With a subtle shift of divine sense, the humble array within the secluded courtyard activated, the dense mist parting to reveal a narrow path. Gongsun Qing skipped joyfully down it, bursting into Lei Dong's room, exhilarated, shouting, "Fourth Uncle, my cultivation has improved again!"

Lei Dong swept his divine sense over her briefly and saw that her cultivation had indeed progressed over the past half-year, advancing from the sixth layer of Qi Refining to the seventh. He smiled faintly, "Not bad. I can see you’ve been quite diligent lately."

"Fourth Uncle, why aren't you even a little surprised?" Gongsun Qing pouted, looking slightly displeased. "Why are you so calm even though my cultivation has advanced? I’ve been cultivating desperately just for you, Fourth Uncle! You're truly annoying."

"Everyone's cultivation belongs to themselves," Lei Dong, unusually in a good mood, shook his head and smiled. "You cultivate not to please Fourth Uncle, but to survive—to live well, with dignity."

"Fourth Uncle, I don't understand what you mean. I only know that Grandpa, Father, and Mother always pressured me to cultivate, and it makes me very uncomfortable. But since Fourth Uncle said I should cultivate hard, I did." Gongsun Qing, having never endured much hardship since childhood, was unclear about the purpose of cultivation herself.

Lei Dong shook his head and said no more. "Perhaps one day you will understand why you cultivate. Alright, tell me what you want now that you’ve come to see me."

"Fourth Uncle, don't make me sound like a nuisance." Gongsun Qing smiled slyly, taking out a jade box and handing it to Lei Dong. "This is an Renshen [Ginseng] root that Cousin picked for me when he took me to the back mountain to play a few days ago. Cousin said this Renshen is at least three hundred years old, so he gave it to me. I figured you were about to advance to the Foundation Establishment stage and might need something like this, so I brought it to you."

Lei Dong opened it and indeed saw a Renshen root. With a casual sweep of his experience, he could tell it was several hundred years old. However, it was clearly not a wild specimen, but one meticulously nurtured in a medicinal garden. Two Renshen roots of the same age, the latter's medicinal efficacy and value were far inferior to the wild one. But that wasn't the issue; why would Gongsun Qing find a cultivated herb from a medicinal garden in the wilderness, and with her cousin no less? A playful smile curved Lei Dong’s lips as he casually asked, "Qing'er, you just give the Renshen to me like that. Doesn't the cousin who picked it with you have any objections?"

"Cousin said it was fine; he said we’re all family anyway. If Fourth Uncle can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage sooner, it will greatly benefit the clan," Gongsun Qing nodded very seriously. "I also didn't expect Cousin to be so generous now; he seems quite reasonable."

"Oh? Did your cousin also mention another Heavenly Treasure nearby?" Lei Dong narrowed his eyes, his tone suggesting casual conversation.

"Huh? Fourth Uncle, how did you know?" Gongsun Qing’s eyes widened in surprise. "Were you secretly following and protecting me that day?"

"You think too much," Lei Dong glared at her with mild annoyance. At her age, he had already been fighting and killing outside; how could he possess such extreme, childlike innocence?

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Cousin said that next to that Heavenly Treasure, which seems to be a thousand years old, there is a demon snake guarding it, one at the Qi Refining peak level. The two of us can't take it. And he doesn't want Father and the others to know, lest the Heavenly Treasure goes to them. So, Cousin suggested we go out and gather a few fellow Daoists to kill the demon snake together. But doing that means splitting at least half of it away. Fourth Uncle, how about just the three of us go? That way, we avoid letting the benefits fall into outsiders' hands." Gongsun Qing looked forward with innocent longing. "If we get that thousand-year-old spiritual medicine, maybe we can exchange it for a Foundation Establishment Pill for you. Cousin said a purely wild, thousand-year spiritual medicine should be enough to exchange for one Foundation Establishment Pill."

"Foundation Establishment Pill?" Lei Dong's eyes narrowed, seemingly recalling those early years when he risked his life for such a thing. Unexpectedly, after so many years, even though he was already at the Nascent Soul mid-stage, he heard about this pill again. After feigning thought for a moment, Lei Dong replied, "That could work. I'm idle anyway, so I’ll accompany you to find some excitement. Go tell your cousin that tomorrow morning, we’ll set out to meet that 'demon snake.' I trust that with my strength and the Big Yellow Bee, killing a demon snake at the Qi Refining peak is achievable."

"Great! I'll go tell Cousin the good news right away. But Fourth Uncle, after we trade the spiritual medicine for the Foundation Establishment Pill, you have to give Cousin some cultivation pills, just like the ones you gave me last time, otherwise, Cousin will be at a great loss." Gongsun Qing, showing concern for Lei Dong before considering her cousin, was truly simple-hearted and kind.

