Chapter 225 - Just a Man Who Stays Up Late

Gao Rong looked inside and then asked, "Have you two made any progress?"Hearing this, Luo Xuan froze. She felt a little nervous but still answered truthfully, "No progress."

Gao Rong didn’t seem to care about this.

Whether they made progress or not had nothing to do with him. It didn’t matter if the Luo Family was unwilling; if this didn’t work out, it didn’t work out. It wouldn’t affect him in any way.

The main concern was Xiaogao.

He was just worried that Xiaogao wasn’t thinking straight.

Luo Xuan, however, thought it meant the Gao Family was running out of patience.

Seeing her nervousness, Gao Rong said, "Don’t overthink it. How you two get along is your own business. We’re not looking for a specific outcome."

Luo Xuan nodded.

Although she was relieved, the Luo Family currently still relied on the Gao Family.

The Gao Family had done more than enough.

And she herself was actually very lucky.

To get another chance like this after failing once.

"We have a guest?" Xiaopang walked out, holding some Spirit Medicine.

When he saw it was Gao Rong, he asked curiously, "Second Brother? What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Gao Rong said, a bit uncomfortably.

"See me?" Xiaopang was shocked. "Since when does Second Brother care about me?"

Gao Rong was a little embarrassed by the comment, but he still said, "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" Xiaopang placed the Spirit Medicine in its designated spot, looking puzzled.

Gao Rong glanced at Luo Xuan.

She immediately said, "Cheng Yu is looking for me. I should go over."

After she left, Xiaopang asked curiously, "Why did you have to send her away? Did something happen to the family?"

"Do you like her?" Gao Rong asked.

Xiaopang immediately shook his head. "I like someone gentle, virtuous, cheerful, and lively, someone full of girlish charm. Most importantly, someone who isn’t as good as me. Miss Luo is too outstanding."

"You have no ambition," Gao Rong said, shaking his head.

"This *is* ambition. A man’s got to know his limitations," Xiaopang retorted.

He paused, then asked curiously, "Second Brother, what did you really come here to say?"

Gao Rong hesitated for a moment before asking, "Are you familiar with Jiang Man?"

"Brother Jiang? He’s like a real brother to me," Xiaopang said at once.

Gao Rong’s face darkened. He then remembered his own situation and said in a low voice, "I heard he’s participating in the annual ranking for the First, Second, and Third Courtyards. Can... can I join his team?"

By the end, his voice was almost inaudible.

A confused smile appeared on Xiaopang’s face. "What was that, Second Brother? I didn’t hear you."

"If you didn’t hear me, what are you smiling about? Just tell me if it’s possible or not," Gao Rong said, his voice a little louder.

He was throwing caution to the wind.

’I’ve already lost face, can’t I at least fight for some benefits?’

Xiaopang laughed out loud. "Second Brother, you didn’t have this attitude when Brother Jiang came by before."

"I admit I was a bit loud back then, but I also gave him Spiritual Source. I’ll give him more this time," Gao Rong said.

To this, Xiaopang replied, "I’ll mention it to Brother Jiang when I see him. But Brother Jiang has his own goals and plans, so you probably don’t have much of a chance."

"Just go and tell him." He paused, then added, "Also, I can offer twenty thousand Spiritual Source."

He really didn’t have any more than that. Despite having a family backing him, his Spiritual Source was never enough.

Besides, the amount his family gave him was limited.

He had already spent thirty thousand, and with the costs of Cultivation, he had nothing left over.

No matter how wealthy the young masters and ladies were, they never had much left at the end of the month.

It all went toward Cultivation.

The essence of Spiritual Source was to be converted into power and integrated into the body.

A normal Student Cultivator would never hoard Spiritual Source and let it sit unused.

However, Fang Yong had said that as long as Xiaopang agreed, he could handle the rest.

’Looks like it’s a sure thing, then.’

’Thirty thousand isn’t a bad price.’

「On the other side.」

Cheng Yu was stunned to see Luo Xuan approach. "Miss Luo, what brings you here?"

Usually, she was the one who went to visit.

Because business was so good over there, selling Spirit Medicine alone took a whole day.

So, unless something was up, Luo Xuan wouldn’t leave her shop.

For her to come over today, Cheng Yu was naturally surprised.

"You didn’t get into a fight with Young Master Gao, did you?" Cheng Yu asked.

Luo Xuan shook her head and told her what had really happened.

Hearing this, Cheng Yu nodded. "Then it must be something important that they didn’t want you to hear. Either a secret or something embarrassing."

Luo Xuan nodded. "That’s why I came out for a walk. I’ll go back in a bit."

This was the first time she had really looked at Cheng Yu’s little shop. There were very few items inside.

It was all Elixirs.

And they weren’t ordinary Elixirs, either.

"The person backing Young Master Fang specializes in Alchemy?" Luo Xuan asked.

