Xiao Jietian stepped into the spacious hall of Pan Gate.
Hu Jia sat behind a long desk piled high with scrolls and ledgers, head lowered, brush flying across paper with practiced strokes. She was clearly in the middle of tallying the latest batch of Fire Energy income and expenditure reports.
"Tiger Girl, where's Xun'er?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hu Jia's brush froze mid-stroke. The tip screeched horribly against the paper, leaving a long black tear.
"If you call me Tiger Girl one more time," she said without lifting her head, voice dangerously low, "I might just go bully your precious Xun'er in front of you."
Xiao Jietian grinned, strolling over to lean against the edge of her desk.
"Alright, Tiger Girl, I understand, Tiger Girl."
Hu Jia shot upright like a spring-loaded blade.
"Ahhhhh!! Xiao Jietian, I'm going to duel you to the death!"
She lunged, fingers curled into claws, aiming straight for his face.
Xiao Jietian casually lifted a hand and pressed his palm flat against her forehead.
No matter how furiously Hu Jia flailed, her arms windmilled uselessly in the air — she couldn't advance a single inch. She looked exactly like an enraged kitten being held at arm's length, cheeks puffed out like an angry pufferfish, eyes wide and bloodshot with humiliation.
After several seconds of futile struggling, she finally deflated.
With a furious huff, she dropped back into her chair, arms crossed, glaring daggers at him.
"Why bother? You can't beat me anyway." Xiao Jietian's smile was infuriatingly gentle. "We're good friends. Fighting and killing isn't good for our relationship."
Hu Jia took several deep breaths, desperately trying to calm the raging fire in her chest.
*This guy isn't human. He's a walking disaster. The ultimate jerk who only knows how to bully beautiful girls like me.*
Xiao Jietian saw the storm clouds gathering over her head and decided to stop teasing — for now.
He reached into his storage ring and produced a small jade bottle filled with milky-white liquid, placing it gently on the desk in front of her.
Hu Jia eyed it warily.
"What is this? You're not playing some trick, are you? There isn't a snake or a scorpion inside, right?"
"Just open it and see for yourself."
Hu Jia hesitated, then carefully lifted the bottle and pried open the stopper.
A faint, refreshing medicinal fragrance wafted out.
Inside floated roughly half a bottle of viscous white fluid that shimmered with subtle earthen glow.
She stared.
Then stared harder.
Her pupils suddenly shrank.
"This… this is Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid?!"
Her voice cracked on the last syllable, jumping several octaves higher than usual.
Xiao Jietian crossed his arms, looking immensely pleased with himself.
"Correct. How about it? Special reward for my hardworking Tiger Girl. Work well with me from now on, and this Gate Master won't treat you unfairly. Follow me, and you'll live comfortably."
Hu Jia clutched the jade bottle with both hands as though it were the most fragile treasure in the world. The earlier rage had completely evaporated; her eyes shone with uncontrollable ecstasy.
"This is insanely rare! How did you get it? Why aren't you keeping it for yourself?"
"I have more." Xiao Jietian shrugged carelessly. "This one is yours. Don't worry about where it came from — just use it with confidence."
Hu Jia stared at the bottle for several long seconds.
Then, very carefully, she recapped it and cradled it against her chest.
"I won't be polite then. It's mine now — you can't ask for it back, right? Am I dreaming? Hehe…"
"Of course not." Xiao Jietian reached out and flicked her forehead with a crisp *dong*.
At the same instant he transmitted the complete usage method and precautions directly into her sea of consciousness.
"Hiss—! Ouch! What did you do?!"
Hu Jia yelped, rubbing the red mark on her forehead.
"Not dreaming anymore, are you?"
Xiao Jietian blew on his finger with exaggerated smugness.
Hu Jia blinked.
Then — in a burst of pure excitement — she threw her arms around him in a quick, impulsive hug.
"Thank you, Xiao Jietian!"
Before he could react, she released him, spun on her heel, and bolted toward her room.
"Don't overthink it!" she called over her shoulder. "I only like women! That was just… excitement! Also — all these documents are yours now! I'm going to test this immediately!"
Xiao Jietian stared speechlessly at the mountain of scrolls and ledgers she had left behind.
His forehead was covered in black lines.
*Did I just lift a rock only to drop it on my own foot?*
He sighed, sat down, and began flipping through the reports.
Most were trivial: Fire Energy income, monthly pill sales, disciple recruitment numbers, minor friction with other factions…
But one report caught his eye.
