Chapter 454: The Qiu Family and Jade Pills

Chapter 454: The Qiu Family and Jade Pills

October 17, 2024

The Jade Pills are not something that requires the external dissemination of their refining techniques.

Even if a single Jade Pill is circulated, it would cause a huge uproar.

Top-tier pill refiners may not fully understand it, but they can undoubtedly gain much inspiration from it.

After a few more months of research, they will undoubtedly achieve significant progress.

Seeing Qiu Ruofang's expression, Su Chen didn't say more.

After Qing Yuan went to rest, he would explain the details to Qiu Ruofang.

As for Zhu Ming Palace, they didn't dare to directly confront Wu Lan Manor and Fang Chengyan.

Su Chen could understand their hesitation.

Zhu Ming Palace didn't want to submit to Wu Lan Manor and Fang Chengyan, but they couldn't afford to antagonize them either.

Without Su Chen's presence, they might have an easier time dealing with the situation.

Su Chen had considered these options when he took action against Sang Mo Yuan, so he didn't hold a grudge against Zhu Ming Palace.

Up to this point, Zhu Ming Palace has continued to pressure Wu Lan Manor, suppressing their faction.

Su Chen planned to give Qiu Ruofang something, but at this stage, he might need her cooperation.

At the very least, they should wait until after dealing with Wu Lan Manor before revealing the matter of the Jade Pills.

As night fell, the three of them returned to their rooms to rest.

After hesitating for a moment, Su Chen pushed open his door.

He walked lightly towards Qiu Ruofang's room.

But after only a few steps, Qing Yuan poked her head out of her room.

Seeing Su Chen, she quickly turned away.

Pretending not to have seen him, she quickly pulled her head back and closed the window.

Su Chen felt a bit embarrassed and retreated.

This series of actions was witnessed by Qiu Ruofang as well.

Seeing Su Chen return to his room, she couldn't help but feel a hint of disappointment.

She even felt a bit resentful towards Qing Yuan.

Su Chen lay on the bed, thinking. Perhaps he should give Qiu Ruofang a few Jade Pills.

At the very least, it would ease her mind.

She wouldn't need to worry about the matters within her clan.

The previous statement about not being able to continue her seclusion might have a chance to change.

After a night's rest, Qing Yuan woke up early and prepared breakfast.

The morning air in Tong Lu City was fresh and pleasant, making it an ideal place for seclusion.

The city wasn't crowded, yet the trade was thriving.

It was peaceful, and one could easily purchase whatever they needed.

The three of them sat at a round table.

Qing Yuan's gaze shifted from Su Chen to elsewhere.

After a moment, she turned back to look at Su Chen again.

Her gaze made Su Chen feel a bit uncomfortable.

Su Chen glanced at Qiu Ruofang beside him. As expected, she had probably noticed something amiss.

To avoid Qiu Ruofang's questions, Su Chen hesitated before deciding to speak up.

"Last night, I wanted to discuss something with Senior Qiu."

Hearing this, Qiu Ruofang looked at Su Chen and then at Qing Yuan.

She understood the situation.

She didn't plan to ask Qing Yuan about it, as she had witnessed what happened last night.

Her face slightly flushed with embarrassment, knowing that Su Chen wanted to talk to her privately at night.

Could this be a matter of romantic interest between a man and a woman?

"It's about the Jade Pills," Su Chen explained, then looked at Qiu Ruofang.

This was to let Qiu Ruofang decide if she could speak openly about it later.

After all, Qing Yuan was also present.

Upon hearing this, disappointment flashed in Qiu Ruofang's eyes.

She had thought it was something else.

"Qing Yuan and I are close, and she is also aware of these matters," Qiu Ruofang explained her close relationship with Qing Yuan.

But regarding the Jade Pills, she shook her head slightly.

"You don't need to worry about the Jade Pills anymore.

If they were easily obtainable, there would be more than just a few factions in Jin Kingdom capable of refining them.

Even Zhu Ming Palace knows about it, and they might..."

Qing Yuan, sitting beside her, added quietly, "I wanted to remind Sister Frost to be careful and not do something foolish. She doesn't like this kind of..."

Before Qing Yuan could finish, Qiu Ruofang patted her hand, signaling her to stop.

Qing Yuan's attitude towards Su Chen was already quite friendly.

In her eyes, no man was worthy of her Sister Frost.

Unconsciously, she held a bit of disdain for Su Chen.

This disdain might not be noticeable to Qing Yuan herself, and it wasn't her intention.

