"Luo?!"
Hearing this, Su Ye's expression flickered.
'The young miss of the Luo Family wants to pin the brooch on me herself?'
'I can't let that happen!'
Su Ye refused decisively. "Thank you for your kind offer, but… there's no need!"
Given Luo Qing'e's status and beauty, she must have countless suitors and admirers.
If they knew Luo Qing'e was being so intimate with him…
They'd burn with jealousy and hold a grudge against him in secret.
Su Ye had no desire to attract a huge wave of animosity for no reason!
Seeing Su Ye's refusal, Luo Qing'e didn't get upset.
The corners of her lips curved up as she let out a light, bell-like laugh.
"Hehe… My apologies. I misspoke. I was only teasing~"
Then, Luo Qing'e rose gracefully, her sleeves gently furling.
In a moment, she had returned to her dignified, graceful, and elegant demeanor.
It was as if her earlier teasing had been nothing but a figment of Su Ye's imagination.
Luo Qing'e clasped her hands and smiled.
"Mr. Su, please rest a while longer. I have some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave."
But just as Luo Qing'e was about to leave the room,
she suddenly turned around, her bright eyes twinkling with a sly look.
Luo Qing'e raised a finger to her lips and shushed him playfully.
"Mr. Su, you have to keep what just happened a secret for me, okay?~"
Su Ye was taken aback. Before he could say anything, Luo Qing'e's lovely figure had vanished behind the door.
Only the afterimage of her dark blue Magical Robe remained in his vision.
Like a fleeting, ethereal blue butterfly!
...
"Unbelievable…"
After Luo Qing'e left, Su Ye took a deep breath to calm his mind.
He reached out and gently touched the Whalebone Brooch.
The Whalebone Brooch was cool to the touch.
But after holding it for a while,
he could almost feel a faint warmth radiating from it.
As if… from residual body heat.
"Hoo…"
'First, the low-priced Spirit Stones, then a precious gift, a promotion, and now a jade-like beauty…'
'With a combination like this, anyone else would be completely wrapped around their finger, ready to work themselves to the bone for the Luo Family, wouldn't they?'
Su Ye shook his head, sighing with emotion.
Even as he thought this, his expression gradually returned to calm.
'As a Transmigrator with a unique system panel, I have a chance at eternal life!'
'Luo Qing'e might be stunning, but how can she compare to immortality?'
In Su Ye's heart, he himself would always come first!
'However, based on Luo Qing'e's attitude,'
'it seems the Luo Family values and appreciates me quite a bit?' Su Ye raised an eyebrow.
'Perhaps it's due to external pressure? Do they need to win over and cultivate cultivators from outside the family who are skilled in combat?'
'That would be a good thing…'
'Mm, I can't be sure yet. I should observe for a while longer,' Su Ye mused.
'If there's truly no ill intent or traps involved…'
'...then the Luo Family could be a decent place for me to settle in!'
...
After finishing his tea and dusting off his robes, Su Ye walked out of the pavilion.
Next, he was going to redeem the complete Ghost Water Skill to finish the Cultivation Technique he had.
Luoyue Mountain was relatively closed off and not easy to enter.
Normally, members from outside the family needed to apply in advance and wait for approval.
Su Ye's situation was special this time. Since he was personally guided by Luo Qing'e, he could easily bypass those rules.
The Luo Family's Scripture Pavilion.
"The complete Ghost Water Skill. One hundred twenty Spirit Stones. Contribution points or physical goods can be used for payment…"
The white-haired old man, lounging lazily in a wicker chair and basking in the sun, glanced at Su Ye.
Even though he had been mentally prepared, Su Ye's mouth still twitched when he heard the price.
'Without some extra income or a private lucky opportunity,'
'even a demon hunter would have to go to sea two or three times to afford the complete Cultivation Technique!'
'Besides, what demon hunter would save up for two or three years,'
'not buying pills or Magical Artifacts, not even enjoying life, just to wait and buy the rest of their technique?'
