Ascending from the mortal realm to become an immortal begins with taking charge of a grotto-heaven.

Zhang Li was secretly delighted and continued the conversation, nodding blankly as if to say, "How did Senior Brother Lu know? A senior brother did come to me earlier, saying he knew the manager of the Pill Hall and that the pills were 20% cheaper than in the market through internal channels. He also said that he would get a commission for bringing more people. I tried the pills and they were indeed quite good, so I bought some from him at a low price."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ying did not rush to answer. Instead, she pulled Zhang Li to a secluded corner before slowly speaking:

"What was the name of the person who sold you the pills? Do you have anyone to introduce them to you? Are there any pills left?"

Zhang Li still feigned complete ignorance and calmly replied, "That person's name is Wang Hao, and he lives in courtyard number 73 on Lingze Peak. I happen to have one pill left."

As he spoke, Zhang Li took out the sample that Wang Hao had given him earlier.

Lu Ying reached out and took it, glanced at it, and her face lit up with joy. She immediately said, "Don't believe in cheap pills anymore. This pill looks normal and works normally, but when it was made, the Qi-Nourishing Grass was replaced with the cheaper Qi-Boiling Grass. Although the properties of the two kinds of spiritual herbs are contradictory, their effects are extremely similar after being made into pills, so it is difficult to tell the difference."

"I only realized this after I had some prior experience with it, but taking a small amount of Boiling Qi Grass does indeed help accelerate the breakthrough of cultivation bottlenecks."

At this point, Lu Ying snorted coldly and continued, "But if you take too much, it will cause your magical power to become unstable, or even lead to qi deviation."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Li trembled, his face instantly filled with lingering fear. He subconsciously took a half step back, looking utterly shaken, his voice trembling with panic: "Then...then...this...Senior brother, you must save me!"

Seeing that he was terrified and at a loss, Lu Ying quickly raised her hand to suppress him: "Don't panic, don't panic. It's not dangerous since you haven't been taking it for more than a year. As long as you stop taking it immediately, there will be no future problems. But remember, you must not take another pill within six months."

Upon hearing that the pills would not last more than a year, Zhang Li's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed. He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his lips trembling slightly, filled with lingering fear: "Thank goodness, I didn't have many spirit stones on me, and I only took these cheap pills for a little over two months. Luckily, nothing serious happened."

Lu Ying carefully put away the Qi-Nourishing Pill, then turned her gaze to Zhang Li, softening her tone: "We were able to obtain information about someone privately selling fake pills and deceiving fellow disciples, all thanks to you, Junior Brother Zhang. This is a great achievement. Without further ado, Junior Brother, come with me to the Enforcement Hall to explain the situation, so that we can record your merit."

Zhang Li's alarm bells went off instantly. He had no desire to go to the Enforcement Hall and make a scene. He didn't want to get involved in this matter at all, and he had no interest in the sect's achievements whatsoever.

In a flash, Zhang Li had already prepared his words. His face still showed lingering fear. He stepped forward, bowed deeply to Lu Ying, and spoke with utmost sincerity:

"Senior Brother Lu, Zhang Li dares not take credit for this matter. I was greedy for small gains and almost interrupted my cultivation by taking fake pills. If it weren't for your discerning eyes, Senior Brother, who saw through the deception and pointed out the danger, I would still be in the dark. It is already a great opportunity that I can turn back now. I would never dare to covet even a little bit of credit again."

"Furthermore, I was not selected to join the sect through the general selection process. My aptitude is low, yet I started directly as an outer disciple. If I show my face in public like this, it will cause dissatisfaction among other disciples. It's a minor matter if it affects my future cultivation, but if it damages Elder Wu's reputation, then Zhang Li will be guilty of a thousand deaths."

Lu Ying was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and carefully examined Zhang Li in front of her.

He had assumed that Zhang Li would be overjoyed to hear of his merits and the sect's reward, and would be eager to go to the Enforcement Hall with him immediately. However, he never expected that Zhang Li would make so many excuses and think so thoroughly for him.

Lu Ying pondered for a moment, then asked, "In your opinion, how should this matter be handled?"

Zhang Li bowed and said, "Junior brother humbly begs senior brother to handle this matter entirely. From beginning to end, it was senior brother who saw through the trickery of the pills and discovered the hidden dangers of the sect. I was merely deceived by chance and unintentionally provided some clues. I have no credit whatsoever. All the credit belongs to senior brother."

"Senior brother only needs to go to the Enforcement Hall to report. With your abilities, you will surely be able to thoroughly investigate the matter of disciples selling counterfeit pills and harming fellow disciples, and prevent future troubles."

At this point, Zhang Li glanced quickly at Lu Ying, and seeing that his expression was normal, he continued, "I'm more afraid that I might say something wrong because I don't know the rules, and that it might ruin your important business. I only ask that you grant my request and not mention my name, so that I can focus on my cultivation in peace."

"Since you are unwilling to show yourself, and for the sake of the disciples' future peaceful environment for cultivation, I have no choice but to step forward for my brother."

Lu Ying, with an air of righteous indignation, patted Zhang Li on the shoulder at the end and said, "But junior brother, please rest assured, your senior brother will definitely make it up to you."

He readily cupped his hands in a gesture of deep gratitude, saying, "Senior brother, you're too kind. There's no need..."

Zhang Li was about to refuse, but before he could finish speaking, Lu Ying interrupted him.

Lu Ying raised his hand to interrupt Zhang Li, his tone leaving no room for refusal: "Junior brother, there's no need to say more. You will be rewarded afterward."

Seeing Lu Ying's resolute attitude, Zhang Li stopped trying to refuse and bowed to express his gratitude: "In that case, this disciple will accept it without hesitation. Thank you for your consideration, Senior Brother."

Upon seeing this, Lu Ying nodded and then said, "Tell me everything you know, without missing a single word."

Zhang Li then told Lu Ying everything he knew, including the parts he had overheard in the market.

Lu Ying listened to every word, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. He nodded and said, "In that case, Junior Brother, you should go back and cultivate diligently."

In the future, remember to stay away from any cheap pills of dubious origin.

"This disciple will remember Senior Brother's teachings." Zhang Li bowed respectfully and said no more.

"Alright, go ahead and cultivate diligently. I'll wait for you in the inner sect."

"Thank you for your kind words, senior brother. I will definitely devote myself to diligent cultivation and dare not slack off."

After saying this, Zhang Li bowed again and then turned to leave.

Only after returning to his own courtyard and completely away from Lu Ying did Zhang Li finally let out a long sigh of relief. The respectful and gentle look in his eyes faded away, replaced by a clear and calm expression.

Although today's actions were somewhat impulsive, the result was not bad.

Zhang Li never had any intention of vying for sect achievements, nor did he want to get involved in sect disputes or be exposed to others.

Lu Ying wanted the credit for investigating the case, so he went along with it and helped her achieve her goal.

In this way, he could use Lu Ying, an inner disciple, to eliminate the sect's cultivators who were secretly selling fake pills and clear out the hidden dangers within the sect. He could also remain completely hidden and unscathed, without getting involved in any trouble, and at the same time, make Lu Ying owe him a favor.

That's killing three birds with one stone.