Mu Li did indeed have a Foundation Establishment Pill—the very one Mu Yuhan had given her before her breakthrough. During her advancement, she had been completely immersed in the process, forgetting the pill entirely. After succeeding, she was so excited she couldn’t remember it. Mu Yuhan assumed she had already consumed it and never asked, so the pill remained in her storage pouch.
When the little boy heard her question, he cautiously looked up and said, “I saw you buying lots of spirit herbs. Only alchemists buy so many herbs for pill refining, so you must be an alchemist.”
Mu Li hadn’t expected such a simple deduction to expose her long-hidden secret. She shook her head. “I can refine pills, but I don’t know how to make Foundation Establishment Pills.”
The boy’s face fell instantly, disappointment clouding his features.
“You’re only at the first level of Qi Refining—you don’t need a Foundation Establishment Pill. Who do you want it for?” Mu Li asked curiously.
Though disappointed, the boy respectfully answered: “For my brother. He was about to reach Foundation Establishment, but someone stole his pill and injured him. Now he can’t enter the secret realm…”
His eyes brightened again. “If you can’t refine Foundation Establishment Pills, can you make healing pills?”
Mu Li nodded. “Yes.”
Before leaving, she had sold many pills but kept plenty for emergencies—mostly healing pills. As a tragic supporting character in the original novel, survival was her top priority.
The boy’s eyes lit up. “Senior, wherever you want to go, I can guide you.”
Mu Li thought for a moment. “Do you know where to buy a map of the secret realm?”
“I do,” the boy replied quickly, then added, “But they’re not very useful. The realm opens once every ten years, and each time the teleportation spots and terrain change. Last time it was a lake; next time it might be a desert. One time it was a spirit herb garden; another time, an ant-beast nest.”
Mu Li nodded. “Still, better to have one—just in case.”
Seeing her insistence, the boy didn’t argue and led her to buy a map.
They wandered further, and Mu Li bought more supplies she thought might be useful. Along the way, she pieced together the boy’s story.
His name was Zou Jun, and his brother was Zou Chong. Their parents had been Foundation Establishment cultivators, respected in Cliff-Sea City. But two years ago, during a beast tide, they died defending the city.
At the time, Zou Chong was close to completing Qi Refining and ready to advance. Though their parents’ deaths were tragic, the brothers could still manage. The problem was that their parents had prepared a Foundation Pill for him early. Such pills were extremely rare in Cliff-Sea City, and his were of excellent quality—naturally attracting greedy eyes.
The city lord’s son, stuck at the peak of Qi Refining after failing twice to advance, learned of Zou Chong’s pill and coveted it.
The city lord himself was a Golden Core cultivator, indulgent of his only son. When the boy robbed Zou Chong of the pill and injured him, the lord imposed no real punishment. After his son succeeded in advancing with the stolen pill, he merely sent a few gifts to the Zou family as “compensation.”
Zou Chong’s spiritual roots were damaged in the struggle. The family spent all their savings on treatment, but he never fully recovered.
Mu Li frowned. “Your brother’s injuries seem serious. Ordinary healing pills may not help.”
The boy panicked. “Then what should we do? Will my brother never advance, stuck at Qi Refining forever?”
Mu Li shook her head. “Not necessarily. Take me to see him. I need to know his exact condition before prescribing.”
She wasn’t acting out of pure kindness. The boy, though young, spoke and behaved with principle and clarity. His family likely shared those traits. And since she had no use for the Foundation Establishment Pill herself, why not exchange it for loyalty? If Zou Chong succeeded, she would gain a trustworthy ally—far better than someone Mu Yuhan might assign her.
At the Zou household, Mu Li was surprised to find Zou Chong much older than expected.
Because Zou Jun always called him “brother,” she had assumed he was a young man near her age. Instead, he was in his late thirties or early forties—a middle-aged man. Still, his appearance was upright, and his demeanor steadier than his younger brother’s.
Mu Li examined his condition and found it not as dire as she’d imagined. She wondered how incompetent Cliff-Sea City’s alchemists must be to let such a simple case drag on. She produced a bottle of healing pills. As the brothers looked at her with gratitude, she asked softly: “If your injuries heal, do you have confidence to succeed in Foundation Establishment in one attempt?”
Zou Chong hesitated, then said: “Fifty percent chance.”
“And if I give you a top-grade Foundation Pill?”
“Ninety percent.”
Mu Li nodded and handed him the pill.
Zou Jun nearly overturned the table in excitement, while Zou Chong’s face showed restrained joy. Still, he asked steadily: “Senior, what do you require in return?”
Mu Li said calmly: “I’m about to enter the Cliff-Sea Secret Realm. It’s dangerous, and I’m only at early Foundation Establishment with little combat experience. Your brother says you often hunt sea beasts—you must be skilled, stronger than most at your level. If you succeed in advancing, I want you to accompany me into the realm and protect me. Of course, whatever we find individually belongs to each of us. Anything we discover together, we split evenly. I won’t take advantage of you.”
Free Foundation Establishment Pill, plus a capable companion in the secret realm—Zou Chong could hardly refuse. He agreed readily: “No problem. If I succeed, I’ll ensure your safety.”
Mu Li left her current address, telling him to find her once he advanced, then departed.
Back at the inn, she found Fu Qingzhou waiting.
“Ah, where did you go? You were gone all day.”
Mu Li glanced around, not seeing Xuanyuan Yunfei or Su Xue Ning. She asked: “You didn’t go with Fellow Daoist Su and Fellow Daoist Xuanyuan?”
Fu Qingzhou replied casually: “Why should I? Didn’t we agree to travel together?”