First achieve immortality, then cultivate immortality.

"Young Master's reputation is growing stronger," Li Zhihua said with a smile, standing behind Xu Mu and massaging his shoulders and back.

Xu Mu took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said, "Reputation is nothing but a burden."

"Young Master, you seek tranquility by retiring from the world to cultivate," Li Zhiyuan said, leaning against Xu Mu as she poured him tea.

Xu Mu casually stroked the back of her head and nodded, saying, "Yes, as our reputation grows, this valley will eventually become uninhabitable."

"Huh? It's that serious?" Li Zhihua was a little dumbfounded.

"That won't do..." Li Zhiyuan also became worried.

The two sisters were extremely comfortable living here, enjoying a blissful life as a couple. They had no worries about food or drink, the scenery was beautiful, and no one bothered them. How could they bear to leave?

Xu Mu smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, I've been on guard and won't let anyone disturb us."

The two sisters listened and nodded with smiles, showing unconditional trust and reliance on him.

……

The next morning, Fan Ju pressed the pill in his chest and hurried home.

His village was in a neighboring county, and it was relatively close to Bishi Village, so he happened to hear the rumors about the old immortal.

Although Xu Mu has always kept a low profile, his reputation has inevitably spread due to the large number of people and the many years he has lived in Bishi Village.

When Fan Ju rushed home without stopping, it was already dark. He was panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

"Fan Lang is back, come and have some water." A mature woman quickly brought him a bowl of water.

"Thank you, thank you, Yunniang." Fan Ju gratefully accepted the bowl.

Yunniang was a widow who lived next door. Her husband had been beaten to death in a fight while drunk, leaving her and her parents-in-law behind.

When Fan Ju went out to seek medicine, she was the only one who helped take care of his seriously ill mother.

"Quick, I've obtained the medicine from that old sage. Give this medicine to my mother." He hurriedly took out a wad of cloth from his bosom, unfolded it to reveal the brown pills inside.

Yunniang was somewhat surprised, but she didn't say anything more. She quickly took the medicine to Fan's mother and gave it to her with water.

Mother Fan had been lying in bed in a semi-conscious state, her face contorted in pain and she was often sweating. But after taking this medicine, her complexion immediately improved, and she slowly and peacefully fell asleep.

Yunniang was overjoyed and quickly said to Fan Ju, "This medicine seems to be really effective."

Fan Ju smiled with relief: "Of course, this was given to me personally by the old immortal."

"Fan Lang, you've worked so hard. It must have been very difficult for you," Yun Niang said softly, her eyes filled with concern.

When Fan Ju met his gaze, he immediately looked away, embarrassed: "No, it's nothing. As long as I can save my mother, that's all that matters."

"Good people are always blessed, your mother will definitely get better. You haven't had time to eat yet, have you? I'll go get you something to eat." After saying that, Yunniang went to the stove to get busy.

"Yunniang," Fan Ju couldn't help but call out to her.

"Hmm?" Yunniang turned around.

"Thank you for taking care of my mother these past few days," Fan Ju said, scratching his head.

Yunniang smiled and said, "It's alright. A close neighbor is worse than a distant relative. Your mother took good care of me before."

After saying that, she prepared food for Fan Ju.

Fan Ju stole glances at her back, scratching his head in frustration, but dared not say anything more. He could only try to distract himself, hoping that his mother would recover soon.

As a result, Fan's mother woke up the next day, and was able to get out of bed on the third day.

The miraculous effects of the medicine amazed both families, who bowed in gratitude towards Bishi Village.

They didn't spread the word, but gradually the villagers learned about it and admired the old immortal even more.

From then on, whenever Fan's mother burned incense and prayed to the gods at home, she would burn three sticks of incense in the direction of Bishi Village to thank the old deity for saving her life.

Seeing this, Yunniang's family next door also offered incense in that direction, hoping that the old immortal could sense their sincerity and that they could seek out this "Medicine God" next time they needed medicine or medical treatment.

……

Another year has passed.

People would come to Bishi Village from time to time seeking medicine, but they would almost always leave disappointed, unable to even see the old sage.

The villagers said it was a matter of fate, and with a hint of superiority, they told them to go back and worship the "Medicine God," hoping that their sincerity would be seen.

Gradually, the custom of worshipping the Medicine God spread, and the entire Bishi Village began to burn incense and worship on the mountain.

Xu Mu was unaware of this matter. His cultivation in the valley seemed to be going more smoothly, but he didn't have any particular feeling, so he didn't know what it meant to receive incense offerings.

Moreover, he only went to Bishi Village to collect manure about once every six months, and no one mentioned this to him.

Even Zhang Xiucai didn't say anything. After all, this was their sincere worship; what would it mean to tell the person involved? To claim credit?

They assumed Xu Mu already knew, so he was even less likely to tell them.

Fortunately, the matter did not escalate further.

Because Xu Mu never showed up, coupled with the villagers' sense of superiority, an invisible barrier was formed, hindering the spread of his reputation. The discussion remained confined to a small circle and did not attract the attention of certain Taoist temples.

Ordinary people have always been very superstitious, worshipping this today and that tomorrow, it's impossible to keep track of them all, and many of them only have a three-minute burst of enthusiasm, so there's no need to interfere, and thus the matter has subtly stabilized.

Xu Mu prepared to head to Nanlian Valley again.

At this moment, his cultivation level remained at the sixth level of Qi Refining, and he did not break through despite the blessing of a little incense offering.

The mortal realm is ultimately just the mortal realm. Since one has chosen comfort, one can only give up the speed of cultivation.

Fortunately, his cultivation of magical arts went very smoothly.

He was able to control eight flying swords simultaneously with his sword control technique, ignited the Lower World Fire with Samadhi True Fire, and simultaneously cultivated the art of fire control. His Jade Purity Qi Observation Technique was beginning to show results, and he cultivated the "Jade Purity Eye".

In this way, they can protect themselves and have a way to escape even if they are robbed again.

Four years had passed since the two sisters took the youth-preserving pill.

Given that it takes six months to travel to and from the market, we need to set off now to buy the new Youth-Preserving Pill.

The Youth Preservation Pill must be taken continuously; once stopped, the body will age rapidly and will no longer be able to maintain its youthful appearance.

After all, the Youth-Preserving Pill only preserves youth; once you miss it, you can't turn back the clock.

"Young master, please return soon."

The two sisters bid each other a reluctant farewell.

Xu Mu smiled and nodded, then kissed each of them on the left and right before waving goodbye.

……

After arriving at Dalian Mountain on horseback, Xu Mu transformed into a middle-aged man and used a disguise technique.

"It's been four and a half years since we killed those four idiots. The heat should have died down by now."

He cautiously approached the entrance to the South Link Valley and, finding nothing amiss, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

To be honest, coming to Nanlian Valley again this time is a bit risky.

There aren't many legitimate markets, and this is the only one he knows of. So even though he knows there are potential risks, he has no choice but to come.

At least after so much time, it should be relatively safe.

Soon, after paying the 15-coin entrance fee, they successfully entered the market.

Then he asked around to see if Nanlian Valley had taken any action after the four Qi Refining cultivators died.

As a result, nobody heard about it, nobody cared about the people who died four or five years ago.

Xu Mu was completely relieved and didn't ask any more questions, lest he appear to be trying to cover something up.

He then went to a teahouse to drink tea and listen to the cultivators chat about news and gossip in the cultivation world.

This is currently his only source of information about the cultivation world.