Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 188: Chapter 188 Breakthrough

Qin Yue knew Ye Qingchen was strapped for cash, which was why he had taken an advance on his Spirit Stones from her. Although Ye Qingchen meant well by standing up for her, Qin Xi was being relentless and would not let the matter rest until she saw the Spirit Stones. Qin Yue didn’t believe Ye Qingchen could earn enough Low-grade Spirit Stones in such a short time, which was why she tried to stop him from intervening.

But when Qin Xi saw Ye Qingchen, she had no intention of letting the person who had ruined her plans get away so easily. She stopped targeting Qin Yue and walked up to Ye Qingchen, sizing him up as she spoke, ”Qin Yue secretly misappropriated 3,400 Low-grade Spirit Stones. Are you going to stand up for her?”

Qin Xi looked at Ye Qingchen with disdain. In her mind, Ye Qingchen is nothing more than a pretty boy following Qin Yue. Hearing about such a large sum of misappropriated Spirit Stones will surely scare him into quickly dissociating himself from her. Then, she can not only use Qin Yue’s misappropriation to file a formal complaint but also use Ye Qingchen as an excuse to humiliate her further.

To Qin Xi’s surprise, however, Ye Qingchen didn’t react as she had imagined. Instead of distancing himself from Qin Yue, he burst into laughter, a sound laced with undisguised disdain.

This annoyed Qin Xi greatly, and she coldly demanded, ”What are you laughing at? If you’re going to stand up for Qin Yue, then hurry up and replace the Spirit Stones. If you can’t produce them, don’t waste my time!”

Ye Qingchen stopped laughing and looked at Qin Xi. ”They say the Qin Family is as wealthy as a nation, yet I never expected its two young misses to squabble endlessly over a mere few thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Miss Qin Xi, aren’t you afraid that if word of this gets out, the Qin Family will become a laughingstock?”

Qin Xi snorted. ”You sharp-tongued brat. The Qin Family’s internal affairs are none of your business. If you have the Spirit Stones, hand them over. If not, get lost!”

Ye Qingchen shook his head, glanced at the anxious Qin Yue, and said, ”As for Spirit Stones, I indeed don’t have any on me right now.”

”None? Then who are you pretending to be, showing up here with nothing!” Qin Xi’s voice dripped with even more contempt as she turned back to Qin Yue. ”Qin Yue, and here I thought this pretty boy you’re keeping had some substance. Turns out he’s all looks and no use. Since you can’t produce the Spirit Stones, I won’t waste any more time on you. Just you wait to be held accountable by the family elders!”

After saying her piece, Qin Xi turned to leave.

Ye Qingchen coughed lightly and continued, ”Miss Qin Yue, I have a few third-grade Breakthrough Pills here. They should be enough to cover those three thousand or so Low-grade Spirit Stones, right?”

As he spoke, Ye Qingchen retrieved the third-grade Breakthrough Pills he had refined from his storage ring and handed them to Qin Yue. Of course, he didn’t take out the special-grade one; he was saving that for his own breakthrough to the Grand Martial Master Realm. He presented the other four Breakthrough Pills.

Qin Yue wanted to refuse, but seeing the undeniable look in Ye Qingchen’s eyes, she was spellbound, nodding and accepting the four pills.

Hearing Ye Qingchen, Qin Xi also stopped in her tracks, turning to look at the third-grade Breakthrough Pills in Qin Yue’s hands.

”Of these four Breakthrough Pills, one is low-grade, one is mid-grade, and two are high-grade. Miss Qin Yue, you can appraise them,” Ye Qingchen explained unhurriedly. Although I’m not sure of the exact market price for third-grade Breakthrough Pills, having four of them is equivalent to gaining four new experts at the Grand Martial Master Realm. That should be more than enough to cover over three thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Qin Yue nodded. Without appraising the pills herself, she handed them to Qin Xi and said coldly, ”Even the lowest-grade third-grade Breakthrough Pill can be exchanged for one thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones. Take these four Breakthrough Pills, Qin Xi, and see for yourself!”

Qin Xi’s expression became a little unnatural, but she still took the Spirit Pills from Qin Yue and began her appraisal. In truth, just as Qin Yue had said, even four low-grade pills would have been enough to cover the sum, let alone a mix that included mid- and high-grade ones. Qin Yue hadn’t appraised them herself precisely to leave Qin Xi with no room for argument. Of course, there was another reason: she trusted Ye Qingchen.

As Qin Xi appraised the Spirit Pills, her expression grew increasingly sour. Their quality was exactly as Ye Qingchen had described. She shot Ye Qingchen a resentful glare. She had finally found some leverage against Qin Yue, only for Ye Qingchen to thwart her plans yet again.

Moreover, with these four Breakthrough Pills, the family will gain four new Grand Martial Masters, which means Qin Yue will get credit for another major contribution. At this thought, Qin Xi snorted, set down the pills, and stormed away.

Seeing Qin Xi leave, Qin Yue finally breathed a sigh of relief. The deficit was covered, giving Qin Xi no reason to cause any more trouble. If she dared to continue her baseless provocations, Qin Yue wouldn’t hesitate to report her forcefully, just as she had threatened earlier.

Her eyes filled with gratitude, Qin Yue gave Ye Qingchen a graceful curtsy and said, ”Ye Qingchen, thank you for what you did just now. If you hadn’t stepped in, who knows how far Qin Xi would have taken things. I’m just sorry this has cost you so much.”

Qin Yue’s gratitude was sincere. Those four pills could have sold for at least six thousand Low-grade Spirit Stones, yet Ye Qingchen had offered them without a hint of hesitation, especially when he needed money the most. How could such a gesture not move me?

”Have you forgotten?” Ye Qingchen said with a smile and a wave of his hand. ”There’s no need for such formalities between us.”

Qin Yue nodded, etching his kindness deep in her heart. When Ye Qingchen needs my help, I will repay him tenfold!

After a few more pleasantries, it suddenly dawned on Qin Yue. She looked at Ye Qingchen in surprise and asked, ”You just gave away all the Breakthrough Pills, so what about you?”

As an auctioneer, Qin Yue naturally knew that the quantity of Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass was only enough to refine a dozen or so third-grade Breakthrough Pills. The difficulty of refining them was also notoriously high; even a renowned third-grade Alchemist would be thanking the heavens for a twenty percent success rate. Yet Ye Qingchen had produced four pills at once. Could his alchemy skills have already surpassed those of veteran third-grade Alchemists?

Ye Qingchen smiled. ”Of course, I kept one for myself. I don’t have any use for the others.”

Qin Yue swallowed hard. It seems I’ve still underestimated Ye Qingchen’s mastery of alchemy. Just those high-grade Breakthrough Pills alone are not something an ordinary Alchemist could ever hope to create!