Volume One, Chapter Three: Nie Xueyi

Having visited the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion in Fengling City countless times, Su Haoming had never revealed his true identity. There was no other way—being the fourth young master of the Su family with relatively low cultivation made him an easy target; once others learned who he was, they would be tempted to kill him and seize his treasures.

For this reason, Su Haoming always concealed his identity, claiming to be just an ordinary Qi Refining disciple of the Fengling Sect.

Today, however, he wished to contact Nie Xueyi to request her help in acquiring a Foundation Establishment Pill, which meant he had no choice but to expose himself.

The token crafted from spirit wood bore a prominent character "Su." The woman who received it was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized that the "familiar" before her might be someone extraordinary. She hurriedly turned to find the pavilion owner.

After some time, Su Haoming was led by the woman to a private chamber. There, Nie Xueyi sat gracefully on a chair, dressed in white with a veil covering her face, her gaze fixed upon him.

“Qiuxia, you may leave now.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The woman who had guided him bowed and left. Once she was gone, Nie Xueyi activated an array, rendering the chamber completely soundproof.

“There are only four people in your generation of the Su family’s main bloodline who possess this identity token. Three are Foundation Establishment prodigies from the Fengling Sect, all on the verge of breaking through to the Core Formation stage. The other is an ordinary Qi Refining cultivator known to have subpar five-element spirit roots. You must be the latter.”

Nie Xueyi spoke calmly as she tossed the token to Su Haoming, who caught it with a steady hand.

“Junior Su Haoming pays respects to senior.”

“Please, don’t call me senior,” Nie Xueyi waved her hand modestly. “I am only a Foundation Establishment cultivator at the early stage. For someone of your standing to call me senior is too much praise.”

She poured some tea, inviting Su Haoming to sit opposite her.

Without hesitation, Su Haoming took a seat and said, “I have long heard that the pavilion owner of Hundred Fragrances is as beautiful as a goddess. Seeing you today, I find it is indeed true.”

“Su Daoist, you flatter me,” Nie Xueyi replied with a smile. “How can my looks compare to Daoist Liu? I already asked Qiuxia. You often visit our Hundred Fragrances Pavilion and are one of our regular customers. Yet you have always concealed your identity. Revealing yourself suddenly today must mean you have some urgent matter.”

Nie Xueyi was no fool; she easily discerned the reason behind Su Haoming’s actions. He, too, did not hide it.

“Although I often come to Fengling City, I am unfamiliar with the scattered cultivator circles here. You have run Hundred Fragrances for many years and surely have many connections. I have a Foundation Establishment Pill in my possession. Can you help me find a buyer?”

Upon hearing this, Nie Xueyi’s normally calm demeanor shifted slightly.

Foundation Establishment Pills were tightly controlled by sects. Without one, a cultivator’s hopes of breaking through were slim. Such pills were hard currency in the scattered cultivator market, with demand but little supply.

Though Su Haoming was the Su family’s fourth young master, obtaining a Foundation Establishment Pill was no simple feat, making his willingness to part with it seem somewhat unusual.

“I see you are only a Qi Refining cultivator. This pill must be of great help to you. Why not keep it for yourself?”

Su Haoming naturally could not admit that he was compensated through a system rebate and could not use the pill; nor could he take it himself. He instead presented the prepared excuse.

“My five-element spirit roots are flawed. Using this pill myself would be a waste. It is better to benefit other scattered cultivators and perhaps earn some spirit stones for myself.”

Su Haoming did not carry many spirit stones. His family feared that if he took too many, he might attract unwanted attention. Apart from a life-saving treasure and a protective talisman, he had little else.

It was clear his family truly valued this so-called useless young master. The reasons were known to Su Haoming himself.

Three years ago, his three elder brothers were gravely injured exploring a secret realm. To heal, they needed the essence blood of a close relative. As the only full sibling, Su Haoming did not hesitate. Before the entire family, he cut his wrist artery to show his determination.

In the end, the three brothers were saved, but Su Haoming exhausted his essence blood and perished. It was then that his current soul transmigrated into this body.

Seeing him still alive, everyone desperately treated him. Thanks to his strong will and some medicinal pills, he narrowly survived.

Unfortunately, the loss of essence blood severely hindered his cultivation. He remained stuck at Qi Refining Stage Six, the same as before.

Out of guilt and gratitude, his three brothers treated him with utmost kindness. His parents and elders also showed him great benevolence.

In short, Su Haoming had become the family’s darling.

After hearing Su Haoming’s explanation, Nie Xueyi pondered briefly before nodding.

“Name your price. I will buy it.”

“One thousand spirit stones,” Su Haoming said without hesitation, knowing the market value.

“Agreed.”

“How generous, pavilion owner!”

With an excited gaze, Su Haoming watched as Nie Xueyi took the spirit stones from her storage ring and pushed them toward him.

Taking the spirit stones, Su Haoming’s smile brightened immensely. One thousand spirit stones would keep him going for a long time.

But soon he recalled that Nie Xueyi, who was rebuilding her cultivation, seemed to need spirit stones even more than he did.

Her cultivation was linked to his own. It would be better to give these spirit stones to her so she could focus on her training.

Resolute, Su Haoming made up his mind. Nie Xueyi accepted the Foundation Establishment Pill from him and, after confirming its authenticity, stored it safely in her storage ring.

“If you ever come across anything valuable in the future, feel free to come to me.”

“Thank you. I must take my leave now; there are matters I must attend to.”

Su Haoming rose to leave. It was his first time holding so many spirit stones, and naturally, he was a bit anxious. In the world of cultivation, killing for treasure was commonplace. He had to hurry home to ensure his safety.

“We bid you farewell, Daoist.”

Nie Xueyi stood and bowed. Su Haoming returned the gesture and quickly departed.

Watching his retreating figure, Nie Xueyi smiled wryly.

It was hard to imagine that this was a young master from the powerful Su family of Fengling Sect. His temperament bore no resemblance to the spoiled sons she had heard of before—in fact, they were worlds apart.

“With this Foundation Establishment Pill, I can cultivate a Foundation Establishment disciple within the Hundred Fragrances Pavilion. It will also encourage the Qi Refining cultivators here and attract more young female scattered cultivators. Young Master Su’s help is truly a timely blessing.

It’s just a pity his aptitude is lacking. Otherwise, forming a connection with him would have been a wonderful thing.”

Nie Xueyi thought to herself.

...

After leaving Fengling City, Su Haoming rode swiftly all the way back to his cave dwelling.

At that moment, Liu Ruoxi was sitting cross-legged inside, meditating and circulating her energy. She planned to first stabilize her mind with her cultivation method, ensuring her body was unharmed before resuming training.