Demoness, Stop! - Chapter 50 - Chapter 50 – Asking For Advice

Zixiao Peak, Piaoxiang Pavilion.

Zhou Zixuan looked at Li Yu helplessly and said, “What happened to living frugally like we agreed? Why are we eating here again?”

Li Yu placed a piece of tender silverfish meat into her bowl and said, “I just made a bit of profit—figured we could celebrate a little. Plus, I wanted to ask you something.”

In less than fifteen minutes, the twenty-plus bottles of first-rank pills had been completely snapped up, and Li Yu had made over 10,000 spirit coins in pure profit.

Within the sect, he had almost no other expenses aside from buying Meridian Clearing Pills. With this kind of income, even after accounting for Senior Sister Zhou’s pill costs next month, he’d still have plenty left over.

He couldn’t even spend it all if he tried.

Zhou Zixuan was helpless in the face of Li Yu’s extravagant spending habits, but she had no real authority to stop him. She asked, “What is it?”

Li Yu said, “You’ve been staying on Biyun Peak all this time, and it’s not really going anywhere. Why not come work with me?”

Zhou Zixuan was taken aback. “W-Work with you?”

Li Yu nodded. “I’m planning to take the exam to become a first-rank alchemist. When the time comes, I’ll need someone to help me purify spiritual liquids. Want to help me out? The sect will pay you 100 spirit coins a month, and I’ll add another three thousand on top of that…”

Zhou Zixuan knew that within the sect, Foundation Establishment elders usually had a steward disciple to serve them. Her Senior Sister Zhang was one such steward, in charge of tea, errands, and other miscellaneous tasks…

But even someone like Senior Sister Zhang only received 100 spirit coins a month from the sect. A Foundation Establishment elder certainly wouldn’t give them anything extra.

Who in the world recruited steward disciples by giving 3,000 spirit coins out of their own pocket? That was the equivalent of three Meridian Clearing Pills!

Li Yu looked at her and asked, “So? Are you coming or not? If not, I’ll go find someone else…”

Zhou Zixuan’s face turned slightly red, and she said in a low voice, “Why… why are you being so nice to me?”

Li Yu answered as if it were obvious: “You’ve been really nice to me too. Back at Baiyun Temple, you only made fifty spirit coins for that mission, but you still gave me twenty…”

Zhou Zixuan silently muttered in her heart: That was because you looked good! At the time, I was thinking if Kunlun didn’t pick me, I’d bring you back to my family, and we could become dual cultivation partners and live happily ever after…

Who would’ve thought… all because she once fell for his looks, she was now being repaid like this.

Li Yu urged, “Well? Do you want to or not? If you don’t, I’ll ask someone else…”

Zhou Zixuan lowered her head and said softly, “I… I want to…”

…

With Sister Zhou on board, Li Yu returned to Danding Peak to prepare for the first-grade alchemist exam.

Honestly, there wasn’t much he needed to prepare. With five spiritual veins, he already had a huge advantage in alchemy. Plus, with all the practice he’d gotten from the spiritual herbs Junior Sister Zheng provided, Li Yu had become proficient in refining several entry-level first-rank pills—more than enough to pass the exam.

He had just returned to his residence when a familiar figure walked into the courtyard.

Li Yu was a little surprised—Junior Sister Zheng had just left a few hours ago, and now she was back again?

Zheng Keqi walked up to Li Yu and said sincerely, “Senior Brother Li, thank you.”

Li Yu was still confused. Didn’t she already thank me earlier? Did she forget?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Zheng Keqi gently waved her hand—and before his eyes appeared a beautifully crafted pill furnace. The entire furnace glowed with a violet-gold hue, adorned with intricate golden patterns. It radiated a sense of ancient elegance and grandeur—clearly no ordinary item.

Compared to this, Li Yu’s current furnace was like Elder Sun’s flying boat versus Senior Sister Xu’s spirit vessel—a whole world apart.

Zheng Keqi said, “This furnace can refine up to third-rank pills. It’s a gift from my master to thank you, Senior Brother Li.”

“???”

Li Yu was full of question marks.

Junior Sister Zheng’s master—one of the sect’s rank four alchemists and a Nascent Soul stage powerhouse—was thanking him?

What did he even do?

He honestly had no idea…

Zheng Keqi smiled faintly and said, “It was thanks to your guidance that I was able to enter the Heaven-Man Unity state. I’ve engraved this kindness into my heart. If you ever need help with anything, feel free to come find me at Cuiwei Peak…”

Even after Zheng Keqi had left, Li Yu stood there in a daze.

She really entered the Heaven-Man Unity state just like that?

Only Li Yu knew the truth—his so-called “guidance” earlier had been completely made up. He was just spouting nonsense.

And yet Junior Sister Zheng actually followed what he said—and succeeded?

Could it be… that he accidentally spoke the true essence of the Heaven-Man Unity state?

Obviously, that couldn’t be true. He didn’t even know what exactly that really was.

It was far more likely that Zheng Keqi was simply gifted, and after adjusting her mindset, stumbled into the state by coincidence—and happened to give him the credit for it.

