The Golden Finger Has Arrived

Seeing that Chu Mengyou not only didn’t avoid him but even responded, Li Chuan felt reassured.

This wasn’t a dream—he had truly kissed one of the Ten Great Fairies of the Qi Refining stage, Chu Mengyou.

It had all been so simple, even to the point where she had practically offered herself to him!

After what felt like an eternity, Li Chuan was pushed away by Chu Mengyou.

"Hasn’t it been half a cup of tea’s time already? Does junior brother plan to kiss me until the end of days?" Chu Mengyou chided with a reproachful look.

Gazing at her blushing, enchanting face, Li Chuan couldn’t help but swallow hard—he wanted more.

"Senior sister," Li Chuan reached into his robe and pulled out a small porcelain bottle, looking at her expectantly. "This bottle contains the leftover pills the sect has given me over the past six months, worth about ten Spirit Stones. That should be enough for a stick of incense’s worth of time with you, senior sister..."

Before he could finish, he noticed Chu Mengyou’s face had already turned frosty.

"Junior brother, are you here specifically to ruin my Dao heart?" she hissed through clenched teeth.

She had mustered the courage to take the initiative, only for this one act of boldness to nearly cost her a lifetime of introversion.

First, he haggled her price down from 1,000 Spirit Stones a day to 500, and now he wanted to split those 500 into 50 sessions—10 Spirit Stones per stick of incense!

He had effectively devalued her from 500 Spirit Stones a day to a mere 10, and the worst part was, by equivalent exchange, it wasn’t even wrong.

"Heh, senior sister, let’s keep this a business transaction. No need to get angry—looks like your mental cultivation isn’t quite there yet," Li Chuan teased, quickly tucking the bottle back into his robe as he noticed the gentle moonlight of her demeanor threatening to morph into a storm.

Ever since he’d kissed her, the power dynamic had shifted. Before, he had been the one afraid she’d back out.

But now, since she had willingly given him half a cup of tea’s worth of kisses for free, it was clear how much she valued this deal.

So, Li Chuan naturally began testing the waters to see if he could further divide the sessions.

Chu Mengyou took a deep breath, her expression softening into a gentle smile as her voice turned soothing. "You’re right, junior brother. This senior sister apologizes. It seems I’m still far from achieving a state where external things don’t sway my joy or sorrow."

Li Chuan was surprised when she even gave him a slight bow of apology—now this was service attitude!

He quickly helped her up, holding her hand as he said, "No need for that, senior sister. I’m not a petty man."

As if it had all been her fault to begin with.

Chu Mengyou pursed her lips in a smile. "Junior brother, you’re truly different from the others. Being with you is quite the test—I fear my Dao heart might falter because of you, ruining my foundation-building momentum."

Hearing this, Li Chuan finally understood why her service attitude was so impeccable—she was making concessions for the sake of her Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment wasn’t as simple as reaching the peak of Qi Refining and taking a Foundation Establishment Pill.

It required the unity of essence, energy, and spirit, where one’s physical state and inner burdens all played a role.

Since ancient times, it was said that before Foundation Establishment, one must avoid conflict and arguments.

Chu Mengyou was clearly the type who rarely clashed with others, and now, on the verge of Foundation Establishment, she couldn’t afford to, lest resentment take root in her heart.

Even if her breakthrough was half a year or even a year away, and even if her anger now might not affect it, it was better to be safe than sorry.

She glanced down at Li Chuan’s hand holding hers and smiled sweetly. "Junior brother, know your limits."

Her mental fortitude was truly impressive.

Li Chuan suddenly pulled her into an embrace. "I’d like to borrow a little more time in advance, senior sister."

With that, he leaned in to kiss her again, determined to indulge to his heart’s content first.

But Chu Mengyou let out a light laugh and slipped effortlessly out of his arms.

Gliding backward, she called out to him, "Junior brother, I never took you for such a sly old fox—no wonder you amassed such wealth even at Qi Refining Stage Three. Knowing I won’t lose my temper, you push me as far as you can. Let’s meet again next time."

Li Chuan pretended to be offended. "Senior sister, I’m 49, 49!"

"Same difference. In this senior sister’s eyes, there’s no distinction."

Right, all part of the service—no distinction. Li Chuan grumbled inwardly.

Watching her ethereal figure disappear into the distance, he felt as if he were still dreaming and couldn’t help but sigh. "The Yin-Yang Sect is truly a paradise for men!"

From just this glimpse, he could see the bigger picture—if even a peerless beauty like Chu Mengyou was proactively offering companionship, what about the other fairies?

After all, the Yin-Yang Sect’s core doctrine included this line: Do not confine yourself to a vessel destined to decay.

When he first read it, Li Chuan hadn’t paid much attention—such platitudes were everywhere.

But Chu Mengyou’s behavior just now had embodied those words perfectly.

When discussing companionship, she hadn’t shown the slightest hint of shame or discomfort. To her, it was simply a natural thing.

She truly saw her body as nothing more than a vessel!

Her only concern was whether her Dao companion, Zhao Bingqian, might harm Li Chuan if he found out.

Before, Li Chuan hadn’t understood why the Yin-Yang Sect had confiscated his weapons and storage pouch upon entry.

Now, it made sense.

Imagine if a fairy entered the sect under the same conditions—stripped of all possessions, how would she quickly obtain cultivation resources?

Though the sect distributed resources monthly, they were barely enough to maintain basic Qi circulation, far from sufficient for actual cultivation.

For a top-tier sect like this to withhold even Foundation Establishment Pills and forbid disciples from accepting outside favors—wasn’t this just encouraging everyone to earn Spirit Stones?

As for how to earn them, that was the real question.

Then again, with prices this steep, few could afford companionship. Most disciples had limited resources, and many already had Dao companions.

So, in the end, this was a privilege reserved for a select few.

"How am I supposed to earn Spirit Stones?" Li Chuan pondered.

Since joining the sect, he’d been so preoccupied with finding a Dao companion that he hadn’t even done any sect missions, leaving him without so much as a weapon.

There were plenty of ancient ruins and immortal sites in this world—he knew of over a dozen—but even in his prime, he’d considered them perilous. Now, without so much as a protective robe or magic treasure, venturing there would be suicide.

He did have a life-bound treasure, but it was an unnamed black book—utterly useless.

This was his own fault. Back when he was at Qi Refining Stage One, he’d stumbled upon the little black book, impervious to water and fire, indestructible by blade or sword. Mistaking it for a supreme treasure, he’d rashly refined it into his life-bound treasure.

In his mind, even if that little black book didn’t possess any extraordinary abilities, its indestructible nature alone would be enough to shield him from countless fatal attacks.

Yet, to his utter astonishment, once the little black book was refined and absorbed into his body, it could no longer be retrieved.

Hmm?

Just as he was pondering over the little black book, it suddenly stirred within him.

Li Chuan quickly focused his attention and saw a brilliant crimson light erupt from the book, followed by the sudden appearance of several large characters: "The Scripture of Fortunes and Fate."