"Agreed!" Chu Yao answered without hesitation.
She had to survive the immediate crisis first. Once she had time, she would find another alchemist to buy a detoxifying pill.
Once the poison was completely cleared, she would still be able to handle Ye Ba as she pleased!
"Where is the antidote? Hand it over!" Chu Yao urged, as she was reaching her limit.
"How am I supposed to move if you don't release my bindings?" Ye Ba said, speechless.
Chu Yao froze, realizing she had completely forgotten about that.
Her cheeks flushed slightly as she waved a hand to dissolve the restraints.
Ye Ba rolled off the bed and retrieved a pill from a hidden compartment beneath it.
Before he could hand it to Chu Yao, she snatched it right out of his hand and shoved it into her mouth.
"Why isn't it working?! You're tricking me!" Chu Yao checked her condition, finding that the turmoil of spiritual energy inside her had not subsided in the slightest, and glared at Ye Ba with her pretty eyes.
"I know Senior Sister is in a rush, but the medicine needs time to take effect."
Ye Ba picked up his clothes from the floor and put them back on, only to discover that several pieces had been torn to shreds.
Chu Yao frowned and waited a moment longer, relieved to find that her spiritual energy was indeed settling down.
Her brow finally smoothed out.
"How often do I need to take the antidote?" Chu Yao asked.
"Every seven days! I will refine one for you every seven days!"
"Hmph, you certainly are clever!" Chu Yao snorted coldly.
That way, until she found a suitable detoxifying pill, she really couldn't afford to touch Ye Ba.
Still, the thought of being outmaneuvered by Ye Ba left her feeling somewhat stifled.
She raised her hand, intending to cast a spell to restrain Ye Ba once more.
She might not be able to kill him, but teaching him a lesson to vent her pent-up frustration was certainly doable.
However, Ye Ba stepped back first, picking up a rusted medicinal hoe from the side and pressing it against his own neck.
"Senior Sister, don't force me! Otherwise, even if I die, I won't give it to you!"
Ye Ba applied pressure, and his neck was immediately nicked, drawing a drop of blood.
"Stop!" Chu Yao hastily pulled back her hand.
In her eyes, Ye Ba was nothing less than a precious, potent elixir used for cultivation.
If he died, he would be completely useless.
How would she break through to the Foundation Establishment realm then?
Besides, what if she couldn't find a suitable detoxifying pill and Ye Ba ended up dead anyway...
She hadn't expected an outer sect disciple like Ye Ba to have such a fierce and unyielding temperament.
He would rather die than give in to her.
It made her itch with hatred.
"What do you want?" Chu Yao stood by the bed, her beautiful eyes narrowing gradually.
"I want to make another deal with Senior Sister!"
"Speak!"
"I know Senior Sister is craving my body and wants to use me to aid your cultivation, but even a Pure Yang Constitution has times when it runs dry!"
Ye Ba paused for a moment. "I can't help you cultivate all the time, but I can agree to assist you with your cultivation four days a month!"
He was very precise, avoiding the word "times" to prevent Chu Yao from exploiting a loophole and turning it into a whole week per session.
"No! Four days are not enough!" Chu Yao refused!
Having tasted the benefits, she wished she could cultivate day and night.
Ye Ba chuckled inwardly.
These female fiends, driven by the desire for cultivation, were simply incapable of resisting the temptation of the Pure Yang Constitution.
At the same time, his golden finger also required cultivating with these female fiends to gain various experiences, leveling up his pill-refining rank and spiritual root aptitude.
Yet, he couldn't show his eagerness too openly.
Merchandise forced upon a buyer is never a good deal.
"Senior Sister, it's not impossible to get more time for cultivation!"
"For every additional hour of cultivation, you must give me a hundred more lower-grade spirit stones!"
Ye Ba held up a single finger.
This was his true goal. Cultivation relied first on having a powerful backer, second on innate talent, and third on resources.
With no backer and mediocre talent, he had no choice but to find ways to acquire more resources.
Only with resources could he elevate his cultivation realm.
"No! That's too much! Half a spirit stone a day, at most!" Chu Yao flatly refused.
