“Two Heavenly Spring Sect disciples are dead, and that’s not the end of it. The Sword Fairy was also severely injured…”

“Sooner or later, someone will come to investigate. It’s likely the two major forces will clash. Crouching Tiger Mountain definitely won’t be peaceful. I was a witness too. This muddy water is not something I can afford to wade into.”

“I can’t stay on Crouching Tiger Mountain for a while.”

Thinking this, Zhou Kai gritted his teeth, enduring the waves of intense pain from his shoulder, and hastily bandaged his wound.

He swallowed a few Rejuvenation Pills. As the medicinal power dissolved, it brought a trace of warmth, slightly suppressing his injuries.

He identified the direction and hurried toward the Chen family residence. The earlier chase had consumed almost all of his Spirit Qi. Now, he felt dizzy, and his vision swam.

The outline of the Crouching Tiger Mountain market finally appeared at the edge of his vision. Only then did Zhou Kai’s tightly strung nerves relax a little. However, his steps faltered, and he almost stumbled and fell.

“Huff… finally back.” He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pushed open the gate to his courtyard.

The gate creaked open with a squeak, and a graceful figure immediately came forward to meet him.

“Husband, you’re back so soon?”

Before Chen Ziyi could finish her sentence, her gaze fell upon the cloth strip wrapped around Zhou Kai’s shoulder and the dark stain clearly soaked with blood. Her voice abruptly stopped.

“You’re injured?!” She hurried forward. “Where? How serious? Let me see quickly!”

Her voice carried a sob, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Seeing her anxious and distressed expression, Zhou Kai felt a slight warmth in his heart. “It’s nothing, nothing. Just a superficial wound. I accidentally got scratched by a spirit beast. It’s not a big deal.”

He dared not say he had gone to Crouching Tiger Mountain to loot corpses and nearly lost his life in the process.

“How could a superficial wound bleed so much?” Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood on tiptoe, trying to undo the cloth strip on Zhou Kai’s shoulder.

“Don’t lie to me…”

Zhou Kai quickly pressed her hand down and grinned. “Hey, it’s really fine. I’m a cultivator; my recovery ability is strong. See? I walked back here just fine, didn’t I? Don’t worry. Just help me inside to rest.”

“I’ll go to the side room first to circulate my energy and heal. We’ll talk more later.”

Inside the side room, Zhou Kai sat cross-legged, with Spirit Qi faintly undulating around him.

The medicinal power of the Rejuvenation Pills spread gently and continuously, like a trickling stream, nourishing his body. A tingling numbness came from the wound area—the sensation of new flesh rapidly growing.

After circulating his energy for several cycles, his originally pale complexion gradually regained color, and his breathing became long and steady.

“Huff…”

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, Zhou Kai slowly opened his eyes. A flash of sharp light briefly appeared in their depths before vanishing.

He moved around; aside from some lingering stiffness, he could barely feel any pain now.

The injuries were about seventy to eighty percent healed.

A cultivator’s recovery ability far surpassed that of a Mortal to begin with. Combined with the aid of pills, such an injury truly wasn’t much.

Thinking of that crazy woman, Zhou Kai couldn’t help but shudder again.

“Just wait until my cultivation advances; I’ll definitely make you taste the power of my great sword!”

He steadied his mind, no longer dwelling on that coldly beautiful figure. With a thought, two dusty Storage Bags appeared in his hands.

He probed into the first Storage Bag with his Divine Sense. There weren’t many items inside—scattered about. About a hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones, several bottles of healing and fasting pills, along with some low-grade talismans—quite shabby.

“Tsk, poor devil.”

Zhou Kai curled his lip disdainfully and casually tossed it aside before turning his attention to the second Storage Bag.

This one was slightly fuller.

As his Divine Sense swept over it, his eyes lit up slightly.

Spirit Stones!

A pile of glittering Low-grade Spirit Stones! Counting carefully, there were over eight hundred!

“Not bad! Not bad at all!” A smile appeared on Zhou Kai’s face.

Besides the Spirit Stones, there were about ten or so pills of better quality than those in the first bag—likely Qi Gathering Pills for enhancing cultivation and Rejuvenation Pills for healing injuries. A few changes of clothes, some miscellaneous items…

He then took out the fire gourd and held it in his hand. A warm sensation transmitted through his palm.

Upon careful examination, this fire gourd seemed to be forged from some kind of fire-attribute material. It contained an internal Restriction and was of decent quality—at least a high-grade magical artifact.

“This is quite a good item.” Zhou Kai weighed it in his hand.

“At least I made some profit; otherwise, it would have been a total loss.” Only then did Zhou Kai feel somewhat better inside.

Wiping away the original owner’s Divine Sense imprint on the fire gourd wasn’t difficult; after all, death extinguishes everything like a lamp going out.

Zhou Kai spent some effort imprinting his own Divine Sense onto it and quickly achieved preliminary refinement of this artifact.

