Foundation Establishment in the Mountains

After listening to this, Nan Zhi abandoned the idea of asking further.

It seemed her great-grandfather, like her, hadn't fully understood how to use the cauldron and could only rely on the elixir residue to treat people.

However, she wondered what kind of pill had been refined in that last batch for the residue alone to be so potent.

Of course, she would have to wait until after her Foundation Establishment to explore the truth.

After the meal, Shi Hongjiang took Zhang Qiuyu and her husband to wander around the village. Nan Zhi took the opportunity to ask Grandpa Shi if any strange things had happened in the village in recent years.

“What do you mean by strange? In these years, all the elders of the village have died off, and there's no one left for me to talk to. Does that count as strange?

“Why are you still like when you were a child, always wanting to hear ghost stories? I've told you, those are all feudal superstitions and shouldn't be encouraged. Besides, the village doesn't allow Gu to be raised anymore; the Village Party Secretary forbids it.”

The old man, with his hunched back, puffed on the mouthpiece of his water pipe. Suddenly, he remembered something.

“If you want to talk about strange, the mountains have indeed been a bit odd these past two years. Foxes and snakes are always coming into the village, looking very restless. If this were years ago, when we still had hunting guns and could go into the mountains to hunt, it would be fine. But now it’s not allowed; you’ll be arrested even for shooting a bird.

“And then there's the Stone River. You could still catch fish there two years ago, but in these past two years, not a single fish can be found. The water is clear and there are water plants inside, but there isn't even a tiny shrimp.

“I suspect there's likely a man-eating big fish in there. Tell your friends that if they go to play, they shouldn't go into the water, understand?

“Outsiders are all so bold. I've told them many times, but not a single one listens. They only realize the danger once something happens...”

The lake in the village led to a large river, which was connected to the Stone River. No one knew when this river had formed; they only knew that many people had drowned in it.

The people of Mulian Village had been scolded by their parents since they were children to stay away from that river. Over time, the locals had almost forgotten about it.

In the past two years, with the vigorous development of the tourism industry, someone had started a river rafting project on the Stone River, though those who went to play were all outsiders.

Perhaps because he hadn't seen Nan Zhi for a long time, the old man rambled for a while. As he lay on the rattan chair, swaying back and forth, his eyelids began to grow heavy. He squinted and eventually fell asleep, not even realizing when his hand loosened its grip on the water pipe.

Nan Zhi covered the old man with a blanket before quietly leaving the Shi family home. In front of the wooden house, a local dog lay on the ground slowly wagging its tail, and small, fist-sized yellow chicks pecked at insects everywhere. It was a scene of perfect peace.

...

...

Nan Zhi stayed in Mulian Village for a full five days. On the day she left, Grandpa Shi told Shi Hongjiang to pack a whole suitcase with cured meat, sausages, pickled peppers, and sour corn, insisting she take it all with her.

“Oh, this is so much that Sister Zhi won't be able to carry it. Why don't we just find a courier to ship it back for her? It would be much more convenient.”

Although Shi Hongjiang complained, he still obediently lifted the suitcase into the car.

“Sister, send me a message when you get back. When I have time tomorrow, I’ll send you some tangerines. The ones you buy outside don't taste good; they're watery and don't have that real tangerine flavor.”

“Alright. When I get back, I’ll send a mattress for Grandpa. The bed boards are too hard, and it’s not comfortable for him to sleep on.”

Nan Zhi agreed with a smile and added a few instructions:

“Also, the health pills I gave you yesterday—remember to give them to Grandpa and your mother. One pill each, and don't let them take more than that, okay?”

Shi Hongjiang had wanted to ask yesterday which scammer his Sister Zhi had been fooled by. What kind of health pills were stored in ceramic bottles and could only be taken once?

His grandpa had taken one yesterday. As a result, the eighty-year-old man not only suffered from diarrhea for half an hour but also sweated profusely, rubbing off nearly half a pound of gray mud from his skin.

For an eighty-year-old man to have such diarrhea was truly a moment of life and death.

But looking at his Sister Zhi's innocent-looking face, Shi Hongjiang couldn't help but sigh.

It wasn't easy for Sister Zhi to work hard on her own outside, yet she still remembered to buy health products for the family. If she was scammed, she was scammed; it was better not to tell her.

Nan Zhi didn't know what Shi Hongjiang was thinking. She patted his shoulder and boarded the bus, waving goodbye to him through the window.

Zhang Qiuyu, who was beside her, looked reluctant to leave and leaned on her shoulder with a wail.

