8/10

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

The Lunar New Year must be approaching.

Not long after the Snowflake Pavilion people departed, Qin Zhou received another order list delivered by the courier.

The success of the Yaoshan Sect order had thoroughly established the Dragon-Phoenix Pill’s reputation. Riding this momentum, Snowflake Pavilion secured several more orders for Qin Zhou.

He was so busy he couldn’t stop.

Qin Zhou immersed himself in the pill workshop, while Wen Jue and Shisi frequently came down to help tend to the fields.

When Qin Zhou finally finished processing all the orders and sent them out, he turned back to inspect the field, the Spirit Heart Fruit had already grown to more than half its final size. What should have been tender sprouts just breaking through the soil had instead developed thick, sturdy roots and broad leaves—clear signs it had skipped the early growth stage and entered the late growth phase directly.

Qin Zhou thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. It had only been ten days since planting.

He looked again.

The Spirit Heart Fruit seedlings had indeed skipped the ‘germination stage’ and entered the late growth phase directly.

Qin Zhou observed carefully.

After absorbing sufficient spiritual energy nutrients, growth would accelerate. What he saw before him was clearly this phenomenon.

“I fertilized the soil for you.” Wen Jue appeared suddenly, noticing his deep observation.

Qin Zhou: “You used Spirit Marrow?”

“I did.”

“I took it from your Cosmos Bag,” Wen Jue stated bluntly before crouching down. He pinched some soil from the ground and remarked, “No matter how much Spirit Marrow you feed it, it seems to absorb it all—even channeling every bit back into the fruit growing here.”

Qin Zhou: “Hmm.”

This plot of land was originally capable of cultivating sixth-tier alchemical ingredients.

Wen Jue remained silent. Before Qin Zhou returned, he hadn’t failed to try utilizing this land—he’d even scattered Spirit Marrow onto it before. Yet he’d never witnessed soil spontaneously generating spiritual energy like this.

Wen Jue pulled out two barrier spheres to show Qin Zhou. “I’ve been monitoring this area for a day. This sphere contains the spiritual energy produced by the soil before fertilization. The other sphere holds the spiritual energy generated after using Spirit Marrow. Both were recorded over a two-hour period.”

“Hmm. They appear to be equal in quantity.” After establishing his Foundation, Qin Zhou could now perceive the presence of spiritual energy and sense its flow.

Wen Jue gazed at the two spheres suspended in midair, bringing one to his lips in deep thought.

“Therefore, it has nothing to do with the Spirit Marrow. While it’s true this land can generate new spiritual energy, the quantity produced seems linked to other factors.”

After speaking, Wen Jue asked Qin Zhou, “What do you think?”

Before Qin Zhou’s return, this land never spontaneously generated spiritual energy.

Qin Zhou: “You’re right.”

The quantity generated likely relates to the level of the small mountain village. Yet whether this stemmed from the game’s power or the force of Heaven’s Way remained unclear to Qin Zhou.

What intrigued him instead was Wen Jue’s earnest dedication to studying his land.

Qin Zhou found himself unexpectedly recalling Lu Wu’s plea to keep the Marrow Cleansing Pill hidden from the world.

It seemed places capable of spontaneously generating spiritual energy were truly rare in this world.

“What are you thinking about?” Wen Jue’s confusion remained unanswered, and Qin Zhou had drifted off mid-sentence. He couldn’t help but prompt him.

“I was thinking… thank you for your Spirit Marrow. This entire field of second-tier Spirit Heart Fruits is about to ripen.” Qin Zhou gazed at the Spirit Heart Fruit field stretching as far as the eye could see and sighed softly.

Wen Jue: ?

“Its gonna be the busy season again.” Qin Zhou gazed into the distance. This harvest would be more than double the last one.

The only concern was that, once again, manpower remained pitifully scarce.

“What about Shisi? Did he go back?” Qin Zhou asked.

Wen Jue shook his head. “No. He said he went back to his own place. Said he needed to tidy up and would be staying there more often.”

The Lu family members all had their own small cottages in the village, located along the path leading deeper into the settlement past the village entrance. However, that section of the village had long been neglected, appearing quite dilapidated.

Qin Zhou nodded. “What about you?”

“Me? Hahaha, of course I…” Wen Jue’s voice trailed off. “I’m not some kid from this family…”

If he went to tidy up a house too, wouldn’t that give him away?

Qin Zhou: “Then go help me tidy up the very first house you come to on the path from the village entrance.”

Wen Jue: ?!

