Chapter 13: Refusing Recruitment
Fang Yuan strolled leisurely to his workstation and settled in to enjoy a cup of tea.
Every ten minutes or so, he would discreetly swallow a Supreme Qi-Nurturing Pill.
Both the Mingqi Art and the Cloud Body Art at Completion Stage could circulate on their own instinctively, so even while on duty, he was still able to cultivate — just at a slightly slower pace.
Two hours passed at work.
A head poked out from the rear door of the rear hall — it was Yu Jin.
Fang Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Senior Brother Yu, what brings you here?"
"Fang Yuan!" Yu Jin's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped inside.
"So? Did you refine any pills yesterday?" Yu Jin asked, rubbing his hands together.
"I did!" Fang Yuan nodded.
"How did it go?" Yu Jin asked curiously.
"It worked!" Fang Yuan nodded.
Yu Jin immediately pressed, "How many did you get?"
"Hmm — fifteen Qi-Nurturing Pills and three Qi-Gathering Pills!"
"Oh, not bad at all!" Yu Jin said in surprise. "You really can refine pills!"
Fang Yuan shrugged. "Why would I lie to you?"
"Can you sell them to me?"
"The Qi-Nurturing Pills, sure. The Qi-Gathering Pills I need for myself."
"Let me have a look!"
Fang Yuan produced three porcelain vials and handed them to Yu Jin.
Yu Jin opened one and peered inside — his eyes went wide.
"These are… upper-grade Qi-Nurturing Pills?"
"Wait — this one is a Supreme Qi-Nurturing Pill!"
Yu Jin drew a sharp breath.
Fang Yuan remained perfectly calm. "Fourteen upper-grade and one supreme. At market price that would be 780 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, but at a ten-percent discount — 700 Spirit Stones will do. When you work it all out, it's only a modest profit anyway."
"You're incredible!" Yu Jin gave a thumbs-up. "I happen to know that Supreme Qi-Nurturing Pills, while not exactly rare, are usually only produced by veteran alchemists with many years of experience. You're a true pill-refining genius! Plenty of alchemists will pay a premium for supreme-grade pills just to study and comprehend them — you're pricing yourself too low."
Fang Yuan was momentarily stunned by those words, and then it suddenly dawned on him why he had been able to refine upper-grade and supreme-grade Qi-Nurturing Pills so effortlessly!
He had decomposed a Supreme Qi-Nurturing Pill and then decomposed it again into medicinal powder — and in doing so, he had learned the perfect liquid-ratio formula for a Supreme Qi-Nurturing Pill. When he refined pills using that knowledge, he naturally followed that exact ratio!
He hadn't thought much about it while refining, but now that he reflected on it, he instantly grasped yet another monstrous aspect of his decomposition talent!
As long as he had a single pill to work with, he could decompose it to reverse-engineer the optimal ingredient ratios!
Reverse engineering, plain and simple.
"Hey, Brother Fang!"
Yu Jin called out twice.
Fang Yuan snapped back to attention. "Sorry, what were you saying?"
"I'm willing to pay 900 Spirit Stones total," Yu Jin said.
"No need. I'll still sell them to you for 700 Spirit Stones — but you have to agree to one condition."
"Oh? What condition?"
"Don't tell anyone about my pill-refining ability," Fang Yuan said. "I don't want the hassle."
Yu Jin nodded. "Fair enough. I'm not foolish enough to tell anyone — that would just expose my supply source, wouldn't it?"
Fang Yuan gave a satisfied nod.
"From now on, the medicinal herbs I prepare for you will be sold to you at a twenty-percent discount — the lowest price. Just keep selling me your pills at ten percent off and we're square!"
"Deal!"
This time Yu Jin had actually brought quite a few herbs with him, and he handed them all over to Fang Yuan on the spot.
Fang Yuan accepted everything without question.
Yu Jin took the pills, said his farewells, and left.
Fang Yuan watched Yu Jin's retreating figure and felt no particular attachment to the small sum of money involved.
This was merely insurance — laying the groundwork for the future.
