Published: March 2, 2025
Chapter 38: Clouds of War
Jiang Qiushui did not expect Liu Yu to suddenly speak words of persuasion, wanting her to do something for him. For a moment, she was stunned, and her expression stiffened instantly.
This once reticent junior brother, a minor presence in the branch courtyard, had not only surpassed her in cultivation but had also leaped to become an inner sect senior brother, now saying such “arrogant” words. Her proud heart felt somewhat ashamed and insulted.
However, this feeling of shame came quickly and left just as fast. As an immortal cultivator, interests came first. The reality was that she wanted to quickly break through to the late stage of qi refinement, and the most reliable way was to purchase elixirs that could help her break the bottleneck. To gather that sum of spiritual stones would take her several more years on her own. Moreover, if all the spiritual stones were used to buy breakthrough elixirs, how could she cultivate afterwards?
It was far quicker to work for Senior Brother Liu, the alchemist, to earn spiritual stones. With her social skills, handling some elixirs and miscellaneous tasks would be effortless.
Many thoughts flashed through Jiang Qiushui's mind as she calculated the gains and losses, suppressing the strange feelings in her heart.
Suddenly, she smiled sweetly at Liu Yu, stood up, and slightly bent her waist to refill his tea, a hint of white peeking out from her collar. As a beautiful woman, she certainly knew how to leverage her looks, which was an asset she could rely on.
“Of course, Junior Sister is willing to ease Senior Brother's worries. I will work for you from now on, and you must cherish this little girl!”
She held the teapot with both hands, her arm moving gracefully as a thin stream of water flowed from the spout. At the same time, her cherry lips parted gently as she spoke softly to Liu Yu.
Liu Yu sensed the change in Jiang Qiushui’s attitude, which he was pleased to see. Attitude was a mask of the spirit and could reveal many things.
From his elevated position, he easily caught a glimpse of that beautiful scenery. At twenty-one years old, he had never touched a woman, and a hint of desire inevitably arose in his heart. However, he knew that this was something to be viewed from a distance for now, suppressing that “daring” thought with rationality, allowing his gaze to become clear again.
“Good, good! As long as Junior Sister Jiang does her job well for me, Liu will definitely not treat you poorly!”
After Jiang Qiushui refilled the tea, she sat down again. Liu Yu raised his teacup and toasted with her, and for a moment, the atmosphere was joyful.
The reason he chose Jiang Qiushui to handle elixirs for him was twofold. One, he was relatively familiar with her; having stayed on Greenwood Peak for many years, he understood her personality traits. Two, she was good at socializing and well-informed. Although she mostly knew outer sect disciples, it was no problem for her to handle a few bottles of elixirs and some chores for him each month.
Jiang Qiushui noticed Liu Yu's clear gaze and felt a sense of relief mixed with a slight disappointment. This meant she had to honestly do her job without shortcuts.
“Has there been any major event in the sect recently? Yesterday, I went to Blue Spring Peak and saw many fellow disciples moving hurriedly with serious expressions. Did something happen?”
Liu Yu took a gentle sip of tea, set down his teacup, and addressed Jiang Qiushui.
Upon mentioning this, Jiang Qiushui's expression grew heavy, and she slowly replied:
“A month ago, at the border between Qingzhou and Jingzhou, an inner sect disciple discovered a spiritual stone vein. After detailed investigation, it was revealed to be a medium-sized spiritual stone vein.”
“That disciple immediately reported it to the sect, and the sect promptly dispatched personnel to guard it. However, for some unknown reason, news leaked along the way, allowing the Heavenly Harmony Sect in Jingzhou to get wind of it.”