**Chapter 191: Tao Jiu’er Has a Past Too**
Despite Uncle Zhang splurging six million spirit stones and six super expensive purple gold cards in one go, he thought it was a steal of a deal!
With the crow disaster hitting the post station for a staggering loss of over ten million spirit stones, apologizing to numerous clients afterwards would be another huge expense.
But even so, he felt he made a killing this time!
“Starting today, we’re launching a new project at this post station!”
“Get various species of monster beasts from everywhere, pair them up male and female, and try to get a comprehensive collection to raise here!”
“Assign specialized personnel to care for them, they must be masters in beast taming, especially in accelerating their reproduction so they can get busy as much as possible!”
“Then we’ll advertise to the public: witness mating can lead to enlightenment!”
“Three people enlightening simultaneously? That’s a rare sight! It’ll definitely attract a huge wave of visitors, and we’ll profit handsomely!”
You can always count on the Xia Family Business’s regional manager for sharp business instincts, sniffing out opportunities even from accidents like this, turning a misfortune into a windfall!
He was convinced that the loss would be quickly compensated and might even create a brand new money-making tree!
Anyone in the cultivation world would definitely be interested in enlightenment.
Plus, he’d given Yun Zhonghe so many extravagant gifts—surely she wouldn’t mind him using her to draw customers.
After all, she’s already reaped the benefits!
Next time for a promotion, he’d be all but guaranteed!
Soon, news of the crow disaster spread throughout the cultivation realm.
The people quickly pinpointed the key points of the incident:
— In this event, three people simultaneously enlightened after witnessing the magnificent display of crows courting.
— Thus, watching monster mating is beneficial for enlightenment!
Once this trick was discovered, it sparked a wave of excitement.
Major sects and powerful families began organizing groups to collectively witness monster mating…
The monster beasts were not accustomed to this new situation, cursing in their hearts.
Seriously, are these human cultivators perverts? Why would they want to watch us give birth—don’t they feel awkward?
Unfortunately for the cultivators, they were entirely oblivious.
As long as we aren’t awkward, the awkwardness lies with the monster beasts.
After some time, a tiny handful of individuals did achieve enlightenment.
But that was just a tiny handful.
Therefore, many who didn’t have enlightenment suspected that it was due to the wrong species or geographical location, claiming they needed to observe mating at the post station to achieve enlightenment.
Believe it or not, the post station became a sensation!
But the downside? A large number of monster beasts became exceedingly awkward, nearly depressed, even developing a psychological shadow over “doing the deed,” always feeling like a crowd was watching…
Years later, some people from monster protection associations reported to the Immortal Alliance. After careful analysis by the higher-ups, they had no choice but to suspend the collective viewing activities across the continents.
However, this unique perspective on “watching action movies for enlightenment” continued to be passed down through generations and was hailed as classic wisdom.
But that’s a story for another time.
…
Back to the present—after chatting with Yun Zhonghe, Uncle Zhang, and Elder Chen, and bidding farewell to the two, the six individuals re-boarded the spirit boat, ready to set sail.
The spirit boat took off smoothly, heading eastward, tracing an arc in the sky before vanishing into the depths of the cloud sea.
“Who would have thought they figured it out.”
Watching the retreating spirit boat stood a figure in a black robe atop a mountain.
The face was obscured, gender indiscernible, and the voice was cloaked by some mysterious force, making it impossible to identify.
“Even though they’re just a bunch of test subjects, I have to admit they have some potential; after all, demon seeds are more effective.”
The black-robed figure toyed with a black seed, identical to the one Yun Zhonghe discovered behind the post station’s BOSS!
“Looks like I can’t delay any longer…”
As those last words escaped, flames ignited on the person’s hand, incinerating the demon seed completely.
As the black flames consumed it, the demon seed emitted a horrific scream, and the tentacles deep within writhed in a shuddering frenzy, sending chills down one’s spine.
…
“Eh?”
Back on the spirit boat, Yun Zhonghe suddenly sensed something and looked towards the direction of the post station.
“What’s wrong?” Tao Jiu’er inquired from the same cabin.
Yun Zhonghe shook his head. “Nothing, just suddenly felt some weird sensation. Probably just my imagination.”
In that fleeting moment, Yun Zhonghe experienced some ethereal tugging at his soul and couldn’t categorize the subtle feeling.
Perhaps the spirit boat was flying too fast and had just passed by some town that had some special connection to him—a chance encounter or something?
Yun Zhonghe’s mind was now consumed with the desire to grow stronger.
Without becoming stronger, there’s no hope. This recent crow disaster left him feeling a heightened sense of crisis, even though they resolved it relatively easily. It also intensified his sense of pressure.
Right now, their strength wasn’t sufficient to handle the crisis, just sheer luck offered a solution.
Who knows if they’ll be that lucky next time?
Yun Zhonghe sighed heavily.
“But at least once we enter the sect, it should be much safer. After all, there are powerful experts in the sect, plus Master Qin is here, and Master Youyue is also protecting Huang Aotian.”
“This is a rare safety period, but we can’t slack off. We need to seize the opportunity to level up.”
