Cultivation: I have an omnipotent land

Chapter 25 Beauty Preservation Pill

After returning to Wuyifang, Xiao Ming locked himself in his house and stopped going out, waiting for the news of the incident to completely die down.

Several days later, on a rainy night, someone knocked on his gate.

Xiao Ming peeked through the crack in the door and saw a young girl in green standing under the eaves of his house, shivering. Her clothes were mostly soaked.

"It's Cui'er, come in quickly." Xiao Ming opened the door and led Cui'er into the house.

Seeing the girl soaked to the bone, Xiao Ming reached out and used his magic to sweep away the rainwater from her body.

"Thank you, Brother Xiao Ming." Although her clothes were dry, the girl's body was still trembling uncontrollably.

"Sit down, have some water first." Xiao Ming poured a glass of hot water and handed it to him.

The girl took a sip of hot water, but instead of sitting down, she walked over to Xiao Ming.

"Brother Xiao Ming, my father hasn't been home for several days. I'm so worried about him. He's never been away from home for so long before..."

"Brother Xiao Ming, do you know where my father is? Please help me!"

Faced with the girl's earnest gaze and almost pleading tone, Xiao Ming's heart sank. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to say it.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Ming took out a bloodstained storage bag.

These belong to Uncle Ye; he hasn't touched them at all.

Upon seeing the blood-stained storage bag, the girl was first stunned, then tremblingly reached out and took the storage bag, gently stroking the patterns on it.

"Father..."

Tears streamed down her face as the girl knelt on the ground and sobbed.

Upon seeing this, Xiao Ming couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

"Where is my father's body?" the girl asked in a low voice, trying to hold back her sobs.

"Bury him in the Valley of Flames, that place would be very dangerous for mortals..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ming regretted it and wished he could slap himself.

However, the girl stood up, clutching the storage bag tightly in both hands, and bowed to Xiao Ming.

"Thank you so much, Brother Xiao Ming, for collecting my father's body and giving him a proper burial. I am deeply grateful." After saying this, Cui'er rushed out of the courtyard and disappeared into the rainy night.

Xiao Ming followed the other person all the way, and only returned home after confirming that the other person had arrived home safely.

As the next morning arrived, he went out early and went to North Street.

Upon seeing the familiar three large characters "Yuanbaoge" in front of the shop, Xiao Ming hadn't even stepped inside when Yuan Qing came out to greet him.

The two went up to a private room on the second floor, where Yuan Qing smiled and poured tea for Xiao Ming.

"Thank you, fellow Daoist, for ridding Wuyifang of this scourge. All the shops on North Street are deeply grateful... I wonder how the other fellow Daoists are doing."

"They all perished in this sudden beast tide," Xiao Ming said, then quickly added.

"If it weren't for the earth-遁符 (earth-遁符) I purchased beforehand, I probably wouldn't be standing here."

"Fellow Daoist, please accept our condolences. We never expected such a beast tide to suddenly occur. We heard it even attracted a fourth-tier earth dragon beast." Yuan Qing said, while secretly observing Xiao Ming's expression, only to find that the other party was just drinking tea expressionlessly.

The timing of this beast tide was rather strange, and he suspected it might be related to the person in front of him. However, seeing that the other party had no flaws and that the earth dragon beast had been personally killed by the shop owner, he stopped investigating further.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, this is a small token of our gratitude." Yuan Qing took out a storage bag and placed it on the table.

Xiao Ming picked up the storage bag and scanned it with his divine sense, discovering that it contained a full four hundred spirit stones.

So he opened the storage bag, took out one hundred spirit stones, and then returned the storage bag to Yuan Qing.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao, what is this...?"

"Uncle Ye has a daughter named Ye Cuier, who is a mortal without spiritual roots. As far as I know, she has no other relatives in Wuyifang."

"Fellow Daoist Ye sacrificed himself for the greater good, and we will naturally not stand idly by while his orphaned daughter is left to fend for herself." Yuan Qing nodded, already understanding the other party's meaning.

