As she asked the question, Qing Dai lowered her head, not daring to look directly at the woman before the mirror.

But she could feel the silence in the air.

She could even hear the sound of her own breathing.

She instantly felt a pang of regret.

Just as she was about to withdraw, the woman across from her suddenly spoke. "Are you going to erect a monument for him?"

Hearing this, Qing Dai lowered her head, not daring to speak.

Meng Qiewei rose to her feet. In an instant, she dissipated like a phantom, sweeping past Qing Dai to reappear at the doorway.

As her figure fully materialized, one foot was already crossing the threshold.

Her voice immediately followed. "Are there people who suspect this?"

"Not for now," Qing Dai said, following her out.

In the courtyard, Meng Qiewei looked up at the sky. A gentle breeze stirred the tips of her hair, causing them to dance before the crimson patterns of her attire.

After a long moment, she finally spoke. "What good would his death do me?"

Qing Dai lowered her gaze, not daring to answer.

’But the Young Miss, as pure as ice and chaste as jade as she is... she really will kill.’

Meng Qiewei drew her gaze back. "Is there any more news about the Evil Gods?"

"We have some," Qing Dai said softly, then took out several books and placed them on the table.

Only then did Meng Qiewei nod. "Go see what else those people have been saying. And see if the newly emerged Celestial Prides are truly worthy of the name."

Qing Dai nodded and left.

Meng Qiewei stared at the books for a long time before slowly taking out an orb of light.

With a light tap, an extremely confident voice emerged from within.

"My Lady, you know nothing about an Unparalleled Celestial Pride."

—

「July 15th.」

Jiang Man sighed at the current prices.

The final contest was over, and many things had been settled.

His first-place finish in the Yunqian Bureau was secure and could not be challenged.

But prices still hadn’t come down.

The price was currently holding between four hundred fifty and five hundred Spiritual Source.

Jiang Man asked Xiaopang and the others. The answer he received was that many people had started cultivating all night, which accelerated the rate at which Spirit Medicine was being consumed.

The supply of Elixirs couldn’t keep up with the demand for a while.

The various family clans were also increasing their consumption to fight for the best placements.

The price should have dropped to around four hundred.

The extra fifty to one hundred was because someone had started the trend of pulling all-nighters.

’I’m reaping what I sowed.’

When Jiang Man heard the explanation, he was completely stunned.

’I never thought leading them to cultivate all night would actually cause me such a huge financial loss.’

’How tragic.’

Fortunately, he had over twenty thousand Spiritual Source.

At four hundred fifty apiece, he could still buy fifty Elixirs.

That was enough.

’I’ll have to buy them slowly, though. The price will drop more later.’ 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

’Eventually, they’ll be three hundred apiece.’

At that point, he could also pay back Xiaopang for the Spirit Gathering Pills.

That would only leave the twenty thousand he owed Chang Qiweng.

’It should be easier to earn Spiritual Source after I enter the Sect, so I’ll be able to pay it back.’

Actually, the best option would be to remain in debt to Xiaopang for the Elixirs, but Xiaopang was the son of a wealthy family and didn’t meet the requirements for the escort job.

The job required someone at the Qi Refining Sixth or Seventh Layers.

Chang Qiweng just barely met the requirement.

—

As time went by, the capacity of Jiang Man’s ninth "Gourd" slowly increased.

By mid-July, it was at thirty percent.

By late July, thanks to his continuous consumption of Elixirs, it reached sixty percent.

By early August, it was at ninety-nine-point-nine percent.

It was completely full by the next day.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Man took another Elixir to see if he could accumulate more.

Unfortunately, he could no longer accumulate any more Spiritual Qi. The Elixirs he consumed would simply pass through his body, their energy lost.

’Is it really possible to reach Foundation Establishment like this?’

Jiang Man asked the Old Yellow Ox.

"Foundation Establishment has its own method. Naturally, you can’t reach Foundation Establishment with a Qi Refining Method," the Old Yellow Ox said casually.

Jiang Man froze. "What is the method for Foundation Establishment?"

"I happen to have one. Do you want to learn it?" the Old Yellow Ox asked.

"Is it some kind of Evil Demon’s art?" Jiang Man asked.

"You know more than you used to," the Old Yellow Ox said, chewing on some grass.

Jiang Man sighed wistfully. "When I get to the Sect, will they give it out for free, or will I have to buy it?"

’If I have to buy it, how much Spiritual Source will that cost?’

’I haven’t even gone yet, and I can already feel the aura of poverty closing in.’

The Old Yellow Ox didn’t answer.

It didn’t know either.

"Oh, right. When does the Magpie Bridge open next?" Jiang Man’s thoughts turned to Meng Qiewei.

That last time had really caught him off guard.

’But if I had known beforehand, could I have just stayed away and waited for her power to dissipate before coming back?’

He voiced this question, but the Old Yellow Ox merely shot him a flat look. "You can try it and see if she comes out looking for you."

’With the Old Yellow Ox around, she shouldn’t be able to leave, but what if she insists? If she causes a huge scene, that would be a major problem, too.’

Jiang Man sighed to himself. ’I was so stupid back then, provoking someone like her.’

’And now, look at me. We’re practically inseparable.’

He couldn’t say for sure whether Meng Qiewei would actually kill him.

’What if she’s as pure as ice and chaste as jade, and cannot tolerate being defiled? I’ll have a hard time staying alive.’

’And even if that’s not it, what if she wants me to marry into her family to return my Fate Chart to her clan? What am I supposed to do then?’

’When it comes down to it, I’m just not strong enough.’

’For now, I’ll just have to keep the Fate Chart a few steps behind me. I’ll worry about the future when it gets here. Besides, I still have Old Huang holding down the fort. There’s still time.’

The Old Yellow Ox then told him that the Magpie Bridge would probably open next around July or August of the following year.

Or possibly earlier.

The Magpie Bridge had opened early this year, so it would likely open a bit later next year to compensate.

Jiang Man asked out of curiosity, "If she finds our location, does she have to wait for the Magpie Bridge to open?"

The Old Yellow Ox just looked at him, not saying a word.

’What’s that supposed to mean?’

’These riddles are going to be the death of me.’

With no answer, there was nothing Jiang Man could do.

’For now, all I can do is strengthen my Physical Body and Spirit.’

There was a little over half a month left.

Then Jiang Man did some careful calculations and discovered something terrifying.

There were less than two months left to meet the three-hundred-day requirement.

Even if he headed to the Sect in September, he would only have a little over twenty days left.

’This...’

Jiang Man felt like his Fate Chart wasn’t even treating him like a person anymore.

’How am I supposed to pay off my debts like this?’

It was forcing him into debt, and he wasn’t even sure if the subsequent Cultivation Methods would be provided for free or would have to be purchased with Spiritual Source.