“Speaking of which, I haven’t given Huang Aotian any medicine in ages.”
The last time was… well, a while ago.
However, now that Mu Jixue was already at Foundation Establishment Level Eight, he couldn’t hurry her progress. Gobbling down pills too fast might ruin her prospects.
At this stage, they should prepare her for the Golden Core, making her Golden Core as high in quality as possible for more strength.
Before reaching the Golden Core stage, the battle power between cultivators wouldn’t differ much, but once in the Golden Core stage, the gap would widen rapidly.
The prowess of those within the same realm could differ dramatically.
Golden Cores come in various grades, from the most basic common Golden Core all the way to the formidable nine-pattern Golden Core, with power differences capable of scaling up to ten times!
By the late Foundation Establishment stage, conditional cultivators would start preparing to advance into the Golden Core stage, striving to enhance the quality of their Golden Core and produce the best one.
Given Mu Jixue’s talent, even without any resources, the Golden Core she’d create would at least be a four-pattern Golden Core, which is already top-tier even within the Xuantian Sect.
This clearly illustrates just how phenomenal her talent is.
But to tackle the various challenges ahead, a four-pattern Golden Core would still be lacking.
“I had once given her an Ice Heart Grass; it should help her improve by one pattern. Plus, Master Youyue would surely prepare some Sacred Pills for her Golden Core training, which might also elevate it by another pattern. Currently, her Golden Core goal is around six patterns.”
Six patterns? Now that’s quite impressive.
But the aim should be to push further to seven or even eight patterns, bringing tremendous stability. At that point, not just Mu Jixue would become strong; the Yun Zhonghe tied to her cultivation would also get stronger as well.
So, where to splurge the cash? Go all out!
Regarding plans to improve Mu Jixue’s Golden Core quality, Yun Zhonghe had another scheme. Didn’t he cash in a pile of rare fire spirit herbs from the Immortal Alliance task points? After gifting a portion to Qin Hongye, he still had some left. As long as he gathered a few more, he could set Mu Jixue up for a medicinal bath.
Using gentle fire spirit herbs would not only cleanse and enhance her physique but also help balance her body’s constitution, mitigating the effects of the Extreme Cold energy. Most importantly, it could potentially raise the quality of her Golden Core by one pattern.
But more precious herbs would be needed for this, and currently, Yun Zhonghe didn’t have enough on hand.
However, with the purple gold card from the Xia Family Business obtained this time, perhaps he’d have a solution. He could commission the Xia Family Business to source goods from around the world.
That’s the privilege of the esteemed purple gold card VIPs!
Of course, he’d need to pay some service fees, likely saving him tons of time and effort searching for spirit herbs, which Yun Zhonghe totally didn’t mind.
It’s all about spending money, and he can afford that!
With this in mind, Yun Zhonghe felt a lot more reassured.
Expectations set at seven patterns? Not too shabby.
Now, his main concern was how to get this white-haired loli to obediently strip and jump into his prepared medicinal bath.
Honestly, compared to collecting spirit herbs, this seemed the trickiest thing to tackle…
Yun Zhonghe sighed, putting those thoughts out of his mind.
From the current relationship he had with Huang Aotian, he felt like it wasn’t at the level where she would willingly strip off for him.
How could he encourage her to strip willingly?
Sitting in his room, Yun Zhonghe decided not to overthink it. He pulled out a recently obtained notebook and began to better himself.
This notebook was gifted to him by Elder Chen before he left the post station.
Elder Chen appreciated Yun Zhonghe’s efforts in helping resolve the crow disaster; due to Yun Zhonghe’s actions, Elder Chen had fully matured in his spiritual energy nurturing. He understood that all of this was thanks to Yun Zhonghe.
He didn’t have anything else to give; after all, Elder Chen was just a loose cultivator with nothing much to offer except his insights on spiritual energy.
Just like sword cultivators have sword techniques, spellcasters have their insights and summarized personal tips, such as casting spells without needing gestures, simplifying spells to reduce energy consumption, or even merging spells…
These techniques are unrelated to cultivation level and are purely personal skills, not something easily passed around.
Elder Chen’s willingness to share his insights indicated he truly respected Yun Zhonghe.
Yun Zhonghe diligently read through the notebook, pondering over every word. This summary of Elder Chen’s life experience had a value on par with the purple gold card from the Xia Family Business.
Elder Chen’s technique was one that hid a kind of spell within another, to achieve surprise and unexpected success.
This technique is somewhat similar to merging spells, but merging spells means two different spells fully combine to create a more powerful spell.
Techniques that hide a spell within a spell differ as the two spells remain entirely separate, with the outer spell shielding the inner.
This kind of technique is pretty difficult and has excellent results—Elder Chen became a Yuan Ying strongman as a loose cultivator thanks to this extraordinary skill.
The significance of this technique is definitely high.
Though Yun Zhonghe was a sword cultivator, he recognized the worth of this superb skill and believed he could potentially draw inspiration from it to understand a new sword technique.
Gradually, Yun Zhonghe became absorbed in the material, completely losing track of time.
Meanwhile, Tao Jiu’er watched him quietly. This man she’d known since childhood seemed to radiate brilliant light when focused.
