At the crowing of the rooster, Yu Hua departed under the cover of the final night.
Gu Wen watched as Yu Hua leaped tens of meters and slid hundreds of meters away, unsure if the other party used some treasure or spell.
Returning to his room, Gu Wen sat in front of the candlelight, examining the Azure Eye Water Ripple Bead.
With a single thought, a shadow of a small mud loach appeared, coiling around his wrist, slowly and continuously absorbing his true qi, while seductive thoughts were transmitted to him.
The Azure Eye Water Ripple Bead had completely surrendered.
Gu Wen immersed his divine sense, and a ray of enlightenment emerged.
This bead was born from water veins, nurtured by the aura of longevity.
Placed in the elixir field, refining qi and transforming essence would be twice as effective, allowing control over water and transformation.
Additionally, due to the blessing of a spirit beast, it could dissolve attacks with its mucus, providing excellent defense.
Accelerating cultivation speed, water manipulation, and defense!
Gu Wen could hardly contain his excitement.
With the inner cultivation method, external spiritual treasures, and a life-saving pill gifted by Yu Hua, his means of survival were finally taking shape, showing a hint of a cultivator's demeanor.
He then tried cultivating, circulating his true qi.
The Azure Eye Water Ripple Bead emitted a cool sensation, and the true qi seemed to accelerate like a spring breeze.
The spirit loach, when activated, seemed to become a part of his meridians, creating a high-speed pathway for him.
Cultivation speed increased by an estimated one-fifth.
By the time dawn broke, in just an hour, advancing one-thousandth of the way towards the third level of the Foundation Establishment stage, focusing on the 'Mind and Spirit' one of the five viscera and six bowels.
One day of cultivation for ten hours equaled one percent, a hundred days could complete one of the five viscera spirits, and approximately two years could reach the third level!
Gu Wen fell silent for a moment, feeling it was better to find the Heavenly Essence first.
Breaking through one level in two years might be a normal cultivation speed, but he didn't have the luxury of time to proceed slowly.
Knock, knock, knock! The door was knocked, and Jiang Fugui's voice came, "Master, are you awake?"
Gu Wen composed himself and said, "Come in."
Jiang Fugui entered, his face flushed, handing over account books, "Master, this is the dividends from the major brothels, totaling twelve hundred and fifty taels."
A portion of Heavenly Essence was added to the account.
Gu Wen nodded and said, "Well done. I'll take a thousand taels, and the rest is yours."
"Oh my, Master, this is not just the rest, this is practically the whole deal," Jiang Fugui laughed heartily, then took out a small box from his sleeve.
Opening it revealed a yellow pill.
"This is the Dragon-Tiger Pill you requested, priced at fifty taels of silver per pill."
Gu Wen was even more satisfied.
He put it in his mouth, the shell made of sugar, bitter inside, swallowing it without much effect.
But the main point was he needed the Heavenly Essence.
His fate pattern trembled slightly, as if a stream of fire and light from the heavens had been added to his aura.
The Heavenly Essence increased, slightly more than a medicinal fruit, probably one-tenth of a Heavenly Essence.
Gu Wen was excited.
He could confirm that the expensive medicines in Bianjing were likely all spirit medicines, possessing Heavenly Essence and Emperor's Essence.
Jiang Fugui was dumbfounded and said, "Master, should I find a Qingguan person for you? This medicine, if not used properly, can harm the body."
"I've been practicing an internal martial art recently and need some medicinal assistance. Don't mention this to anyone," Gu Wen explained, shaking his head. "I need a large quantity of Dragon-Tiger Pills. I remember these are from the Qianfeng Tower."
Jiang Fugui replied, "That's right, but these are restricted items. If you need a lot, you probably have to go to the Qianfeng Tower yourself."
Gu Wen pondered.
Fifty Dragon-Tiger Pills equaled one Heavenly Essence, costing a thousand taels.
But Dragon-Tiger Pills could expose him, although he could use his activities to cover it up.
Currently, he couldn't find any other channels and couldn't afford to wait.
There was never a foolproof plan in the world.
With ten thousand two hundred taels of silver left, he had to spend it quickly.
Without Bianjing, he didn't know where else he could casually buy spirit medicines.
-
Another morning, Yu Hua sneaked into the courtyard.
She yawned widely, lying down as the old donkey approached her, saying, "Little ancestor, have you fallen into a love crisis? Can't figure it out, that Zhao boy from the Zhao family, how can he compare to him?"
Yu Hua ignored the corrupt donkey and walked towards the house.
The old donkey followed, chattering incessantly.
"Leaving that aside, he has a true immortal father and holds the aura of the Celestial Dynasty. He's practically a born noble. Of course, for you, anyone who comes is beneath you. But if you want some worldly experience, you can't just bury yourself..."
"Enough."
Yu Hua's gentle voice slightly raised, not letting her fatigue and weariness disturb her peace.
But the donkey's comparison between Gu Wen and Zhao Feng, followed by belittling the former, made her unable to bear it.
Although she had no extra thoughts about Gu Wen, it didn't mean someone could compare a piece of jade to a piece of dung and say the dung was better.
And she didn't know how many benefits the donkey had received this time, even if it was just passing on a message, it made her uneasy.
"How many benefits have you received this time?" Yu Hua's emotions only slightly surfaced before she reined them in, making it impossible for the old donkey to detect any change in her tone.
Due to the limitations of heaven and earth, even the most powerful beings were still mortal.
Outside, it could move mountains and fill seas, but here, it could only ensure Yu Hua's safety amidst a thousand troops.
