Mortal Alchemy

"Xingling, the ancestor is urging you to quickly hand over the person with the Immortal Gate Token."

Mu Xingling's expression changed slightly, but her tone remained the same:

"What's the rush? I will hand over the Immortal Gate Token when I reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

The Foundation Establishment clan uncle said, "Xingling, you've been acting recklessly for so long and haven't even settled your marriage. You should think carefully about your actions."

A while later, Chen Ping returned with some spirit delicacies that he thought tasted good.

He placed them on the table.

Mu Xingling glanced at them and said coldly, "I don't like any of these things."

"Are you making fun of me?"

The ghost servant Yuehua immediately bared her fangs and brandished her claws.

Chen Ping broke out in a cold sweat, "Palace Master, this is the best spirit food I could buy at the market."

Yuehua said in a sinister tone, "Master, I just saw him secretly buying something and putting it in his storage bag."

Chen Ping's expression turned ugly. Before Mu Xingling could speak, he opened his storage bag and took out two strings of candied hawthorns he had bought.

"Candied hawthorns?" Mu Xingling was stunned for a moment, then chuckled softly:

"You're almost thirty years old and you still like to eat candied hawthorns?"

Chen Ping felt uneasy.

Mu Xingling stretched out a jade-like hand and telekinetically grabbed a string of candied hawthorns. She opened her cherry lips and white teeth, gently biting off a candied hawthorn and chewing it carefully.

This scene stunned Chen Ping.

She wouldn't eat the delicacies, but instead wanted to eat candied hawthorns?

Chen Ping really couldn't understand this woman's mind.

After eating one candied hawthorn, Mu Xingling put the remaining string into her storage bag and said indifferently:

"Alright, let's go."

What happened next was even more bizarre.

After Mu Xingling walked out of the teahouse, she actually dragged Chen Ping shopping, picking out jewelry and clothing.

Chen Ping was confused and absent-minded.

After shopping in a daze for half a day, Mu Xingling bought a lot of things. During this time, she even asked Chen Ping which jewelry and clothing suited her.

Chen Ping was so frightened that he was covered in sweat, but he still had to pretend to be passionately infatuated with her to cope with her.

After half a day, Mu Xingling's mood was unknown. She suddenly summoned a white jade flying boat and left alone.

Chen Ping couldn't help but mutter, "Inexplicable."

Then he summoned a flying gourd and returned to the Mu family alone. However, this crisis could be considered to have been dealt with safely.

Returning to his cultivation ground, Chen Ping did not immediately call the treasure-hunting ferret back. What if Mu Xingling suspected him and sent Yuehua to lurk in his cultivation ground, preparing to catch him off guard?

After resting in his cultivation ground for a day, Chen Ping went to the alchemy room in the Pill Hall. He felt more at ease here.

Ghost cultivators were afraid of fire. After another seven days, Chen Ping returned to his cultivation ground again, and only then did he dare to call the treasure-hunting ferret back.

Just like that, life returned to its usual calm and monotonous routine.

In a flash, another two months passed.

This day.

Chen Ping was cultivating under the eaves.

"Creak—"

Suddenly, the gate of Chen Ping's cultivation ground was opened.

Chen Ping was startled at first, but then he regained his composure.

Because other than him, Mu Luofei also had the token to his cultivation ground.

Outside the door stood a graceful figure, none other than Mu Luofei.

At this moment, her face was slightly pale, and her eyes were red, as if she had been crying.

The aura around her wasn't very stable, but her appearance hadn't changed.

Clearly, the appearance-fixing pill she had prepared earlier had worked.

Chen Ping ended his cultivation, directly wasting the medicinal power of a Qi Replenishing Pill.

If it were someone else, Chen Ping would definitely not waste the medicinal power of a Qi Replenishing Pill for them.

The two looked at each other.

After a moment of silence.

Chen Ping said, "Senior Sister Luofei, how about coming in and sitting down for a cup of tea?"

Mu Luofei nodded slightly, and only then did she step into Chen Ping's cultivation ground.

