A woman's money is easy to earn; this is a universally recognized principle in the interstellar world, applicable everywhere. The same holds true in the cultivation realm. Gu Yao happily accepted this task, and Chi Changye did not object either. Just entering the Tianfu Academy, it's not advisable to provoke too many strong enemies. A snake gang couldn't catch his eye, but worrying that after driving away the snake faction, another eccentric group might appear.
So, Chi Changye accompanied Gu Yao in researching beauty-enhancing potions and elixirs, while Tian Feirong and Little Fatty went to negotiate with the Miao Yun Pavilion in their spare time.
"Two new students running over to do business with us? Or are they smelly men? Hurry and drive them away. Are these new students crazy about spirit stones, targeting our Miao Yun Pavilion?" a beautiful female cultivator said impatiently upon hearing a report from another female student.
Tao Yue had just come down from upstairs, saying, "Wait," and stopped the female student who was about to chase them away. Du Lingdai held a whip in her hand, casually swinging it. Everyone in the outer courtyard knew that Du Lingdai, despite her alluring appearance, was a violent woman. She had once whipped a male student who had ogled her beauty, making him roll on the ground begging for mercy. Eventually, that male student, unable to face the embarrassment, quietly left the academy.
Therefore, when Du Lingdai heard that male students were approaching, she was in no good mood and directly drove them away. Seeing Tao Yue stepping in, she asked displeasedly, 'Why stop them? Or is it that you, Tao Yue, have your eyes on some young lad?'
Tao Yue, having dealt with Du Lingdai for quite some time, understood her temperament. She chuckled and said, 'Because I saw who was coming from upstairs. So, I'm curious about what business they have with our Miao Yun Pavilion. Don't worry, Dai'er, am I the kind of person who would delay the business of our sisters in the pavilion for the sake of beauty?'
Du Lingdai wrinkled her delicate nose and said, 'Alright then. I'll go with you to see what trouble you can stir up.'
'It's even better with Dai'er accompanying me. Let's go down together.' Tao Yue hooked her arm with Du Lingdai's and pulled her downstairs. Du Lingdai couldn't stand your appearance, but without exerting much force, she went along with the momentum.
Tao Yue pursed her lips and chuckled silently. This Dai'er, who talks tough but is soft-hearted, is much more interesting than those foul-smelling male students outside."
Upon seeing Tao Yue, Tian Feirong and Little Fatty quickly stood up. Du Lingdai, unfamiliar to them, caught their attention with a distinctive crimson whip around her waist. Tian Feirong and Little Fatty realized she was a prominent figure in the Miao Yun Pavilion. Their legs involuntarily weakened, especially when Du Lingdai cast a cold glance at them. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads. Oh dear, how did they provoke this star of calamity? They had heard of Du Lingdai's reputation.
"Sister Tao, thanks again for helping us that day. We're deeply grateful," Tian Feirong expressed.
Tao Yue playfully looked at the two, gesturing for them to sit with an inviting hand. Once Tian Feirong and Little Fatty nervously took their seats, Tao Yue also sat down. However, Du Lingdai insisted on standing behind Tao Yue, keeping a vigilant eye on the two.
Tao Yue chuckled, saying, "It was just a small favor. Besides, getting the elixirs at an 80% discount, I'm the one benefiting here. You two coming to discuss business with our Miao Yun Pavilion, are you planning to sell elixirs to us? That's great. We'll buy as many elixirs as you have."
Miao Yun Pavilion was indeed interested in their elixirs, not for the current offerings but for the source behind them. Presenting intermediate top-grade elixirs now hinted at the potential availability of advanced top-grade elixirs. Mastering this aspect would bring abundant wealth and greatly enhance the group's strength.
Tian Feirong quickly took a sip of tea to calm himself. Lady Yue was indeed not to be trifled with; she immediately wanted to acquire all their elixirs.
Little Fatty, with a forced smile, said, "It's not the elixirs we currently sell. It's elixirs related to skincare. We won't sell this type; we can provide them all to the Miao Yun Pavilion."
Tao Yue widened her eyes, then covered her mouth, giggling. "I understand. You offended the Snake Gang, fearing they might trouble you. So, you want to leverage the strength of our Miao Yun Pavilion sisters, right? Sure, as long as you tell us where the elixirs come from, Miao Yun Pavilion can definitely ensure your safety."
Tian Feirong and Little Fatty's faces dropped. It seemed like the typical mindset of other factions, getting what they want and then kicking them away. Fortunately, the elixirs were refined by Gu Yao, and they weren't afraid that Miao Yun Pavilion would take Gu Yao and then discard them.