As Yu Hua's elder, the old donkey, by common sense, wouldn't speculate on her emotions.
Instead, it smiled and said, "I've always received benefits, all for the greater good of the sect. The faster I condense my Foundation, the safer you'll be."
"But I'm not a matchmaker. I always speak the truth. This morning, Zhao Feng visited again, and I sensed a bit more spiritual charm on him, afraid he has already entered the Dao."
There was no love without reason.
With so many sons and daughters of the Dao Emperor, why was Zhao Feng, the ninth son, so favored? Not only was he allowed to establish a prince's mansion in Bianjing, but he also went to great lengths to switch the Gu family's fate.
Today's observation revealed that Zhao Feng had extraordinary talent, actually able to build his Foundation.
Among the nine sons of the Dragon, he should be the most outstanding.
This was the standard for the descendants of major sects, something the Sanqing Dao Sect might not produce in decades, making him the standard for Daoist holy sites.
For some medium and small sects, such a genius might not appear for a thousand years.
"Zhao Feng is indeed a rare talent among the nine sons."
After finishing, the old donkey added, "This one is for the money, but it's also a fact."
"Building his Foundation?" Yu Hua's expression was strange.
While she acknowledged this statement, the Foundation meant the appearance of a true immortal, a pillar-like existence in any sect.
But she had someone beside her who built his Foundation in four days, making Zhao Feng, a newcomer, somewhat ridiculous.
As the son of a true immortal, Zhao Feng possessed the Great Gan aura, having consumed countless elixirs and miraculous medicines.
From the account books on Gu Wen's shelf, it was evident that the water house supplied him with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver annually, the amount of spiritual medicines he consumed was hard to estimate.
It was normal for a prodigy to consume vast resources, rapidly converting them into reserves was a kind of talent.
But compared to Gu Wen, Zhao Feng seemed dim like a dung heap.
The old donkey thought Yu Hua was surprised and continued, "The Zhao family has deep roots, producing a genius is normal, but this might be troublesome."
"Is it because the Zhao family's favors to the seniors are insufficient?" Yu Hua was somewhat surprised and sarcastic.
The old donkey, not offended, cracked a smile and said, "If you can take someone in as a dog, I'll support you. If you don't want to, I won't ask for it. But do you really think the Zhao family is as foolish as Zhao Feng?"
"Young love is foolish, but a family's wisdom lasts for a thousand years. The Zhao family is not stupid. Moreover, with a true immortal behind him, the Dao Emperor can't move, but Zhao Feng can."
Yu Hua discerned the killing intent in the old donkey's words and asked, "Do you want to kill him?"
The old donkey shook his head, "I don't want it to come to that, but he does pose a threat."
Does a threat warrant murder? The true immortals above and the creatures below were no longer of the same kind.
Just as the sect's divine beasts didn't hesitate to take their share, and as the sect changed its protector without concern.
Yu Hua increasingly felt the need to keep Gu Wen from being exposed.
If this old donkey discovered it, she would undoubtedly be doomed.
Would it listen to me then? Even she couldn't suppress the surge of killing intent.
If one had to be chosen between the two, it couldn't be denied that Yu Hua harbored murderous intent towards her protector.
She had the ability, but it required a great cost, leaving her with an uncontrollable flaw.
But Gu Wen, who built his Foundation in four days and refined his spirit in one day, what could this old donkey use to compare?
Moreover, so far, the Zhao family had been trying to establish connections in every way, the sect's protectors were acting recklessly, and the only clue about the elixir of immortality was provided by Gu Wen.
What use were they to her?
Among the sect elders, there had always been rumors.
Why did her ancestor of the Jade Clear Sect need the entire Dao Sect to work together?
Perhaps the protector and I were not on the same boat.
One after another, taken away for exchanges with the Zhao family, although they were insignificant, the warnings were unsettling.
People's hearts were inscrutable, but Yu Hua could hear the filth in their hearts.
Judging by appearances, there was no fault, but frequent disregard and small actions deepened the rift.
Yu Hua softly said, "Please, protector, do not leak my information anymore."
"Do you still not trust me, little girl?" The old donkey assumed the role of an out-of-place elder. "I have my boundaries, and I won't say what shouldn't be said."
"Your boundaries may not be mine."
Yu Hua suppressed the killing intent, changing her tone, "The elixir of immortality must have once lingered in the Dragon Spring Well, otherwise, it wouldn't have nurtured a spirit beast, one that could be hung up and killed."
Without guidance, it could only rely on the wisdom of the blessed land.
When it came to the elixir of immortality, the old donkey suddenly became serious. "So the elixir of immortality is in the Dragon Spring Well?"
"Not there, but it once lingered. If it were there, the spirit beast wouldn't have died so easily," Yu Hua shook her head.
"The elixir of immortality requires the essence of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. According to the sect's calculations, the celestial mechanism is still in the water element. But the water veins stretch for thousands of miles. Without capturing its form, we can't be sure."
"Tell the Zhao family to prepare a boat for me. I want to go to the Gan River and take a look."
Yu Hua entered the room, closed the door, took off her hat, and lay on the bed.
Under the light curtain, she took out the book she had received from Gu Wen and immersed herself in the words and strokes.
"The spring tide in the river joins the sea level, the bright moon above the sea rises together..."
This time, she didn't focus on the dragon painting and the finishing touches of the verses but started from the beginning.
"Does he like to travel on the river?"
Fatigue washed over her, and she soon made a faint nasal sound.
Many books were hard to find now, so cherish them while you can.