"Thank you for your kind offer, but I currently have no such intention," Li Zhirui declined without hesitation.
Jiang Fengwu, upon hearing this, was still unwilling to give up, as she had noticed the exceptional quality of the Spirit Pills he had provided the night before during the Divide Soul Pill session. The toxicity of his pills was more than half less than those sold in stores, and their efficacy was significantly higher.
It was clear to see that Li Zhirui’s alchemy skills were remarkable.
At that time, someone had mentioned inviting him to join their team, so in the future, they would be able to save considerably on the cost of Spirit Pills and accumulate more Spirit Stones.
Keep in mind, most of the cultivators in their team came from Loose Cultivator backgrounds, including Jiang Fengwu, without the support of families or Sects behind them, so naturally, they would save wherever possible.
Jiang Fengwu was very tempted by this, but also had some concerns, worried that Li Zhirui might think they were trying to exploit his gratitude.
But in the end, under everyone’s persuasion, she agreed to come and ask, to see how Li Zhirui would react.
"Are you trying to take advantage of my gratitude?" Li Zhirui frowned slightly. If that was the case, the debt of saving a life would be difficult to settle.
Hearing this, Jiang Fengwu quickly shook her head and explained urgently, "You’ve misunderstood, friend. We had no such intentions; it’s just that the Spirit Pills you refine are of exceptional quality, and everyone would like to purchase cost-effective Spirit Pills. That’s why we had the idea to invite you to join our team."
Upon hearing this, Li Zhirui’s expression relaxed considerably. If that was the case, then it was somewhat understandable.
After all, he was well aware of the high quality of the Spirit Pills he produced. Given that the pills he handed out were meant for his consumption or for friends, he naturally put forth all his effort to achieve perfection.
If he were selling them, Li Zhirui would not put forth such great effort.
At this thought, he couldn’t help but inwardly criticize himself for a lapse in judgment. If he produced lower quality Spirit Pills in the future after offering such high-quality ones initially, what would those cultivators think? Would they feel he was shirking their expectations?
"We definitely won’t exploit you. All matters related to Alchemy will be completely up to you, and we definitely won’t intervene," Jiang Fengwu stressed repeatedly.
"I’m sorry, but thank you for your generous offer." Nevertheless, Li Zhirui declined again.
Jiang Fengwu, unwilling to give up, asked, "May I ask why you are reluctant to join?"
"I have been out on this training journey for quite some time and will soon return to my family," Li Zhirui said. "Moreover, I am currently injured and unable to undertake the high-intensity production of Spirit Pills."
Upon hearing this, the light in Jiang Fengwu’s eyes immediately dimmed. His reasons were both rational and legitimate; if she continued to press the issue, she would appear particularly ungrateful.
"That’s fine, then," said Jiang Fengwu, looking disappointed. "I have intruded upon you this time, please don’t take offense, friend."
Li Zhirui politely replied, "No worries. If you have any needs regarding Spirit Pills in the future, feel free to come directly to me."
Jiang Fengwu nodded and turned to leave.
When she returned to her team’s quarters, she sighed upon seeing the disappointment on her teammates’ faces and said, "After Li has recovered from his injuries, he will leave Immortal City. If you have any requests for Spirit Pills, make a list, and we can arrange for someone to deliver them."
With these words, she both explained why Li Zhirui had refused to join them and reassured them that he had not gone back on his previous agreement.
It wasn’t long before everyone registered their needs for Spirit Pills, and at last, the Jade Slip was handed to Jiang Fengwu.
"What is this?"
"Captain, you haven’t registered yet!" said the cultivator. "After you’ve registered, send the Jade Slip to Li immediately."
Jiang Fengwu didn’t pay much attention, but she didn’t go to find Li Zhirui the next day; instead, she waited several days before making her move.
A few days later.
Knock knock—
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The crisp knocking sound awakened Li Zhirui, who was healing his wounds. After slowly concluding his cultivation practice, he got up and opened the door.
"Have you all registered the Spirit Pills you need?" As soon as Li Zhirui saw Jiang Fengwu at the door, he knew what she had come for and immediately said with a smile.
"Yes." Jiang Fengwu handed over a Jade Slip, along with a storage bag filled with a large amount of Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Stones, and said, "Li, this is your trouble."
Li Zhirui didn’t speak, but he first checked the various Spirit Pills listed in the Jade Slip. After a moment, he thought to himself: Those cultivators do have some conscience, not demanding too many Spirit Pills because he only charged for the Spiritual Medicine, and these Spirit Pills were fairly common and not too difficult.
Of course, the number of Spirit Pills needed by over a dozen Foundation Establishment cultivators wasn’t small, but it didn’t exceed Li Zhirui’s expectations.
What he didn’t know was that it wasn’t their conscience that was intact, but rather that was all the Spirit Stones they had, so they could only afford that much Spiritual Medicine.
Li Zhirui estimated in his mind before speaking, "The quantity of Spirit Pills you require is not small; I can’t produce them in a short time. To complete them all, it’ll take at least two to three months."
The main reason was because his meridians were fragile and he couldn’t engage in Alchemy for extended periods. If it were before, he could have finished within a month.
"If you don’t mind, Li, you can send someone to take a batch of Spirit Pills every ten days."
Jiang Fengwu nodded and said, "Then let’s do as you said."
After saying that, she rose to take her leave.
Over the next three months, Li Zhirui stayed in his rented cave dwelling without ever stepping foot outside.
And every ten days, Jiang Fengwu would knock on the door to collect the Spirit Pills he had refined.
This made Li Zhirui curious—given that she was the captain with the most formidable strength in the team, she took personal charge of such a minor affair.
However, this also brought them closer, and they could be considered as new friends of each other.
"This is the last batch of Spirit Pills." Li Zhirui returned the storage bag that was previously used for the Spiritual Medicine and Spirit Stones.
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"Thanks to you during this period, the strength of the members of our team has improved."
Li Zhirui modestly brushed off her gratitude, then changed the subject: "I plan to enter seclusion to heal my wounds next. If you need any Spirit Pills, please give me the list as soon as possible so I can refine them during my seclusion."
"You’ll be refining Spirit Pills during your seclusion?" Jiang Fengwu asked somewhat apologetically, "Won’t that disturb you?"
Li Zhirui shook his head with a smile, explaining, "Alchemy is a form of cultivation for me, and it helps me to relax, so it won’t be a problem."
"Then I’ll trouble you, Li." Jiang Fengwu didn’t turn down such a good offer, for high-quality Spirit Pills like these were hard to come by in the market; even if they were available, the exorbitant prices would be enough to deter them.
She simply said, "After this, the karmic ties between you and our team should be considered settled."
"Alright." Li Zhirui’s smile grew even brighter. After all, this matter not only helped him settle karmic ties but also allowed him to earn a sum of Spirit Stones through the price difference. Why wouldn’t he be pleased?