Fifteen: Encountering the Heir Once Again
After refining jade for several days, something was finally produced at last. During this process, Luo Yu discovered that this material could be refined multiple times. He had never attempted repeated refining when making pills before, because once those ingredients were refined, their essence became extremely pure. But this time, when refining jade, he thought perhaps the furnace wasn’t powerful enough, or perhaps the jade itself was simply too tough to process—the results of the first refining were lackluster. The pieces of Xiuyu and jadeite only had their impurities slightly removed, without any change in shape. The Hetian jade, on the other hand, turned out much better, almost reaching the quality of seed material. In this way, after repeatedly working at it, he finally produced several excellent pieces: uncarved jade, mutton-fat jade, and glass-type jadeite.
He brought these pieces to his grandfather to sell. The old man sighed, “If you could come up with a piece of imperial green glass jadeite, you’d really strike it rich.” Luo Yu found this suggestion rather constructive—if he could make a top-quality glass-type imperial green, there might be hope for that hundred-year-old ginseng, but the risks and difficulties were considerable. To start with, the raw material: buying it would require getting full green jadeite. Genuine imperial full green, even if it’s just hibiscus quality, is exorbitantly expensive. Luo Yu couldn’t even afford the rough stones.
Moreover, one shouldn’t produce too much of this glass-type imperial green—it would be best to make a single large piece at once. Even so, producing one or two pieces of hundred-year-old ginseng would quickly exhaust his resources—such a top-quality imperial green can’t just keep appearing. Having a single piece would be quite enough… For long-term income, he needed a different plan. Maybe he could open a jade shop, selling all kinds of jade openly and legitimately? But with school about to start, and even if he found someone to watch the shop, it wasn’t a sustainable arrangement: with both owners attending classes and only one person watching the store, with no one to source new stock from other jade dealers, it would be odd if no one became suspicious. The people in this business are shrewd—if you only have one good item, others can block you from getting information. Even if you used gambling on stones as an excuse, you couldn’t possibly win jade every single time… It was all too troublesome.
Luo Yu discussed with his grandfather, saying that full green imperial jade was too expensive on the market. They might as well contact a jade processing factory and ask them to keep an eye out for any full green rough, regardless of quality; as long as the color was pure and even, they should set it aside—lower quality would actually be better, since it would be cheaper. But they couldn’t buy too much; just once would suffice. If the factory workers realized they bought cheap material and sold top-quality pieces, trouble would follow.
So, the old man made contact with the jade factory, while Luo Yu continued with his own work. But glass-type imperial green wasn’t easy to come by—a jade factory might only cut one such bangle a year, and that might not even be full green. They’d likely have to wait several months for a suitable rough stone.
In the blink of an eye, school began. On September 10th, Luo Yu and his father went to register. On their way home, they got stuck in traffic and ended up near Ningxi Road. Luo Yu remembered that there was a stone-gambling market nearby, so he told his father he’d get out there and take a look, hoping to use his spiritual sense to uncover any secrets within the stones.
At the stone-gambling market, Luo Yu crouched down in front of a shop and began to examine a piece of raw jade. This stone had a small window opened, revealing a hint of green. Luo Yu probed inside with his spiritual sense; it was a bit strenuous, but he managed. Under his observation, he saw that a large portion of the stone’s center was filled with white cotton-like inclusions, forming a band that split the stone in two. The other half also held jadeite, but it was all floating green patterns, with a base quality roughly equivalent to glutinous or hibiscus jade.
Looking slowly and carefully, what he saw was mostly the same: some ice-type, but glass-type was even rarer. Luo Yu had no intention of buying rough stones unless he found colored (full green) imperial jade—those with uneven color distribution were out of the question.
As he wandered about, Luo Yu suddenly noticed a familiar figure. Up ahead, a tall person… Luo Yu quickly ran over, circled in front of the man, and got a good look: wasn’t this the second-generation rich kid?
Luo Yu grabbed him at once, afraid he might run away again like last time.
The rich kid, surprised at being grabbed, turned around. His astonishingly good-looking face couldn’t quite hide his surprise.
