After setting up the Concealment Formation, Mo Tiange hid within it. She sighed as she looked at the jade slip in her hand.
She felt she was becoming increasingly cold-blooded. She still remembered her childhood, when she loved reading books in the ancestral hall's collection. Back then, she most admired the chivalrous heroes from those storybooks—peerless martial artists who traveled the world with their swords, upholding justice. Now, she possessed cultivation herself, yet she found she couldn't even compare to the worldly martial heroes of the mortal realm.
Perhaps it could be said this was the iron rule of the cultivation world: there were only Immortals, no chivalrous heroes. What remained were a dwindling sense of righteousness and eternal self-interest.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but let out a self-mocking laugh. Why bother finding excuses for herself? What one could or couldn't do was clear in her own heart. She didn't want to be a bad person, but she wouldn't casually be a good person either. Some matters were beyond her ability to manage; otherwise, not only would it be futile, but it could also bring fatal disaster upon herself. Especially in this world where everyone pursued profit. She didn't believe her current self could change anything; the only thing she could restrain was herself.
Having calmed her emotions, she separated a wisp of her divine sense and entered the jade slip.
The jade slip recorded densely packed text. She scanned it with a glance and was immediately taken aback. The content... was precisely the Foundation-Solidifying Pill they had spoken of.
The jade slip stated that the Foundation-Solidifying Pill was a marvelous pill passed down from ancient times. If taken concurrently with other pills, it could enhance their effects, regardless of whether the pills were for the Qi Refining Stage or the Nascent Soul Stage. Even more remarkably, most of its materials weren't rare; only a few spirit herbs required very high ages.
This effect was practically unmatched, except by some heaven-defying miraculous pills! Because according to its description, taking one during Foundation Establishment or Core Formation was equivalent to increasing the chance of Advancement!
Mo Tiange felt dizzy with excitement. She truly didn't know where the cultivator killed by Jiang Chengxian had obtained it from, or how Jiang Chengxian had come to know about it.
After a long while, she finally calmed down and considered several issues. First, this Foundation-Solidifying Pill had such miraculous effects; she absolutely must not let others know, or her life would be in peril. Second, she didn't know how to refine pills, and this item couldn't be handed over to someone else. Did that mean she had to learn pill refinement?
The first issue wasn't hard to handle; she wasn't a showy person by nature. She would just keep this pill formula well-hidden from now on. The second issue, however, gave her pause. One must know that the Dao of pill refinement wasn't simple. Alchemists were forged from countless piles of herbs. The feel for materials, the control of fire, even the timing of opening the furnace—it was an indescribable art that could only be gradually mastered through countless attempts at pill refinement. Therefore, generally, powerful Alchemists were cultivated by major cultivation sects or large cultivation clans. Among minor clans and loose cultivators, Alchemists were not only rare but also typically had low success rates.
Although Mo Tiange felt she was currently relatively wealthy, three thousand Spirit Stones were still far too little to cultivate an Alchemist. Besides, she had no idea if she even had the talent for it.
After studying it for a while, she frowned, put away the jade slip, and looked outside. She sensed someone approaching this area.
A moment later, sure enough, someone hurried past—it was Jiang Chengxian.
Mo Tiange pondered for a moment, guessing that Jiang Chengxian had likely returned for the jade slip in her hand. He must have been nervous after two people died earlier, so he left in a hurry. Now, remembering, he had returned to search.
Now that the jade slip was in her possession, she certainly wouldn't hand it over. She believed she hadn't left any traces at the scene, so there shouldn't be any clues pointing to her.
She settled her mind and waited. Sure enough, after another while, Jiang Chengxian left in a furious rage, completely unaware that this "mantis" had been followed by a "sparrow" like her.
A faint smile touched her lips, and she continued studying the pill formula. To be honest, she didn't take Jiang Chengxian seriously. He was just a spoiled young master. He had cultivation and treasures, but he disliked cultivation, preferred ordering others around, and his combat skills were certainly nothing impressive. The fact that she had followed him for so long without being discovered was proof enough.
On the pill formula, Snow Gall Flower, Suoyang Grass, Seven-Leaf Lotus... these were all common spirit herbs. Only the Purple Ganoderma and Green Fern over five hundred years old were hard to find. After studying it further, she realized obtaining the Foundation-Solidifying Pill wasn't as easy as she had imagined. Two spirit herbs over five hundred years old weren't that easy to find, plus the chance of pill refinement failure... She definitely couldn't afford to take it regularly. However, it would be essential when breaking through bottlenecks or during Advancement.
Thinking of this, she became happy again. Although her cultivation speed wasn't fast, it could maintain the ordinary standard of a Three Spiritual Roots cultivator. The difficulty lay in Advancement. Take the present situation, for example—wasn't this pill perfect for Foundation Establishment? So, she would go back and discuss with Second Uncle whether she should learn pill refinement. With this Foundation-Solidifying Pill, she would have more assurance for Foundation Establishment.
Having decided this, she carefully stored the jade slip and simply sat cross-legged here to enter meditation.
Due to the mutation of the Spiritual Qi within her body, Mo Tiange didn't dare continue cultivating. However, her Dantian and meridians were as usual. That cool, yin-type Spiritual Qi hadn't caused any impact, which slightly reassured her.
The breeze here was refreshing, the moon cool. Very quickly, she entered a meditative state, feeling as if she had melted into the world between heaven and earth. There were no emotions, no thoughts, no joy or sorrow. Even her body seemed not to exist, leaving only light, regular breathing. It was as if she were a feather floating in the air, or as if she had become one with heaven and earth, until she couldn't even sense the passage of time...
