CHAPTER 53: THEIR AGREEMENT WITH ME

"I will give you a great reward if you help me make the pill," said the Great Sect Leader, raising his head while still kneeling in submission.

Li Shen turned to Li Xun as if to confirm something. Li Xun nodded in agreement; she didn’t mind if Li Shen intended to help them.

He didn’t just stare at Li Xun, but also glanced around the area. The elders stood up, wounded, clutching their chests.

"Alright. I’ll help you," said Li Shen, walking back towards the Great Sect Leader.

Li Shen crouched down and asked the middle-aged man in front of him to stand up, no need to put his forehead on the ground. The Great Sect Leader nodded in affirmation, feeling calm and relieved that Li Shen was willing to help their sect.

He introduced himself as Ying Hao, the Great Sect Leader of the Mu Ying Sect. Ying Hao instructed an elder to take Li Shen and Li Xun to the guest house, and the elder nodded obediently.

He flew away from the Peak Hall and arrived at the guest house. Li Xun thought that the guest house was located in the mountain crater area. But she was wrong. The guest house was in a beautiful valley filled with flower gardens and peaceful waterfalls.

Li Shen and Li Xun landed there. Li Shen had to admit the beauty of the Mu Ying Sect’s guest house compound. Li Xun seemed happy and satisfied with their current residence.

"I’ll take my leave, Fellow Daoist. If the Great Sect Master has any information for you, I will inform you in person, "said the elder.

"Yes," replied Li Shen briefly.

The elder flew back into the Mu Ying Sect’s territory, leaving Li Shen alone with Li Xun. The woman looked curious about her father’s ability to make pills, as not many high-level cultivators were also high-level alchemists.

"Can you make a 7th-grade pill?" asked Li Xun.

"It’s easy for me to make those pills. However, I lack the ingredients," replied Li Shen.

"Let them find it, Father. You don’t need to do anything except make the pill," replied Li Xun. Li Shen smiled slightly and nodded.

"Look, Father! This place is amazing, the amount of spiritual energy is abundant," said Li Xun, asking Li Shen to pay attention to the surrounding area.

But Li Shen’s attention was focused on Li Xun, not on the guest house. It had been several months since Li Shen had handed over the scroll to help Xun’er understand the dao concept when she reached Soul Formation.

Now, Li Shen did not know whether Li Xun had gained enlightenment or not to open the gate of dao concept and break through to Soul Formation.

"Xun’er," Li Shen called out.

"Yes, Father?"

"Have you learned the Heaven and Earth Comprehension Scroll?" Li Shen asked.

Li Xun fell silent, then turned her face away, her eyes fixed on the waterfall in front of the guest house. She had to admit that the scroll was difficult to learn, especially since she did not understand the ways of heaven well.

"I’ve opened and read it, but I haven’t understood it yet," Li Xun replied.

"Patience is the key to enlightenment. The heavens have their own timing for when you will gain enlightenment. Those who are greedy may go mad if they continue to learn from the scroll without understanding the way of heaven," Li Shen replied.

"Is it really that risky?" Li Xun asked.

"Yes, for some people who are filled with ambition and power. However, for those who seek immortality and the meaning of life, the way of heaven is actually very calming," said Li Shen.

Li Shen brought forth a blue spiritual energy ball in his right hand, then shot it forward until it entered Li Xun’s soul.

Through the energy ball, Li Shen couldsee his daughter’s dantian sea clearly. Of the four gates of the Dao Conceptthat commonly appeared, she had only revealed the first gate: Comprehension of the Heavenly Mind

The green gate was already there, but it had not yet produced a brightly shining pillar of light. This was a clear sign that Li Xun’s chance to obtain her original dao concept was wide open.

"Only one of the four gates that should be there is visible. This is definitely good news," said Li Shen.

"You saw that gate in my dantian sea, Father?"

Li Shen nodded. He stepped forward and gently patted Li Xun on the shoulder, causing Li Xun to focus her attention on her father.

"It is time for you to understand the rules of heaven. There are many things in this world that are decided by heaven, such as fate and so on."

"As the foundation of your dao concept, you must learn about these things," explained Li Shen.

"Start by observing the lives of humans in the mortal world, the origin of life, the afterlife, good and bad karma, the laws of nature, and so on."

"Does this mean I have to live among the people of the mortal world?" asked Li Xun.

"That is the best way to understand the rules of heaven. However, there are risks in living as a mortal."

"What are they, Father?" asked Li Xun, curious.

Li Shen smiled, then turned around and sat in the lotus position on a rock. Li Xun continued to watch her father’s movements.

"You will find out for yourself."

***

One week later.

Guest House

Mu Ying Sect.

Just as Li Shen was sitting in meditation in the lotus position, he sensed a spiritual energy aura flying towards the guest house from outside. When it was within his range, Li Shen opened his eyes and saw it was Ying Hao.

Ying Hao came with Ying Ying, who looked much healthier than before—when she first met Li Shen.

Li Shen guessed that Ying Ying’s recovery must be related to the pill he had given her.

"Daoist Li Shen," they both greeted, bowing their heads.

Li Shen stopped his meditation and dispelled the spiritual energy aura from his body. He stood up and flew forward, then stepped slowly until he was completely in front of them.

"How are you feeling, Sect Leader Ying Ying?" Li Shen asked.

"I’m feeling better. Junior is grateful to Senior because thanks to the pill, I’m feeling much better than before," Ying Ying replied, clasping her hands together and bowing her head.

"No problem. Your father promised me a great reward if I managed to remove the poison from your body," said Li Shen, pointing to Ying Ying’s chest.

Ying Ying turned to the side, and Ying Hao cleared his throat in agreement. He clearly said that he would do anything to save Ying Ying, even if it meant becoming Li Shen’s slave for 500 years, Ying Hao had no regrets.

"Don’t worry, Ying Ying. I’m prepared for anything that might happen. As long as you’re safe, I’ll be happy," said Ying Hao.

"Father..."

Ying Hao smiled broadly, then refocused his attention forward toward Li Shen, "So, what kind of pill are we going to make?"

Li Shen fell silent, gently patting his magic pouch and taking out a 7th grade pill recipe capable of neutralizing all poisons used by cultivators below the Soul Ascension level.

"Who poisoned her?" asked Li Shen.

"The ancestor of the Gu Yang Sect. Our sect once had a feud with them. Their ancestor—"

"What is his cultivation base?" Li Shen interrupted.

"Mid Stage Soul Formation," Ying Hao replied.

"Then that pill will be enough. Find the ingredients quickly. Once you have them, come back to me."