What does my ancestor's pregnancy have to do with me, a mere servant?

Lin Yuan felt a sudden light up his eyes.

My gaze involuntarily fell on the deep ravine that could bury a person, lingering for about half a second.

He then lowered his gaze respectfully, staring at the tips of his shoes.

His inner monologue was exploding with complaints: Good heavens, that figure... it's like the entire year's worth of food for the outer sect of the Xuan Yin Sect was grown on her body. If this were in his previous life, she'd definitely have the figure of a top-tier internet celebrity; she could be financially independent just by selling photo albums.

His face remained calm and composed. He clasped his hands in a respectful bow, his posture impeccably courteous: "So you are Steward Li. I've heard so much about you."

As Li Yang walked to the counter, a mature and alluring fragrance wafted over her. It wasn't the cloying sweetness of cosmetics, but rather a floral and fruity scent, warmed by the sun—subtle yet penetrating to the very core of one's being.

She stretched out her exquisitely well-maintained hand, picked up the Tranquilizing Herb that Lin Yuan had left behind, and waved it in front of her eyes. Her slender fingers twirled the stem, her nails round and full, gleaming with a faint pink light.

"The spiritual materials that Danbao Pavilion has been collecting lately are indeed of varying quality," Li Yang said lazily. "Some disciples who cultivate spiritual materials are dishonest, and their methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated."

"Even the most experienced craftsmen in the workshop sometimes make mistakes."

As she spoke, she glanced at the pale-faced female deacon out of the corner of her eye. The female deacon trembled in fright and lowered her head, not daring to utter a sound.

Li Yang turned around and leaned half of her body against the counter. The heavy weight made the mahogany counter groan slightly.

She narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, looking Lin Yuan up and down. Her gaze slid over his fair and handsome face, and then lingered for a moment on the worn-out storage bag at his waist.

"However... I've seen quite a few outer disciples, but you're the first one who can see through the traces of the Spirit-Enhancing Liquid at a glance."

She leaned forward slightly, and the fragrance became even stronger.

Lin Yuan smiled slightly, neither humble nor arrogant: "Manager Li is too kind. I'm just poor and can't afford good medicinal herbs. I've been ripped off a lot, so I've learned from my mistakes and become a doctor through long illness. This is all just my wild guess."

He spoke modestly, but his tone carried an unhurried and composed air.

"Just wild speculation?" Li Yang chuckled lightly.

"The residue of the Spirit-Enhancing Liquid is extremely well-hidden; even the old men in the sect who have refined pills their whole lives might not be able to spot it at a glance. This isn't a skill you can just figure out by being tricked a few times."

She gave Lin Yuan a deep look. The languidness in her beautiful eyes faded slightly.

Suddenly, Li Yang smiled.

That smile was like a hundred flowers blooming, full of charm. On her unadorned oval face, the natural allure seemed to be ignited by the sunlight.

She straightened up and beckoned to Lin Yuan with her finger.

"With your abilities, it's a waste for you to stay in the outer sect."

"Would you be interested in working for me?"

"You will receive a monthly allowance of one hundred spirit stones, plus an extra ten Qi Condensation Pills each month."

She tilted her head slightly, and a wisp of hair slipped from behind her ear, resting on her dazzlingly white collarbone.

"If you do well..."

She picked up a stray strand of hair with her fingertips and tucked it behind her ear, a gesture that exuded charm.

"Your older sister can also personally teach you alchemy step by step."

Outer disciples only receive ten spirit stones a month, this is ten times more! Not to mention that Qi Condensation Pills are a cultivation resource that only inner disciples are qualified to receive.

With such treatment, even carrying shoes and washing socks for a direct disciple would be something people would fight over!

Not to mention you'd get this beauty's "personal guidance"—just imagine the scene...

Lin Yuan looked into Li Yang's alluring eyes, but his mind remained perfectly clear.

One hundred spirit stones? Qi Condensation Pill? Hands-on instruction in alchemy?

It sounds incredibly appealing, but after spending over a decade in the outer sect of the Xuan Yin Sect, he knew all too well one thing: a pie falling from the sky is either a trap or a grave.