Luo Yu said smugly, “Caught you! Last time you ran so fast—were you up to something shady?”
The rich kid quickly smoothed his expression, reverting to that untouchable, aloof demeanor. He squinted at Luo Yu, refusing to speak.
Luo Yu said, “It’s no use pretending. I know I sold that thing too cheaply, but since I’ve already made the deal, I won’t hold it against you. I just have a few questions.”
The rich kid replied, “Let go of me first.”
Luo Yu refused, “If I let go, you might run again. Come on, let’s find a quiet place to have a proper chat.”
Saying this, he dragged the rich kid out of the market, who obediently followed.
They found a teahouse, chose a secluded spot, and ordered two cups of Junshan Silver Needle tea. Only then did Luo Yu assume an interrogator’s pose and begin his questioning.
“Let’s start with introductions. I’m Luo Yu—Luo from Luoyang, Yu as in feather. What’s your name?”
The rich kid was silent for a moment before answering slowly, “Qin Yue.”
Luo Yu said, “Qin Yue, as in the bright moon of Qin times, winds of Han? Nice name. Judging by your accent, you’re not local?”
The rich kid replied, “No.”
Luo Yu asked, “Here in Qingning for tourism?”
The rich kid gave him a cool glance, “That’s none of your business.”
Internally, Luo Yu fumed: What’s with the attitude? Just because you have a bit of money? I can make good money now too!
But realizing that starting a fight would get him nowhere, he swallowed his irritation and pressed on, “Last time you mentioned spiritual energy. I later went to Huangyang Ravine. That cave… you’ve been inside, haven’t you?”
The rich kid regarded him thoughtfully and nodded.
Luo Yu grinned, “I found footprints in the cave, and guessed they were yours. Did you find anything good there?”
The rich kid leaned back in his chair and said blandly, “After all these questions, it’s my turn.”
Luo Yu said, “Ask away! I just started college, turning nineteen in January, Aquarius. I live at 328 Osmanthus Alley, Fengming Road—”
“Enough,” the rich kid cut him off sharply, then asked coldly, “How did you reach the first level of Qi Refinement?”
Luo Yu froze: Had he been found out? Was it that obvious? He scrutinized the other, but couldn’t tell what his cultivation level was.
The rich kid saw his expression and smirked faintly, waiting for his answer.
Luo Yu recovered and, eyes darting, said, “I still had a pill left; after you bought one, I took the other myself and, well… Hey! Why are you trying to leave again?” Luo Yu shot to his feet and hugged the rich kid’s waist tightly.
The rich kid got angry, “Let go!”
Luo Yu pleaded, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, let’s talk this out—don’t go!”
A server watched the two scuffling, uncertain whether to intervene; they didn’t look like they were fighting, more like a quarrelsome couple. The server shook their head vigorously: what a strange thought!
Perhaps noticing the server’s odd look, the rich kid endured it and stood still. “Let go,” he said, “I’ll talk with you.”
Luo Yu finally released him, keeping a cautious eye as the rich kid sat down.
The rich kid’s frustration was clear as he sulked with a sour expression.
Luo Yu hesitated, then awkwardly asked, “You… don’t believe me?”
The rich kid glanced at him, “If you’d taken that pill, you wouldn’t be standing here talking to me now.”
Luo Yu was startled, “Was it poisonous?”
The rich kid sneered, “That pill was for cultivators at the Golden Core stage. An ordinary person would die from taking it—their body would explode.”
A chill ran down Luo Yu’s spine: Thank goodness I didn’t eat it! My dad really is wise!
He asked anxiously, “Did you take it?”
The rich kid seemed displeased, “No. My cultivation isn’t high enough.”
Luo Yu, excited again, asked, “How advanced are you? Can you fly?”
The rich kid looked exasperated, grinding his teeth, “You still haven’t answered my question.”
Luo Yu, feeling sheepish, hesitated for a long time before muttering, “I have a pill furnace, so I just made some pills and took them.”
Unexpectedly, the rich kid stood up again upon hearing this.