The sect only issued a hundred lower-grade spirit stones a month; Ye Ba certainly had the nerve to ask for so much.
Even if she wanted to pay, she couldn't afford it.
"I have the Pure Yang Constitution, you know! Eighty spirit stones a day! Not a single one less!" Ye Ba countered.
...
In the end, after a lengthy bout of bargaining, the price was set at ten spirit stones a day.
It was also agreed that once Ye Ba's cultivation improved, the number of free monthly sessions would increase.
In return, Chu Yao was to help Ye Ba answer any doubts regarding his cultivation whenever she had free time.
Ye Ba was reasonably satisfied.
The two of them reached an agreement, each harboring their own hidden agendas.
"Now that you've entered our sect, Junior Brother, why won't you just accept your fate? Do you really think you can walk out alive?" Chu Yao returned to the bed, sitting on the edge with her clothes half-undressed and her long legs crossed.
"Struggling is never a bad thing. Doesn't Senior Sister struggle as well?" Ye Ba chuckled lightly.
"Cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall back. If one doesn't even fight for it, how can one ever scale the Great Dao of longevity?" Chu Yao said solemnly.
"Yet you cauldrons were all implanted with the Heart-Piercing Curse upon entering the sect. The moment you leave the range of the sect's grand array, your heart meridian will snap and you will die. You are destined to stay within the sect for the rest of your lives."
"If the Heart-Piercing Curse can be cast, naturally there is a way to remove it!" Ye Ba retorted.
"Heh, are you talking about the cauldron trial that happens once every six years?" Chu Yao sneered. "With your aptitude, it's impossible for you to pass. The number of Spirit Slaves entering each trial exceeds one hundred thousand, yet only three or five manage to pass. With your Qi Condensation 1st Layer realm, you wouldn't even be able to sign up."
Ye Ba shook his head slightly and made no reply.
In the past, he indeed couldn't have.
But now, things were different.
The cauldron trial was the only chance for cauldrons like them to break free from the sect.
That was why certain Spirit Slaves, even knowing that the higher their cultivation realm, the more likely they were to catch the eye of a female fiend, still worked desperately hard to cultivate.
This was precisely where the brilliance of the Great Bliss Immortal Sect lay.
They didn't push people into a complete dead end, but instead left a glimmer of survival.
For the sake of that lifeline, many were willing to risk everything.
Ye Ba was no exception.
Previously, his low aptitude left him with no choice.
But now, with his golden finger, he might just stand a fighting chance in the cauldron trial two years from now.
Seeing that Ye Ba remained silent, Chu Yao lost interest in continuing the conversation.
She simply lifted her bare foot and hooked it toward Ye Ba.
"My good Junior Brother, come over and help Senior Sister cultivate."
Ye Ba's heart skipped a beat in betrayal.
Then a smile curved the corners of his mouth, and he walked straight over.
Without a word, he grabbed her swaying foot.
A slight blush touched Chu Yao's face; it was the first time she had been handled quite like this by a cauldron.
She parted her lips, intending to exhale the seductive fog to knock Ye Ba unconscious.
Just then, Ye Ba abruptly leaped backward a step.
"Senior Sister, you can't be this selfish!"
Chu Yao looked at him in confusion.
"You can't just look after your own cultivation and completely ignore your Junior Brother's feelings!"
Ye Ba smiled playfully.
Since they had already made a deal, what was wrong with him wanting to enjoy himself a little?
How could Chu Yao not know what was on Ye Ba's mind?
She pursed her lips and chuckled softly. "Are you sure? My cultivation method, the Supreme Dragon-Swallowing Art, is extremely domineering. I'm afraid you won't be able to control yourself and your heart meridian will burst from being too excited."
In other words, knocking Ye Ba unconscious was meant to protect him.
"Junior Brother wants to taste whether it's salty or bland, so please grant me this, Senior Sister!" Ye Ba refused to believe it.
What kind of scenes hadn't he witnessed in his past life? There was no way he couldn't handle this.
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Heh, very well. Then let Junior Brother witness my skills!"
Chu Yao stepped off the bed and moved closer to Ye Ba.
From her fair wrists, wisps of white mist drifted out, completely enveloping the room.