Taking Stock of the Spoils, Winning Over a Woman

The Pharmacist Lan returned safely to Little Willow Marsh, the place she served.

It wasn't until she entered Zhou Ning's residence that Zhou Ning broke his concealment and revealed himself.

He didn't speak, but simply turned his back to Pharmacist Lan, gazing at the map of Leping Commandery pasted on the wall in the center of the main room, as if he had never left Little Willow Marsh from beginning to end.

Pharmacist Lan hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself; she had too many questions.

For example, did Zhou Ning already know that someone would ambush her? That's why he deliberately stayed by her side?

Why was that puppet so powerful that it could kill Foundation Establishment cultivator? Could it be a second-tier puppet?

For example, how could Zhou Ning, Foundation Establishment Early Stage, be so powerful that he could instantly kill someone at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage?

As far as she knew, even True Disciple of the Azure Mystic Sect probably couldn't achieve this level of strength.

The now-famous Jiang Xiaohua could indeed defeat Foundation Establishment Late Stage when she was in the early stages of cultivation, but to say that she could instantly kill him would be too terrifying.

However, Jiang Xiaohua is now a Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivator.

Pharmacist Lan was in a state of confusion, and he was also afraid that Zhou Ning would kill him to silence him.

She took a deep breath before curtsying and saying, "Senior Zhou, the total Spirit Stone I received from selling the Lesser Exploding Essence Pill was twenty, along with a third-tier Jade Saliva Flower. The final payment was twenty Spirit Stone, and I also purchased a seven-hundred-year-old Polygonatum Root for eighteen Spirit Stone— "

She spoke clearly and calmly, and presented all her Storage Bag, including the Storage Bag of the burly man who Bandit Cultivator her.

After listening, Zhou Ning said, "That's right. I never expected that I, Zhou, would have cultivation materials delivered to my door without even leaving my house. It's all thanks to you!"

The Pharmacist Lan was momentarily confused. "You clearly left the house!"

She quickly regained her senses and immediately replied, "Serving you, senior, is my duty!"

Zhou Ning chuckled, "You may leave now. Come to my room tonight."

Upon hearing this, Pharmacist Lan paused, biting her lip lightly; her mind was in turmoil.

"Go to his room—could it be that Senior Zhou wants to—"

Pharmacist Lan struggled internally. She had worked hard to learn the skills of a pharmacist and had cultivated herself to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer. She had always been virtuous and had never relied on any cultivator.

Even Lin Qing, a man most adept at winning the hearts of female cultivators, had his thoughts seen through by her, and she subtly pointed it out.

The beautiful female cultivator, coupled with her superb skills, once caught the eye of an older Foundation Establishment cultivator who wanted to take her as a concubine.

However, Pharmacist Lan had sworn that he would never sacrifice himself for the sake of the Dao Path.

But at this moment, as she looked at Zhou Ning's back, the afternoon sunlight shone in through the window, casting a slanted shadow on him, as sharp as a long sword sheathed.

"If it's him—" A thought flickered in Pharmacist Lan's mind, "If I refuse—"

Zhou Ning said, "You may step down."

The Pharmacist Lan hesitated, then left with mixed feelings.

Zhou Ning closed the door, activated the Soil Brown Array, and immediately took stock of the harvest.

He took out two Storage Bag, his eyes filled with anticipation, one of which contained Storage Bag for a major overhaul in the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

He first opened the Storage Bag of the burly man in the Foundation Establishment Early Stage and peeked into the spiritual materials inside. Zhou Ning looked disappointed; there were only twenty-three Spirit Stone in total.

He sneered, "What a poor rogue Rogue Cultivator! He probably exhausted all his savings trying to break through to the Foundation Establishment!"

Not even worth a hair on the Daoist Mu's head!

You should know that back then, Daoist Mu had a full 150 Spirit Stone in his Storage Bag!

Although he is only Qi Refining cultivator, he still firmly holds the top spot on Zhou Ning's list of spoils.

Besides the twenty or so Spirit Stone, there was also a Panlong Law Artifact, which was a top-grade first-tier magic Law Artifact and could probably be sold for around twelve or thirteen Spirit Stone.

The rest consisted of a flying boat, an earthen shield Law Artifact, several high-grade and mid-grade magic Law Artifact, and a stack of talismans, which together were worth about twenty-five Spirit Stone.

There are also three bottles of True Essence Pill Foundation-Fortifying Pill, which are so inferior that even the Ye Household's dogs wouldn't eat them. Each bottle costs about three Spirit Stone.

This is the entire fortune of a Foundation Establishment Early Stage —less than eighty Spirit Stone.

