noffsinger Chapter 116: Heart-to-Heart Talk
Chapter 116: Heart-to-Heart Talk
"Master, did you start investigating her before she even entered the sect?" Yu Mingxiu looked up and asked.
"Yes!" Su Beichuan said, "We must thoroughly investigate everyone and everything related to her!"
"Disciple understands!" Yu Mingxiu replied.
"Remember to be careful and don't let anyone know you're investigating Qin Zhixue," Su Beichuan said.
"Disciple will remember Master's instructions!" Yu Mingxiu said.
Su Beichuan nodded slightly.
"Does Master have any other instructions?" Yu Mingxiu asked. "Then, should Qin Zhixue...?"
"You just need to handle this matter well!" Su Beichuan said, "As for Qin Zhixue, don't touch her for now!"
"Disciple understands!" Yu Mingxiu nodded, then bowed and withdrew.
"Qin Zhixue... I never imagined that I, who have been so cautious all my life, would fall into your hands..." Su Beichuan watched Yu Mingxiu leave, then murmured, "Next, it's time for my Su family to select a Core Formation seed... otherwise, there will be no place for my Su family in Ice River Valley!"
He looked worried.
Su Beichuan originally intended to coerce Qin Zhixue and a descendant of the Su family into becoming Daoist partners, relying on his status as the number one person in Ice River Valley.
In this way, if Qin Zhixue successfully forms her core in the future, she will also be considered a member of the Su family.
At that time, Su Beichuan will cultivate another Core Formation cultivator for the Su family. Even after he passes away a hundred years later, the Su family will still have two Core Formation ancestors sitting in their positions, making their status unshakeable and even allowing them to become the de facto rulers of the Ice River Valley.
As the overall strength of Ice Valley increases, the Su family can obtain unimaginable benefits.
Who would have thought that Su Beichuan's attempt to steal a chicken would backfire, causing him to lose all the remaining decades of his lifespan.
He was exhausted, and if he were to suffer another mishap, his cultivation would drop to the Foundation Establishment stage. He no longer dared to easily cause trouble for Qin Zhixue.
……
Yunmeng Lake, Li Family.
September 15th.
At this time, half a year had passed since Yang Jiuli returned from Longhu Town.
During the past six months, Yang Jiuli asked Li Sisi from Yunfang Street to find a complete book of talismans.
Among them are many first-tier ancient runes.
"A top-grade Tier 1 'Frostblade Talisman'..."
In a refined talisman-making room at Snowfall Manor, Yang Jiuli put away his talisman brush, and the talisman on the table in front of him was successfully engraved. After half a year of engraving, he had finally restored his talisman-making skills to the first-tier top-grade level.
Put the talisman away safely.
Yang Jiuli pushed open the door and went out.
He drew an ordinary, high-grade green wood sword and flew out of Snowfall Manor on it.
Although he possessed a top-tier flying boat, he did not use it.
Even the top-grade Cold Fiend Sword was not exposed at Yunmeng Lake.
He appeared extremely low-key.
Today is the sixth birthday of Li Hao, Lu Wenzheng's fourth child.
Yang Jiuli was heading out to attend Li Hao's birthday banquet.
Three months ago, Li Hao was diagnosed with a low-grade superior spiritual root, with a water element compatibility of 38.
It's already incredibly close to having a mid-grade spiritual root!
Lu Wenzheng was overjoyed and specially invited his friends from Yunmeng Lake to attend his child's birthday banquet.
Yang Jiuli was naturally among the invited guests.
Lu Wenzheng lives on a small island on the outskirts of Yunmeng Lake.
The spiritual energy concentration on the island is around 1.9.
Yang Jiuli flew away on his sword and arrived near the nameless island in just a quarter of an hour.
Just as Yang Jiuli flew away, a rainbow streaked across the sky beside him, and a jade flying boat flew over through the void.
Yang Jiuli looked closely and saw a stunningly beautiful woman with unparalleled grace and exquisite figure standing on the flying boat.
The woman seemed to have noticed Yang Jiuli as well, and looked over.
Upon recognizing Yang Jiuli, the woman frowned and her gaze darted away, as if she wanted to avoid him.
But the next moment, her brows relaxed, she smiled and looked at Yang Jiuli with grace and poise.
Her flying boat also flew towards where Yang Jiuli was.
