The charming housewife next door invited me out!

Lin Yuan suppressed the joy in his heart and continued to stroll through the market without attracting attention.

He asked several stalls about the price of Medicinal Pill, and the replies he received were largely the same, all confirming without exception that pill prices were indeed skyrocketing.

After confirming this news, Lin Yuan discovered a long saber of decent quality at one of the stalls.

Han Shuang's progress as a Body Cultivator these past two days was indeed remarkable. This blade was quite suitable for her, and it wasn't very expensive, so he spent ten Spirit Stone to buy it.

Only then was he satisfied. He activated the black wood shuttle, transforming into a streak of light as he flew toward his residence.

"Uncle Lin, you're back."

Just as he landed at his doorstep, Su Qingyan poked half of her body out from the courtyard next door, as if she had been waiting for him there for a long time.

Lin Yuan nodded, his breathing steady.

"I went out to buy some things, just got back."

"Wei He said he went to look for the Earth Core Nether Fire. How much confidence do you have that you can burn away the corpse poison in his body?"

There was a hint of worry in Su Qingyan's watery eyes.

Lin Yuan pondered and said:

"If he can really retrieve the Earth Core Nether Fire, combined with my fire control techniques, I would have at least a sixty to seventy percent chance of success."

He shifted the topic.

"However... refining the Earth Core Nether Fire requires the assistance of two spiritual items: Cold Marrow Crystal and profound water grass. Both of these are not easy to find."

Su Qingyan's eyes lit up instantly. She lowered her voice, carrying a hint of mystery.

"I know about that. I know where there is a Cold Marrow Crystal, but..."

Lin Yuan's heart stirred, and he immediately interjected.

"How many Spirit Stone will it take?"

The Earth Core Nether Fire was an exotic fire of heaven and earth; how rare it was.

Although he was taking action to remove the corpse poison for Wei He, once he refined this fire, he would be the one to benefit the most. This was equivalent to receiving a massive Opportunity for free.

Reasonably and logically, the auxiliary Materials needed to refine the exotic fire should be borne by himself.

"This is not the place to talk."

Su Qingyan walked over in a few steps and naturally took Lin Yuan's arm, intending to pull him into her own courtyard.

Lin Yuan paused, his figure remaining motionless.

He frowned slightly and tried to pull his arm away, but couldn't.

"Oh my, Uncle Lin, are you afraid I'll eat you?"

Su Qingyan coquettishly complained, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.

"This... is not very good. If Brother Wei returns and sees this, it will cause a misunderstanding."

"I'm not afraid, what are you afraid of! Besides, Wei He has gone to retrieve the Earth Core Nether Fire; it will take at least ten days to half a month for him to return."

Su Qingyan applied a little force, and actually dragged Lin Yuan into her courtyard.

She closed the courtyard gate behind her.

The layout of this courtyard was almost the same as Lin Yuan's; after all, they were only separated by a wall and were built uniformly by the Sect.

But the scene inside was completely different.

Several spiritual fields had been opened up in the courtyard, and the various spiritual plants inside were vibrant, with crystal-clear dew hanging on their leaves; they had clearly been carefully tended.

A faint fragrance of vegetation lingered at the tip of his nose.

"Your spiritual plants are growing well. You could let that girl Han Shuang come over and learn a thing or two from you."

Lin Yuan observed calmly and said.

"Just have her come over when you have time."

Su Qingyan pulled Lin Yuan into the main room and nimbly brewed him a cup of spiritual tea, the aroma of which filled the air.

She didn't keep him in suspense anymore and directly took an exquisite jade box out of her Storage Pouch.

As soon as the jade box appeared, the temperature of the entire room seemed to drop, and wisps of icy cold Qi drifted out from the crevices.

"Take a look at this."

Lin Yuan took the jade box, feeling an icy cold sensation upon contact.

He opened the lid, and a soft, ice-blue halo of light immediately met his eyes.

Inside lay a palm-sized, ice-blue crystal, which was exactly the Cold Marrow Crystal he needed.

This crystal was clear and transparent, without a single trace of Impurities inside; its quality was superb.

A Cold Marrow Crystal of this quality was worth at least a thousand Spirit Stone.

"This... where did you get this?"

Lin Yuan asked, surprised in his heart.

"I obtained this item by chance in a secret realm many years ago. It was originally kept as a trump card to exchange for Spirit Stone to save my life in a critical moment."

Su Qingyan sighed faintly and pushed the jade box in front of Lin Yuan.

"Taking it out today is, firstly, naturally because it concerns Wei He's life."

Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of sorrow.

"In the Yin Corpse Sect, for a female Cultivator with ordinary Aptitude like me who also has a bit of beauty, if I don't have a truly powerful reliance, you should know better than me, Uncle Lin, what the outcome will be."

"Wei He... his trip to find the Earth Core Nether Fire, saying it's a near-death experience is putting it lightly."

As she spoke, she leaned forward slightly, getting close to Lin Yuan, her breath as sweet as orchids.

"Uncle Lin, we've known each other for so many years, being neighbors and all. I think you are a reliable person, so why not..."

Her beautiful eyes, filled with seduction, looked straight at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan only felt a wave of heat rush to the top of his head, and he subconsciously swallowed.

To be fair, Su Qingyan was full of charm and extremely seductive.

But he and Wei He also had some friendship.

As the saying goes, a friend's wife... is not to be trifled with! Wait, no... is not to be bullied!

This thought just flashed through his mind before he extinguished it.

Ridiculous! In the dog-eat-dog Cultivation World, especially in this heartless Yin Corpse Sect, so-called "morality" is nothing but a shackle for the weak to deceive themselves.

Wei He and he were nothing more than acquaintances exchanging interests; it couldn't be called friendship.

And he himself was currently lacking Spirit Stone and resources.

Even if Wei He couldn't bring back the Earth Core Nether Fire, this Cold Marrow Crystal would be very useful in the future.

Why not take such a benefit when it's placed right in front of him?

Seeing Lin Yuan silent, a flash of determination crossed Su Qingyan's eyes. She stood up abruptly, walked behind Lin Yuan, and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

The warm, soft sensation transmitted through his robes, carrying an astonishing elasticity.

"Uncle Lin, Wei He... he probably won't be coming back."

"I need a reliance, a man who can protect me in this Sect."

"If you protect me, I... and this Cold Marrow Crystal, will all be yours."

Lin Yuan's body stiffened. He slowly put down his teacup and asked in a flat voice: "Aren't you afraid that I'll take the item and not hold up my end of the bargain?"

Su Qingyan let out a soft laugh behind him, carrying a hint of self-deprecation and a hint of sorrow.

"I trust my own judgment. Uncle Lin, you usually keep a low profile, but I happened to see you during Alchemy last time. That kind of fire control technique is not something an ordinary Qi Refining Cultivator can possess; it is at least at the level of an Eighth-Grade Alchemist."

She tightened her arms, her breath brushing against Lin Yuan's ear, full of allure.

"A promising Alchemist is far more reliable than a brute who only knows how to fight and kill."

"Of course, the most important thing is..."

"Compared to Wei He, I prefer someone like you, Uncle Lin."

Good grief, is this the legendary gerontophilia? Now that he thought about it, the way Su Qingyan looked at him before was not quite right.

Lin Yuan slowly turned around, meeting those eyes brimming with mist. He didn't hesitate anymore and scooped her up into his arms.