Heart-Nourishing Pills were a common type of medicinal pill used to take care of the heart vessels. They're among the most widely available of such pills, and many rogue alchemists knew how to make them. Liu Xiaolou had seen them two years ago; his teacher had come back injured one day and sent him into town to buy some. He'd managed to find them, and the price had been two spirit stones per pill.

That price made them one of the cheapest spiritual pills out there.

Of course, even the cheapest spiritual pills weren’t exactly affordable. Liu Xiaolou hated the idea of spending his own spirit stones on it. But Lord Xingde had some, just lying in his satchel. Two spirit stones, exactly.

Liu Xiaolou snapped at him. “Didn’t you tell me to leave? So what is it? Do you want the pill, or do you want me gone? If you really want me to walk away, go ahead and die then!”

Having vented a little, Liu Xiaolou still ended up rushing down the mountain. He traveled through the night, covering a hundred li to reach the marketplace at Tianmen Mountain. There, he found a place called Chunhua Hall and asked around. Sure enough, they had Heart-Nourishing Pills. But they were charging three spirit stones each!

Liu Xiaolou thought that was too much, so he kept looking. He went through five more shops. Three had pills in stock; the other two said it would take three to five days. All of them asked the same price: three spirit stones.

He tried bargaining, but it got him nowhere. The shopkeepers and their assistants didn’t even try to negotiate. As he walked out of the sixth shop, he felt completely stuck. Was he really going to have to pay an extra spirit stone out of his own pocket? Or maybe Lord Xingde would pay him back later? But knowing how fickle that man could be, getting him to repay a debt was going to be tough. At best, he'd just deduct it from the cost of crafting the formation disk. But that would mean Liu Xiaolou was the one taking the loss. He was saving the man’s life; shouldn’t that mean the formation disk comes free?

While he was still hesitating, someone suddenly whispered behind him, “Looking for Heart-Nourishing Pills, brother?”

Liu Xiaolou turned around and saw a shady-looking man in a bamboo hat trying to talk to him. The man wasn’t even making eye contact, his gaze kept drifting around the busy street, never settling on anything.

Liu Xiaolou knew this routine all too well. Wasn’t this just the same sketchy hustle those Wulong Mountain heroes used to pull?

He shook his head and started to move away, not wanting to get involved.

But the shady man followed close behind. “One spirit stone per pill.”

Like a piece of gum stuck to his shoe, the man wouldn’t let up. Liu Xiaolou was getting annoyed and decided to call him out. “Brother, if you're trying to scam someone with fakes, you’ve picked the wrong target…”

You can check the goods first," The man replied quickly, “no payment until you’re satisfied.”

Liu Xiaolou sneered. “Oh? And what.... take me somewhere quiet to rob me?”

“We’ll check it right here.”

Liu Xiaolou sighed. “Brother, how am I supposed to know what’s really in them? Some kind of incense or drug? How good is yours, anyway; does it knock someone out in just a few steps?”

The man froze for a second, then broke into a grin. “Ah, so you do know the trade… Don’t worry, brother…”

He took three big steps back to give Liu Xiaolou space, then tossed over a small vial. “Take your time checking it out. Oh, and... feel free to hold your breath, just in case.”

Liu Xiaolou instinctively caught the vial and glanced around. They were in one of the busiest parts of the marketplace; crowds bustled by nonstop, and every now and then, patrolling cultivators from some major sect could be seen watching the street, alert and scanning every passerby with sharp eyes.

He couldn’t imagine what kind of trick the man could pull in a place like this. Still, he ran through the possibilities in his mind, held his breath, and carefully opened the vial.

Inside was a round, glossy pill glowing with a dark reddish hue.

Something about it felt familiar. He poured the pill into his palm and rolled it around gently. The color and sheen were exactly the same as the Heart-Nourishing Pill he’d bought years ago.

He let himself breathe a little. A faint, fresh fragrance tinged with a sharp, spicy undertone hit his nose. He almost sneezed.