The woman was none other than Li Yourong, who had been punished and secluded for half a year.
When she discovered Yang Jiuli, she remembered that the family head, Li Ruoyu, had mentioned that they had a secret affair, and her subconscious instinct was to avoid suspicion.
But upon further reflection, Li Yourong suddenly understood.
She has acted uprightly and honestly, so why should she avoid suspicion?
Since the head of the family already misses her so much, why should she care?
Those who don't understand her, there's no need to pay attention to them!
Seeing Li Yourong arrive in a flying boat, Yang Jiuli also slowed down.
The two quickly reunited.
"Master Li... how have you been?" Yang Jiuli bowed to Li Yourong.
"How have you been?" Li Yourong also bowed, a smile on her lips, appearing poised and graceful.
Seeing this, Yang Jiuli breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Li Yourong's attitude clearly showed that she was not affected by being suppressed by Li Ruoyu.
As long as her mental state remains intact, she still has a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage.
"I'm sorry that Master Li had to go through all that trouble last time!" Yang Jiuli said with a hint of apology.
"This has nothing to do with you!" Li Yourong waved her hand and said apologetically, "On the contrary, it is my Li family that has wronged you."
Seeing Li Yourong's open-mindedness, Yang Jiuli didn't say much more about the matter. He asked, "Does Master Li have any plans regarding the Foundation Establishment Pill?" Yang Jiuli had always felt guilty about Li Yourong missing out on the Foundation Establishment Pill, hence this question.
"Foundation Establishment." Li Yourong's gaze sharpened, a hint of melancholy in her eyes, before she said with unwavering determination, "Foundation Establishment Pills are rare, but now that I've embarked on this path of immortality, no matter how difficult it may be, I will never give up... In the future, I will live for myself!" As she finished speaking, she smiled radiantly at Yang Jiuli, her smile as dazzling and beautiful as a peony in full bloom.
The six-month confinement allowed Li Yourong to think things through.
For more than a decade, she has worked diligently for the sake of the family and has trained three alchemists.
He also escorted the family's caravan for several years, which can be considered a great achievement.
Unexpectedly, the family head, Li Ruoyu, used a fabricated charge to disqualify her from obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill.
If that's the case, why did she do that?
It's better to live a good life for yourself.
I will carve out my own path to immortality!
Although that road may be full of thorns.
"I believe you can do it!" Seeing this, Yang Jiuli laughed loudly and said, "If you need anything in the future, Jiuli will definitely do his best to help you... Hehe, Foundation Establishment Pills may be difficult to obtain, but I have saved up several thousand spirit stones over the years."
"Oh!" Li Yourong smiled playfully at Yang Jiuli, her beautiful eyes sparkling. "I didn't expect you to be so wealthy!"
"I've refined some pills in my spare time over the past six months and exchanged them for a lot of spirit stones," Yang Jiuli said with a slight smile, spreading his hands.
"You should also think about your own future!" Li Yourong nodded slightly and said solemnly.
She also knew that half a year ago, the family reduced Yang Jiuli's production of Bixuan Pills, clearly intending to sideline Yang Jiuli.
As a result, it is extremely difficult for Yang Jiuli to make money in the Li family, and he should also make other plans for his future.
Seeing Li Yourong looking at him with such sincerity, Yang Jiuli was slightly moved.
In this world of cultivation, it's hard to find someone so pure!
Even in his previous life, Yang Jiuli only encountered a few such people over hundreds of years.
Two of them were his disciples, Su Muyao and Fairy Qingfu.
"Next, I will focus on cultivation," Yang Jiuli said.
"That's excellent!" Li Yourong nodded slightly.
The two then flew together towards Lu Wenzheng's courtyard.
The courtyard was bustling with activity.
Liu Yuelong, Huang Cheng, and others had already arrived.
When Li Yourong and Yang Jiuli arrived, Lu Wenzheng and his wife Li Qianyun, along with their children, immediately came to greet them.
Lu Wenzheng and his wife were all smiles, beaming with joy, and their children were also quite lively and full of hope for the future.
Seeing this, Li Yourong also felt relieved, and the repression of the past was gradually left behind.
In life, a few minor setbacks are nothing. As long as you get through them, when you look back in the future, they won't even seem like a big deal.
