Chapter 115: A Stern Warning

Lin Yang quickly sorted through all the information he had gathered, then noticed Ji Longyue waiting outside.

"Come in."

Upon hearing Lin Yang's summons, Ji Longyue entered. Once inside, she immediately began to congratulate him.

"Congratulations, Master Lin, on the perfect conclusion of the auction. May I ask what the next steps are?"

"Take this."

Lin Yang only then remembered that he had exhausted all his spirit stones, so he reached out and tossed a bottle of pills to Ji Longyue.

Ji Longyue caught the bottle, opened it, and poured out a pill the size of a longan, which emitted a strange, alluring fragrance. Just the scent alone was enough to stir one's heart, and the entire pill was the color of white jade.

Ji Longyue looked at Lin Yang with some confusion; after all, she did not recognize the item, and the original agreement had been for spirit stones.

"This is a Breakthrough Pill used for ascending to the Core Formation stage. I imagine you have been stuck at your current level for a very long time. Consider this pill a gift to help you succeed."

Lin Yang felt an impulse to bring her under his wing; Ji Longyue had performed exceptionally well during the auction today. He felt that if he delegated these matters to her while he focused on his own cultivation, the work would likely be done well.

Ji Longyue was overjoyed. "I wonder what it is you wish for me to do, that you would offer such a generous reward?"

She walked over slowly, almost pressing her body against Lin Yang. She leaned her head close to his ear, and Lin Yang could clearly feel her breath.

"You are playing with fire."

Lin Yang stood up abruptly and pulled Ji Longyue into his arms, his hands wandering over her body. It left her breathless, her cheeks flushed with a rosy hue.

Blushing, Ji Longyue broke free from his grasp and said with a mischievous smile, "Trying to buy me over isn't something a single pill can accomplish. Speak plainly—what do you want me to do?"

"I need you to manage the Pill and Array Pavilion. I need time to cultivate and don't want to deal with these trivial matters."

Seeing her turn serious, Lin Yang spoke directly, clarifying his intention for her to become his subordinate. Ji Longyue understood his meaning immediately.

After a moment of deep thought, she rubbed her chin and considered. She looked at the pill in her hand and thought about how young Lin Yang was; he was certain to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future. Working under a master alchemist was nothing to be ashamed of. Besides, since Lin Yang would inevitably reach the Nascent Soul stage, she would essentially be his top subordinate. Perhaps, if she pleased him in the future, she might receive even more, and becoming a Nascent Soul cultivator herself might not be impossible.

"Very well. I wonder what price you are willing to pay to make a beauty like me submit to you?"

Ji Longyue made the prospect of being a subordinate sound so flirtatious that Lin Yang was left speechless.

"You are several times my age; stop playing the innocent girl with me. Speak properly. I am not giving you much. As long as you manage the pavilion honestly, I will give you 50,000 spirit stones annually. If you dare to play any tricks behind my back, you are a dead woman."

As he spoke, Lin Yang manifested a green energy hand that gripped Ji Longyue, leaving her completely devoid of any power to resist.

Trapped in Lin Yang's palm, Ji Longyue felt utterly powerless, her eyes filled with terror. Seeing that the intimidation had worked, Lin Yang released her.

"If you serve me honestly, you will receive rewards. But if you dare to harbor any secret motives, I will torture your soul until it is reduced to nothingness. As for leaving, you may go, but you will only receive 25,000 spirit stones, and everything else in the future will have nothing to do with you."

Lin Yang saw the fear in Ji Longyue's eyes and knew the lesson had landed, but he still added a final warning.

Ji Longyue felt as though she had brushed against death. Based on that single display of power, she believed Lin Yang was already at the peak of Core Formation, likely not far from the Nascent Soul stage. After all, her own mid-stage Core Formation strength had been completely useless against him—a situation she had only ever encountered when facing a true Nascent Soul master.

"This girl understands. I will follow Master Lin's arrangements from now on. I wonder how the Master wishes for the chamber of commerce to develop?"

Ji Longyue was very tactful and quickly found her place.

"It's simple. Recruit some alchemists and array masters, then secure a steady supply of goods. I will refine some items myself to supplement the chamber. Then, you just need to organize a few auctions."

Lin Yang had no patience for the intricacies of management. Having these experienced, shrewd individuals handle it was far better than wasting his own time figuring it out.

"As for any areas you find lacking, change them as you see fit. But if I find out you are engaging in graft or corruption, I will hunt you to the ends of the earth to kill you."

"That is all. You may leave. From now on, you have the final say on the chamber's affairs. Come to me every half year to hand over the spirit stones."

Lin Yang knew he couldn't let Ji Longyue have total control, or they might collude behind his back, which would be a massive loss. He decided that once he repaired the teleportation array, he would bring Yun Ting over; after all, he could only truly trust his own people. He would also bring Lin Shu to the Chaotic Star Sea to broaden his horizons—hiding away and working in isolation was never a good idea.

"Very well, Master. I will go at once."

Ji Longyue understood. Having just been cowed, she had no ulterior motives and only wanted to leave as quickly as possible. No one wanted to experience that feeling of helplessness again, so she immediately took her leave.

"Fine. You handled that last part well; I hope your management proves equally competent."

Lin Yang dismissed her with a wave of his hand. Once she had departed, he sat cross-legged again to continue processing the information he had just acquired. He needed to master the spirit fragments he had obtained and then put them to the test. He planned to deploy an array to shroud the entire auction house, turning it into his absolute domain for the sake of safety.

No sooner said than done. After waiting another hour, when the auction house was mostly empty, Lin Yang began to draw the array patterns. The array was quite complex and required the crafting of thirty-six array flags; he realized it would likely take three days to complete.

"Sigh, another three days and nights without rest. Better get to it—the sooner I finish, the sooner I can rest."

Lin Yang continued drawing the array lines. With no one left in the auction house, he crafted a high-level concealment array in the area where he was in seclusion. He decided to install the teleportation array within this space, linking it to the array in the Cloud-Breaking Mountains. As for the perimeter, he would set up identification arrays, as well as traps and kill formations, to ensure everything was foolproof.

There were simply too many powerful figures here, and keeping certain information strictly contained would be difficult. However, he would do his best to buy time; once he grew strong enough, he would no longer have to worry so much.