Chapter 143: Me and My Foundation Establishment Master?

Island Lord of Qinghe Island looked somewhat dumbfounded.

Were the young people nowadays really this lacking in martial virtue?

He wasn’t a fool. When Ji Yuan brought up Li Changhe earlier, he had already seen through it—this brat probably guessed he was about to meet a Foundation Establishment Elder and wanted to run.

Why run?

Because he was afraid.

And thinking back on the things Hua Yaoyue had said earlier—

How could the Island Lord of Qinghe Island not understand? Ji Yuan must have stashed away quite a bit of fine wine and deliberately hadn’t taken it out.

Now that Hua Yaoyue had come knocking, he naturally got scared and wanted to flee.

But now, when Hua Yaoyue had really come knocking, how was he reacting?

He was just short of sliding to his knees.

This young man was a bit too unreasonable.

As for Hua Yaoyue, her entire attention was already captured by the wine.

With just a light sniff, she had already tasted every jar of wine, knew what each was called, where it was produced, and the flavor... the flavor wasn’t right.

Because these wines—every single one—tasted better than those she had previously drunk.

And not just a little better!

This little fellow really had some skill.

Hua Yaoyue’s gaze dropped, landing on Ji Yuan who was still bowing.

"You want to brew wine for me?"

"Exactly."

Ji Yuan, still bowing, responded in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, Hua Yaoyue finally showed a hint of a smile."Could it be that you saw this Foundation Establishment-level fish taking the bait and thought to tie down my stomach too, so you decided to brew wine for me?"

"This..."

Ji Yuan was already sweating cold.

Indeed, he had initially thought of bringing up the Li family to see if it would work, but the words from this Foundation Establishment Elder immediately made him abandon the idea.

Even Li Changhe had to kneel before her— even that Foundation Establishment member of the Li family had to avoid her.

They were all from the Water Dragon Sect. They saw each other often—if you didn’t have the strength, would you dare say such things?

So, right then and there, Ji Yuan chickened out.

This was to show his attitude and also to find another big tree to lean on.

The more big trees behind him, the better support he had.

More trees didn’t weigh one down.

Besides, offering to brew wine voluntarily was surely better than being dragged away and forced to brew, right?

This was basically like turning oneself in.

Confession leads to leniency.

"Junior sincerely wishes to brew wine for you."

"Good, good, good."Hua Yaoyue looked at him with a smile."These wines, you brewed them?"

"No, I bought them and then processed them myself, which is how the flavor came about."

Ji Yuan told the truth.

This wine couldn’t even fool the Island Lord of Iron Hammer Island, let alone this Foundation Establishment Elder.

Behind him, the Island Lord of Qinghe Island cursed inwardly—Damn you, back then you told me you had gone to some far-off place to get this stuff, that it had been very difficult, and that’s why there was only a little each time.

Now you’re saying you bought it and processed it yourself?

You bastard, serves you right!

"Oh?"

Hua Yaoyue’s voice sounded somewhat surprised.

Ji Yuan quickly explained,"This method of improving wine was passed down by a Foundation Establishment Real Person of my ancestors—"

"Enough, I don’t have time to listen to your made-up stories."

Hua Yaoyue casually waved her hand, directly exposing Ji Yuan’s lie."These wines, how many can you improve?"

Ji Yuan spoke in a deep voice,"That depends on how many Senior wants."

"Good, so you’ve got this skill, huh."

Hua Yaoyue, who had already turned around, turned back again. She simply raised her jade hand, and all the wines on the ground instantly vanished.

But in their place appeared three extremely exquisite wine jars. The jar on the left was made from Sky-Blue Glazed Porcelain, carved with Ninefold Cloud-Thunder Pattern, and its mouth carved with two Upward-Looking Flood Dragons, looking fierce and menacing.

Through the crystal-clear wall of the jar, amber-colored liquor swirling with Stardust could be seen churning, each ripple forming a flowing star chart.

Just looking at it showed it was no ordinary item.

