418: Hire the senior sister

In less than an hour, Liu Xuan completed the core rune engraving and smelting/molding steps for the four great sun flying boats. The four Flying Boats emitted a faint aura of tier 2 medium grade Spiritual Artifacts.

At this stage, the great sun flying boats were not fully refined yet. To maximize efficiency, Liu Xuan handed off the final tempering steps to other Artifact Refiners.

After sending a voice transmission instructing four Artifact Refiners to come in and handle the subsequent tempering work, Liu Xuan clapped his hands and asked Zhou Qingwei, who was beside him:

"Senior Zhou, have you noticed any shortcomings in my work? Please feel free to point them out; I will definitely learn humbly!"

Zhou Qingwei was still immersed in Liu Xuan's miraculous Artifact Refining techniques, and it took a while before he slowly shook his head.

"No. Young Friend Liu Xuan, your talent is the highest I have ever seen in my life!"

He raised his hand and pointed at the half-assembled prototype of a great sun flying boat remaining in the Artifact Refining pool. "I am extremely interested in this type of great sun flying boat that you refine. Would you allow me to stay here and study it for a few days?"

"Sure... I suppose!"

Liu Xuan smiled and said, "Senior, please take your time to study it. I will notify the people here to cooperate with you as much as possible later."

He couldn't ask for more than having this old man, Zhou Qingwei, stay peacefully in the Artifact Refining Workshop without bothering him.

As for whether the great sun flying boat would be learned by others, Liu Xuan didn't care much. Given Zhou Qingwei's status, he wouldn't stoop to stealing the techniques for a tier 2 Flying Boat.

Moreover, the key to the Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop wasn't the technology, but Liu Xuan himself. It was easy to learn the techniques, but extremely difficult to replicate them.

As if afraid that Zhou Qingwei might change his mind, Liu Xuan gave a few instructions to the Artifact Refiners in the workshop and slipped away, disappearing in a flash.

This left Zhou Qingwei dumbfounded. As a dignified Fourth-Tier Artifact Refining Master, whenever he left Tiangong Immortal City, which Artifact Refiner didn't respectfully beg him for guidance?

Liu Xuan, on the other hand, was not very willing even when he offered guidance personally.

"Forget it!"

"Since I have nothing to do, I might as well study something fresh."

Zhou Qingwei laughed and shook his head, quickly focusing his energy on the great sun flying boat in front of him.

There wasn't much to study about a tier 2 medium grade great sun flying boat. What he was concerned with was the unusual overall design of the Flying Boat and the novel Artifact Refining process of the entire Liu Family Artifact Refining Workshop.

...

After returning to the back courtyard of the Liu residence, Liu Xuan didn't rush to spend intimate time with An Yunxi. Instead, he was busy strengthening the grand Formation of the Liu residence.

In particular, the effectiveness of blocking Divine Sense prying had to be enhanced. Even if he couldn't block a Nascent Soul Divine Sense, he had to be able to detect it and issue a warning in time. The last time True Lord Haoran's Divine Sense infiltrated without Liu Xuan noticing, that feeling was extremely unpleasant.

The Yin and Yang Transformation and Harmony Formation actually possessed the effect of preventing prying. The reason True Lord Haoran was able to infiltrate his Divine Sense without Liu Xuan noticing was because, in addition to being a Nascent Soul True Lord, he was also a Third-rank Formation Master.

Liu Xuan hadn't considered this situation when he set up the Formation, which allowed him to take advantage of the loophole.

'I cannot block a Nascent Soul True Lord yet, but it shouldn't be difficult to ensure timely warning when being pried upon by one!'

Of the four arts of cultivating immortals, Alchemy was the most important to Liu Xuan because it was directly related to the cultivation speed of the entire Family, which was the foundation.

Next was Formation. High-tier Formations were the guarantee of the Family's safety; this was safety.

The remaining Artifact Refining and Talisman were similar; on one hand, they were means to make money, and on the other, they were for combat power enhancement, which was for development.

After dealing with the Formation, Liu Xuan went to An Yunmiao's residence to inquire in detail about Zhou Qingwei. He always felt uneasy with this Nascent Soul True Lord staying in the city.

"Rest assured!"

