He spoke in a relaxed tone, but his eyes showed he wasn’t completely without caution.

Chen Qing gave a slight nod and said no more.

Li Wang was no fool; a subtle hint was all that was needed.

He took out a prepared stack of silver notes and handed them to Li Wang. "Brother Li, here is the eight thousand taels I borrowed last time, principal and interest included. Thank you for your help that day."

The amount was a little more than what he had originally borrowed.

Li Wang accepted the silver notes, stuffing them inside his robes without even a glance. He laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Chen, you’re too polite! We’re brothers; saying such things makes us sound like strangers. It’s good that you’re well-off now! If you need anything in the future, just ask!"

He clapped Chen Qing on the shoulder.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries about their recent situations before Chen Qing took his leave.

Watching Chen Qing’s steady departing figure, the smile on Li Wang’s face faded slightly. He felt the silver notes in his robes, glanced in the direction Lin Zhirou had gone, and shook his head thoughtfully before turning to return to the Li Fire Institute.

After parting with Li Wang, Chen Qing walked toward his own small, private courtyard.

It was late autumn, and a cool mist rose from the surface of Dingbo Lake.

As he reached the gate to his courtyard, his gaze was drawn to a refined and beautiful figure.

The visitor was none other than Nie Shanshan, the top disciple of the Gui Water Institute. She wore the moon-white uniform of a Gui Water Institute disciple, her slender waist cinched by a belt of silver thread and pearls, accentuating her graceful figure.

"Senior Sister Nie!"

Chen Qing paused his hand on the gate and took the initiative to greet her with a cupped fist salute.

"Junior Brother Chen."

Nie Shanshan glanced at Chen Qing and smiled. "I heard Junior Brother Chen was away for a while. I wonder, was your business taken care of?"

’This Senior Sister certainly is paying a lot of attention to me.’

Chen Qing thought to himself. He then took a stack of silver notes from his robes and handed them over. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister. Everything has been handled. Here are the thirty thousand taels of silver I borrowed, principal and interest included. Please accept it. Thank you for your generosity that day."

It was as if both of them had completely forgotten their clash in the Council Hall, their demeanor light and breezy.

Nie Shanshan didn’t take them immediately. Instead, she let out a soft laugh. "Junior Brother Chen is certainly a man of his word. Did your fortunes turn around so quickly? There’s no need to be in such a hurry. I’m not short on silver for my own needs."

Chen Qing pushed the silver notes forward a little more. "Borrow and repay, and borrowing again won’t be a problem. I, Chen Qing, will remember Senior Sister’s kindness."

Only then did Nie Shanshan accept the silver notes, tucking them gracefully into her sleeve. "The silver coins are a small matter..."

At this, her tone shifted, and she smiled. "Junior Brother, that drop of Three Hundred Years Earth Core Milk... the Sect Leader’s prize. I wonder if it has ever crossed your mind?"

Her tone was casual, as if she were making small talk.

There was no condescending attempt to dissuade him, nor were there any promises of a trade. In her eyes, such things were childish tactics that would only make her a laughingstock.

Chen Qing met her gaze and smiled candidly. "A Sect treasure of this caliber, capable of reforging one’s very bones and laying an unparalleled foundation for cultivation... I ask you, which disciple in the Sect could truly remain as calm as still water, without a single ripple of desire? I’m afraid... everyone must have some thoughts about it, no?"

Nie Shanshan’s smile deepened. "What a coincidence. So am I. It seems the two of us are bound to compete for this opportunity."

She looked at Chen Qing and took two steps closer. "How long has it been since our exchange in the Council Hall? Junior Brother Chen, has your strength... improved during this time? That palm strike last time, was that the full extent of your power?"

Chen Qing’s smile remained, appearing utterly sincere and earnest. "Senior Sister jests. The path of cultivation is a new heaven with every step; how could it be so easy? How long has it been? Any trivial progress I’ve made isn’t worth mentioning. How could it possibly compare to Senior Sister’s profound Cultivation, having opened all Eleven Orthodox Meridians?"

Nie Shanshan stared at Chen Qing’s seemingly honest face and thought to herself: ’A man’s mouth is full of lies.’

’It would be generous to believe even half of that.’

"Is that so?"

She didn’t call him out on it, only saying meaningfully, "If Junior Brother is unwilling to say more, then I won’t press the matter."

They chatted for a few more moments about unimportant Sect matters. The atmosphere seemed harmonious, but in reality, there was an Undercurrent Swell, especially as Nie Shanshan’s words were laced with probing questions.

A moment later, Nie Shanshan took her leave, leaving behind only a faint, cool fragrance.

Chen Qing watched her go, then turned, pushed open the gate, and entered his courtyard.

Meanwhile, Nie Shanshan walked on without pause, heading straight for the secluded residence where the Dean of the Gui Water Institute, Chu Jinyun, practiced her quiet cultivation.

Outside the residence was a small courtyard.

Beneath the moonlight, Chu Jinyun stood holding a sword.

She wasn’t using the slightest bit of True Qi, and the Long Sword in her hand was not a Treasure Artifact, but merely an ordinary Iron Sword.

However, as she turned her wrist and the tip of the sword cut through the air, an invisible Momentum began to spread out from it.

It wasn’t a sharp Sword Qi, but a conceptual mood—harmonious, flowing, and full of Everlasting Life—as if the blade itself was drawing in the surrounding water vapor.

The Sword Techniques were simple and archaic, at times like a babbling brook, at others like a tranquil deep pool, and then like a surging undercurrent.

Nie Shanshan held her breath, focusing her mind as she stood quietly to the side, not daring to disturb her.

Not until Chu Jinyun slowly sheathed her sword, the Sword Momentum retracting and the invisible pressure in the courtyard dissipating with it, did she finally step forward and bow respectfully. "Master."

Chu Jinyun returned the sword to its scabbard, her breathing steady. She looked at her beloved disciple. "You’re here."

"Yes, Master."

Nie Shanshan nodded. She then recounted her entire conversation with Chen Qing, including how he had readily repaid the money, frankly admitted his interest in the Three Hundred Years Earth Core Milk, and his "humble" statements.

After hearing the report, a flicker of emotion crossed Chu Jinyun’s eyes. She sighed. "This boy... he’s really not one to be underestimated. A genius disciple who has risen from nothing... it’s been many years since we’ve seen one like him."

She shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of admiration.

For someone with no foundation and no background to have grown to such a level—how could it not be astonishing?