Shen Yifei stared at the big hole in the wall, then looked at his own hand, and for a long while couldn't come back to his senses.
The power of this one punch was more than ten times stronger than when he had scattered the pile of firewood with a single palm strike yesterday.
Shen Yifei felt that his current self was terrifyingly strong, but he didn't know what Realm he was at.
He dug out the Yin-Yang Essence Harvesting Technique and flipped through it for quite a while before finding a line: "Spiritual Energy transforming into mist is Foundation Establishment."
He hurriedly sat cross-legged and tried to circulate his Spiritual Energy. At this attempt, he nearly laughed out loud.
The "little fish" in his Dantian was gone, and he felt as if a mass of gas was slowly circulating at his Dantian!
Could this be Foundation Establishment?
Zhao Xin had taken ten years to reach Foundation Establishment—could it be that he had refined and absorbed her Cultivation?
Overnight, from a Menial who knew nothing, he had skipped straight over the Qi Refining Stage and become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
The surprise in Shen Yifei's heart outweighed his worry. If this got out, it would definitely cause a sensation in the Hehuan Sect!
And with Ye Hongling and Zhao Xin missing, it would soon be discovered by others, and he definitely wouldn't be able to escape involvement.
Shen Yifei was so troubled. He stood up and looked at the big hole in the wall. Ah! He'd better patch the hole first—when Senior Brother Zhou asked about it tomorrow, it wouldn't be easy to explain.
He thought for a moment, then pulled a few thick pieces of wood from the firewood pile and blocked the hole with them, then moved some firewood to block it from both inside and outside. At a rough glance, nothing could be seen.
After Shen Yifei finished all this, he didn't feel tired, so he sat on the bed and took out Zhao Xin's Storage Pouch.
This Storage Pouch was more exquisite than that Senior Brother's, embroidered with gold thread. He channeled Spiritual Energy into it, and when his consciousness probed inside, good heavens, it was more than twice as big as the Senior Brother's Storage Pouch.
Inside, a pile of Spirit Stones was neatly stacked. He counted them—a full three hundred or so. There were also several Jade Bottles and some women's things.
The Jade Bottles contained some pills for enhancing pleasure. It seemed Zhao Xin was also a veteran of many battles.
Shen Yifei took out the Spirit Stones and put them into the ring. He put the Storage Pouch into the furnace and burned it with a fire, though nothing was refined from it.
After dealing with all this, he took out the Pill Furnace again and looked it over and over. The more he looked, the more he liked it.
"Myriad Things Cauldron"—just hearing the name made it sound formidable. It could refine all things. If only he could refine a few more...
Shen Yifei quickly shook his head. He wasn't that kind of person. He couldn't become a murderous madman just because he had this thing.
Those two women really did deserve to die. If not for this Pill Furnace, he would already be a corpse.
Refining them was only right and proper.
Shen Yifei found himself a reason, and his heart felt much more at ease.
He put the Pill Furnace back into the ring, lay back on the bed, and began to calculate how he should deal with it if today's matter was traced back to him.
As he thought and thought, he drifted off into a hazy sleep.
The next day, after Shen Yifei got up, he still did his work of chopping firewood and tending the fire, and there was no movement from the Hehuan Sect.
Two days passed. On the morning of the third day, Shen Yifei was still sound asleep when he was startled awake by a knocking at the door.
"Shen Yifei! Shen Yifei!"
It was Senior Brother Zhou's voice.
Shen Yifei sat up with a jolt and hurriedly responded: "Senior Brother Zhou, what is it?"
"Open the door!"
Shen Yifei moved away the wood blocking the door and opened it.
Senior Brother Zhou stood outside, with two people behind him. One was the Steward of the Alchemy Room, also surnamed Zhou, around forty years old, with a goatee, who rarely came to the Firewood Shed.
The other he didn't recognize, wearing the robe of an Inner Sect Disciple, with a gloomy expression.
"Steward Zhou, this is Shen Yifei." Senior Brother Zhou smiled apologetically.
Steward Zhou looked Shen Yifei up and down. "You're the Menial who was assisting Ye Hongling a few days ago?"
Shen Yifei's heart skipped a beat. He thought, what's coming has finally come, but he didn't dare show anything unusual on his face, and hurriedly nodded: "Yes, this small one is."
"A few days ago Ye Hongling called you to do Alchemy, and after it was done you came back?"
"Yes, I came back after it was done."
"Where is Ye Hongling?"
Shen Yifei's heart raced, but he was prepared. He shook his head with a blank look: "This small one doesn't know. After the Alchemy was done, Senior Sister Ye told this small one to leave first."