“Me?”

“Yes.”

The first house down the path from the village entrance… Wasn’t that his house? Wen Jue felt a twinge of unease. “Why clean that one? Isn’t it unoccupied?”

Qin Zhou turned back, his tone still calm—

“Once the house is tidy, he can move back in anytime.”

Wen Jue suddenly looked up.

The two spirit energy orbs suspended mid-air abruptly fell to the ground, burrowing into the earth. They shattered upon impact, releasing a surge of spiritual energy that flowed to his fingertips, carrying a faint warmth.

For a moment, Wen Jue couldn’t tell if the warmth came from his heart or the sensation at his fingertips.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

At that moment, Qilin Pavilion.

“Senior Fang, the person you sought has likely been found,” the proprietor of Qilin Pavilion said respectfully, placing the whistle beside him on the table.

Fang Huai: “Where?”

“Ping City.” The manager slowly revealed Qin Zhou’s background. “That Qin Zhou was originally the young master of a pill shop in Ping City. He failed his talent assessment and returned home in disappointment. Unexpectedly, he received help from a master. Not only did this help the Qin family’s business flourish, but it also allowed them to open a pill shop in the provincial capital. It’s now renamed Dragon-Phoenix Pill.”

What the shopkeeper omitted was that Dragon-Phoenix Pill was no ordinary establishment. It was common knowledge that Snowflake Pavilion had recently begun selling precious-grade elixirs across the land. Their agents discovered that Dragon-Phoenix Pill also stocked these precious-grade elixirs.

Moreover, Dragon-Phoenix Pill’s sudden rise to prominence was a recent development, coinciding precisely with Snowflake Pavilion’s launch of precious-grade elixirs.

The two coinciding felt suspiciously incongruous.

Particularly since, under intense questioning, the alchemist confirmed that Qin Zhou encountered that day was indeed accompanied by Snowflake Pavilion guards.

Snowflake Pavilion and Qin Zhou had long-standing ties.

The more the shopkeeper investigated, the more he felt certain that the one pulling strings behind the scenes at Snowflake Pavilion, leaving Qilin Pavilion in its current awkward predicament, was undoubtedly Qin Zhou and the powerful figure backing him.

Thus, he hastily summoned Fang Huai.

Yet, listening to his account and that of the alchemist, Fang Huai detected no mention of Wen Jue. He hesitated. Coming to the lower realm had drained his spiritual essence. If he went without certainty, it would only waste time and further deplete his essence.

“Senior Fang, as the alchemist said, if Qin Zhou had no one guiding him, how would he know the method to kill the Nine Bees?” Seeing Fang Huai’s hesitation, the Qilin Pavilion manager couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire.

“Then I shall go and investigate.”

“We bid you farewell, Senior.”

How could Fang Huai not understand the shopkeeper’s true intentions?

Qilin Pavilion seemed to be in dire straits, and Qin Zhou was aligned with his rival, Snowflake Pavilion. Eliminating Qin Zhou would sever a major arm of Snowflake Pavilion, which would naturally satisfy Qilin Pavilion.

Did he really think he knew nothing?

Unfortunately, the shopkeeper of Qilin Pavilion was about to be disappointed. Even if he went to find Qin Zhou, it wouldn’t change Qilin Pavilion’s current situation.

He wouldn’t kill Qin Zhou.

At most… he’d use him to threaten that demonic fiend.

He was of the righteous path, not one to slaughter innocents indiscriminately. Especially since Qin Zhou was merely a mortal. That Wen Jue favored him, allowing him to achieve the path of alchemist or immortal, was his own stroke of luck.

But alas, Wen Jue is a demon.

The Sect Master can uphold the righteous path’s original intent, refusing to exploit the innocent. But he cannot.

Countless sect disciples die each year, entering the Secret Realm. Wen Jue is a bloodthirsty monster whose cultivation has reached its zenith—a menace the cultivation world must eliminate.

He seeks only to eliminate Wen Jue.

May Qin Zhou truly be cherished by Wen Jue, and not merely a decoy to disrupt their mission, or a disposable plaything in his hands.

Fang Huai wavered, but ultimately chose to trust the intelligence relayed by the covert network—

That demon Wen Jue had indeed developed a weakness: a Dao companion.

The moment Fang Huai left the provincial capital, Lu Er followed close behind.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Meanwhile, Lu Qi, who had journeyed to the Immortal Restraint Prison only to discover Lu Yi had once again projected his divine essence to the lower realms: “…”

Before he could even crack open a sunflower seed, the veins on his forehead began throbbing.

