He Simply Gave Too Much

"Enough!"

"Elder Yao, it's really enough..."

"This is too much!!"

"No, no, I really can't take this. It's too precious. Please, take it back."

"This stuff is great, but I can't accept it!"

The small stone table was packed to the brim. Blood-Replenishing Pills, Qi-Replenishing Pills, nourishing spirit plants, and soul-soothing immortal plants were piled high. Xu Xian looked conflicted, his hands hovering awkwardly as if there were nowhere to put them.

There was simply too much!

"Elder Yao, you're giving me too much. I..." The youth hesitated, acting as if he were being deeply inconvenienced.

Yao Luochen remained firm. "Little friend, do not decline. You must accept these things."

Xu Xian sighed, his gaze drifting between the table and Yao Luochen several times. He said wistfully, "As the saying goes, 'An elder's gift cannot be refused.' Since you are so sincere, Elder Yao, it would be disrespectful of me to continue declining."

Yao Luochen nodded in agreement.

Xu Xian added with feigned difficulty, "Very well, then I shall not be modest."

Then, with a look of extreme "reluctance," he swept everything into his storage ring.

He stood up and bowed in farewell. "It's getting late, so I'll head back first. Once Xiaoxiao wakes up, just tell her she can find me at the Zuiwan Residence."

Yao Luochen also stood quickly and returned the bow, his expression solemn. "I entrust Xiaoxiao to you, little friend. Please, look after her!"

Xu Xian responded seriously.

"I will do my absolute best!"

A request made, a promise given.

As Xu Xian departed, Elder Yao watched him go with unshakable admiration. Amidst the gentle breeze, he murmured to himself, "What a fine young man. What a splendid youth. Xiaoxiao is lucky, and so is our sect..."

Xu Xian was in a good mood.

Though he had lost some blood and taken on a job as a blood donor, the recipient was Yao Xiaoxiao. Back when they first met, the little girl had given him a Foundation Establishment Pill for no reason at all.

Xu Xian was the type of person who repaid a favor tenfold. He couldn't just stand by and watch her die.

Besides, Yao Luochen had given him a staggering amount.

He had just taken a quick look: one hundred Grade 4 Life-Sustaining Pills, one hundred Grade 3 Mind-Nourishing Pills, one thousand Grade 2 Qi-Replenishing Pills, and one thousand Grade 1 Blood-Replenishing Pills.

There were also five immortal plants for replenishing blood and qi, along with a hundred high-grade spirit plants.

Elder Yao had personally plucked these right in front of him, shouting "Medicine, come!" with a wave of his hand.

By a simple estimate, if he sold these at the Merchant Hall, he’d easily net tens of millions of merit points.

Exchanging those would be hundreds of thousands of spirit stones.

Xu Xian couldn't help but mutter, "The Elixir Hall is truly loaded. It seems the profit margins for alchemy are much higher than for forging."

People often said the three most lucrative professions were master forgers, talisman masters, and alchemists, with forgers at the top. But in Xu Xian's eyes, that seemed a bit off. Alchemists should definitely be ranked first.

After all, most people likely used only one weapon for a lifetime, but pills? You couldn't just eat one and be done with it, nor could you stick to only one kind.

Furthermore, for a master forger to make big money, they had to craft high-quality equipment—at least of the earth weapon grade. The barrier to entry was too high.

But what about alchemists?

The best-selling items were often the low-end products.

Qi-Nourishing, Spirit-Nurturing, Foundation Establishment Pills...

The profit per unit wasn't high, but the sheer volume was massive. Honestly, Xu Xian was starting to feel tempted.

He thought to himself, 'Once I reach the pinnacle of forging, maybe I'll switch careers and become an alchemist. I have plenty of time anyway.'

'I'll do whatever makes the most money.'

After leaving Baicao Hall, the little book spirit sat grandly on Xu Xian's forehead. It held down the brim of its book-like hat with tiny hands as if afraid the wind would blow it away. It grumbled,

"Master, do you really plan on letting that girl drink your blood forever?"

"What's wrong with that?"

The little book spirit pouted. "At least once a month... your body will be drained dry."

Hearing this, Xu Xian said against his true feelings, "I don't want to either, but he really gave me too much."

The little book spirit gave him a resentful side-eye.

Xu Xian caught it instantly. "What's with that look?"

The little book spirit drawled with a hint of disdain, "No look. I just think you're not picky at all, Master. You can't even walk straight when you see a woman. As long as it's a girl's problem, you'll meddle, regardless of whether you have the right tools for it. You just love taking on 'porcelain work' for women..."

Xu Xian froze, his footing nearly faltering. He stared wide-eyed. "What do you mean by that?"

The little book spirit said seriously, "I'm saying you're a simp who forgets his principles for a pretty face!"

Xu Xian was speechless. "Are you saying I like that girl?"

The little book spirit blinked its big eyes. "Well, don't you?"

Xu Xian chuckled and scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. I'll admit she's a bit cute, but she's just a little girl. She hasn't even hit puberty yet. Where's the 'beauty' in that?"

The little book spirit remained unconvinced. It said leisurely, "I admit what you're saying is true, but as I said, you're not picky, Master!"

"Why is your tongue so sharp?"

"Hmm... maybe I take after my master."

Xu Xian decided not to argue with the little fellow. A clear conscience needs no excuse. He took the chance to ask about the serious business. "Seriously, is there really no way to permanently cure her condition?"

The little book spirit rested its chin on its hands, feigning ignorance. "What condition?"

Xu Xian narrowed his eyes, pretending to be angry. "Be serious. Watch your attitude."

The little book spirit stuck out its tongue and said, "Oh." It sat up straight and spoke in a sophisticated, old-fashioned tone. "I must correct you, Master. That isn't a disease. That is an accompaniment of Innate Yin Qi. The Great Dao wants her life."

"Fine, whatever you say. I just want to know if there's a permanent cure."

The little book spirit thought carefully and finally shook its head. "For now, you can't do it, Master."

Xu Xian caught the implication. "So there is a way?"

The little book spirit said vaguely, "Theoretically, yes."

"Tell me," Xu Xian pressed.

The little book spirit counted on its fingers and explained one by one, "I know of three ways. The first is to forcibly rip that yin qi out of her body, separating it from her soul and physical form. To do this, one must possess world-shaking power and the strength to withstand the backlash of the Great Dao. We can't consider this for now. If you can build a twelve-story Sword Tower, you might have a chance."

Xu Xian rolled his eyes. "That's basically useless information."

The little book spirit complained, "You're the one who asked!"

"Keep going..."

The little book spirit continued, "The second way is for her to reach the peak of the Extreme Path herself. Then she could traverse Reincarnation, and that wisp of yin qi wouldn't be able to touch her."

Xu Xian chuckled. Another piece of nonsense.

The book spirit answered its own question, "Obviously, that's impossible too. So that leaves only the third way."

Xu Xian leaned in to listen. This was the last hope...

The little book spirit kept him in suspense. Its tiny eyes shone brightly as it said word by word, "If you can't beat it, join it."

Xu Xian: "Huh?" He was completely lost.