The next month passed in a blur for Ye Chen. Every day, aside from devoting himself to cultivation, he spent his time refining pills to accumulate spirit stones. After becoming more adept at refining Qi-Nourishing Pills, Ye Chen''s success rate improved. Each time he opened the furnace, he could now refine two to three high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills.


    However, he kept all of them for himself. If he sold them, his earnings would have been even greater. However, the effects of the high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills were too extraordinary to not use them on himself.


    Combined with the strengthening effects of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique, Ye Chen could clearly feel his progress every day. Perhaps in no more than six months, he would break through to the fifth level of Qi Refining.


    Indeed, cultivation could be accelerated with the right resources. But the key was having those resources.


    For instance, Ye Chen consumed high-grade Qi-Nourishing Pills daily, each month costing him six low-grade spirit stones just for those. In addition to the Qi-Nourishing Pills, he also took Elephant Blood Pills for body refinement, also all high-grade.


    Elephant Blood Pills were even more expensive, as they were a specialty of the Dragon Elephant Sect. A low-grade Elephant Blood Pill cost one spirit stone for five pills. But a high-grade one was a direct one-to-one trade. At thirty pills a month, that amounted to thirty low-grade spirit stones.


    On top of that, Ye Chen couldn''t be bothered to cook, so he also used Spiritual Fasting Pellets for nourishment, taking one each day. Altogether, his monthly expenditure on pills alone amounted to nearly forty low-grade spirit stones. This didn''t even include the resources needed for other spells and techniques. Living this way was ten times better than the life he''d led in his family.


    When he did the math, Ye Chen couldn''t help but reflect deeply. Indeed, no matter the world, having money was the key to living well.


    In the past month, Ye Chen made it a point to visit Lin Ke''er once a week, bringing her cultivation pills. Ever since Lin Ke''er had first sensed a threat, she had been leading Ye Chen directly to her room whenever he arrived. It seemed she was trying to avoid being seen by Lu Jing.


    However, every time Ye Chen finished delivering the pills and was about to leave, Lu Jing would coincidentally step out of her room. She always wore different clothes, unabashedly flaunting her figure. She greeted Ye Chen with extra enthusiasm, much to Lin Ke''er''s displeasure, her face turning sour.


    But Ye Chen, as if oblivious to the situation, maintained a pleasant demeanor and chatted amiably with Lu Jing, taking the opportunity to learn more about her. This frustrated Lin Ke''er to no end, and behind Ye Chen''s back, she gritted her teeth in frustration.


    Ye Chen, of course, wasn''t blind to Lin Ke''er''s emotions. But he didn’t care, for it didn’t concern him? He wasn''t a true simp! The gifts he was giving were simply to complete the system''s task.


    Although Ye Chen had to admit that his actions might appear like flattery to outsiders, he still had the right to choose who he wanted to flatter.


    Lu Jing, after all, was doing her best to get something out of him. Her enthusiasm was so evident, and though she only showed a little skin, it was enough to be noticed.


    Meanwhile, Lin Ke''er? She was always playing the indifferent, aloof role, never making any moves. The contrast was obvious.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    However, Ye Chen wasn''t planning to switch his attention to Lu Jing just yet. He didn''t want to be too eager. He would wait for Lin Ke''er to enter the mountains first.


    Then, once Lu Jing''s advances became more apparent, he could gradually shift his focus to her. After all, if there were two women with a tenfold multiplier, each eager to gain from him, the market would shift in his favor.


    Given his system, which could only trigger once a week, Ye Chen was patient. There was no rush. Lin Ke''er had no choice but to accept the situation. After all, it was Ye Chen who was giving the gifts.


    Although it had become a weekly routine, Lin Ke’er couldn''t exactly march over to the Pill Shop and tell Ye Chen to give her the gifts directly. That would be too awkward.


    So, Lin Ke''er made up her mind. Once she returned from the mountains and had some money in hand, she would immediately move out. She couldn''t stand living with that woman, Lu Jing, any longer. The sense of danger Lu Jing brought made Lin Ke''er fear that Ye Chen might be snatched away from her.


    At the same time, Lin Ke''er also felt the urgency of preparing for the dangers of the mountains. With Ye Chen providing the pills she needed for cultivation, Lin Ke''er ended up staying a full month longer than she had initially planned before finally heading to the mountains.


    Lin Ke''er had chosen her medicine-picking team carefully. The team leader was a female cultivator at the late stage of Qi Refining, fair in her dealings, with a solid reputation and good word-of-mouth.


    It had been difficult for Lin Ke''er to secure a spot in the team, but the team couldn''t wait indefinitely for her. If she didn''t join the group this time, they would replace her.


    Though Ye Chen had provided her with pills for daily cultivation, the expenses of cultivating were still too high.


    Lin Ke''er didn''t have a job and no income source. The spirit stones she had saved over the years were dwindling. If she delayed any further, she might not even be able to pay the rent.


    Under these circumstances, Lin Ke''er had no choice but to agree to the team leader''s request to depart first thing the next morning. However, the day before her departure, Lin Ke''er made her way to Ye Chen''s Apothecary Shop to find him.


    "Master Ye, the female cultivator, Lin Ke''er, has come to visit."


    Inside the room, Ye Chen had just finished refining a batch of Elephant Blood Pills. Looking at the ten high-grade pills he had just produced, he felt quite pleased with himself.


    When he heard the servant girl outside reporting, Ye Chen paused for a moment. Calculating the time, he realized it was only the sixth day, still one day before the usual weekly visit. After a moment''s thought, he called out, instructing the servant to bring Lin Ke''er in.


    Since Lin Ke''er had left her job, she could no longer enter the back courtyard directly, so Ye Chen stepped out of the room and waited for her in the garden, ensuring the door was closed behind him. The faint aroma of the pills still lingered in the air, and Ye Chen didn''t want anyone to discover that he was capable of refining Elephant Blood Pills.


    Soon, Lin Ke''er arrived.


    However, her attire today was different from usual. Instead of her usual long skirts, she wore a black, form-fitting combat outfit with long pants, giving her a much more martial appearance. Her hair was tied up high, and the usually cool and distant look on her face now had a touch of boldness.


    "Fairy Lin, what brings you here today?" Ye Chen greeted her with a smile.


    The servant girl placed a tray with spirit tea on the stone table. As an alchemist in the shop, Ye Chen enjoyed these small privileges.


    Lin Ke''er looked at him seriously and said, "Fellow Daoist Ye, tomorrow morning, I''ll be heading to the mountains for my first herb-gathering trip. This trip will be rather long, probably taking about a month. Fellow Daoist Ye is my only true friend in Silver Moon Market, and the only one who genuinely cares about me. Naturally, I wanted to inform you before I leave."


    Upon hearing this, Ye Chen understood. So this was just her telling him she was going on the trip. If it were before, Ye Chen might have felt some reluctance. After all, there was only one female cultivator with a tenfold return. If Lin Ke''er went to the mountains, it would mean fewer spirit stones for Ye Chen.


    But now…. With Lu Jing, another female cultivator with a tenfold return, there was no need to worry about Lin Ke''er''s absence.


    Ye Chen smiled lightly. "Then I wish Fairy Lin a bountiful harvest on this trip."


    Lin Ke''er was taken aback. This response was completely different from what she had expected. She had thought that upon hearing about her departure, Ye Chen would feel some sense of reluctance, or at least express concern. But instead, there was nothing. It felt... strange.