The Shop Deed

For the next few days, Shi Yu stayed inside her main chamber, rarely stepping outside.

Now that the Five Elements Qi of the 《Soul Tempering Art》 had shifted to Wood, her soul, which had barely managed to adapt, had to endure a fresh wave of agonizing torment. Every time she finished cultivating, she would be deathly pale and drenched in sweat, gasping for breath for a long while before she could slowly recover.

That grinding and hammering directly upon her soul was far more terrifying and unbearable than physical pain. The suffocating pressure and torment deep within her soul brought an indescribable despair, terror, and endless pain.

Fortunately, the gains were equally remarkable. Though she remained at the fifth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, in terms of soul strength and spiritual sense, she was in no way inferior to an ordinary eighth layer of the Qi Refining Realm cultivator.

On this day, right as she finished cultivating the 《Soul Tempering Art》, Shi Yu heard from Qingzhou that Elder Zhou had emerged from seclusion.

Calculating the time, seven days had passed since the old man went into seclusion to refine the medicinal potency.

“It is about time he came out.”

Walking over, she indeed saw the members of the Zhou family gathered around Old Man Zhou, their tone and expressions filled with excitement.

Elder Zhou was the first to spot Shi Yu. Pushing through the crowd, he strode over to her and bowed deeply. “Thank you, little friend.”

Behind him, the rest of the Zhou family followed suit, bowing low to the ground.

Shi Yu hurriedly helped Elder Zhou up and smiled. “Haven't you already thanked me? Why thank me again?”

Her gaze swept across Elder Zhou's face. Most of the air of decay and decline that previously hovered over him had dissipated, and he no longer looked so worn down by age; his complexion even possessed a healthy flush.

Supported by her, Elder Zhou straightened up and said with emotion, “Little friend's alchemy skills are truly exceptional and divine. This single Lesser Longevity Pill actually extended my life by ten years!”

Although Shi Yu had previously stated that the Lesser Longevity Pill could extend life by at least eight years, witnessing it come to pass was still immensely shocking.

Behind him, Father Zhou stepped forward and bowed deeply once more, speaking with heartfelt gratitude, “That stalk of Blood Cloud Ginseng could only extend life by three years, and its foul, bloody energy was extremely difficult to purify. Though consuming it would extend life, the drawbacks were severe.”

“Miss Shi's wondrous refinement truly turned trash into treasure.” Saying this, Father Zhou's face filled with shame. “Earlier, I still harbored doubts and reservations toward Miss. It was truly my narrow-mindedness, and I nearly ruined my Zhou family's fortune.”

Shi Yu felt somewhat overwhelmed by the endless barrage of thanks and helped him up. “Uncle Zhou, you exaggerate.”

“How is it an exaggeration?” Elder Zhou shook his head and said, “Little friend, you may not know, but I have been stuck at the late stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm for over fifty years, and only recently managed to catch a faint opportunity for a breakthrough.”

“However, my lifespan was drawing to a close, not leaving me enough time to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection before it ran out entirely.”

Among the uncles of the three Zhou siblings, those with outstanding talent had all perished in a secret realm. The entire Zhou family suffered a gap where the elders were passing on while the younger generation had yet to mature. Under these circumstances, neighboring families coveted their assets and suppressed them at every turn.

Currently, the Zhou family relied entirely on the old man alone to hold things together. If he had proceeded with his original plan to consume that Blood Cloud Ginseng...

“Though I would have gained three years of life to protect the Zhou family for three more years, under the influence of the Blood Cloud Ginseng's foul energy, it would have been absolutely impossible to achieve a breakthrough.” Elder Zhou's eyes turned slightly moist, a flood of emotions surging in his heart.

Seeing the old man like this, Shi Yu could not help but offer him a handkerchief. “Elder Zhou...”

Elder Zhou waved his hand and suddenly laughed. “But now, thanks to the pill refined by little friend, not only has my life been extended by ten years, but I have also escaped the harmful effects of the foul energy! With this, reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection is within reach!”

Seeing his resolute expression, it was clear that Elder Zhou had great confidence in this.

He had thought his path of cultivation had come to an end, but now he could take another step forward. The old man's gratitude was beyond words.

If he could smoothly break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm Great Perfection, Elder Zhou would gain another twenty years of lifespan.

Twenty years would give the younger generation ample time to grow up. Once the descendants were ready to take over, the Zhou family could fully overcome this crisis.

Everyone understood this, and as they looked at Shi Yu now, they treated her entirely as their savior.

After repeating their thanks several times, Elder Zhou cast a look at Father Zhou. Father Zhou nodded and stepped forward, taking out a cloth pouch from his spatial ring and holding it out to Shi Yu. “Miss, please take a look.”

They had originally intended to gift spirit stones as a token of gratitude, but given how miraculous the Lesser Longevity Pill was, the amount of spirit stones they had planned to offer seemed shabby and embarrassing. Yet after long-term suppression, the Zhou family truly could not produce any more spirit stones. After much deliberation, they had chosen this item instead.

“This is...?”

Shi Yu opened the cloth pouch out of curiosity and saw a shop deed forged from Profound Iron Essence resting inside. It was actually for a shop property in the main city.

She froze for a moment, then immediately shook her head. “This is far too valuable.”

Stuffing it back into the pouch, Shi Yu was about to return it to Father Zhou, but he declined with a smile.

Elder Zhou said, “Though our Zhou family is in decline now, we used to have a few properties in the past. This shop was purchased long ago, but because the family was tied down by various affairs, it has remained neglected and unoperated over recent years.”

“The Zhou family's roots are not in the main city. Rather than leaving it empty, it is better to give it to you, little friend. You may dispose of it as you see fit.”

Father Zhou added, “Indeed, it isn't in a prime location anyway, so it isn't anything particularly grand.”

Even if it wasn't in a prime location, land in the main city was worth its weight in gold; this shop property was still immensely valuable.

“With the shop deed in hand, this will be Miss's own store. You won't need to pay rent, and with a little effort, it will surely turn a profit.”

Seeing her reluctance to accept, Elder Zhou added, “Furthermore, to run a shop in the main city, one needs backing behind them to operate in peace.”

He gave only a subtle hint, but Shi Yu understood immediately.

Given the Zhou family's current situation, having no roots in the main city made running a shop exceptionally difficult. Meanwhile, she was now backed by the Alchemist Association, and her status alone was more than enough to shield a single shop.

Only then did she stop declining. “Then I shall accept it.”

With this shop deed in hand, putting in a bit of effort would make accumulating resources much more convenient in the future.

However, she was not one to take advantage of others. She retrieved about a dozen bottles of stored pills from the Fate-Tapping Bell and offered them up. “These are some common pills; please accept them.”

Everyone already knew the level of her alchemy, so they naturally understood these pills were likely of extraordinary quality. After declining briefly out of courtesy, they accepted them.

With matters concluded, it was time to say goodbye. After sharing lunch together, the Zhou family members took their leave. “Our family is still unsettled at present, and we fear outsiders might attack. We must return as soon as possible.”

Shi Yu stood up to see them off.

When she stopped walking, the three Zhou siblings looked back with every step, their eyes filled with reluctance to depart.

Zhou Yue murmured softly, “I wonder if we will ever have the chance to meet again after this departure.”

A gentle breeze blew past. Zhou Shuo's gaze remained tightly fixed on the hem of the girl's skirt, which fluttered like mist and clouds, a touch of soreness welling up in his nose.

Only after walking far away did he dare to turn back and lift his eyes to gaze at her face once more.

He saw her lips part and close, dropping a gentle sentence: “The mountains are high and the roads are long; our days ahead are plenty.”