49. Payment Completed

"Senior Brother, are you planning to honor your promise? It is not yet time, however." Li Yun roughly understood the intent, but he did not wish to take advantage of anyone.

"Haha, it seems this old man has grown somewhat impatient," Lei Douzun replied with a chuckle.

"Senior Brother, there is no need to rush. I must consult Jiuge first," Li Yun shook his head, declining to make the decision on his disciple's behalf.

After the cultivation session that day, Lin Jiuge did not instruct the two boys to immediately return for their medicinal baths and sleep. Instead, she gazed intently at both children, making them feel rather uneasy, especially with Lin Jiuci glaring fiercely nearby.

"Lingxiao, come over and sit down," Lin Jiuge called out.

"Yes, Master." Lei Lingxiao trembled with trepidation. He could not recall doing anything lately to displease her.

A moment later, Lin Jiuge pointed out several specific acupuncture points and physical coordinates. Zhou Yan watched and took notes, carefully recording every item Lin Jiuge instructed them to prepare.

"That is all. Boyu, come here."

"Yes, Master."

"Yes." Zhang Boyu trembled even more violently than the other boy.

Following the exact same routine, Zhou Yan handed the transcribed sheet of paper to the two boys.

"Take this paper back to your grandfathers and decide whether you will return in three days." Lin Jiuge had originally intended to say "parents," but quickly changed it to "grandfathers." The psychological shadow Zhang Boyu's father had left behind was simply too deep, and besides, it was their grandfathers who had done all the heavy lifting to bring the boys here in the first place. Returning to consult their grandfathers was the most logical step.

"Yes!" Both boys rejoiced, finally able to return home to see their families.

"Sister, Jiuci wants one too!" Seeing that she had been left out, Lin Jiuci grew anxious. *Sister, have you forgotten about your adorable younger sister?!*

"What do you want?" Seeing her younger sister panic, Lin Jiuge genuinely could not fathom what she could possibly need.

"Sister, their paper. Jiuci wants one too," Lin Jiuci specified, pointing at the notes.

"That thing? Jiuci, you don't need it. Sister has already prepared your medicinal bath; you just need to go back and soak in it," Lin Jiuge said, finding the situation rather amusing once she understood. Ever since she had unblocked all the meridian channels in her younger sister's body, she had been constantly nourishing her physique, leaving her entirely free of impurities. There was simply no need to subject her to such drastic measures.

The two boys instinctively felt that something was amiss, though they could not quite put their finger on it. That premonition reached its peak when they returned home and handed the papers to their respective grandfathers.

"Grand-uncle, is something wrong?" Lei Lingxiao asked cautiously.

"Nothing at all. In fact, it is wonderfully beneficial! Your grand-uncle must send your master a much more generous gift of gratitude," Lei Douzun said as he lowered the paper, unable to conceal his exclamation of awe. The value of the knowledge written on this slip was immeasurable.

At the same time, Zhang Boyu was left feeling deeply anxious as his grandfather stared at the paper in silence for a long time without a single reaction.

"Boyu, Lin Jiuge is only four years older than you. Grandfather hopes you will learn from her. I do not expect you to instantly become another Lin Jiuge, but you must seize every opportunity to measure up to her standard," Zhang Geng sighed with profound emotion. This investment was turning out to be immensely worthwhile; it was simply a pity that his grandson lacked the drive to match her.

The two boys remained oblivious to the underlying implications until they were faced with their familiar medicinal baths and the sudden presence of their grandfathers standing right beside them.

"Lingxiao, this is going to hurt quite a bit. Bite down on this towel and hold on. Your grand-uncle would never harm you," Lei Douzun instructed solemnly.

"Boyu, no matter how much you fuss this time, Grandfather will not stop halfway. If you wish to grow stronger, you must endure the pain," Zhang Geng said with absolute seriousness.

Both elders took action simultaneously, applying pressure precisely to the acupoints Lin Jiuge had marked. From the very first point, both boys were overwhelmed by excruciating agony, and cold sweat poured down their faces in torrents.

"Jiuge, did you ever consider what might happen if Senior Uncle and Senior Grand-uncle refused to believe you?" Zhou Yan asked as he watched Lin Jiuge during a rare moment of leisure.

"If they don't believe it, so be it. I have done my part," Lin Jiuge replied indifferently. No rule stated that every effort must yield a guaranteed outcome.

