learn from his mistakes… sigh.
Nevertheless, despite the clear displeasure in Zhang i's eyes, one could see that she was quite amused. As if her youthful energy had returned.
***
"You're mine for two months. I got permission from your Master."
One fine day, while Xie Qing was training in the garden, Zhang i visited him and suddenly blurted this out, catching him off guard.
"What do you an 'yours for two months'? Excuse , I don't provide gigolo services…" Xie Qing replied with clear confusion, stopping his sword training.
"Are you serious?" Zhang i narrowed her eyes and coldly continued, "Stop fooling around. I need your help with making pills. And your 'services'… hmm… save them for your girls, they'll need it."
"Co on, you don't get jokes?"
Xie Qing rolled his eyes but didn't outright refuse. Anyway, he was bored at the estate, Xu i was busy ditating as she had recently gained enlightennt, and most of his won were working diligently.
During this period, the Righteous Dao had undergone many changes, and there were many matters to attend to. For example, the Xie family was trying to negotiate a move to the capital to raise their status.
Since Xie Qing was a layman in managent matters, his mother mainly took care of everything, while he mostly provided reputation and money.
"And this ti, will there be a reward?" Xie Qing asked with shining eyes and rubbed his hands, "Maybe so rare pill?"
"Pill? Maybe I should give you sothing for your libido?" Zhang i asked, squinting slyly.
"Huh? No, thanks, I don't have a problem with that. Want to prove it?" Xie Qing replied nonchalantly, sheathing his sword.
"Uh… n-no, no need…" Zhang i said, blushing. She regained her composure after seeing the faint smile on the young man's face. Clearing her throat falsely, she continued, "Anyway, let's go. I don't have ti for your jokes."
"Yes, yes…"
Xie Qing wearily raised his hands in surrender. This woman was so sensitive.
And so, after twelve hours of diligent work on the pill, they finally managed to create it.
"Finally!" Zhang i exclaid excitedly, retrieving the pill from the cauldron, which was as crystal clear as the previous samples. "Finally, I can boast to Liu Yang that I'm slowly catching up to her!"
"Thanks to , of course," Xie Qing replied, scrunching his lips and wearily rubbing his brows. "By the way, why do you bother with pills? I heard there's a much higher demand for formations."
"Creating pills is my hobby, that's why," Zhang i dismissed his question. "Cultivation is your hobby too, right? Most of your ti is spent in bed."
"Wow, so you can joke too."
Xie Qing rolled his eyes. The more he interacted with this woman, the more tired he beca. He sat in the lotus position and closed his eyes, imrsing himself in cultivation.
Therefore, he didn't notice the strange look that Zhang i was giving him. And it seed that her previously cold face was no longer as cold. As if the ice had begun to thaw little by little.
"A reward, yes… what reward should I give…" Zhang i pondered, her gaze becoming stranger and stranger.
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