Zhou Ning guessed, "This Rogue Cultivator is probably quite wealthy."

He had chatted with Sun Gui and Feng Shi before, and they said that ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators, without any skills, earn less than first-level Alchemist.

A first-tier senior Alchemist can earn five Spirit Stone a year under normal circumstances.

As for those who only attempt to Foundation Establishment in a low-level spiritual realm, if they don't engage in murder and robbery and instead become a retainer in Lineage, their income, aside from having a second-tier spiritual land for cultivation, might only amount to three or four Spirit Stone.

"And these Spirit Stone are only enough to buy one or two bottles of Foundation-Fortifying Pill."

Cultivating immortality is difficult!

"Without Spirit Stone, even Foundation Establishment cultivators have to be dogs!"

He then opened Ye Qin's Storage Bag. This man was much wealthier. Zhou Ning dumped his things onto the table, creating a large pile, which greatly pleased him.

First, there were Spirit Stone, nearly a hundred of them, yet they still lost to Daoist Mu.

However, Zhou Ning was quite satisfied. After three years of researching and refining the Great Replenishment True Pill, plus collecting materials for the Settling Liquid Pill, he now only had a little over seven hundred Spirit Stone left.

I received an unexpected windfall today; it's almost reached 1,000.

Then, Zhou Ning picked up a jade ruler, its surface covered with runes.

He poured his Law Power into it, and the jade ruler floated up gently. With a light flick of his wrist, countless tiny ruler blades appeared before Zhou Ning's eyes, covering the sky and shimmering with a unique and dazzling beauty.

"Indeed, this item should be a special magic Law Artifact among top-grade magic Law Artifact; it's estimated to sell for forty Spirit Stone."

It's definitely not allowed to use it; the Ye Household will surely investigate if they see it. Let's find a secret deal to give it to them.

Zhou Ning then recalled the black millstone Ye Qin used for defense; it was probably of a similarly high grade, but unfortunately, he had cut it in half and could only sell it as scrap.

"You'll have to be more careful next time. It's fine to just hit people, but if you damage the Law Artifact, I'll feel bad."

His gaze continued to sweep across the area, and he saw a dark gold talisman with a golden flag pattern engraved on it.

Zhou Ning suddenly remembered the scene when Ye Qin attacked Saintess Hua Ran —this was Talisman Treasure!

Core Formation Cultivator uses their natal magic Law Treasure to inscribe a continuously usable Treasure Talisman, whose power surpasses that of a top-grade magic Law Artifact.

It is a powerful weapon for Foundation Establishment cultivators. If one could possess a Talisman Treasure, then a cultivator like Ye Qin, who has just entered the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, would no longer need to fear veteran Foundation Establishment Late Stage Cultivator.

"The reason this person has been so arrogant since the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage is probably because of this talisman."

However, judging from the remaining Law Power of the Talisman Treasure, Zhou Ning estimated that it could only be used once or twice before dissipating on its own.

Even so, this item is still more valuable than the jade ruler.

Zhou Ning recalled the bell-shaped pagoda in Saintess Hua Ran's hand.

"That treasure could emit a protective glow, allowing her, with her Foundation Establishment Middle Stage cultivation, to withstand Elder Xu's silver sword and Ye Qin's Talisman Treasure attacks. It's probably the legendary embryonic Law Treasure weapon."

The embryonic Law Treasure weapon is a newly formed Law Treasure. It has not been nurtured by Core Formation Cultivator over many years, so it lacks mystery. In addition, it is not as flexible to control as a natal magic Law Treasure, which has the same unity between the person and the weapon. Therefore, its power is greatly reduced.

However, it remains something that Foundation Establishment cultivators dream of, and even someone as wealthy as Zhou Ning has yet to obtain one.

"I wonder which is superior, this or the Spirit Treasure Embryo from Land of Wei?"

Zhou Ning was still Spirit Treasure Embryo, but in that Withered Wood Grotto-Heaven, Li Chonglou's Two Modes Primal Union Disc was too powerful. A beam of Yin-Yang light swept down, and even Zhou Ning's Great Completion Buddha Light couldn't withstand it.

Moreover, this treasure can also break formations.

"If I had this treasure, I could break through even the Su Household's second-tier top-grade magic array."

Zhou Ning continued to examine Ye Qin's belongings and found five bottles of True Essence Pill. One of the bottles only had one pill left, which he figured had probably fed to the dogs.

It's a pity that Fellow Ye Qin has already quieted down and can't come out to debate with him.

In addition, there is the most popular small shield Law Artifact, a top-grade first-tier item, which is not as good as a millstone and costs only seventeen or eighteen Spirit Stone.

