Becoming a god starts with one certificate becoming eternal.

Unless there are other rewards, inner disciples only have one hour per month, and using half of that time as a wager is within the limits allowed by the rules.

Ye Xiao's eyelids twitched slightly.

He could tell at a glance that the burly student was not honest at all. Before he could refuse, a fair-skinned student walked over from the other side.

The fair-skinned student twirled a jade clasp between her fingers, her smile gentle, but her words were colder than the medicinal mist:

"Shi Heng, don't be too greedy."

"Haven't you already taken Tang Qi's share?"

Shi Heng's face was filled with anger: "Gu Liancheng, you want to meddle in my affairs too?"

"I'm just telling the truth."

Gu Liancheng ignored the other party's anger, then looked at Ye Xiao, his smile still gentle: "Don't be fooled by his appearance. He looks honest, but that's not necessarily true. If my information is correct, you shouldn't be officially listed yet, right?"

"Mm." Ye Xiao nodded.

"My Gu family is quite well-known in the city. If you'd like, you can choose to have your name associated with my Gu family."

Gu Liancheng turned the jade buckle again, as if tightening a rope around someone, and said, "After you're officially registered, you'll receive fifteen taels of silver every month, and no one in this martial arts school will dare to bully you."

Even though the other person's smile seemed friendly, Ye Xiao saw a condescending look in their eyes.

This person wasn't genuinely interested in having him listed as an official member; he just wanted to get a dog.

"I have no intention of being officially named before the Bone Forging is completed," Ye Xiao said truthfully.

As soon as he said that, the surroundings fell silent.

Do you know what you're saying?

Shi Heng couldn't help but say:

"The Bone Forging Perfection stage is also known as the Quasi-Martial Artist stage. Among all our inner disciples, not counting those who have already achieved it, out of the remaining dozen or so, at most three can reach that stage... and who knows when they will achieve it. You, with your abilities, dare to dream of becoming a Quasi-Martial Artist?"

A hint of disdain flashed in Gu Liancheng's eyes, but he said aloud:

"I didn't expect you to be so ambitious, Junior Brother. You don't need to care what others say; just stick to your principles. Since you have such thoughts, you should definitely choose me, Gu Jia, as your nominee. This will provide you with more resources and protection when you strive to become a Quasi-Martial Artist."

Suddenly, a very soft laugh came from the shadow of the medicinal mist beside the wooden fence.

A female student was sitting on a low stool outside the wooden fence at some point. Her cuffs were clean, but her fingertips had a little bit of medicinal powder on them.

She lowered her head and spread the powder evenly between her fingertips. When she looked up, her eyes were warm and her smile was there, but it didn't fall on anyone.

"Gu Liancheng, that's a very nice thing to say."

She paused, as if weighing her words carefully, before speaking softly:

"But you call it a guarantee, it sounds more like a contract to me... Once the new junior brother nods, there will be an extra leash around his neck, and he'll become a dog that takes care of the family."

Gu Liancheng paused slightly as he turned the jade clasp, then resumed turning it more smoothly, his smile remaining gentle.

"Shen Qinghe, you're not right. I just wanted to lend him a hand; I had no other intentions."

Shen Qinghe ignored him, instead turning her head to look at Ye Xiao, her tone unhurried, as if handing a price list to a customer:

"Junior brother, if you really want to be credited, why not listen to the Shen family?"

"I will make the conditions and costs clear, and you will understand them clearly. In the end, whether or not you do it is entirely up to you."

"Our Shen family will not treat nominal members like dogs; we will only treat them as guests or partners."

Gu Liancheng smiled and retorted, "The favors owed to the Shen family aren't so easy to repay."

Shen Qinghe's smile remained unchanged, her voice still soft, but she pronounced the word "repay" as if it were beads falling from an abacus:

"Favors should always be repaid."

"Our Shen family follows the rules. We keep track of how much we owe and how we calculate it. We never let anyone be burdened with debt in a muddled way."

Ye Xiao said neither humbly nor arrogantly:

"Thank you for your kindness, senior brothers and sisters, but I'll say it again: I have no intention of being named before I complete the Bone Forging process."

He didn't say anything more.

It's true that he lacks money and medicine, but he also knows that if he chooses to be a family member in name only, there will be many more restrictions than other forms of name only.

Even if it's not equivalent to risking one's life, it's still like offering one's neck to be tied.