The middle jar was carved from Profound Ice, emitting cold mist from its entire body. At the bottom of the jar, there seemed to be two round pearls still radiating a faint blue light.

The wine was a semi-transparent nectar, with ice crystal snowflakes spinning without wind inside the jar. On closer inspection, Frost Vein Patterns could be seen spreading through the liquid.

The rightmost jar was cast from Crimson Crystal Lava, with nine feathers resembling fire phoenix tail feathers inserted around it, constantly burning with Guardian True Flame, scorching the jar.

So much so that the wine inside the crimson-red jar churned like boiling lava, enough to strike fear into the heart.

"I have three jars of wine here."

Hua Yaoyue casually said,"Their names are Nine Heavens Cloud-Patterned Wine, Profound Ice Cold Marrow Wine, and Blazing Sun Heartburn Wine. Take them and improve them for me. Let’s see how the flavor turns out. If I’m satisfied with the result—"

Hua Yaoyue looked Ji Yuan up and down. This seemed like the first time she was really sizing him up.

At first it was just a casual glance, but once she got a good look at Ji Yuan’s appearance, her mood brightened a little more. She casually tossed a Messaging Talisman onto Ji Yuan.

"The Messaging Talisman is restricted. You won’t be able to use it until your magic power reaches the Foundation Establishment stage. Once you reach Foundation Establishment, send me a message. If the wine satisfies me at that time, I’ll take you as a disciple. How about that?"

Ji Yuan gripped the golden Messaging Talisman in his hand, his hand couldn’t help but tremble.

He even wanted to bow down right now and cry out,"Master above, please accept your disciple’s bow", but was afraid of offending my Foundation Establishment Master.

A Foundation Establishment Elder taking on a disciple—what kind of opportunity was that?

Ji Yuan’s breath grew a little hot in that moment.

  Hua Yaoyue saw his expression and seemed to find it amusing, laughing out loud. Yet as she laughed, her figure gradually faded until she disappeared from the room.

As soon as she left, the faint pressure on Ji Yuan's body also vanished.

He finally regained his clarity.

The Messaging Talisman in his hand was real, and so were the three jars of wine before him—this wasn’t a dream.

He suddenly thought of something and quickly turned to look at the Island Lord of Qinghe Island behind him.

"Martial Uncle—"

He had just called out.

The Island Lord of Qinghe Island had already stroked his beard and interrupted with a smile,"Still calling me Martial Uncle?"

Ji Yuan was struck with inspiration. Holding the golden Messaging Talisman, he cupped his hands and said,"Greetings, Senior Brother Qinghe."

"Hahaha."

The Island Lord of Qinghe Island recalled Hua Yaoyue’s voice transmission to him when she left. The more he thought about it, the better he felt—no wonder she was Real Person Wangyou, so generous in her actions.

"Alright, since Junior Brother has such skill and was favored by Martial Aunt Wangyou, you should quickly put away these wines and such."

Ji Yuan looked at the three uniquely shaped wine jars and responded with an"Mm"before hurriedly storing them away.

Any one of these three jars might be worth more than his life—Ji Yuan couldn’t help but ask,"Senior Brother, these three jars of wine are so valuable. Martial Ancestor just left them with me—she’s not worried?"

Foundation Establishment was Martial Aunt, Golden Core was Martial Ancestor.

Calling Hua Yaoyue Martial Ancestor now wasn’t wrong.

"Martial Aunt Wangyou has always acted according to her own will and does not follow convention. Besides, leaving them with you—do you dare to embezzle them?"The Island Lord of Qinghe Island said with a chuckle.

"I wouldn’t dare! I will guard them with my life!"

Ji Yuan answered seriously.

"That’s more like it."

The Island Lord of Qinghe Island also spoke with some emotion,"A Foundation Establishment accepting a disciple—among all the Foundation Establishment cultivators in our Water Dragon Sect, those favored by a Golden Core are few. You haven’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet and already have such an opportunity——"

"Work hard. Reaching Foundation Establishment early is more important than anything."