He mainly played the part of knowing nothing, without a single extra word—saying too much would reveal flaws!
Steward Zhou didn't answer, and turned to look at that Inner Sect Disciple.
That Inner Sect Disciple, with a dark expression, walked into the Firewood Shed, looked around, and then stared at Shen Yifei for a long time.
Shen Yifei lowered his head, not daring to breathe loudly.
"What did you do at Ye Hongling's place?"
"This small one just tended the fire and watched the heat. I didn't do anything else."
"Did Ye Hongling say anything?"
"She didn't say anything, just... just told this small one to focus on tending the fire."
That Inner Sect Disciple stared at him for a long while, then suddenly asked: "Why do you have Spiritual Energy fluctuations on you?"
"Spiritual Energy fluctuations? I don't know." Shen Yifei still had a blank look.
The Inner Sect Disciple didn't speak, and reached out to grab Shen Yifei's wrist.
Shen Yifei instinctively wanted to pull it back, but that Inner Sect Disciple's grip was extremely strong, clamping him like an iron hoop.
Immediately after, a cool, silky breath drilled in from his wrist, traveled up along his arm, and went all the way to his lower abdomen Dantian.
That breath circled around in his Dantian, then withdrew.
The Inner Sect Disciple let go, his face full of astonishment.
"Early Foundation Establishment." He turned to look at Steward Zhou. "A Menial, and he's actually at Early Foundation Establishment!"
Steward Zhou's expression also changed, and the way he stared at Shen Yifei was like looking at a monster.
"Where did you get your Cultivation?" Steward Zhou stepped forward and grabbed Shen Yifei by the collar. "Speak!"
"I... I don't know." Shen Yifei stammered. "I just chop firewood and tend the fire every day, and when I'm hungry I eat a bit of Medicine Dregs... How could I have Spiritual Energy..."
"You eat Medicine Dregs?" the Inner Sect Disciple asked.
"Yes, the Alchemy Room has Medicine Dregs every day. They'd be dumped anyway, so I... I just picked them up and ate them."
The Inner Sect Disciple looked at Steward Zhou.
Steward Zhou nodded: "The Alchemy Room does have Medicine Dregs, but that stuff is useless, usually just dumped!"
"How long have you been eating them?" the Inner Sect Disciple continued asking.
"Three years!"
These words Shen Yifei said—at the time Ye Hongling had believed them, believed that he had a physique different from ordinary people because he ate Medicine Dregs. He figured this time he could also muddle through with this.
The Inner Sect Disciple stared into his eyes. Those eyes were grim and sinister, as if they could see through a person's heart.
Shen Yifei knew he couldn't show fear—showing fear would be the end of him. He still looked at this person with a blank expression.
"Do you know that Ye Hongling has gone missing?" the Inner Sect Disciple suddenly asked.
"Missing?" Shen Yifei widened his eyes, putting on a look of shock. "Senior Sister Ye is missing? When did that happen?"
The Inner Sect Disciple didn't speak, and Steward Zhou spoke up from the side: "Senior Brother Yan, this kid is just a Menial. What ability could he have to make Ye Hongling disappear? Ye Hongling is at Mid Foundation Establishment, one step away from Late. He's just entered Foundation Establishment—there's a whole Realm between them."
The Inner Sect Disciple's surname was Yan, given name Jun, and he was from the Hehuan Sect's Inner Sect Law Enforcement Team. Hearing Steward Zhou's words, his expression improved somewhat.
"You're right, he really doesn't have that ability." Yan Jun looked at Shen Yifei. "However, a Menial suddenly having Cultivation, and Foundation Establishment at that—this matter must be reported up."
Steward Zhou nodded: "That's only natural."
Yan Jun looked at Shen Yifei again: "Don't go running around these days. Be ready to come whenever called. Hear me?"
"I hear you, I hear you." Shen Yifei nodded repeatedly.
Yan Jun gave him another look, then turned and left.
Before leaving, Steward Zhou patted Shen Yifei on the shoulder: "Kid, your luck's not bad, you've reached Foundation Establishment. Maybe in the future you can become an Inner Disciple."
Shen Yifei nodded and bowed as he saw the two off, closed the Firewood Shed door, leaned against it, and let out a long breath.
He'd finally gotten through it. But he knew this was only the beginning.
With Ye Hongling and Zhao Xin missing, the Hehuan Sect wouldn't let it go. Two Inner Sect Disciples, one at Mid Foundation Establishment and one at Late Foundation Establishment, vanishing just like that—this matter would definitely be investigated to the end.
The appearance of this furnace truly brought him both joy and worry!