The small cabin fell into silence, with only Lu Qiancha sitting cross-legged by the wooden table.
She closed her eyes in concentration, her mind rapidly sketching out the detailed blueprints for the Dan Room and Xunxue Residence.
Previously, Lu Qiancha had always used a small medicine cauldron she carried with her to refine pills and elixirs.
But when it came to smelting Essence-Returning Fruits with their rare poisons, or crafting Fanhun Divine Pills, that was hardly enough.
A high-quality, well-imbued large Danlu had become an urgent necessity.
Forget it, she decided. She would build the Dan Room first. The Danlu could wait a little longer.
After all, a good Danlu was something one encountered by chance, not by seeking. That was purely luck.
Ideally, she could find some abandoned old furnaces or broken cauldrons. After all, besides pill refining, Lu Qiancha also knew a bit about forging magical tools.
Lost in thought, she reached into her storage pouch and pulled out a thick stack of yellowed, aged parchment scrolls.
On them were various architectural outlines drawn in ink, some darker, some faded, with signs of revisions and erasures scattered throughout.
The bottom few sheets were so faded the ink was barely legible.
Clang! Clang! Clang!—
The crisp, rhythmic sound of chopping shattered the peaceful quiet of Tianquanfeng’s back mountain.
A massive tree fell with a heavy crash, its impact echoing deeply through the woods.
Not far away, Gantang, dressed in a training uniform embroidered with elegant orchids and wearing a pale yellow cloth band around her forehead to shield from the sun, expertly manipulated a mountain-splitting giant axe shimmering with cold light.
Under her control, the enormous weapon moved with a surprisingly deft and graceful rhythm.
“So sunny…”
Gantang wiped the fine sweat from her brow drowsily, grumbling under her breath, “Stinky Shixiong, always meditating and slacking off! How can you bear to leave such a delicate little Shimei to suffer alone under this scorching sun…”
As she spoke, another tree toppled, startling a flock of birds into flight.
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind, “Are you… Gantang?”
Alert, Gantang turned around. Looking up at the person before her, she felt a faint sense of familiarity…
A small cloud boat about a zhang long floated nearby, on which sat a fairy wearing a moon-white cloud robe… Damn, the front ties of that robe were almost bursting!
Ah, it was Xuanmo Shigu.
Gantang immediately stepped forward, cupping her hands in a respectful bow.
Recalling the greetings her Shixiong had taught her, she chose the most appropriate one and said softly, “Disciple Gantang pays respects to Xuan Shigu. My cultivation is shallow, and I failed to greet you promptly. Please forgive my negligence.”
“No need for such formalities.”
Xuanmo, pleased by the young disciple’s politeness and gentle words, casually retracted her cloud boat and lightly landed.
Her gaze swept over the felled trees around them, and with curiosity asked, “Where is your Shixiong? Xuan Shigu has important matters to discuss with her.”
“Shixiong is probably cultivating quietly at the peak…”
Gantang lowered her gaze obediently, continuing her role as the dutiful junior, “Xuan Shigu, please move to the small cottage at the peak and rest for a moment. I will go fetch Shifu to welcome you. My humble abode is simple; if I fail to properly host you, please forgive me.”
“Oh, don’t bother your Shifu!” Xuanmo hurriedly waved her hand. “She’s about to break through to Feixian. Let her cultivate in peace. I came specifically looking for your Shixiong. Lead me to her.”
With that, she strode toward the three thatched cottages at the peak.
Before she took two steps, a ripple of purple energy suddenly appeared not far off, and with a “whoosh,” Lu Qiancha’s figure instantly materialized.
She bowed to Xuanmo, “Disciple pays respects to Shigu. The honored guest’s arrival caught us unprepared.”
Then stepping aside to lead the way, she said, “Please, Shigu, follow me to my humble residence for a chat.”
Xuanmo nodded.
Gantang was about to follow when Lu Qiancha sent a sound transmission: “Finished chopping your trees?”
“Nyah nyah, bad Shixiong!”
Gantang stuck out her pink tongue at his retreating back, made a silly face, then hummed softly and resumed her “logging business” with the giant axe.
Moments later, the two were seated cross-legged on either side of the low table inside Lu Qiancha’s cottage.
“Here, Xiao Qiancha, inside this storage pouch are the rewards from this Experience Conference. The other one is a gift of thanks from that Li Qinghong.”
