Chapter 272: Chapter 177: Vein Tempering Formula Great Cycle Chapter

In the courtyard, Li Hejun was lying on a Grandmaster’s Chair, listening to a handmaiden report on the accounts.

Business at Lintao Pavilion had been booming recently. If one were to judge solely by the flow of Spirit Stones, it could even compare with some of the long-established shops in the harbor district.

But she knew it was all a beautiful but fleeting illusion.

If the Chengde Commerce Association were to actually cut off their supply of goods, Lintao Pavilion would immediately be knocked back to square one. This was the consequence of having no foundation. Even if they found other suppliers afterward, their business would inevitably suffer a major blow.

But what did it matter?

’As long as my master is happy, that’s all that matters.’

At this thought, Li Hejun sighed. She casually took out an ornate Copper Mirror and gazed at the beautiful face in its reflection. Her youthful appearance had been frozen in time from the day she took the Beauty Pill.

Her expression was a mix of melancholy and sorrow.

’Master, I’m already forty-one. Thirty years have passed since we first met. They say it’s rare to live to seventy... I truly don’t know how much longer I can be with you.’

Accidentally eating that Spirit Fruit in her youth had not been without its consequences.

Although Lü Zhong had later absorbed the Spirit Fruit’s medicinal power, the lifespan she had lost could never be recovered.

Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the front gate. A handmaiden arrived to report that the master had brought a woman home.

’Another woman?’ Li Hejun wasn’t surprised. After all, she knew her master’s temperament all too well. It wasn’t just that he was a lecher; it was as if his entire being was colored by lust.

She ordered a handmaiden to summon the two concubines who were meditating in their rooms. Li Hejun stood up from her Grandmaster’s Chair and instructed another maid to brew a pot of Spirit Tea. Besides his womanizing, her master’s only hobby was drinking tea. The Spirit Tea Leaves alone cost him at least a hundred Spirit Stones every month.

A short while later, two figures appeared.

Lü Zhong led Yu Feng’Er into the courtyard.

Looking at the dirt-caked Yu Feng’Er, Li Hejun almost burst out laughing. If not for the woman’s obviously stunning beauty, a figure no ordinary family could nurture, and the shimmering Spiritual Light of her Magic Robe, she would have thought her master had whimsically picked up a random handmaiden off the street.

"Xia Hex, Qiu Fragrance, you two help her clean up," Lü Zhong ordered.

’This woman is the Yu Family Patriarch, all right. She’s clearly never had to lift a finger in her life, she doesn’t even know how to tidy her own appearance. If I hadn’t given her a few Cleaning Talismans on the way here, she’d look even more of a mess.’

"Master, please, let me do it," Li Hejun said, covering her mouth.

As she spoke, she took Yu Feng’Er’s hand and led her toward a side chamber in the courtyard.

Yu Feng’Er was completely bewildered. The patriarchal authority she had feigned earlier was nowhere to be found. Her mind went blank, and she allowed herself to be led into the chamber without the slightest resistance.

The chamber wasn’t large, but it was filled with the fragrance of cosmetics.

This was Li Hejun’s personal living quarters. On her dressing table sat Cloud Mist Powder, recently shipped from Central Earth, and Ice Snow Hibiscus Cream from the Northern Border. A nearby rack held several new dresses, each exquisitely tailored by a master artisan and enchanted with Arrays like Dust Avoidance and Summer Resort.

Yu Feng’Er was dumbfounded to see so many luxurious items packed into such a small chamber.

After all, the Yu Family had been in decline for years, and their finances were incredibly tight. As the Patriarch, she had to set an example for the family. Therefore, aside from the magnificent robe she wore to keep up appearances, she could only wear plain clothes day to day. She couldn’t afford the fabled cosmetics that were rumored to have miraculous effects, having to make do with common ones.

Noticing her gaze, Li Hejun was secretly puzzled.

’This woman clearly comes from a high-status background. Why would she have such an expression on her face?’

"Come now, dear. Let me help you change your clothes."

When Yu Feng’Er didn’t reply, Li Hejun moved to help her.

Yu Feng’Er was startled and finally snapped back to her senses. She cried out, stumbling backward.

"Ah, don’t!"

Seeing the look on Li Hejun’s face, she hastily explained, "Please don’t misunderstand! I don’t mean any offense. It’s just... this Dharma Robe is special. I need it to suppress the aura of my Ice Soul Spirit Body. If someone without cultivation were to come into contact with it, even their Divine Soul would suffer frostbite."

As she spoke, she pulled back a corner of her robe.

The next moment, a shocking chill swept through the chamber.

Li Hejun felt as if she had been plunged into a ten-thousand-year-old ice cavern, her body on the verge of freezing solid.

Fortunately, Yu Feng’Er knew what she was doing and quickly pulled the Dharma Robe shut again, preventing anyone in the room from being harmed. Then, as if recalling an unpleasant memory, her expression dimmed. "You see, don’t you? This is what an Ice Soul Spirit Body is like. It constantly emits Ice Soul Spiritual Energy and must be kept sealed. That’s why I really can’t change my clothes."

"That must be so difficult for you..." Li Hejun took her hand, her expression full of understanding. She smiled and added, "Well, in that case, we’ll just have to settle for redoing your hair and makeup."

"Mm," Yu Feng’Er nodded in agreement.

Back in the courtyard, Lü Zhong set down a Storage Bag.

It had belonged to the Demon Cultivator and was filled with items. Most were things specific to Demon Cultivators, but there were also some Spirit Medicines and Spirit Ores of unknown origin. There were also sealed crates of goods, many of them stained with blood, in addition to over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

’Not a bad haul,’ he thought. ’At least it’s more than what those three Daoists from Huayi Temple had on them.’

Just thinking about those three’s Storage Bags made Lü Zhong’s blood boil. ’They were supposed to be dignified Foundation Establishment True Cultivators from Huayi Temple! And yet, aside from the Spiritual Objects from the Long-toothed Burrow, all they had were a few Pills and Talismans. Not a single one of the Cultivation Secret Techniques I’d hoped for. Everything combined wasn’t even worth a thousand Spirit Stones. If not for those three drops of Profound Spiritual Milk, I would’ve lost my shirt in that fight.’