After that it was back to leisurely tea-drinking. To pass the time, he specifically asked someone for a history book of the Red Dream Dynasty and began reading.
He was deep in the book and thoroughly enjoying it when he sensed someone approaching.
He looked up.
He saw a familiar face.
"Li Mengyao?" Fang Yuan was taken aback. What was she doing here?
Li Mengyao surveyed the layout of the rear hall, then turned to Fang Yuan and gave a respectful bow. "Senior Brother Fang!"
At that moment Fang Yuan sensed that her aura was no weaker than his own — she had also broken through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Refining.
"What brings you here, Junior Sister Li?" Fang Yuan asked.
Since she had addressed him as Senior Brother, he had no objection to calling her Junior Sister in return.
Li Mengyao said softly, "Senior Brother, do you know what is the hardest thing about cultivation?"
"Breaking through bottlenecks?" Fang Yuan replied offhandedly.
"Yes and no!" Li Mengyao shook her head. "It's resources — cultivation resources, technique resources, mentor resources! Without resources, you cannot advance a single step. The greatest hurdle in the Qi Refining Realm is Foundation Establishment. The Foundation Establishment Pill alone costs at least tens of thousands of Spirit Stones, and if you want to prepare one or two extra, the price climbs even higher!"
Fang Yuan looked at her with puzzlement. "And so?"
Li Mengyao continued, "I am a princess, and I have certain enterprises under my name — resources are not something I lack. What I lack is talent, and friends. I know that Senior Brother Fang has limited resources, but your natural gifts are exceptional. With a steady supply of resources, reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime would be easy, and you might even have a reasonable hope of touching the edge of Core Formation. But without resources, Senior Brother, you may find even Foundation Establishment difficult to achieve in this lifetime."
She spoke with pointed meaning: "Do you know the disciple who held this position before you — Senior Brother Li Chenggong? He was once a member of the royal family too, with a Mid-Grade Spiritual Root, but he refused to take part in factional struggles. As a result, he has languished here for over a hundred years and has yet to even reach the ninth layer of Qi Refining. That is the consequence of lacking resources."
Fang Yuan had heard enough to understand. "You want to recruit me as a subordinate?"
Li Mengyao smiled. "What I need are like-minded friends. I am willing to provide resources to support you; all I ask is that you help me with certain matters from time to time — guarding some of my enterprises, or going out to train together, for instance. We are peers of the same generation; we would simply advance together side by side."
Fang Yuan let out a quiet sigh. If he didn't have his golden finger, he might genuinely have been tempted. But right now, resources were the last thing he lacked — so why would he become anyone's subordinate?
"I'm sorry, Junior Sister Li. I've always been a lone wolf, and I have no intention of joining any faction." Fang Yuan shook his head.
Li Mengyao was taken aback, seemingly thrown off by such a blunt and immediate refusal.
She tucked a strand of hair back from her forehead and said, "Senior Brother Fang, there's no need to answer so quickly — go back and think it over. If you're willing, I can promise you that I will secure a Foundation Establishment Pill for you in the future. You may not know this, but the first disciple among our cohort to reach the seventh layer of Qi Refining will receive a Foundation Establishment Pill. That pill is something I intend to claim without fail — and I can set it aside for you!"
What a perfectly drawn-out promise!
Fang Yuan still shook his head. "No thank you, Junior Sister Li. I appreciate the kind offer."
Li Mengyao sighed, looking utterly disappointed in Fang Yuan.
She paused in thought, then said, "I heard that Li Pingyuan came to see you, and the two of you parted on bad terms. He is actually my elder brother — the Third Prince. He is not a particularly magnanimous person, and if he moves against you in the future, you can invoke my name; it should give him pause. This is my Voice Transmission seal — think it over carefully before you send me a reply."
She set down a Voice Transmission seal and then took her leave without further ceremony.
"What an ambitious woman," Fang Yuan muttered to himself.
He hadn't done a single thing, and yet he was already being drawn into the power struggle between princes and princesses.
"You fight your battles; I'll cultivate my own path. If you think I'm stepping outside, think again." Fang Yuan thought with disdain.