Blood Food Pellet—this was the pill Fu Zhizhou had consumed when he broke through the Xiantian Realm years ago.
At the time, he had yet to embark on the path of cultivation, his knowledge was shallow, and he had no idea that the pill was of demonic origins before ingesting it.
"If it was only one Blood Food Pellet, then… had Uncle Fu spent more time consolidating his foundation during the Qi Refinement Mid-Level, the pill's side effects could have been greatly reduced."
Kou Hongying let out a soft sigh.
In her eyes, Fu Zhizhou had always been too eager for quick success, whether before reaching Xiantian, or after entering the cultivation world.
This method of cultivation allowed rapid progress, but it also left hidden dangers—once reaching a certain bottleneck, one could become stagnant for years.
Now that Fu Zhizhou was stuck at Qi Refinement Sixth Level, unable to break through to Seventh Level even with a Breakthrough Pill, it was evident that the roots of the issue lay in his past choices.
Every cause has its effect.
As this thought crossed her mind, Kou Hongying instinctively glanced at Wei Tu, thinking,
"Uncle Wei is different… he builds his foundation step by step."
After their last gathering, she had even written a letter to suggest a better cultivation method for Fu Zhizhou.
But ten years had passed…
And now, upon meeting again, she realized only Wei Tu had followed her advice and switched to Lesser Spring and Autumn Art.
Two completely different choices.
Kou Hongying was certain.
Right now, Fu Zhizhou's cultivation level may be higher than Wei Tu's, but in ten or twenty years, he would fall far behind.
After a brief moment of thought, Kou Hongying spoke up with a suggestion,
"There are herbalists in Mirror Water Pavilion. I can consult them to help Uncle Fu expel the lingering side effects of the Blood Food Pellet."
Herbalists were different from alchemists—they specialized in medical properties, focusing on healing, balancing the body's energies, and treating complex ailments in the cultivation world.
Issues like pill toxicity due to excessive pill consumption, leading to bottlenecks in cultivation advancement, were among the common ailments they treated.
This was a difficult condition that ordinary elixirs could not resolve.
The cheapest and most effective solution was to seek a herbalist's prescription tailored to the problem.
"Thank you, Hongying."
Hearing this, Fu Zhizhou felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders and clasped his hands in gratitude.
Finally—
Among the five members of Righteous Society—
It was Kou Hongying's turn to share her cultivation progress and insights.
With a small smile, she said,
"At the beginning of this year, I successfully advanced to Qi Refinement Seventh Level, surpassing my three uncles by a full step."
Qi Refinement Seventh Level?
Upon hearing this, even Wei Tu, who had expected Kou Hongying's progress, couldn't help but feel somewhat astonished.
After all, both he and Fu Zhizhou had reached Qi Refinement Fourth Level years before Kou Hongying.
Even Fu Zhizhou, who had been rushing his cultivation, had barely reached Sixth Level.
Yet Kou Hongying had gone from Mid-Level to Late-Level in such a short time, crossing three small realms—how was this even possible?
"This… is what it means to have a Middle-Grade Spirit Root and be a sect disciple."
Wei Tu sighed internally.
Unlike them, Kou Hongying had no special techniques, no rare encounters, yet due to her inborn spirit root and sect backing, she was far ahead.
Or perhaps—
Joining Mirror Water Pavilion was her greatest opportunity.
An opportunity far greater than anything the rest of them had gained in these ten years.
"Congratulations, Hongying."
After a brief silence, Wei Tu, Wei Fei, and Fu Zhizhou cupped their hands in congratulations.
At that moment, the three of them fully realized that bringing Kou Hongying into Righteous Society ten years ago had been a wise decision.
After they finished sharing their insights, Kou Hongying paused for a moment, glanced at the three men, then spoke with sincerity,
"I have an unreasonable request."
"It concerns my Foundation Establishment breakthrough… I wonder if my three uncles would be willing to assist me?"
As soon as she finished speaking—
The atmosphere in the private room fell silent.
A moment later—
"Hongying, if you need help, just say it directly."
Wei Tu broke the silence, taking the initiative to respond.
Among the four brothers, he was the central figure.
It was he who had first agreed to let Kou Hongying join Righteous Society, bringing her into their cultivation alliance.
Thus, it was his responsibility to respond first.
"If there's something, Hongying, just say it outright—no need to hesitate."
Wei Fei smiled.
He still remembered that when Kou Hongying first joined, she had made a promise—
Before requesting help, she would always clarify the risks and rewards and would never take advantage of the three men.
"Speak freely, Hongying."
Fu Zhizhou nodded firmly, agreeing.
He still needed Kou Hongying's connections to cure his pill toxicity, so he wouldn't refuse her request at this time.
Seeing that all three had agreed, Kou Hongying took a deep breath and said,
"I've reached Qi Refinement Seventh Level, and soon, I will be facing Foundation Establishment."
"Unlike rogue cultivators, we Mirror Water Pavilion disciples have a more reliable path to obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill—we only need to complete sect missions and accumulate enough contribution points to exchange for one."
"By my own efforts, it would take me forty years to acquire the Foundation Establishment Pill. But if… my three uncles help me, this time could be cut in half."
Her voice was calm.
Upon hearing this—
The expressions of Wei Tu, Wei Fei, and Fu Zhizhou shifted subtly.
