The night was clear, with few stars illuminating the sky.
Two figures sat on the rooftop admiring the moon.
It was Tang Xichen and Qin Yuan.
They reminisced about past adventures.
"Do you remember when I said you were short, and now, without realizing it, you're taller than me by a head?"
"Time really flies..."
It was mostly Tang Xichen talking.
Qin Yuan listened quietly.
He wasn't usually a quiet person.
But at some point,
he began speaking less in front of his senior sister.
After a long time.
Tang Xichen finally mentioned her imminent journey and expressed her determination not to return home unless she succeeded in establishing her foundation.
She patted Qin Yuan's shoulder and gently advised:
"Junior brother, you're not young anymore."
"You should seriously consider getting married and continuing the Qin family line."
Qin Yuan remained silent for a moment after hearing this.
He finally stood up slowly and said softly:
"Senior sister, I wish you success in establishing your foundation, may the Immortal Dao prosper forever."
Tang Xichen laughed heartily:
"Thank you for your kind words!"
...
A month passed quickly.
In the Pill Workshop.
A family was bidding their final farewells.
Huang Yueyang, now with white hair, slowly handed over a storage pouch:
"There's a Top Grade Robe inside, along with some Spirit Stones, take it."
Tang Xichen accepted it, "Thank you, grandfather."
Chen Sheng also handed over a storage pouch, filled with many Elixir Pills, Talismans, and three thousand Spirit Stones.
"Take it, be careful out there."
"Thank you, father, mother."
Huang Wangyou grabbed her hand and gave careful instructions.
Tang Yijing, now with a mustache that made him look more mature, reluctantly spoke:
"Big sister, remember to come back."
Tang Xichen's eyes reddened, and for once she showed a softer side, gently nodding:
"Yes, I'm leaving now."
With that, she suppressed her reluctance and walked briskly out of the courtyard.
At the gate, Qin Yuan stood there, waiting for a long time. When she came out, he quietly said:
"Senior sister, let me walk you a bit."
Tang Xichen nodded gently:
"Let's go."
They first joined up with the main caravan.
Then headed east.
Tang Xichen carried a sword, walking by the roadside.
Qin Yuan followed at an unhurried pace behind her.
Time passed quickly.
Before long,
they walked out of the Market, already thirty miles away.
Finally,
Tang Xichen turned her head to look at him, sighing softly:
"Junior brother, don't tell me you plan to come with me?"
Qin Yuan hesitated, then slowly shook his head:
"Junior brother's skills are modest, I fear I would only hold you back!"
Tang Xichen gently patted his shoulder, removed a crescent-shaped Cyan Jade from her neck, and placed it in his hand.
"Take it, junior brother, something to remember me by."
"This is where we part ways, I must go, don't forget what I said last night."
With that, her figure quickly disappeared, like a streaking cyan Escape Light.
Qin Yuan tightly gripped the Cyan Jade, suddenly ran to a higher place, and watched her fading silhouette.
Until she was so far away she was barely visible!
Suddenly.
Qin Yuan gathered his courage and shouted loudly:
"Senior sister, I'll wait for your return!"
He didn't know if she heard him.
He stood there for a long time, until the caravan's shadow completely disappeared, and then he solemnly stored the Cyan Jade away and slowly turned to leave.
...
In the courtyard, peach blossoms bloomed for three more years.
"Chen'er has sent a letter back!"
Huang Wangyou's face lit up with excitement as she opened the letter Tang Xichen had sent back through the Cyan Wood Commerce Association.
Chen Sheng also leaned in to read, a smile on his face.
In the letter, Tang Xichen described how she had reached Linglong Immortal City and successfully joined a Demon Hunting Team, successfully hunting many demon beasts...
The cultivation resources in the Immortal City were abundant.
Her cultivation progress was swift.
Everything was going smoothly, reassuring them.
Then.
Tang Xichen began inquiring about the family's situation.
How were the family's health, and whether her father was attempting Foundation Establishment...
In the end.
She left a few lines of writing mentioning her junior brother, Qin Yuan.
Asking if her junior brother had married and had children?
If not.
Please, mother, offer some care and encouragement.
