10: Chapter 10: Divine Pill + Confession + Remedy!

Two days passed.

Early in the morning.

Zhang Hongling burst into Duan Gujin's small courtyard.

Her face was flushed with excitement, and Spiritual Qi surged around her body.

She exclaimed excitedly, "Senior Brother! Senior Brother! I feel it! The opportunity for Foundation Establishment has arrived, I must immediately go into seclusion!"

Duan Gujin leaned back in his rattan chair, a relieved yet weak smile on his face.

"Good! This is great news! Junior Sister's Foundation is solid, you will surely forge a perfect dao foundation."

With a thought, a warm jade bottle appeared in his hand, exuding a captivating medicinal fragrance.

"Senior Brother doesn't have much to help you. These are the Foundation Establishment Vein Guarding Pills I obtained in my early years, there are three of them."

"Take one during Foundation Establishment to protect your meridians and guide Spiritual Qi, increasing your success rate by 50%."

"If you encounter a Heart Demon, take another one to stabilize your mind."

"After successfully establishing your Foundation, take the last one to consolidate your Realm and eliminate pill toxins. I hope it can help."

Zhang Hongling took the jade bottle, felt the medicinal power, and her eyes instantly reddened.

These Medicinal Pills were too precious!

"Senior Brother, this is too precious! You yourself..."

Duan Gujin interrupted her.

"Silly Junior Sister, what use are they for Senior Brother in his current state?"

"Your success is Senior Brother's greatest hope."

"Take them, go into seclusion with peace of mind, and I await your good news."

[Ding! The System detected that target Zhang Hongling has generated 10 points of submission towards the host!]

[Host has triggered a thousand-fold return, rewarding one bottle (three drops) of Nine Revolutions Jade Liquid Nectar.]

(Nine Revolutions Jade Liquid Nectar: Formed from the essence of heaven and earth, it contains vast and gentle life Origin and pure spiritual power. A single drop can bring the dead back to life and regrow white bones, repair hidden injuries to the dao foundation, greatly enhance cultivation potential, and is a divine item for reshaping one's Foundation.)

Zhang Hongling nodded vigorously, carefully putting away the jade bottle.

She looked at Duan Gujin's pale face, and a warm current surged in her heart.

"Senior Brother, rest assured! Hongling will not let you down!" Her tone was resolute.

Just as she turned to leave, Duan Gujin suddenly called out to her, his voice tinged with nervousness and anticipation: "Junior Sister, wait."

Zhang Hongling turned back in confusion: "Does Senior Brother have any other instructions?"

Duan Gujin took a deep breath, his gaze burning: "Junior Sister Hongling, if, and I mean if, Senior Brother is fortunate enough to heal these injuries and recover to the Foundation Establishment Realm,"

He paused for a moment.

"Senior Brother wishes to become your Dao Companion. Are you willing?"

Zhang Hongling instantly froze, her face flushed crimson, her heart pounding wildly.

Dao Companion? With Senior Brother?

All sorts of past events flooded her mind.

Senior Brother's spirited demeanor, his resilience after being injured, his protection of her, and that vague affection, were all completely ignited at this moment!

"I, I!"

Her voice was as thin as a mosquito's buzz, so shy she wanted to burrow into the ground.

After a long while, she nodded subtly but firmly, her voice still like a mosquito's hum:

"Mm!"

Zhang Hongling's shy yet firm "Mm" still hung in the air, but she had already run off like a startled deer.

Duan Gujin's brilliant smile hadn't quite faded, but his heart sank with a jolt, and alarm bells rang wildly.

"The first step of the plan succeeded! But... I messed it up!" He cursed himself for being foolish.

Using the touching atmosphere of gifting the Medicinal Pill, he successfully ignited Junior Sister's vague affection and even got her to nod. This should have been a perfect start.

But her panicked escape, and the chaotic Spiritual Qi fluctuations around her due to emotional agitation, made Duan Gujin's heart instantly sink to rock bottom.

He knew Zhang Hongling too well.