This is not what he wanted.

Gu Liancheng wasn't annoyed. He simply stepped back as if nothing had happened and continued turning the jade clasp.

Shen Qinghe didn't try to persuade her any further. She simply shook the powder off her fingertips, withdrawing her smile along with it. Her earlier words were just casual inquiries.

Clearly, in their eyes, Ye Xiao was not an indispensable genius, and they didn't care if they failed to recruit him.

Ye Xiao's gaze fell on the medicinal mist inside the wooden fence, lingering for a moment, as if he were doing some calculations.

After a long pause, he looked up, his voice not loud but clear:

"Even if we can't be officially credited, we can still make a deal if our senior brothers and sisters are interested."

"I want to sell this month's medicinal mist hours."

Gu Liancheng paused for a moment as he turned the jade clasp.

Shen Qinghe also looked up at him, and her eyes finally showed a genuine interest, a light that shone from hearing about a good deal.

There was a moment of silence, then someone couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Is the new guy crazy?"

"Selling medicinal mist time? How ignorant would someone have to be to do that? People from the Silent Alley have such short-sighted views."

"The importance and role of the medicinal mist stake in bone forging cannot be compensated by anything else. If he continues with this approach, he won't even reach the middle stage of bone forging, let alone the completion of bone forging."

Ye Xiao ignored him.

He only looked at Gu Liancheng and Shen Qinghe, his tone steady:

"One hour."

"It can be disassembled."

Gu Liancheng's smile remained warm:

"I'll give you four bottles of third-rate medicine and ten taels of silver in one hour."

Shen Qinghe didn't rush to raise the price; instead, she smiled first, as if she had heard a business remark that suited her taste.

"You don't need to dismantle it... I'll provide four bottles of third-rate medicine for fifteen taels of silver."

Gu Liancheng's smile was somewhat cold: "Shen Qinghe, do you really want to compete with me?"

Shen Qinghe looked up at him, her smile faint, as if she were saying something perfectly normal:

"What are you arguing about? Business deals always involve bidding, and my junior brother made it very clear from the beginning... it could be split up. But you want to swallow it all at once? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"

Shi Heng, standing to the side, had jealousy in his eyes, clearly also eyeing the deal, but he didn't interrupt because he knew that in terms of family background alone, he couldn't compare to Shen Qinghe and the other person.

Ye Xiao stopped the two from continuing their struggle and said directly:

"Price changes every half hour."

"Senior Brother Gu and Senior Sister Shen each received two bottles of third-rate medicine plus five taels of silver."

There was a moment of silence after those words were spoken.

They thought Ye Xiao would sit back and watch the fight, or even try to raise the price.

Gu Liancheng paused for a moment as he turned the jade clasp, then his smile deepened, and the slight disdain in his eyes faded somewhat.

Shen Qinghe glanced at Ye Xiao, her eyes still indifferent, but she lingered on him for a moment longer, as if she were re-evaluating him.

The two responded almost simultaneously.

"Can."

"Go register."

Someone nearby frowned and said, "They actually sold it, and they set a fixed price right away. They weren't stupid enough to raise the price on the spot. They were able to suppress their own greed... They don't seem short-sighted."

Another person scoffed, "Whether it's genuine intelligence or folly, the 'Medicinal Mist Hour' is something only the inner disciples of the martial arts school possess. Selling it would be a loss for anyone."

Ye Xiao and the other two walked together to the registers by the wooden railing.

The clerk wrote down: Gu Liancheng gets half an hour, Shen Qinghe gets half an hour, and Ye Xiao gives up one hour.

After registration, Gu Liancheng and Shen Qinghe gave the medicine and money directly to Ye Xiao.

After accepting the gifts, Ye Xiao felt even more at ease.

He knew in his heart that the medicinal mist stakes were extremely effective for others, but not for him.

What he lacks is fuel... silver and third-rate medicine; these are the things he can make the most of.

With this harvest, he now has sixty taels of silver, bringing him one step closer to paying his one hundred and fifty taels medicine debt.

He also had fourteen bottles of third-rate medicine, which gave him more confidence for his upcoming cultivation.

Ye Xiao walked straight to the ordinary stake area, picked the most inconspicuous black stake, which was the furthest from the medicinal mist stake and also the furthest from everyone else.

He placed his palm on the top of the stake.