Chapter 43: Chapter 43 - Outsourcing the Workload and the Proprietary Recipe

After swiftly completing her weekly quota for the auction house, Liu Meng neatly swept the residual pill dregs into a sealed lockbox. She wiped her brow, turned around, and practically skipped over to Su Bai with a beaming, expectant smile.

"Senior Brother, I’m done!" Liu Meng announced. She was eager to sit back and watch her idol perform his Cold-Forging technique.

Seeing the sweet, highly capable girl standing in front of him, Su Bai gave a wry, internal smile.

He looked down at the single Transcendent-Grade pill he had painstakingly forged over the last thirty minutes, and then looked at the literal mountain of jade bottles Liu Meng had produced in the same timeframe.

’A good manager recognizes talent,’ Su Bai thought. ’And a great manager knows when to outsource the grunt work.’

Su Bai stood up.

"Junior Sister," Su Bai said. "Watching you manage those twin cauldrons was truly a sight to behold. Your control over the spiritual flames is as natural as breathing. To be perfectly honest, my crude methods pale in comparison to your efficiency."

Liu Meng’s face instantly turned the color of a ripe tomato. "S-Senior Brother! You flatter me too much! Your Cold-Forging is the true peerless art!"

"Perhaps," Su Bai smiled modestly, expertly laying the bait. "But it is slow. And right now, what I need is volume. I was hoping... I could burden Junior Sister with a selfish request. Would you be willing to craft the remaining Oblivion Pills for me? I wish to observe your orthodox techniques and learn from your flawless efficiency."

Liu Meng’s eyes widened. He wanted to observe her?

"I won’t let you down, Senior Brother!" Liu Meng declared. She clenched her fists in absolute determination.

She spun around, then marched back to the dual-cauldrons with the fierce intensity of a warrior stepping onto a battlefield.

Su Bai comfortably sat back on his stool.

What followed was a masterclass in hyper-focused production. Fueled by Su Bai’s intense, analytical stare (which she entirely misinterpreted as affectionate admiration), Liu Meng pushed her concentration to 120%.

Her hands danced in a mesmerizing blur. The toxic herbs were processed, purified, and tossed into the cauldrons with terrifying speed. Because she was trying to impress him, her quality control spiked.

...

Thirty minutes later, the cauldrons chimed. A dozen perfectly formed Shattered-Soul Oblivion Pills rattled into the cooling tray. Seven of them were High-Grade.

She didn’t stop there. She continued her rapid-fire refinement until the auction house’s entire stockpile of the required toxic herbs was completely exhausted. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

When the fires finally died down an hour later, Liu Meng turned around, panting slightly. She carefully boxed the pills and the leftover dregs, then carried them over to Su Bai with a slightly apologetic look.

"I’m sorry, Senior Brother," Liu Meng said. "We only had enough raw materials left for thirty pills in total. Adding your Transcendent pill, I could only make twenty-nine."

Su Bai stared at the stack of jade boxes.

"That is more than enough. You have my deepest thanks, Junior Sister," Su Bai smiled warmly as he swept the boxes into his storage ring.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he produced a velvet pouch and pushed it across the stone table.

"Take this. It is a minor token of my appreciation for your hard work today," Su Bai insisted.

Liu Meng immediately waved her hands, stepping back. "No, no! Senior Brother, it was my honor to help! I cannot accept your spirit stones!"

Su Bai leveled a serious, uncompromising gaze at her. "Junior Sister. Do not force this Senior Brother to owe you a debt of karma. Accept it."

Unable to resist his firm, authoritative stare, Liu Meng weakly took the pouch. When she peeked inside, she gasped. Resting within were ten perfectly cut Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.

In the mortal world, this was a small fortune. It was vastly overpaying for an hour of alchemy work.

She wanted to give it back, but Su Bai simply raised his hand to stop her.

To Su Bai, ten Mid-Grade stones was pocket change compared to the hundreds of stones his master had just extorted from the outside.

Paying an independent contractor above market rate ensured loyalty and future priority.

But to Liu Meng, the gesture meant something entirely different. ’He’s practically giving me his savings... he cares for me so much!’ she swooned internally.

Before the romantic tension in Liu Meng’s head could escalate, a sharp knock echoed through the chamber.

Xiao Ran quickly entered. Her usual cheerful demeanor was replaced by a serious frown. She bowed to them both.

"Sister, a sect messenger just arrived at the front desk," Xiao Ran stepped forward to hand Liu Meng a sealed parchment scroll.

Liu Meng unrolled it. Su Bai leaned in to read over her shoulder.

The elegant, sharp handwriting belonged to Elder Qin of Verdant Peak.

’Return to the sect immediately. The mortal city is becoming compromised. The Dao Manifestation from the other night has drawn the eyes of the continent. Rogue cultivators, wandering merchants, and suspected spies from rival sects are currently flooding the city to investigate the anomaly. Do not linger. Escort Su Bai back at once.’

The atmosphere in the room instantly chilled.

Su Bai’s corporate radar pinged wildly. ’The global antivirus cover-up worked internally, but the sheer scale of the event was too large. It attracted venture capitalists and corporate spies looking for the new tech. We are standing in a high-risk zone.’

"We cannot delay," Liu Meng’s expression turned incredibly serious.

"Agreed," Su Bai nodded.

After a brief exchange with the auction house staff, they slipped out through the backdoor and immediately summoned their flying swords.

As they shot into the sky, flying side-by-side toward the majestic peaks of the Radiant Sky Sect, Liu Meng couldn’t help but feel a tiny pang of sadness.

She missed the day when her Senior Brother Su had to ride on her sword. But seeing him fly effortlessly beside her filled her with pride.

Su Bai looked down at the sprawling mortal city below.

Elder Qin was right. The city streets were usually packed with mortals but now, Su Bai could spot dozens of figures wearing bamboo hats and varying sect robes lingering in the alleyways and teahouses. They were all staring up at the Radiant Sky Sect’s mountain range.

The corporate espionage had begun.

They accelerated until they passed through the sect’s massive defensive array.

"I will accompany you to Verdant Peak," Su Bai offered. "I need to visit the Alchemy Hall anyway to learn some new orthodox recipes for the sect’s market."

They landed gracefully at Verdant Peak. Su Bai followed Liu Meng toward the heavily scented Alchemy Hall.

As soon as his boots touched the polished marble floors of the main pavilion, Su Bai mentally triggered his system.

’Sign in.’

[Ding! Signed in at Verdant Peak (Alchemy Hall)]

A familiar chime echoed in his mind. And the reward that popped up was entirely unexpected.