Immortality and Cultivation: Starting with Improving Spiritual Root Aptitude

"What's wrong, Master Wu? Is there some difficulty you're facing?"

Bai Ruanyu asked with a concerned expression.

"That's not the case; I'm just apprehensive."

Wu Fan remained calm, but his tone carried a hint of solemnity. "I have not yet reached the standard of a resident alchemist, so I am truly unworthy of this appointment."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruanyu smiled and gave Bai Ruanqiu a meaningful look.

Bai Ruanqiu immediately understood, picked up the teapot on the table, and refilled Wu Fan's teacup.

"Master Wu is overthinking it."

Bai Ruanyu said slowly, "With your talent, it's only a matter of time before you become a resident alchemist at my Hundred Pill Hall. Besides, you've been learning your craft since you were a child, studying under Alchemist Liu, so you're practically family. Since you're family, there's no need to refuse."

Wu Fan sighed inwardly. This manager of Bai Dan Tang was indeed very eloquent, subtly and overtly mentioning the kindness Bai Dan Tang had shown him.

Now that things have come to this, further refusal would inevitably offend this young lady.

No matter how complicated the Bai family is, he is now a member of the Bai Dan Hall and must not offend this person in charge on the surface.

He rose and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you, Miss. I will certainly do my utmost to serve Bai Dan Tang in the future."

Upon hearing this, Bai Ruanyu understood.

She knew that a position as a resident alchemist might not necessarily make Wu Fan completely devoted to her.

The timing was perfect, and she slowly stood up: "Master Wu, I suddenly remembered that I have some urgent matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now and we can discuss them in detail later."

As soon as she finished speaking, she hurriedly left the room, leaving Wu Fan and Bai Ruanqiu sitting facing each other.

Wu Fan inwardly cried out in alarm.

Silence lingered in the room for several breaths, and the atmosphere gradually became awkward.

Bai Ruanqiu finally couldn't hold back any longer and pointed to the pastries on the table, saying, "Master Wu, try this osmanthus cake. It's from Lingxiang Pavilion and tastes excellent."

"Thank you, Steward Bai."

Wu Fan responded, reached out and picked up a piece of osmanthus cake, lightly touched it to his lips, and then gently put it down.

He then picked up his tea and drank it silently, treating it as a "tactical way" to ease the awkwardness.

Bai Ruanqiu found his reserved demeanor rather endearing, and blinked as she quietly watched him.

That gaze made Wu Fan's back tingle, so he had no choice but to speak up: "Manager Bai, is there something wrong with me?"

"no."

Bai Ruanqiu's eyes held a smile, as if she enjoyed teasing him. "I just feel that you seem a bit different today than your usual calm self."

Wu Fan was at a loss for words and could only fall silent again.

He was not without desires; he was naturally moved by the beauty before him. But he knew all too well that every gift came with a price.

Bai Ruanyu clearly intended to use Bai Ruanqiu as leverage to win him over. If he were to confess his feelings to Bai Ruanqiu today, he would be firmly controlled by the Bai family and would find it difficult to escape.

He aspires to the Great Dao, and if confined to the Bai family, he can at most cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining.

The Bai family would never entrust the Foundation Establishment Pill to an outsider like him.

Therefore, he must avoid this entanglement no matter what.

"Master Wu, what do you think of me today?"

Bai Ruanqiu's eyes were filled with shyness, revealing a rare girlish demeanor.

Wu Fan looked up and saw that she had three-dimensional features and a touch of exotic charm. At this moment, she looked at him with affection, and she was indeed very beautiful. The contrast made her a truly stunning woman.

His heart stirred slightly, but he immediately looked away, calmed himself, and said, "Manager Bai has delicate features and an extraordinary demeanor; naturally, he is good-looking."

What woman in the world would be unhappy to be praised? Bai Ruanqiu was no exception.

She immediately broke into a smile, her eyebrows curving like crescent moons.

She brought up a series of topics, some of which contained quite explicit hints.