When she awoke from meditation, it was already daytime. She got up, straightened her clothes, and used the Light Body Technique to hurry back to the market. Of course, she took a large detour in the middle to avoid anyone noticing where she had come from.
Not long after, she returned to the inn. The waiter came forward to greet her. "Immortal Master, you're back. A guest came looking for you."
"Oh?" Mo Tiange thought for a moment. It was probably Tian Qiao, as they had agreed yesterday. She asked, "Where is she?"
The waiter eagerly led the way. "She's waiting here. It's a young lady. Please, this way."
He led her upstairs and lifted the curtain of a private room. Sure enough, it was Tian Qiao, sitting alone by the window. Seeing her enter, Tian Qiao smiled.
Mo Tiange returned the smile. Noticing the waiter's strange gaze, she felt somewhat helpless. She was dressed as a man, while Tian Qiao was in married woman's attire. They didn't look like a couple... This waiter was probably guessing their relationship. She took out a piece of gold and tossed it to the waiter. "Thank you."
This piece of gold weighed a full two taels. The waiter immediately beamed, nodding repeatedly. "It's nothing. Is there anything else you need, Young Master? Just give the order."
She shook her head. "Nothing. You may go."
The waiter bowed and scraped again before reluctantly leaving.
Once the waiter was gone, Tian Qiao looked at her with a smile. "You're truly generous, casually handing out gold like that."
Mo Tiange laughed. "It's not that I'm generous. It's just that gold and silver, these worldly things, are no different from mud or stones to cultivators. Come on, let's go to my room."
Tian Qiao nodded and followed her all the way to the backyard. Only after entering the room did she say seriously, "I still have to thank you once more for yesterday's pills."
Mo Tiange shook her head. "You already thanked me yesterday. Why are you still being so polite with me?"
"It's not just politeness. Yesterday, my husband said your bottle of pills were Qi Gathering Pills. A bottle like that is worth over two hundred Spirit Stones. Running this little shop of ours, we only earn that much in a whole year. It's truly too valuable."
Seeing her insistence, Mo Tiange had no choice but to say, "Alright, I accept your thanks. Actually, if it were a few months ago, I definitely wouldn't have been willing to part with them. But now that I've reached Qi Refining Perfection, these Qi Refining Stage pills are useless to me, so I just used them as a meeting gift. You don't need to worry about it too much."
Tian Qiao couldn't help but laugh at this. "Just now you said you weren't generous, and now you're acting like a few hundred Spirit Stones are nothing. If you put it that way, you'd better be careful I don't hit you up for a treat from time to time in the future."
Mo Tiange was taken aback. The two looked at each other and smiled, tacitly agreeing not to bring it up again.
"By the way, I prepared something for you." Tian Qiao lifted the bundle in her hand.
"What is it?"
She smiled mysteriously but didn't answer, simply opening the bundle. Inside were combs, a mirror, various hairpins and hair clasps, and other miscellaneous items.
Mo Tiange was puzzled. "This is..."
Tian Qiao pulled her over and pressed her down by the table. Propping up the mirror, she smiled and said, "Didn't you say you've been disguised as a man for ten years? I thought you must have forgotten how to dress up and do your hair. You always used to help me before; now let me help you do it once."
"Huh?"
"Sit still." As Tian Qiao let down her hair, she marveled, "This is the good thing about you cultivators; you don't even need maintenance. Look at your hair. I dare say you haven't taken care of it at all, yet it's so soft and smooth."
Mo Tiange also laughed. "You're naturally beautiful too. Why compliment me?"
"Even natural beauty needs dressing up. Mortals can never compare to cultivation practitioners in the end. Just wait. I guarantee you'll be stunned when you see yourself later!" With that, Tian Qiao quickly and deftly took down her hair bun, combed it smooth, and began styling it.
A moment later, Mo Tiange stared at her reflection in the mirror, truly somewhat stunned.
The face in the mirror had bright, expressive eyes and eyebrows. It possessed a soft grace that men lacked, yet also a heroic spirit that women often missed. Strangely, these two qualities combined made her appear even more elegantly beautiful and radiant. This person... was her?
Tian Qiao leaned in contentedly, looking at the two similar faces in the mirror. "Since we were little, I always thought you were better-looking than me. Look at you now. So pretty."
Mo Tiange, however, felt awkward. "Like this... I feel really strange."
"Don't!" Tian Qiao quickly pressed down her hand as she tried to wipe her face. Puzzled, she asked, "I'm the one who finds it strange. Why do you have to disguise yourself as a man? I've seen many female cultivators too."
Regarding this question, Mo Tiange smiled bitterly. "I'm... different from them."
"How are you different?"
After a moment of silence, she said, "Being a woman comes with too many inconveniences. Beauty is definitely not a blessing. Even with average looks, one constantly worries, afraid of being taken a fancy to by others, becoming a concubine, or even a Cauldron... To be honest with you, I actually possess a rare Pure Yin Constitution. That's why my cultivation is faster than ordinary people's. However, this constitution is quite suitable for being a Cauldron. If I reveal my female identity, it will bring trouble."
"So that's how it is." Although Tian Qiao didn't fully understand what a constitution was, having been in contact with the cultivation world for several years, she could grasp the meaning. Over the past two years, since opening this shop here, occasionally cultivators would speak disrespectfully to her, even suggesting her husband sell her... Fortunately, her husband treated her well and had never entertained such thoughts.
Mo Tiange added, "You must never leak this matter. Otherwise, it would be a great disaster for me."