Xunyu Pavilion

"Brother Kong, do you think the world is very ruthless?"

"Huh?... Brother Long, did you really challenge Sister Qing and lose?"

"No, I'm not that stupid... Answer my question, do you think the world is very ruthless?"

Lei Kongming sighed in relief and said, "It's good that you accepted that you are a little stupid."

Hearing this, Lei Longwei was stunned for a moment and then ground his teeth in anger.

"Lei! Kongming! Stop talking nonsense and answer my question."

"Alright, don't get angry, I was just teasing you. Besides, I do think the world is very ruthless."

After hearing Lei Kongming answer honestly, Lei Longwei regained his composure and once again put on the expression of a lonely old man who has seen the viciousness of time.

"I'm deeply troubled by a problem, Brother Kong. Can you give me some advice?"

"Sure, but Brother Long, what is the problem troubling you?" asked Lei Kongming with interest.

"Well… today I asked my father, when will the Guan Li ceremony be held?"

Only then did Lei Kongming remember that it was already time for the Guan Li Ceremony.

"But he told me that the clan has postponed the Guan Li ceremony to next month due to the Purple Cloud Palace selection."

Lei Kongming somewhat understood the reason behind this. Many people are now in seclusion to prepare for the Purple Cloud Palace selection, and they would miss the ceremony if it were held now. However, this did not stop him from teasing Lei Longwei.

"Eh?... Little Long, don't worry. If you fail in the Purple Cloud Palace, then you can attend the ceremony next month. And if you pass, then I believe the clan will make an exception to let you stay outside even after sunset."

Lei Longwei didn't say anything but silently stared at Lei Kongming.

"...…"

It may be because Lei Kongming feels a little guilty that his eyes avoid meeting Longwei's gaze.

"*Cough* Brother Long, why don't you go to the patriarch? I believe he may already have a solution."

"Brother Kong, I'm going to meet the patriarch. See you later." With that, Lei Longwei left anxiously.

...…..

Lei Kongming is standing in front of Xunyu Pavilion, the largest chamber of commerce in the territory of the Purple Cloud Palace. There are also rumors that it was established by some core elders of the Purple Cloud Palace.

After entering the pavilion, Lei Kongming directly moves towards a familiar side room. He usually comes here to sell the leaks he got from stalls, relying on his partial instinct-like memory.

As he enters the room, Lei Kongming finds an old man reading something with great interest. However, upon noticing it is Lei Kongming, the old man greets him with enthusiasm.

"Young Master Kong, what has brought you here? I thought you were in seclusion to prepare for the Purple Cloud Palace selection."

"Haha… Senior Huang, I have a few things to sell. Here, take a look."

Realizing that it is a mind-calming pill, Senior Huang frowned and said, "Young Master Kong, I think you have heard about the naked man incident that happened in Jade River Mountain?"

"Yes, of course, I know. But Senior Huang doesn't have to worry. These pills are refined by Elder Chen."

Lei Kongming did not panic because now that the Azure Dew Flower has been refined, it would be very difficult to trace it back to the Azure Dew Flower of Rabbit Burrow unless Uncle Chen spilled the beans.

He also didn't mention the source of the Azure Dew Flower but only said that it was refined by Uncle Chen, which would only make Senior Huang assume that the Azure Dew Flower is from the Lei family inventory. But to be on the safe side, the bottle he has given to Senior Huang only has seven high-grade mind-calming pills.

"There are 7 pills in the bottle, all of them are authentic. Our Xunyu Pavilion is willing to buy them for 200 spirit stones each."

Lei Kongming didn't negotiate and simply nodded. While high-grade mind-calming pills typically sold for between 200 and 230 spirit stones, and those refined by Lei Chen could fetch even more than 215 spirit stones, considering Xunyu Pavilion's profit as a middleman, the offer of 200 spirit stones per pill was still quite reasonable.

"1400 spirit stones, Young Master Kong. Do you still want them in a big bag like always, or would you prefer to use your space ring?"

"Senior Huang, just give them to me in a bag."

The old man named Senior Huang never understood why Lei Kongming never used his space ring. As the son of the patriarch of the Lei family, obtaining a space ring should not be a problem for him, but Senior Huang did not dwell on it.

...…..

At this time, Senior Brother Yang was standing in front of his three Qi-refining juniors with a very dark face.

"So you are telling me that I owe the sect another 1000 spirit stones, 500 spirit stones for the perfect mind-calming pill, and 500 spirit stones as fees to Elder Hei for the treatment?"

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Just those three words hit Senior Brother Yang like a knife to the heart. The Jade Frost Pill costs 5000 spirit stones. He paid 2000 spirit stones with all his money and took a loan of 3000 spirit stones from the sect. Now, he realizes that he owes the sect an additional 1000 spirit stones.

You should know that the sect will only allocate 200 spirit stones to each Qi-refining disciple each month. If you want to get more, you have to rely on yourself, like completing the missions given by the sect.

200 spirit stones a month may be a lot for others, but for Senior Brother Yang, who is trying to break through to the Foundation Building Realm, it is not much.

"Senior Brother Yang, Elder Hei has also said that you should consume a Mind Calming Pill each week until you acquire the Jade Frost Pill."

"So you mean to add another 1500 spirit stones to my loan?"

At this point, Senior Brother Yang felt like killing his three juniors, but soon the effect of the mind-calming pill kicked in, and he calmed down.

"How is the investigation going? Have you found out who laid the trap?"

Although his anger towards his juniors has diminished, it does not mean that he has forgiven the person who laid the trap.

"Senior Brother, the investigation for that naked man is still ongoing. But for the one who laid the trap... Elder Hei said that the trap uses the most common materials, and it is normal to find traps in Jade River Mountain as they are laid by people to hunt for beasts. So, it's very difficult to investigate, and it requires a lot of manpower and resources."

"So, you're saying that no one is investigating the person who laid the trap?"

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Hearing this, his eyes got red with anger, but the calming effect of the mind-calming pill once again took place, and he quickly calmed down.

"Let's go, let's go back to the sect otherwise I might accumulate more new debts."