"Senior Zhou has a deep connection with my Beast Taming Sect and is also a good friend of my father. Under normal circumstances, he will not harm you."

"If you are really worried, you can pay me to keep an eye on him for you. With Fatty taking action, I guarantee you absolute safety!"

It was rare for An Yunmiao to see a look of worry on Liu Xuan's face, and a beautiful smile curled on the corners of her lips.

This smile stunned Liu Xuan. Yun Miao looked breathtaking when she smiled, her eyebrows slightly raised, her dimples shallow, sweet without being cloying, and so vivid that it made one's heart burn.

"Ahem~"

Liu Xuan swallowed, coughed twice to cover it up, and asked, "Didn't you say Senior Zhou is a Mid-Nascent Soul Stage True Lord? Fatty is only at the Early Nascent Soul Stage, can she win?"

An Yunmiao saw the desire in Liu Xuan's eyes, put away her smile, rolled her eyes at him, and said unceremoniously:

"So what if I can't win?"

"Zhengqi Tower is only tens of thousands of miles away from here. I just need to stall for a moment, and my father will be able to arrive."

"Stop talking nonsense! Just tell me if you are willing to spend money or not!"

"Willing, of course I'm willing!"

"How much does Senior Sister want?" Liu Xuan asked cautiously.

"Hmm..." An Yunmiao moved lotus steps lightly, circled around Liu Xuan, and said, "Thirty thousand Spirit Stones a day, settled once a month. How about that?"

Thirty thousand Spirit Stones a day meant ten million Spirit Stones a year. Honestly, it was a bit of a loss to just buy a verbal promise without any guarantee.

"No problem!"

"I will do as Senior Sister says."

Liu Xuan did not hesitate. He took out thirty pieces of low-grade spirit jade from his Storage Pouch and stuffed them into her hand.

"This is for one month's Spirit Stones. I will give you the next month's after a month."

"You are really going to give it to me?" An Yunmiao was a bit stunned by Liu Xuan's generosity.

The Spiritual Qi in one piece of low-grade spirit jade was equivalent to ten thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. According to the current price in the Southern Frontier, it was about thirty thousand to forty thousand.

Thirty pieces of spirit jade were worth over a million Spirit Stones. She had just opened her mouth like a lion, just joking, never expecting Liu Xuan to really give it, and even more than she asked for.

"Does Senior Sister think it's too much?"

"Then why don't you return some to me?" Liu Xuan reached out to her hand, pretending to take some back.

"Get lost!"

"Since you've already given it, how can you take it back?"

An Yunmiao happily put all the spirit jade into her Storage Ring, and the look in her eyes towards Liu Xuan became a few degrees kinder.

"Don't worry, I won't take your Spirit Stones for nothing. If Senior Zhou has any ulterior motives, I will definitely take action to help you!"

"Then thank you very much, Senior Sister!"

Liu Xuan bowed in thanks, taking advantage of the closer relationship from this transaction to climb up the pole.

"Senior Sister, I heard from Yun Xi that you like a certain type of fire-attribute Spirit Pill. My Alchemy skills have improved slightly recently. If you can find the Materials and Pill Formula, I will refine it for you for free."

An Yunmiao was Liu Xuan's intended woman; sooner or later she would be Family. He didn't feel bad about spending money on her, nor did he feel tired helping her, especially when he hadn't won her over yet.

"You mean the fire spirit chi yuan pill? That is a Third-rank Mid-grade Medicinal Pill, and it is relatively niche, with high refining difficulty. Can you do it?" An Yunmiao looked at Liu Xuan with some doubt.

"A mere Third-rank Mid-grade Medicinal Pill, and Senior Sister is questioning if I can do it?!"

Liu Xuan said confidently, "I can do it more than just 'can'. I guarantee that I will make you, Senior Sister, greatly surprised!"

"How about this: as long as you find the medicinal herbs and Pill Formula, I will give you the Medicinal Pill at an eighty percent success rate. If it's not enough, I will compensate you with equivalent Spirit Stones."

"Eighty percent success rate!"

"It's a deal, no backing out!"

An Yunmiao hurriedly ordered her subordinates to go to Zhengqi Tower to fetch the medicinal herbs and Pill Formula, and then held onto Liu Xuan, not allowing him to leave, for fear that he would go back on his word.