Another new day had arrived. The sky was jade-green, and beneath the heavens by the sea near Jin Province City, Fuyu Mountain lay in hazy emerald shadows, piercing straight into the clouds.
"Ha~"
Zhao Huai yawned, glanced out the window, and stretched lazily.
Killing the Fox Demon last night had settled a weight on his mind.
If the Fox Demon had not been eliminated, Jin Province City likely would not have remained as peaceful as it was now.
Thinking it over carefully, now that the Fox Demon was dead, Li Yanqing's body should have recovered as well. With Yan Jing watching over him, there should not have been any problem.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, someone knocked on the pawnshop's front door.
Who would come knocking so early in the morning?
Zhao Huai ambled over lazily and opened the door.
Once he opened it, he found Lu Wanqiu standing gracefully at the entrance.
She wore a long green dress with a sheer white shawl draped over her shoulders. When the breeze passed, she gave off an air of quiet elegance.
Her eyes were as bright as autumn waters as she stared at Zhao Huai. Her crimson lips parted. "I want to ask you something."
"Go ahead. I'm sorry to have made you come all this way, miss."
Dressed in a white undershirt, Zhao Huai rubbed his eyes as he spoke.
Lu Wanqiu furrowed her brows. "I searched all night but never saw any trace of the Fox Demon, nor did I find the expert you mentioned. But when I went to the Prefect's Residence, I discovered that the Demonic Qi on the Prefect's Son had already dispersed. That means the demon fox is dead, yet from beginning to end, I never saw the Fox Demon."
"So I want to ask you: what did that person look like last night? Do you remember?"
Zhao Huai's expression remained unchanged as he honestly shook his head.
"It was too dark at the time. I truly couldn't see his face."
A look of regret flashed across Lu Wanqiu's face. Clearly, she was still brooding over what had happened last night.
Zhao Huai smiled reassuringly. "Now that the Fox Demon is dead, everything is naturally well. Why should Miss Lu look so troubled?"
"The shopkeeper is right."
Lu Wanqiu nodded lightly, then sighed. "I have also searched for Black Wind Matriarch for a long time, yet I have never found any trace of her. Since coming down the mountain, I truly haven't completed a single task properly."
"Black Wind Matriarch."
Zhao Huai pondered this, recalling that mass of black mist that had streaked across the sky.
Lu Wanqiu explained, "That demon's true form is a Green-Eyed Human-Faced Spider, a famed great demon within a hundred miles. If she does not die, Black Wind Cave cannot be considered truly eradicated. We must find her."
"You have truly worked hard, miss."
Zhao Huai sighed from the bottom of his heart.
People said sect disciples lived carefree, unburdened lives, but that was not entirely true.
Descending the mountain to gain experience and eliminate demons were only part of a sect disciple's duties.
In the Mortal World, sects undoubtedly held great status.
Yet correspondingly, they also bore many obligations.
For example, merely maintaining cultivator discipline brought endless troubles.
Aside from the sect forces led by the five ancient immortal sects, there were also Demonic Path Cultivators lurking in the shadows.
Their methods were often cruel, murderous, and cold-blooded. Their cultivation took perilous side paths, and they especially enjoyed using force to defy the law, meddling in mortal affairs.
Dealing with them often required the sects to act.
If this world needed a balance, then the ones maintaining the balance of the mortal realm were undoubtedly the human dynasties.
And the sects were the key to maintaining the balance of the cultivation world.
But Zhao Huai's thoughts were simple. Amid this delicate balance, he only wanted to live well, pursue the long immortal path with an unyielding heart, and leave everything else alone.
"Husband, who is it?"
A voice came from behind him. Yu Qinghan approached, wrapped in a thin pale-blue cloak.
Zhao Huai smiled as he introduced them. "Wife, this is the sect disciple I mentioned to you."
Yu Qinghan nodded to Lu Wanqiu and said softly, "Thank you, miss, for saving my husband's life."
"As I should. Eliminating demons and defending the righteous path is what people like us ought to do."