Her talent was decent, her Foundation was passable, but her biggest flaw was an unstable mind; she easily messed things up when emotions ran high.

The Foundation Establishment tribulation, especially the Heart Demon trial, specifically targets one's inner weaknesses and strikes hard!

At this moment, to give her a Dao Companion proposal?

Isn't this just handing ammunition to the Heart Demon?!

How would the Heart Demon play this emotional card?

Would it make her indulge in a gentle embrace and abandon the Great Dao?

Or twist it into Senior Brother having ulterior motives?

Or amplify her fear of failing Foundation Establishment and letting Senior Brother down?

No matter which path, it could lead to her Foundation Establishment failure, or even her demise!

"Idiot!" Duan Gujin cursed himself fiercely in his heart.

He was so focused on quickly binding this potential stock, relying on her gratitude and affection to pave his way, that he forgot how tense her nerves were before Foundation Establishment!

This went against his principle of prioritizing stability!

What Duan Gujin wanted was a Zhang Hongling who successfully established her Foundation, had boundless prospects, and was utterly devoted to him.

Not a Junior Sister who was crippled by a Heart Demon or even perished!

That would not only ruin the plan but also be a huge loss!

Remedy! He must remedy it immediately!

Before the seed of that Heart Demon could take root in her mind, he had to quickly suppress this unexpected development!

With a flash of thought, Duan Gujin no longer hesitated.

He quickly condensed a clear and urgent voice transmission, precisely catching up to Zhang Hongling and directly pouring it into her ear:

"Junior Sister Hongling! Hold on!"

Zhang Hongling, who had run far away, her head steaming with shyness and her heart pounding, was abruptly frozen in place by the voice transmission.

She turned back blankly, looking towards the small courtyard, her cheeks flushed, her eyes flustered and confused.

"Junior Sister, Senior Brother was rash just now! Senior Brother should not have disturbed your mind with this matter!"

"The word 'if' that Senior Brother said just now is of utmost importance!"

"Junior Sister, you must not take Senior Brother's illusory hope as a burden on your path to Foundation Establishment!"

His tone was resolute, carrying an unquestionable determination:

"Listen, Hongling! Your only task, your only thought right now, is to cast aside all distracting thoughts and fully charge towards the Foundation Establishment Realm!"

"Forge your own perfect dao foundation! This is the fundamental priority!"

"As for everything else, we'll talk about it after you successfully establish your Foundation!"

"If you fail Foundation Establishment, then what Senior Brother said just now will be considered a fool's dream, scattered with the wind. You do not need to dwell on it, and you are absolutely not allowed to be distracted by it!"

"Senior Brother only wishes for you to be single-minded, with a smooth Dao path! Go into seclusion quickly! Concentrate and calm your Qi! Do not think of anything else!"

This voice was like a basin of ice water, dousing the fiery eagerness that had ignited in Zhang Hongling's heart due to shyness and the promise, and also washing away that invisible pressure.

The confusion in her eyes vanished instantly, replaced only by clarity and lingering fear.

That's right! Foundation Establishment was the most important thing!

Just now, her mind was full of Dao Companions, and her Spiritual Qi was in disarray. How could she establish her Foundation like that?

If she failed, she would not only let down Senior Brother's Medicinal Pills and expectations but also ruin her own future!

Senior Brother, he is awakening me, even helping me cut off distracting thoughts!

He would rather suppress that expectation than ensure my smooth Foundation Establishment!

Zhang Hongling was incredibly moved, and her fighting spirit instantly soared.

"Senior Brother! I understand! Hongling will not let Senior Brother down! If Foundation Establishment fails, everything else is moot! When I succeed, I will return to speak with Senior Brother!"

The last two words carried a hint of girlish shyness, but more so, a resolute determination.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressed all chaotic thoughts, and her eyes became as sharp and focused as a drawn sword.

The unstable Spiritual Qi around her also quickly calmed down.

She no longer lingered, transforming into a more composed streak of light, heading straight for her Immortal Cave.

In the small courtyard, Duan Gujin's tense nerves finally relaxed.

"Phew! Good thing I remedied it quickly."