130: The second Foundation Establishment Pill

Candlelight flickered, and the rich scent of Ambergris filled the air.

Fang Huai held his breath and focused his mind, steadily gripping the skinning knife to probe into Deng Qingyang's chest, precisely hooking the last Poison Sac.

Deng Qingyang had already withdrawn his Protective Aura, his eyes lightly closed, with a hint of comfort appearing on his face.

The Poison Sac was barely an inch from the heart, with strands of poisonous silk spreading like a spiderweb.

With just a slight tilt of the wrist, letting the blade edge deviate slightly toward the heart, Deng Qingyang would immediately suffer heavy injuries.

But Fang Huai only thought about it; he had no intention of acting.

Deng Qingyang was willing to let him operate at such close range not out of trust, but because he was absolutely certain—

Fang Huai could not kill him.

An old fox who had lived for over two hundred years would never do anything without certainty; he must have hidden life-saving trump cards.

Although he looked relaxed, his heavy breathing, which barely changed rhythm, betrayed his vigilance toward Fang Huai.

Fang Huai had to be cautious; if the skinning knife deviated even slightly from where it should be, this City Lord would surely erupt instantly, turning him into dust in an instant.

After extracting the Poison Sac, Fang Huai carefully used the Four Elephant Shattering Body Evil Qi to separate the poison silk from the flesh, pulling the silk out bit by bit.

As the last strand of poison silk was removed, Fang Huai let out a long sigh of relief, put away the skinning knife, and said:

"Immortal Master, fortunately, I have fulfilled the mission. From now on, you only need to recuperate for a period of time, and you will surely recover your past Peak strength."

Deng Qingyang opened his eyes and moved his body: "I'm old, I'm old, how can I still recover my former glory?"

He beckoned to Fang Huai: "Little friend, don't be formal, come sit beside me, let's chat."

Don't be formal?

If it weren't for his skill in handling Poison Sacs, and if he didn't still need him to extract the ghoul pill, it was possible Deng Qingyang would have beaten him to death on the spot.

But since the other party was putting on a charitable act, he would cooperate and play along.

Deng Qingyang lightly caressed his chest, and the wound healed instantly without a trace. He looked at Fang Huai, a hint of reminiscence appearing in his eyes.

"At my Zhuazhou ceremony, I discarded jewels and fine food, reaching straight for that cold-gleaming spirit sword. The clan elders immediately declared I was a good seedling for Immortal Ascension."

"At age three, I achieved Drawing Qi into the Body; one punch could shatter a giant rock, far surpassing children of the same age."

"At forty, I happened upon a new Spiritual Vein and used the Earth Path Foundation Establishment method to forge a supreme Dao Foundation."

"At a hundred, I encountered three Mid-Foundation Establishment Stage rogue cultivators; I killed one, heavily injured two, and escaped unscathed, making a name for myself in the State of Chen."

"At one hundred and twenty, with Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation, I killed a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator, seized Sanxian City, and took this position above ten thousand people."

"..."

Looking at Fang Huai, he sighed: "I have cultivated since childhood and only reached Foundation Establishment after forty years. You clearly started late in life, yet now you are also about to reach Foundation Establishment. Truly, the younger generation is to be feared!"

Fang Huai cupped his hands and said: "Immortal Master overpraises me. This Junior only had some crooked luck and obtained a few opportunities."

There were many in the Corpse Fiend Sect who reached Foundation Establishment within forty years, but most were forced by Demonic Techniques, with shallow Foundations and low combat power.

Deng Qingyang's aura was heavy, clearly having practiced every Realm to the extreme. For a demonic sect Cultivator, even eighty years might not reach this level.

That line about killing a Peak Foundation Establishment Cultivator with Late Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation was an even more supreme feat of glory.

Deng Qingyang's words were both reminiscence and a warning, secretly telling Fang Huai not to have any crooked thoughts.

Fang Huai didn't mention the foundation establishment pill, and Deng Qingyang didn't talk about it either.