Lei Dong smiled and nodded. "Qing'er, don't worry. Your Fourth Uncle is not unreasonable. I’ve been out in the world for a long time; of course, I understand the simple principle of repaying kindness and avenging grievances."

"Then I'm relieved. Goodbye, Fourth Uncle." Gongsun Qing breathed a sigh of relief and then happily left, clearly off to inform her cousin. After she left, the array returned to its silent, sealed state. And Lei Dong, expressionless, closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened.

Originally, Lei Dong’s inclination was that upon learning Luo Hongqing seemed to want to plot against him, releasing a mere ghost creature would suffice to easily eliminate him. However, even if only for Gongsun Qing, he decided to make things slightly more troublesome tomorrow. It would be a good lesson for the innocent and lively girl to understand the importance of cultivating diligently and improving herself, a worthy return for her long-standing affection, as she truly regarded him as family.

Lei Dong was incredibly shrewd and skilled at reading people. In his view, in this vast Gongsun family, very few people treated him as true family, but Gongsun Qing was definitely one of them. Carrying this out held no difficulty for Lei Dong; he would treat it as a small interlude in his otherwise monotonous research life. As for how much the little girl would grasp the cruelty of this world, that was up to her.

The night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, Gongsun Qing came to drag Lei Dong, and they followed Luo Hongqing to the back mountain. Although Luo Hongqing wasn't very old, barely twenty, he was clearly much more seasoned and mature than Gongsun Qing. At this point, he showed no outward reaction, affectionately calling Lei Dong "Fourth Uncle" repeatedly, his demeanor exceptionally respectful. Lei Dong inwardly admired the young man, thinking he was a rare talent, but alas, still a bit too immature; given time, he might achieve something. However, plotting against a Nascent Soul cultivator would likely only lead to his doom.

Admittedly, in this world of cultivation, people like Luo Hongqing were far too numerous, while people like Gongsun Qing were exceedingly rare.

After traveling leisurely through mountains and waters for several hundred li, Luo Hongqing pointed to a remote valley and said respectfully, "Fourth Uncle, that thousand-year Heshouwu [Fo-Ti] is in the small valley. I discovered it accidentally when passing by a few days ago. Unfortunately, a demon snake at the peak of the Qi Refining stage was guarding it. Luckily, I escaped quickly, or I would have lost my life."

Lei Dong stood with his hands behind his back, riding a high-grade magic tool flying sword, looking utterly at ease. "Since that's the case, let's go retrieve the thousand-year Heshouwu."

The three of them descended into the small valley like three shooting stars using their light escapes. However, Lei Dong used a high-grade artifact, Gongsun Qing a mid-grade one, while Luo Hongqing possessed only a low-grade magic tool flying sword. On the journey over, he had secretly coveted Lei Dong's high-grade flying sword more than once.

As soon as they landed on a protruding boulder in the valley, Gongsun Qing swept her divine sense around, looking puzzled. "Cousin, where is that thousand-year Heshouwu?"

"Strange, I saw it right there a few days ago... Did someone get there first...? Cousin!" Luo Hongqing’s expression changed drastically. He hastily cast a magic art, and a faintly glowing flying sword shot out, clashing with a flying dagger artifact with a clang. Sparks flew, accompanied by a series of sharp whistling sounds ripping through the air.

Seven or eight figures darted up from all directions, completely blocking the three's escape routes. The group consisted of both men and women, all uniformly dressed, wearing masks typically seen in opera performances, clearly unwilling to reveal their true identities. There were seven in total; except for the leader, most were high-level Qi Refining cultivators. The one standing in the center, clad in black robes, suspended in the air, with his hands behind his back in an arrogant posture, faintly revealed the aura belonging to a Foundation Establishment expert.

Gongsun Qing was pale with fright, while Luo Hongqing, with a look of excited fervor, raised his sword to stand in front of his cousin, sternly shouting, "Who are you people? We are from the Gongsun family; please do not invite trouble upon yourselves."

"The Gongsun family?" The leading black-robed man let out a sinister, drawn-out laugh. "What a grand name. We are so scared. Boy, hand over that little girl behind you for my amusement, and today we might spare your lives." His lewd gaze swept over Gongsun Qing.

Terrified, Gongsun Qing stumbled back several steps, leaning close to Lei Dong and gripping his sleeve, trembling as she whispered, "Fourth Uncle, what should we do?"

"Fear not; these are just a bunch of earth chickens and clay dogs," Lei Dong smiled easily. "Just watch how Fourth Uncle deals with them in a moment."

Lei Dong spoke without concealing his voice, ensuring everyone heard him clearly. The group, who had been looking down, ready to toy with their trapped prey, grew enraged.

... (To be continued)