Get Rewards by Fulfilling Others' Wishes

Chapter 108: Chapter 81: Stop! Stop! I’m Being Squeezed Dry

When he first heard Zhu Li call herself the Chief Mansion Official, all he’d wanted to do was laugh affectionately.

But now, he could only give Zhu Li a thumbs-up.

He glanced at the bun in Zhu Li’s hair and couldn’t resist ruffling it.

”You can’t ruin your health over this!”

”...”

Zhu Li flinched, and a blush crept onto her pretty face.

Zhao Ci turned and announced loudly, ”After we get through this crunch period, none of you are to overwork yourselves with alchemy. Even in the coming days, you must know your limits. This is especially true for Tributor Zhu. Everyone, make sure she gets proper rest. She must rest after every session. Do you all hear me?”

”Understood!”

All the alchemists answered in unison.

Zhu Li froze, then said indignantly, ”I really don’t need to rest!”

Zhao Ci smiled. ”Don’t worry. It’s not worth sacrificing your health for a bit more contribution. If you collapse from exhaustion, I won’t be happy, even if the Tenth Prince’s Mansion ends up reigning supreme over all the others.”

Zhu Li: ”...”

She wrinkled her delicate, fair nose and let out a small huff.

She didn’t offer an opinion, just lowered her head slightly.

Zhao Ci didn’t press the issue. It was a matter of Zhu Li’s personal obsession, and it wasn’t his place to pry too deeply right now. However, his own perspective had started to change.

In the past, establishing his mansion had just been a means of self-improvement. He hadn’t really cared whether he came in first in the competition among the princes’ mansions.

But now, it seemed, he should start considering other people’s goals, too.

”By the way, what’s our current output?”

”We’re going at full capacity!”

Zhu Li said excitedly, ”It’s just that our yield of high- and medium-grade pills is so high. If we were to focus solely on refining Low-Grade Qi Cultivation Pills, we probably would’ve made five thousand by now.”

Zhao Ci waved his hand dismissively. ”There’s no need to waste our production capacity on that.”

”True!”

Zhu Li nodded. ”Once we have enough in a few days, I’ll go with you to the Northern Three Prefectures. I’ll burn anyone who dares cause trouble!”

Zhao Ci shook his head with a smile. ”You don’t have to. Just stay in Lingge and focus on your alchemy. Things are a mess in the Northern Three Prefectures...”

Zhu Li’s brow furrowed. ”Are you looking down on me? Do you think I’ll be a burden?”

Zhao Ci immediately denied it. ”How could that be? I just feel that if you’re not with me, I’m just missing one expert bodyguard. But if you leave the Xingyu Pill Association, it will instantly fall from a top-tier Pill Workshop to absolute garbage. Wouldn’t you agree?”

As he spoke, he pointed to the group of alchemists who were engrossed in their work.

He added another question: ”Do you think they can manage without you?”

Upon hearing this, the corners of Zhu Li’s mouth began to curve up uncontrollably. But then she felt that as the Chief Mansion Official, showing her pleasure so openly would make her seem unsophisticated, so she desperately forced her smile down.

Putting on a worried expression, she sighed and said, ”You’re right. They can’t manage without me. Well, you’d better be careful when you’re away. Don’t make me worry too much.”

Zhao Ci: ”...”

Just then, a series of pops echoed as furnace lids were opened, and the fragrance of pills filled the Alchemy Room.

A figure clutching some medicinal pills walked over.

”If Zhu Li isn’t going, I’ll go with you!”

”Hm?”

Zhao Ci was a bit surprised. ”Yang Mo? What are you doing here, performing alchemy?”

Yang Mo’s expression was flat. ”I happened to have studied a little alchemy. Since I had nothing better to do, I thought I’d help out. They’re only low-grade pills, so please don’t mind.”

As he spoke, he opened the jade bottle in his hand.

[Current Wish of Yang Mo]: Receive Zhao Ci’s approval and not be tortured by his parents after returning home. Wish Completion Reward: Comprehension Value +10, Torture Talisman x1.

Zhao Ci: ”...”

He took the jade bottle, poured out a pill, and tossed it directly into his mouth.

The pill’s medicinal energy was rather weak. Its flavors weren’t properly integrated, and it seemed some extra supplementary herbs had been added just to barely bind the medicinal energy together.

Without Zhu Li’s Yu Xin Flame during the final quenching process, it probably wouldn’t even have met the standard for a Low-Grade Qi Cultivation Pill.

Seeing the cold sweat covering Yang Mo’s brow, it was clear he had used up all his energy.

Zhao Ci was suddenly reminded of the first day Feng Kucha had joined his household. He had gone to the Feng Mansion to find him, only to discover him secretly cultivating.

Upon being discovered, Feng Kucha had almost exploded with shame and anger, telling Zhao Ci not to bother him for no reason. He felt that struggling to cultivate with no results made him look like a clown. He would much rather wait until he got the Ten Thousand Wood Roots, let his cultivation level skyrocket, and then appear effortlessly powerful before everyone.

’This...’

’Geniuses are all alike...’

’But every failure is a failure in his own way.’

However.

’Yang Mo’s psychological burden was clearly far greater than the others’. How twisted did his parents have to be to leave him with such deep-seated trauma?’

Zhao Ci put the bottle away, slung an arm around Yang Mo’s neck, and grinned. ”Not bad, Lao Mo! I never knew you had this trick up your sleeve. How come you never mentioned it? Hiding secrets from your brother, were you?”

Yang Mo’s tension immediately eased, and the hint of a smile finally touched his lips. ”Mostly because my skills are nothing to show off.”

Zhao Ci waved his hand. ”It’s not up to you to decide whether your skills are worth showing off. Tell me this: if these pills were sold on the market for forty taels apiece, wouldn’t people be scrambling to buy them?”

Yang Mo felt that was probably true, but he also felt it was only thanks to Zhu Li.

Zhao Ci waved to someone in the distance. ”Tributor Zhang, come over here a moment.”

Tributor Zhang rushed over. In the entire Xingyu Pill Association, his alchemy skills were the most profound and he had the most seniority. While his status wasn’t as high as Zhu Li’s, he was the actual Steward.

”Your Highness, what are your orders?”

”Has Young Master Yang been registered as an Alchemist yet?”

”N-Not yet!”

”Then get it done immediately. I recall that before the Gongdan Conference, my mother consort commissioned a batch of Pill Robes. Go pick one out for Young Master Yang.”

”Yes!”

Tributor Zhang received his orders and quickly departed.

A short while later, he returned with a Pill Robe.

[System Prompt]: Wish fulfilled. Reward obtained: Comprehension Value +10, Torture Talisman x1.

[Torture Talisman]: Apply to a target to double their negative sensations and emotions. Lasts for fifteen minutes.

Yang Mo held the Pill Robe, completely at a loss. He pointed to himself and stammered, ”I... I’m considered an Alchemist now?”

”What else?”

Zhao Ci retorted, ”Hurry up and change. That outfit you have on is not suited for alchemy. You’re wearing this Pill Robe home today.”

Yang Mo: ”!!!”

He was deeply moved.

New subtitles appeared above his head.

[Current Wish of Yang Mo]: This Alchemist status came too easily. I’m afraid my parents won’t believe it. I hope they don’t torture me because of this. Wish Completion Reward: Comprehension Value +10, Torture Talisman x1.

Zhao Ci: ”???”

’Dammit!’

’If you don’t get recognition, you get tortured.’

’If you do get recognition, you still get tortured.’

’Then what was the point of getting this recognition?!’

’They’re going to torture their son no matter what.’

’These damn parents.’

’He’d be better off without them!’