"Mm!"

Ji Yuan nodded firmly. That was certain. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, not only would his strength be solidified, he could also become the disciple of a Golden Core. What would there be to fear then?

"Please keep this matter confidential, Senior Brother Qinghe."

Ji Yuan once again cupped his hands slightly.

Keeping secrets was always of utmost importance.

"Don’t worry, helping you is helping myself."

The Island Lord of Qinghe Island waved his hand,"Alright, if there’s nothing else, go back and focus on your wine brewing."

Ji Yuan nodded and walked toward the door. But as he walked, he suddenly thought of something. He turned back and asked,"Senior Brother, those jars of wine I just submitted—do they still count for Contribution Points?"

Two hundred per jar—Ji Yuan had submitted twelve jars in one go.

In the end, he still hadn’t gotten any Contribution Points.

The Island Lord of Qinghe Island said one sentence that left Ji Yuan speechless.

He said,"Do you really have the nerve to take advantage of your master like that?"

With things said so clearly, if he still clung to those Contribution Points, it would make him seem petty. Ji Yuan just didn’t understand why the Island Lord of Qinghe Island was so reluctant about these Contribution Points.

After leaving Thousand Mechanisms Island, Ji Yuan didn’t rush back to Misty Island to "brew wine."

He still had to investigate the matter of the Yang family.

But just as he arrived at the doorstep of his home on Dragon Island, he unexpectedly saw a woman crouching not far from his house—Du Wanyi.

Seeing Ji Yuan return, she immediately stood up. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Ji Yuan was somewhat complicated.

Moved, surprised, guilty, alienated—and a hint of unfamiliarity.

"Come, let’s talk inside."

Du Wanyi stepped forward and took the initiative to suggest.

"Alright."

Ji Yuan nodded.

The two entered the house. Ji Yuan closed the door and asked,"Second Sister, how long have you been waiting here?"

"Not long, I just arrived."

"Really? I’m not a fool. If I had truly heard that the father and son of the Yang family had died, and came to find you, wouldn’t that just bring you trouble?

Du Wanyi truly wasn’t foolish.

"What? The Yang family father and son are dead?"

Ji Yuan was surprised to hear the news and looked at Du Wanyi in astonishment, then exclaimed in great joy,"Then your trouble is resolved, Second Sister—that’s wonderful!"

"I was even worried about you before."

Du Wanyi just looked at Ji Yuan, saying nothing.

That look was as if she were watching him perform."Wait, Second Sister, what’s wrong? Are you unhappy about the Yang family’s misfortune? Or is there some new trouble?"

The smile on Ji Yuan’s face gradually faded.

"Fourth Brother, do you know why I knew it was you who did it?"Du Wanyi finally spoke, but her voice was a bit low.

Before Ji Yuan could deny it and claim "it wasn’t him," Du Wanyi took a deep breath and continued:

"Because apart from you, no one else would help me anymore."

"The Yang family had committed countless wrongs and had many enemies. Couldn’t it have been some other enemy who acted?"Ji Yuan said softly.

Upon hearing this, Du Wanyi suddenly laughed—laughed heartily.

She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded firmly.

"That’s definitely it—it was some other enemy of the Yang family who did it!"

Ji Yuan also laughed and spread his hands.

"Exactly. I told you—I, a mere Qi Refining cultivator, how could I possibly kill a Foundation Establishment expert?"

"But from the news I’ve heard, they say that Yang Shunan was killed by a monster."

ChatGPT said:

"Oh? Second Sister, please elaborate."

Ji Yuan said as he returned to the room and used spiritual energy to brew a pot of tea.

After Du Wanyi sat down, she pondered and recalled the events before speaking,"There are many versions of the story circulating outside now. Some say they were killed by a flying monster from the Red Dawn Mountain Range, others say it was a burrowing monster, but none of these hold water. Because that monster only killed the father and son of the Yang family—no one else was harmed. But it’s certain they were killed by a monster."

