Ai Shangni came this time with two purposes: first, to present two million taels in banknotes, and second, to buy some more Healing Pills.

Spending one million to buy ten Healing Pills, selling them for six million, then giving Sect Master Jun two million back—this was truly being very considerate!

Li Luoqiu looked completely bewildered.

If the Healing Pills the Sect Master had previously produced were genuine goods, and Family Head Ai was giving both pills and money, wasn’t that too generous!

Jun Changxiao unceremoniously accepted the banknotes and cupped his hands, saying, “This seat is very happy to cooperate with Family Head Ai.”

Without the Ai Family’s operations and publicity, if he had to sell the pills himself, he might not necessarily obtain such huge profits in a short time.

Ai Shangni smiled and said, “My Ai Family also feels deeply honored to cooperate with Sect Master Jun.”

Li Luoqiu could see from his gaze that this was definitely not mere pleasantries, and couldn’t help wondering, “What exactly did they cooperate on?”

“Sect Master Jun.”

Ai Shangni placed several spatial rings on the table before them and smiled, “Inside these are several types of medicinal materials you once purchased. It took Ai a full month of searching to find them.”

Jun Changxiao’s eyes brightened.

What he was currently lacking were the medicinal materials for the five types of pills from the Pill Refining Pavilion.

He’d originally planned to make time to take a trip to Huyang City, but hadn’t expected Family Head Ai to be so perceptive and bring them ahead of time.

“How much?”

“Given the relationship between us, talking about money hurts feelings. Just consider it a gift to Sect Master Jun.”

Li Luoqiu’s eyes widened.

Giving pills, giving silver taels, and even giving medicinal materials—just how close was the relationship between Family Head Ai and the Sect Master!

“This…” Jun Changxiao feigned looking very troubled, then accepted the several spatial rings and cupped his hands with a smile, “Then many thanks to Family Head Ai.”

He knew Ai Shangni’s purpose in giving money and medicinal materials, so he placed a bottle of Healing Pills on the table and said, “This seat has refined some more these past few days. Family Head Ai can take them to auction on my behalf.”

Auction on his behalf?

Family Head Ai understood that Sect Master Jun didn’t plan to sell to him at a fixed price, but rather to split the profits based on what price the pills sold for.

“Since Sect Master Jun trusts my Ai Family so much, Ai will handle the auction, but regarding the price split…”

“You sixty, me forty.”

Ai Shangni’s expression suddenly froze.

He’d already prepared himself for a twenty-eighty or thirty-seventy split, never expecting it to be forty-sixty, and even more unexpected that he would still get the larger share!

“Of course.”

Jun Changxiao said, “This seat has one additional requirement that I hope Family Head Ai can agree to.”

“Please speak.”

“For the medicinal materials this seat once purchased at your establishment, I ask that Family Head Ai put more effort into helping to collect them, and deliver them to my Tiegu Sect once every month.”

For now, the disciples in the sect could only become stronger by relying on pills from the Pill Refining Pavilion, so he was willing to give up a portion of profits to have the Ai Family continuously provide him with medicinal materials.

“No problem.” Ai Shangni agreed without hesitation.

The old rule—sign a contract and seal it.

After the business was settled, Ai Shangni was about to take his leave when Jun Changxiao said, “Family Head Ai, this seat has recently researched another type of pill. Are you interested in cooperating?”

“Very interested!” Ai Shangni said hastily.

Jun Changxiao took out five Elementary Body Tempering Pills and said, “This pill is called the Body Tempering Pill. After martial artists consume it, it can temper their physical body and meridians, allowing their strength to be further enhanced.”

“So miraculous!?” Ai Shangni exclaimed in shock.

Most of the pills the Ai Family dealt in were healing-type or recovery-type. They had absolutely no pills that directly enhanced the physical body.

Not just the Ai Family—the entire Xingyun Continent had no pills for enhancing the physical body.

Having been able to refine the heaven-defying Healing Pills, Ai Shangni wouldn’t question the Body Tempering Pills, so he hastily inquired, “As for the price…”

“The Ai Family will still handle the auction, forty for me and sixty for you,” Jun Changxiao said.

“Excellent!”

Ai Shangni once again took out paper, wrote up a cooperation contract, and both signed and sealed it.

After everything was settled, Ai Shangni cupped his hands and said, “Sect Master Jun, the family still has matters to handle, so Ai will take his leave first!”

Jun Changxiao rose to see him off.

After Family Head Ai left, Li Luoqiu finally came back to her senses, her mouth twitching as she said, “Sect Master, the Healing Pills the Ai Family auctioned were… were refined by you?”