With a thought, the fire gourd hovered above his palm, vibrating slightly as pure fire-attribute Spirit Qi emanated from it.

“I’ll call you the Flame Heart Gourd from now on.” Zhou Kai nodded in satisfaction and stored it away in his Storage Bag.

Zhou Kai then picked up the short sword that had been embedded in his shoulder earlier for closer inspection.

“So it’s only a low-grade magical artifact; no wonder it didn’t pierce through.”

After tallying all the gains, he was in high spirits; even the pain from his injuries seemed to lessen considerably.

He stood up and pushed open the door to step outside.

The evening glow of sunset bathed the courtyard, coating the small yard with a warm layer of gold.

Chen Ziyi was sitting by the stone table in the yard. Hearing the door open, she looked up. Seeing Zhou Kai walk out looking energetic and vigorous brought an immediate look of pleasant surprise to her face.

“Husband, how are your injuries?”

“All better.” Zhou Kai smiled and patted his left shoulder. “See? Full mobility; nothing wrong at all.”

“That’s good; that’s really good.” Chen Ziyi let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled—a smile warmer than even the sunset glow. “Dinner is ready; come eat.”

Several exquisite dishes were already arranged on the stone table.

The most eye-catching among them was a plate of braised meat with a rich reddish-brown color steaming hotly.

That was Long-Tailed Rabbit meat she had specially bought from the Chen family’s Spirit Beast Garden.

The meat chunks were stewed until tender and soft; the broth thick—clearly prepared with great care.

After dinner, night gradually deepened.

Zhou Kai didn’t return to their room immediately but instead took Chen Ziyi for a walk in the courtyard under moonlight like water washing over them both as they strolled hand-in-hand—her hand warm and soft beneath his touch while gentle night breezes whispered alongside insect chirps, filling the air around them softly…

A bout of intimacy naturally ensued, filled with tenderness…

…

After their affectionate moment passed by, warmth lingered within him, leaving refreshed clarity throughout his body alongside flowing currents of warmth internally, too…

【Chen Ziyi Affection +3】 【Omni-Points +40】

The system prompt sounded timely right then, prompting a smile across his lips. Without hesitation, he allocated those forty points directly toward his Alchemy skill advancement instead…

With a mere thought, he summoned the system panel, viewable now:

【Zhou Kai (Dantian Damaged)】 【Cultivation: Qi Condensation Fourth Layer (0/400)】 【Vitality: Meridian Opening Second Layer (0/200)】 【Spirit Root: Metal (Low-grade 12/100), Wood (Low-grade 25/100), Water (Low-grade 17/100), Fire (Low-grade 23/100)】 【Cultivation Arts: Alchemy (First Grade 95/100)】 【Red Beauty: Chen Ziyi】 【Available Omni-Points: 0】

Looking at the Alchemy skill column showing (95/100), the corner of his mouth lifted slightly upward, revealing a hint of satisfaction inwardly, too…

“Only five points left until Second Grade Alchemist status is achieved!”

Once becoming a Second Grade Alchemist, his status would change completely—a different level altogether indeed!

Within the entire Chen family currently, not even a single Second Grade Alchemist existed! That First Grade Alchemist the family employed as a Guest Elder usually acted arrogantly like nobody else mattered, normally requiring polite pleading plus offering considerable benefits just to request pill refining services from him…

If he himself became a Second Grade Alchemist… a flash of contemplation crossed his eyes briefly, pondering the possibilities ahead…

However, now wasn’t the time to reveal his capabilities yet, either way, though…

Tall trees attract wind and will inevitably be blown down, especially since he himself possessed a system secretively. Thus, low-key development remained the true path forward indeed…

“Moreover, a Second Grade Alchemist is capable of refining the True Condensation Pill, too…”

The True Condensation Pill was a second-grade pill whose main effect wasn’t boosting cultivation but rather repairing a damaged Dantian foundation instead…

Zhou Kai’s gaze turned serious, contemplating deeply now…

“After my Dantian is repaired, I can finally cultivate properly again…”

“Using Omni-Points directly to add to cultivation progress is a huge waste. In the future, I’ll reserve some solely to use for breaking through bottlenecks only…”

“I will definitely enlighten the Spirit Root for Chen Ziyi later, then I’ll be unable to obtain Omni-Points anymore thereafter…”

“Just if I enlighten Ziyi’s Spirit Root later, letting her embark on the immortal path according to the system rules, I cannot obtain Omni-Points from her anymore either…”

“Maybe act ruthlessly instead?”

This thought flashed momentarily yet immediately felt the warm, soft body of Chen Ziyi nestled within his arms, hearing her shallow breathing sounds softly, too…

She treated him with wholehearted goodness today, worrying immensely over injuries sustained earlier. It made his heart soften, unwilling to hurt her thusly…

Zhou Kai always prioritized self-interest primarily, yet facing Chen Ziyi, he always felt a trace of tenderness and reluctance deep inside, unwilling to cause harm truly…

“No, I cannot do so… Chen Ziyi is my first woman…”

“Besides, having a cheat system, can I still lose possibly?”