Yang Jiuli presented Lu Wenzheng with the 'Cold Blade Talisman' that he had drawn beforehand.
The banquet begins.
Yang Jiuli and Li Yourong sat at the same table.
Intentionally or unintentionally, Yang Jiuli and Li Yourong mentioned the path of Foundation Establishment.
Li Yourong shared all her knowledge of Foundation Establishment without reservation.
Yang Jiuli then mentioned his views on Foundation Establishment.
In particular, how to establish a foundation when there is no Foundation Establishment Pill.
Clearly, he was intentionally guiding Li Yourong so that she could successfully establish her foundation even without the Foundation Establishment Pill.
When the topic turned to the profound mysteries, Li Yourong felt a pang of regret. She vaguely sensed that it wasn't she who was instructing Yang Jiuli.
Instead, it was the latter who was giving her pointers.
This made Li Yourong very curious about Yang Jiuli, and she also subtly mentioned why he knew so much about Foundation Establishment.
Yang Jiuli only said that because he could not obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, he went to look for many ancient books and manuscripts about Foundation Establishment without the pill.
Li Yourong was skeptical but didn't press for further questions.
After all, it's normal for Yang Jiuli to seek out methods for achieving foundation building without the Foundation Establishment Pill, knowing that he has no hope of obtaining it.
Yang Jiuli shared these insights without reservation, which made Li Yourong feel even more favorably toward him.
I know he's a genuine person.
At the same time, Li Yourong gained a deeper understanding of Yang Jiuli.
Knowing that the man before her, though lacking in spiritual roots, had never given up and instead harbored great ambitions and aspired to walk the path of immortality.
However, he was down-to-earth and went to search for various classic texts and methods to build a foundation, instead of being arrogant and conceited.
Such a mindset is truly rare.
The more Li Yourong learned about Yang Jiuli, the more she liked him.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that if the young man before him had a mid-grade spiritual root, he would surely be able to forge a foundation for immortality and achieve extraordinary success.
As night fell, the two said goodbye and returned to their respective island residences.
Yang Jiuli flew through the void, stepping on the green wooden sword.
"I imagine that after this conversation, Master Li will be specifically looking for Foundation Establishment spiritual items," Yang Jiuli murmured.
"Therefore, her probability of reaching Foundation Establishment will be 60%!"
"I will find another opportunity to give her the 'Dragon Ginseng Soul-Strengthening Pill' then."
In this way, he could be considered to have made up for what he owed Li Yourong.
During this conversation, he specifically instructed Li Yourong to inform him before she established her foundation, so that he could do his part.
Li Yourong didn't want to refuse Yang Jiuli's kindness, so she agreed.
……
In the blink of an eye, another three months have passed.
This day was the seventh day of the twelfth lunar month.
Yunmeng Lake, Diyan Island.
Inside a magnificent hall.
At the lower seat, Xu Huaiyi, a second-level alchemist, sat upright, his gaze sweeping around, occasionally glancing towards the head of the table.
There was no one there at the moment.
Clearly, Xu Huaiyi was waiting for someone!
Waiting for the head of the Li family, Li Ruoyu.
Several years have passed, and the alchemist Xu Huaiyi has aged considerably. He is now over 129 years old.
Suddenly, a streak of light flashed, and a figure landed beside the main seat in the hall.
The visitor was none other than Li Ruoyu from the Li family.
Now, Li Ruoyu's temples are graying, and she looks more weathered.
He is over 125 years old!
In recent years, the Li family has been constantly harassed by independent cultivators, causing severe damage to the caravan.
Even the clan's medicine business has been significantly affected.
Unfortunately, his cousin Li Hongtai was facing a huge shortage of spirit stones needed to form his core, which greatly increased the pressure on him.
"Patriarch Li..." When Li Ruoyu appeared, Xu Huaiyi immediately stood up and bowed.
Li Ruoyu looked at Xu Huaiyi and her brows furrowed slightly involuntarily, a hint of displeasure appearing in her eyes.
However, this subtle expression was fleeting.
"Sit down!" He quickly smiled and waved his hand to indicate that there was no need for formalities, and invited Master Xu to sit down.
Master Xu took his seat.
Li Ruoyu turned around, sat down in the main seat, and then asked with a smile, "Master Xu, is there something you need to see me about?"
At this moment, a maid came forward to pour tea for the two of them.