Chen Jie listened to these words and said, "Good, how much money do you want?"
The young man pondered and said, "Three, three hundred taels?"
Chen Jie laughed loudly upon hearing this and said, "Iâll give you one thousand taels, you make me transparent Liu Li, as long as it can be made, Iâll credit you with a great merit!"
"One, one thousand taels?"
The young man had probably never seen so much money before, and he stuttered at that moment.
Chen Jie looked at him and asked, "Do you need any help?"
The young man replied, "I can do it alone."
Chen Jie said to Xiao Hu, "Go and fetch Si Xi over."
"Aye."
Xiao Hu responded and quickly, Si Xi rushed over, arriving to see Chen Jie and saluting, "Hall Master."
Si Xi had visibly lost much weight, but his spirit had improved significantly, becoming more stable than before.
In this half year, Si Xi, after initial unsettlement and walking on thin ice, now handled logistic tasks with ease, and he discovered that Chen Jie seemed to truly accept him.
He wasnât targeted for being Feng Xuanâs former subordinate.
Moreover, the entire White Tiger Hall, under Chen Jieâs leadership, showed no rejection towards him, and now he even had good relations with Xiao Hu and Zhou Chu, cooperating well.
Gradually, he began to truly see himself as a member of the White Tiger Hall.
He was willing to offer his loyalty.
At present, Chen Jie was also quite satisfied with him and genuinely accepted him; as long as you are truly loyal to me, let past grievances blow away with the wind.
Spending more time with Su Yunjin, the most common saying he learned was, "Husband, Zhou Gong spat out food, and the worldâs hearts turned toward him!"
Alright!
Zhou Gong spat out food, and the worldâs hearts turned toward him.
Chen Jie thought to himself and looked at Si Xi saying, "You dispatch two smart logistics, to follow him hereafter, at his beck and call."
"Yes, Hall Master."
Si Xi responded, and Chen Jie said, "Go, get busy now, oh and Hu Zi."
Chen Jie called out for Hu Zi and immediately took a red sandalwood box handed from behind, opening it to reveal a Bone Strengthening Pill.
Chen Jie smiled at Si Xi and said, "Si Xi, this Bone Strengthening Pill is for you, youâve worked hard recently in the past half-year."
"Ah, Hall Master."
Si Xi was momentarily stunned upon seeing the Bone Strengthening Pill; after all, even Feng Xuan hadnât been willing to give him such a precious thing, but now, following Master Chen for just half a year had brought him such a reward, it was unbelievable!
Si Xi knelt on the ground and said, "Hall Master, I donât deserve such a treasure medicine; please do not waste this precious medicine on someone as useless as I am."
Seeing this, Chen Jie laughed and said, "Si Xi, weâve known each other for a while now, back then it was you who drove the horse carriage that took me into Mianshui County; although you did some bad things while with Feng Xuan, everyone makes mistakes, eh? Youâve been diligent and conscientious these past six months, we have all seen your actions."
"This Bone Strengthening Pill is what you deserve, besides, being the chief of logistics at the grand White Tiger Hall and still being in the Willow Tendon Realm, it would be embarrassing to talk about it, right Xiao Hu?"
Xiao Hu heard this and laughed, "Yes, Brother Si Xi, take it."
Zhou Chu also laughed and said, "Take it, following the Hall Master, how could you suffer a loss?"
"Take it."
Si Xi looked at Chen Jie again, his face streaming with tears of gratitude, saying, "Hall Master, I, Si Xi, swear, if ever I waver in this life, I must be struck by the punishment of Five Thunders Bombarding, let me..."
"Alright, alright."
Chen Jie patted Si Xiâs shoulder and said, "Thatâs enough, some things are best kept in the heart, no need to say them out loud, and we all believe you. Now, go and meditate to refine this pill, and when you enter the Iron Bone Realm, I and the brothers will celebrate for you."
"Thank you, Hall Master."
Si Xi saluted, tears still filling his eyes, clearly deeply moved. Zhou Chu accompanied Si Xi as he left.
At this moment, Chen Jie turned to the young man beside him and smiled, "Rest assured, if you successfully make that transparent Liu Li, elixirs and treasures will not be lacking for you, White Tiger Hall always promotes talent over all and will never favor one disproportionately."
Hearing this, the young man said, "I donât care much for elixirs and treasures, if one day I can make something good, as long as the Hall Master gives me more Silver Coin to continue my research, that would be enough."
Chen Jie looked at him and said, "You donât seek elixirs or treasures, but in this world, Martial Arts reign supreme, and Martial Arts rely on elixirs. If you donât aspire for elixirs, how will you break through in Cultivation, and without breaking through, how will you gain strength?"
The young man asked, "Hall Master, what is the reason that separates humans from animals?"
"What is it?" Chen Jie asked.
"Itâs tools; humans use tools, distinguishing themselves from animals. Thatâs why Iâve always believed that through tools, humans can reach the level of Martial Arts Experts and even surpass them," the young man said.
Chen Jie stared at the young man, dumbfounded. It was rare in this world to find someone who believed tools could surpass Martial Arts.
Normally, people wouldnât believe that tools could win against Martial Arts since even a Martial Arts Expertâs power was far greater than bows, arrows, swords, and spears.
An Iron Bone Realm expert could split stone with a single palm, a testament to the strength of this worldâs Martial Arts.
And yet, the development of tools in this world was still in its infancy.
"The reason Martial Arts are stronger than tools is because more people practice Martial Arts; one person stronger than the next, successors surpassing their predecessors, with each generation passing it down, thus our Martial Arts has reached this level," the young man continued.
"But the evolution of tools is very slow because they donât provide immediate enhancement, so people arenât willing to research them. However, with enough research, they can definitely become stronger."
"Just like gunpowder!"
"Uh?"
Chen Jie looked at the young man, intrigued about his research on gunpowder.
"Yes, Iâve studied it; I donât understand why such a powerful thing is only used for fireworks. If it was used for blasting, it would surely be much more effective. Iâve also always had a dream..."