The Hehuan Sect cultivates alchemy; my senior sister helps me refine alchemy throughout the world.

After Su Yao left, Shen Yifei closed the door and leaned against it, counting spirit stones.

With five hundred coins, plus what he had saved up before, he now has nearly nine hundred low-grade spirit stones in his hands.

He put the spirit stone into his ring, lay on the bed with his legs crossed, feeling quite pleased with himself.

Su Yao just said that a top-grade fourth-rank pill sells for 10,000 spirit stones. Besides the Breakthrough Pill, we should also try to get other fourth-rank pills.

If we sell two in a month...

Shen Yifei grew happier the more he thought about it, as if a blissful life was just around the corner.

On this day, his mind was always wandering, and he couldn't concentrate on his cultivation.

Before he knew it, it was evening. He was just about to go to sleep when he was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Junior Brother Shen, open the door."

It's Su Yao's voice!

Shen Yifei was taken aback. What was she doing here so late?

He got up and opened the door. Su Yao was standing outside, dressed in a yellow dress, which made her look even more fair and beautiful.

She was carrying a small porcelain pot and had a smile on her face, but the light in her phoenix eyes made Shen Yifei's eyes tighten.

"Senior Sister Su, why...why are you here again? So late..."

"What, you're not welcome?" Su Yao didn't wait for him to offer her a seat and walked straight into the house.

Shen Yifei followed behind, his heart pounding.

When this woman came to collect the pills during the day, she had an aloof expression and wouldn't say a word. Now that she's come to his door on her own initiative, carrying a wine jug, he wouldn't believe she had no ulterior motive.

Su Yao entered the room, sat down at the table, placed the porcelain teapot on it, and looked up at him: "Why are you standing? Sit down."

Shen Yifei sat down opposite her, his eyes darting around. "Senior Sister Su, what's going on here...?"

"I'll treat you to a drink." Su Yao lifted the lid of the pot, and a rich aroma of wine wafted out. "This is my own Hundred Flowers Wine, made with 108 kinds of spiritual flowers. It's been aged for three years, and I usually can't bear to drink it."

As she spoke, she took out two white jade cups from her sleeve and filled them.

The wine is amber in color and as viscous as honey, with thin streaks of wine clinging to the glass.

Shen Yifei picked up the cup and smelled it. It did smell fragrant, but there was a faint hint of spiciness hidden within the aroma. He had spent three years in the alchemy room and was more sensitive to the smell of medicinal herbs than anyone else.

Something was added to this wine.

He couldn't smell what was added, but it was definitely not just simple flower wine.

"Senior Sister Su, this wine smells really good." He put down the glass but didn't drink it. "But I'm not good at drinking. I get drunk as soon as I drink it and make a fool of myself."

Su Yao picked up her cup, took a sip, swallowed, her throat bobbed.

"Look, I drank it all, it's not poisonous."

Shen Yifei sneered inwardly. Just because your drink wasn't poisoned doesn't mean there wasn't something in it. Some drugs are specifically for men; women won't be affected at all.

But he still had that honest look on his face: "Senior Sister Su, please don't misunderstand, I really can't drink. Last time I drank a bowl, slept with the alchemy furnace all night, and when I woke up I was talking nonsense for three days."

Su Yao stared at him for a couple of seconds, then suddenly smiled.

"Junior Brother Shen, you're quite timid."

"You have to be timid to live long. I'm not very capable, so I have to be careful about everything."

Su Yao didn't urge him to drink anymore, but drank another glass herself and put the glass down.

"Junior Brother Shen, the reason I came tonight is actually to ask you something."

"Please speak, Senior Sister Su."

"How exactly did you refine that Breakthrough Pill?"

It was bound to happen! Shen Yifei cursed Qin Wan in his heart a dozen times, but this girl still couldn't keep her mouth shut.

Shen Yifei was already prepared, but he didn't show it on his face: "It was made according to the pill formula. You provided the medicinal materials, and I just contributed some effort."

"You put in some effort?" Su Yao laughed. "Junior Brother Shen, you might fool others with that, but you won't fool me. I've been in the Joyful Union Sect for ten years and have seen quite a few alchemists. To refine a fourth-grade pill into a high-grade one is already quite good, let alone a top-grade one? In the entire Joyful Union Sect, I haven't seen a second person who can refine that."

