Seeking immortality begins with daily intelligence reports.

Lin Xiaoxiao paused, her expression shifting slightly. After a moment of silence, she turned to the side and whispered:

"Come in and see for yourself."

Li Shen stepped inside, a multitude of thoughts swirling within him.

Some were worried about Liu Rou, while others were worried about Yin Ninghua.

As you step inside, a fresh, natural fragrance of herbs and plants wafts towards you.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye at the locations where the flowerpots were placed in his memory, and his worries about Yin Ninghua instantly vanished.

The yin ning hua not only survived but also grew quite well.

The flowers are in full bloom, emitting a delicate fragrance, with a subtle radiance about them.

"A century-old spiritual plant?!"

Li Shen was startled.

The last time he saw the flower stem, it was only five inches tall. Li Shen was prepared to use it to refine Yuanhe Pills, regardless of the year it took.

But what he saw now was a hundred-year-old spiritual plant that far exceeded his expectations.

"What kind of secret technique could accelerate the growth of spiritual plants to this extent in such a short time? The price must be quite high."

Filled with doubt, Li Shen quickly walked to the only wooden bed in the room.

Liu Rou was leaning against the couch, her face as pale as paper, her lips bloodless, her breath weak and unsteady, and half of her originally black hair had turned gray.

Seeing Li Shen arrive, she struggled to sit up and forced a smile:

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's been a long time. How are you?"

Li Shen nodded slightly, and with a flick of his fingers, a small jade bottle flew out of his storage bag and landed in Liu Rou's hand.

He said with concern:

"Fellow Daoist Liu, this is a mid-grade blood-replenishing pill. Please take it first. How did it turn out like this?"

Liu Rou looked down at the small jade bottle in her hand, her expression complicated, and fell silent, seemingly unwilling to answer Li Shen's question.

Li Shen had no intention of urging her; the most important thing right now was to stabilize Liu Rou's injuries and replenish her lost essence and blood.

A short while later, Lin Xiaoxiao's voice came from behind, breaking the heavy atmosphere.

She leaned against the wall and sighed:

"Alas, she used the Life-Changing Wood-Nourishing Technique, a secret technique that consumes lifespan to accelerate the growth of spiritual plants. She directly sacrificed ten years of her lifespan to help you."

"The Longevity-Nourishing Wood Technique? Ten years of lifespan?!"

Upon hearing this, Li Shen's pupils contracted slightly.

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a secret technique that could shorten one's lifespan.

Ten years of lifespan.

Although cultivators in the Qi Refining stage have a lifespan of over a hundred years.

But ten years is not a time that can be wasted casually.

Especially for those who are at the critical juncture of Qi and Blood, a direct loss of ten years will take them far from the path of Foundation Establishment.

Li Shen knew he couldn't do it.

He looked at the pale-faced woman on the bed, at her gray hair, and a complex emotion welled up in his heart.

He had only known Liu Rou for a few months. Although he had saved her life, Li Shen's intention was to use Liu Rou's skills as a plant expert to help him cultivate Yin Ning Flower.

I never imagined she would go to such lengths for this.

"Fellow Daoist Liu..."

Li Shen wanted to say something, but felt that any words would seem inadequate at this moment.

Liu Rou waved her hand gently, her voice weak but still gentle:

"Fellow Daoist Li, please don't take it to heart. I've investigated the Yin Ning Flower. If we wait for it to grow naturally, it will take at least three to five years before it can be used as medicine. Since you mentioned you want to use it to refine pills... cough cough... I'll make the decision for you."

Lin Xiaoxiao snorted softly from the side; she had the best relationship with Liu Rou in this courtyard.

Calling her a best friend wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Even though she had been helped by Li Shen like Liu Rou, when she recalled the pained look on Liu Rou's face when she was protecting her, she felt that she shouldn't have used such an extreme secret technique to accelerate the growth of spiritual plants.

As an alchemist, she had never heard of any pills that could enhance cultivation requiring Yin Ning Flower as an ingredient.

Li Shen was shocked.

He does indeed need Yin Ninghua to refine Yuanhe Pill, which is his backup plan for Foundation Establishment.

However, he never mentioned this matter in detail to Liu Rou, only vaguely mentioning it a couple of times. He never expected that Liu Rou would sacrifice her lifespan to fulfill his wish.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, I will always remember this kindness."

Li Shen clasped his hands in a respectful gesture, his tone sincere:

"If I am ever asked to do anything in the future, I will do my utmost."

He said this while looking directly at Liu Rou.

Among cultivators, the karmic connections are the most subtle.

Li Shen was not the kind of cold-hearted person, so he never liked to owe people anything, but at this moment, he was willing to accept this favor.

Upon hearing this, Liu Rou's heart stirred. She lowered her eyes and said softly:

"Fellow Daoist Li, you flatter me. That Yin Ning Flower is now a hundred years old; surely that's enough for your alchemy needs?"

Li Shen nodded, his heart growing heavier.

He pondered to himself:

If Liu Rou asks for nothing in return, how should I repay this favor?

Liu Rou coughed lightly twice, seemingly seeing through Li Shen's thoughts through his expression. She paused, as if considering her words, and after a long while, she said softly:

"Fellow Daoist Li, if your cultivation advances further in the future, I wonder if you could do me a favor?"

Li Shen's heart skipped a beat, and without hesitation, he said in a deep voice:

"Fellow Daoist Liu, please speak freely."

He was worried about how to repay this favor, but Liu Rou's request put his mind at ease.

"My husband, Pei Lang, was once a member of the Wild Wolf Gang. He died while exploring for treasure with them. I initially thought it was just an accident, but a few days ago I learned that there were other suspicious circumstances surrounding his death..."

As Liu Rou slowly recounted the whole story, tears welled up in her eyes.

Before long, Li Shen understood.

It turns out that Liu Rou's husband, Pei Lang, was killed by Lei Hong, the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang.

This was told to me personally by a former member who had left the Wild Wolf Gang.

That man was once Pei Lang's underling. He received a lot of help from Pei Lang when he joined the gang, and that's how he got to know Liu Rou.

A few days ago, Liu Rou ran into this person at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion.

The other party was seriously injured in the battle with the Giant Tiger Gang, which damaged his foundation. He has decided to leave the cultivation world and return to the mortal world.

Out of consideration for Pei Lang's past kindness and burdened by a guilty conscience, he finally revealed the truth that had been buried for many years and handed over a farewell letter that Pei Lang had entrusted to him to deliver.

He had kept it a secret until now out of fear of Lei Hong's power, but on the eve of parting, he still couldn't bear to keep Liu Rou in the dark.

Therefore, he apologized to Liu Rou and gave her a sum of spirit stones.

However, he requested that Liu Rou wait until he had safely left the market before opening the letter.

Liu Rou agreed at the time, and she did indeed do so.

Several days later, I opened the letter.

The handwriting confirmed that it was written by Pei Lang.

"Fellow Daoist Li, I don't want you to do anything right now. It's just... if you achieve great cultivation in the future and have the ability, could you help me take revenge?"

Li Shen did not answer immediately.

Although he had never met Lei Hong, he knew of this person from the daily intelligence reports.

With his Foundation Establishment cultivation level and being the leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, he has a large number of followers, making him a difficult person to deal with.

However, it's just not easy, not impossible.

After a long silence, Li Shen spoke, his voice calm:

"Fellow Daoist Liu, I, Li, agree to this matter."

He currently possesses Foundation Establishment Pills and Qi Condensation Pills, and the materials for Yuanhe Pills are now complete.

The gate to foundation building is gradually opening for him.

With a second-tier soul slave by his side, revenge is only a matter of time for him.