The two sat facing each other. Jiang Chen gazed at the incomparably beautiful Murong Xiangming before him.

He smiled and asked, "Miss Murong, you came looking for me. Is there something you need?"

He doubted Murong Xiangming would seek him out for no reason.

After all, her status didn’t seem to be ordinary; she wouldn’t just meet with anyone on a whim.

Murong Xiangming’s expression soured at his words.

She immediately shot back, "So I can’t come looking for you unless I have a reason?"

Ah.

Jiang Chen was momentarily stunned.

Looking at the slightly irked Murong Xiangming, he couldn’t figure out what he’d said wrong.

He let out a dry laugh.

"Of course, of course you can. You’re more than welcome."

"It’s my honor to have Miss Murong seek me out personally."

’He really didn’t want to get on this woman’s bad side.’

After all, Murong Xiangming wasn’t the type to cause trouble for him.

"Now that’s more like it."

A smile instantly appeared on Murong Xiangming’s face.

Her expression changed in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Chen chuckled.

His gaze swept over Murong Xiangming, and he suddenly noticed something unusual.

"Miss Murong, congratulations on your progress in Cultivation."

The last time he’d seen Murong Xiangming, her Cultivation was at the Sixth Heaven of the Martial Master Realm. Now, she had actually reached the Ninth Heaven of the Martial Master Realm, just one step away from breaking through to the Martial King Realm.

Her Cultivation had progressed at an incredible speed.

He guessed that Murong Xiangming had used his Foundation Strengthening Pill.

’Still, this absorption rate is astonishingly fast.’

"Hehe, of course. I have your Foundation Strengthening Pill to thank for helping me break through so quickly."

"I’m starting to think you’re my lucky star."

This wasn’t just flattery from Murong Xiangming; it was the truth. Many things had recently started going smoothly for her after she met Jiang Chen.

Her Cultivation had broken through, and under her personal management, the Treasure Elephant Pavilion’s growth was proceeding with surprising smoothness.

Not long ago, they had even absorbed a rival market in Hanwu City that held considerable influence.

Jiang Chen shrugged.

"That was all your own doing. It has nothing to do with me."

The two of them chatted happily.

Outside, however, Qin Lie was like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth. He’d been waiting for what felt like an eternity, but Murong Xiangming still hadn’t come out.

He was absolutely consumed with jealousy.

"Damn it, where did this bastard come from all of a sudden?"

"I have to drive this Jiang Chen away. I absolutely cannot let him stay in the Alchemy Master Guild."

He began to hatch a plot.

Suddenly, Murong Xiangming flipped her hand over, producing several brocade boxes.

She passed them to Jiang Chen, saying, "Jiang Chen, I know you’re well-informed and have a powerful Alchemist for a master. Could you help me take a look at these ingredients?"

"I’ve been studying them for a long time but can’t identify them."

Jiang Chen was taken aback.

He looked at the brocade boxes she offered.

His eyes flickered for a moment.

’I can’t believe she’s asking me to identify ingredients. This is unexpected.’

"Alright, I can take a look for you, but I can’t guarantee I’ll recognize them."

Murong Xiangming gestured for him to proceed.

She seemed to have complete confidence in him.

Not one to stand on ceremony, Jiang Chen opened one of the brocade boxes.

"Hm?"

The moment he opened the brocade box, Jiang Chen’s eyes lit up.

It was like a parched traveler stumbling upon a clear spring.

He took a deep breath.

He murmured to himself, "A Nine-Year-Old Flower... and a seven-thousand-year-old one at that."

Jiang Chen recognized the contents of the brocade box at a single glance.

It was a Nine-Year-Old Flower.

And the Nine-Year-Old Flower was one of the very ingredients he needed to refine the Martial King Pill. A crucial one, at that.

He had been searching for it for some time, and the Jiang Family had even put out feelers for a Nine-Year-Old Flower.

He never expected Murong Xiangming to bring a Nine-Year-Old Flower right to him.

He suddenly shot his head up and looked intently at Murong Xiangming.

Murong Xiangming simply met his gaze with a smile and asked softly, "Do you recognize this ingredient?"

In truth, Murong Xiangming knew exactly what ingredients she had brought.

