Holly Chance wasn't a fool. Every third-grade immortal pill Joe Di refined was a flawless three-pattern pill, and every fourth-grade immortal pill was either two-patterned or three-patterned.
It was obvious that Joe Di was holding back his true strength—even his best fourth-grade pills were only two or three-patterned. Just how terrifying was Joe Di's mastery of alchemy? Now that he was asking her for a large quantity of sixth-grade immortal spirit herbs, it was certain that, before long, Joe Di would become a true Seventh Grade Alchemy King, and it wouldn’t be impossible for him to reach the rank of Alchemy Sovereign.
Why would she try to swindle someone like that? Not to mention, Joe Di had given her a Soulbind Elixir. Her friend had asked her to help Joe Di, and even without that, she wouldn’t have tried to cheat him. If she did manage to swindle Joe Di, it would only benefit Starspire Apothecary, and she, Holly Chance, would gain nothing.
And if she failed to swindle Joe Di, she’d have to face the wrath of a soon-to-be Alchemy King. Besides, she hadn’t spent much time with Joe Di, but she already knew he wasn’t someone who could be easily deceived.
Just look at how Joe Di handled the matter with Huang Ye Tian’s daughter—you could see his ruthless decisiveness. Someone like him, if not a friend, was best not made into an enemy.
Joe Di stood up, cupped his fists, and said, “Thank you, Senior Sister Holly. No matter what, I owe you for this favor.”
Regardless of Holly Chance’s motives, and whether he might be tricked by her in the future, the fact that she had warned him ahead of time about Starspire Apothecary’s situation was a favor Joe Di accepted.
Holly Chance smiled slightly. "Just call me Holly from now on. And let me remind you of one more thing: you killed Huang Quan and destroyed that shop. Even though Master Dui spoke up for you, you’ve still broken the unspoken rules of Cauldron Haven."
Joe Di smiled but didn’t reply. He simply took out two cups, placed two tea leaves in them, then produced a jade kettle and poured water for Holly Chance himself. “Senior Sister Holly, let’s set other matters aside for now. Try my newly crafted tea and see what you think.”
Holly Chance was still puzzled that a guest would be served just a single tea leaf, but as soon as the hot water was poured, the leaf’s full fragrance was immediately released.
At that moment, Holly Chance’s slightly uneasy mood suddenly calmed. The cup of immortal spirit tea before her seemed to quiet the restless cultivation world she had been striving to master, unfurling a new cosmic starry canvas for her.
A faint, delicate fragrance wafted up, and Holly Chance couldn't help but lift the cup and take a sip.
All the noise, tension, busyness, and anxiety vanished without a trace. A cool tranquility spread through her body and soul, revealing a brand new world and letting her experience an unparalleled sense of peace.
Holly Chance closed her eyes, sensing her once-unstable foundation suddenly steadying, and her cultivation realm—long stagnant—beginning to loosen.
Even the faintest traces of pill toxins were drawn out, drifting like clouds in the starry sky, cleansing her entire body and soul.
“Excellent tea!” After a long while, Holly Chance opened her eyes, her face brimming with joy as she looked at Joe Di. “Joe Di, this is the finest immortal spirit tea I’ve ever tasted. Compared to this, Starspire Immortal Tea is far too coarse and noisy.”
Her cultivation hadn’t increased at all, yet what she gained was worth a thousand times more than any mere boost in power.
Joe Di took out a jade box and handed it to Holly Chance. “Senior Sister Holly, these tea leaves are for you.”
“Thank you, thank you—this is far too precious.” Holly Chance knew just how valuable the tea leaves were, and though she felt she shouldn’t accept them, she couldn’t help but put them away.
This was exactly what she’d been lacking. With these tea leaves, she would soon break through her bottleneck and reach a higher realm.
"I still have plenty, and besides, the tea tree itself was given to me by you, Senior Sister Holly," Joe Di said casually.
Holly Chance suddenly realized, "Joe, you’re not planning to start a business selling this immortal spirit tea, are you?"
Joe Di nodded. "This is a new immortal spirit tea I’ve developed, called Starlight Tea. That’s exactly what I intend this shop to sell."
Holly Chance’s eyes grew anxious. “You absolutely mustn’t do this business. Don’t be fooled by the lack of competition—bringing this kind of immortal spirit tea to market would be far more dangerous than you think.”
Seeing Joe Di might not understand the seriousness, she continued, "Starspire Apothecary sent me here to spirit you away from Cauldron Haven if you ever had nowhere else to turn, and then deliver you to their headquarters. If that happened, you might never get out for the rest of your life."
"Joe, you need to understand, Starspire Apothecary isn’t even considered a major power in Cauldron Haven. Just because you can refine top-tier fourth-grade immortal pills, they’re already treating you like this. If you start selling Starlight Tea, far too many people will come looking for trouble."
Joe Di nodded. "I know, so I won’t rush into it. If I can’t find the right partner, I’d rather not do it at all."
Previously, Joe Di had considered partnering with Chi Yuanqing, but now he realized Chi’s strength was still a bit lacking.
Holly Chance saw that Joe Di clearly had his own ideas, so she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she finished her cup of immortal spirit tea in one gulp, closed her eyes to savor it for a while longer, then said, “Thank you for the tea. I need to return to Starspire Apothecary. I expect the headquarters steward is waiting for my report. I’ll just tell them you thought the problem was resolved and didn’t want to come with me to Starspire Apothecary.”