“Is the lower realm really that entertaining?”

What on earth possessed him to dash down there now? If his soul suffered severe damage, would he be left to clean up the mess in the secret realm all by himself?

“I’ll go see for myself what you’re secretly scheming in the lower realm.” Lu Qi cracked open a melon seed, his teeth grinding with frustration.

Lu Qi tossed the empty shell aside and vanished from the Immortal Restraint Prison in an instant.

 ━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Meanwhile, in the upper realm’s Yuanqing Mountain.

News of the demonic master Wen Jue abducting the Thousand Machinery Elder of the Thousand Machinery Sect had naturally reached Yuanqing Mountain.

Lu Wu was accustomed to wandering the world, never lingering too long in any one place.

This medical immortal sect, Yuanqing Mountain, belonged to Baixing alone—both in name and in practice.

His master had never exerted much effort throughout the years.

Yet every thousand years, he would return to lend a hand.

The secret realm was approaching, and the conflict between the righteous and demonic factions threatened to unleash a bloodbath if not handled carefully.

So, as usual, Lu Wu stayed briefly at Yuanqing Mountain, refining some elixirs for the sect and offering guidance to the junior disciples.

But this year, his mind was elsewhere.

Especially after hearing that Lu Yi had gone to find Shisi.

“Master, the Cangyun Sword Sect has already sent people. Whether it’s Wen Jue or the Demon Sect, even the aggressive righteous sects wouldn’t dare harm Uncle Shisi.” Noticing Lu Wu’s preoccupation, Baixing couldn’t help but offer reassurance.

Lu Wu shook his head. “That’s not what troubles me. Wen Jue…” The name felt unfamiliar on his lips. Lu Wu smiled faintly. “He wouldn’t go so far as to harm your Uncle Shisi.”

“But Master, these past days you’ve been staring blankly out the window. I suspect you’re thinking about Uncle Shisi.”

Baixing was different from the Sword Sect disciples. As Master Lu Wu’s sole apprentice, he’d been raised by his side since childhood. Thus, he knew Wen Jue’s true identity.

Though Yuanqing Mountain was considered righteous, it neither fought the Demon Sect for territory nor upheld moral principles.

The way of the healer was to save lives.

Yuanqing Mountain occupied a unique space between righteousness and demonism.

Or perhaps, when he founded Yuanqing Mountain, he deliberately positioned it perpetually in the middle precisely because this stance would never place his master in a difficult position, regardless of which side chose to act.

Yet Baixing had never voiced these thoughts to his master.

“I was merely pondering why he would seek out Shisi.”

Baixing detected a rare spark of curiosity in his master’s eyes.

“He hasn’t set foot in the Thousand Machinery Divine Sect for thousands of years,” Lu Wu sighed. “Something must have happened, right?”

“What happened?”

Lu Wu pondered. “Could it be related to your great-grandmaster? Shisi has a mouth that can’t be kept shut. If Lu Yi learns the village chief is still alive, forget the Immortal Restraint Prison—no prison could hold him. I just have this feeling it’s going to be quite the spectacle.“ Lu Wu’s eyes crinkled with amusement as he spoke.

”Master, are you thinking of going to the lower realms again?“ Baixing reminded softly, ”But Master, you forgot—you just said the Secret Realm was approaching and Yuanqing Mountain would be too busy, so you wanted to help your disciple.“

The curiosity in Lu Wu’s eyes vanished instantly. ”I didn’t say I wanted to go.”

Asking meant he didn’t want to go.

If he didn’t ask, he’d just sit there all day gazing at the scenery, his eyes filled with such longing it made one anxious.

Baixing sighed. “I can accompany you on another trip, Master. There’s actually something I need to investigate.”

Lu Wu: ?

“What is it?”

“We’re currently in need of alchemical ingredients, but when I went to the storeroom the day before yesterday to take inventory, some items were missing. A few lower-grade materials had been stolen. Upon closer inspection, it appears to be connected to the lower realms.” Baixing’s eyes held a cold, sharp intensity. “Someone has been secretly sending them to the lower realms, exchanging them for personal gain. This has been going on for hundreds, even thousands of years.”

Lu Wu: “Then it must be thoroughly investigated.”

Baixing sheathed his imposing aura, his expression softening as he looked at Lu Wu. “Will you accompany me, Master?”

Lu Wu nodded. “I will.”

Their last meeting with the village chief had been rushed and abrupt. This time, he must bring some gifts.