Clan Building System: I'm not the Protagonist?!

There was a long moment of silence before Xiao Bai finally gave in, her lips curling in defiance.

"So what if you've figured out how my sect works? We're still the strongest sect in the entire kingdom."

Fang Yuan chuckled lowly. "Sect Leader Bai, you do know most sects only fear yours because you take in thousands of new disciples every three years, right?"

Xiao Bai crossed her arms, glaring down at him. "Yeah, so? We've still got more Nascent Soul masters than anyone else. We choose quality, not just quantity."

That smug smile spread across Fang Yuan's face. "In that case, I'll give you five Hollow Spirit Pills instead of the promised six and I'll even keep my mouth shut on your sects secret."

Xiao Bai snapped, her composure breaking. "Hey! You greedy pig! That's not how this works! Have you no shame?"

"Shame?" Fang Yuan leaned back lazily. "Can't say I've heard of that word in ages."

Lin Zhaoyue, watching from the side, hid her laugh behind her sleeve, giggling at the back-and-forth.

But Xiao Bai's smile faded. The playful spark drained from her eyes, replaced by the frigid sharpness of the Ice Queen.

Her tone turned deadly serious. "Very well. Fang Family Head, five Hollow Spirit Pills. But I suggest you hand them over now. Otherwise, all our previous agreements will be meaningless."

Fang Yuan's smirk didn't falter.

With a casual wave, five Hollow Spirit Pills materialized in his hand, gleaming faintly with spiritual light.

He handed them over, though he silently tallied what remained.

From the ten he had received as a reward, three had already been consumed. That left only two in reserve but for now, that was more than enough.

Xiao Bai took the pills, her palm releasing a thin frost that crawled over their surface before vanishing.

Then, in a curt gesture, she handed over a pair of scrolls. "Fang Family Head, here is the recipe to refine the pill I gave you. And here, techniques for body refinement. The Divine Ice Sect always repays debt."

With that, she vanished like the wind, leaving only cold air in her wake.

Fang Yuan unrolled the scroll and skimmed the first page. His eye twitched. Then both eyes twitched.

Internally, he screamed.

I knew it! You're a scam artist, Xiao Bai! A scam artist!

Because the "body refinement" method written on the scroll had absolutely nothing to do with being beaten into a pulp.

Lin Zhaoyue tilted her head, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"Husband, doesn't your family have anything on body refinement?"

Fang Yuan shook his head. "No. I even tried sneaking into the libraries of the other families, but none of them had the slightest clue."

Her brows rose in disbelief. "Oh please, you must be joking. Every family with at least a Nascent Soul master keeps one. Wait…"

Her lips curved as realization dawned. "…ah, I see. You're your clan's first Nascent Soul realm cultivator."

Fang Yuan frowned. "What does being a Nascent Soul realm master have to do with body refinement?"

Lin Zhaoyue's smile was faint, almost playful. "Did you know you're supposed to pay the king a visit once you step into the Nascent Soul realm? Why do you think the king so publicly asks for anyone who breaks through to 'pay respects to the throne'?"

Fang Yuan blinked, thrown off.

She went on, her voice soft but cutting.

"If it were merely to parade his authority, every Nascent Soul master in the kingdom would be furious. Do you think such people would bow so easily? No, husband. If it were just for power, the entire kingdom would have long been reduced to rubble."

A faint chill ran down Fang Yuan's spine.

He suddenly felt that him being so secrecy, playing wolf to eat sheep has finally started to bite back.

He swallowed hard, finally beginning to grasp what she was implying.

Lin Zhaoyue's smile curved wider, her eyes glinting like cold stars.

"Ah, you see it now, my dear husband. Yes… those who answer the summons are not called merely for show, they are rewarded. The king grants every Nascent Soul cultivator the chance to claim the Body Refinement Pill technique."

Fang Yuan's face darkened. "Then… you mean you knew this, and yet you still joined in beating me half to death?"

Lin Zhaoyue's expression brightened, far too cheerful for the topic at hand.

Her smile widened, her eyes glimmering with feverish delight as she leaned in close.

"Of course," she breathed, her voice trembling as though she could hardly restrain herself.

"It's not every day I get to touch your body directly."

The way she said it sent an involuntary chill crawling down Fang Yuan's spine.

He swallowed hard, trying to steady himself. "I lost five Hollow Spirit Pills because of this, you know that, right?"

For once, Lin Zhaoyue blinked, confusion breaking her feverish smile.

"Wait… so you weren't trying to give her the Hollow Spirit Pills to tie her down as an ally?"

Then, almost inaudibly, she muttered to herself though Fang Yuan could hear every word.

"No way… no way. I was jealous that he was gifting her Hollow Spirit Pills… I thought he liked her so he was trying to get close to her."

Fang Yuan stood frozen, utterly flabbergasted.

He had just explained to her that he knew nothing about body refinement! What kind of twisted knots did her mind tie itself into?

Fang Yuan let out a long, weary sigh.

He reached out, placing a steady hand on Lin Zhaoyue's shoulder, and spoke gently, like one would, when explaining the obvious to a child.

"So let me get this straight… You thought I wanted to tie down the Divine Ice Sect to the Fang family.

To achieve that, I sugarcoated my words, saying I'd hand over five Hollow Spirit Pills, just so I could wring out their body refinement methods.

And since that technique could be obtained from the king for free, that was the most 'logical' conclusion in your mind."

His gaze narrowed. "Is that also why, during our family banquet, you so boldly declared the Divine Ice Sect to be our allies?"

Lin Zhaoyue's lips trembled.

She lowered her gaze, the tips of her ears reddening as she whimpered softly… then gave the smallest of nods.