Taking the Pill

Dawn had barely broken, and the thin mist had yet to fully disperse. Holy Soul Village lay shrouded in silence.

Ning Chuan lay in bed, staring at the roof beams blackened by soot, absently rubbing the Foundation Establishment Pill entwined with dragon patterns in his hand.

The pill felt warm and smooth to the touch, faintly heating up as though it were alive. Its dark golden surface shimmered with an almost imperceptible glow in the weak light filtering through the cracks in the window.

He had barely slept all night, repeatedly going over the scene he was about to stage in his mind.

It was necessary to have his little sister take the pill, but he needed a carefully crafted explanation to make it all seem natural and avoid arousing any suspicion—especially from Tang Hao, who might be secretly keeping an eye on the village.

An odd old man... forced a pill down my throat... said it was fate... gave me another one for a relative... then flew away... Ning Chuan silently rehearsed the story he had made up once more, making sure every detail sounded plausible while retaining the air of an extraordinary encounter beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Only then could he explain the pill's exceptional origin.

When the sky had grown brighter, Ning Chuan took a deep breath, carefully put the pill away, and got out of bed.

In the kitchen, his mother, Liu Lan, had already lit the stove and was preparing breakfast for the family.

A pot of thin porridge simmered over the fire, steaming hot and carrying the simple fragrance of grain.

His little sister, Ning Xiaohe, rubbed her sleepy eyes and obediently sat on a small stool, helping add firewood.

His father, Ning Dazhuang, was chopping wood in the courtyard, the steady thud of his axe rising at regular intervals.

Everything was as usual, filled with the busy peace of a farming household's morning.

After washing up, Ning Chuan went into the kitchen to help as well.

Looking at his sister's small, frail back, his determination only grew firmer.

Before long, breakfast was ready.

The family gathered around a wooden table whose edges had long been worn smooth.

Coarse rice porridge, a plate of pickled vegetables, and several steamed cornbread buns—simple, but enough to fill their stomachs.

Ning Chuan ate absentmindedly. Only when everyone was nearly done did he put down his bowl and chopsticks, quietly inhale, and force a complicated expression onto his face, one that mixed lingering fear with excitement.

"Father, Mother, there's something... I don't know whether I should say it." Ning Chuan spoke deliberately softly, with a trace of hesitation in his voice.

Liu Lan and Ning Dazhuang both looked toward their son, while Ning Xiaohe lifted her head curiously as well.

"What is it, Xiao Chuan? Did yesterday's trip into town wear you out?" Liu Lan asked with concern.

Ning Chuan shook his head and carefully took out the Foundation Establishment Pill, wrapped in a clean piece of soft cloth, from the pocket close to his body.

The instant the cloth unfolded and revealed the dark golden pill marked with dragon patterns, an extremely faint yet invigorating fragrance quietly spread through the room, carrying the freshness and vitality of a mountain forest after rain.

"This is..." Ning Dazhuang's pupils contracted. As a craftsman, he had an instinctive sense for the quality of objects.

At a glance, he could tell that this pill was no ordinary thing. Its restrained radiance and peculiar patterns were unlike anything he had ever seen in his life.

Following the script he had prepared, Ning Chuan said in a tone tinged with lingering fright, "Yesterday... on my way back to the village, the sun was nearly setting. When I reached that little hill about six or seven li from the village, I ran into a strange old man."

After saying that, he paused to make sure his family was fully drawn in. "That old man wore a ragged gray robe, and his hair and beard were a complete mess. But his eyes were especially bright, as if he could see straight through people. He suddenly came out of the woods beside the road and stopped me."

Ning Xiaohe shrank closer to her mother in fright, while Liu Lan nervously clenched her hands.

"He... he didn't make things difficult for you, did he?" Liu Lan hurriedly asked.

"No," Ning Chuan continued. "He stared at me for a long time, muttering things I couldn't understand, like 'decent bones' and 'interesting.' Then... then he suddenly grabbed my chin and shoved a pill into my mouth! The pill melted as soon as it entered my mouth. I couldn't even spit it out!"

