Cultivating Immortality Begins with Acting as a Girl Chapter 196

“Senior Brother He.”

Song Ling’s eyes lit up, and she quickly came to He Jin-chuan, performing a curtsy. “Thank you, Senior Brother He, for saving me just now.”

“Junior Sister Ji, you’re welcome. It’s good that you’re safe,” He Jin-chuan said with a smile.

Suddenly, the gloomy young man spoke, “Fellow Daoist He, is it? How much Dust Refining Powder did you find in that damaged alchemy furnace just now?”

“How much Dust Refining Powder I obtained is my own spoils of war, and it should have nothing to do with you,” He Jin-chuan glanced at the gloomy young man and said indifferently.

“Why does it have nothing to do with me?”

The gloomy young man’s voice was cold, “There should be a share for me in there!”

With that, his spiritual power surged throughout his body, as if he would make a move if He Jin-chuan didn’t give him an explanation.

He Jin-chuan, however, smiled indifferently, glancing at Cai Jun-xiang, Zheng Ru-xuan, and Qian Yu-chen nearby. He said, “If I give it to you, should I give it to the three of them as well?”

“They are merely at the Qi Nourishing stage, what qualifications do they have to compete with me for the Dust Refining Powder?” the gloomy young man said disdainfully.

“Oh? What if I team up with them?” He Jin-chuan smiled faintly.

He Jin-chuan’s words made the gloomy young man’s expression change, while the three of Cai Jun-xiang showed joy.

The three of them combined could deal with a single first-layer Qi Refining cultivator, but if He Jin-chuan and the gloomy young man, both first-layer Qi Refining cultivators, cooperated, then there would probably be no opportunities for them later on.

“Senior Brother He, we are very willing to cooperate with you. We don’t need the Dust Refining Powder anymore, as long as you can share some opportunities with us on the path ahead.” Cai Jun-xiang immediately stated his position, and Zheng Ru-xuan and Qian Yu-chen also nodded in agreement.

Although the three of them had fought fiercely before, they all understood in their hearts that in front of He Jin-chuan and the gloomy young man, their only path was to unite and cooperate.

The gloomy young man’s eyes rolled, and he sneered, “Heh, you can cooperate with them, can’t I cooperate with them too?”

As soon as the gloomy young man said this, the three of Cai Jun-xiang suddenly felt enlightened.

That’s right, now both sides were evenly matched. Whoever could win their cooperation would gain an advantage. They could completely take this opportunity to propose more demands.

But the next second, He Jin-chuan’s words made them feel as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

He only heard him smile faintly at the gloomy young man:

“Fellow Daoist, why must you and I fight to the death over this Dust Refining Powder? Even if they agree to cooperate with you, what if I prefer to destroy my storage bag, or even die rather than surrender? Are you going to kill me?”

“If you really kill me, then what? Can you truly suppress the three of them by yourself? Have you forgotten what happened when you were trapped by talismans before?”

“Fellow Daoist should know that the Dust Refining Powder just now was only the first opportunity in this cave mansion, and naturally the smallest one. As the strongest individuals in this cave mansion today, if you and I suffer mutual losses before seeing the true great opportunities, wouldn’t it just benefit others for free?”

“If the two of us join forces, we can completely suppress those three, and even make them explore the way for us in some dangerous situations.”

“Listen to my advice, don’t dwell on the matter of the Dust Refining Powder. I can promise you that for the next opportunity we encounter, I will split it with you four-five, you five and I four. After that, we will split everything equally. What do you think?”

After a long deliberation, the gloomy young man spoke, “What you said is interesting, but why is it a four-five split? What about the remaining ten percent?”

“The remaining ten percent…”

He Jin-chuan’s gaze fell on Song Ling. “It’s for Junior Sister Ji. She is the only one among us who has mastered healing spells. If anyone gets injured in subsequent actions, she will undoubtedly have to act. Giving her ten percent, I don’t think Fellow Daoist would mind, right?”

Although healing spells were not difficult to learn, in the early stages of cultivation, most people focused on improving their combat abilities, so very few would choose to practice healing-type spells.

After all, in a battle, winning meant winning, and if you lost, your opponent wouldn’t give you a chance to heal.

The gloomy young man frowned slightly. “For the next opportunity, I want sixty percent. If you want to give ten percent to Junior Sister Ji, then deduct it from your own share.”

This was the outcome He Jin-chuan had anticipated from the beginning, but he still pretended to ponder for a moment before nodding, “Alright.”

“Senior Brother He, you saved my life, you don’t need to give me ten percent,” Song Ling blinked and said.

“That’s two different matters, Junior Sister Ji.” He Jin-chuan shook his head and said, “You have your unique ability here, so you should get your share.”

“Senior Brother He, I really don’t mind. I’m already very lucky to be alive,” Song Ling said with a serious expression.

Before He Jin-chuan could reply, the three of Cai Jun-xiang couldn’t hold back.

“Senior Brother He, since Junior Sister Ji doesn’t want it, how about giving that ten percent to us? We promise to do our best in the subsequent cave mansion expedition!”

Now that He Jin-chuan and the gloomy young man had reached an agreement, their plan of waiting for a higher price had failed before it even began. Resistance was impossible; dealing with just one of them required their full effort, and if they faced two at the same time… that would be no different from seeking death.

Therefore, they could only try their best to secure some rights under oppression.

“You all?”

He Jin-chuan raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, “You are not qualified to negotiate terms with me right now. However… I will choose one among you who is diligent enough, and reward them with some of the future opportunities, and even protect them in times of danger. As for who gets this spot, that will depend on your own performance.”

The three of Cai Jun-xiang looked at each other, a hint of vigilance in their eyes.

They had already fallen out and fought for the Dust Refining Powder before. Their previous unity was merely out of necessity when facing two Qi Refining cultivators, but now… they had once again become competitors.

Song Ling looked at He Jin-chuan, deep in thought.

In just a few words, this person had used every trick in the book: threatening, dividing, and winning over. To possess such a mind at this age was truly extraordinary.

He could be called a protagonist in the making.

So, was he… one of the beauties the protagonist encountered on his path to dominance?

Tsk tsk, what a pity. This world was not a big male protagonist, Dragon-Blooded Ao Tian novel. He Jin-chuan, this “protagonist,” was destined not to escape his grasp.

“So, what should we do next?”

The gloomy young man looked at the empty dock and the dark, boundless underground river, and asked.

Not long after his voice fell, a boat was faintly seen approaching through the thin mist on the distant dark river.

“This is…” Everyone stared intently.

After about a quarter of an hour, the boat finally became clearly visible.

It was a boat with a double-layered camphor wood structure, approximately three zhang long and five chi wide, with a rusted bronze bell hanging from its bow. It was empty, with no one on board.

…