It wasn't until dusk fell and Fang Huai bowed to take his leave that Deng Qingyang seemed to suddenly remember, taking a lustrous white jade box from his sleeve and handing it to Fang Huai.

"I'm getting old, and my memory is failing. I almost forgot the item I promised my little friend."

Memory failing? When you were talking about your life's glories just now, I didn't see you forget anything.

Fang Huai grumbled inwardly, but his respectful expression didn't fade. After taking the jade box, he thanked him: "Thank you, Immortal Master, for the treasure!"

Deng Qingyang patted his shoulder and pressed a Deng Family token into his hand, saying: "With your Aptitude, after consuming these two foundation establishment pills, you will surely reach Foundation Establishment steadily.

After you reach Foundation Establishment, please carefully reconsider the matter of joining the Deng Family."

Fang Huai carried the cool jade box and quickly left the City Lord's Manor.

He didn't rush back to the Yun Family Sisters' residence but instead went to the hidden space within the Purification Bureau.

Carefully opening the jade box, a longan-sized foundation establishment pill lay quietly on the brocade. The pill's fragrance was crisp, causing the surrounding Spiritual Qi to stir slightly.

"Good stuff!"

Fang Huai's fingertips rubbed the inner wall of the jade box, his eyes darkening.

Although he had handled the Poison Sac for Deng Qingyang and extracted the ghoul pill, his actions were likely not worth two foundation establishment pills.

The foundation establishment pill was a good thing, but Deng Qingyang's words were like a thorn in his heart.

Joining the Deng Family?

Fang Huai sneered.

What kind of person was Deng Qingyang? An old fox who had lived for over two hundred years. He wouldn't give benefits for no reason. These two foundation establishment pills were not gifts; they were clearly ropes to tie someone down.

What Deng Qingyang valued was not his Aptitude, but his skillful hands.

Once he joined the Deng Family, he would become Deng Qingyang's blade, having to strike wherever pointed, with no freedom left.

Furthermore, the blood sacrifice mark on the Deng Family members indicated that joining the Deng Family was not safe. If Deng Qingyang turned on him in the future, he might also become one of those sacrificed.

Fang Huai slowly closed the jade box, put it into his Storage Pouch, and swallowed it into his belly in one gulp.

Such a treasure is best hidden in the belly.

He glanced at Li Zhu nearby. This little fox had been covering her bottom with her hands since just now, not saying a word.

After seeing Fang Huai display the foundation establishment pill, she was salivating with greed, but she forcibly endured it without a word.

Seeing Fang Huai look at her now, she actually shivered.

"What are you nervous about? I'm in a good mood today, so I won't test your progress in teaching Wu Yue the Disguise Technique." Fang Huai smiled.

Li Zhu sighed and said: "Seeing you look so preoccupied, I thought you were going to use testing as an excuse to mistreat this fox demon again."

"Come with me to the surface to get some fresh air. I want to see the moon."

"Huh?"

One human and one fox sat in the backyard of the Purification Bureau.

Li Zhu's mouth didn't stop, constantly nagging about the pain when Fang Huai pulled the base of her tail last time.

"Brother, be gentler next time. The tail is the most fragile part of a fox demon. You don't know, my bottom hurt for several days because of you last time."

Fang Huai didn't respond.

He looked up at the night sky; the moonlight was hazy, and the road ahead seemed just as unclear.

"Li Zhu, I've heard legends that there are Immortals and rabbit demons on the moon. The Immortals are lonely, and the rabbit demons grind medicine. Do you think these legends are true?"

Li Zhu gave him a look: "You mean rabbit demons have to work even after going to heaven? That's too unfair to the Yao Race! Why isn't it the rabbit demon who's lonely and the Immortal who grinds medicine?"

"It's like playing the lute to a cow!"

"Where is there a cow? Who is playing the lute?"

"No sense of romance!"

Fang Huai grabbed Li Zhu by the scruff of her neck and dove into the underground space, saying:

"I've changed my mind. I'm not looking at the moon anymore. I'm going to test Wu Yue's progress in practicing the Disguise Technique."