But as a disciple of the Sanxuan Sect, Liu Xiaolou was no amateur when it came to scents. Their cultivation methods made them extremely sensitive to smells, and his ability to distinguish them was exceptional. He wouldn't claim to be the best in the world, or even in all of Jing xiang regions, but in western Xian? He was probably top-tier. With just a flicker of spiritual energy across the tip of his nose, he could immediately recognize the characteristics of the aroma.

It was exactly the same as the Heart-Nourishing Pill he’d bought before.

No doubt about it; it was the real thing. But then why was it so cheap?

“Where’d you get this pill?” Liu Xiaolou asked, frowning. He was worried it might be stolen goods. Maybe even swiped from one of the major sect-run shops in the marketplace. If the source wasn’t clean, buying it could land him in serious trouble.

The man stepped closer again, smiling, and lowered his voice. “You really do know your stuff. I won’t hide it from you. This pill comes from Miaofeng Mountain, crafted by the grand alchemist of the Miao Feng Alchemy Sect. Its effects are just as good as anything the major sects offer.”

“Miao Feng Alchemy Sect?” Liu Xiaolou frowned. That name didn’t ring any bells; he was pretty sure none of the major sects occupying blessed lands went by that name.

The man chuckled. “The alchemist has deep cultivation and superb skill, just not much of a reputation. But if you ever need more, just come find me. I’m based here in the Tianmen Mountain market; you’ll have no trouble locating me.”

Liu Xiaolou nodded. “May I ask your full name, brother?”

The man cupped his fists. “I’m Yan Sanfei. And your honored name?”

“Liu,” Liu Xiaolou answered vaguely.

With that, the deal was done. Since Lord Xingde’s injuries were serious and one Heart-Nourishing Pill might not be enough, Liu Xiaolou bought two. He used both of Lord Xingde’s spirit stones from the satchel to pay.

Pills in hand, Liu Xiaolou didn’t waste a second. He immediately began the hundred-li return trip and made it back to Xingde Temple late that night.

As soon as he entered the room, he saw Lord Xingde lying collapsed under the bed, face pale as paper and completely unconscious. Who knew when he’d fallen?

Liu Xiaolou hurried to lift him back onto the bed and checked his pulse again. What he found alarmed him. His pulse was dangerously weak. The true qi that had previously blocked Liu Xiaolou’s attempts to examine him was now scattered and sealed chaotically in various acupoints and primordial pools, no longer able to gather or flow.

It was a dire situation.

Liu Xiaolou took out a Heart-Nourishing Pill and forced it into Lord Xingde’s mouth, using a technique to help him swallow it. Then he channeled a stream of his own true qi into Lord Xingde’s body, slowly guiding the pill’s medicinal energy toward his heart meridian.

As expected, one pill wasn’t enough. By the middle of the night, Liu Xiaolou had no choice but to give him the second one. He worked nonstop until dawn. Only then did Lord Xingde’s complexion finally improve. A hint of vitality returned to his face, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Once he regained consciousness, he sat cross-legged and began circulating his true qi on his own. At that point, Liu Xiaolou stopped assisting and let him recover by himself. He was already thoroughly exhausted.

After this long night, Liu Xiaolou had also gotten a clear sense of Lord Xingde’s cultivation level. The man had opened ten meridians in total. The Hand Three Yang, the Hand Three Yin, the Foot Three Yang, and the Foot Greater Yin meridian of the Foot Three Yin. As for the Foot Faint Yin, he had nearly finished it too; only seven acupoints left unopened.

He hadn’t reached the tenth layer of Qi Refinement yet, but he was definitely at the ninth. He was no doubt a skilled cultivator.

Still, how could someone this strong end up so badly injured? Had he run into a Foundation Establishment expert?

Then again, it was hard to say. In real combat, cultivation level alone didn’t decide everything. If Lord Xingde had crossed someone from a prestigious sect, even if their cultivation was lower, just having high-grade magic tools or spiritual pills could’ve tipped the scales. And as far as Liu Xiaolou had seen, Lord Xingde didn’t seem to have any remarkable treasures on him.

Later that day, Lord Xingde finally got out of bed. He looked at Liu Xiaolou and said, “I want meat. Fresh meat.”