But it could be sensed in their conversations.

The Jade Pills were not an unfamiliar concept in Jin Kingdom.

Ji Lou and Liuli Pavilion had been producing such pills for many years.

While they were not unknown, their rarity was well-known.

With so many pill refining factions in Jin Kingdom, who wouldn't want such a top-tier pill refining technique?

Over the years, how many sects have managed to obtain them? In the realm of pill concoction, it's not just the Jade Pills that hold value. There are many other types of pills that are still of considerable worth."

Qiu Ruofang spoke softly, trying to steer the conversation away from the Jade Pills.

The next moment, Su Chen took out a pill bottle and poured out four Jade Pills.

Four translucent pills lay on the wooden table, gleaming before Qiu Ruofang and Qing Yuan's eyes.

A faint pill fragrance also wafted through the air.

These top-grade Jade Pills were something many had only heard of but never seen.

But among them, Qiu Ruofang was certainly not one of them.

Qing Yuan, as Qiu Ruofang's personal attendant, had also witnessed their splendor.

The two of them had seen the Jade Pills before.

The pill's skin was crystal clear, resembling the texture of jade.

Of course, the Jade Pills that Su Chen presented were different from the ones they had seen before.

The Jade Pills Qiu Ruofang had seen before still had more than half of their surface covered in grayish-brown impurities.

But the pills Su Chen took out were entirely translucent.

Without needing any knowledge of pills, just a glance was enough to discern which pills were more valuable.

The courtyard fell silent.

Qiu Ruofang, a powerful Third Rank cultivator, took a while to regain her composure.

"This... this Jade Pill..."

Qiu Ruofang's voice trembled as she spoke of the Jade Pill.

She had always assumed that Su Chen intended to steal the Jade Pills from Zhu Ming Palace to help her.

In reality, Su Chen had openly taken them out.

And there were four of them.

"These four pills might not solve your clan's pill problems, but they should boost confidence and stabilize the situation."

Su Chen spoke casually, as if he hadn't done anything significant.

In fact, even Qing Yuan, his attendant, knew the importance of these pills and had been in a daze for a long time.

The value of the Jade Pills far exceeded that of ordinary pills.

For the Qiu family, obtaining these Jade Pills was like gaining hope.

From then on, Zhu Ming Palace's attraction to the Qiu family and its related forces would greatly diminish.

Their previously bowed heads would finally stand tall again.

"These four pills..."

"Yes, they are indeed ordinary pills, but they were refined using the Jade Technique.

They should be of some use to your clan."

Hearing Su Chen's explanation, Qiu Ruofang quickly waved her hands.

"I don't mean that, I'm not rejecting these pills.

It's just that the value of these Jade Pills is too precious."

Qiu Ruofang felt these four Jade Pills were too valuable.

So precious that she almost didn't dare to accept them.

"It's not that precious. If things go smoothly, I can even teach you more advanced techniques.

But for now, you might have to make a little compromise.

Use these pills to first soothe your clan."

Currently, Zhu Ming Palace was still bearing the brunt of Wulan Manor and Fan Chengyan's anger.

If the pill refining technique for the Jade Pills were to spread, it would greatly impact Zhu Ming Palace's reputation.

Their current prosperity would be significantly diminished.

They would find it difficult to borrow external forces to counter Wulan Manor.

Qiu Ruofang hesitated for a moment but still didn't want to accept the pills.

However, Su Chen directly put the pills back into the bottle and pushed it towards Qing Yuan.

He instructed Qing Yuan to put the pills away.

Qing Yuan glanced at Qiu Ruofang, hesitated, and then put the pills into her bag.

Seeing this, Qiu Ruofang furrowed her brows but ultimately didn't refuse any further.

For the entire Qiu family, these Jade Pills held immense significance.

Due to the Zhu Ming Palace incident, the Qiu family's leading faction had already encountered numerous issues.

Moreover, Zhu Ming Palace held deep animosity towards Wulan Manor.

Any individual or force seeking pills from Zhu Ming Palace couldn't maintain friendly relations with Wulan Manor.

Under such circumstances, many had already begun to face problems.

In the short term, they might not be heavily impacted, but in the long run, it would become a significant issue.

Confidence was sometimes more crucial than raw strength.

These pills were meant to boost the Qiu family's confidence.

Setting aside their other subordinates, they needed to stabilize the confidence within their clan first.

"I know what to do. In the next two years, only the core members of the Qiu family will know about these pills.

Zhu Ming Palace will definitely not have any inkling about this."

