"Big Brother, you can save me, right?" Aaron Jace could no longer contain his excitement. He grabbed Joe Di's clothes, his eyes filled with desperate hope.
Joe Di had no choice but to brush away Aaron Jace's hand from his clothes. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "If this were ten years ago, I could have saved you without a doubt. But now..."
For a male cultivator afflicted by the Nuptial Desire Spirit Body’s scheme, there was basically no cure. From the sea of consciousness to the meridians, even the bones—all were transformed. This desire poison wasn’t tangible, but an invisible force. You can’t unravel it because you don’t even know what the poison is, or where it is. Aaron Jace’s father is an Immortal Emperor, yet even he was powerless, leaving Aaron Jace to despair.
Previously, the Golden Principle on Joe Di had not left him, and he was fully confident in finding the source of the desire poison altering Aaron Jace’s body. Joe Di had his own path in alchemy, and even in cultivation, he had forged his own way. He understood clearly: no matter what it was, everything was governed by rules.
Even the invisible, undetectable poison of desire within Aaron Jace’s body was a kind of rule. If the Golden Principle were still present, he could definitely locate this rule and find a way to change it. That Golden Principle was the ancestor of all rules; any rule could be traced to its source and eliminated. But now, without that Golden Principle, Joe Di no longer had such certainty.
The reason Joe Di believed he still had a chance to save Aaron Jace was that he had helped several people change their spiritual roots and cultivation paths before—Garrett was a prime example. Back then, Garrett couldn’t cultivate either. Though Garrett’s situation differed from Aaron Jace’s, the paths of the Dao are many, yet they all lead to the same destination. To Joe Di, it all came down to different rules.
It was because of this experience, and his understanding of fundamental laws aided by the World Tome, that Joe Di thought he might have a slim chance to change Aaron Jace’s fate.
"Even if there’s only a one percent chance, Big Brother, you have to help me..." Aaron Jace gazed at Joe Di with longing, nearly dropping to his knees.
Joe Di shook his head and said, "If you were just an ordinary person, maybe I could help you. But you’re the Young Lord of Star Demon Palace. If I try and fail, I might not get away unscathed myself."
Aaron Jace said firmly, "Big Brother, just do your best. Even if I fall, I’ll record a crystal sphere declaring it has nothing to do with you."
Joe Di sneered, not even bothering to respond this time.
Aaron Jace realized that if he died, no matter how elaborate his crystal sphere recording was, it would be useless.
"Big Brother, just test whether your method would harm my life. If it won’t hurt me, then go ahead and try—even if I end up crippled, I don’t care. But if it would cause harm, then I’ll accept my fate and won’t try." Aaron Jace looked at Joe Di with utmost seriousness.
Joe Di nodded to himself. Aaron Jace’s refusal wasn’t out of fear of death, but concern for implicating Joe Di.
After a long hesitation, Joe Di finally said, "I can give it a try, but even if it doesn’t threaten your life, it could leave you completely crippled—your meridians shattered, your sea of consciousness ruptured."
"I’m not afraid." Aaron Jace thumped his chest, his voice ringing with determination.
Joe Di understood Aaron Jace’s torment. He suddenly asked, "What was it you were looking for me about before? You can tell me now."
Aaron Jace had never intended to hide this from Joe Di. Now that Joe Di asked, he answered without hesitation, "After my mother was imprisoned by my father, I managed to find a chance to visit her once. She wanted me to work hard at cultivation and strengthen myself, not rely on my father for everything. She gave me an ancient map and said it leads to the cave-dwelling left by a top cosmic powerhouse. The way to open it is by breaking the formation with alchemy—it absolutely cannot be forced open with violence."
But I’m just the spoiled Young Lord of Star Demon Palace. Everyone treats me with respect on the surface, but I know no one truly cares about me. So I went to Master Luan for help designing a challenge, and then forced the Cauldron Haven Alchemy Conference to include it as a test question."
So that’s what happened. Joe Di said speechlessly, "If it’s a top cosmic powerhouse, even if I solve the final question, my level of alchemy might still be insufficient to open that cave-dwelling."
"I know, I know..." Aaron Jace said excitedly. "Big Brother, cure my desire poison first. If you succeed, we’ll go together. If not, you can go on your own in the future. Even my father doesn’t know about this ancient map—I'm giving it to you."
Aaron Jace pulled out a tortoise-shell-like object and stuffed it into Joe Di’s hand. Joe Di glanced at it; it was densely inscribed with words and patterns, appearing extremely intricate.
Joe Di, highly sensitive to fundamental laws and space, immediately sensed upon receiving this tortoise shell that it was an ancient artifact—genuine, not a fake.
"In that case, I’ll keep it." Joe Di didn’t stand on ceremony; he urgently needed to grow stronger, and such an ancient cave-dwelling was worth exploring.