"I happen to be short of a maidservant. Why don't you let Fellow Daoist Ye's daughter work in my shop? The salary isn't high, but it's definitely enough for an ordinary person to live on in Wuyifang. And I guarantee that as long as my Yuanbao Pavilion exists, I will protect her."

Xiao Ming nodded and continued, "The remaining two portions are for Fellow Daoist Wei and Fellow Daoist Xi. If they also have relatives, please take care of them as well."

"That is only right." Yuan Qing nodded.

"Does Fellow Daoist Xiao have any other requests?"

"I also want to ask Pavilion Master Yuan about someone."

"Whom do you wish to inquire about, fellow Daoist?"

"Yang Zhiyuan!"

Xiao Ming pronounced the name slowly and deliberately, with a deep-seated hatred in his voice.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Liu Di has been eliminated, so the next one will naturally be the culprit who framed him.

Yuan Qing already knew Xiao Ming's background thoroughly, so it wasn't surprising that he wanted to find out about this woman.

"If you wish to seek revenge on this woman, it may not be so easy."

"What makes you say that?" Xiao Ming frowned.

"This story begins with our Master Hu. He has a wife, and the two are very much in love. However, his wife encountered a problem in her cultivation in the past, and it will be difficult for her to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime. To comfort his wife, Master Hu decided to refine a pill for her called the Youth Preservation Pill."

"This elixir has the effect of strengthening the foundation and cultivating the essence, and enhancing one's cultivation. Of course, its greatest effect is that it can make one's appearance last forever."

"What does this elixir have to do with Yang Zhiyuan?"

"This elixir has miraculous effects, but it requires a great many materials. Even with Hu Fangzhu's extensive research, he was still missing one key ingredient: a Fire Spirit Grass that is over five hundred years old. Yang Zhiyuan somehow obtained this herb, and Hu Fangzhu was naturally overjoyed. After the elixir was completed, he rewarded her with a Youth Preservation Pill and promised her a recommendation spot within the sect."

"After taking the Beauty Preservation Pill, Yang Zhiyuan successfully broke through to the late stage of Qi Refining and, with the recommendation of Master Hu, directly entered the sect."

Hearing Yuan Qing's explanation, Xiao Ming unconsciously clenched his fists, as if a flame of anger was burning in his heart.

Fire Spirit Grass, Beauty Elixir, and sect-specific recommendation quotas!

No wonder she went to such lengths to harm me.

Xiao Ming was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder. This pill and the sect's internal recommendation quota should have been his opportunity.

However, due to the schemes and machinations of this woman and Liu Di, Xiao Ming not only gained nothing, but also suffered disgrace and almost never recovered.

"This woman, this grudge, I will kill her to prove my right!"

Xiao Ming made a silent vow in his heart.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao..."

Yuan Qing's voice pulled Xiao Ming back to reality. Suppressing his anger and hatred, Xiao Ming hurriedly asked, "Sect Master Yuan, I also yearn for a sect, but I don't know how to enter one."

"Fellow Daoist Xiao has come to the right person. To be honest, my elder brother is an inner disciple of the Gu Spirit Sect," Yuan Qing said with a smile.

"Actually, apart from a lucky few who can get internal referrals for sect deacons and elders, most people need to pass the sect's assessment to qualify for entry. The sect assessment is usually held every three years. If you calculate the time, there are about two years left until the next Gu Ling Sect's sect assessment."

"How do I participate in this sect's assessment?" Xiao Ming pressed.

"To participate in the sect's assessment, one must obtain an Ascension Token, and I happen to have one here." After saying this, Yuan Qing took out a token from her storage bag.

"Lord Yuan, name your price," Xiao Ming said directly.

"My elder brother joined the sect long ago through the family's arrangement, so this token is useless to me. I'll give it to you, fellow Daoist," Yuan Qing said with a wry smile, waving his hand.

"Consider it extra compensation for this operation."

Xiao Ming was also somewhat surprised to hear this, it seems that this Pavilion Master Yuan is also a man of strong character.

"Then I thank you again."

He put away the token, stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, and then walked out of the shop.