"By the way, Jiuge, you have memorized all the properties, synergies, and incompatibilities of spiritual plants with absolute precision. Have you ever considered trying alchemy?" Zhou Yan suggested.

"No, thank you," she replied, unwilling to revisit her dark history.

"Junior Sister, how on earth did you ever think of using a sword to sort beans?" Zhou Yan asked, burning with curiosity about this particular method.

"Senior Brother uses chopsticks while I use a sword. Is there any problem with that?" To her, it was merely a difference in tools.

"Junior Sister, you say that, but you even taught Jiuci how to sort beans with a sword while keeping it a secret from me!" Zhou Yan accused her with a grievance.

"Jiuci happened to see me do it. I simply assumed Senior Brother already knew," she replied calmly. Such a simple task was merely tedious; surely it didn't require a formal announcement.

Looking at Lin Jiuge's utterly serious expression, Zhou Yan realized that she genuinely believed he had known all along. Yet the reality was that he had remained completely clueless, which left him thoroughly distressed.

"Junior Sister, my formation-laying has become much faster lately." Nowadays, he could spot what he needed with a single glance, proving that all of his junior sister's seemingly erratic training methods had indeed yielded results.

"As long as it's useful," Lin Jiuge said, breathing a sigh of relief. He was the only senior brother willing to humor her wild experiments; if her methods had harmed him, she would have felt immense guilt.

On the first day, both boys were left utterly paralyzed and had to be fished out of their tubs by their grandfathers. Gazing at the sludge-like residue left in the medicinal baths, Lei Douzun felt a chill of astonishment. *Leizhan that fellow really struck gold!* Zhang Geng shared the exact same thought.

Three days later, the two boys emerged feeling as though they had shed their mortal shells and undergone a complete rebirth, their bodies lighter than ever before. They finally understood the true value of the items they had brought back from the mountain.

"Study diligently under your master," Lei Douzun instructed, sensing that once formally accepted as disciples, this grand-nephew of his might truly astound the world.

"Understood, Grand-uncle," Lei Lingxiao nodded firmly.

Zhang Geng gave Zhang Boyu a similar admonition. Zhang Boyu was not ungrateful; his grandfather had practically broken down every detail to explain the immense effort Lin Jiuge had expended on his behalf.

"Boyu, you are growing up now and can no longer afford to be so willful. Once you step outside the Artifact Hall, Grandfather will no longer be able to protect you," Zhang Geng said with utmost sincerity. Though he did not fully comprehend it, Zhang Boyu sensed the profound exhaustion in his grandfather's voice, and he resolved to try his best.

The two boys bumped into each other at the courtyard entrance and immediately noticed the transformation in one another. Without a word, they tacitly walked over to find Lin Jiuge. Seeing her practicing bean-sorting with a sword, Lei Lingxiao instinctively picked up his wooden sword to practice basic stances, while Zhang Boyu retrieved a small winnowing basket and began sorting beans. Neither spoke a word, yet the scene was remarkably harmonious.

The only one deeply displeased by this development was Lin Jiuci. Those two nuisances had returned to steal her sister away once more! Clenching her chubby little hands into fists, she glared with utter resentment.

"Jiuci, would you like to join your sister in body-refinement training?" Wudao Yuanzun asked, looking at the puffed-up toddler. *Tsk tsk, this little girl is astonishingly jealous! No wonder she dislikes eating sour foods—she consumes enough raw jealousy on a daily basis that actual vinegar is entirely redundant.*

"No," she replied. That looked exhausting, and possessing a remarkably clear self-awareness at her tender age, she knew for a fact that she couldn't handle it.

"Then could you listen attentively to Master's lecture?" Wudao Yuanzun's temper was exceptionally lenient when it came to Lin Jiuci.

"Okay," Lin Jiuci answered obediently. *Sister said I must pay attention in class.*

When Lin Jiuge finally halted her practice, the two boys stopped as well and bowed deeply to her in formal respect.

"Thank you, Master."

"There is no need for that. Your grandfathers have already settled the bill in full," Lin Jiuge replied, shaking her head. Who told her senior grand-uncle to take the benefits first and make her do the labor afterward? She had specifically gone to confront him—he had better handle such arrangements himself next time, because she was never doing it again!

The two boys froze momentarily before resuming their tasks. *Well, that just means we can have our grand-uncle and grandfather send even more gifts next time. We certainly look forward to the next transaction!*

Lin Jiuge suddenly felt her nose itch. *Who on earth is talking about me behind my back?*