Xuanmo’s jade hand flicked gracefully, and two plump, finely made storage pouches landed on the table, pushed toward Lu Qiancha.
“Thank you, Shigu, for making the trip all this way.”
Lu Qiancha accepted them without ceremony.
As her spiritual awareness swept over the contents, he saw several spirit-infused protective magical tools, piles of precious materials and spirit stones stacked like a small mountain.
His heart warmed — at least he had the funds for a new Danlu now.
“By the way, I heard that Uncle Li gathered the immortals and went to Aolai Kingdom to cleanse the forces behind Qingfeng.”
Lu Qiancha glanced at Xuanmo before asking, “Shigu, why didn’t you go with them?”
“Ah, don’t mention it.”
Xuanmo sighed deeply and, dropping onto the table, rested her chin on the wooden surface, her eyes dull as they stared at the grain, “I wanted to go have some fun too, but the moment I got back to the mountain, the Order Enforcement Hall questioned me, and I just got out now.”
She suddenly lifted her upper body, waving four long fingers vigorously in front of Lu Qiancha’s face, “The worst part? They fined me a full forty years’ worth of sect dues! Forty years!”
“Ugh…”
Xuanmo covered her face, her voice muffled but filled with the despair of a life doomed, “If I’m going to live like this, might as well be tied up on Yinlei Cliff and struck by lightning for forty years. That would be more bearable!”
Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but laugh softly.
“Waaah! Xiao Qiancha, you’re laughing at me!”
Like a kicked tail, Xuanmo suddenly pounced, wrapping her arms tightly around the little wolf cub and squeezing her cheeks until they were squished and rolled.
A pure thread of immortal energy silently sealed Lu Qiancha’s spiritual power.
“Mm~ Shigu, I didn’t mean it! Don’t pull my face!”
With her spiritual power sealed, Lu Qiancha’s blue ears instantly popped out, the disguise falling apart.
She twisted helplessly in Xuanmo’s arms, completely reduced to a reluctantly performing little doll.
After venting, Xuanmo finally released the battered little face.
Yet she still draped herself like a heavy ornament over Lu Qiancha’s slender back, resting her chin between those slightly trembling blue ears.
Her voice exhaled with mournful grief, “Forty years… how am I supposed to survive forty years…”
“No money, no closed-door cultivation. No money, no pills. Can’t even sleep. No energy to form seals or recite incantations… Life’s utterly bleak…”
Xuanmo’s rant grew louder, her teeth clenched tight, “It’s all that damned Qingfeng’s fault! If he wanted to die, fine! But why drag poor me into this financial misery? I must be cursed for eight lifetimes to have such a troublesome junior like him!”
Lu Qiancha listened quietly, pondering her words.
She cleared her throat softly, her paws resting on the low table as she tentatively asked, “Xuan Shigu, are you short on spirit stones?”
“Yes, cultivation requires them, meals require them, everywhere needs them.”
Without thinking, Xuanmo nuzzled against her ear and muttered,
“Do you happen to know any cultivators who love their wine?”
Lu Qiancha’s claws tapped lightly on the tabletop, like a fox calculating winter provisions.
“I do. The neighboring Kuanlan Sect is full of drunken big drinkers.”
“Always shouting nonsense about ‘Jiule carefree,’ ‘Zuoli Qiankun grand,’ and ‘Huzhong Riyue long.’”
Xuanmo thought for a moment and answered.
Lu Qiancha tapped the table again, eyes glinting as she said, “Xuan Shigu, how about we start a little business?”
“Hm?”
Only now did Xuanmo truly lift her head, releasing those fluffy ears. Her lazy eyes focused anew, “A little business? Tell me more.”
“I have here a few rare, lost vintages of exquisite liquor — crafted by ancient methods into a unique training elixir, combining the purity of celestial dew with the rich aroma of spirit wine. Drinking it won’t harm one’s foundation; it might even slightly enhance clarity of mind.”
Lu Qiancha tapped her paws gently, her tone tinged with helplessness, “But, as you can see, I’m no good at socializing. I have few friends, so these fine brews and potent elixirs… all the recipe, but no customers.”
“So you want me to sell the liquor on your behalf and split the spirit stones we earn?”
A spark flickered instantly in Xuanmo’s usually lazy, beautiful eyes.