Chapter Nine: My Lord, I Am Willing

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Sophie performed a flute piece for Lin Fan, playing beautifully, and Lin Fan was very pleased.

"Good, very good!" Lin Fan exclaimed in admiration.

"You shall stay!"

Sophie bowed deeply. "Thank you, young master!"

Lin Fan expected others to continue performing, but instead, the atmosphere grew cold and tense. The remaining female cultivators all showed reluctant expressions.

Seeing this, Bai Xiyue raised her brows, realizing that each of them had their own hidden agendas.

She then spoke threateningly, "My master said you must cooperate properly. If none of you do, I will have the young master keep all of you here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the remaining eight women shrank their necks, glancing nervously at each other.

Finally, a woman dressed in a pale blue long dress mustered courage and stepped forward.

She bowed to Lin Fan and spoke softly but firmly, "Young master, my senior brother and I have already agreed to dual cultivation. I hope you will honor that."

With someone taking the lead, others also began stepping forward.

"Young master, I yearn for freedom. This little courtyard feels like a prison to me."

"Young master, as cultivators, we should prioritize cultivation. I don't want to waste time on unnecessary matters. Please grant my request!" The third woman spoke with a trace of arrogance.

...

Lin Fan quietly observed them, feeling a surge of emotion.

It seemed the rewards Su Xingyue had given them were insufficient.

Each woman had her own thoughts and ambitions.

But it all boiled down to one thing: the benefits were not enough.

If the benefits were sufficient, they wouldn't hesitate to stay.

And unlocking other possibilities wouldn’t be impossible either.

After a moment’s contemplation, Lin Fan pointed at Sophie and Su Yun. "Both of you, come here!"

They exchanged a glance and gracefully approached Lin Fan, bowing slightly.

"Why are you two willing to stay when the others are not?" Lin Fan asked.

"To be honest, young master, my talent is poor. I possess a flawed five-element spiritual root and have been stuck at the second layer of Qi Refinement for years," Su Yun replied candidly. "If I could obtain the Condensation Qi Pill and other elixirs promised by the clan head, my cultivation might advance further."

Sophie smiled and said, "Su Yun and I share similar thoughts."

"But I have another reason: young master, you are handsome and pleasing to look at."

She cast a seductive glance, her voice soft and teasing.

Lin Fan smiled slightly.

"Though I am only a mortal, I do have many precious things in my hands."

"Since you two are willing to stay, I will give you some rewards!"

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With that, Lin Fan pulled a small porcelain bottle from his bosom.

He poured out two pill-sized black-brown granules emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

"These are Boundary Breaking Pills I painstakingly refined with rare materials. Taking these will help you break through your cultivation bottlenecks," Lin Fan said, spinning a tale.

In truth, these were not pills at all.

They were just dough balls Lin Fan had rolled by hand.

Directly helping someone break through seemed too dangerous — he didn’t want to be envied or trapped again, like when he helped Su Xingyue break through and ended up confined with a sealing spell.

So he devised this method instead.

"Boundary Breaking Pills?"

Upon hearing this, Sophie and Su Yun's eyes instantly lit up.

Though their cultivation was low, just hearing the name of the pill told them it was precious.

They could never have imagined Lin Fan would be so generous.

"Thank you, young master!"

Both gratefully expressed their thanks, their voices brimming with excitement.

Watching their reactions, Lin Fan chuckled inwardly.

These two little girls were really easy to fool.

"Ahem... take these pills now," Lin Fan cleared his throat.

The two women exchanged glances before swallowing the pills.

Lin Fan then silently commanded the system, "Help them break through!"

[Beep! Consumed three years of lifespan to help Sophie break through the second layer of Qi Refinement bottleneck!]
[Host's remaining lifespan: 130 years.]
[Beep! Consumed four years of lifespan to help Su Yun break through the third layer of Qi Refinement bottleneck!]
[Host's remaining lifespan: 126 years.]

As the system’s voice echoed in Lin Fan’s mind, the spiritual energy around the two women surged violently. Moments later, both experienced a significant increase in cultivation and successfully broke through.

Their eyes widened in surprise and delight.

"Thank you, young master. This grace is beyond words. We will serve you faithfully from now on..."

The two spoke excitedly.

Lin Fan nodded in satisfaction. "You two are mine now. Wait here."

"Yes, young master."

Sophie and Su Yun obediently responded and then moved close to Lin Fan.

Sophie skillfully fed Lin Fan a piece of chicken.

Su Yun swiftly poured a cup of spiritual wine for him.

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Lin Fan narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced at the remaining women.

"Young master, I am willing to stay and serve you!"

The woman in the pale blue dress bit her lip and was the first to speak.

Her eyes flickered, as if she had made a momentous decision.

"Oh?"

Lin Fan raised an eyebrow, a playful smile curling his lips.

"Didn't you say you and your senior brother had already agreed on dual cultivation and hoped I would honor it?" he teased.

The blue-dressed girl’s cheeks flushed red instantly.

"Young master... I was too shallow before. Now, I feel that it would be my greatest honor to stay and serve you!"

"Young master, I am also willing to stay!"

"I said I yearn for freedom and that this little courtyard is like a prison, but if I can be with you, young master, even the prison is acceptable..."

Another female cultivator hurriedly declared, a flattering smile on her face.

"Young master... I... and I..."

The others also began speaking up, competing eagerly to express their willingness to stay.

For a moment, the place was lively with the chatter of many women.

Lin Fan had anticipated this.

Everyone had their limits.

But those limits could be lowered by external material benefits until they vanished.

Like me, I might just step outside for a moment, then linger a bit, then maybe two steps in...

Eventually realizing that all those excuses were lies—except the last one about two steps, which was true!

"Ahem..."

Of course, Lin Fan wanted them all to stay.

Although they came for the Boundary Breaking Pills, the more he helped break through, the more cultivation he would later recover in return.

But although his courtyard was not small, it probably couldn’t house so many.

He turned to Bai Xiyue and asked, "Xiyue, how many people can this courtyard accommodate at most?"

Bai Xiyue thought for a moment, then answered, "Young master, the side rooms on both sides can house six people in total."

"Six?"

Lin Fan frowned slightly.

If only six could stay, that would be troublesome.

He had already helped Su Xingyue, Su Mei, and Bai Xiyue — three people.

Add six more, and that made nine.

One short of ten!