But she was putting on an act of ignorance.

Her performance was flawless, feigning complete unfamiliarity.

Jiang Chen didn’t see through Murong Xiangming’s intention to gift him the Nine-Year-Old Flower, but he was still deeply suspicious.

Even so, he desperately needed the Nine-Year-Old Flower.

He nodded and said in a low voice, "That’s right. This ingredient is called a Nine-Year-Old Flower, and these specimens are seven thousand years old. They’re incredibly rare."

Murong Xiangming felt a sense of relief.

’He recognized it and even knew its age.’

That kind of judgment required a profound understanding of the Nine-Year-Old Flower.

In all of Hanwu City, very few people could recognize a Nine-Year-Old Flower, not even in the Alchemy Master Guild.

The way she looked at Jiang Chen changed again.

She pointed to the other brocade boxes. "I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. Please, help me identify the rest."

Jiang Chen reached for another brocade box.

Upon opening it, he was stunned once more.

He lifted his head slightly, his clear eyes glancing at Murong Xiangming again.

Murong Xiangming asked in a gentle tone, "Well? Do you recognize it?"

Jiang Chen nodded. "I do. This is Xing’er Hong. It blooms on the highest, frozen mountain peaks, at altitudes above eight thousand meters. It’s incredibly difficult to find."

"It blooms once every hundred years, and when it does, it wilts after only an hour."

This Xing’er Hong was yet another ingredient for refining the Martial King Pill.

Combined with the other ingredients he had already collected, the Xing’er Hong and the Nine-Year-Old Flower completed the set he needed to refine the Martial King Pill.

He planned to use the Martial King Pill to cultivate Martial King Experts for the Jiang Family.

It was, to say the least, extremely important for the Jiang Family.

Gazing at the Nine-Year-Old Flower and Xing’er Hong, Jiang Chen’s eyes burned with desire.

As for the other ingredients, Jiang Chen didn’t see anything else he needed.

There were five ingredients in total, and two of them were exactly what he needed.

Murong Xiangming keenly observed this change in him.

She spoke up, "Thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I truly wouldn’t have recognized these ingredients."

"They’ve been sitting in the Treasure Elephant Pavilion’s warehouse for ages. Since nobody knew what they were for, they were on the verge of going bad."

"Now that I know what they are, please accept these ingredients as a thank you. I hope you won’t refuse."

She said with great generosity.

Both the Nine-Year-Old Flower and the Xing’er Hong were priceless ingredients.

Only someone like Murong Xiangming could give them away so casually.

Jiang Chen took a deep breath.

He knew that simply identifying the ingredients didn’t warrant such a lavish reward.

But whether Murong Xiangming’s gesture was intentional or not, Jiang Chen couldn’t possibly refuse these ingredients.

He hesitated for a moment.

He said to Murong Xiangming in a low, serious voice, "Miss Murong, I know that what I did just now was no big deal."

"But for you to give me these ingredients... I must thank you. While I have no way to repay you at the moment, how about this: I’ll owe you a favor?"

Jiang Chen knew that Murong Xiangming had done him a huge favor this time.

He couldn’t offer a better repayment at the moment. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

So all he could do was owe her a favor.

And a favor from Jiang Chen was not something just anyone could claim.

But Murong Xiangming just smiled. "I didn’t even know what these ingredients were, and we have more in the Treasure Elephant Pavilion’s warehouse, all just collecting dust. If you need them, I have the authority to give them to you. They’re not valuable, really."

"Owe me a favor? Forget it. I didn’t come here today to put you in my debt."

She refused his offer of a favor.

After all, she was a broad-minded person, especially when it came to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen waved his hand. "No. I said I owe you a favor, so I must. As for the ingredients, I’ll graciously accept."

He decisively took all the ingredients into his possession.

"Well, since you insist, it would seem standoffish of me to refuse again."

"I’ll keep this favor in mind, then. If I ever happen to need your help, you better not try to weasel out of it."

Murong Xiangming said in a teasing tone.

"Of course not. I’m a man of my word. No matter what you ask, I will do everything in my power to fulfill it, as long as it’s something I, Jiang Chen, can do."