Wu Fan was inwardly groaning, and could only deal with the questions and answers as they came.

The two of them continued with their question-and-answer session.

Half an hour later, Bai Ruanqiu lost interest in continuing the conversation, and the two fell into an awkward silence once again.

Another quarter of an hour passed, and until Bai Ruanyu returned, there was no further conversation in the room.

Upon seeing Bai Ruanyu return, Wu Fan got up and finalized the details of the appointment as a resident alchemist with her before hurriedly taking his leave.

Watching his hurried departure, Bai Ruanyu frowned slightly and muttered to herself, "Why? The conditions I offered were already the highest honors the clan could bestow upon a man of a different surname. Why was he unwilling?"

She had previously sent people to investigate Wu Fan.

Born into a family of cultivators, he only had his uncle, who was in the late stage of Qi Refining, to support him. His parents were both dead, and his relationship with his family was not very harmonious.

Given these circumstances, why would he reject marrying into the Bai family?

Is it that a man's dignity is more important than his future, or does he look down on Ruan Qiu?

In her opinion, Bai Ruanqiu was outstanding in appearance, and although she only had a low-grade spiritual root, she possessed eighteen strands of spiritual charm.

With family support, as long as one cultivates diligently, reaching the late stage of Qi Refining is by no means difficult.

If Wu Fan could marry Ruan Qiu, he could not only cultivate steadily to the late stage of Qi Refining, but the two could also become Daoist partners and have children, leading to an extremely smooth and peaceful life.

"Sister Ruan Yu, I've done my best."

Bai Ruanqiu said with a hint of resentment, "Wu Fan is not cooperating at all. I think he's probably not interested in women."

She was filled with resentment.

Countless men have wanted to become her Daoist partners, but she has never agreed. Today, she took the initiative to show her affection, but was treated so coldly by Wu Fan.

If it weren't for her cousin's request, she would never have lowered herself like this.

Attributing the reason to Wu Fan's "dislike of women" would make her feel better.

Bai Ruanyu was aware of her cousin's resentment, but she also knew that her cousin could distinguish between what was important and what was not, so she gently comforted her and did not give her any further instructions.

She just remembered that when Wu Fan first met her, his eyes revealed an appreciation for women.

She had seen members of her clan who were homosexual and had witnessed their different attitudes toward men and women, so she was certain that Wu Fan was a normal man.

If that's the case, it means he has extremely high standards and looks down on Ruan Qiu.

So, who did he actually fall for?

......

"Bai Ruanyu really went to great lengths to win me over. If my resolve hadn't been so firm, I probably wouldn't have been able to withstand her."

Wu Fan shook his head, both amused and exasperated, and turned back to his own villa.

However, having agreed to become the resident alchemist at Bai Dan Tang today, it seems unlikely that our interactions will be as peaceful as before.

Fortunately, she didn't ask for too much, and as for what will happen next, she can only wait and see.

Wu Fan sighed softly, inwardly sighing as he spoke.

All I wanted was to cultivate peacefully and refine pills diligently, so why was it so difficult?

A few days later, Wu Fan officially moved into Baidantang.

Whether Bai Ruanyu did it unintentionally or deliberately, the room assigned to him happened to be the same one where the three of them had met last time.

However, the cultivation environment in the Hundred Pill Hall was excellent. As long as he could cultivate and refine pills in peace, it didn't matter which room he was in, so Wu Fan didn't care.

Subsequently, he signed a new contract with Bai Ruanyu and officially became the resident alchemist of Baidan Hall, with a status equal to that of Alchemist Liu.

Thinking of this, Wu Fan suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Master Liu Dan for a long time.

After all, the other party was his mentor in the path of alchemy, so he should prepare some gifts and pay a visit.

With his thoughts settled, Wu Fan lay down on the bed, feeling somewhat at ease.

After becoming a resident alchemist, not only did his income increase several times, but his cultivation environment also far surpassed what he had experienced before.

With such conditions, breaking through to the fifth level of Qi Refining should be much faster, and my cultivation career is finally about to enter a new stage.