"Alchemy and Arrays. But the Elixirs here weren’t refined by him personally. It’s someone else. After all, he’s focused on breaking through in his Cultivation," Cheng Yu said after some thought. "Similar to Jiang Man, he doesn’t have time to learn other things, but his Talent is definitely not bad."

While they were chatting, Fang Yong arrived at the shop.

"Young Master Fang," Cheng Yu immediately stood up and greeted him with a smile. "Is there anything you need me to do?"

Fang Yong looked at Luo Xuan, who nodded in greeting.

Fang Yong nodded back, then turned to Cheng Yu and gave her some Elixirs. "These are the Elixirs for sale."

Accepting the Elixirs, Cheng Yu took out some pastries. "Young Master Fang, would you like to try one? I made them with Spirit Medicine. They might be a tiny bit helpful for Cultivation."

Fang Yong looked at the pastries, then accepted them and left.

Luo Xuan was a little surprised. "You make food for Young Master Fang?"

"A schemer like me, being so close to Young Master Fang, of course I have to do a few things with my own little agenda in mind." Cheng Yu laughed as she arranged the Elixirs. "Do you want to learn? These pastries are quite delicious, a type of spirit food.

"Young Master Fang told me to learn a Minor. If I have the Talent, I can establish myself."

Luo Xuan looked at Cheng Yu and couldn’t help but marvel, "Back then, all you could think about was plotting against them."

Cheng Yu took out a pastry and handed it to Luo Xuan with a smile. "I actually came very close to succeeding. But it’s good that I failed. Between the two paths, who’s to say which one is better? As long as things are good now, that’s what matters."

Luo Xuan tried a pastry and ended up taking two more with her when she left.

"I get thirty-five thousand?" Jiang Man was once again stunned by Fang Yong’s good news.

He’d worked himself to the bone dealing with the Evil God and hadn’t earned nearly this much.

And here was Fang Yong, handing him a huge sum just like that.

"There’s about another twenty thousand on the way," Fang Yong explained. "Most of it came from selling you, but sales have slowed down recently. You’re not worth as much anymore."

Fang Yong’s sigh made Jiang Man feel like he had let him down.

He hadn’t created enough value for him.

Then Fang Yong continued, "Part of it I earned from my own ideas. The rest is from Xiaopang’s side..."

Fang Yong briefly explained the situation with Gao Rong.

Jiang Man put away the Spiritual Source and asked curiously, "You’re even using Xiaopang now?"

"It’s about making the Gao Family understand Xiaopang’s importance," Fang Yong explained. "Business at Xiaopang’s shop is too slow. His family dotes on him, but that’s only temporary. He needs to show some results, but a shop like his is destined to underperform.

"But aren’t you two good friends? This is the perfect opportunity to let them know that you’ve got Xiaopang’s back.

"The more powerful you become, the more Xiaopang gets. And he can lend you any Elixirs he can’t use himself."

Jiang Man felt bad for what he’d said. ’How can you call it ’using’ him when they’re good friends?’

’It’s all for Xiaopang’s own good.’

With this, Jiang Man now had seventy thousand Spiritual Source, and with the twenty thousand from Gao Rong that hadn’t arrived yet, it would be a total of ninety thousand.

This was probably the most anyone in the Outer Sect had ever earned at one time.

’Even Fang Yong, who’s ruined his reputation, couldn’t sell himself for more. He’s just not capable enough.’

After Fang Yong left, Jiang Man prepared to start buying Elixirs and attempt his promotion.

Time was not on his side.

He also had to cultivate other Top-grade Skills.

That made time even more pressing.

On a distant road, a woman watched Jiang Man, her brow slightly furrowed.

’Just how am I supposed to get close to him?’ The woman was dressed plainly, but her features were delicate—stunning, even, upon closer inspection.

She had received an order: to capture the heart of the man named Jiang Man.

She was a genius from the Second Courtyard; there was no reason for her to ever cross paths with someone from the Seventh Courtyard.

Any attempt to capture his heart would seem deliberate.

That’s why she hadn’t made a move yet.

’But I also look poor, so that should make it a bit easier.’

She wasn’t particularly impressed by a genius who relied on pulling all-nighters to get promoted.

She’d seen people like that in the First Courtyard, and their ultimate fates were never as good as those who advanced normally.

But a mission was a mission, and she had to carry it out one way or another.

’I’ll have to use the annual ranking as my opening. He’s participating in the one for the First, Second, and Third Courtyards, so I’ll have a way to approach him. But how can I do it without it looking deliberate?’

’I’ll just have to see who he teams up with. I’ll need someone to take the initiative, and then I can join.’

’But there’s a chance it could affect my own fight for a Promotion Skill.’

’Sigh... he’s just some guy who pulls all-nighters. Why do I have to be so concerned with him? Give me enough time, and he won’t even be able to see my shadow.’