Tian Feirong hesitated and said, "This might not work. You're cutting off our source of income. Does Miao Yun Pavilion really not want elixirs related to skincare? We can provide top-grade elixirs, and Miao Yun Pavilion won't lose."
"Two junior brothers, Wulao, the boss of the Snake Gang, is not easygoing. He's particularly vengeful and cares about face. Aren't you reconsidering?" Tao Yue asked, batting her eyelashes.
Tian Feirong gritted his teeth. "Let us reconsider."
These senior sisters were clearly not showing their cards unless they saw the rabbit. After Tian Feirong and Little Fatty left Miao Yun Pavilion, they looked back, sighed together, feeling the weight of responsibility.
"I think Gu Yao has to come up with elixirs convincing enough to persuade them. Our words probably won't be believed now," Tian Feirong guessed.
Little Fatty nodded in agreement. "I think so too. They all have big appetites. But do we really need to cooperate with Miao Yun Pavilion?"
Tian Feirong folded his arms and walked while talking to Little Fatty. "Only by cooperating with them on skincare elixirs can we avoid affecting our own elixir business. Other faction powers will have even greater appetites. If we agree to them, we won't be able to open our shop, and Gu Yao's reputation won't spread."
Those greedy folks would only hide Gu Yao and use him for alchemy. Meanwhile, Gu Yao, unaware of Tian Feirong's negotiations with Miao Yun Pavilion, was focused on researching skincare elixirs. In addition to consulting relevant books in the alchemy pavilion, he also went to the repository.
The books were all flipped through by him, and anything valuable was transcribed, brought back for further study.
In this way, a considerable amount of spirit stones was spent, as entering the repository or transcribing those books into jade slips required spirit stones.
Tian Feirong and Little Fatty didn't disturb Gu Yao, lest it distracted him.
On the other side, Tao Yue paid attention to the situation of these four individuals. Reports of Gu Yao's actions reached her ears, making her raise an eyebrow in surprise. Could it be that all those elixirs came from this junior brother?
That would be astonishing, considering he visited the repository daily. However, it didn't seem to affect the sale of elixirs at the stall. She thought the quantity wasn't something an alchemist could produce, and which alchemist could guarantee that all their elixirs were top-grade?
Shocked, truly shocked!
For a brief moment, Tao Yue had an impulse to hide Gu Yao and gather the entire pavilion's strength to nurture him, enabling him to refine even higher-grade elixirs. Yet, she was soon doused with a bucket of cold water. She hadn't forgotten that on that day, it was Zhou Li who first intervened. She also noticed the interaction between Zhou Li and those four individuals. She wasn't afraid of Zhou Li but was concerned about Jiang Yan and the Star Moon Trading Company behind Zhou Li. Did they also know about Gu Yao's situation?
In addition to studying books, Gu Yao also made a list every day, handing it over to Tian Feirong and Little Fatty to purchase. Then, he delved into his alchemy room for extensive experiments. Sometimes, when called out for meals, his eyes were lifeless, his mind still immersed in the experiments.
To Xu Chen, this behavior seemed entirely unproductive. After watching for a few days, he couldn't bear it and came out to question, "What are you doing with these women's things? Why spend time on alchemy? Does these things have any improvement on your alchemy?"
It took Gu Yao quite a while to focus on Xu Chen after being called for. He withdrew his consciousness into the space, looking puzzled. "How is this not alchemy? How does it not improve my alchemy? Senior, don't confine your vision to such a narrow scope. Elixirs and potions have many branches, but all roads lead to Rome. The ultimate destination is the same. Through these two days of research, I've gained many insights, which will definitely be helpful for future alchemy. Senior, don't only see these things I'm researching for women. Those exotic flowers and herbs are medicinal; they don't inherently belong to any specific category. The categorization comes from us, the users."
"You, you, you..." Xu Chen didn't expect to be lectured by this kid. Who gave him the courage?
Gu Yao stuck out his tongue and quickly slipped back into the space, leaving behind his words, "Senior, don't forget, there were originally recipes for beauty-preserving and skincare elixirs. However, I don't currently have the strength to refine them, so I'm studying simplified versions."
The alchemy pavilion had records of these elixirs, but not the recipes. They needed to go to the next floor to see them. The lowest-grade elixirs among them were eighth-grade elixirs. The skincare elixirs seen outside were various versions simplified by other alchemists. What Gu Yao needed to do was produce skincare elixirs with his own unique features.
Unable to find the recipes in the alchemy pavilion, he found them in the academy's repository, and Gu Yao eagerly set to work on them.