### Chapter 39: I'll Refine Pills for You From Now On
Three days slipped by, and the outer sect tournament's preliminary rounds whittled 406 disciples down to 203 winners. The 203 losers weren't eliminated yet—they'd face off against the 101 disciples who'd fall in the next round, battling for a spot in the top twenty. But none of this concerned Lin Yi. He bided his time, waiting for the top eight to emerge so he could join the finals.
…
*Bang!*
A sliver of spiritual energy, shaped like a sword qi, slammed into a door's barrier, rippling it with a dull thud. Outside stood a young man in a cyan robe, hands behind his back, watching casually—as if striking the barrier was the most natural thing in the world.
The barrier flickered and vanished. The door creaked open, revealing an apple-cheeked female cultivator, her face a mix of pout and exasperation. To Lin Yi, that pout only made her more charming. He burst into laughter.
It was Lin Yi and Xiao Bei.
"Must you bash my barrier instead of using a messenger talisman?" Xiao Bei huffed, her tone laced with annoyance. "Show off your growing cultivation, why don't you?"
"C'mon, Xiao Bei Bei, this is faster!" Lin Yi grinned. "Messenger talismans are such a hassle. One wave of my hand, and you're here. Simple, right?"
Xiao Bei had long given up protesting the nickname "Xiao Bei Bei." Lin Yi clung to it, and eventually, she'd resigned herself to it.
"Flattery will get you nowhere," she said, though her pout softened into something warmer.
In that moment, her feigned irritation held a quiet allure that left Lin Yi staring.
"Here," she said, shoving a storage bag into his hands. "The Great Replenishing Pills you wanted. They should get you to the Fifth Level of Qi Refinement. Though if you splurged on better ingredients for Dew Condensation Pills, breaking through would be easier."
"Great Replenishing Pills work fine, and their ingredients are cheaper," Lin Yi argued, tucking the bag away. "Saving spirit stones is key! I don't have that many to waste."
"Pretending to be poor again," Xiao Bei scoffed, seeing right through him.
Lin Yi chuckled awkwardly. "To thank you for the pills, I'll treat you to a feast at Drunken Immortal Pavilion!"
"A feast? Yes!" Xiao Bei's eyes lit up, clapping her hands. "I want braised fish and twice-cooked pork!"
Lin Yi froze. He'd never realized she had such an appetite. Panic flickered—this was going to cost a fortune. Regret gnawed at him. *Why'd I open my big mouth?*
…
To save spirit stones, Lin Yi skipped Drunken Immortal Pavilion's fourth floor—reserved for lavish banquets—and led Xiao Bei to the third. He'd grown up poor, and even with over a thousand low-grade spirit stones, waste still grated on him. "Order whatever you want," he said, pouring tea for both of them.
The waiter hovered, and Xiao Bei didn't hold back. After braised fish and twice-cooked pork, she added mapo tofu, stir-fried greens, and three more dishes.
"Does it hurt, seeing all those spirit stones vanish?" she teased once the waiter left. From their chats, she'd pegged him as frugal—though kind to those he cared about.
"Not at all! It's an honor to treat you," Lin Yi lied, his heart twinging. Xiao Bei had ordered the priciest dishes. Back when he'd treated Li Shun, they'd stuck to cheap wine and three plain dishes max.
*Can she even finish all this?* he wondered.
"Good. I'd hate to waste my time refining pills for someone who's stingy with me," she said.
"Thank you—truly," Lin Yi said, his voice softening. "You've worked hard these past few days."
Her eyes widened at his sincerity. Then she shrugged. "No need to thank me. Without you, I'd still be forced to refine pills for those thugs. Alchemists like me—we're just tools for others, aren't we? At least with you, there's free food. That's better than nothing."
A shadow of sadness crossed her face. *Is an alchemist's fate really just to serve others?*
"Not anymore," Lin Yi said gently. "Refine pills when you want, rest when you don't. No one's forcing you."
"Since when are you so nice?" she shot back, arching an eyebrow. "You'll probably work me to the bone now that you've got an alchemist on call."
Lin Yi froze, chagrined. She wasn't wrong—having an alchemist at his disposal was too useful to waste. His attempt at comfort had backfired spectacularly.
Xiao Bei laughed at his窘ished expression. "Relax. I mean it—I'll refine pills for you from now on."
*I'll refine pills for you from now on.*
The words hung in the air. Lin Yi stared, stunned. Xiao Bei seemed to realize how it sounded—her cheeks flushed, and she turned to stare out the window, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Her heart raced, loud enough to drown out the chatter around them.
Lin Yi's gaze lingered on her profile, heat creeping up his neck. A raw, unfamiliar urge surged through him, leaving him tongue-tied and flushed.
Outside, the sun dipped lower, painting the sky in gold. But neither noticed—the world had narrowed to that small table, and a promise that felt like so much more than pills.