Establishing a Clan in the Eastern Wilderness: A Daily Divination, Cultivating Longevity in a Grotto

Less than half an incense stick's time after they left.

A patrol team dressed in Yun family attire and riding a land spirit beast resembling a giant lizard arrived at this section of the Changliu River.

The leader was none other than Yun Qilang.

He reined in the reins, his gaze casually sweeping across the river, then looking at both banks, his brow furrowing unconsciously.

"strangeness……"

He muttered to himself, a strange sense of unease and loss rising within him, as if something important that should have belonged to him had just been taken away.

"Seventh Young Master, what's wrong?" a guard asked.

"It's nothing." Yun Qilang shook his head, dispelling the strange feeling in his heart. "Let's continue patrolling."

...

...

the other side.

As they approached the Qinglan Mountain area, Li Changsheng had a sudden thought, and [Malice Perception] quietly activated.

On the southern mountain path they had previously taken a detour, they sensed several strong and concentrated malices, like venomous snakes lurking in the darkness.

"Hmph, they're still lying in wait there as expected." Li Changsheng sneered.

"Clan leader, is there an ambush?" Chen Wenyuan's expression tightened.

"It's alright, let's take another route."

Li Changsheng sneered, maneuvering Xiaobai to turn and fly towards another, more secluded mountain path, known only to a few within the Li family, which had just been opened up. This path was rugged and difficult to traverse, but its advantage lay in its secrecy, leading directly to the back of Qinglan Mountain.

Chen Wenyuan was familiar with the mountainous terrain and immediately followed.

Having narrowly avoided the ambush, the four finally arrived safely outside the protective array of Qinglan Mountain. Li Changsheng cast a spell, and the mist around the mountain gate parted, revealing a passage.

Li's parents and younger sister, Li Changle, who had been anxiously waiting at the mountain gate, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Li Changsheng and the others return safely.

"Chang Sheng! Why were you delayed all night? Did nothing happen?" Li's mother stepped forward, grabbed her son, and looked him up and down.

"Father, Mother, don't worry, everything is going smoothly," Li Changsheng comforted them, then introduced Hu Xiaoyue and the still unconscious mysterious woman behind him, "This is Xiaoyue, a poor child we met on the road. This woman... we rescued her halfway. We don't know her identity, so we have to keep it a secret."

Mr. and Mrs. Li nodded repeatedly. Seeing Hu Xiaoyue's thin and timid appearance, and the mysterious woman's terrible scars, they felt pity for her.

Li Changle ran up to Hu Xiaoyue:

"Little Yue, don't be afraid, this is your home from now on! My name is Li Changle, and I'll protect you from now on!" As she spoke, she patted her little chest in a serious manner.

Looking at the girl in front of her, who was about the same age as her but was lively, cheerful, and full of kindness, Hu Xiaoyue's eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded vigorously.

Li Changsheng handed over the array setup materials he had brought for his younger sister.

Li Changle took it and cheered:

"Thank you, brother! With these, I can try to reinforce the maze array on the clan mountain!"

Her little face lit up with joy.

"Xiaoyue will stay with you for now. Please take good care of her," Li Changsheng instructed.

"No problem!" Li Changle grabbed Hu Xiaoyue, who was still a little reserved. "Come on, Xiaoyue, I'll show you my room!"

Watching the two little girls run away hand in hand, a smile appeared on Li Changsheng's face.

He placed the mysterious woman in the quiet courtyard where his grandmother lived, entrusting her with the care and kindness of his grandmother for the time being.

After settling everything in, Li Changsheng and his parents went to the poultry shed by the underground river behind the mountain.

When Li's mother saw the one-legged, listless male Fire Cloud Chicken that Li Changsheng had brought back, she not only didn't find it disgusting, but her face was full of joy:

"Chang Sheng, nine of the twelve hens you brought back have already started laying eggs! We just need a male! With him, we can hatch our own little Fire Cloud Chickens! A lame leg doesn't matter, as long as they can breed!"