There were two mid-grade second-tier talismans among them, which Zhou Ning happily accepted.

He also found a wooden box containing a milky-white Ganoderma lucidum, which turned out to be another Jade Marrow Ganoderma!

This stuff is expensive, one hundred and twenty Spirit Stone per piece, and it's practically impossible to buy; it's all monopolized.

Zhou Ning took a look and realized that he still had two mature Purple Monkey Flower, a second-tier fire-attribute demon core, and a Jade Marrow Ganoderma.

If he were to add this Jade Marrow Ganoderma, and also obtain a Earth Profound Fruit or a Demon Core, he could refine two more batches of Foundation Establishment Pill!

"That feels good!"

"I'll look for another opportunity to trade demon cores with someone. With my alchemy skills, I can get at least six Foundation Establishment Pill!"

Zhou Ning opened the herb boxes one by one and found two spirit flowers that were entirely black and had silvery canopies.

"This seems to be Thought Dust Flower?" Zhou Ning said.

The Ye Household's main business is medicinal herbs related to the soul. When Zhou Ning Meridian Opening, he broke through the ancestral aperture meridian between his eyebrows and Old Jia to buy the Ye Household's Pure Heart Wisteria Flower.

"Good stuff, the main ingredient for the Soul-Nourishing Pill."

If this pill is taken for a long time, it can calm the mind and spirit, and temper the Divine Sense. In the future, when encountering major bottlenecks in cultivation, it will be easier to overcome the Divine Sense barrier.

Zhou Ning put it away with satisfaction. Then he checked it again and found another black box that was locked tightly. The surface of the box was engraved with special blood-red array runes.

His Divine Sense, comparable to that of Core Formation, was unable to discern the truth from the falsehood.

Zhou Ning searched for a while and found a key. He thought to himself, "Was Ye Qin a moron? After he was beaten to death, didn't he also lose the key?"

He picked up the key and was about to unlock the door when he suddenly frowned. The blood-red patterns gave him a strange and eerie feeling.

Zhou Ning recalled a story he had once seen in the Su Household's library: someone killed an enemy and obtained spoils of war, but when he opened them, he suffered a backlash and died on the spot.

"Never mind, there might be a restriction inside." Zhou Ning said cautiously.

There are all sorts of strange methods in the world, and this box makes him feel dangerous. Opening it rashly would probably be somewhat risky.

"Let's find a talisman engraver or an array master to help us check it out later!"

After sorting through all the spoils, Zhou Ning was in a good mood. However, after a quick comparison, he concluded that Ye Qin had still lost to True Person Mu, since those two High Antiquity talismans were far too powerful.

"It's a pity there are only some spiritual flowers and herbs, not enough materials for refining weapons. If only some ignorant Duan Household cultivator would dare to provoke me one day--"

Zhou Ning gets angry whenever he thinks about this. After becoming a second-tier Alchemist, Su Yunjin's Pill Furnace could not withstand the strain, so he sent someone to the Duan Household to order a second-tier Pill Furnace.

After the Duan Household arrived, they discussed the matter of customizing Pill Furnace. Zhou Ning, who prided himself on his wealth, asked them to build a second-grade high-quality Pill Furnace.

Only then did Zhou Ning realize how outrageous the price of a second-tier Pill Furnace was; a Pill Furnace could sell for six hundred Spirit Stone!

Moreover, having money alone is not enough. If you don't have the materials, you have to wait until you gather them all and then refine them, which can take at least one or two years.

Then, you also have to pay 20% of the price of the Pill Furnace as the alchemy fee for the alchemist. This is equivalent to a second-grade high-quality Pill Furnace, which costs 700 Spirit Stone.

Zhou Ning was so angry he laughed. Shen Huaizhen from Land of Wei had helped him refine Foundation Establishment Realm robe for only two Spirit Stone.

This weapon refiner from the Chen State, a lowly blacksmith, dares to bully this esteemed Alchemist?

This is utterly ridiculous!

He tried to bargain, but the Duan Household's alchemist said that the price had been the same for years, and even asked Zhou Ning if he had actually been properly refining pills all these years.

Zhou Ning, in a fit of anger, snapped.

He still paid 120 Spirit Stone to buy a ready-made, low-grade, second-tier Pill Furnace.

Unfortunately, among the Pill Furnace in the nearby counties, only the Duan Household's furnaces were of decent quality. Without a second-tier Pill Furnace, even with his superb skills, his success rate in producing pills would still not reach the level of Land of Wei.

Zhou Ning was so angry that he couldn't eat anything all day.