She paused, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on him: "What secret do you have?"

Shen Yifei felt a chill run down his spine from her gaze, but he maintained his honest and simple demeanor.

"Senior Sister Su, I really don't have any secrets. I'm probably just lucky, plus I've been eating medicinal residue for three years, so my constitution is a bit different from others."

"Medicine dregs?" Su Yao scoffed. "You really think I believe that? Eating medicine dregs can lead to Foundation Establishment? Can it give you alchemy talent? Junior Brother Shen, do you think I'm a three-year-old?"

Shen Yifei fell silent.

He knew that his story might fool the outer disciples, but it wouldn't be enough to fool Su Yao, a seasoned veteran who had been in the inner sect for ten years.

The room fell silent, and the two of them just stared at each other.

Su Yao suddenly stood up, walked around the table, and stood in front of him.

She looked down at him, hooked her fingers under his chin, and lifted him up.

"Junior Brother Shen," she said softly, her voice sweet and gentle, "do you know, I knew you were no ordinary person just by licking that Breakthrough Pill of yours."

Shen Yifei looked up at her as she hooked his chin.

"Senior Sister Su, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I want to say is," Su Yao released his chin, her fingers sliding down his neck to his chest, where they stopped, "that I'm very interested in you."

Shen Yifei tensed up again.

The woman's fingers were cool to the touch; you could feel the chill even through his clothes. Her fingers moved across his chest, light and gentle, tickling him—clearly the work of a seasoned expert!

"Cultivate with me." Su Yao was straightforward. "If you cultivate with me, I'll keep your secret. I won't tell anyone about your Breakthrough Pill."

This sounds like a negotiation, but it's actually a threat.

But Shen Yifei wasn't easily intimidated. If something really went wrong for him, he might as well give her a cauldron!

"Senior Sister Su," he grinned, "the way you're talking makes it sound like I have some shameful secret. If you want to cultivate together, I'll accompany you. What's with all this talk about keeping secrets? It's too formal."

Su Yao was taken aback, not expecting him to agree so readily.

"You agreed?"

"Of course I agree! Why wouldn't I? Senior Sister Su is beautiful, and it would be my advantage to cultivate with her. But we have to agree that it's purely cultivation, no extraction or replenishment."

Su Yao stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled.

"Alright, pure dual cultivation."

A hint of a successful conspiracy flashed in Su Yao's eyes, and none of this escaped Shen Yifei's notice.

The two understood each other implicitly, each harboring their own secrets.

Su Yao wants to be with him, and he wants to be with Su Yao. Who wins and who loses depends on their own abilities.

Shen Yifei didn't stand on ceremony, reaching out to put his arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.

Su Yao's waist was very thin, even thinner than Qin Wan's, but unlike Qin Wan's soft waist, it was taut and taut, like a fully drawn bow. You could feel the muscles underneath even through her clothes.

"Senior Sister Su," he looked down at her, "your waist, have you ever trained?"

Su Yao, held in his arms, didn't struggle, looking up at him: "You've practiced swordsmanship for a few years, what, you don't like it?"

"I like it, of course I like it." Shen Yifei's hand slid down her waist, down to her buttocks, and gave it a squeeze. "You've got some strength."

Su Yao frowned, but didn't react.

She reached out and hooked her arm around his neck, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "Junior Brother Shen, what do you smell like?"

"What does it taste like?"

"A medicinal scent." Su Yao sniffed. "It smells wonderfully medicinal."

Shen Yifei thought to himself, "Here we go again. Qin Wan smelled it, Liu'er smelled it, and now Su Yao has smelled it too. Just how strong is this smell?"

"It might be from the smoke produced during alchemy."

"It doesn't smell like it." Su Yao's lips brushed against his ear, her breath hot against his earlobe. "The smell from alchemy is burnt, yours is sweet."

As she spoke, she stuck out the tip of her tongue and licked his earlobe.

Shen Yifei shuddered.

The woman's tongue was also cool, and when she licked her ear, it felt like a snake's forked tongue—wet and slippery.

"Senior Sister Su, what's wrong...?"

"Don't talk." Su Yao bit his earlobe and gently rubbed it. "Didn't you want to cultivate together? Focus."

Shen Yifei stopped talking and put his arm around her as they walked toward the bed.