Li's father happily accepted the fish fry that Li Changsheng brought back and carefully released them into a specific area of ​​the underground river:

"These fish fry are quite vigorous. They should be able to settle down in this underground river in a few days. We can feed them with the droppings of the Fire Cloud Chickens later, killing two birds with one stone."

Everything is arranged properly.

Li Changsheng began to refine elixirs.

...

...

Inside the quiet room, beneath the alchemy furnace, the spiritual fire burned brightly.

Li Changsheng sat cross-legged on the futon, his expression solemn, his gaze fixed on the bubbling medicinal liquid in the furnace. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his spiritual energy slowly flowed into the bottom of the furnace, maintaining the extremely delicate heat.

In the past two weeks, he has refined all the materials for Qi Condensation Pills that he bought from the market.

Twenty-five pills were successfully made, and seven furnaces of pills were discarded.

The average success rate of pills was barely 50%, but for a pill refiner who had only been at the first-tier low-grade level for less than a month, it was already quite an achievement. More importantly, the feel for the craft accumulated through countless failures, the subtle perception of the heat, and the intuition for the fusion of medicinal properties—these experiences, which cannot be measured in spirit stones, were the greatest gains he made during this seclusion.

"It's time to try the Wind-Controlling Pill."

Li Changsheng opened his eyes, the blue light in them subdued. He took out the three carefully prepared materials from his treasure pouch: bellflower, hollow tooth wing, and five kinds of auxiliary medicines, and arranged them one by one on the blue stone table in front of him.

He had the prescription memorized perfectly. But he didn't act on it immediately.

He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, restoring his spiritual energy to its full potential. He then mentally rehearsed every step of the alchemy process and every detail that could go wrong three times. Only then did he open his eyes and light the alchemy furnace.

The first batch.

When he was refining the main ingredient, the bellflower, the verdant essence of the plant was dancing in the furnace. He tried to suppress it with his divine sense, but the heat was a moment too late.

"puff."

A wisp of smoke rose, and the bellflower turned into charcoal.

Li Changsheng remained calm as he cleaned the alchemy furnace and reviewed his mistakes.

The second batch.

Having learned from his first experience, the purification of the bellflower and the hollow wing was successfully completed. The medicinal liquid slowly fused in the furnace, and everything seemed to be progressing in a positive direction. However, at the crucial moment when he began to condense the pill, his dantian suddenly felt empty—his spiritual energy was insufficient.

The liquid, no longer bound by magic, collapsed with a roar.

Li Changsheng's face paled slightly, but he remained calm. He noted this timeline—from opening the furnace to condensing the pill, his current total spiritual energy was barely enough to sustain him until the fourth step. To completely refine the Wind Control Pill, he either needed to increase his cultivation level or… increase his efficiency.

He collected the residue, swallowed a Qi Condensation Pill, and closed his eyes again to regulate his breathing.

This rest lasted for a full two hours.

When he opened his eyes again, there was no trace of anxiety in them, only a calm and focused concentration.

The third batch.

Start the fire, warm the furnace, and add the medicine.

At the perfect temperature, the bellflowers transformed into a vibrant green liquid, impurities being peeled away bit by bit; the translucent wings of the Empty Fang Wing slowly melted in the furnace, turning into a milky white gel that gradually blended with the bellflower liquid. The five auxiliary ingredients were added in sequence, each addition precisely timed, each infusion of spiritual energy measured with the precision of a ruler.

Time passed slowly.

Li Changsheng's spiritual energy flowed like a gentle stream, with not a single drop wasted. He had found that delicate balance—not a bit more, not a bit less, just right.

"Freeze!"

He gave a low shout, his hands moving with the fluidity of butterflies. The medicinal liquid in the furnace suddenly contracted, transforming into four perfectly round pills the size of longan fruits, which spun rapidly within the furnace. A faint bluish-green halo appeared on the surface of the pills, then quickly receded.

Dan Cheng!

The furnace lid was lifted, and four light blue Wind Control Pills with subtle cloud patterns lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, emitting a clear and refreshing wind-attribute spiritual energy.

Li Changsheng exhaled a breath of stale air, and a smile finally appeared on his lips.

"It's done."