"It's a pity, it will still take some time before we can enter Land of Wei."

Zhou Ning looked inward into his sea of consciousness and gazed at the jade stone in the vast mist. After he broke through to the Foundation Establishment, the jade stone seemed to have gained some special Daoist charm, but unfortunately he couldn't understand it.

He now roughly understands why he was able to reach full strength in the first three years, but now, seven years after leaving Land of Wei, he is still far from achieving it.

"The Realm-Breaking Jade Stone will imprint a false body onto me. The higher my cultivation level and the more powerful my Law Power, the longer it will take to imprint this body."

"Logically speaking, this item's grade is incredibly high. As a Foundation Establishment cultivator, I should be able to handle it with ease, right?"

Never mind, Zhou Ning decided not to dwell on it.

He thought about the past events in Land of Wei, and suddenly remembered that he still owed Shen Huaizhen the remaining seven Spirit Stone.

"I hope that next time I enter Land of Wei, my Huaizhen will have already forged his Immortal Foundation, so he can refine a treasure furnace for me and I'll no longer have to suffer the Duan Household's wrath!"

"Use this time to gather materials for the Pill Furnace, as well as the Billowing Water Mist Root, to refine the Settling Liquid Pill and break through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage."

"I still need to exchange alchemy techniques for the Foundation Establishment Late Stage with the He Household, otherwise, with my aptitude, I'll still be stuck at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage." Moreover, the [Xinsi Golden Scripture] Cultivation Method only goes up to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage and cannot break through to the Purple Mansion —I wonder if True Person Lu has any subsequent Cultivation Method— "

Zhou Ning took out the jade bottle and swallowed a Great Replenishment True Pill.

Falling Ning Island, the night sky is dotted with stars.

Alone in her room, Pharmacist Lan struggled with this thought from afternoon until night, repeatedly telling herself, "Cultivation depends on oneself."

But then I thought of the allure of the Foundation Establishment Path: strength, status, lifespan, appearance—

She recalled her helplessness when facing Foundation Establishment Bandit Cultivator today; if it weren't for the puppet's dominance, that headless corpse would probably have served as a cautionary tale for her.

She no longer wanted to be at the mercy of others.

The Pharmacist Lan recalled Jia Tingwan's carefree demeanor. As a pharmacist, she was skilled in observing qi and could tell that Wan'er was still a virgin.

She couldn't help but hopefully think, "Alchemist Zhou isn't that kind of person!"

But thinking of Wan'er's adorable appearance, she sighed, "I'm not like Wan'er."

She was beautiful, with a slender figure and an elegant demeanor, possessing a subtle charm that made her far more attractive to male cultivators than Wan'er.

"The best way for a man to keep a secret is to make a woman his. If I dare to resist, I'm afraid Alchemist Zhou will kill me without hesitation to silence me."

Despite her depressed mood, Pharmacist Lan began to dress herself up.

Half an hour later.

She stepped out of the house, her heart filled with mixed emotions, and knocked on the door of Zhou Ning's villa.

The Pharmacist Lan's usual serpentine bun was undone, and her hair fell languidly and gracefully over her shoulders.

She changed into a moon-white dress, with a dark crimson ribbon tied around her waist, which made her waist appear even more slender and delicate.

The collar, which she usually wore tightly, was now a shallow neckline, revealing the sheer bra underneath, which looked full and rounded.

"Come in."

The Pharmacist Lan was filled with trepidation. The crimson silk ribbon at her waist fluttered gently with each step she took, and the moonlight bathed her, creating a dreamlike scene.

She finally entered the main room.

In the bright light, she saw that straight figure, like a knife about to pierce her body.

With his back to everyone, Zhou Ning realized that this woman knew his secret. In order to win her over and make her submit, he decided to give something tonight.

He had practiced the [Flowing Light Concealing Shadow Instruction] for nearly twenty years, and it manifested once more, nourishing his muscles and bones, refining his temperament, and preserving his youthful appearance.

"I'm not pretending anymore!"

The lights in the room flickered, as if they had come to life, and all rushed toward Zhou Ning.

Zhou Ning turned around and stood there, draped in moonlight, surrounded by shimmering light.

His face had delicate features, and his eyes seemed to hold the essence of a traditional Chinese ink painting, concealing the sun, moon, and stars.

As Pharmacist Lan gazed at the man who seemed to have descended from heaven, she was momentarily dazed. Then, her heart pounded uncontrollably like a deer's, as if she had returned to the innocent days of her sixteenth year.

She spoke with difficulty, a hint of timidity in her voice. "You are... Senior Zhou?"