"Alright, thank you again, Senior Sister." Joe Di thanked her once more and personally saw Holly Chance out of the shop.
"Brother Di, that woman was here to help you, wasn’t she? But from what I can see, she doesn’t seem to have much ability—probably won’t be able to help you at all." After Holly Chance left, Aaron Jace chuckled.
"Brother Jie, come upstairs and talk with me." Joe Di knew Holly Chance couldn’t offer him much more help, but the fact that she hadn’t betrayed him and even came to warn him made her a friend in his eyes.
Aaron Jace followed Joe Di to the reception room on the second floor. Seeing the untouched cup of ordinary immortal spirit tea Holly Chance had left, he laughed, "Brother Di, this immortal spirit tea of yours is way too weak. Watch this."
With that, Aaron Jace pulled out a porcelain jade bottle, ready to pour out some tea leaves.
Joe Di stopped him. "That’s for serving ordinary guests. I have better immortal spirit tea here. Try it first, and if it’s not to your liking, we’ll try yours."
Joe Di could tell Aaron Jace was probably suffering from overindulgence—he looked rather sickly. But this man was straightforward and direct, never beating around the bush, which suited Joe Di’s temperament.
"Alright, I’ll try yours first. But I’ll say it up front—your immortal spirit tea can’t possibly be better than mine, because..." Aaron Jace stopped halfway, suddenly incredulous. "Brother Di, I did at least speak up for you earlier, and you’re only using one tea leaf to brew a cup? Isn’t that a bit stingy?"
"Don’t rush." Joe Di poured water from the kettle into the cup. Aaron Jace stared at the tea, surprised—just one leaf, just one cup of tea, yet he could sense a new world, a tranquil cosmic expanse.
Even before tasting it, his body and soul were already being cleansed by the tranquility, as if the peace could reach all the way to his spirit.
"Excellent tea..." Aaron Jace praised it even before taking a sip, then lifted the cup and downed it in one gulp.
Joe Di couldn’t help but laugh. Holly Chance had finished her Starlight Tea in one gulp because she was in a hurry to leave. Usually, gulping down Starlight Tea was just a waste—like a turtle eating barley, you’d be squandering something precious.
Within the tea, there was the vastness of the stars; the soul found peace within the universe itself.
A whole incense stick’s time passed before Aaron Jace opened his eyes and sighed, “This really is excellent tea. Compared to this, the best teas my father brings are nothing but dog crap. Ugh! Saying that makes it sound like I’ve actually eaten dog crap.”
His pale face grew a bit rosier, though only Aaron Jace himself knew just how beneficial the tea had been for him.
Joe Di took a sip of tea himself, then brewed another cup for Jie Huang. “Brother Jie, why did you speak up for me? I heard that Sect Master Huang isn’t someone to be trifled with.”
Aaron Jace snorted disdainfully. “That Sect Master Huang is nothing. My father could crush him with a single finger.”
Seeing Joe Di’s confusion, Aaron Jace laughed self-deprecatingly. “I’m not very capable myself, so whenever trouble comes up, I just bring up my old man. My father’s name is Marlon Jace, and he’s the Palace Master of Star Demon Palace.”
Joe Di suddenly understood and said, “So you’re the Young Palace Master. Not long ago, a cultivator named Shen An came looking for me...”
“Right, that guy’s my steward. He helped sneak me out, but he got locked up for it... Anyway, let’s not talk about that. How did you get these tea leaves? If I could give a bit to my old man, maybe he wouldn’t keep me locked up all the time.” Aaron Jace smiled awkwardly.
"I spent decades researching this. It’s called Starlight Tea—what do you think?" Joe Di grinned, exaggerating the time he spent developing the tea by hundreds of times.
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!" Aaron Jace said, full of excitement and admiration for Joe Di. He’d heard before that Joe Di could develop Array-Breaking Pills without using Decisive Stones and already thought him a genius. Now, he felt that genius wasn’t enough to describe Joe Di—he was a true monster. Compared to Joe Di, all those so-called geniuses he’d known were nothing but trash.
"Can you teach me? Let me learn how to refine this Starlight Immortal Spirit Tea too?" Aaron Jace looked at Joe Di with longing, already fantasizing about learning to make the tea and shocking his father. Let him look down on me now—just wait until he sees all the things I can do.
Joe Di was speechless as he looked at Aaron Jace. What an unruly guy—he’d just said it took him decades to develop the tea!
"Big Brother—I’ll call you Big Brother from now on. You’re my real brother, as long as you teach me how to make Starlight Tea." Aaron Jace wasn’t stupid. Seeing Joe Di’s look of disdain, he knew exactly what it meant. He stood up and patted his chest. "From now on, if you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west. If you tell me to move forward, I’ll never hold you back."
Whether Joe Di agreed or not, Aaron Jace was already calling him Big Brother at every turn.
Sprout, who’d followed along, scoffed, "Hmph, if you can’t go west, you can still go north or south..."
"Hey, how did you know what I was thinking? Ugh! Big Brother, I swear I wasn’t thinking that. As long as you teach me how to make Starlight Tea, I’ll go west—definitely west, a hundred percent west." Jie Huang blurted out half his sentence before realizing what he was saying.