Chen Ziqing darted over to Zhou Kai, her large, watery eyes blinking rapidly with manufactured innocence.

“Oh?” Zhou Kai played along, raising an eyebrow. “What interesting thing did my little sparrow see?”

“Ah, Brother Zhou, this is no small matter!” She lowered her voice to a theatrical whisper. “We saw Chen Xingze coming out of Wang Qiaoqiao’s little courtyard!”

She paused, watching Zhou Kai’s face closely for a reaction. Seeing his expression remain as calm as a frozen lake, she frowned slightly and added with exaggerated concern:

“A man and a woman, alone together for so long… who knows what important matters Sister Wang discussed with him. Sigh, I really hope Chen Xingze didn’t give Sister Wang a hard time.”

Has Wang Qiaoqiao defected to Chen Xingze?

The thought flashed through Zhou Kai’s mind, but he dismissed it instantly with a mental chuckle.

Wang Qiaoqiao was a survivor. She was shrewd, calculating, and driven by self-preservation. Seeking advantage and avoiding harm was her instinct.

What could Chen Xingze offer her? The title of a concubine? A life of disdain, fighting for scraps in a large family harem?

And what about him? He offered her dignity, agency, and a direct path to power. Every single thing he offered was more substantial than Chen Xingze’s elusive “favor.”

Wang Qiaoqiao knew better than anyone whose leg was worth hugging.

“Brother Zhou, say something!” Seeing Zhou Kai silent, Chen Ziqing shook his arm, her voice turning soft and sticky. “Sister Wang… she wouldn’t really submit to Chen Xingze, would she? But before, she even said she would help you…”

She let the sentence hang in the air, a masterclass in leaving room for doubt.

Zhou Kai glanced at her, secretly amused by her artful manipulation. This girl. If she put half this effort into cultivation, she’d be a genius.

He checked his attribute panel.

[Cultivation: Qi Condensation Fourth Layer (102/400)] [Vitality: Meridian Opening Ninth Layer (1060/1350)] [Divine Sense: 980]

His body cultivation was close. He was only 290 Vitality points away from the Bone Forging realm. With his current efficiency in dual cultivating with Ziyi, he could break through in six days at most.

Once he reached Bone Forging, he would be a true Second-Realm Cultivator.

“Alright, stop overthinking,” Zhou Kai said, patting Ziqing’s hand.

“If Wang Qiaoqiao truly had disloyal intentions, the one knocking on my door wouldn’t be you. It would be someone from the Chen family, coming to ‘invite’ Master Danyangzi for tea.”

Chen Ziqing blinked, feigning confusion. “Oh… then why did Chen Xingze go find Sister Wang?”

“Naturally, to probe my background,” Zhou Kai replied calmly. “I, Danyangzi, appeared out of nowhere. How could that old fox of the Chen family not investigate? Wang Qiaoqiao was my first point of contact; she is the loose thread they will pull.”

“Hmph. I hope Wang Qiaoqiao doesn’t say anything careless and ruin Brother Zhou’s plans.”

Chen Ziqing pouted, hugging his arm tighter. She pressed her soft chest against him and cooed, “Brother Zhou, it’s been so long since you came to guide Ziqing in her cultivation…”

Her voice dripped with grievance and suggestion.

Hearing this, Zhou Kai’s heart stirred, but he immediately put on a stern face.

“You still have the nerve to say that?”

He poked her forehead. “You’ve been cultivating for three years and are barely at the second layer of Qi Condensation! In the half-year I’ve been away, aside from improving your skills in acting cute and pouting, have you put in any actual effort?”

He sighed, shaking his head with exaggerated disappointment.

“Even with a low-grade Spirit Root, diligent cultivation should have brought you to the third layer by now! Look at you! All you know is how to play around all day!”

He turned his gaze to Chen Ziyi.

Ziyi understood perfectly. She allowed a slight tremor of Vitality to ripple through her body, revealing the unmistakable, dense aura of the Meridian Opening Fourth Layer.

It was a fleeting glimpse, but Chen Ziqing felt it like a slap in the face.

“Ah!”

Ziqing’s small mouth fell open. Her eyes widened in genuine shock.

Sister… Sister is already at Meridian Opening Fourth Layer? How… how is that possible?!

While she was still stuck in early-stage Qi Condensation, her sister had skyrocketed in power.

A deep sense of crisis washed over her. She had never enjoyed the hardship of cultivation, content to rely on Zhou Kai and her sister for protection. But now? If she didn’t work hard, she would be left behind. Even standing beside Brother Zhou might become impossible.

Seeing the realization dawn in her eyes, Zhou Kai hid a smile. Good. A little motivation goes a long way.

He took Chen Ziyi’s hand.

“Come on, Ziyi. Let’s go back to our room and discuss the ways of harmonizing Yin and Yang to advance our cultivation.”

Chen Ziyi gave a soft “Mm,” her cheeks flushing slightly as she followed him into the bedroom.

In the courtyard, only Lin Zhiwei and a stunned Chen Ziqing remained.

Lin Zhiwei looked at the closed door, then at Ziqing. After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly:

“Sister Ziqing… Fellow Daoist Zhou and that Miss Wang Qiaoqiao… what is their relationship? From what you said earlier… that Miss Wang seems… quite close to him?”

Chen Ziqing snapped out of her daze. Her eyes darted around, calculating.