Li Yang is a Core Formation stage cultivator.

Hanging around under the nose of such a big shot, his alchemy skills and all that mess between him, Lin Feilu, and Wen Yuci will be exposed sooner or later.

With his control panel at his disposal, he could simply develop his abilities peacefully; there was absolutely no need for him to go to the territory of a Core Formation cultivator and become invisible.

The core principle of the "survival strategy" can be summarized in four words: stay away from the strong.

Moreover, the way this woman looked at him didn't seem like she was looking at a talented person; it was more like she was looking at a handy tool.

Tools, once used, will be thrown away.

If you discover that this tool hides other secrets while using it, the consequences won't be as simple as just throwing it away.

Lin Yuan carefully placed the ten selected spiritual materials into his storage bag, moving slowly and deliberately. Then, he placed a small pile of spirit stones on the counter.

The clinking of the spirit stones produced a crisp sound that was particularly jarring in the quiet hall.

"I appreciate Steward Li's kindness. However, I am used to being carefree and unrestrained. I am quite comfortable spending my days tending the fields and basking in the sun. I am afraid that if I were to work at Danbao Pavilion, there would be more rules and restrictions, which would only cause trouble for you, Steward Li."

He paused, looked up to meet Li Yang's slightly narrowed beautiful eyes, and added, "However, if I need to purchase spiritual materials in the future, I will definitely only trust the Danbao Pavilion. The things from Manager Li's pavilion are definitely the best."

Li Yang's smile froze for a moment.

She had been in charge of the Danbao Pavilion for decades, having seen countless people and recruited at least eighty to a hundred talents. She was always the one choosing others; when had she ever been rejected to her face by a mere Qi Refining stage youth?

interesting.

Li Yang narrowed her naturally alluring eyes and lowered her voice.

"Would you like to reconsider?"

"Whether they are from the inner sect or the outer sect, very few people dare to defy me."

The words were spoken lightly, but the expressions of the surrounding disciples changed. Li Yang had extensive connections within the Xuan Yin Sect. From inner sect elders to outer sect deacons, from the supply of pills to the allocation of spiritual materials, everyone had to defer to her. Offending her meant forgetting about buying medicinal herbs; you might even have your spiritual fields relocated to the most remote and desolate corners.

Lin Yuan looked into Li Yang's dangerous eyes and felt the imposing pressure emanating from her without her being angry.

He knew in his heart that compared to Li Yang, Wen Yuci, that witch, was the real ruthless devil.

Having survived those days of living on the edge, this scene wouldn't frighten him.

"Manager Li is joking."

"I'm just a lowly cultivator from the outer sect, farming. What face do I have to refuse? The manager thinks highly of me; that's a blessing I've accumulated over eight lifetimes."

"I am simply not fortunate enough to enjoy it, and I hope that you, sir, will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

After saying that, Lin Yuan clasped his hands in a proper salute, then turned and left.

His steps were neither fast nor slow, and his back was ramrod straight.

It was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation or looking back.

"Is this kid really that good, or just plain stupid?"

"Could he be a disciple of a reclusive master? Otherwise, where would he get such confidence?"

"Expert my foot! I'm from the same spiritual field area as him. He's just an ordinary outer disciple who's been farming for ten years and is dirt poor."

Li Yang stood there, watching Lin Yuan's figure disappear outside the gate of Danbao Pavilion.

She's lived for so many years, what kind of men hasn't she seen?

Greedy, lustful, stubborn but soft-hearted, and pretentious while actually waiting for a price increase.

But she couldn't see through this kid for a while.

"An interesting little guy."

……

Lin Yuan walked out of the Pill Treasure Pavilion.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

This woman is too dangerous.

Not only is his cultivation profound, but he is also deep in thought.

Lin Yuan quickened his pace and returned to his cave dwelling. It was already dark outside.

Lin Yuan walked to the bluestone table and pulled off the storage bag at his waist.

Turning the bag over, ten portions of spiritual materials purchased from Danbao Pavilion were neatly stacked on the stone slab.

