Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Step by Step

Wei Yun Xi had her reasons for giving the pill to Wei Zong Hao. She needed a reliable ally in both the Wei Family and the Hao Ran sect, and it was best if they built trust and teamwork from a young age. She knew Zong Hao had a good relationship with the quiet Zong Yu, so when she went out to train in the future, she would have a dependable team to join her.

She also did it to guard against the watchful Wei Yun Qing. Today, Zong Hao had accompanied her to the market. Bringing him along could clear away Yun Qing’s suspicions, and it also served as a backup plan in case the treasure somehow ended up in Wei Yun Qing’s hands.

But the process of claiming the opportunity went smoothly. Instead, Zong Hao ended up witnessing the entire purchase. She worried that afterward, Wei Yun Qing would go fishing for information from Zong Hao. If he mentioned the empty pill bottle, Wei Yun Qing would definitely grow suspicious and cling to her even more.

She did not want to be pestered by people who coveted her opportunity. She only wanted to focus on cultivation. So giving the pill to Zong Hao was also a way of sealing his lips and gaining a promise. This opportunity became a secret shared by two people, and that meant he would never reveal even a word of it to Wei Yun Qing.

Even if Wei Yun Qing had the female lead halo and could sniff out the scent of treasures, it would be useless if she could not find them. So this was not a rash decision. It was a carefully considered early investment.

To avoid any delay, she went straight to find Wei Zong Hao, intending to turn him into her ally as soon as he took the pill.

At this moment, Wei Zong Hao felt a warm current flow along his meridians into his dantian, then continue toward the spirit roots at the bottom of his dantian.

A moment later, he felt his spirit roots start to heat up too, and the temperature kept rising. Sweat slid from his temples down his cheeks, and his face slowly turned red.

Seeing this, Wei Yun Xi spoke up to encourage him. “Brother Zong Hao, hang in there. Don’t pass out, or the effect will be much weaker. Think about the cultivation speed of full spirit roots. Even if you have three spirit roots, your speed won’t be slower than someone with a single spirit root.”

After hearing that, Wei Zong Hao clenched his teeth. The hand resting on his knee tightened into a fist. He knew that in this lifetime, he would probably only ever encounter a pill that could change spirit-root value once. If he failed to get the effect he wanted, he would truly waste Yun Xi’s kindness. So he cheered himself on in his heart and forced himself to endure.

An hour later, Wei Zong Hao finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Yun Xi standing far away, pinching her nose.

“Yun Xi, little sister…”

Wei Yun Xi immediately asked, “Are you fully awake now?”

“Yeah! Ah! What is that smell…”

Wei Zong Hao nearly gagged from his own stench. Just as he was about to vomit, Yun Xi held her breath and formed a hand seal. He felt a gentle force sweep past him, and in the next instant, the foul smell disappeared.

“Hehe! Thank you, Yun Xi, little sister!” Wei Zong Hao scratched the back of his head as he thanked her, looking a little embarrassed. He was sure the smell had come from his own body. The pill must have taken effect, and his body had expelled more impurities.

Only then did Wei Yun Xi take a deep breath, feeling like she had finally survived. When she had undergone Qi Induction, she had not smelled this awful.

She ignored the fact that back at the Feng Family, she had taken Body-Tempering Pills and soaked in hot springs. Those had already washed out her impurities very well.

Besides, would Feng Jia Yun treat her own daughter poorly? Who knew how many good things she had fed her as a child to improve her aptitude. The original owner had just been too young to remember.

“Brother Zong Hao, try running the Qi Refining Technique and feel how your body absorbs spiritual energy and stores it.”

“Okay!”

Wei Zong Hao wanted to see the pill’s effect too. After Yun Xi’s reminder, he sat cross-legged again, took a deep breath, and began to silently recite the Qi Refining Technique. He guided specks of spiritual energy into his body.

He had fire, wood, and earth spirit roots. Now, the red, green, and brown specks in the air all surged into him. All three attributes of spiritual energy were drawn into his meridians, then circulated through his body once before returning to his dantian.

Wei Zong Hao did not want to keep Yun Xi waiting. He only ran a small cycle before opening his eyes. He grinned so widely his teeth showed as he said, “Yun Xi, I feel like my spirit-root value is definitely close to full. The same-attribute spiritual energy that enters my body doesn’t leak out anymore. It all gets refined by my body and stored in my dantian.”

Wei Yun Xi smiled and nodded. “Looks like this pill works really well. Good thing you stayed conscious and held on. Otherwise, you might not have gotten this result.”

Wei Zong Hao immediately stood up and bowed to Yun Xi again in thanks. To him, this was like being remade.

After accepting his bow, Wei Yun Xi reminded him, “Zong Hao, you absolutely can’t reveal that your spirit-root value increased. You can’t even tell your parents. Otherwise, it’ll be easy for people to covet you.”

Wei Zong Hao thumped his chest and said, “Yun Xi, little sister, don’t worry. I’ll take this to my grave. Only an idiot would tell outsiders. In the next two days, I’m going to use this medicinal power to push for Qi Refining third level. I can’t fall too far behind, or I won’t be able to team up with you to go out and train.”

“Good. When your cultivation improves, we’ll go to the Outer Sect market together again.”

“Mm. Then I’ll treat you to a spirit meal.”

Both of them were in a great mood. After chatting a bit more, Zong Hao quietly escorted Yun Xi back. After that, he cultivated through the night like he was pumped full of energy.

While Wei Zong Hao was refining the pill, Wei Yun Qing sat meditating in her cultivation room. But because her mind was unsettled, her Qi Refining Technique went off track. She suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, barely avoiding a qi deviation.

Wei Yun Xi knew none of this. Early the next morning, she ate a milk fruit as usual. Then she did a set of yoga in her room to loosen up her body before heading to the Cultivation Hall.

She had been eating one milk fruit every day for a full month. It filled her up and strengthened her body. Even her strength had increased, with the clearest proof being the fingerprint marks she had pinched onto Wei Zong Hao’s face yesterday.

Luckily, because the Heaven-Mending Pill had shocked and delighted Wei Zong Hao so much, he had not noticed the marks on his face.

She had been looking for sword techniques and an ice-element cultivation method, but she still had no leads. She was not in a hurry. At worst, she could send a private message to Ethereal Aura and see if she could trade for a suitable method.

Wei Yun Ting, Wei Yun Ying, and Wei Yun Xi gathered at the courtyard gate, but they did not see Wei Yun Qing come out. Seeing that her isolation array was active, they knew she was cultivating. They did not disturb her and went to the dining hall together instead.

After breakfast, the three of them went together to the Cultivation Hall and began the day’s training.

After Wei Yun Xi entered her cultivation room, she first practiced all the attack spells she was familiar with, making sure she could cast them instantly. Then she sat down to meditate and recover her spiritual power.

Once her dantian was full of spiritual energy again, she began drawing talismans. She started with the simplest Dust-Cleansing Talisman. It was a practical first-rank talisman with relatively simple runes, making it the best choice for learning talisman drawing.