She grabbed Lin Zhiwei’s hand, her face twisting into an expression of shared grievance.

“Oh, Sister Lin, you don’t know!”

And so began the embellished tale. In Ziqing’s version, Wang Qiaoqiao was a scheming vixen, a fickle woman of loose morals who clung to Zhou Kai like a leech. Meanwhile, she and Ziyi were the virtuous companions who recognized his true worth, constantly fending off shameless admirers.

Lin Zhiwei listened, her brows furrowing deeper with every word. An instant dislike for this Wang Qiaoqiao took root in her heart.

Three Days Later.

Two figures arrived outside Danyangzi’s compound.

It was none other than the Chen Family Patriarch, Chen Rulong, and his arrogant nephew, Chen Xingze.

Zhou Kai maintained his lofty master persona. He sat by the stone table in the courtyard, sipping an unknown Spirit Tea, exuding an air of indifference.

“Master Danyangzi! Your reputation precedes you.” Chen Rulong cupped his hands, his attitude polite and respectful.

The customary pleasantries and probing followed. Eventually, they reached the core of the visit.

The Chen family was willing to provide one set of Foundation Establishment Pill materials, plus a generous sum of Spirit Stones. In exchange, they asked for a single high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.

Zhou Kai stroked his chin, pondering silently for a long moment.

“The Foundation Establishment Pill is no ordinary pill,” he said slowly, his voice grave. “Its refinement difficulty is extreme. Even I need to concentrate my spirit, calm my mind, and exert my full effort.”

He looked at them sharply.

“I will need eight days in seclusion. Fasting, cleansing, adjusting my state to focus solely on this task.”

“This pill holds extraordinary significance. I will only deal with you two. Eight days from now, at high noon precisely, both of you must come personally to retrieve the pill. Neither can be absent.”

“Naturally! Everything will be arranged according to Master’s instructions!” Chen Rulong agreed without hesitation.

After seeing them off, Zhou Kai hung a wooden sign on the gate: [In Seclusion – No Visitors].

That night, back in his small courtyard, Zhou Kai sat rubbing his chin, feeling somewhat troubled.

He didn’t need pills to break through—his [Beauty Bonding System] handled that. However, the Foundation Establishment Pill was invaluable. Whether for Ziyi, Ziqing, or future conquests, it was a resource that saved him Bonding Points.

The problem? He didn’t have the formula.

“This is tricky,” Zhou Kai muttered.

“The principle is simple: provide vast amounts of pure Spirit Qi while protecting the meridians and dantian from backlash. But deducing the exact ratio of herbs? That could take years.”

Wait!

A flash of inspiration struck him.

He remembered when he first returned, Chen Ziqing had been studying pill formulas. The [Bonding Points] she provided were related to the [Pill Refining Art].

Could this lazy little girl actually possess exceptional talent in alchemy?

Zhou Kai didn’t hesitate. He stood up and marched straight to Chen Ziqing’s room.

Chen Ziqing was lying on her bed, listlessly flipping through an illustrated book on medicinal herbs. She was clearly still sulking over her sister’s cultivation progress.

“If you’re not coming to sleep with me, then don’t come at all,” she grumbled without looking up, kicking her feet in the air.

Zhou Kai ignored her tea art. He sat down and immediately began listing the main medicinal ingredients and auxiliary materials required for the Foundation Establishment Pill. Then, he explained the core principles of its refinement—simple yet profound.

Initially, Ziqing looked bored. But as he spoke, her expression changed.

She sat up. Her large eyes brightened, focusing on his words with an intensity he had never seen before. She frowned in thought, nodded at sudden realizations, and began asking questions.

They were naive questions, yet startlingly insightful.

“Brother Zhou,” she asked, pointing at a diagram. “Can the properties of the Purple Monkey Flower be substituted? If we use a milder herb to reduce the fusion difficulty, could we balance it with a catalyst?”

After Zhou Kai finished speaking, she held the list of ingredients, pondering for a long time. Finally, she looked up, her voice uncertain but excited.

“Brother Zhou, I remember when refining the ‘Azure Origin Pill’ and ‘Meridian Solidifying Powder’… there were a few herbs that seemed to share properties with the Purple Monkey Flower and Meridian Condensing Fruit.”

“The medicinal power is vastly different, yes. But could we use the simple compatibility of those first-grade pills to find a clue? Maybe we can deduce the complex combinations from there?”

Joy surged through Zhou Kai like a bolt of lightning.

This girl is a prodigy!

She could draw inferences from basic cases and apply them to complex theories. She had an instinct for it.

“Good! Then let us deduce it together!”

Throughout the night, the two of them sat huddled over a pile of medicinal herb diagrams and pill scriptures.

They argued fiercely over ratios. They shared knowing smiles when a theory clicked. They worked seamlessly, feeding off each other’s ideas.

Unknowingly, the dawn began to break outside the window.

On the draft paper before them, the preliminary framework of a pill formula finally took shape.

“Brother Zhou, look… like this. Does it seem possible?”

Chen Ziqing pointed at several key ratios, her eyes shining with exhaustion and triumph.

Zhou Kai examined it carefully for a long time. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

“The direction is correct! Although many details still need repeated consideration and experimentation, we have touched the doorway.”

He looked at her, his eyes blazing.

“Ziqing, for the next few days, do nothing else. Focus entirely on deducing this formula with me!”