Perfect-grade pills— even for an alchemist of Shui Qianrou's level, it was impossible to guarantee that every single furnace could produce such quality.
She must have expended an immense amount of effort and time to present such a sight to Chu Ge!
Not only the quality, but even the selection of these pills had clearly been made with great care.
Whether for daily cultivation, for combat against enemies, or for use in moments of crisis and peril—every necessary category was fully included. They were truly essential provisions for a cultivator!
"Martial Aunt Shui…"
Chu Ge was just about to speak his thanks when Shui Qianrou suddenly gave him a mysterious smile. The mature charm that flashed forth in that instant made even Chu Ge pause in momentary daze.
"What comes next is my personal thanks to you. Do you know how great the benefits you brought me were on the day when Heaven and Earth resonated with the Dao?"
Chu Ge assumed she was referring to her breakthrough in cultivation that day.
As if reading his thoughts, Shui Qianrou spoke again, "That day was far more than just a simple realm breakthrough for me."
"My insights into the Dao of Alchemy also advanced by leaps and bounds after that. Only later did I realize that, once again, I had benefited from you."
"These past half-month, I've gained new insights into alchemy every single day. The next realm is already within arm's reach—only the final step remains!"
Chu Ge was slightly stunned, then replied, "That is also because Martial Aunt Shui is extraordinarily gifted and innately talented in the Dao of Pills. How could this be solely my contribution? Otherwise, why have no others gained insights beyond cultivation alone?"
"Giggle… you really do have a sweet mouth."
"With such a sweet-tongued junior, your Martial Aunt must give an even greater reward."
Shui Qianrou covered her mouth as she laughed softly and cast Chu Ge a coquettish look.
In Chu Ge's eyes, that was no different from a seductive glance.
At once, he felt that Elder Shui before him was truly overflowing with charm.
Her mature, peach-like allure was enough to make one want to pounce at once and take a bite, to taste that sweetness ripened to the very bone!
The faint feminine fragrance that drifted from her from time to time was even more refreshing than the thick pill-scent filling the room.
Fortunately, though Chu Ge was by no means a saint, he was also not the kind of despicable man who lost all sense at the sight of beauty and could no longer move his feet.
The stirrings of his heart were promptly pressed down.
"In this ring is the gift I give you in thanks."
Shui Qianrou produced another storage ring and handed it to Chu Ge without further explanation.
Seeing her attitude, Chu Ge naturally accepted it without hesitation.
As soon as the ring was in his hand, he sent his divine sense inside.
The first thing he saw was a massive pile of spirit stones stacked within—all of the supreme grade, heaped into several small hills.
With a rough glance, Chu Ge could already tell there were no fewer than five hundred thousand.
The day he had collected rewards from the Linglu Pavilion, he had only received a little over a million. After later counting carefully, the total had come to one million five hundred thousand.
Yet today, Shui Qianrou alone had already given nearly one third of that amount.
This was more than enough to demonstrate her generosity, and also clearly showed from another angle that this exceedingly charming Martial Aunt before him was, in truth, a genuine wealthy benefactor.
However, though the spirit stones were dazzling, today they could only serve as a foil.
The true focus lay in a small pile of jade bottles placed at the very center of the storage ring.
At a rough count, there were only nine bottles.
The pills inside each jade bottle were different as well—some contained twelve or nine pills, while the fewer ones held only six or three.
The one with the least was the central jade bottle, which contained only a single pill!