Lu Wanqiu smiled faintly, though she was secretly puzzled. Wasn't it your husband who saved my life? If anyone should be offering thanks, it should be me thanking him.
Yet after thinking about it for a while, she did not dwell on it. Perhaps Yu Qinghan was referring to her help at the Drunken Flower Pavilion.
At the same time, Lu Wanqiu was somewhat astonished as she looked at Yu Qinghan's appearance.
This shopkeeper truly had good fortune. Still so young, yet he had married such a delicate wife, beautiful as an immortal maiden. The two of them really did look like a married couple.
"Then I won't stay any longer. Farewell, Shopkeeper."
Looking at the loving pair before her, Lu Wanqiu felt rather superfluous, so she took her leave.
"Very well, then I won't see you out."
Zhao Huai waved farewell and watched her departing figure, thinking to himself.
Life had returned to its normal track once more.
Yu Qinghan tilted her head and asked, "That Fox Demon was ultimately slain by her, wasn't it?"
Zhao Huai smiled. "That's right. I saw it with my own eyes. I had originally wanted to come find you, wife, but I didn't expect you were looking for me too. What a coincidence."
Yu Qinghan nodded, then pointed toward the stove in the kitchen.
"Husband, these are the herbs I prepared for you. They have been simmering for several days and should be ready now. You can try them today and see how they work."
"Alright, I'll try them in a little while."
Zhao Huai walked into the room and soon smelled the scent of medicinal herbs.
He also realized that increasing his strength had become necessary. His cultivation had already reached the peak of Qi Refinement.
He had to break through to Foundation Establishment as soon as possible. Only then could he cultivate more spells and become stronger. That was the prerequisite for preserving his peaceful life.
However, choosing a place to break through to Foundation Establishment was also important. A quiet and sufficiently safe location was the bare minimum. Otherwise, if he were interrupted midway or someone barged in, all his efforts would come to nothing.
At the same time, he needed to prepare other herbs and pills to aid the process, all working together.
Foundation Establishment was a major matter in cultivation and could not be handled carelessly, especially for someone with aptitude as ordinary as his.
If he did not have a Foundation Establishment Pill, who knew when he would be able to break through?
That was why he had to seize this opportunity even more tightly.
After considering it, he decided to make his breakthrough in the basement, where no one would disturb him.
After giving a few instructions, Zhao Huai went down into the pawnshop's basement.
This place had originally been an ice cellar for storing summer food. Now, using it as a place for secluded cultivation could not have been more fitting, and it was safe enough as well.
He first poured the herbs his wife had prepared into a large vat.
After lighting the firewood, he removed his clothes and stepped inside, feeling as though he were soaking in a hot spring.
Within the medicinal bath, Zhao Huai took out a porcelain bottle from the Mysterious Ring.
He removed that one and only Foundation Establishment Pill.
He examined it for a moment. His gaze hardened, his resolve set, and he swallowed it in one gulp.
Then he began circulating the True Qi throughout his body, refining the pill's medicinal power.
The Foundation Establishment Pill's medicinal power spread rapidly. After a quarter of an hour, Zhao Huai felt as though a raging fire were burning in his dantian.
Yet his hands and feet were ice-cold, and his entire body began to ache and go numb, as though he had fallen ill.
But that sensation quickly faded, replaced by incomparably intense pain.
His head hurt!
His hands hurt!
His meridians hurt! His whole body hurt!
It was as though thousands upon thousands of blades were scraping poison across his bones and meridians. The pain turned Zhao Huai pale, beads of sweat springing from his forehead and running down his cheeks to his chin, while his entire body twisted into a knot inside the vat.
He even cursed aloud. Fortunately, he was underground, so no one could hear him no matter how loudly he shouted.
Gradually, the sweat beading from his body turned black.
Though Zhao Huai's mind was dizzy, his consciousness remained perfectly clear. This was the first step of Foundation Establishment.
Marrow Cleansing and Tendon Transforming.
The medicinal power of Foundation Establishment would seep into his meridians and bones, helping him expel the impurities from his entire body and further purify his fleshly body.
But this step truly hurt like hell!
Before you continue