Chapter 79: Encouraging Nangong Mei

Chapter 79: Chapter 79: Encouraging Nangong Mei

Before long, Li Jian arrived outside Nangong Mei’s residence.

He stopped before the entrance and raised his hand.

Knock!

Knock!

"Fellow Nangong? Are you there?"

Suddenly, a series of heavy thuds sounded from inside, as though someone had knocked over several pieces of furniture.

Li Jian raised an eyebrow.

’What’s going on in there?’

Before he could knock again, the door swung open.

BANG!

Nangong Mei peeked out, her hair in complete disarray and her face looking as though she’d just crawled out of bed.

A few strange scraps of material were caught in her hair, and her clothes were slightly rumpled.

"O-Oh! Fellow Li, you’re back!"

She quickly opened the door wider, trying to straighten her appearance with one hand.

Unfortunately, the more she tried to fix her hair, the more tangled it became.

Li Jian glanced at the strange scraps caught in it.

Noticing his gaze, Nangong Mei hurriedly brushed them away.

"Ahaha... I was just doing a little work."

Li Jian glanced at the mess behind her before looking back at her face.

"Is that so? Well, would you mind letting me in? There are a few things I’d like to discuss with you."

"O-Of course!"

Nangong Mei quickly stepped aside and led him inside, fidgeting nervously with her fingers as she walked.

Li Jian followed her. As she turned around, however, he couldn’t help noticing how her huge chest swayed with her hurried movements.

"..."

He silently shifted his gaze elsewhere.

’Focus, Li Jian. You’re here for business.’

Nangong Mei seemed unaware of his brief distraction. She hurried ahead, occasionally glancing back at him with flushed cheeks.

"Please, have a seat, Fellow Li. I’ll... I’ll tidy things up a little first."

Li Jian looked at the scattered materials and tools around the room before shaking his head.

"No need. I just returned from the Fragment Realm, and I’m rather tired. I’ll keep this brief."

With that, he raised his hand and activated his storage ring.

One by one, various materials appeared before him. There were medicinal herbs, ores, monster materials, and several other items he had collected from the cave.

He carefully arranged them on the floor, forming a sizable pile in front of Nangong Mei.

Her eyes widened as she watched the collection grow.

"Th-That’s..."

She stared at the materials in disbelief before looking back at Li Jian.

"F-Fellow Li, did you gather all of this...?"

The sheer quantity was almost unbelievable. Even someone who spent several days exploring the Fragment Realm would have difficulty collecting so many materials.

Li Jian simply smiled.

"I had a few good friends who were willing to help me collect them."

Nangong Mei blinked.

"Good friends?"

"That’s right. Without their help, I wouldn’t have gathered nearly this much."

He offered no further explanation, leaving Nangong Mei to wonder who these generous and mysterious friends might be.

Her gaze returned to the materials scattered across the floor.

The more she looked, the more excited she became.

"Then... are all of these for me to work with?"

Li Jian nodded with a smile.

"That’s right. All of these are for you."

Nangong Mei’s eyes immediately lit up.

She looked over the materials again, barely able to contain her excitement.

However, that excitement didn’t last long.

As she considered the sheer quantity of materials before her, her expression gradually turned gloomy.

"F-Fellow Li... There are so many. What if I can’t refine them properly? What if I waste all these precious materials?"

Her fingers nervously fidgeted with each other.

"I’m still not that skilled at alchemy. Even if I manage to refine a few batches, I might not be able to produce many pills..."

Her voice grew quieter with every word. Before long, she was staring at the floor with a dejected expression.

Li Jian frowned.

’No, this won’t do.’

He hadn’t brought all these materials here just to watch her lose confidence before she even started.

Without hesitation, he reached out and gently grabbed her cheeks, squeezing them together until her lips formed a small pout.

"Listen carefully, Nangong Mei."

"Muu...?"

He looked directly into her eyes, his expression unusually solemn.

"Nobody becomes a skilled alchemist overnight. You make mistakes, learn from them, and gradually improve. That’s how it works."

He gave her cheeks another gentle squeeze, unable to help noticing how soft and squishy they felt beneath his fingers. Still, he continued as though nothing had happened.

"And besides, I didn’t bring these materials here because I expect you to refine every single one perfectly on your first try. I brought them because I believe you can improve with practice."

Li Jian slowly released her cheeks.

"So don’t worry about wasting a few materials. Just focus on doing your best. Even if you fail, you can always try again."

He paused before adding firmly,

"I wouldn’t have entrusted all of this to you if I didn’t believe in your abilities."

Nangong Mei stared at Li Jian, her eyes gradually growing moist.

She hadn’t expected him to place so much trust in her.

After all, she was still only an apprentice alchemist, and her skills were far from impressive.

Yet he had entrusted her with so many valuable materials without hesitation.

Her lips trembled slightly as she tried to hold back her emotions.

"F-Fellow Li..."

She lowered her head and hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes with her sleeve.

"I... I’ll do my best. I won’t let you down!"

Li Jian watched her teary expression and felt a little awkward.

’Was that really enough to make her this emotional?’

Still, seeing that she had regained some confidence, he gave a small nod.

"Good. That’s all I ask."

Just as Li Jian finished speaking, a familiar notification appeared before his eyes.

[Ding!]

[Detected: Host has provided Nangong Mei with both physical and emotional benefits.]

[Favor Debt Points +1,000!]

Li Jian nodded in satisfaction.

*Another thousand points. Not bad.*

He glanced at Nangong Mei, who was still wiping away the tears in her eyes.

’Should I make a request to help improve her confidence?’

After a moment of consideration, he decided against it.

’Let’s hold off for now. I’ll see how she handles the first batch of pills before deciding.’

He wanted to see how much she could accomplish through her own efforts. If she still lacked confidence afterward, he could always use the system to give her a little push.

Besides, her lack of confidence wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

As long as he handled things carefully, those moments of self-doubt could become opportunities to earn more Favor Debt Points.

Li Jian nodded inwardly, quite satisfied with his decision.

With that settled, he prepared to take his leave.

However, a strange silence had fallen over the room.

Nangong Mei stood before him, her fingers fidgeting nervously.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and she kept stealing glances at him as though waiting for him to say something.

Li Jian noticed her unusual behavior.