The eighth year after Ye Qingxuan had contracted with the blessed land!
As Ye Qingxuan had not sold any more pills through the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in recent years, Bai Wenyang could finally no longer hold back. He personally came to the Qingxuan Blessed Land to seek out Ye Qingxuan and ask for the reason.
At the stone pavilion near the entrance to the Qingxuan Blessed Land.
After several years of Ye Qingxuan’s careful landscaping, many elegant and beautiful spiritual plants now grew around the stone pavilion, purely for appreciation.
Even the pavilion itself was adorned with sparse vines of spiritual plants, emitting tiny, starlike points of light.
Inside the pavilion, Ye Qingxuan and Bai Wenyang sat facing each other. Ye Qingxuan smoothly and effortlessly brewed a pot of tea and poured a cup for Bai Wenyang:
“Senior Brother Bai, please!”
Bai Wenyang picked up the tea Ye Qingxuan had poured for him, savored it carefully, and gradually, his whole being relaxed.
No longer feeling the urgency he had upon arrival, Bai Wenyang quietly sipped the tea in his cup and couldn’t help but praise:
“Excellent tea!”
Meanwhile, Ye Qingxuan drank his tea while leisurely admiring the distant view beyond the mountain peak. The air of ethereal detachment surrounding him had become increasingly pronounced in recent years, as if he were about to withdraw completely from the mundane world.
Ye Qingxuan’s state left Bai Wenyang momentarily stunned. Collecting himself, Bai Wenyang said with a smile:
“You certainly have a serene temperament, Junior Brother. Since becoming a blessed land cultivator, your life seems even more carefree. You don’t seem anxious at all, unlike other blessed land cultivators.”
Hearing Bai Wenyang’s words, Ye Qingxuan took a sip of his tea and chuckled lightly:
“You flatter me, Senior Brother. I’m merely finding joy amidst hardship.”
Bai Wenyang didn’t believe Ye Qingxuan’s explanation.
After a moment of silence, Bai Wenyang finally stated the purpose of his visit:
“Junior Brother, you haven’t come to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion to sell pills in recent years. Has there been some particular change?”
He admitted he had underestimated this junior brother of his. Ye Qingxuan’s growth rate was faster than he had imagined. A third-tier alchemist! To him, that already counted as a major client.
Bai Wenyang himself was only a third-tier, late-stage Zifu realm cultivator.
Thus, the pills from this junior brother of his could bring him significant profits, making it something he couldn’t afford not to care about.
Seeing that Bai Wenyang had finally revealed his purpose, Ye Qingxuan didn’t hide anything either and said apologetically:
“Senior Brother Bai, in recent years, I’ve opened a shop of my own in the market district. So, from now on, my pills will be sold there. My apologies!”
Upon hearing this, Bai Wenyang suddenly understood.
Knowing the reason, Bai Wenyang didn’t try to persuade him otherwise. Instead, he laughed and said:
“So that’s how it is. You should have told me earlier, Junior Brother. I could have gone to show my support!”
“But it’s not too late now. I wish your shop booming business and a steady flow of wealth, haha!”
Ye Qingxuan’s pills could indeed bring him considerable resources, but that was only under the premise of not harming Ye Qingxuan’s own interests, a condition he could accept with a clear conscience.
Now that Ye Qingxuan had opened his own shop, Bai Wenyang could only offer his heartfelt congratulations.
He and Ye Qingxuan could be considered old friends of many years. If it meant Ye Qingxuan sacrificing his own interests to provide him with substantial profits, Bai Wenyang didn’t think he could bring himself to do such a shameless thing.
Therefore, upon learning the truth, Bai Wenyang didn’t press the matter and instead offered sincere blessings.
Facing Bai Wenyang’s well-wishes, Ye Qingxuan shook his head with a light laugh:
“My shop has been managed by the Zhaoheng and Zhaoyu brothers. As you know, given my current situation, I can’t go there in person. That’s why I didn’t invite you for the opening.”
“Moreover, the shop is just a small-scale operation for now, nothing grand. Still, Qingxuan thanks you for your blessings, Senior Brother. Let’s hope the shop’s business gets better and better, just as you say!”
After speaking, Ye Qingxuan poured another cup of tea for Bai Wenyang.
Bai Wenyang took another sip of tea and said warmly:
“Don’t be so modest, Junior Brother. Don’t I know your alchemy skills? With your level, developing the shop will be a breeze.”
Finally, Bai Wenyang joked again:
“Who knows, maybe in the future, I’ll have to come to you for work and seek a living at your shop? Haha!”
Hearing Bai Wenyang’s joking words, Ye Qingxuan’s eyes lit up, and he readily replied:
“How about this, Senior Brother? Come and help at my shop now? I can offer you three times your current salary at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion!”
He genuinely wanted Bai Wenyang to come and help him. After all, the Zhaoheng and Zhaoyu brothers were still too young, and their cultivation levels were too low.
Having them mind the shop was fine, but if he wanted to expand in the future, the two of them might not be able to handle it.
Bai Wenyang, having worked at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for many years, had ample experience. Thus, Ye Qingxuan sincerely invited Bai Wenyang to help him manage the shop.
Faced with Ye Qingxuan’s invitation, Bai Wenyang felt a slight temptation in his heart, but he ultimately declined:
“I’m honored by your regard, Junior Brother. But I’ve worked at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for many years and don’t wish to leave for now. So, I must decline your kind offer.”
Although Ye Qingxuan offered him triple the salary, for Bai Wenyang, that was only a short-term benefit.
Despite his junior brother’s astonishing talent in alchemy, he was ultimately a blessed land cultivator. His ceiling was basically capped, and it was unlikely he would achieve much more in a short time.
Compared to his junior brother’s shop, the Hundred Treasures Pavilion offered a much larger platform.
As long as he continued to break through to the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages step by step, with his years of seniority, it wasn’t impossible for him to eventually become a manager at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
By then, the benefits he would gain would be far greater.
Seeing Bai Wenyang decline his invitation, Ye Qingxuan wasn’t disappointed and said calmly:
“In that case, I won’t insist further, Junior Brother! If you ever need my help with anything in the future, Senior Brother, please don’t stand on ceremony with me.”
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Bai Wenyang laughed heartily:
“Haha, don’t worry, Junior Brother. If it ever comes to that, I certainly won’t be polite with you.”
After speaking, the two looked at each other and smiled, understanding passing wordlessly between them.
Finishing the tea in his cup, Bai Wenyang glanced at the sky and took his leave:
“Junior Brother, it’s getting late. I should be going now. I’ll visit again another time.”
With that, Bai Wenyang stood up.
Ye Qingxuan didn’t try to keep him and also stood up, saying:
“Take care, Senior Brother! You’re always welcome to visit my Qingxuan Blessed Land when you have time.”
Hearing this, Bai Wenyang shot Ye Qingxuan a playful glance. Without replying, he directly mounted his sword and flew away.
During this visit, Ye Qingxuan had kept his blessed land tightly sealed, showing no intention of inviting him in for a look.
Though he was curious about what Ye Qingxuan’s blessed land looked like, he had no intention of probing into Ye Qingxuan’s secrets.
After all, secrets? Everyone has them. That’s normal.
Ye Qingxuan, unaware of Bai Wenyang’s minor grievance, returned to the Qingxuan Cave Heaven after Bai Wenyang left.
Looking at the enormous furnace continuously smelting various first-tier spiritual ores, he murmured with delight:
“Soon! Soon!”