"So the most widely accepted theory is that the father and son of the Yang family were killed by a cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect."

Du Wanyi said this while seriously observing Ji Yuan.

Just as she had said earlier, she could guess it was Ji Yuan’s doing, but Ji Yuan definitely didn’t do it himself. Even if her Fourth Brother truly had the strength to deal with a Foundation Establishment cultivator, it was impossible for him to storm into the Yang family’s home, kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator so easily, and then leave unscathed.

Du Wanyi pieced together all the information and concluded it was a case of "hiring a killer"—Ji Yuan had spent Spirit Stones to hire a cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect to do the job.

Because controlling beasts was standard for cultivators of the Beast Taming Sect. Only they could tame beasts, especially a second-rank monster—that was even rarer.

"That’s actually quite possible."

Ji Yuan nodded knowingly."The culprit came from the north, did the job here in the south, and then left for the north again. Who could possibly track them down?"

"They always come and go without a trace."

"Mm, most likely a cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect."

Du Wanyi nodded.

"So how are things for you now?"Ji Yuan asked with interest.

Hearing this, Du Wanyi showed a trace of relief on her face."The one who was making things difficult for me was Yang Yunxiang. Now he’s dead, and Yang Shunan is also dead."

"The Island Lord of Linmu Island from our sect knew nothing of my situation. Now he’s busy investigating the whereabouts of that cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect, so it’s safe to say I’m in the clear now."

"And a couple days ago, I made a quick trip back to Qingye City. That Martial Uncle who used to give me trouble now looks quite embarrassed and even expressed his apology in a roundabout way."

"Originally, he wanted to drive me out of the sect and use it as an opportunity to curry favor with the Yang family. Now that the Yang family is done for, he naturally has no hope left."

It was all interconnected.

Once the root of the problem was resolved, everything else fell into place.

Ji Yuan even thought that if Yang Taian had been more persistent and continued investigating, he might have traced things back to the Qingye Auction House and discovered that a northern cultivator named Qiu Qianhai had purchased a second-rank Spiritual Beast Pouch there.

At that point, everything would fall neatly into place.

The blame would point north, and Yang Taian would shift his focus there.

Even if Yang Taian circled back and found him eventually, Ji Yuan believed that with his own talent and cheat-like ability, by then he would at least be in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

By then, in a fight between equals, with the Great Toad on his side, he would have nothing to fear.

But that possibility was extremely slim.

Now that he knew Du Wanyi was safe and it would be difficult for the Yang family to trace anything back to him, Ji Yuan could finally feel at ease.

Besides, the Meditation Room had already been upgraded, making him even more reassured.

"Fourth Brother—"

Du Wanyi looked at Ji Yuan, who was leisurely sipping tea, and called out.

"Hm?"

"What is it?"

Ji Yuan looked at her.

"I plan to go to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven."Du Wanyi’s words made Ji Yuan fall silent.

Du Wanyi set down her teacup and stood up, saying,"After all that’s happened recently, I’ve come to a realization. Joining a sect is useless. In the end, everything still depends on one’s own strength."

She took a deep breath and continued,"Take this incident for example—if I were already at the Foundation Establishment stage, would the Yang family dare to treat me this way? Would that Foundation Establishment Martial Uncle behind them dare to trouble me? I wouldn’t even have encountered such a situation from the beginning."

"Whether I joined the Water Dragon Sect or the First Water Hall, it’s all superficial. Only the strength I possess is real. Only when I have real strength can my thoughts flow freely!"

Ji Yuan held his teacup and slowly nodded."There’s no denying, that’s the truth."

"But Second Sister, have you ever considered—what level of strength is needed before one’s thoughts can truly flow freely?"

Ji Yuan looked upward and said,"After Foundation Establishment, there’s still the Golden Core. After the Golden Core, there’s still the Nascent Soul—"

"From the moment we began cultivating, we already stepped onto a road of no return."