Luo Yu thought he was running off again and prepared to block him, but then saw the other staring at him, wide-eyed, clearly shocked.
Luo Yu awkwardly withdrew his hand, feeling uncomfortable under the stare, and muttered, “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a handsome guy before?”
The rich kid snorted coldly, “I’d rather look in the mirror than at you.”
Luo Yu froze: This guy knows how to joke? No, that wasn’t a joke—that was sarcasm!
Luo Yu snapped, “I may not be fully grown, but I’m definitely not less handsome than you!”
The rich kid was momentarily stunned, perhaps never having encountered someone so determined to defend their own looks.
It took a while for him to regain his composure, and then he asked doubtfully, “You really can make pills? How many have you made?”
Luo Yu sat down, affecting a nonchalant air, and replied slowly, “Do you want to buy some? I can sell you pills, but we’ll have to discuss the price.”
The rich kid frowned and pondered, “What kinds of pills do you have? How effective are they?”
Now Luo Yu’s bravado faded. He thought to himself: This guy’s cultivation is surely higher than mine, but probably not at the Golden Core stage. Maybe Foundation Establishment, or still at Qi Refinement. But my pills barely work on me… would he even want them?
Luo Yu replied somewhat uncertainly, “Right now I only have Nourishing Spirit Pills. But if I have the ingredients, I can make better formulas.”
The rich kid was shocked again, “You can create pill formulas? Have you succeeded before?”
Luo Yu nodded, “I’ve developed a kind of health pill. My family has tried it, and it works pretty well.”
Now the rich kid couldn’t keep calm, and said urgently, “Can I see your pills?”
Luo Yu spread his hands, “I didn’t bring any. If you want to see them, you’ll have to come to my house. Let’s talk about something else first—what level is your cultivation?”
The rich kid was clearly anxious now, shifting restlessly. “Ninth level of Qi Refinement. Let’s see the pills first, then we’ll talk more.”
Luo Yu was surprised by his eagerness, “You’re not after my pill furnace, are you? That’s not for sale.”
The rich kid said, “I can’t make pills; what would I want a furnace for?”
Luo Yu was puzzled, “It’s not that hard—you just can’t do it?”
The rich kid replied, “I have water and fire dual spiritual roots; my spiritual energy is unstable, so I can’t refine pills.”
Only then did Luo Yu recall the issue of spiritual root types affecting pill refinement. He asked, “What kind of spiritual roots do I have—can you tell?”
The rich kid looked at him in surprise, “You don’t know your own roots and you’re still making pills?”
Luo Yu nodded innocently, “No one told me I couldn’t, so I just gave it a try.”
The rich kid, clearly conflicted, took a deep breath to steady himself before saying, “You have four roots: metal, wood, water, and fire. Yours is the worst kind—breaking through the Qi Refinement stage will be extremely difficult, and cultivation will be very hard. That’s why I didn’t tell you anything before. Your roots include mutual generation between water and wood, but also mutual restraint between metal and fire, so your spiritual energy is relatively stable. As for pill making… it ought to be extremely difficult as well. Are you really willing to sell me your pills?”
Luo Yu shrugged, “Pill refining is easy! I get over a dozen from each batch. As long as you can pay, I can sell you as many as you want.”
The rich kid looked at him as if he were a monster, “Normally, cultivators below the fifth level of Qi Refinement can’t make pills—their spiritual sense isn’t strong enough to control the process. How did you manage it? Wait! Your spiritual sense is remarkably strong!”
Luo Yu was surprised, “Is my spiritual sense strong? How do you know?”
The rich kid fell silent. After Luo Yu pressed him repeatedly, he finally confessed with a resigned air, “When I bought your pill furnace, I tried to use my spiritual sense to control you, but it barely worked—you repelled it instantly.”
Luo Yu gaped, pointing an accusatory finger, “I knew it! You did something shady to me! I was right all along!”
The rich kid glanced at the curious onlookers around them and snapped angrily, “Shut up, idiot!”
The story of Cultivating Immortality with My Best Friend, Chapter 15—Encounter with the Rich Kid—has been updated!