Chapter 13 Only She Stinks
"Xiaohuzi, let me ask you something."
Lin Wei put on a serious expression.
Sun Hu looked equally earnest: "Go ahead, Granny."
"When you finish cultivating, does a layer of black filth appear on your body?"
Lin Wei still cared deeply about the fact that she smelled so terrible. She knew this filth must be impurities expelled from her body, but why didn't anyone else stink?
The fact that only she smelled awful truly broke her defense. Fortunately, she was wearing the face of an elderly woman; otherwise, who could handle dying of embarrassment every single day?
"Granny, I heard that cultivation purges impurities from the body. You shouldn't feel embarrassed. We just entered the Dao earlier, but everyone is actually the same. If we were your age, we wouldn't be any better off than you."
Sun Hu knew that layer of filth was simply due to an excess of bodily impurities.
"Doesn't that mean once the bodily impurities are completely cleared out, that kind of filth won't appear anymore? How long will it take to be completely clean?"
Lin Wei asked with eager anticipation.
"Granny, I once heard an expert say that only after Foundation Establishment does one truly break free from mortal flesh. What layer of Qi Condensation are you at now, Granny?"
Sun Hu looked at Lin Wei with a concerned gaze.
Lin Wei appeared quite advanced in age, and Foundation Establishment was a major threshold in immortal cultivation.
Only after reaching Foundation Establishment could one be considered a true cultivator.
Some people achieved Foundation Establishment in a year or two, others in three to five years, and still others in ten.
Sun Hu felt a trace of worry, afraid Lin Wei might not live long enough to reach that stage.
"The 7th Layer of Qi Condensation. What layer are you on?"
Lin Wei got a headache whenever she thought of her original body's cultivation level. She hadn't even completely cleared her original meridians yet, let alone talk about increasing her cultivation.
"I'm currently at the 9th Layer of Qi Condensation."
Sun Hu finished speaking and looked at Lin Wei, awaiting her praise.
"Not bad, keep up the good work."
Lin Wei saw through his thoughts and offered gentle praise; Sun Hu was indeed exceptional.
"Cultivate diligently these next few days. When the time comes to refine pills, infusing your spiritual qi into them will yield even better results."
Lin Wei also needed to step up her cultivation. In the face of absolute strength, smelling a little bad was a negligible detail.
Sun Hu nodded, stood up, and quietly backed out of the room.
For the next seven days, Lin Wei focused entirely on clearing her meridians.
On the night of the eighth day, Lin Wei felt the spiritual qi within her body suddenly begin to stir. She felt as though every meridian in her body had opened up. Ignoring her fatigue, she immediately began absorbing spiritual qi.
A wisp after wisp of spiritual qi entered her body, and she felt an immense sense of lightness throughout. Sensing that her body could no longer absorb any more spiritual qi, she concentrated on guiding it to circulate through her body before finally storing it in her Dantian.
When dawn broke, she opened her eyes, and a wave of stench assaulted her senses.
She quickly put on a face mask. Whether it was her imagination or not, she smelled even worse today than the previous days.
She hurried off to wash up. As layers of black grime were washed away, Lin Wei was startled to find that her sagging skin seemed a bit firmer.
Looking in the mirror, she saw an elderly woman with a fairly healthy complexion.
With so many bodily impurities expelled, and drinking spiritual chicken soup every day, it was only natural for her complexion to improve.
Returning to her quarters, Sun Hu brought over food, and the two of them ate together.
"Granny, those medicinal herbs are almost all sold out. Only the inferior ones are left. Do you want to go take a look?"
Every day when Sun Hu went to collect the meals, he would listen in on conversations among the others.
He had always kept in mind that Lin Wei hadn't yet prepared her herbs for pill refining.
Lin Wei nodded: "Yes, we'll go in a moment."
The assessment was only a few days away, and she needed to get her herbs bought.
After the meal, Sun Hu washed the dishes while Lin Wei waited.
Though Sun Hu looked like a simple-minded, bulky fellow, he was actually very meticulous. Over the few days they had known each other, Lin Wei learned that he was an orphan, raised by his grandmother.
