The Main Ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill

The array opened, and a cold jade mirror floated down from the air, bearing a figure in a bright red cloak.

Zhou Ning took a closer look and saw that Su Wen had reached the Qi Refining Eighth Layer.

Over the past year and a half, he had refined a vast number of pills for the Su Household, including Spirit Essence Pills, Essence-Nourishing Pills, and Minor Essence Recovery Pills, making an outstanding contribution.

As the one who had "nurtured" Zhou Ning, Su Wen's status had naturally risen with the tide, and a great many resources had been lavished on her. She had even replaced her jade-green lotus-leaf Law Artifact with a cold jade mirror.

Su Wen landed in the courtyard. The jade mirror slowly shrank, and she took it in her hand.

Putting on a coquettish air, she looked at herself in the jade mirror, entranced by the freckles on her face.

Then her thin lips produced a question: "Alchemist Zhou, do you think I'm beautiful?"

The corner of Zhou Ning's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.

This woman was already thirty-four. Although her cultivation had progressed rapidly and she still looked twenty-five, her features could hardly be called beautiful... rather, they had a touch of meanness.

Thinking of how diligently she had worked over the past year and more, Zhou Ning praised her. "Miss, you're mighty beautiful."

Su Wen let out a "caw, caw, caw" of laughter, clearly delighted.

"You have such a good eye, dear Zhou!"

The more Su Wen looked at him, the more pleasing he seemed. If Zhou Ning's cultivation hadn't been so low, she really would have considered him.

Still, Core Formation Cultivators were more to her liking. She had once sworn to marry one.

Being called "dear Zhou" made Zhou Ning's scalp tingle.

He did not yet know that he had narrowly escaped a romantic calamity.

Zhou Ning took out a jade box and set it on the stone table. He gently opened it, revealing jade bottles of various colors inside.

Su Wen's smile grew even wider.

Over the past year and a half, Zhou Ning had made rapid progress in alchemy. With medicinal ingredients falling in price and pills rising in price, he had brought the Su Household nearly seventeen or eighteen Spirit Stones in income!

That was as much as an ordinary Foundation Establishment Aristocratic Clan paid their household in tribute each year.

The Su Household's upper echelons were delighted.

This young man was making rapid progress in the Dao of alchemy. They had to invest heavily in nurturing him.

Her voice was warm. "Is there anything you need these days, dear Zhou?"

Whenever she came here, Zhou Ning usually asked her to bring him things. Among them were First-Tier Superior-Grade talismans, five of which she had purchased for him.

If an ordinary Late Qi Refining cultivator came calling, they wouldn't gain the upper hand anytime soon.

Zhou Ning took out Su Yunjin's secondhand Pill Furnace and sighed. "I'm afraid this Pill Furnace is nearly worn out from too much use. I'd like a new one."

When he signed the spirit contract with the Su Household back then, they had agreed to provide him with a Pill Furnace. He had never replaced this one only because it was still usable.

Su Wen was delighted rather than surprised. "Good, good, good! I'll bring you one in the next few days!"

Seeing the joy on her face, Zhou Ning was a little puzzled.

He was fleecing the Su Household. Shouldn't she be displeased?

He added, "I also need a batch of second-tier spirit jade."

Su Wen was taken aback. What did an Alchemist like Zhou Ning need spirit jade for? Second-tier spirit jade, at that?

This kind of spirit jade was usually used by talisman masters to make second-tier talismans.

Zhou Ning explained, "Ideally, the spirit jade should be able to hold and absorb spiritual power. It can help stabilize the pill fire during alchemy..."

Understanding dawned on Su Wen. She said readily, "Alchemist Zhou, whatever you want, just say the word. Why bother explaining?"

Zhou Ning was amused. If he really spoke his mind so bluntly, a Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivator would probably be stationed on Bamboo Creek Island by tomorrow.

Over the past year and a half, another Late Qi Refining cultivator had arrived on Bamboo Creek Island, along with two hidden guards at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, concealed in the shadows.

Without a doubt, they were there to "protect" him.

After all, as far as anyone knew, he was only a cultivator at the Fifth Layer of Qi Refining, easy to control.

Zhou Ning gave Su Wen two Spirit Stones to cover the purchases and saw her to the gate.

Two flying Law Artifacts descended by the lakeshore. On them were a lean, middle-aged man with a gloomy expression and a plump old man, both at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer.

Old Jia was talking to them with a broad smile and easy familiarity. They seemed to be old acquaintances.

Su Wen looked the two over, especially the lean middle-aged man, who carried a heavy murderous air.

