Chapter 64: A Poor Neighbor

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: A Poor Neighbor

After meditating for a while and examining his cultivation, Li Jian’s smile gradually faded, replaced by genuine surprise.

"Wait... I’ve improved this much?"

He carefully circulated his qi, sensing the noticeable increase in its density and volume.

The gains from dual cultivation were far greater than he had expected, especially considering this was only the second time and how little time he had spent practicing the technique.

If he could maintain this pace, he might reach the Sixth Stage of Qi Refinement within a month!

The thought alone left him stunned.

One had to remember that the original Li Jian had spent nearly twenty years struggling to reach the Third Stage of Qi Refinement.

His talent had been painfully average, and no matter how hard he trained, his progress had remained frustratingly slow.

Yet now, in just a short period, Li Jian had already reached the Fifth Stage, with another breakthrough potentially within reach.

’It must have been after my foundation got tempered by that pool, but still, this Heaven Grade technique really is incredible.’

His eyes brightened as he considered the possibilities.

With sufficient resources and continued dual cultivation, his cultivation speed might far exceed anything the original Li Jian could have imagined.

Of course, he couldn’t rely on dual cultivation alone.

He would still need spirit stones, medicinal pills, and other resources to strengthen his foundation.

At that thought, Li Jian couldn’t help but smile as he considered his recent gains.

’And what better way is there to gather resources than the Fragment Realm?’

He couldn’t help grinning.

’At this rate, reaching Foundation Establishment might not be such a distant dream after all.’

Of course, he couldn’t rely on it alone.

There were only so many opportunities like that, and he needed a more sustainable way to improve his cultivation.

Still, with the resources he could obtain and the benefits of his Heaven Grade dual-cultivation technique, his future looked considerably brighter.

After organizing his thoughts, Li Jian stood up and prepared to leave.

However, the moment he stepped outside, he sensed someone’s gaze on him.

"Hmm?"

He turned his head toward the neighboring residence, just in time to see a head hurriedly duck back behind the door. Li Jian blinked.

’Oh?’

He recognized that residence... after all, it belonged to his neighbor, Nangong Mei.

More importantly, he remembered her rather well.

After all, it was difficult to forget that stunning woman, especially her remarkably generous figure and that... impressive pair of breasts.

A small smile spread across Li Jian’s face as he decided to walk toward her door.

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Li Jian stopped in front of Nangong Mei’s door and raised his hand to knock. However, before his knuckles could touch the wood, he heard a faint rustling from the other side.

He couldn’t help smiling.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong? Are you in there?"

There was a brief silence before a flustered voice came from behind the door.

"Y-Yes! What is it?"

Li Jian chuckled.

"Nothing much. I just happened to notice someone peeking at me, so I thought I’d come over and say hello."

"I w-wasn’t peeking!"

Her immediate denial only made the smile on his face grow wider.

"Oh? Then I must have been mistaken. What a shame. I was planning to reward you for keeping an eye on my place."

Li Jian hadn’t said those words casually.

He remembered his previous visit to Nangong Mei’s residence.

Although their interaction had been brief, he had caught a faint but unmistakable scent drifting from inside her room.

The smell of medicinal ingredients.

As someone who had experienced... those failed pills many times in Zheng Qingyao’s place, he was quite familiar with that particular scent.

There was no way he would mistake it for anything else.

’Could this Nangong be an alchemist?’

His eyes brightened slightly at the possibility.

Alchemy was an expensive profession.

The cost of acquiring medicinal ingredients alone could easily drain an ordinary cultivator’s savings, not to mention the money required to practice and refine pills.

However, the rewards could be equally impressive.

If Nangong Mei really was an alchemist, perhaps they could establish a mutually beneficial relationship.

After all, he was currently in need of resources, and having a connection to an alchemist could prove quite useful.

Of course, he wasn’t about to make any assumptions just yet.

He had merely caught a scent.

There could be other explanations.

Just as he was pondering the matter, he suddenly heard frantic footsteps from inside.

A moment later, the door swung open.

Nangong Mei appeared before him, her beautiful face slightly flushed and her expression a mixture of embarrassment and anticipation.

"Y-You said you were going to reward me?"

Li Jian stared at her for a moment.

Her amber eyes peeked out from beneath her messy, loosely hanging black hair, giving her an oddly endearing appearance.

