Everyone's all smiles on the surface but secretly cunning, but the junior sister only wants to

Jiang Shiliu was now deeply lost in thought, her mind replaying the words she had spoken to Jiang Moqi. She couldn't help but wonder if she had been too harsh with her words. After all, upon reflection, everything Jiang Moqi had done was genuinely out of concern for her eyes. If, due to a momentary lapse in attention, she had suddenly witnessed something unpleasant, it would undoubtedly have made her extremely uncomfortable, even nauseous.

However, Jiang Moqi suddenly leaned close to her ear and whispered softly. His warm breath felt like a gentle breeze on her cheek, and then he deliberately blew a light breath into her ear. This sudden action made Jiang Shiliu's scalp tingle as if she had been electrocuted, and even her arms involuntarily broke out in goosebumps.

Despite this, Jiang Shiliu knew deep down that she didn't actually dislike Jiang Moqi's advances. Otherwise, she wouldn't have proactively sought out him for a collaboration. While her primary motivation at this stage was to acquire valuable spirit stones and to use Jiang Moqi's power to correct plot inconsistencies, a deeper, indescribable emotion lingered within her—a feeling akin to a long, long time ago when she had shared an incredibly close and harmonious relationship with Jiang Moqi.

Just as Jiang Shiliu's thoughts were racing wildly through her whimsical inner world, Gu Ming had successfully calmed himself down and was able to communicate with her in a composed manner. Moreover, to ensure her true identity wouldn't be revealed, Gu Ming decided to continue treating her as a young man. However, he was utterly baffled as to why this young woman would give herself such a strange and unusual name; he truly couldn't understand the thought processes and ideas of today's youth.

With a smile, Gu Ming politely addressed Jiang Shiliu, "Greetings, Young Master Jiang! I am the judge for this final assessment. You may call me Gu Ming, while the others usually address me as 'Elder Gu.' Congratulations! Your exceptional alchemy skills have successfully passed our assessment. Here is a specially made alchemist certification ring. Please accept it. With this ring, you can visit any of the major pharmacies under the Qiankun Pavilion and enjoy the exclusive privileges it offers." He then carefully handed the exquisitely crafted ring, adorned with various rare herb designs, to Jiang Shiliu, patiently explaining its uses and the various benefits it would provide.

At this moment, however, only one thing lingered in Jiang Shiliu's mind: the name Gu Ming. For some reason, she felt this name was strikingly similar to the name of a milk tea brand she knew in modern life. Although the characters differed, their pronunciations were almost identical. This strange coincidence both surprised and amused her.

Similarly, Gu Ming felt the same way about Jiang Shiliu's fake name. He thought it was quite interesting, but neither of them dared to voice their thoughts, fearing they might inadvertently hurt the other's feelings.

Jiang Shiliu carefully took the ring and quickly and cautiously placed it into her spatial storage. She knew perfectly well that this was not the time to openly wear the ring. Doing so would be tantamount to publicly announcing, "Look, I'm a top-tier alchemist! A highly sought-after prize!"

Just then, Gu Ming said with a smile, "By the way, Young Master Jiang, do you have time tonight? My master cordially invites you to dinner at Baiweizhai next door. This invitation won't take up too much of your time!"

Upon hearing the name "Baiweizhai," Jiang Shiliu was slightly taken aback, then blurted out, "Your master wouldn't happen to be Jiang Moqi, would he? Well, I'm going there for dinner later anyway, so let's go together! Speaking of which, we'll be colleagues from now on!"

Meanwhile, the other top alchemists, who were usually aloof and arrogant, stared in disbelief at the unbelievable scene unfolding before them, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

Their hearts were filled with astonishment and confusion, and they kept muttering to themselves, "This...this...this! Is this really our stern and unsmiling Elder Gu? How could he suddenly become so gentle and kind? It's like he's a completely different person! Could it be that this Youth-Preserving Pill can not only keep one's appearance forever, but also change one's temperament and personality? This is too unbelievable! And why does he get to enjoy delicious food, while we could only slink home and fend for ourselves? This is extremely unfair! Although the person hosting today's dinner is not Elder Gu himself, that Pavilion Master Jiang is also a legendary figure in the martial arts world!"

Everyone was filled with suspicion, speculating about what made this young man named Jiang Limou so special. Was it simply because he was exceptionally polite and courteous, thus receiving such special treatment? As they whispered and discussed among themselves...

Gu Ming frowned slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group of alchemists who were watching the spectacle with an air of smug delight. He then reprimanded them without hesitation, "What are you all doing! How is the person in charge of the drug trials doing? Those who need to write the experimental reports, hurry up and finish them! Those who need to attend to other matters, get moving! Don't just stand here like a bunch of headless flies! Do you all understand?!"

Startled by Gu Ming's shout, the alchemists turned pale with fright, their faces wilting like frostbitten eggplants, their previous arrogance completely gone. They could only grimace and meekly reply, "Yes, Elder Gu, please don't be angry, we'll get right away!" With that, they scattered like birds and beasts, each hurrying away.

After Gu Ming sternly reprimanded everyone, his face instantly became incredibly expressive, as if a master of face-changing art had personally appeared on the scene. One moment the sky was overcast and stormy, and the next the sun suddenly shone brightly after the rain. His face blossomed into a radiant smile, and he chatted and laughed with Jiang Shiliu beside him, creating quite a lively scene.

"Sigh, we thought that Old Master Gu's irritable and easily angered temper had been somewhat restrained and changed! Who would have thought that it would become even worse now! It's really heartbreaking..." someone couldn't help but shake their head and sigh.

"There's no other way, we still have to work even harder! If we can also successfully refine such a special pill, maybe Elder Gu will look at us differently." Another person said with anticipation.

"That's right! Look at the effects of this pill, it's better than you can imagine! That guy who was beaten half to a pulp and looked terrible, just by swallowing that one pill, not only did his body recover quickly, but even his cultivation, which had been stuck at a bottleneck, started to show signs of loosening." Another person added with amazement.

"It's a pity that while this pill is good, its side effects are really hard to accept. To have to run naked in front of so many people! If it were me, I'm afraid I'd never be able to face anyone again~_~" someone said with a bitter face.

"Haha, that's true, but we didn't really lose out this time. After all, we each got one of the remaining pills. Overall, the harvest was quite substantial!" the last person concluded with a grin.