"This girl, she has quite a wide concern!"
Huang Wangyou gently complained, but there was a smile on her face.
Chen Sheng patted her shoulder:
"Now you're relieved, right? Chen'er is fine."
"She's capable and knows how to adapt to circumstances, far surpassed this old man, what could possibly happen?"
Huang Wangyou looked at him, teasing:
"Am I the only one worried?"
Chen Sheng pursed his lips and explained:
"She promised to write back in two years, but there was no news the whole time, it was nerve-wracking."
Huang Wangyou saw through her husband's braggadocio, offering a gentle smile.
She shifted topics and mentioned Qin Yuan again, describing her many matchmaking attempts over the past two years, all of which were rejected.
She spoke:
"Yuan'Er is a stubborn kid, I don't think I can persuade him. Otherwise..."
Saying so, she glanced at Chen Sheng.
Chen Sheng waved his hand:
"Don't ask me, Yuan'Er has no such intentions, don't force it."
"Besides, just as Chen'er wholeheartedly pursues the Dao?"
"Yuan'Er is twenty-nine, has reached the Peak of Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, is skilled in all kinds of Magic, and is a High Grade Alchemist, a good prospect for Foundation Establishment."
Upon these words,
Chen Sheng showed a hint of satisfaction.
His disciple was catching up, truly a case of the student surpassing the teacher.
Huang Wangyou rolled her eyes helplessly:
"Alright, alright, I'll listen to you. When one day Yuan'Er ends up alone, then we'll see if you're anxious."
Chen Sheng waved his hand, unconcerned:
"They all have their own plans."
"What am I anxious about?"
Huang Wangyou shook her head helplessly, continuing:
"Oh right, Brother Yun, when do you plan to attempt Foundation Establishment?"
A few months ago.
Chen Sheng had smoothly progressed to Qi Cultivation Great Perfection.
At fifty-five years old.
The pace was more than a year slower than he anticipated, due to delays from expelling elixir toxins.
Chen Sheng pondered for a moment, estimating the time, and stretched out three fingers, saying:
"In another three months, I'll clear my meridians."
After speaking, he turned to his wife with a scrutinizing look.
"How long until you reach Qi Cultivation Perfection?"
Huang Wangyou hesitated at these words:
"Six... seven years?"
Chen Sheng was immediately exasperated:
"You should really put some effort in."
Huang Wangyou had also twice tried breaking through the late-stage Qi Refining bottleneck, only to finally reach the Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer.
Then she consumed elixirs extensively.
Now she has reached Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer.
However, there still is a long way to the Peak of Ninth Layer.
Huang Wangyou hooked her arms around his, gently swaying, and showed a rare playful side:
"Brother Yun, don't worry, I'll make it!"
Chen Sheng, unable to resist her teasing, nodded:
"Alright! If you say there's time, then there's time!"
Meanwhile, he was calculating in his mind.
Huang Wangyou was two years younger than him, if she took seven years, it would just meet the deadline at sixty.
This timing was too tight!
Chen Sheng immediately resolved to hit hard, pushing her rigorously at night!
...
Three months later
In the Secluded Meditation Chamber.
Chen Sheng sat cross-legged on the futon.
Adjusting himself to the best state.
Taking out from a Jade Bottle an entirely apricot-yellow elixir pill—the Vascular Protection Pill.
"Begin"
With a thought.
He started operating his spell, attempting Foundation Establishment.
...
Two days later.
Chen Sheng looked pale, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
The mana within his body was chaotic, his condition extremely poor.
If he hadn't taken the Vascular Protection Pill in advance, protecting most of his meridians, he might have been dead.
"Indeed, I failed!"
"It's so difficult!"
"I don't understand how those people manage to achieve Foundation Establishment?"
Recalling the process of Foundation Establishment.
The Foundation Establishment Three Gates.
Only through the Qi and Blood Barrier, he barely passed at the cost of severe injury.
At the start of the Mana Barrier, as he gathered power back into his Dantian, but due to insufficient purity and too many impurities in the mana, he completely lost control.
Suffering another heavy injury, failing utterly.
As for the Spiritual Sense Barrier.
He couldn't even touch it.