However, his gaze soon drifted downward, landing on her remarkably generous and huge chest.

’Ahem!’

Li Jian hurriedly coughed and looked away.

’Instinct! That was purely instinct!’

He tried to maintain his composure, pretending nothing had happened.

After all, he was a perfectly respectable cultivator.

Surely, a brief lapse in concentration was nothing worth mentioning.

Besides, Nangong Mei’s figure was genuinely impressive.

Anyone might have had difficulty keeping their eyes from wandering... and after all, this is probably the biggest pair he had seen since arriving in this world.

He cleared his throat and returned his attention to her face.

"Ahem... I wouldn’t go back on my word, Fellow Daoist Nangong. Didn’t I give you some before?"

Nangong Mei froze for a moment.

Then a nervous smile appeared on her face.

"O-Oh, yes! That’s right! You already gave me some for helping you keep an eye on your residence!"

She quickly nodded, deciding to go along with his words.

After all, she had indeed been keeping an eye on his place... but for different reason.

Besides, Li Jian had brought it up himself.

If he wanted to reward her again, why should she refuse?

’Y-Yes, That’s right! I’m only accepting what I’m owed!’

Having convinced herself of this perfectly reasonable explanation, Nangong Mei finally relaxed a little.

She looked at Li Jian with renewed anticipation, although her fingers nervously fiddled with the edge of her sleeve.

"So... w-what kind of reward are you planning to give me this time?"

Seeing this, Li Jian’s lips twitched.

’Well, she’s certainly not shy about asking.’

Li Jian thought for a moment before taking out a hundred spirit stones and placing them in a small pouch.

"Here. Consider this a reward for keeping an eye on my residence."

Of course he knew that was a bullshit reason, but as long as she accepted it, he should earn the Favor Debt points.

Yet strangely, Nangong Mei stared at the pouch in her hand, feeling its weight.

Then she stared at Li Jian with her mouth opened slightly.

"One hundred spirit stones," Li Jian said with a kind smile. "Is that not enough?"

But to his surprise, Nangong Mei’s lips trembled as tears welled up in her eyes.

The next moment, she suddenly dropped to her knees and threw her arms around his legs.

"WAAAHHH! Fellow Daoist Li! You’re such a good person!"

"W-What?"

Li Jian was startled as he watched the woman hugging his legs and bursting into tears.

He had expected her to be happy, perhaps even thank him a few times.

But to think she would react so dramatically!

"F-Fellow Daoist Nangong, there’s no need to go this far. It’s just a hundred spirit stones!"

However, his words only seemed to make Nangong Mei cry harder.

"Just a hundred?! To you, it might be just a hundred, but to me, it’s a fortune!"

She tightened her grip on his legs, her shoulders trembling.

Li Jian fell silent as realization dawned on him.

’...Just how poor is this woman?’

He couldn’t help recalling the medicinal scent he had noticed coming from her residence.

If she really was an alchemist, shouldn’t she be earning a decent income? Or had she spent all her money on medicinal ingredients?

Li Jian’s expression turned strange as he looked down at the woman who was already soaking his robe with her tears—

"W-Woah?! Stop crying! Damn, how much can one person cry?! You’re soaking my robe!"

However, Nangong Mei showed no signs of stopping.

If anything, his words only made her cry harder.

Just as Li Jian was wondering how to deal with this crying woman, he suddenly noticed several figures at the end of the path.

A few outer disciples had stopped to watch the commotion.

"What’s going on over there?"

"Isn’t that Nangong Mei? Why is she hugging Li Jian’s legs and crying?"

"Wait, did he bully her?"

"Are you blind? She’s the one hugging him!"

"Then what’s with all the crying? Could it be that Li Jian took advantage of her?"

Their whispers grew louder by the second, and some of them were even looking at Li Jian with strange expressions.

His mouth twitched.

Li Jian had never cared much about what other people thought of him, but this was different.

If these rumors spread, who knew what kind of ridiculous stories people would come up with?

He gritted his teeth and looked down at Nangong Mei, who was still clinging to his legs and sobbing.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong, get up!"

"WAAAHHH! You’re such a good person!"

"That’s not what I—Ahh Forget it!"

Li Jian finally lost his patience.

Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her toward her own residence, slamming the door shut with a loud BANG!