The Medicine Gang — led by Han Xian — had recently purchased large quantities of Pan Gate's elixirs. While they hadn't yet acted overtly aggressive, their interest was obvious.
Xiao Jietian pinched the report between two fingers, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.
"Medicine Gang… Han Xian, huh?"
"Since you're so interested in my pills… why don't I help you out? Ready to become my alchemy tool-man?"
A faint, dangerous smile curved his lips.
The Medicine Gang had to be absorbed.
Alchemists were indispensable for any force's long-term development.
Right now Pan Gate relied entirely on him and Xiao Yan for pills — far too inefficient.
Once the Medicine Gang was integrated, he wouldn't need to personally refine every batch.
Pan Gate's rudimentary alchemy division was merely preparation for the future Pill Hall of Boundless Heaven Hall.
While he was mulling over plans, Xiao Yu and Wu Hao returned one after another.
Xiao Jietian handed each of them a prepared portion of Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid.
Both were shocked speechless at first, then expressed their gratitude with shining eyes before hurrying back to their rooms to refine and absorb it.
The last to return was Xiao Yan.
"Xiao Yan Zi, did you go to the arena again?" Xiao Jietian raised an eyebrow at the faint traces of battle damage on his junior brother's robes.
Xiao Yan scratched his head with a sheepish grin.
"Tian-ge, no… just a small conflict inside the Heavenly Flame Training Pagoda."
Xiao Jietian immediately understood.
Even with Pan Gate's current reputation and his own Dou Wang deterrence, some people still dared to cause trouble.
Sycophants were truly fearless.
"You didn't suffer any losses, did you?"
"I'm fine. They're just a bunch of clowns — I can handle them myself."
Xiao Jietian nodded.
"Good. If you can't, tell me. I'll deal with them for you."
He tossed Xiao Yan two jade bottles — one half-full of diluted Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid, the other containing a smaller amount of the genuine article.
"As for how to use them…"
He deliberately glanced at the black ring on Xiao Yan's finger.
Xiao Yan instantly understood. He nodded seriously, thanked him, and left — eager to examine the two mysterious liquids that radiated such powerful energy.
An hour later, Xiao Jietian finally finished sorting the documents.
He stretched, glanced at the sky, and calculated that Xun'er should be returning soon.
He went straight up to the third floor.
Passing Hu Jia's room, he could hear her happily humming a little tune inside.
Xiao Jietian entered Xun'er's chamber.
He walked to the large wooden bathtub, filled it with clear water, then circulated a thread of Dou Qi to heat it to the perfect temperature.
Next, he carefully poured nearly ten drops of the emerald-green Earth Core Body Tempering Fluid into the water.
Finally, he added several neutralizing herbs to prevent the medicinal strength from becoming too violent for Xun'er's current cultivation.
Just as he finished, the door was gently pushed open.
Xun'er's elegant, delicate figure appeared in the doorway.
"Xiao Jietian Ge-ge, you're finally back?"
At first she thought someone had intruded — but the moment she saw who it was, her eyes lit up. She threw herself into his arms with unrestrained joy.
Xiao Jietian caught her easily, smiling.
"We'll talk about other things later. First — this is the surprise I prepared for you."
"Surprise? What is…?"
Xun'er glanced curiously at the bathtub.
Then she saw the faint green glow suffusing the water.
Her beautiful face flushed scarlet in an instant — even her slender neck turned pink.
"Xiao Jietian Ge-ge… you're not…?"
Xiao Jietian immediately realized her misunderstanding.
He leaned close to her ear and softly explained what the liquid really was.
Xun'er's blush faded slightly, though her cheeks remained rosy.
"Xun'er… misunderstood Ge-ge."
She lowered her head, voice tiny and embarrassed.
*Who told you to always act so perverted, Xiao Jietian Ge-ge?*
Xiao Jietian gently rubbed the top of her head.
"You came back at the perfect time. Everything is ready — you can use it now."
"Xiao Jietian Ge-ge~ Then… you… go out first, please. I… I'm too shy with you here…"
Xun'er kept her head lowered, fingers twisting nervously in the hem of her dress. Her voice was halting, soft, and unbearably shy.
Xiao Jietian looked at her crimson ears and the way she refused to meet his eyes — and his heart melted into a puddle.
He bent down, pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, and smiled tenderly.
"Alright. Take your time. Call me when you're done."
With that, he turned and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
Inside the room, Xun'er stood frozen for several long seconds.
Then she slowly lifted her hands to cover her burning face.
"Xiao Jietian Ge-ge… really is…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"…too gentle."