There was no other way.
What he had given was simply too much.
Although the Elder was well-read and understood matters of the world, he knew that in life, pride comes first, and a man lives for his face while a tree lives for its bark.
If this face were lost first, it would be hard to pick up the rest that followed.
He further understood the principle that one should not bow for a mere five pecks of rice.
But the problem was, this was not five pecks of rice!
This was three genuine top-grade Spirit Pills!
Damn!
Not even Chen Xia's father had treated him this well!
And so, as was plainly evident, the Elder had also become one of those fanning Chen Xia, occupying the front position and becoming the leader of the some twenty alchemists.
Hmm.
The leader of the fan-wielders.
Chen Xia sat in the back on a chair, eyes slightly narrowed.
"Sir, is this wind force suitable?" the Elder asked softly from the side.
"Not bad, though a bit lighter would be better," Chen Xia said indifferently, reaching up to catch some stray strands of hair.
Ever since entering Azure Sky, because he was too lazy and disliked socializing, Chen Xia had figured out a way of getting along with others.
In Chen Xia's words, it was called the reward method.
It wasn't just about rewarding with items, but also never criticizing.
No matter if someone did well or poorly, he would not criticize, but first give encouragement, and then make suggestions from an encouraging standpoint to get them to correct themselves.
To give an example:
"You kill well, next time it'd be even better to finish in a single strike."
People might not remember criticism, but they would definitely have a deep impression of encouragement.
Remembering it more, they would naturally strive for greater perfection, and be sure to finish in one strike next time.
Aside from this, Chen Xia combined encouragement and rewards. As long as someone did something that satisfied him, he would give a reward.
Even if unsatisfied, he would still give a small reward, and make suggestions from an encouraging angle.
If they did even better the next time, an even bigger reward would be given.
This way, the atmosphere was naturally harmonious without quarrels, and Chen Xia also obtained sincere respect.
This was inspiration he had gotten from training dogs.
So far the effect seemed pretty good.
The only apparent downside to this method was the fear of running out of rewards.
But to Chen Xia this definitely didn't count as a downside. For one thing, he didn't have to provide the materials himself, he only needed to concoct pills, which was just raising the quality of the pills a bit while concocting them.
For example, a pill that could only be refined into low-grade, he could refine into top-grade.
And refining Spirit Pills was like playing for him, he didn't even need an iron cauldron, just casually stewing could form a pill.
If Spirit Pills could not satisfy them, Chen Xia could also refine Dao Pills.
For these small pill halls that treated top-grade Spirit Pills as treasures, a single Dao Pill could probably drive the entire hall mad.
But with Chen Xia around, the small pill hall definitely wouldn't go crazy.
Because he could give each person one pill.
If it really came together in this form, the small pill hall could probably rely on Chen Xia alone to leap up into a top ranking faction in Qing Province.
Only, that was definitely impossible for now, because Chen Xia was too lazy to refine pills, and also lacked the materials for refining Dao Pills.
The Elder was still fanning. Suddenly, shouting sounded from not far away.
"Elder, Elder, Lady Qiu has arrived!"
"Shh, quieter, why yell so loudly, take care not to disturb the sir!" The Elder quickly made a silencing gesture.
The cultivator who had come to notify was startled, blankly staring at the scene before him, truly unable to comprehend why the Elder had also joined in this?!
Looking at it, and seeming to enjoy it so much, could it be some hypnotic mind-bewitching art?
The cultivator really couldn't decide what to do.
"No matter, his urgency comes from kindness, he should not suffer rebuke, reward him," Chen Xia said indifferently.
Li Gao hurriedly walked over, feeling around in his robe before taking out a greenish Spirit Pill with vine patterns, and placing it in the still dazed cultivator's hand.
"This is... this is..." The cultivator looked at the mid-grade Spirit Pill in his hand, also not really understanding, looking from Li Gao to the pill in hand, wanting to accept it yet also afraid.
"This is the sir's reward for you, a small gift," Li Gao explained.
"Oh... oh, this, reward... small gift?" The cultivator still didn't quite get it. With his centuries of experience, how could such a precious mid-grade Spirit Pill be given away so easily, this was something even old monsters in the Great Vehicle stage would fight over!
The cultivator was slow on the uptake.
So Chen Xia spoke again, "Reward again."
Li Gao hurriedly took out a refined Spirit Pill, placing it in the cultivator's hand.
