If Gou Cheng becomes the Dao Ancestor, the monkey will come to become his disciple.

Jiang Chuan's image appeared in Su Qing's mind. A blush crept onto her fair face. She got up and left the wooden tub. Her graceful and mature body was faintly visible in the dim candlelight, giving her a unique charm.

Looking at the two memorial tablets, one large and one small, on the desk,

Her eyes dimmed instantly, and tears slid down her cheeks without her realizing it, wetting her face.

Why am I so unlucky? My parents died in Taihu Lake a few years ago, devoured by a monster, their bodies never to be found.

A few years ago, she married her childhood sweetheart and they had a son. However, her partner's parents unexpectedly perished in the Yunmeng Mountains.

Not long ago, his Daoist partner Xu Mu also died while fighting over a few spirit stones to get medicine for his terminally ill son...

Su Qing, tears streaming down her face, murmured to herself, her eyes devoid of any color:

"Am I truly destined to be a jinx, bringing misfortune to my father, mother, husband, and children...?"

"But I'm just an ordinary woman. I haven't even succeeded in 'guiding qi into the body,' and I haven't done anything heinous. I just want to live. What's wrong with that?"

Su Qing recalled the scene of being rejected when she offered herself to the emperor that evening, and the thought of how she, a mere mortal woman, would have to survive alone in the cruel world of cultivation. Her body trembled uncontrollably, a result of her worry about the future and her confusion about the road ahead.

Looking at the wooden house in Jiangchuan in the distance,

A hint of helplessness flashed in Su Qing's eyes.

She had originally intended to offer herself as a bedmate, specifically seeking out Jiang Chuan, a kind-hearted, honest, and reliable cultivator with low cultivation levels, as her support for the rest of her life.

Who would have thought that I would be rejected so decisively.

Su Qing murmured softly:

"Where can I find a reliable person to rely on?"

"Do we really have to take that step?"

…………

Jiang Chuan was unaware that his nighttime spying had been exposed and aroused Su Qing's suspicion.

After returning home, he fell asleep peacefully.

When I woke up the next day,

Feeling relaxed and free of pressure, Jiang Chuan picked up "Understanding the Dao of Alchemy" again.

Suddenly, I felt my thoughts become clear, as if divinely aided.

It was as if I had entered a state of sudden enlightenment; even the most obscure and difficult-to-understand words could now be clearly understood in their profound meaning...

"Sure enough, it's because I'm overthinking things. This feeling of walking on thin ice is suffocating me."

Jiang Chuan's eyes shone brightly as he continued to bury himself in his studies.

While grinding relentlessly for cultivation is exhilarating, the feeling of having cheat codes pales in comparison to the sense of accomplishment that comes from actively learning, especially when experiencing a state of "enlightenment"...

He studied diligently for three consecutive days.

Jiang Chuan rubbed his eyes before stopping, exhaling a breath of relief, feeling exceptionally happy.

These three days of sudden enlightenment,

This gave him a new understanding of "alchemy". If he had an alchemy furnace, he would like to strike while the iron is hot and try to refine a batch of pills.

Jiang Chuan took stock of his own assets.

Since the attack by the scarred man in the market more than a year ago, he has not set up a stall to earn spirit stones again.

My most recent trip to the market was also spent using the "Illusionary Word Secret" to disguise myself and purchase some supplies.

He looked at the storage bag.

There are still 203 low-grade spirit stones left, mostly obtained from the scarred man's storage bag. The spirit stones he earned before had already been spent at Biyang Tower.

Besides spirit stones, there were also some pills, magic tools, cultivation techniques, talismans, and other items suitable for mid-stage Qi Refining cultivators, which were basically all spoils of war he obtained.

Besides that, the most valuable items are the top-grade magic weapon flying sword and the two storage bags.

Flying swords are the most common and basic offensive magical artifacts, worth around five or six hundred spirit stones. Two low-grade storage bags can also be worth about two hundred spirit stones.

These are the two core assets he currently owns.

"These assets combined are worth over a thousand spirit stones, which should be enough for me to learn alchemy. After I harvest my lifespan next year, I can give it a try. Once I've changed my appearance, I can return to the martial world as a distinguished alchemist..."

Jiang Chuan thought to himself,

In the world of cultivation, one must have multiple aliases, like a cunning rabbit with three burrows, to completely conceal one's true self.

In this way, even if it is accidentally exposed one day, no one will be able to find out its origins and eliminate it completely.

Moreover, as an alchemist, one can also build a network of interpersonal relationships to provide cover, allowing one to gather intelligence, exchange resources, and seek protection.

Of course, the most important thing is to earn spirit stones.

Alchemists are in high demand in both times of peace and times of war.

He also needs to earn spirit stones to buy various cultivation techniques in preparation for evolving his own.

Foundation Establishment is already this difficult; there are still many obstacles and difficulties to overcome in the subsequent Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Refinement, and other realms.

In recent years, he has already tried it; although sacrificing lifespan can evolve cultivation techniques, Taoist methods, spiritual roots, and so on,

But "creating something from nothing" and "refining a hundred scriptures in a furnace"

These two are completely different in difficulty, and the lifespan they consume is worlds apart.

For example, it would take 1000 years to directly deduce the first-grade low-level "Evergreen Skill" into a first-grade high-level skill.

However, if one comprehends multiple first-tier mid-grade and high-grade cultivation techniques and then deduces them to first-tier top-grade cultivation techniques, it may only take a few hundred years.

…………

Time flies, and more than half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. It's harvest season again.

[500 low-grade Tier 1 spiritual herbs, "Blood Ginseng," have been discovered. Consuming one will grant 100 years of lifespan. Consumce them?]

[400 low-grade Tier 1 medicinal herbs, "Polygonatum," have been discovered. Consuming them will grant 80 years of lifespan. Consumce them?]

"Haha, just as I expected, what a bumper harvest!"

Upon hearing the system notification, Jiang Chuan burst into laughter, overjoyed. With an extra 180 years of lifespan, he could do many things and feel more confident.

He did not immediately devour it, but instead looked at the spirit field next door, where two figures could be vaguely seen busy harvesting dragon blood rice.

"...Wait, that's Su Qing, and there seems to be a strange man next to her?"

Jiang Chuan looked somewhat surprised, and a feeling of unease suddenly arose in his heart, but he quickly suppressed it.

He already knew why Su Qing's image kept appearing in his mind after he saw her.

It wasn't some kind of bewitching spell.

It was purely Su Qing's "born widow" appearance and demeanor at the time that aroused his inner desires.

After all, he was a normal young man full of vigor, and it was perfectly normal for him to have physiological needs and desires.

After doing a few handicrafts, he felt cheerful and his mind was clear.

He's only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, his strength is weak, and he doesn't want to get involved with women, even if someone like Su Qing, with her "Innate Widow Saint Body," actively offers herself to him.

After that night visit to the widow's house, Su Qing came to see him twice more, but he refused to see her both times.

He dared not go to places like the "Tianxiang Pavilion" in the market, where all sorts of people mingled, and eccentric individuals, powerful figures, and reclusive scholars were common. Who knew if some Foundation Establishment cultivator or Golden Core cultivator might be experiencing the mortal world? If he fell for their tricks, all his previous efforts would be wasted...

"...Sigh, she's a pitiful person. I hope she can find a good family to marry into!"

Jiang Chuan smiled and shook his head, then stopped paying attention to the other person.