Chapter 65: Nangong Mei’s Circumstances

Chapter 65: Chapter 65: Nangong Mei’s Circumstances

Grabbing her by the arm, he dragged her toward her own residence and slammed the door shut with a loud bang!

The noise outside was immediately cut off.

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Inside, the small room was dim and cramped, a mess with bottles and ingredients scattered everywhere.

It was so messy that Li Jian thought he had stepped into a shut-in’s room.

But the air still carried that faint medicinal scent he had noticed before.

Nangong Mei stumbled a step when he let go, then immediately dropped to her knees again, clutching the pouch of spirit stones to her chest as fresh tears streamed down her face.

"Waaah... Fellow Daoist Li... you’re really... really giving me this...?"

Li Jian rubbed his temples.

"I already gave it to you, so stop crying. You’re going to make people outside think I did something to you."

Nangong Mei sniffled hard, shoulders shaking.

Her messy black hair hung over her face, but her amber eyes were still wet and bright as she looked up at him.

"B-But... one hundred spirit stones... I haven’t seen this many in months... I spent everything on ingredients... and they all failed... and I still owe the Resource Hall... and—"

Her voice cracked again.

Li Jian stared at her for a moment, then sighed.

’So she really is an alchemist. And a broke one.’

He crouched down in front of her.

The movement made her flinch slightly, but she didn’t pull away.

Up close, the medicinal smell on her robes was clearer, mixed with the faint scent of medicinal fragrance that was surprisingly pleasant.

Her outer robe was plain and slightly worn.

And even while she was kneeling and crying, the generous swell of her huge chest rose and fell heavily with each sob as the fabric stretched tight across it.

He deliberately kept his eyes on her face and ignored that male temptation.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong," he said calmly. "If you’re short on spirit stones for alchemy, just say so next time. Crying and hugging my legs in public is going to create trouble for both of us."

Nangong Mei wiped her eyes with her sleeve, still sniffling.

"I... I didn’t mean to. I just... no one’s ever given me this much before..."

She looked down at the pouch again, fingers tightening around it as if afraid it would disappear.

Li Jian was quiet for a few seconds.

Then the system’s voice rang clearly in his mind.

[Ding!]

[Detected: Host has given a clear benefit to Nangong Mei.]

[Favor Debt from Nangong Mei: +500]

Li Jian’s eyes flickered.

’Five hundred?’

That was more than he expected for a hundred spirit stones.

Either she was truly that desperate, or the system valued the benefit higher because of how much it meant to her.

He stood up and dusted off his robe.

"Fellow Daoist Nangong," Li Jian said, his tone calmer now. "Crying on the floor won’t solve anything. Sit down. Let’s talk properly about your situation."

Nangong Mei blinked, still clutching the pouch.

Her amber eyes were red from crying, and she looked uncertain for a moment. T

hen she hurriedly wiped her face with her sleeve and nodded.

"O-Okay...!"

She scrambled up and cleared a small space on a low wooden stool, pushing aside a few empty bottles and scattered herb scraps.

The room really was a mess as dried leaves on the floor, cracked jars stacked in the corner, and a simple cauldron that looked like it had seen better days.

Li Jian glanced around once, then sat on another stool across from her.

Nangong Mei sat with her knees together, the pouch of spirit stones resting carefully on her lap.

She kept her head slightly lowered, messy hair still half-covering her face, but she no longer looked like she was about to burst into tears again.

Li Jian rested his hands on his knees and spoke directly.

"You said you spent everything on ingredients and they all failed. You’re an alchemist?"

Nangong Mei hesitated, then gave a small nod.

"Y-Yes... I am. Or... I’m trying to be. I only know a few low-grade recipes. Most of the time the pills come out impure, or they fail completely. I’ve been buying cheap ingredients from the Resource Hall on credit... but I still owe them quite a bit."

She fidgeted with the edge of the pouch.

"The elders in the Alchemy Hall won’t take outer disciples without results. And without results, I can’t get better ingredients. So I just... keep failing."

Li Jian listened quietly.

’So she is a self-taught outer disciple alchemist with no backing, drowning in failed batches and debt huh.’

It explained the medicinal smell, the messy room, and why a hundred spirit stones had made her cry like that.

He leaned back slightly.

"How much do you owe the Resource Hall right now?"

Nangong Mei’s shoulders tensed.

She was silent for a few seconds before answering in a small voice.

"...Two thousand and thirty spirit stones."

Li Jian’s eyes flickered with disbelief.

’Two thousand??’

For a moment he thought he had misheard.

An outer disciple owing over two thousand spirit stones to the Resource Hall was no small matter.

It had to be understood that a normal outer disciple usually earned only fifty or so spirit stones a month from ordinary sect tasks... the kind of miscellaneous chores that carried almost no real danger.

He stared at her.

Nangong Mei lowered her head even further, fingers tightening around the pouch in her lap.

Her voice came out smaller.

"I... I kept buying ingredients on credit. At first it was only a little. Then the batches kept failing, so I bought more to try again. And the interest... it piled up. Now the Resource Hall won’t give me any more materials until I pay at least part of it back."

"..."

At those words, Li Jian was silent.

In the Purple Shade Sect, the Resource Hall’s credit system was not a kindness.

Outer disciples with no background could borrow spirit stones or materials against future contribution, but the interest was steep, and the repayment period was strict.

Miss too many payments, and the Hall would first freeze all further exchanges.

If the debt continued to grow, they would report it to the Discipline Hall.

From there, the punishments were simple.

Small debts could be worked off through forced missions or labor.

Larger ones, especially anything over a thousand spirit stones often ended with the disciple being expelled from the sect entirely.

And if the debt was considered too large to simply write off, the sect had the right to sell the person’s remaining service years to an inner disciple, an elder’s household, or even an outside merchant.

In plain terms, they could be turned into a servant.

Or, in the worst cases, a debt slave...

Nangong Mei owing over two thousand spirit stones put her firmly in that danger zone.

One more failed batch, one more month of interest, and the Resource Hall would have every reason to stop treating her as a disciple and start treating her as collateral.

Li Jian looked at the woman sitting across from him.

The question now... what should he do with her?