Sun Hu possessed a tender heart and took exceptional care of her. Sometimes Lin Wei couldn't help thinking that if his grandmother's spirit in heaven could see this, she would surely be both jealous and proud of the boy she had raised.
The two of them arrived at the apothecary once more. Compared to the previous few days, there were far fewer people here, with only a scattering of individuals. The displayed herbs were also incomplete.
Lin Wei used five middle-grade pills to purchase all the herbs she needed.
As they were about to leave, Sun Hu looked as though he had something to say but hesitated.
Watching him wriggle around almost like a maggot, Lin Wei smiled and asked: "What is it?"
Sun Hu scratched his head and spoke up: "Granny, shouldn't you buy an extra portion?"
Those herbs had poor appearances and their medicinal efficacy was compromised, meaning there was a chance of failing the refinement. Preparing an extra portion was the only foolproof strategy.
Lin Wei shook her head: "No need, these are quite enough. We'll go home now to focus on our cultivation and wait for the assessment in a few days."
She could genuinely feel Sun Hu's concern for her.
The two returned to their quarters, where three chickens were stewed that evening.
Lin Wei drank a large amount of chicken soup, ate half the chicken meat, and shut the bedroom door right after the meal.
Sitting on the bed, she took out three high-grade pills and swallowed them all at once.
Instead of checking how much her lifespan had increased, she immediately began absorbing spiritual qi.
She could clearly feel that her bodily meridians had widened slightly, allowing her to absorb even more spiritual qi.
When she opened her eyes once more, she almost fainted from the stench.
She hurriedly gathered her clothes and went to wash up.
Only after cleaning herself did she feel truly alive.
She opened the light screen.
Lifespan: 65 days
Looking at the increased lifespan, Lin Wei broke into a smile. Wonderful, she had another two months.
Her Dantian now held a fist-sized mass of spiritual qi.
Realizing there were only a few days left, Lin Wei decided to exchange for a few Bigu Pills so she could cultivate day and night over the coming days.
She could sense that a breakthrough was imminent.
Returning to her quarters for a meal, Lin Wei said to Sun Hu afterward: "I'm heading to the apothecary to exchange for some Bigu Pills. Don't worry about finding me for meals over the next few days. I'm about to break through, and I'll strive to reach the 8th Layer of Qi Condensation before the assessment."
Sun Hu nodded: "Alright, Granny, you will definitely make the breakthrough."
Lin Wei smiled; a breakthrough would be ideal, but human effort dictates the outcome.
She returned from the apothecary with her Bigu Pills, but as she passed the corner of a rockery, she heard voices and immediately stopped, concealing herself within the artificial rock formation.
She was not one for eavesdropping, but the content of their conversation concerned her directly, so she had no choice but to listen.
"Yunfeng, thank you for accompanying me to the apothecary. Is Yunhai's injury getting any better? Has the person Uncle-Master is looking for been found?"
Qian Jiaojiao asked with concern, her bright, watery eyes gazing at Lu Yunfeng beside her, unable to mask her admiration and delight.
Lu Yunfeng maintained a cold and aloof demeanor as he replied: "Yunhai's injury hasn't fully healed yet; it will take time. That person hasn't been found either, though since she's just a mortal, she should be dead by now."
"Who on earth is that person?"
Qian Jiaojiao felt a twinge of curiosity. How could a mortal cross paths with an immortal Uncle-Master, and how could a mortal manage to offend an immortal?
When Lu Yan wanted someone found, he hadn't treated it as a polite request; instead, he told the disciples that finding her and expelling her from the mountain gate was enough.
"Just an insignificant person."
Lu Yunfeng frowned, unwilling to dwell on the matter.
To him, having a mother like that was a disgrace. She had no business being in the sect in the first place, and now that his younger brother was injured, she didn't even care—if she was dead, good riddance.
Sensing Lu Yunfeng's displeasure, Qian Jiaojiao dropped the subject and steered the conversation elsewhere.
One moment she was talking about taking Lu Yunfeng to eat spiritual beast meat, and the next she was proposing they cultivate together, the two of them walking off toward the apothecary.
Only after they had walked far away did Lin Wei emerge from her hiding spot and return to her quarters.