Qiu Ruofang spoke with a serious tone.

In her eyes, if Zhu Ming Palace were to find out about these pills, they would undoubtedly go berserk.

Perhaps the entire sect will be mobilized to deal with Su Chen.

Qiu Ruofang did not want to push Su Chen into such a dangerous situation.

The Jade Pill has been obtained.

But during their conversation, Su Chen discovered that Qiu Ruofang still intended to go north.

Su Chen hoped that Qiu Ruofang could calm down and thoroughly stabilize her own strength and realm.

However, after some thought, Qiu Ruofang declined.

"I don't want others to know about the pill for a short time.

So, it's more appropriate for me to show up in front of others regarding the current situation.

It's just a display of the pressure of the Third Rank Unity Realm, and there's no need to do anything substantial."

Seeing Su Chen's hesitation, Qiu Ruofang thought for a moment and continued explaining.

"In the past six months, more and more traces of Heavenly Demons have appeared in the north.

These monsters have wisdom that is no weaker than humans.

They can even think up cunning plans like humans to deal with us.

As a Third Rank Warrior, my presence there will serve as a deterrent to the Heavenly Demons.

Even if it's not to solve the clan's problems, I should still go."

Qiu Ruofang looked at Su Chen, knowing that he would understand.

However, no matter how fiercely the various forces in the countries fought, the greatest difficulties and challenges still came from those monsters.

For Jin Kingdom to have peace, the struggle with the monsters could not be stopped.

"We martial artists have the best resources and enjoy the service of others.

When it's time to contribute, we should naturally take the lead."

Qiu Ruofang's words left Su Chen speechless.

Although the interior of Jin Kingdom was peaceful, this peace was undoubtedly due to the defense of countless powerful warriors at the border.

It was impossible for some people to always guard the border while others lived a carefree life.

Those who enjoyed the benefits and resources should naturally make corresponding contributions.

Aside from pill-refining sects like Zhu Ming Palace or artisan sects, other sects needed to contribute to dealing with the border monsters.

Su Chen hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can I come with you?"

In fact, there were some concerns as Qiu Ruofang's trip would involve many forces related to the Qiu family.

If others saw them together, there might be misunderstandings.

But upon hearing this, Qiu Ruofang's face showed a barely noticeable hint of surprise.

She must have been trying hard to suppress her emotions, or else her smile would have appeared long ago.

"Of course, that's even better. Your ability to deal with monsters is probably unmatched by anyone in Jin Kingdom.

With you by my side, those problems might be solved faster."

During their conversation, Qiu Ruofang's gaze shifted to Qingyuan beside her.

"Qingyuan, you can go back on your own. Regarding the matter in the north, Su Chen and I will go together."

Hearing her arrangement, Qingyuan pouted but still nodded.

As she nodded, she muttered, "You probably wanted to get rid of me early on."

Qingyuan's quiet complaint was heard by both Su Chen and Qiu Ruofang.

The two exchanged glances, feeling a bit embarrassed.

But with great tacit understanding, neither responded to Qingyuan's words.

They acted as if they hadn't heard, as the matter had already been decided.

After breakfast, Qingyuan packed up.

Meanwhile, Qiu Ruofang took out a map and discussed the departure date with Su Chen.

During their conversation, Qiu Ruofang casually mentioned the situation at the northern border.

During the Sacred Jade Tournament, Su Chen had heard about the northern border from Yin Nu Senior.

It was something Yin Nu Senior had remembered and emphasized.

There was undoubtedly no small trouble there.

"Actually, since last year, more and more Heavenly Demons have appeared at the northern border.

Previously, most Heavenly Demons came through the Mingying Battlefield route.

This was an unspoken agreement between humans and monsters, preventing the war from escalating.

The north has natural defenses, but these monsters dare to invade despite the dangers.

Until now, I still find it strange.

The intelligence of Heavenly Demons is on par with humans.

Why would they take such a risk?"

Qiu Ruofang didn't have a deep understanding of the situation.

In recent years, she had mostly been cultivating alone, stabilizing her realm.

Perhaps once every six months or so, she would inquire about what was happening in the outside world.

"Knowing the crisis but still fighting for it, there are usually only two possibilities."

Su Chen's understanding of monsters was even deeper than Qiu Ruofang's.

Regardless of the type of monster, their instinct to fear death and crave life was unerasable.

Knowing the risk to their lives, they still dared to take this gamble.

One possibility was that these Heavenly Demons were being driven by even more powerful monsters.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end