"Impoverished Rogue Cultivators who risk their lives for money," Su Wen concluded.

She frowned. "You two must have come to Cuiwei Lake looking for work in response to the Su Household's summons, correct?"

Seeing this, Old Jia hurriedly introduced her to the two men. "This is Deacon Su of the Su Household. She's beautiful and strong!"

"And this is Alchemist Zhou of the Su Household, a man of great talent!"

The two men cupped their fists. "Greetings, my lords. Sorry for the intrusion!"

Su Wen grunted in acknowledgment and warned them, "Don't cause trouble here, or your cultivation will be crippled."

In her words, she showed the two Qi Refining Ninth Layer cultivators no respect at all.

The plump old man replied, "We were passing Bamboo Creek Island and stopped to see an old friend. We'll be leaving right away."

"Mm." Only then did Su Wen release her jade mirror and fly away in a rush.

Once Su Wen had disappeared from sight, the plump old man smacked his lips.

"Damn it, the Su Household really is overbearing. She's only at the Qi Refining Eighth Layer."

A cold light flashed in the lean middle-aged man's eyes. "I could kill her within ten breaths!"

How could pampered scions of Aristocratic Clans compare with cultivators like them, who licked blood from the edges of blades and had been tempered between life and death?

Old Jia glanced at Zhou Ning, thoroughly embarrassed. He could neither chide them nor let their words pass.

Both men were friends he had made while traveling the cultivation world back then, and they had known one another for years.

Old Jia simply went on with the introductions. "Brother Lu, Little Brother Wang, this is Alchemist Zhou. He used to be a retainer on our Bamboo Creek Island, then studied alchemy on his own and mastered it. He truly had foresight!"

Though the two men were unruly and defiant, they also knew an Alchemist's standing, so each offered a few words of praise.

Thanks to Old Jia's introduction, they bought two bottles of pills from Zhou Ning at a little below market price.

In the distance, Zhou Ning saw a crowd gathered on the eastern side of Bamboo Creek Island. Something seemed to have happened, and Scholar Xu was among them.

He couldn't help recalling a piece of news Scholar Xu had told him the day before yesterday.

A young fish hunter on the lake had wandered onto a small island by mistake and picked a purple flower three or four inches tall, which he had presented to Steward Su.

Scholar Xu had wanted to ask the man what reward he had received, but he couldn't find him anywhere, which was very strange.

Zhou Ning hadn't paid it any mind at first. Later, wanting to learn about medicinal herbs, he casually asked what the ingredient looked like.

Scholar Xu had said that the purple flower shone with a silvery light, its petals curled together in a cluster.

Zhou Ning had immediately thought of the Purple Monkey Flower, one of the three main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

He had instantly come to his senses and specifically warned Scholar Xu not to tell anyone about the flower, or he might bring a fatal disaster upon himself.

The commotion today probably isn't about the Purple Monkey Flower, but there's no harm in going over to investigate.

Zhou Ning mounted his Law Artifact and flew over at a leisurely pace.

"As expected of an Alchemist. He's really rich!"

The plump old man clicked his tongue in amazement. He had been about to haggle just now, but Zhou Ning had gone and rounded the price down himself.

He hadn't even bothered to inspect the talismans they offered as part of the payment.

"Isn't that the truth? Any Alchemist who can refine Spirit Essence Pills can easily earn five Spirit Stones a year with a little effort." Old Jia was clearly well acquainted with the market.

The muscles in the lean middle-aged man's face twitched. Late Qi Refining cultivators like them went through life and death and worked themselves to exhaustion, yet earned one or two Spirit Stones a year at most.

Unless they caught a fat sheep, in which case they could earn a little more.

Compared with an Alchemist like him, who could sit at home and casually refine pills, the difference was as great as heaven and earth.

Knowing his two friends' temperaments, Old Jia warned them solemnly:

"But don't go getting any ideas about Alchemist Zhou. Never mind that the Su Household would hunt you down until you died, an Alchemist like him is sure to have something to protect his life."

"Something to protect his life?" The middle-aged man surnamed Lu paid it no mind. Would someone at the mere Fifth Layer of Qi Refining even have time to use a life-saving measure?

The Su Household, however, was another matter. He had no choice but to fear them.

The Su Household's overbearing and ruthless ways were famous throughout the surrounding regions.

If they provoked a great Foundation Establishment cultivator into taking action, he really would cripple their cultivation and throw them into a mine.

Old Wang smiled. "Of course we know."

Old Jia told them a few more things that were forbidden at Cuiwei Lake before seeing his two friends off.