"Fellow Daoist Ye, you haven''t yet mentioned the reason for your visit today. If it''s something private that shouldn''t be overheard, would you prefer to speak in the room?"


    Lin Ke''er couldn''t watch any longer and decided to interrupt. Although she didn''t have much affection for Ye Chen, seeing how eager Lu Jing was toward him made her uncomfortable. She and Lu Jing were hardly close friends. They were merely acquaintances. They had happened to meet while renting the house; both were short on spirit stones, and it was a mutual, practical arrangement.


    Of course, Lin Ke''er wasn''t worried that Ye Chen would be taken from her. What bothered her was the thought of Ye Chen being deceived by Lu Jing.


    Lu Jing was a woman with suitors. Ye Chen was so innocent, so it was easy for Lu Jing to use him as a pawn. Lin Ke''er directly interrupted their conversation, intending to take Ye Chen into her room.


    Lu Jing''s mature face broke into an even wider smile upon hearing Lin Ke''er''s words. But she didn''t say anything, merely smiling seductively at Ye Chen.


    As for Ye Chen, he wasn''t particularly eager for the chance to enter Lin Ke''er''s room. He had also noticed Lin Ke''er''s sudden interruption and her less-than-pleased expression.


    Ye Chen had experienced his fair share of women in his past life. He understood the psychology of someone like Lin Ke''er all too well. Even if she didn''t care for a simp, she''d still be uncomfortable if someone else showed interest in "her property." After all, they may not like simps, but in their eyes, a simp was still something that belonged to them.


    As for Ye Chen, he didn''t care much for Lin Ke''er''s thoughts. To him, Lin Ke''er and Lu Jing were no different. If anything, Lu Jing was a bit bigger— ah, better. Besides, both had the same gift multiplier. Why not lick in whichever one seemed best?


    Cough… not lick, but invest!


    Glancing at the darkening sky, Ye Chen didn''t want to stay too late. He had a bright future ahead, and if he got stuck in some alleyway on the way back, that would be a huge loss.


    So Ye Chen spoke directly, "There''s nothing urgent, no need to discuss it in the room. Since you''ve broken through to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage, I can now refine Qi-Nourishing Pills. In the past few days, I''ve refined ten medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills. I''ve brought them here for you, Fellow Daoist, to assist in your cultivation. After all, the mountains are dangerous, and the stronger you are, the more at ease I will be."


    With those words, Ye Chen took out the pills he had prepared earlier and handed them to Lin Ke''er.


    Upon hearing this, Lin Ke''er''s face lit up with joy. Qi-Nourishing Pills, and medium-grade ones at that?


    Since her breakthrough to the Qi Refining Mid-Stage, the effects of Qi Gathering Pills had diminished. But Qi-Nourishing Pills were priced twice as much as Qi Gathering Pills. With a month''s worth of cultivation, she would need three low-grade spirit stones. Her expenditures had doubled compared to before. Not to mention the additional costs of cultivating external techniques and consuming spiritual rice.


    This had made Lin Ke''er more and more strapped for resources, her savings dwindling bit by bit. It made her feel increasingly anxious, wishing she could immediately head to the mountains to earn more spirit stones.


    And now, Ye Chen had unexpectedly sent her Qi-Nourishing Pills, and they were ven medium-grade! This was certainly a pleasant surprise.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Lin Ke''er had long grown accustomed to Ye Chen gifting her pills, so she didn''t refuse, instead expressing her gratitude with a joyful smile.


    Seeing her accept the pills, Ye Chen heard the system prompt and smiled back: "In that case, I''ll be on my way! You don''t need to see me off." With that, he nodded at Lu Jing, who wore a knowing expression, and left the courtyard, heading back toward One Leaf Pill Shop.


    The sky had darkened, and the number of female cultivators in the alley had increased.


    Ye Chen couldn''t help but sigh. The employment prospects in the cultivation world were truly grim.