“Sigh, this place is so great. I don't want to leave. I haven't played enough yet, and I didn't even get to try the mountain stream rafting or the cave exploration because I was too busy taking photos.

“Just thinking about going back to work after the holiday gives me a headache. Ah, you're so lucky. Not only did you take annual leave from your supervisor, but you can also stay out for another month.”

Nan Zhi smiled but said nothing.

...

The bus drove to the county bus station, where the crowd swarmed onto the vehicles heading for the high-speed rail station. Nan Zhi alone carried her luggage and turned into a small inn.

Once the sky had completely darkened, she quietly sneaked back to Mulian Village and followed a small path directly into the Qingmeng Mountain.

In the dead of night, visibility in the old forest was very low. The main road into the mountain was covered with waist-high weeds. Overhead, a night bird let out a few croaks, and from time to time, the sounds of small animals scurrying away could be heard beneath her feet.

Nan Zhi carried her suitcase and rode the wind, moving as if on level ground as she strode deep into the heart of the mountain.

She had never intended to leave Mulian Village in the first place.

Regardless of whether this Foundation Establishment was successful or not, the commotion was bound to be significant. The city was full of cameras, and any slight anomaly would be discovered. At that time, not only would her Painted Skin Ghost cover be blown, but even her true identity might be completely exposed.

Therefore, she planned to enter the Qingmeng Mountain for her Foundation Establishment.

In the past, before hunting was banned, there were many small huts left by hunters in the deep mountains. But now, the roads and paths leading deep into the mountains were sealed off. The mountains were full of snakes, insects, rats, and ants, along with many man-eating beasts, making it a place where few humans ever ventured.

There, even if she poked a hole in the sky, no one would come to investigate immediately.

Nan Zhi ran for about an hour. After confirming there were no houses within a hundred-mile radius, she found a cave, pulled out a bear that was dreaming inside, gave it a beating, and seized the cave.

After setting things up, she immediately sat cross-legged in meditation and took out the Foundation Establishment Pill she had received as a mission reward to examine it closely.

The Foundation Establishment Pill was not much different from ordinary pills, except that its surface was uneven with fine patterns. It had no special scent, just a pure herbal fragrance.

“Corn, do you remember everything I told you?”

Nan Zhi looked at the treasure-seeking mouse sitting on the suitcase and gave it earnest instructions. Seeing it nod, she finally steeled her resolve and swallowed the pill.

The pill turned into liquid the moment it entered her mouth—a bitter mass of water. After swallowing it, her tongue felt numb.

Then came the heat.

A dry heat.

A life-threatening heat.

Once the pill reached her stomach, Nan Zhi's first sensation was pure heat, as if a fireball had ignited in her lower abdomen. It grew larger and larger, sparks flying as it spread from her abdomen to her limbs!

It felt like an explosion of spiritual energy. Thousands of trickling streams converged at her dantian, and countless amounts of spiritual energy traveled through her meridians. It felt like the relief of stretching one's body, a sensation so comfortable that Nan Zhi almost cried out.

Fortunately, she remembered to focus her mind and maintain oneness. She quickly held the liquid from the Foundation Establishment Pill under her tongue, circulating the Great Huanzhen Manual while using the Moon-Worshiping Breathing Method as a supplement to carefully organize her meridians.

Between each breath, Nan Zhi's expression gradually became steady. She sat on the ground as if in a meditative trance, with only the sweat rolling down her face, behind her ears, and down her neck, dripping onto the ground...

Nan Zhi, who was in the middle of her breakthrough, did not know that these beads of sweat were seeping into the earth. Spiritual energy invisible to the naked eye rushed and spread along the groundwater, as if a tree were desperately taking root underground.

Deep underground, the once-withered spiritual pulse received an external stimulus and actually began to tremble slightly, exhaling and inhaling like a person's breath.

“Thump, thump, thump...”

“Thump, thump, thump...”

In Mulian Village, a hundred miles away, a new batch of tourists arrived, creating a scene of prosperity.

In the Qingmeng Mountain, a hunting fox carried half a piece of ginseng in its mouth, its eyes seemingly filled with human-like emotions.

At the Nan family's old house, the dense locust tree drank its fill of morning dew, its leaves appearing even more vibrant and green.

In front of the Shi family's wooden house, the old man, whose hair roots were showing a dark hue, put down his water pipe and looked toward the mountains thoughtfully.

Beneath the Stone River, above the heavy abyss, tourists on rafting rafts cheered and shouted loudly, unaware that beneath the abyss, a colossal creature had quietly opened its foul yellow eyes.