'On the surface, the Luo Family didn't place any eligibility restrictions on outside members purchasing Cultivation Techniques.'
'But in reality, the exorbitant price was the biggest restriction of all!'
'Ordinary members from outside the family often had to save for five or six years to afford a Cultivation Technique.'
And during that long period,
the value created for the Luo Family by these outside members had already far surpassed the initial cost of training them!
Even if an outsider got the technique and left immediately, the Luo Family would be at no loss.
'What a lucrative business…' Su Ye sighed inwardly.
Still, even knowing the Cultivation Technique's price was steep, Su Ye had to buy it!
'A high-quality Cultivation Technique like the Ghost Water Skill, which produces pure Magical Power, is part of a cultivation family's foundation. It isn't casually passed on to outsiders.'
'In the outside world, my current level is too low. I have no access to channels where I could buy something like this.'
Compared to common, run-of-the-mill Cultivation Techniques, a high-quality one not only significantly increases the might of one's Magical Power,
but it is also said to be beneficial for passing the Mana Barrier, one of the three hurdles of Foundation Establishment!
"I, Su Ye, swear on my dao heart that I will never transmit the Ghost Water Skill to others without permission…"
After taking out the Spirit Stones and making a Heart Demon Oath,
Su Ye finally obtained the complete Ghost Water Skill he had longed for!
'Pills, a Cultivation Technique, and a position…'
The three things Su Ye had planned for his return to Donglong Island were now all accomplished!
Su Ye couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him.
'Time to go home and cultivate!'
...
In cultivation, time flows unnoticed.
「Several months passed in the blink of an eye.」
Donglong Island entered its short winter season.
On this day, specks of snow drifted down from the overcast sky.
Su Ye went to the Luo Family's shop in Moon Creek Town to exchange for whale meat.
"Mr. Su, you're here!"
The Shopkeeper greeted him with a smile.
Su Ye came to exchange for Gray Ridge Whale meat every four or five days, so the Shopkeeper was already familiar with him.
Besides, a cultivator who could afford to buy a bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills every month was clearly well-off and worth befriending.
"Shopkeeper, the usual. Ten catties of Gray Ridge Whale meat," Su Ye said with a nod.
The Shopkeeper ordered his assistant to deftly wrap up the whale meat and hand it to Su Ye.
Just as Su Ye was about to leave,
the Shopkeeper suddenly glanced at the Whalebone Brooch on his chest.
He hesitated for a moment before calling out to him in a low voice.
"Mr. Su, if you plan on buying your usual monthly supply of Qi Replenishing Pills, you'd best buy them now, and buy a few extra."
'Buy a bunch of Qi Replenishing Pills at once?'
'That's not a problem.'
'The Flying Serpent is set to go out demon hunting again at the end of the month at the latest.'
'I was already planning to purchase enough Qi Replenishing Pills to compensate for the slower cultivation speed caused by the lack of a Spirit Vein at sea.'
But Su Ye was quite curious.
'Why would the Shopkeeper say that?'
'Could it be that the Cultivation Realm also has year-end sales quotas?'
The Shopkeeper explained, "Starting next month, the price of Qi Replenishing Pills is going up by two Spirit Stones."
"A price hike?"
"Why? Can you tell me the reason?"
The Shopkeeper looked hesitant.
Seeing this, Su Ye said with a serious expression,
"I intend to purchase ten bottles of Qi Replenishing Pills at once. Please, Shopkeeper, speak plainly."
Hearing this, the Shopkeeper's eyes widened slightly.
He thought for a moment, glanced outside the shop to confirm no one was listening, and then said in a hushed voice,
"Not long ago, our Luo Family cultivators, relying on the Fuling Island Array, killed a large number of Shu Family cultivators."
"In the battle of Fuling Island, our Luo Family won a great victory and retreated with ease…"