"What?!" Ning Dazhuang abruptly stood up, his expression changing drastically. "You swallowed it? Do you feel unwell anywhere?"

He pulled his son over and looked him over from head to toe, his eyes full of worry and anger.

"Father, I'm fine, really!" Ning Chuan quickly reassured him. "Not only am I fine, but after taking it, I felt... warm all over, like I had endless strength. The fatigue from walking into town yesterday disappeared all at once!"

Ning Chuan moved his arms and tried his best to look full of vigor. "When the old man saw that I was fine after taking the pill, he chuckled and said I was fated with him, and that the medicine was a good thing for strengthening the body. Then he took out this one."

After speaking, he pointed at the Foundation Establishment Pill on the table and added, "He said this one could be used by a blood relative, and its effects would be even better. Then he... he vanished like a gust of wind in the blink of an eye! I didn't even see how he left!"

Once the story was over, the kitchen fell silent. Only the occasional crackle of firewood came from the stove.

Liu Lan and Ning Dazhuang looked at each other, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.

He flew away? Had Ning Chuan encountered one of the legendary Title Douluo? Or perhaps... an even more powerful existence?

Ning Xiaohe, meanwhile, stared wide-eyed, looking from the pill to her brother, her little face full of amazement.

"Xiao Chuan... is everything you said true?" Ning Dazhuang's voice was somewhat hoarse. The matter was simply too bizarre, beyond anything his decades of ordinary life had prepared him to understand.

"Father, I swear!" Ning Chuan raised his hand, his expression utterly sincere. "I don't know whether that old man was some kind of god or what, but I took the medicine, and I'm really fine. I even feel better than ever. This pill looks even better than the one I took, and that old man said it was for a relative..."

His gaze turned toward his little sister, Ning Xiaohe, filled with affection. "I thought Xiao He has always been weak. If this medicine really is as good as that old man said, maybe taking it will make her stronger."

Liu Lan looked at her daughter as well, and her eyes clearly revealed her temptation.

As a mother, what she wished for most was for her children to be healthy and safe.

Her son had taken the pill without any trouble and had instead become full of energy. Could this pill truly be a heaven-sent opportunity?

Ning Dazhuang remained silent, his rough fingers lightly touching the Foundation Establishment Pill as he felt its reassuring warmth and indescribable texture.

He had lived for most of his life and had never seen such a miraculous object, but his instincts told him it was no wicked thing.

"Dear..." Liu Lan called softly, her meaning obvious.

Ning Dazhuang pondered for a while longer. At last, he let out a long breath, as though making an enormous decision. "Xiao Chuan took it and was fine, and that old man doesn't seem like a bad person... Perhaps this really is our family's good fortune." He turned to Ning Xiaohe. "Xiao He, do you... dare to take it?"

Although Ning Xiaohe was young, she was clever and sensible.

She looked at her brother's encouraging eyes, then at her parents' hopeful expressions. After taking another sniff of the comforting medicinal fragrance, she nodded firmly. "Brother was fine after taking it, so I dare too! I want to be strong and healthy so Father and Mother won't have to worry about me!"

A great weight lifted from Ning Chuan's heart, and he quickly said, "That old man said you just need to swallow it. It melts as soon as it enters your mouth."

Liu Lan carefully picked up the Foundation Establishment Pill from the table and held it to her younger daughter's lips. "Xiao He, eat it slowly."

Ning Xiaohe opened her mouth and placed the pill, which was about the size of a longan, inside.

Sure enough, the pill instantly turned into a warm, gentle stream of liquid that flowed down her throat. A lingering fragrance filled her mouth, accompanied by an indescribable sweetness and richness.

When the medicinal liquid entered her stomach, Ning Xiaohe initially felt nothing much. She blinked, about to speak, when she suddenly felt a gentle current of warmth rise from her lower abdomen and swiftly spread through her limbs and body.