Li Yu looked at the exquisite pill furnace before him…

This was truly an unexpected windfall.

A pill furnace capable of refining third-rank pills was incredibly precious. Using it to refine first- or second-rank pills would be effortless, with no risk of explosion. Furnaces of this level were typically forged from top-tier materials with excellent heat conductivity, significantly lowering the difficulty of alchemy while improving pill quality. The price was astronomical.

Since someone had offered such a treasure right to his doorstep, of course Li Yu wouldn’t refuse.

He carefully stowed the furnace away and planned to return to his room for a good nap—to restore his energy before taking the first-rank alchemist exam and finally moving into a comfortable private residence.

He had refined quite a few pills recently, and his energy was severely drained—he badly needed rest.

Physically and mentally exhausted, he quickly fell into a deep sleep.

In his dream, he cultivated to great success—forming a Golden Core, nurturing a Nascent Soul, ascending to the Divine Transformation realm, breaking through the Void, and merging with the Dao to achieve the Heaven-Man Unity. With Senior Sister Zhou in his left arm and Jiang Li in his right, he sat atop a majestic white tiger, roaming the vast world, carefree and joyous…

While Li Yu was enjoying his dream, a shocking piece of news spread across Cuiwei Peak like wildfire:

The personal disciple of Master Changchun—the famed Kunlun genius girl—had just entered the Heaven-Man Unity state, a realm countless alchemists dreamed of attaining.

The reason the Heaven-Man Unity state was considered a dream for so many alchemists wasn’t just because of the one batch of supreme-grade pills it produced…

But because experiencing the state even once had profound benefits on one’s future path in alchemy.

Among the sect’s eight rank-four alchemists, without exception, all had once entered the Heaven-Man Unity state.

To enter such a state at the mere age of fifteen, while also possessing considerable cultivation talent—her future potential was immeasurable.

It was entirely possible she could become the sect’s next rank-four alchemist.

As soon as this news broke, people started mentioning that Junior Sister Zheng had recently been frequenting the Danding Peak to visit someone—the champion of the recent Alchemy Competition: Li Yu.

Li Yu had reportedly entered the Heaven-Man Unity state during that very competition.

Now Zheng Keqi had sought him out several times and somehow miraculously achieved the same state—

It was hard not to suspect that perhaps Li Yu had taught her something, maybe some experience or technique…

In an instant, countless eyes turned toward Danding Peak.

At that moment, Li Yu was fast asleep.

His happy dream had turned into a nightmare.

In the dream, he was embracing beauties left and right, riding a majestic white tiger across the world in carefree bliss—when suddenly, that demoness appeared, sword in hand, angrily demanding why he had betrayed her…

Li Yu jolted awake in fright.

Sitting up in bed, he let out a breath of relief—thankfully, it had just been a dream.

But then a new problem occurred to him.

In the dream, he was holding women in both arms… Sister Zhou was understandable, but why was Jiang Li there too?

Li Yu had always seen her as a brother.

But ever since learning her true identity, things had started to feel… strange.

After thinking of her, he felt this weird awkwardness in his heart—he couldn’t even describe the feeling himself…

That dream had left him with all sorts of complicated emotions, and his mood was now a little irritable.

Outside, there was a loud commotion—he didn’t know what was going on, but it was only making his irritation worse.

He decided: he’d go take the first-rank alchemist exam right now. He couldn’t stand staying in this place a moment longer.

Li Yu stepped out of his room and opened the courtyard gate to see what all the noise was about.

What he saw outside caught him completely off guard.

A sea of people had gathered at his doorstep.

At a glance, Li Yu recognized many familiar faces: Zhao Wuliang, Deng Qingsong, He Jin, Liu Ren…

All people from the Alchemy Competition.

Everyone from the top ten—except for Junior Sister Zheng—was there.

The moment they saw Li Yu step out, the crowd surged toward him.

“Junior Brother Li! I’m here to exchange alchemy insights with you!”

“Junior Brother Li! I’ve booked a banquet at Piaoxiang Pavilion—may I have the honor of your company?”

“Junior Brother Li! I have a few questions I’d like to consult you on…”

…

Faced with this scene, Li Yu didn’t hesitate—he immediately took a step back, shut the courtyard gate, and called out loudly:

“Everyone, I really don’t know how to enter the Heaven-Man Unity state! Please go back!”

After Zheng Keqi returned from visiting him and then entered the Heaven-Man Unity state, it was obvious why these people had shown up.

But Li Yu had no intention of discussing this with them.

First, he genuinely had no idea.

Second, these disciples from prestigious sects might have high cultivation talent, but their social skills were seriously lacking.

If you want help with something, who shows up empty-handed?

Outside, a refined-looking young man cupped his fists and said, “Junior Brother Li, I’m Zhao Wuliang. This is my first time visiting—please accept these ten Meridian Clearing Pills as a small token of respect.”

Creak—

The courtyard gate opened slightly.

A polite voice responded: “Please, come in.”

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