For an average cultivator, planning for Foundation Establishment at Qi Refinement Seventh Level was nothing short of wishful thinking. But for Kou Hongying, a sect disciple, it was merely a case of preparing ahead of time.
If things progressed as expected—
In twenty years, Kou Hongying would either be on the verge of reaching Qi Refinement Perfection or would have only just broken through.
At that point, beginning preparations for Foundation Establishment meant that, if successful, she would waste no time at all in her cultivation journey.
This way, once she became a Foundation Establishment cultivator, her potential would greatly increase, putting her ahead of her peers.
But—
The problem was—
Helping her would inevitably impact their own cultivation progress.
Twenty years.
This was no small amount of time.
Even if their role was minimal, spending twenty years assisting her would turn this "small favor" into a major sacrifice.
"Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I will also assist my three uncles in their own Foundation Establishment endeavors."
Kou Hongying solemnly promised.
Hearing this, the three men felt slightly relieved.
If Kou Hongying could keep her word, then in twenty years, having a sect-affiliated Foundation Establishment cultivator aiding them would greatly reduce their own difficulties in breaking through.
That much was certain.
"Kou Hongying, since you brought up sect missions, that means you've already selected the tasks from Mirror Water Pavilion."
"Show them to us first. After reviewing them, we'll decide whether or not to agree."
Wei Tu's voice was calm but firm.
Twenty years was roughly one-tenth of his lifespan.
At sixty years old, he had sixty more years until he reached the two-cycle limit for attempting Foundation Establishment.
These next twenty years were far more precious than an ordinary twenty years.
If the sect missions were too demanding, he would have no choice but to refuse.
Cultivation alliances were formed for mutual survival, not for one person to exploit the others.
Cooperation had to be mutually beneficial.
This was clearly stated in their alliance agreement.
"Please review them, uncles."
Kou Hongying did not hesitate. She immediately took out three jade slips from her sleeve and handed them to the three men.
Wei Tu accepted the jade slip and scanned its contents.
His expression softened slightly, and he gave a subtle nod.
Inside the jade slip, Kou Hongying had listed more than a dozen missions, but she had only assigned two to Wei Tu.
And both tasks were the same—
They required him to draw talismans.
The first task: one hundred Qi Refinement First-Level Low-Grade Earthquake Talismans.
The second task: fifty Qi Refinement First-Level Mid-Grade Illusion Wood Talismans.
"If Uncle Wei agrees to take on these missions, I am willing to gift him the talisman crafting techniques for both."
Seeing that Wei Tu seemed interested, Kou Hongying quickly added this extra incentive.
"This matter…"
Wei Tu fell into deep thought and did not immediately agree.
One hundred low-grade talismans and fifty mid-grade talismans had a combined market value of at least 1,500 spirit stones.
Even considering only material costs—excluding labor—he would have to invest at least 400–500 spirit stones.
In other words—
For the sake of Kou Hongying's Foundation Establishment, he would be donating 400–500 spirit stones and sacrificing several years of cultivation time.
Even though Wei Tu considered himself loyal and reliable, such a huge sacrifice still made him hesitate.
"I refuse."
At this moment, Wei Fei was the first to speak.
He placed the jade slip on the table, crossed his arms, and spoke bluntly:
"I'm here for freedom. If it's a minor task, I don't mind helping. But something that takes this much time? I won't do it."
Unlike Wei Tu and Fu Zhizhou, Wei Fei had no hopes of reaching Foundation Establishment.
To him, Kou Hongying's promise was empty words—completely useless.
"If Uncle Wei Fei is unwilling, I won't insist."
Kou Hongying smiled politely and withdrew his jade slip without any sign of disappointment.
It seemed she had anticipated his refusal.
"What about you, Third Brother?"
After Wei Fei rejected the offer, Fu Zhizhou turned to Wei Tu for his opinion.
Unlike Wei Fei, Fu Zhizhou needed Mirror Water Pavilion's herbalists to heal his pill toxicity.
This meant he couldn't afford to reject Kou Hongying outright.
Nearby, Kou Liang also looked nervous.
He understood that in Kou Hongying's jade slips, the most difficult missions had been assigned to Wei Tu—
If Wei Tu refused, Kou Hongying's entire plan would collapse.
Moreover, if Wei Tu refused, then Fu Zhizhou, who was still undecided, would likely follow Wei Tu's lead and also decline.
If that happened—
Kou Hongying would be left completely on her own.
She would have no choice but to take the ordinary route for Foundation Establishment, progressing at the same slow pace as any other sect disciple.
"If I am to agree, I will need one condition from Kou Hongying."
After a long pause, Wei Tu finally spoke solemnly.
The cultivation world was different from the mortal realm—cultivators were naturally selfish.
Moreover—
Kou Hongying was not Kou Liang.
His trust in her was limited.
Helping her was one thing, but what if she refused to repay the favor afterward?
If, after Foundation Establishment, she decided that helping them reach Foundation Establishment was too troublesome and merely returned his investment in spirit stones, he would have no recourse.
"Uncle Wei, please speak freely."
Kou Hongying straightened her posture, her expression serious.
"I need a written contract—a spirit contract, to be exact."
"The contract must state that once Kou Hongying reaches Foundation Establishment, she must, within twenty years, repay Wei Tu with one Foundation Establishment resource."
Wei Tu spoke firmly.