“Mm.” Jun Changxiao nodded.

“Ahhh!” Li Luoqiu began screaming loudly.

Jun Changxiao nearly fell over in shock, covering his ears and saying, “Have you gone mad!”

“Swish!”

Li Luoqiu stopped screaming, her expression grave as she said, “Sect Master, you said you’d give me a bottle. We can’t go back on our word!”

Jun Changxiao spread his hands and said, “You’re not stupid—what do you need that thing for?”

Li Luoqiu immediately grabbed at her hair, looking utterly devastated.

“Besides.”

Jun Changxiao teased, “I already gave them to Family Head Ai. This seat has no pills left in hand now.”

“Ah!”

Li Luoqiu clutched her head frantically, saying, “I was too foolish, I was too foolish!”

Jun Changxiao shook his head with a smile, placed a medicine bottle containing ten Healing Pills on the table, and smiled, “Take it.”

Li Luoqiu was overjoyed and hastily held the bottle carefully in her palms—after all, this was a treasure worth six hundred thousand taels.

For this newly appointed hall master, Jun Changxiao was not stingy, and also gave her several bottles of Body Tempering Pills, saying, “Have each member of the Drizzle Hall consume one pill.”

With their physical bodies tempered well, they’d also be more energetic when gathering intelligence.

After storing the pills in her spatial ring, Li Luoqiu smiled charmingly and said, “Sect Master, thank you.”

…

Night fell.

Jun Changxiao sat in his study, opened the Pill Refining Furnace, and the five types of pills automatically matched with medicinal materials and fire essence, all displaying a refinable state.

The medicinal materials Family Head Ai had sent were extremely abundant.

He could refine one thousand portions of Healing Pills, over five hundred portions each of Body Tempering Pills and Qi-Gathering Pills, over seven hundred portions of Meridian-Flushing Pills, and because the materials were rare, only over three hundred portions of Qi Spiral Pills.

Having fewer Qi Spiral Pills wasn’t a problem, since even after recruiting disciples to full capacity, he could still provide one pill per person.

Jun Changxiao said, “For now, the more Qi-Gathering Pills the better, but unfortunately the medicinal materials are quite hard to find.”

“Ding! Ding! Ding!”

He began refining pills. After approximately several hours, all five types of pills were completely refined.

“Oh right.”

Jun Changxiao said, “How are the medicinal materials Elder Wei is cultivating coming along?”

The next day.

After finishing sect affairs, he personally made a trip to the medicine garden and was immediately stunned by the scene inside.

In the medicine fields spanning over ten acres, numerous varieties of medicinal materials had already grown, with wisps of miasma-like energy similar to spiritual energy gathering in the sky above.

Elder Wei was immersed among the medicinal materials, bending at the waist to inspect them one by one, a smile hanging on his weathered face, as if very satisfied with the medicinal materials he’d carefully cultivated.

…

The small pavilion outside the medicine garden.

Looking at the vast expanse of medicine fields in the distance, Jun Changxiao took a sip of tea and sighed with emotion, “In such a short time, Elder Wei has already grown so many medicinal materials. It truly makes this seat find it hard to believe.”

Elder Wei said, “This land has never had medicinal materials planted before, so the initial growth of the medicinal materials will be very slow. Once they gradually gather spiritual energy, the growth cycle of the medicinal materials will also be greatly shortened.”

Jun Changxiao set down his teacup and said, “Elder Wei, how do these medicinal materials you’ve cultivated compare to those sold on the market?”

Elder Wei raised his hand to pour tea for him and said confidently, “For the same medicinal materials, the medicinal efficacy is twice as high as those sold on the market.”

“So impressive?” Jun Changxiao was quite astonished, then smiled and said, “Elder Wei is indeed an extraordinary person. This seat’s judgment was not mistaken.”

The system said inopportunely, “If the system hadn’t given a side quest, the host definitely wouldn’t have had such discerning eyes.”

Jun Changxiao couldn’t be bothered to deal with it. He took out the formulas for the five types of pills and said, “Elder Wei, after the medicinal materials mature, please collect these medicinal materials. This seat needs to use them for pill refining.”

Elder Wei looked carefully, pointed at several medicinal materials for the Qi-Gathering Pills, and said, “These medicinal materials are planted abundantly in the medicine garden, but the other medicinal materials are comparatively fewer.”

The lacking ones.

Were precisely these types of medicinal materials!

Jun Changxiao said, “Approximately how long until they mature?”

“Ten days or so,” Elder Wei said.

Ten days? That wasn’t too long. He could make it in time to have the disciples consume them before going to challenge the Mighty Qi Sect.