Back in his bamboo house, Lü Zhong quickly finished imprinting the memory.

He carefully reviewed it, meticulously altering any parts that might reveal his ability to rewind scenes. Only after confirming there would be no problems did he finally put the Memory Secret Bead away.

After a moment of thought, he walked to the edge of the cliff and leaped off.

He soon arrived in Wangxian Town.

The Heling Sect’s mountain gate had never been attacked during the war, and Wangxian Town, nestled at the foot of the mountain, had reaped the benefits. From what Lü Zhong could see, it was just as peaceful as ever.

The only change was the arrival of many cultivators seeking refuge in the town.

He wove through the streets and alleys to the printing workshop. Inside, production was still in full swing.

Page after page of storybooks was being printed, bound into volumes, and handed over to the merchant caravans waiting outside.

"My lord, you’re back?"

A delighted voice called out from within the workshop.

Li Hejun’s eyes were rimmed with red. She rushed out and threw herself into Lü Zhong’s arms.

After comforting her for a moment, Lü Zhong looked toward the caravans and asked, "You’ve consigned the storybooks to the caravans for sale?"

"Yes. Please forgive me for acting on my own, my lord!" Li Hejun wiped the tears from her eyes and explained, "The war between the Three Sects has cut off the trade routes in the Yongling Area. Only the merchant caravans can conduct business as usual. I didn’t dare delay your profit-making plans, so I had no choice but to consign the sales to them for now."

"No, these are extraordinary times. You must be flexible. You did very well!"

Lü Zhong walked toward the back of the workshop, with Li Hejun following close behind.

They walked past rows of rumbling, water-powered printing presses and came to a quiet backyard filled with flowers and plants.

Water murmured in a small stream, and the scent of lotus leaves filled the air.

GURGLE GURGLE...

A pot of Spirit Tea was quickly brewed.

As they sipped their tea, Li Hejun began her usual report on their recent income and expenses.

Due to the war between the Three Sects, storybook sales had been hit hard. At their lowest point, they didn’t even earn a hundred Spirit Stones in a month. Even after consigning the sales to the caravans, the high fees meant the monthly net profit was still grim.

Over the past six months, the total net profit was only 7,531 Spirit Stones.

To an ordinary cultivator, this was an absolute fortune.

But for Lü Zhong, it was a little disappointing.

Fortunately, he had seized a batch of spoils from the Little Yuan Valley Mine.

The ore and ingots that had been seized by the cultivators from the other two sects were now the personal property of Lü Zhong and the others who had taken them back. This had always been the rule in the Cultivation Realm.

Rather than forcibly reclaiming the spoils and alienating the sect’s disciples, it was better to use them as an incentive to give the disciples more motivation when fighting for resource points.

After all, compared to the immense value of the mine itself, the value of some ore and ingots was just a drop in the bucket.

’If I count carefully, I have over sixty thousand Spirit Stones saved up. Add to that these seven thousand-odd Spirit Stones and my gains from the Little Yuan Valley Mine, and I can just about afford three Foundation Establishment Pills.’

Lü Zhong hadn’t really thought about it, but doing the math gave him a start.

’Have I really saved up enough Spirit Stones for three Foundation Establishment Pills without even realizing it?’

’But since I have Four Spirit Roots, my chances of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Stage are already pitifully low. I should prepare one or two more Foundation Establishment Pills as a backup. So, to be safe, I’ll need at least five.’

As he was thinking, he suddenly felt an ardent gaze upon him.

It was Li Hejun, whose eyes had already grown seductive, her expression full of anticipation.

...

「Afterward.」

Lü Zhong handed Li Hejun a bottle of Pills.

"My lord, what’s this?" Li Hejun, clad only in a silk robe, accepted it with a surprised and curious look.

"Beauty Pills," Lü Zhong replied without turning his head.

He had found this Pill in a Storage Bag belonging to a Golden Rainbow Sect disciple. It was a rare type of Pill with age-defying properties. Each one was worth nearly a hundred Spirit Stones on the market. Long-term use could even achieve a Face Stabilizing effect, and whenever they appeared, female cultivators would fight madly over them.

Li Hejun was stunned when she heard what the Pills in the bottle could do.

Time passes so quickly, and youth is fleeting.

As a mere mortal, she was especially worried about her beauty fading with age.

Once a woman reaches the peak of her beauty, it’s all downhill from there. Even a Charm Technique, practiced to an advanced degree, could only slow the aging process. It was nothing compared to a Pill like the Beauty Pill.

She initiated another encounter.

...

It ended early. Lü Zhong emerged from the room but didn’t leave right away.

He sat by the bank of the stream, sipping his tea and taking out a Magic Technique Book to read.

In a distant clump of reeds, two gray-clad figures—one fat, one thin—kept low.

"So that’s Lü Zhong. Should we proceed with the plan?" the thinner figure asked.

"No, we’ll make our move after he leaves!" The portly figure shook his head, his almond-shaped eyes narrowing. "Heh heh, perhaps kidnapping that mortal woman will yield some unexpected results."

"Suit yourself. If you ruin the plan, you’re the one who’ll suffer for it," the thinner figure said, not objecting.

Soon, Lü Zhong finished his cup of Spirit Tea and started walking back toward Wangxian Town.

At the same time, the two gray-clad figures confirmed their target was gone. They emerged silently from their hiding spot, transformed into two wisps of churning black energy, and descended upon Li Hejun’s private chamber.

Suddenly, a golden light flashed!

The two wisps of black energy went in fast, but they were thrown out even faster.

They tumbled to the ground, revealing two figures in gray clothes: a man and a woman, one fat and one thin.

"You... you left, didn’t you?" the portly man in gray cried in alarm.

"Hmph!" Lü Zhong sneered, not bothering to explain.

It was simply that they were just across the stream, and their malicious intent had been so undisguised that he’d noticed them the moment they appeared. Otherwise, his time with Li Hejun wouldn’t have ended so early.