Du Wanyi gave a bitter laugh, sat back down, and said no more.

Ji Yuan knew she was waiting for his response.

So Ji Yuan also remained silent for a long while, before finally saying,"Then prepare well, Second Sister. If there’s anything you need—"

"You can always ask me."

"Fourth Brother, you—"

Du Wanyi looked at Ji Yuan with sorrow.

She knew her Fourth Brother was always cautious, but could he really not be moved by something like the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven?

If Ji Yuan had even slightly better spiritual roots—if he had a true spiritual root—she could understand. But with a False Spiritual Root... in this situation, if one didn’t seek out Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass within a secret realm, how could one refine a Foundation Establishment Pill?

Without a Foundation Establishment Pill, how could one reach Foundation Establishment?

This was a False Spiritual Root!

So Du Wanyi always believed that, cautious as Ji Yuan was, he would still go to the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven. But hearing this answer today—

"I will."

"Then I’ll go prepare."

Du Wanyi stood and said no more.

Cultivation was not something one could talk another out of, and Ji Yuan wasn’t the type to be talked out of things anyway.

All Du Wanyi could do was hope that once she entered the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven, she might be able to collect a few more Millennium Illusory Spirit Grass. When she came out, she could share some with Ji Yuan, so that her Fourth Brother might also achieve Foundation Establishment.

"Alright."

After seeing Du Wanyi off, Ji Yuan returned to his house.

He looked around at everything. Though it was familiar, it wasn’t as familiar as when examined with Divine Sense. So as the thought arose, he released his Divine Sense.

Everything around him entered his mind.

The gaps in the tables and chairs, the spiritual flora.

  Then, Ji Yuan’s Divine Sense swept into the backyard, and even the characters engraved on the walls were all clearly absorbed into his mind. The Summer Peach in the front yard had already fallen to the ground and begun to rot.

Under the scrutiny of Divine Sense, Ji Yuan could even perceive the process of the peach rotting.

All of this made Ji Yuan truly appreciate the extraordinary power of Divine Sense.

If the ground was like this, then what about beneath it?

Ji Yuan couldn’t help but extend his Divine Sense downward into the earth.

Back on Misty Island, he had been surrounded by stone walls, and it had been extremely difficult for his Divine Sense to tunnel through. But now, in this soil, it was much easier.

His Divine Sense drilled into the earth, and in just a moment it had tunneled more than ten feet down.

Between clumps of dirt, there wasn’t anything particularly different.

Just as Ji Yuan was wondering how deep his Divine Sense could reach, suddenly, an image appeared in his mind—he "saw" a tunnel!

There was a tunnel beneath his house!

And it had been dug by someone—judging from the marks in the soil, the tunnel was quite fresh, as if it had only recently been dug. His Divine Sense followed the tunnel along, and it turned out to lead straight from the neighboring Courtyard No. 17.

That was Pi Fangzhi’s place!

He had dug a tunnel across, and had silently broken through the protective formation of Ji Yuan’s house, even digging a hole through that formation.

In an instant, Ji Yuan shot to his feet.

A thought flashed through his mind—could Pi Fangzhi also be a Demonic Path spy?

Whether he was or wasn’t, it was clear he harbored malicious intent toward Ji Yuan.

At that thought, Ji Yuan took two steps out of his courtyard and only then did he feel slightly at ease.

No matter how insane Pi Fangzhi was, he couldn’t possibly attack Ji Yuan in broad daylight—otherwise, there’d be no reason to dig a secret tunnel so painstakingly.

If so, then what should he do?

Storm in and kill him directly?

Or find an opportunity to assassinate him?

No, that would be the way of a brute.

At first, Ji Yuan thought of going to the Disciplinary Hall, to find Fang Jie. After all, Fang Jie had said earlier that he could be approached at any time if there were any leads.

But after a second thought, Ji Yuan dismissed that idea. He had someone even more suitable in mind.

Find Li Changhe!

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