Just then, the half-open stone door was pushed open. A chilly night breeze blew into the cave, and Lin Feilu walked in.

Lin Feilu walked in.

She changed into a blue Taoist robe, a style exclusive to core inner disciples.

The buttons on the collar were fastened all the way to the top, fitting perfectly and covering the snow-white neck, not exposing an inch of skin.

Her long hair was neatly tied back with a plain wooden hairpin.

There was no expression on that stunningly beautiful face.

She didn't even glance at Lin Yuan, and went straight to the stone bed at the innermost part of the cave.

Lin Feilu turned around, sat down on the edge, and then lay down flat. She closed her phoenix eyes, placed her hands on her flat stomach, and her body was stiff.

Lin Feilu's voice was completely flat: "Hurry up."

Lin Yuan scoffed inwardly at her act.

My inner monologue: This woman is planning to use this dead-fish-like passive resistance to preserve her pitiful self-esteem?

Lin Yuan stood up, walked to the stone bed, and looked down at her.

"Senior Sister Lin," Lin Yuan said calmly, "Are you sure you're not mistaken about something?"

Lin Feilu did not open her eyes or reply. Her chest rose and fell very barely, and her tightly closed eyelashes cast two shadows under her eyelids.

"Are you putting on this helpless, wooden act to disgust me, or are you torturing yourself?"

Lin Feilu suddenly opened her eyes. A ripple finally appeared in her phoenix eyes, a mixture of suppressed humiliation and resentment.

"Lin Yuan." She gritted her teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between them, "You obtained the main seal of the Soul Devouring Technique, and now you control my life and death."

"You want to vent, and I'll allow you to vent according to the rules. What more do you want from me?"

She slowly sat up, the hem of her blue Taoist robe crumpled from her grip.

"Wagging his tail and begging you? Flattering and fawning over you? Saying things to make you happy while he's beneath you?"

She gave a cold laugh, turned her head away, revealing her long, slender neck that was completely covered by the Chinese knot buttons.

"Don't even think about it."

"Even if I, Lin Feilu, become your vessel for lust and are used by you to satisfy your desires every night, I will never show the slightest obedience to a despicable person like you."

Lin Yuan looked at her stubborn profile, which bordered on self-torture, but felt no emotion whatsoever.

It wasn't that he was cold-blooded. Rather, after spending over a decade in this dog-eat-dog world of cultivation, he understood one thing all too well—compassion only leads to one's demise.

Yesterday, this woman threw him into the Illusory Heart Mortal World Array to wait for him to die.

"You have backbone." Lin Yuan nodded, his tone even carrying a hint of sincere admiration.

"Rules are always set by the strong."

"You're right, the master seal of the Soul Devouring Technique is in my hands. I do indeed control your life and death. You are free to hate me, despise me, and curse me a thousand times in your heart."

"But you should understand one thing."

"Passive resistance will not bring dignity, but only more suffering."

"However," Lin Yuan's tone suddenly softened as he changed the subject, "I've always been fair in my dealings. Wen Yuci only gave you three months to live, to risk your life for her in the Blood Forbidden Land."

"And... even if you go to the Crimson Forbidden Land and get what she wants, that female demon won't let you off easily!"

"But I can give you a way out and help you break the seal on this Soul-Devouring Technique!"

Upon hearing this, the cave fell into a deathly silence.

Lin Feilu's pupils suddenly contracted, and she propped herself up on her hands as she sat up. "What did you say?"

"I said, I can undo the Soul Devouring Technique," Lin Yuan said, his expression unchanged.

"This is impossible!" Lin Feilu's voice sharpened, filled with disbelief. "The Soul Devouring Technique is a soul restriction placed by a half-step Golden Core cultivator. How could you, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, possibly break it?"

Lin Yuan turned around and walked to the table, tapping the old bronze alchemy furnace with his fingers.

"I survived under that female demon because of my alchemy skills. After that, all the pills she needed to make had to go through my hands."

"As long as people take the pills I refine, I will have the opportunity to tamper with them a little."

"As for how to do it, I have no comment at this time."

"I can only tell you that I am confident I can undo this Soul-Eating Technique."