A woman with a fifteen-fold compatibility multiplier was indeed a treasure. But approaching her recklessly would certainly make her wary. Moreover, she was clearly not like Lin Ke''er, a loose cultivator. Her clothes were all enchanted robes, which were more difficult to craft than ordinary magic items and thus were much more expensive.


    Ye Chen couldn''t even assess her cultivation, which meant it was definitely higher than his. She was at least in the Qi Refining mid-stage. A rich, refined young woman… someone like him wouldn’t have a chance with her.


    If Ye Chen gave her a gift out of the blue, she likely wouldn''t even look at it. In fact, it could bring him trouble. He decided it would be better to take a long-term approach. There was no rush. After all, there was Lin Ke''er, who could still serve as a backup.


    Ye Chen found a secluded spot to restore his original appearance and changed back into the clothes he had worn when leaving. He then returned to his pharmacy through the front door.


    The shop was empty when he entered. When the staff saw him come in, their expressions were complicated. Though it had already been a week since he had given away the external cultivation technique, the shock it had caused in the shop had not yet worn off.


    The Dragon Elephant Fist, worth three mid-grade spirit stones. They couldn''t even afford that after ten years of living frugally, yet Ye Chen had just given it away to a woman like it was nothing. There was no doubt he was a wasteful fool.


    If he had given such an expensive gift and taken Lin Ke''er into his room, then it might have made sense. The problem was that after giving the gift, Ye Chen had never shown up in front of Lin Ke''er again. What was that supposed to mean? Giving without expecting anything in return? What is that but a simp?


    The staff couldn''t understand Ye Chen''s "simp" behavior. In fact, they despised it so much that they often laughed about it after work. As a result, many local cultivators in Silver Moon Market now knew that a young alchemist from the Ye family''s shop was nothing more than a hopeless simp. They all looked down on him.


    Ye Chen was unaware that his reputation had spread far and wide. Even if he knew, he wouldn''t care. Whether he was a simp or not wasn''t up for others to decide. He alone could define it. If he said he wasn''t simping, then he wasn''t.


    The staff watched Ye Chen with curiosity. Could it be that he was here to give another gift?


    Lin Ke''er, seeing him, wore a complicated expression. She had already cultivated the Dragon Elephant Fist. The effects were truly outstanding, far surpassing ordinary external cultivation techniques.


    But after receiving such a heavy gift from Ye Chen, she didn''t know how to face him anymore. What if Ye Chen had some improper request? How would she refuse?


    What relieved Lin Ke''er was that Ye Chen didn''t come to find her. Instead, he called over a staff member and listed some medicinal herbs. He asked them to charge it to his account and have the herbs delivered to the back courtyard.


    The herbs Ye Chen bought from Green Cloud Shop weren''t the full list. Some of the most common herbs he bought from his own shop. He also bought a few unnecessary herbs, ensuring no one could figure out what he was going to refine.


    The Elephant Blood Pill was a unique pill of the Dragon Elephant Sect. If word got out that he could refine it, it might cause trouble. It was better to be cautious than to risk it.


    …


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Back in his room, Ye Chen remained calm as he processed the herbs and began refining. After more than four hours, a peculiar aroma filled the room. With a soft hiss, the alchemy furnace lid lifted. Several red pills flew out and landed in Ye Chen''s hand.


    "Elephant Blood Pills! Five lower-grade, three middle-grade, no upper-grade."


    Ye Chen examined the pills in his hand, nodding with satisfaction. The refinement of the Elephant Blood Pill was more difficult than that of the Qi Gathering Pill. To produce three middle-grade pills on his first attempt was already a good result.


    As for the five lower-grade pills, Ye Chen planned to give them to Lin Ke''er. She was currently cultivating the Dragon Elephant Fist, and the Elephant Blood Pill was precisely what she needed. Moreover, his father had indeed given him ten Elephant Blood Pills in the past, so there was no fear of revealing that he could refine them. It was also an opportunity to see what the tenfold reward would yield.


    However, he could only give ten pills at once. Each pill would provide a tenfold reward, so Ye Chen would naturally not waste the opportunity. Thus, he decided to add five middle-grade Qi Gathering Pills to the gift for Lin Ke''er. The goal was to maximize the rewards.


    Ye Chen''s remaining spirit stones were running low, so it was time to earn more. Otherwise, he wouldn''t even be able to afford more expensive gifts.


    …


    During the afternoon shift, Lin Ke''er was somewhat distracted. Ye Chen had come to the shop today but hadn''t spoken to her. He hadn''t even glanced in her direction. This left Lin Ke''er feeling uncertain.


    Could it be that Ye Chen was upset with her for not actively thanking him for such an extravagant gift? Had he grown tired of her?


    As she pondered, Lin Ke''er hesitated. She knew her own heart well. She wanted to grow stronger, to reach Foundation Establishment, and to climb higher. While Ye Chen could help her now, he would be of little use in the future.


    Lin Ke''er had initially planned to distance herself from Ye Chen once she reached the fourth layer of Qi Refining, when she no longer needed the Qi Gathering Pills, and draw clear boundaries. But the Dragon Elephant Fist had changed her perspective. It made her realize the kind of support Ye Chen had behind him.


    Even if Ye Chen were a failure, his father, who was at the eighth layer of Qi Refining, would continue providing resources that someone like Lin Ke''er, a wandering cultivator, could only dream of. Once Lin Ke''er reached the fourth layer, she could still obtain many valuable resources from Ye Chen. If she severed ties with him now, it would be a huge loss.


    With that in mind, Lin Ke''er decided that after work, she would go to the back courtyard to see Ye Chen, thank him in person, and dispel any misunderstandings he might have about her.


    …


    After work, Lin Ke''er made her way to the back courtyard, stopping in front of Ye Chen''s room. She gently knocked on the door. "Fellow Daoist Ye, are you there?"


    Inside the room, Ye Chen heard the knock and lazily stretched. Lin Ke''er was coming to him? Well, that saved him the trouble of delivering the pills himself.


    He opened the door to find Lin Ke''er standing there, her face full of joy and gratitude. "Fellow Daoist Ye, I''ve come to thank you again for the Dragon Elephant Fist you gave me. I don''t know how to express my gratitude. I''ve been cultivating for years, and you, Fellow Daoist Ye, have been the kindest to me. You''re like an older brother to me…."


    Hearing this, Ye Chen nodded in agreement, but he believed not a word she said.


    As for the part about "you''re the best person to me" and "I always thought of you as an older brother," Ye Chen had seen more than enough of these kinds of green tea phrases in his past life.


    "Fairy Lin, you''re too kind. These Elephant Blood Pills were prepared for me by my father to assist with the cultivation of the Dragon Elephant Fist. Also, I''ve recently improved my alchemy skills and produced five middle-grade Qi Gathering Pills. I''d like to gift them to you to aid your cultivation as well. Please, Fairy Lin, don''t hesitate."


    With that, Ye Chen directly handed her the pills.


    Lin Ke''er''s eyes widened in surprise. After starting to cultivate external techniques, her progress had been rapid. However, the consumption of resources had also increased at a correspondingly fast rate. After all, cultivating external techniques drained one''s vital essence and blood.


    It was therefore crucial to use cultivation pills in conjunction with the training. Without the proper pills, one could not only fail to see results but could even damage their foundation and harm their body.


    Lin Ke''er didn''t have any pills to help with this and had been relying on more spirit beast meat and spirit rice to nourish her body. But that added extra expenses made her situation even more financially strained. The pills Ye Chen offered were precisely what she needed to address her pressing concerns. However, she really didn''t come here expecting a gift.