After stowing away the tortoise-shell map, Joe Di spoke solemnly, "Before I treat you, I need to make three things clear. First, I may have to break your Spiritual Sea, and then I’ll teach you a new Spiritual Sea technique to rebuild it. Second, you can’t practice the Stardemon Technique anymore; you’ll need to cultivate the Starspace Technique. Third, I’ll have to break your bones, and you’ll need to train with the Titan Body Technique I give you."
"Big Brother, I agree—completely agree." Aaron Jace replied without hesitation.
Joe Di shook his head. "It’s not just about your agreement—what I’m teaching you are top-tier techniques. You must swear never to pass them on to anyone else."
"I, Aaron Jace, swear—if I ever divulge what Big Brother teaches me, may desire poison burn my body again!" Aaron Jace stood up and swore to the heavens.
To him, desire poison burning the body was the most terrifying torment.
"Good." Joe Di chuckled. Although Aaron Jace’s cultivation was higher than his, he didn’t find it odd that Aaron Jace called him Big Brother. In Aaron Jace, he saw a reflection of himself—how similar they were back when he was in Pearl City.
On the surface, he was arrogant and domineering, but inside he was empty, weak, and filled with vague fear.
"Big Brother, should we start now?" Aaron Jace was growing impatient.
Joe Di shook his head. "No, I have to handle the Starlight Tea business right now. We can’t start yet."
"Ah..." Aaron Jace looked at Joe Di, frustrated. Wasn’t his own body more important than the Starlight Tea business? Even if that tea was the best he’d ever tasted.
"Heh, don’t be fooled just because you’re a Grand Immortal—you’re still too green." Now that Joe Di saw Aaron Jace as a friend, he didn’t bother with formalities.
Aaron Jace pursed his lips, thinking to himself that he was well aware of how inexperienced he was. If he weren’t so green, he wouldn’t have been schemed against. But what did that have to do with handling the Starspire Tea business first?
Joe Di knew Aaron Jace wouldn’t understand, so he explained, "Aaron, once my Starlight Tea hits the market, won’t it shock all of Cauldron Haven?"
Aaron Jace nodded, "I believe that—it’ll definitely cause a sensation."
Joe Di continued, "So tell me—with my current level of strength, won’t countless people rush in to snatch a piece of the action?"
"That could definitely happen." Aaron Jace realized.
Joe Di looked at Aaron Jace with disdain. "It’s not ‘could happen’—it’s guaranteed. So you’ll help me out and run this Starlight Tea business together."
"Big Brother means I should use my father’s name?" Aaron Jace finally understood.
"Exactly. Isn’t borrowing your father’s reputation your usual habit? If the Young Lord of Star Demon Palace is running the Starlight Tea business here, who would dare make trouble? I’ll even give you a few percent of the shares," Joe Di added, patting Aaron Jace again.
"That does make sense, but what does it have to do with you helping me?"
Joe Di was at his wit’s end with this blockhead and explained further: "Now that I’ve offended that Huang fellow, I definitely can’t leave Cauldron Haven. So if I help you detox, it’ll have to be in my shop. And helping you isn’t a one-day job—what if I’m in the middle of treating you and someone barges in? Cauldron Haven’s freedom is only on the surface; people have plenty of ways to collude with the city’s law enforcement."
"I get it, Big Brother. Once I run the Starlight Tea business here, everyone will know it’s the Young Lord of Star Demon Palace’s shop. No matter how bold they are, they won’t dare cause trouble. That way, no one will disturb us, and you can help me in peace." Aaron Jace finally understood.
Joe Di nodded. "You’re not that dumb after all."
……
When Holly Chance returned, several elders were already waiting in the Starspire Apothecary’s conference room.
"Manager Holly, how did it go?" As soon as Holly Chance entered, Elder Bi—his hair and beard completely white—stood up and asked urgently.
Holly Chance sighed and shook her head. "Alchemist Di refused to come to Starspire Apothecary with me, and he also declined to leave Cauldron Haven for the Starspire headquarters."
Elder Bi frowned, while the middle-aged man beside him shook his head. "This man is shrewd and decisive. Now that Guild Master Ethan Huang has a grudge against our Starspire Apothecary, if not for this incident, his daughter wouldn’t have been killed."
Elder Bi sighed and sat down. "I really didn’t expect that, under those circumstances and without our Starspire Apothecary’s involvement, he managed to resolve things on his own."
"This situation is beyond our control. Even if we manage to contain Joe Di, Ethan Huang won’t give up seeking revenge for his daughter." Another manager spoke up.
Everyone fell silent. Joe Di’s decisive actions had suddenly put Starspire Apothecary at a disadvantage.
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)