Then, she sat down beside Chen Ping with familiar and natural movements.

Chen Ping took out tea leaves and used spiritual water to brew tea.

He pushed a cup of tea over to her.

Mu Luofei picked up the teacup, and two lines of clear tears slid from her eyes, the teardrops falling into the teacup, making a 'drip, drip' sound.

Her voice was low and her tone was sorrowful, "Junior Brother, I failed my breakthrough..."

Although Chen Ping had expected it, he couldn't help but feel sad and his expression turned somewhat unsightly when he heard her say this.

In the past, Mu Luofei's beautiful eyes were full of confident light.

But now, they were full of despair, dim and lifeless.

This was too much of a blow to Mu Luofei. Ever since the two of them first met twenty years ago, she had always been full of confidence, acting as Chen Ping's senior sister on the path of immortality.

She was even more confident about Foundation Establishment.

Seeing her like this, Chen Ping couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache.

He comforted her, "Senior Sister, it's okay, it's just a failed breakthrough. You still have five years to find another opportunity to break through."

"There's no chance." Mu Luofei shook her head, "Although the Foundation Establishment deadline is postponed by five years, the success rate will be reduced by half from the original base."

Speaking of this, her eyes turned completely red, and she cried even harder.

Chen Ping gently stroked her back, continuing to comfort her:

"Senior Sister, you also know that the probability of Foundation Establishment varies from person to person, and the probability isn't completely accurate."

"You need to have a little more confidence in yourself."

"I also failed my breakthrough. Look at me, I haven't given up on the path of Foundation Establishment and immortality."

Mu Luofei raised her head, looking at Chen Ping in disbelief, "Junior Brother, you..."

Chen Ping told a kind lie, which was also to find a reason for his own Foundation Establishment later.

Chen Ping sighed, "Foundation Establishment is too difficult."

Mu Luofei cried with tears streaming down her face, looking pitiful and lovable. Because it was too intense, her delicate body couldn't help but tremble, and tears filled the teacup, wetting her clothes.

She cried with a lost mind and emotional breakdown, as if asking herself and answering herself, and also as if asking Chen Ping:

"Junior Brother, why is Foundation Establishment so difficult? I started cultivating at the age of five. For so many years, I've worked so hard for Foundation Establishment, but I still can't get past this hurdle..."

"With this failed breakthrough, the success rate is reduced by half. Even if I have five years, where can I find another Foundation Establishment spiritual item?"

"When I was eight years old, I knew that my clan uncle had the whereabouts of a Foundation Establishment spiritual item. It took me nearly twenty years to get it..."

For her, it wasn't just a simple failure of Foundation Establishment. Over the years, she had carried a lot of pressure, and there would probably be more trouble later.

Chen Ping didn't waste this opportunity, comforting Mu Luofei and then exchanging experiences and insights on Foundation Establishment.

"Senior Sister, which stage of the Foundation Establishment three trials did you fail at?"

Mu Luofei cried and sobbed, answering in a choked voice:

"Second stage of the physical body, the third trial."

"Not enough spiritual power, not enough physical body strength, failure due to lack of stamina."

"Among them, the medicinal toxins from swallowing and refining pills over the years also erupted and backfired at that time."

Chen Ping nodded, "I'm also at this stage, my physical body isn't strong enough, and the bottleneck hasn't been worn down yet."

"Senior Sister Luofei, failing once isn't scary, you must hold on to your mind and firm your resolve on the path of immortality."

"In a few days, I'm going out to look for opportunities for a breakthrough."

Seeing Chen Ping's firm and calm eyes, Mu Luofei felt much better, stopped crying and sobbing, and leaned her delicate body against the pillar under the eaves.

She didn't move even when the tea was cold.

Chen Ping leaned over to take a look, and she had actually fainted.

Chen Ping sighed softly, picked up her delicate body horizontally, walked into the room, put her on the bed, and gently covered her with a quilt.

He himself returned to the eaves, silently took out pills to refine, and continued to improve his cultivation.