You're just a single demon beast? I have a whole army of beast tamers!

Qin Shou looked at the wooden box, his gaze shifting slightly.

He remained silent for a few moments, then took out a small, unused white bottle from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"Here is one; would you please take a look, fellow Daoist?"

The old man paused, then picked up the small bottle.

As soon as the stopper was removed, a pale golden light emanated from the bottle's mouth, filling the room with fragrance.

A pure white elixir with five intersecting golden lines on its surface lay quietly at the bottom of the bottle.

Five lines, a first-grade elixir.

The old man's hand trembled violently, and he quickly put the cork back on, looking up at Qin Beast:

"Five runes? You can actually cultivate five runes?"

"I got one by chance," Qin Shou said.

The old man refused to believe it.

He took a deep breath and said, "If you can provide the Five Dao Patterns in the long term, I can agree to the Nine Soul Immortal Pill, the Nine Aperture Spirit Soil, and the Profound Origin Void Crystal on your behalf today."

"This is a sample bento box. If you handle it well, I'll get a second batch," Qin Shou said.

The old man carefully put away the small white bottle, his expression solemn.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, rest assured, I will give you a definite answer within a month at the latest."

Qin Shou nodded and then asked about the current battle situation between the five families and the Myriad Demons Sect.

The old man in gray waved his hand: "It's just a little playful fight."

The two sides are evenly matched, and neither side will really risk everything.

Once they each lose some peripheral businesses, they will most likely stop.

"I see." Qin Shou understood and prepared to take his leave.

The old man suddenly lowered his voice: "Fellow Daoist Qin, there is one more thing."

My superiors are not from this Wucang Immortal City.

Behind my Myriad Manifestations Pavilion lies the Dragon Clan of Immortals.

Qin Shou paused in his steps.

"The Long family, a clan of beast-taming immortals."

The gray-robed elder slowly said, "North of the Three Immortal Realms, it can be considered a Golden Immortal force that ranks among the top."

My young master greatly admires your alchemy skills.

If you wish to leave the Shui family and join my Long family, the Long family welcomes you.

The resources needed to reach the Golden Immortal realm are not out of the question.

"If you're willing, fellow Daoist, please refine more pills for my Long family in the future."

Qin Shou was silent for a moment, then said, "Thank you for your young master's kindness."

However, my partner and children are all in the Shui family, so it's not easy for me to leave.

I'll make plans after I've settled things at home.

"It's alright," the gray-robed elder said with a smile. "Fellow Daoist Qin, please consider it first. You can come to me anytime with this token in your hand."

Qin Shou clasped his hands in a fist salute, then turned and left.

He walked calmly through the black market streets, but several thoughts were swirling in his mind.

Joining the Long family is no different from joining the Shui family.

What the other party valued in him was still his alchemy skills.

So what if he's from the Beast Taming Immortal Clan? Qin Shou himself has the skill of taming beasts.

Rather than relying on others, it's better to do it yourself.

But now is not the time.

When they returned to the Shui family's villa, it was already nearly dusk.

Shui Rou was waiting for him at the door. When she saw him return, she whispered:

"The Shui family sent another batch of medicinal herbs today, saying they wanted my husband to expedite the refining process."

"Also, Steward Qingli came by and asked you twice."

"Understood." Qin Shou nodded and walked into the courtyard.

Shui Yingyue led the children in studying in the inner room.

Qin Shuang had grown up quite a bit. When she saw him return, she stood up and bowed. Her expression was calm and composed, and she looked somewhat like Shui Yingyue in her youth.

Qin An and Qin Lie chased each other in the courtyard, while Shui Yao leaned against the porch, lazily directing the two little ones to play.

"Stop fooling around, come and eat."

Shui Rou brought out several small dishes.

As Qin Shou gazed at the fireworks in the courtyard, he suddenly felt that all the calculations and considerations he had made at the Myriad Elephants Pavilion could be temporarily set aside.

At least for tonight, there's no rush.

......

A month later, the Qin beast reappeared in front of the Wanxiang Pavilion.

The old man in gray seemed to have anticipated his arrival and was already waiting at the door.

Upon seeing the man arrive, without further ado, he led him directly into the back hall.

This time, instead of going to the original quiet room, we walked through a dark corridor and entered a more secluded small hall.

The hall was heavily fortified, with several pieces of dark jade embedded in the walls, completely isolating the interior from the outside world.

"Fellow Daoist Qin, everything you requested has arrived."

The old man in gray took out a long purple wooden box from his sleeve and gently placed it on the table.

Qin Shou didn't rush to open it, but first asked, "Have you found the Nine Aperture Spirit Soil and the Profound Origin Void Crystal?"

"We've found them all," the old man laughed. "The Nine-Aperture Spirit Soil is a truly precious thing. We had to rely on three trade routes to dig out half a cubic meter from an abandoned immortal mine in the north."

The Xuan Yuan Kong Jing was easier to obtain, but it still took a lot of effort.

As for the Nine Souls Immortal Pill, it was only after the higher-ups personally intervened that it was intercepted from a late-stage True Immortal.

Qin Shou nodded and opened the long purple wooden box.

The box is divided into three compartments.

On the far left is a transparent glass bottle containing a mass of grayish-white spiritual soil. There are nine small holes on the surface, from which a faint golden light flickers.

The middle compartment contains eight fist-sized transparent crystals. The inside of the crystals is filled with tiny spatial cracks, making them appear as if they have been torn apart by countless invisible threads.

The rightmost compartment contained a blue pill the size of a longan, with five clearly defined lines on its surface. Its energy was contained within, making it appear like an inanimate object. However, when Qin Shou probed it with his divine sense, he felt a slight tremor in his sea of ​​consciousness.

Nine-Soul Elixir.

Qin Shou closed the box and asked, "How much in total?"

"Nine-aperture spiritual soil, 1,800 low-grade immortal crystals."

Xuan Yuan Kong Jing, one piece costs two hundred, eight pieces cost one thousand six.

Three thousand Nine-Soul Immortal Pills.

The old man in gray quoted a price, then added, "These items are not commonly seen, so the price is slightly higher than the market price."

"Okay." Qin Shou didn't haggle and took out the immortal crystal directly from his storage bracelet.

Over the years, he had sold quite a few pills at Wanxiang Pavilion, and there was already some left in his account.

With a single stroke, nearly six thousand immortal crystals were transferred to the other party's hands.

Qin Shou put the long purple wooden box into his sleeve, his face remaining calm.

The old man in gray poured him a cup of spiritual tea before slowly saying:

"Fellow Daoist Qin, what have you thought about what I said last time?"

"I appreciate the Long family's kindness."

Qin Shou said, "But I really can't get away right now."

Several children in the clan are still young, and my Daoist partner is from the Shui family. If I leave rashly, their lives in the Shui family will not be easy.”

"Our Long family can take them all with us," said the old man in gray.

"Taking them away is easy, but the Shui family won't let them go."

Qin Shou shook his head. "Over the years in Wucang Immortal City, I've come to understand that while the five families appear united to outsiders, they will investigate any lost alchemist among them."

The old man in gray sighed: "Fellow Daoist Qin's concerns are not without merit."

That's settled then. Whenever you wish to depart, simply bring your token to me, and I will make the necessary arrangements with the Long family."

"Thank you." Qin Shou stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, said a few more polite words, and then took his leave.

Not long after he left, the young man in the green robe came out from the back room, toying with an empty jade bottle in his hand.

That jade bottle was the sample of the Five-Patterned Immortal Pill left behind by the Qin Beast last time.