Unbeknownst to her, the once little boy now had her heart fluttering unexpectedly.
Especially after witnessing Yun Zhonghe’s maturity and steadiness during the recent crow disaster firsthand, she felt immense pride.
It seemed Yun Zhonghe no longer required her assistance; he had grown to be an outstanding man.
This feeling brought her both joy and a twinge of loneliness.
Sooner or later, other women would catch Yun Zhonghe’s eye.
Perhaps one of the teammates with them?
That white-haired girl? The eldest daughter of the Lin family? Or that red-haired girl who fainted from late-night… activities?
Seriously, when considering Qin Hongye, Tao Jiu’er felt resistant. Yet excluding the slightly deranged side, she fit perfectly into all the criteria for the Yun family’s future development.
In fact, in Tao Jiu’er’s eyes, Qin Hongye scored objectively higher than Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu.
What? Su Xiaoxiao? Sorry, but Tao Jiu’er hadn’t even considered her—her presence was probably too weak.
(Su Xiaoxiao: *sobbing* picture…)
Thinking of this, Tao Jiu’er felt a mix of worry and dejection.
“If only I had that kind of status…”
She felt a hint of envy.
Whether it was Qin Hongye or Mu Jixue, their backgrounds were no joke. Qin Hongye had a Master father and a Sect Leader mother; Mu Jixue had a great teacher. Even Lin Zhongyu’s status as the Lin family’s young lady was notable.
Yet here she was, merely a maid—nothing to see here.
So… back in Cangzhou City, when Yun Zhonghe jokingly mentioned he wanted a serious partnership, it both delighted and troubled her.
Though it was a possibility, it felt like a last resort, where she would be a substitute, forever overshadowed by others.
And growing up in the Yun household, she felt grateful to the Chen family and Yun Zhongtian but still thought about the future of the Yun family; even for herself, becoming the Young Master’s wife felt unreliable.
Sometimes she imagined if she also had a significant background, perhaps she wouldn’t feel so desolate and could just go for it.
“Jiu’er Jie? What’s wrong? You look all gloomy.” Just as Tao Jiu’er lost herself in thought, Yun Zhonghe woke up and pressed his face close to hers, his handsome face mere inches away.
Startled, Tao Jiu’er was speechless. It was rare to see her panicked.
But she quickly regained her composure. “It’s nothing, just thinking about some things. Have you finished studying, Young Master?”
“Yeah, I’ve absorbed most of it, but I need to refine and apply it still. After all, I’m not a spellcaster—I need someone to practice with. Lin Zhongyu is a pretty good opponent; I plan to find her and give it a shot.”
“Oh, really…”
Tao Jiu’er responded lightly, almost resentful that Yun Zhonghe was going to find another woman.
Noticing something off with Tao Jiu’er’s expression, Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but scrutinize her carefully before stepping forward.
His towering figure nearly blocked out the light, filling her vision with his contour.
“Eh?”
Tao Jiu’er froze as Yun Zhonghe slowly reached out, cradling her cheek with his warm, broad palm, tenderly stroking her soft, lovely face.
He leaned down, pressing their foreheads together gently.
“Doesn’t feel like you have a fever, Jiu’er Jie, is there anywhere you’re feeling unwell?”
Tao Jiu’er’s pink eyes widened, staring into Yun Zhonghe’s deep, bright, concerned azure eyes. Her heart raced wildly, thoughts swirling chaotically.
Wait, did Yun Zhonghe just manage to fluster her?!
“I… I’m fine, really…”
She stammered, desperately trying to calm herself and adjust her breathing.
Being great at stealth, she was also skilled at controlling her emotions, but this time, she nearly revealed her true feelings.
Unintentionally, Yun Zhonghe had grown to shake her composure.
The Young Master was truly impressive.
However, as an elite shadow guard nurtured by the Yun family, Tao Jiu’er quickly collected herself, comfortably stepping back and smiling. “Don’t worry, Young Master. I am quite tough.”
“Really? But I remember you got really sick when you were little; you scared me back then.”
If it weren’t for Yun Zhonghe mentioning it, she would have nearly forgotten that episode.
At that time, she was still quite small, only about six years old, taking care of the four-year-old Yun Zhonghe, while enduring the rigorous training of the Yun family. To make things worse, she had a mishap during her cultivation, which led to a severe illness that nearly took her life.
Even though she was a servant, since she was chosen by the Chen family, her treatment during her illness was quite decent—they spent generously on medicine. However, Yun Zhonghe was unaware of it; he thought she was dying and insisted on giving her all the dan pills he had been saving up.
She still remembered Yun Zhonghe, snot and tears running down his face as he tried to feed her grimy pills. At the time, she’d felt quite helpless.
Yet, his clumsy caring gesture had touched her.
Coming into existence as a tool meant solely for slaughter, but unexpectedly finding Chen family and arriving at the Yun home to care for the young master…
For Tao Jiu’er, these were precious experiences.
Perhaps that was when she first began to care for that bumbling little brother.
“Rest assured, Young Master, no matter what happens, I, Tao Jiu’er, won’t fall before you do.”
She smiled effortlessly.