Suppressing these thoughts, he embraced the gentle, cat-like Chen Ziyi beside him, sinking into deep sleep peacefully thereafter…

【Red Beauty: Chen Ziyi (Mortal)】 【Spirit Root: None】 【Affection: 85 (Adoration)】 【Provides Omni-Points: 8 Points】

…

The next day, Zhou Kai didn’t go out. Instead, he buried himself inside the side room, wholly focused now…

Inside the alchemy room, heat waves rolled intensely everywhere around…

Zhou Kai sat cross-legged before the pill furnace, his expression completely concentrated, wholly absorbed in the task ahead now…

Opening the furnace, preheating, adding medicinal ingredients, controlling flames, condensing pills… each step executed meticulously without the slightest error indeed…

First-grade pills were a familiar routine, mastered thoroughly already thusly…

Qi Gathering Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, Yang Locking Pills… batch after batch of pills continuously refined, produced successfully one after another steadily…

The pill furnace vibrated slightly, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance permeating the air strongly now…

Zhou Kai’s forehead showed slight sweat beads, yet his eyes grew brighter, increasingly excited inwardly, too…

Nothing else, the panel suddenly popped a notification prompt, appearing clearly visible now:

【Alchemy Proficiency +1】

It seems personal insights and improvements were also reflected in the panel accordingly indeed…

…

Time passed quietly amidst focused dedication, unaware, swiftly passing by unnoticed until noon arrived when a knocking sound came outside the alchemy room door, interrupting his concentration abruptly…

“Guest Elder Zhou, are you inside?” A slightly respectful voice sounded outside, asking politely now…

Zhou Kai gathered his thoughts, extinguished the furnace flames, stood up, and opened the door, revealing the figure outside waiting patiently there indeed…

Outside stood a green-clad servant lad belonging to the Chen family household staff, likely a sent message bearer perhaps?

“What is the matter?” Zhou Kai inquired simply, asking the purpose of the visit directly now…

The servant lad hurriedly bowed respectfully, replying promptly, “Reporting, Guest Elder Zhou, Young Master Xingze returned home today. The Patriarch ordered an evening banquet prepared to welcome Young Master Xingze back, specifically inviting Guest Elder to attend together, please.”

“Chen Xingze?” Zhou Kai’s eyebrow raised slightly, questioning tone evident, curiosity piqued indeed…

“He returned?” Zhou Kai had a thoughtful expression, pondering implications possibly arising soon enough perhaps?

“Yes, arrived earlier today, just now.” The servant lad answered respectfully, confirming information given earlier, clearly stated factually correct indeed…

“Understood, will attend punctually accordingly.” Zhou Kai nodded, acknowledging acceptance of the invitation sent forth properly, thusly concluded the matter briefly thereafter…

The servant lad bowed again, taking leave, departing swiftly afterwards, leaving him alone once more, returning focus to alchemy tasks ahead, determinedly pressing onward still despite fatigue setting in gradually perhaps?

Settled mind, resumed refining next batch pills, determined to push limits further possible, maybe achieve breakthrough before banquet tonight hopefully?

Mental energy consumption was indeed considerable, yet he wanted to strike while the iron was hot to see whether it was possible to raise his alchemy skill a bit further prior to the evening event scheduled later tonight perhaps?

However, subsequent two batches of pills, although successful, didn’t trigger a proficiency increase again unfortunately, reaching a limit apparently, unable to force progress beyond natural pace achievable currently thusly realized truthfully accepting reality calmly now indeed…

“Seems I truly reached limit. Forcing further is counterproductive indeed.” Zhou Kai stopped, no longer pushing excessively beyond reasonable bounds, accepting current state patiently waiting for future opportunities instead perhaps?

“Still lacking four points, no rush immediate breakthrough anyway, tonight definitely achieve advancement surely!”

Tidied the alchemy room, washed up, changed into a clean green robe, prepared accordingly, checking sky outside noticing time still early before banquet scheduled. Thus he sat at the stone table in the courtyard, taking out the Flame Heart Gourd, examining and playing carefully, appreciating the craftsmanship of the intricately designed artifact admiringly indeed…

Until lanterns were lit and evening descended fully, finally storing the gourd away, standing leisurely strolling towards the main hall where the Chen family hosting the banquet tonight was located, walking at an unhurried pace, relaxed demeanor outwardly displayed confidently assured presence projected strongly tonight perhaps?

The Chen family main hall was currently brightly lit, bustling, noisy, and lively. The atmosphere filled the space, celebratory mood evident everywhere, guests gathering chatting animatedly awaiting main event commencement soon enough…