    "Fellow Daoist Lu, I''ll be on my way!" Ye Chen called out as he left.


    Lin Ke''er waved her hand and directly returned to her room. Usually, the two of them were polite with each other, but today, seeing how warmly Lu Jing was treating her simp, Lin Ke''er could barely tolerate it. She had even started to think that once she came back from the mountains with some spirit stones, she would move out. She couldn''t bear living with Lu Jing anymore.


    Meanwhile, Lu Jing watched Lin Ke''er''s pill bottle with a gleaming look in her phoenix eyes. That Ye Chen earlier, he really was the so-called "simp alchemist" from the rumors.


    Ye Chen had grown quite famous in Silver Moon Market. Everyone knew that he gave women not only external cultivation techniques and spells but also countless pills.


    Lu Jing had thought it was just exaggerated rumors. She had believed it was impossible for a male cultivator to be so foolish. Many male cultivators had shown interest in her, but all they did was speak nice words and never really gave anything of substance. Some would offer small favors, but their intentions were clear: they wanted something in return immediately. It was as if they thought a few spirit stones could buy them her.


    But Ye Chen? He was willing to give even medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills. And not just one or two. Ten medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills was worth roughly one and a half low-grade spirit stones. And after gifting them, Ye Chen had left without any ulterior motives, without even a hint of expecting something in return. This had made Lu Jing believe the rumors were true. But it also stirred jealousy in her heart.


    Lin Ke''er didn''t have the same figure as herself, and her charm was limited to a cold and aloof demeanor. What made her worthy of a simp like Ye Chen? Why couldn''t such a simp be hers?


    Thinking back to Ye Chen''s initial gaze at her figure, Lu Jing felt a surge of confidence. She wasn''t without a chance. If Ye Chen ever turned his affections away from Lin Ke''er, giving the gifts meant for her to Lu Jing instead, that would be perfect. With the support of resources, she wouldn''t need to struggle so hard.


    As for whether stealing Ye Chen from Lin Ke''er would make her feel guilty? That wasn’t even a question worth asking? In the cultivation world, even sisters fought for resources, let alone mere roommates like Lin Ke''er. Not fighting for it would be foolish!


    Ye Chen had no idea what the two women were thinking. But even if he knew, it wouldn''t matter. After all, it made no difference to him who he gifted things to. Both of them gave the same tenfold rewards.


    Returning safely to the pill shop, Ye Chen looked toward the system space.


    "Gift successful!"


    "Gift: Ten medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills."


    "Returning feedback…"


    "Tenfold feedback. Reward: One hundred medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills."


    Upon seeing the feedback, Ye Chen''s eyes lit up.


    A major profit! One hundred medium-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills were worth roughly fifteen low-grade spirit stones. Over the course of a month, that would amount to at least sixty low-grade spirit stones. And with two pill furnaces running every day, he could easily produce another four to five hundred Qi-Nourishing Pills each month.


    Altogether, it seemed he could earn up to one medium-grade spirit stone per month. Since the medicinal ingredients were supplied by the pill shop, and Manager Zhang would likely sell him pills at a low price to fulfill the task, this was essentially pure profit.


    Once Ye Chen had spirit stones, he could continue gifting more expensive items. He felt that he needed a self-defense technique. His offensive spells were too limited. Once he had the funds, it would be best to buy a few more. Then there were magic tools that could significantly enhance his combat power.


    And protective clothes, which could greatly boost his defense. Not to mention a storage bag, Ye Chen really wanted one. His supply of pills was growing, and it was becoming inconvenient to keep them in his pockets or room. Having a storage bag would undoubtedly be much better.


    In the end, after doing the math, Ye Chen realized just how long and difficult his cultivation journey would be. There were simply too many things that required money. Even with his alchemy skills and the system, he was still struggling. If the life of an ordinary cultivator was this hard, it was no wonder so many fell to the wayside!