Yet another mid-grade Spirit Pill.
The cultivator held them reverently in both hands, hesitating no longer, and respectfully nodded his head, saying,
"Thank you, sir."
Watching this scene, the Elder somehow felt it was familiar.
Soon more people arrived, the white-clothed woman from when Chen Xia had been recruited. Her footsteps now softly tread closer, looking upon the bizarre scene. Her fine brows wrinkled as she pondered for a while yet could not make sense of it. Thus she asked,
"What are you doing?"
The Elder quickly spoke up, "Attending to the sir."
"The sir is...?" The white-clothed woman's gaze shifted to Chen Xia, really not daring to confirm.
Wasn't this the guard she had recruited?
After not seeing him for over half a year, now he had become a sir?
The Elder stood respectfully beside Chen Xia, bowing his head toward him as he said, "Naturally there is only one sir."
The Elder looked again to the white-clothed woman, explaining in more detail for Chen Xia, "Sir, this is one of the successors of the Qiu Family, Lady Qiu Yi. In all of Qing Province she has quite a reputation, and the Qiu Family is the most prosperous family in Qing Province."
"Good, reward her," Chen Xia said indifferently.
The Elder's expression froze slightly.
What, this could also be rewarded?
Li Gao didn't care and hurried forward, about to take out a Spirit Pill to hand to Qiu Yi.
Yet Qiu Yi did not extend her hand to accept it. An aloof voice sounded from the air, "A mid-grade Spirit Pill, not bad, hmm, just not bad."
The Elder standing to the side had an expression of astonishment on his face. The Qiu Family really deserved to be the most prosperous family in Qing Province, for Qiu Yi to not even bat an eye at a mid-grade Spirit Pill!
Chen Xia uncaringly laughed lightly, "No matter, reward again."
Li Gao put away the mid-grade Spirit Pill, then felt around in another pocket, taking out a Spirit Pill with green and yellow pill patterns. The aroma of the pill was rich.
A top-grade Spirit Pill?!
Qiu Yi's cold and arrogant brows quivered, but she still did not extend her hand to take it. The aloof voice that sounded was no longer so cold though.
"A top-grade Spirit Pill, excellent."
Chen Xia got up from his chair, took the teacup and drank a sip. His tone was indifferent, as casual as bargaining at the market.
"Continue rewarding."
By saying "reward" for the third time, it meant the grade of the pill would increase by three levels.
Li Gao took out one of the best top-grade Spirit Pills, extremely rare.
Qiu Yi's gaze swayed, and although she still did not extend her hand to take it, she could no longer speak.
Chen Xia put down the teacup and casually cracked a couple melon seeds, swallowing the shells as well, then said,
"Add on."
With just this one word, it was the fourth time he had rewarded, jumping up three grades from the mid-grade Spirit Pill.
Li Gao felt around inside his storage magic treasure for a while, taking out a precious small box. He opened it solemnly.
With just the light of the pill, it was exceptionally dazzling, and a dense pill fragrance spread out, the image manifesting.
The Elder beside them was stunned speechless, truly unable to believe it. His expression was shocked as he stammered,
"Half... half a Dao Pill?!"
Let alone Great Vehicle Stage, even Moving Mountains Stage masters would fight over such a supreme pill!
Qiu Yi could no longer remain composed. Her breathing quickened and her footsteps hurriedly retreated. As she walked, her left foot almost tripped over her right. She didn't dare look back, afraid that if she did, she wouldn't be able to resist taking the pill.
This was absolutely not allowed by the Qiu Family!
Her own dignity also would not allow her to take the pills as if begging.
Chen Xia sat in the chair, shaking his head slightly, and began to reflect.
He had still rewarded too little after all.
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
lan, the Luo family, tracked him down - along with the babies in their arms. Mo Xuan stared pensively at the paternity test results from over a dozen top institutions, both domestic and international, showing a 99.99% match between himself and the two baby girls. At 23, Mo Xuan, a doctoral student, had become the father of two three-year-old children. The kicker? The mothers weren't even the same person! He gradually realized he was being lured step by step into an elaborate trap designed by these two yandere sisters. "Be good, little Xuan. Sister's life belongs to you entirely." "Brother, if you try to run away, I'll have no choice but to tie you up." Mo Xuan: "Do whatever you want, ladies. I give up."
