"Let's first investigate his strength. If it's suitable, bringing him back to Tianyi Sect is not out of the question."

"Hmm?" Fang Ruotang looked at Gu Yanjin, feeling that he had more to say.

"Your fourth sister..."

"ah?"

Fang Ruotang was dumbfounded and shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, no, my fourth sister is such a person. How could that kind of person be worthy of my fourth sister? Don't talk nonsense, or I'll get angry."

Gu Yanjin calmly said, "It's just cultivation, what's the big deal?"

“Cultivation won’t work either!” Fang Ruotang looked at Gu Yanjin with a dark face and asked unhappily, “What do you mean? Do you look down on my fourth sister? Otherwise, why would you want to find someone like this for my fourth sister?”

Furnace/Cauldron is a term unique to the cultivation world.

But to put it more bluntly, it wouldn't sound so pleasant.

Those who were held hostage are not mentioned, not because of their own volition, but because they are also pitiful people.

But isn't this clearly marked price just the same as selling?

How could Fang Ruotang possibly agree to have anything to do with such a person as her fourth sister?

"He's just a tool, not your fourth brother-in-law."

The path of cultivating immortality is inherently cruel; everything in the world has its own way.

They don't necessarily adhere to worldly rules.

"No!" Fang Ruotang retorted loudly, clearly angry. "If you say that again, I really won't talk to you anymore."

Gu Yanjin realized that Fang Ruotang had misunderstood his meaning.

He immediately raised his hands, looking as if he was surrendering.

"Alright, alright, I won't say anything more. Don't be angry. I only made this suggestion because I saw you talking about your fourth sister these past two days."

The rare and precious materials needed for the Spirit Refining Pill are not easy to find. In the years that have passed, finding a suitable vessel for Fang Wantang is like having a cheat code in a game.

Fang Ruotang was still angry when she saw Gu Yanjin like this. For the rest of the journey, she deliberately ignored him, childishly hiding to the side, not looking at Gu Yanjin, and not talking to him.

Gu Yanjin came up to coax her, but she turned the back of her head to him.

Why don't you agree to find a suitable cultivation vessel for your fourth sister? Lord Yan isn't wrong! Many female cultivators on this continent keep cultivation vessels; it's not a big deal.

Are you also taking his side?

"How could that be? My lord, we are of the same nation. You and I are the best of friends. Who does he think he is? How could I possibly side with him instead of you? My lord, you have truly misunderstood me."

Fang Ruotang was still sulking and not very happy.

But when pressed by the little mirror, he still revealed the reason.

【It's different. We are native people of Dayong. We can't learn the ways of the Cloud Deep Continent in a short time. If my fourth sister takes that person, she will definitely treat him sincerely from now on. She can't just treat him as a tool.】

[I don't care what kind of person my fourth sister chooses, but this person selling the Dust Flower clearly has an ulterior motive and definitely values ​​the buyer's cultivation level. My fourth sister can't handle someone like that.]

Although I can help her a little, I'm afraid that one day my fourth sister will give her heart, only to find that the other person is just using her. I don't want my fourth sister to associate with someone so calculating; I'm afraid she won't be able to control herself and will suffer the consequences.

When it comes to the Fang sisters, Fang Ruotang's mind automatically clicks, and she thinks even more deeply than Gu Yanjin and the others.

【What should we do then? Since he needs to find someone, we need to deliver someone to him in order to get the Dust Flower. Surely the master doesn't want to do it himself?】

What nonsense are you talking about! We'll discuss this when the time comes.

Gu Yanjin seized the opportunity once again, came to Fang Ruotang, squatted down, and looked at her sitting on the deck at eye level.

"Xiao Liu, I want to talk to you."

What should we talk about?

"Let's talk about power!"

"ah?"

Fang Ruotang tilted her head, puzzled.

She thought Gu Yanjin had come to ask for forgiveness, so why did things suddenly veer off to this point?

"No woman who truly holds power is love-struck. Throughout history, there has never been a precedent of a woman who holds power giving up her power for a man."

"Power is the real tonic for women, the true tonic."

Gu Yanjin's words left Fang Ruotang bewildered. He took the opportunity to grasp Fang Ruotang's hand and explained softly, "These words were told to me by my mother when I was young."

"My father was a bit confused about women, and my mother often shed tears. When I was young, I even complained about my father because of this, but my mother told me that she was faking it."

"She said that once a woman has power, she will no longer care about love and romance. Her tears are just a way to coax the emperor. She doesn't care which palace the emperor spends the night in, but she wants to ensure that the empress's power is not divided up and that my position is not shaken."

As she spoke, Gu Yanjin changed the subject.

"Xiao Liu should understand this deeply. When you have the ability, your horizons broaden, and your life is no longer confined to love. Your pursuit is not even love. Love is just a seasoning for you. You taste it when you are happy and put it aside when you are busy."

"Nonsense! I didn't say that." Fang Ruotang lowered her gaze, looking guilty.

“So don’t underestimate your fourth sister, she… is very smart.” Gu Yanjin paused for a moment, then thought of a safe word.

A woman who truly wants to climb the social ladder won't be fixated on what sacrifices she has to make on the road to success; in her eyes, those sacrifices are all temporary.

In Gu Yanjin's eyes, Fang Wantang was just such a person. She had a very clear and specific goal, and even though her spiritual root was not good, she never fell behind.

"What do you mean? Are you implying that my fourth sister is scheming?" Fang Ruotang keenly sensed the deeper meaning in Gu Yanjin's words, her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked like she was about to lose her temper.

Gu Yanjin squeezed Fang Ruotang's hand and immediately reassured her, "No, she seizes every opportunity to climb up the ladder, and I don't think that's wrong. Besides, her methods are clean and there's nothing wrong with them."

Fang Ruotang was impatient to listen to Gu Yanjin's analysis, feeling that it wasn't anything good. She pulled her hand away and pushed Gu Yanjin's shoulder, shoving him aside.

"I'm not talking to you, go away."

Gu Yanjin couldn't hide her disappointment, but she didn't forget to explain, "I really didn't mean to say anything bad about your fourth sister. She is your fourth sister, how could I think she's bad!"

How can someone who works hard be wrong?

Moreover, Fang Wantang's efforts were entirely due to her own abilities, not because she took advantage of Fang Ruotang's sisterly affection for her. How could he possibly have any objections to Fang Wantang?

On the contrary, he admired her.

He just felt that the side Fang Wantang presented in front of Fang Ruotang was not her true self; she was an ambitious woman.

For Fang Wantang, the matter of the furnace cauldron is advantageous.

It was only because Fang Ruotang had been talking about Fang Wantang these past two days that Gu Yanjin took it to heart; otherwise, he would never have noticed anyone else, even if that person was Fang Ruotang's sister.

Unexpectedly, his suggestion backfired and caused him to lose favor with Fang Ruotang.