The current was not scorching. Instead, it was like winter sunlight—warm and comfortable.

She could not help letting out a soft "Mm." It felt as though every pore in her body had opened, as if tiny currents of air were slowly flowing within her and washing through certain sluggish places.

"How is it, Xiao He? Does it hurt?" Liu Lan anxiously watched her daughter's expression.

Ning Xiaohe shook her head, a healthy flush appearing on her cheeks. "It doesn't hurt, Mother. It feels so comfortable... warm, like... like I'm soaking in hot water."

As she spoke, she unconsciously straightened the back that had once been slightly hunched from her weak constitution.

Ning Chuan held his breath and carefully observed the changes in his sister.

In his perception, the vast yet gentle medicinal power was like trickling streams, quietly nourishing every tiny meridian in his sister's body, cleansing impurities from her flesh and blood, and strengthening her most fundamental foundation.

The faint effect of Dragon Qi Body Tempering was like the most delicate hammering, subtly increasing the potential of her physical body.

Gradually, a small amount of grayish-black, foul-smelling sticky sweat began to seep out from Ning Xiaohe's skin.

This was the normal effect of the Foundation Establishment Pill cleansing the marrow and expelling impurities from the body.

"Oh, she's sweating!" Liu Lan cried out and hurriedly tried to wipe it away with her sleeve.

"Mother, don't worry. This is a good thing." Ning Chuan suppressed the excitement in his heart and explained, "That old man said this medicine can clear the dirty things from the body. Once they're expelled, she'll be fine."

Liu Lan and Ning Dazhuang were still half doubtful, but seeing that their daughter's expression was normal—and that she looked more energetic than ever—they gradually relaxed.

Ning Xiaohe herself felt lighter and lighter. The exhaustion, sensitivity to cold, and chilliness that had always plagued her were rapidly fading, replaced by an unprecedented sense of ease and strength.

She even felt as though the world before her had become much clearer and brighter.

The process lasted about the time it took for an incense stick to burn. No more impurities emerged from Ning Xiaohe's body, her complexion became rosy and full, her eyes bright and lively, and her whole person radiated vigorous vitality.

"Father, Mother, Brother!" Ning Xiaohe excitedly jumped off her stool and spun around in place. "I feel so light! I feel like I can run really, really far without getting tired!"

Seeing their daughter so obviously healthier, Liu Lan's eyes reddened. She pulled Xiao He into her arms, her voice choked with emotion. "Good, good! That's wonderful!"

After a while, she looked up at Ning Dazhuang again. "Dear, look at Xiao He..."

Ning Dazhuang, usually a man of few words, was so excited that his lips trembled slightly. He heavily patted Ning Chuan on the shoulder. "Good boy! We must remember this fortune you brought us!"

Though he could not say exactly whom they should thank, his gratitude was genuine.

Watching his sister's lively appearance, Ning Chuan felt enormous relief and a deep sense of accomplishment well up within him.

This step had finally been taken!

The effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill were even better than he had expected.

"Xiao He, hurry and wash up, then change into clean clothes," Ning Chuan reminded her with a smile.

"Okay!" Ning Xiaohe cheerfully answered and ran toward the inner room like a little bird.

Liu Lan followed to help her, leaving only Ning Dazhuang and Ning Chuan, father and son, in the kitchen.

Ning Dazhuang looked at his son with deep eyes, as if he wanted to say something. In the end, however, he merely patted Ning Chuan's shoulder again. "From now on... try not to walk alone at night."

As a father, he was ultimately still wary of that mysterious "old man."

Ning Chuan obediently nodded. "I understand, Father."

The incident after breakfast passed, and life in the Ning Family seemed to return to normal.

But Ning Chuan knew that some things had already quietly changed.

His sister's body was undergoing a fundamental improvement under the effects of the Foundation Establishment Pill, while he himself had laid the first foundation stone for this miraculous transformation.