***
One week had passed since the major clash between Mu Chen and Su Qingyue. The Tianyin Sect had no choice but to help Su Qingyue search for Mu Chen.
They couldn't simply let Su Qingyue go out looking alone. The Tianyin Sect still needed her strength to protect their territory.
Many sect disciples flew out across the land, searching for any sign of Mu Chen. They visited villages, cities, clans, small sects, and hidden caves, all in hopes of finding where he had gone.
But one week of searching turned up nothing. Su Qingyue grew more and more impatient, constantly pressing Yun Tian to keep looking.
To the east of the Tianyin Sect's territory, far past rivers and through thick forest, two elderly people walked along a woodland path, a grandfather and a grandmother.
The old man carried a wooden basket on his back, filled with a modest supply of firewood. At his side, the old woman carried an aged basket of her own, packed with vegetables and fruit from their field.
The two of them walked together along the forest trail toward their home. A cultivator dropped in and hovered in front of them, asking something.
"Hey, peasant! Have you seen this young man?" the cultivator asked, bluntly.
The old man looked sharply at them and took a flyer being held out, a sketch of a man's face with the name Mu Chen written on it. The description beneath it spelled out his appearance in clear detail.
"I haven't seen him!" the old man said firmly.
"Are you sure?!" the Tianyin Sect cultivator asked.
The old man raised his face and met the young man's eyes. "Do I look like someone who would lie to you?!"
The cultivator went quiet, mouth locked, saying nothing. Just one look at the old man's face was more than enough to convince him that neither the grandfather nor the grandmother was hiding anything.
"Let me know if you spot him. There's a big reward!"
The man flew off and left the forest. The old man watched him go, then sent him off with a contemptuous spit.
"Damn cultivators!"
The two of them continued up the hillside trail until they reached their small wooden house in the middle of the forest, a simple home with a chimney.
The area around it was kept behind a half-meter fence, with red lanterns hung every two steps, believed to ward off monsters.
The old man stepped into the woodshed and put away his dry firewood. The old woman pushed the front door open slowly, walked in, and found a man standing in the kitchen.
"Mu Chen?" the old woman asked.
Mu Chen turned around and saw the old woman coming in with a basket on her back. He stopped what he was doing and walked over to help take the basket from her.
"You only woke up yesterday. Why are you already working?" the old woman asked.
"I'm staying in your home. It wouldn't be right not to help."
The old woman smiled and let out a small laugh, watching Mu Chen pitch in without being asked. She sat in the chair at the dining table, took off her head covering, and rubbed her lower back gently.
"You know, they're still out there looking for you, Mu Chen."
Mu Chen paused for a moment while washing the vegetables and fruit. He let out a slow breath, then kept going.
"Let them look, Grandma Si," Mu Chen said.
"Besides, if you turned me in, you and Grandpa Tu would get a lot of money."
"Tch!"
"What use do old people like us have for that much money? Having too much of anything is never good!" Grandma Si said firmly.
Mu Chen smiled quietly and kept washing the vegetables. "You could eat well with that money."
"I've got two teeth left. I already ate plenty of good food when I was young."
He finished washing the vegetables and fruit and brought everything in a clean basket to the dining table.
"Stubborn old woman," Mu Chen muttered, though he was genuinely happy about Grandma Si's response.
The front door opened again. Grandpa Tu came in and looked surprised to find Mu Chen sitting at the dining table, helping Grandma Si prepare dinner.
"Hey! You're still sick. You should keep lying in bed," Grandpa Tu said.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Tu. I'm a lot better than yesterday."
Grandpa Tu let out a slow sigh, hung up his coat, and picked up his tobacco pipe, drawing on it slowly and letting the smoke drift out. He was clearly resting after a long and tired day.
"Grandma Si, Grandpa Tu," Mu Chen called out.
Both elders turned at the same time. Mu Chen rose from his seat and bowed deeply in a formal show of respect, catching them both off guard. Grandma Si was so stunned she stopped cutting vegetables.
"What are you..."
"I am deeply grateful and deeply indebted to both of you. If you hadn't saved me, I would likely be dead."
"I, Mu Chen, swear under the fate of heaven that I will repay your kindness!" Mu Chen said firmly.
"Mu Chen?" Grandma Si called.
"HAHAHA!"
"Now that is how a cultivator should act! Not like those arrogant ones who think they know everything!" Grandpa Tu said.
Grandma Si walked over to Mu Chen and helped him back to his feet. A wide smile spread across her face, and her wrinkled hand touched his cheek gently.
"Maybe... this is part of heaven's fate bringing us together, Mu Chen," Grandma Si said.
"You don't need to feel indebted to us. Helping each other is just what people do," she added.
Mu Chen smiled wide, nodded, and lowered his head. He didn't argue with anything Grandma Si said, and he didn't raise his voice. He listened to everything both she and Grandpa Tu had to say.
The awkwardness eased as Mu Chen helped Grandma Si finish preparing dinner. He had no idea what Su Qingyue's state was like now that he was no longer in the Tianyin Sect.
But the Tianyin Sect cultivators were still out there searching for him. Sect Leader Yun Tian would never order something like that on his own.
She almost killed me... and now she wants me back?
Dinner was ready. The three of them ate the evening meal in quiet peace, with no one around to bother them.
Grandma Si and Grandpa Tu fell asleep quickly a few hours after dinner, leaving Mu Chen alone and still wide awake.
When the house had grown quiet enough, Mu Chen put his time to use and began cultivating. He summoned the Ancient God Cauldron to work on finishing the Heavenly Refinement mission that had been cut short.
He only needed one hour for the mission to complete, and the Ancient God Cauldron showed no significant damage from the previous battle.
Mu Chen formed a hand seal and began cultivating, letting the Ancient God Cauldron float before him and refine spiritual qi into Primordial Origin Qi.
He worked on keeping his breathing steady, clearing his mind, calming his heart. The more focused he became, the more spiritual qi flowed into him.
Throughout the cultivation session, nothing disturbed him. That made it all the easier.
One hour passed. A pulse of qi energy spread through Grandma Si's wooden house. The first pulse was white qi energy. The second was pure golden qi energy.
[Congratulations! Heavenly Refinement Mission Two Complete]
[Reward: 1x Primordial Origin Qi Seed || Increase Qi Purity 10% || Heavenly Refinement Art, First Layer Unlocked]
[Heavenly Refinement Mission 3: Refine 10 Low-Grade Spirit Stones]
[Reward: 1x Primordial Origin Qi Seed || 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones]
From inside the cauldron, two items appeared, both radiating a stable and steady pure golden qi aura. Mu Chen picked up the Primordial Origin Qi Seed, shaped like a diamond but colored gold.
What is this even for?
His attention shifted to the second item, a Heavenly Refinement Art technique scroll with gold engravings along its surface. He reached out, took hold of it, and opened it.
Mu Chen read through the scroll's contents. It came as a surprise that the Heavenly Refinement Art was a cultivation technique scroll, perfectly suited to where he was right now.
"I'll study this technique. It might be far more effective than the Early Qi Condensation Art."