Li Ru

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Li Ru (李如)
Alias(es)	Ru'er; Sister Ru; Aunt Ru
Gender	Female
Affiliation	Zhou Family
Occupation/Role	Spirit-herb seeker; brewer and operator of the Zhou Family wine workshop
Status	Alive 538
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Fifth Layer of Qi Condensation	76	Reached the Fifth Layer; the Zhou family hosted a feast to celebrate her and Zhou Shan's cultivation progress.
Sixth Layer of Qi Refining	178	Zhou Ling found that she had advanced while he was away at the Daoist Academy.
Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation	212	Zhou Ling began preparing a Foundation Establishment Pill and wood-attribute high-grade spirit stone for her future breakthrough.
Qi Condensation Peak	268	Decided to enter seclusion and attempt Foundation Establishment ahead of schedule, supported by pills refined by Wang Xin.
Earth-Grade Foundation Establishment	269	Successfully established her foundation after five days of seclusion; her lifespan increased and her appearance rejuvenated.

Background

Li Ru and her husband, Zhou Shan, were bottom-tier Rogue Cultivators who supported themselves by seeking spirit herbs in Wild Mountain. When Zhou Ling was born in dangerous circumstances, she was relieved simply that he had survived; she and Zhou Shan named him in the hope that he would not have to risk his life gathering herbs as they did. 1 3

She personally taught Zhou Ling to recognize spirit herbs, patiently explaining their properties, maturity, and value. Under her instruction, he learned to identify thirty spirit herbs, including Crimson Crow Grass. 3 She later taught him basic cultivation runes and terminology from Dao Academy books, hoping he would become an Inner Disciple of Lingxia Dao Academy rather than remain trapped in the hardships of rogue cultivation. 5

Li Ru repeatedly prioritized Zhou Ling's education and health over the family's limited resources. She purchased spirit-beast meat, prepared medicinal meals and decoctions, and supported the more expensive Mid-Grade Dao Class despite the burden on the household. 6 7 Her concern remained intense as Zhou Ling began independently entering dangerous mountains and confronting stronger enemies, though she gradually accepted that his talent and path had surpassed what she and Zhou Shan could protect him from. 61 107

Her brewing expertise became the basis of the Zhou family's rise. Zhou Ling first surprised her with a brewing furnace, allowing her to brew wine at home; she later received a first-grade high-tier brewing furnace refined by him. 43 95 The family opened a winery on Xining Street, where Li Ru brewed Black Run Rice spirit wine and, at peak demand, operated as many as nine furnaces a day. 69 As business expanded, she hired Chen Yan to brew ordinary spirit wine, reducing her own workload. 107

Although Li Ru had long focused on her son rather than her own cultivation, Zhou Ling and Wang Xin secured techniques, pills, and spiritual resources for her advancement. She cultivated the Evergreen Art, suited to her low-grade Water and Wood spiritual root, then used Green Spirit Pills and other preparations to attempt Foundation Establishment. 178 235 268 Her successful Earth-Grade Foundation Establishment marked a major turning point for the Zhou family. 269

Appearance

After establishing her foundation, Li Ru's vitality and appearance were markedly restored; though nearly forty, she appeared closer to her early twenties. 269

• Often wears simple, practical clothing while working in the kitchen, workshop, or courtyard.
• Later appeared in a simple yellow dress with a green jade hairpin; her complexion was rosy and her bearing graceful. 403
• Has been described wearing a dark green dress while caring for her granddaughter, Zhou Ying'er. 468

Personality

Li Ru is nurturing, practical, and strongly family-oriented. Her ambitions are centered on giving Zhou Ling opportunities that she and Zhou Shan never had, especially education, stable cultivation resources, and a life beyond the dangers of Wild Mountain. 3 5

She is cautious when her family is threatened, initially proposing that the wine workshop stop supplying Four Seasons Tower to avoid provoking the Li Family. 107 However, her caution does not diminish her resilience: she worked through exhausting brewing schedules to support Zhou Ling's cultivation and later found the resolve to attempt Foundation Establishment herself. 69 268

Li Ru is also openly proud of Zhou Ling's achievements and frequently celebrates them through family meals and banquets. 115 194 As the Zhou family prospers, she takes responsibility for household affairs and remains deeply involved in caring for Wang Xin, her grandchildren, and the family's daughters-in-law. 269 278 471

Abilities & Skills

Spirit-Herb Knowledge

Li Ru possesses practical knowledge of common spirit herbs gained through herb seeking.

• Identifies herbs by their appearance, age, properties, and market value. 3
• Taught Zhou Ling the differences between herbs such as Ink Essence Grass and Azure Sun Grass. 3
• Recognized that the high-rank herbs Zhou Ling brought home could only have come from Wild Mountain's Inner Mountain. 61

Brewing

Li Ru is an experienced spirit-wine brewer and the foundation of the Zhou family's wine business.

• Can assess the quality and flaws of spirit wine, including identifying when inferior Spirit Cloud Grass has been used to reduce costs. 29
• Brewed and sold affordable spirit wine that became popular among Rogue Cultivators. 69
• Managed intensive production schedules of up to nine brewing furnaces per day before the workshop hired additional help. 69 107
• Uses a first-grade high-tier brewing furnace refined by Zhou Ling. 95

Cultivation

Li Ru is a Water-and-Wood-attribute cultivator who overcame her limited early resources to attain Earth-Grade Foundation Establishment.

• Possesses a low-grade Water and Wood spiritual root. 235
• Cultivates the Evergreen Art, which improves the quality and longevity benefits of her wood-attribute spiritual power. 235
• Reached Earth-Grade Foundation Establishment with the support of Foundation Establishment resources, Green Spirit Pills, and the Zhou family's cultivation environment. 268 269

Equipment / Items

• First-grade high-tier brewing furnace — Refined and gifted to her by Zhou Ling to improve the wine workshop's production. 95
• Evergreen Art — Her wood-attribute cultivation method. 235
• Green Spirit Pills — Prepared by Wang Xin to purify and strengthen her wood-attribute spiritual power before Foundation Establishment. 235 268

Relationships

• Zhou Shan — Husband and longtime partner in herb seeking, household survival, and raising Zhou Ling. They support each other despite years of poverty and danger. 1 3 269
• Zhou Ling — Son. Li Ru teaches, feeds, worries over, and celebrates him throughout his growth; his success later provides her the resources to pursue Foundation Establishment. 3 5 178 269
• Wang Xin — Daughter-in-law. Wang Xin refines Green Spirit Pills for Li Ru, supports her Foundation Establishment attempt, and later receives meticulous care from Li Ru during pregnancy. 235 268 278
• Wang Yu — Fellow mother and friend first met while their children registered for Lingxia West Academy. 7 8
• Chen Yan — Brewmaster hired for the wine workshop, allowing Li Ru to reduce her daily brewing burden. 107
• Wang Qingshang — Daughter-in-law whom Li Ru welcomes into the Zhou family and entrusts with household management. 403
• Gong Yi — Daughter-in-law. Li Ru personally arranges her wedding matters and urges her and Zhou Ling to grow the family. 468 471

Trivia

• Li Ru originally hoped only that Zhou Ling could become an Inner Disciple of Lingxia Dao Academy. 5
• She was initially more concerned with Zhou Ling's future marriage and children than with pursuing Foundation Establishment for herself. 153 178
• Her joy at learning Wang Xin was pregnant exceeded even her excitement over her own Earth-Grade Foundation Establishment. 270