Starting My Immortal Life by Upgrading Buildings

Chapter 129: The First in the Qi Refinement Stage

Feng Yichen?!

Why was he here?

That name was legendary to Ji Yuan—resounding like thunder. Which disciple of the Water Dragon Sect hadn’t heard of Feng Yichen?

Never mind his titles like “Number One in the Water Dragon Sect” or his many heroic deeds—just the fact that he could advance from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment by killing in between was enough to make him famous throughout Shangdong.

But here he was … Shouldn’t he have been in Liancheng Mountain, contending with the Medicine King Valley on behalf of the Water Dragon Sect?

Why had he appeared here?

And since Dong Qian was able to spot him, it wasn’t as though he was hiding his identity.

According to Ji Yuan’s past experience, when someone like Feng Yichen suddenly appeared at the border of two sects, it usually meant trouble. Ji Yuan looked at the written contract in his hand, his mood growing a bit heavy.

He wanted to run away. Just like that.

No matter what happened next, he didn’t want any part in it.

If the Phantom-Heart Flower appeared, it would be luck if he got it—but if he lost it, well, life would go on without it.

There was no need to insist on obtaining it right then. It could wait.

As for his cultivation, although Ji Yuan had built his foundation and possessed the strength of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator, he knew that didn’t justify recklessness.

Quite the opposite.

Foundation Establishment practitioners had more methods at their disposal, meaning he had to remain all the more cautious.

He’d taken so long to reach Old Locust Valley, and yet had obtained nothing. Now, he really wanted to leave.

He personally had no issues with running—but what about Dong Qian? Someone of her disposition would have sensed the danger here and wanted to flee as well.

That was one of the perks of being with someone who shared your nature.

It made things much simpler.

If he had been with someone like Han Feiyu, he’d probably want to join the fray, or think about going all-out.

“Knock, knock, knock―”

Ji Yuan was lost in thought when someone knocked on his door.

“Junior brother, it’s me.”

He heard the slightly husky voice of Dong Qian.

“Come in, senior sister.”

Ji Yuan put away his distractions. Dong Qian pushed the door open and carefully closed it behind her—making the scene look oddly like a clandestine meeting.

“I’ve already asked Zhu Yue to go out and inquire about news of the Phantom-Heart Flower for us.”

That meant there were no outsiders in the room, and they could speak freely.

“Senior sister, how did you see Feng Yichen? Why is he here?” Ji Yuan quickly asked.

“I never actually saw him.”

Dong Qian shook her head.

“Huh?”

Ji Yuan was confused.

“I had previously done a mission with him inside the sect, so I know him,” Dong Qian began, recounting everything. “Just now, Zhu Yue and I were walking in town when I suddenly heard his transmission of intent a distance away. He asked why I was here as well.”

Ji Yuan’s first reaction after hearing that was: “Feng Yichen has reached Foundation Establishment?!”

Transmitting intent—that required divine sense, something only Foundation Establishment cultivators possessed. If Feng Yichen could transmit intent, it meant he had built his foundation.

“No,” Dong Qian corrected seriously, looking Ji Yuan in the eye. “He was still in Qi Refinement—and already had divine sense.”

“What?!”

This was the first Ji Yuan had heard of someone obtaining divine sense during Qi Refinement. Then it became clear why Feng Yichen could kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator—his talent must have been extraordinary, or the fate that aided him incredibly great.

Otherwise, he never could have achieved such a monumental feat.

Indeed, there were countless geniuses under heaven. Even the small Water Dragon Sect concealed dragons and crouching tigers.

Ji Yuan thought: once he returned, he’d need to devise a way to build a new structure—one that could grant divine sense during Qi Refinement. If that proved too difficult, then at the very least, a building that enhanced divine sense after Foundation Establishment would suffice.

“Yes, so my disguise had no effect against his divine sense. He recognized who I was, then asked what I was doing here.”

Dong Qian continued, “I wanted to ask him why he was here too, but I searched around and didn’t see him afterward.”

“Well, he probably has some mission and didn’t want to reveal himself,” Ji Yuan speculated.

“Yes, that’s what I think too. And now that he’s here, it’s likely not for anything good. This place might soon become a hotbed of trouble—so I want to leave quickly. That’s why I had Zhu Yue inquire for us. Junior brother, what do you think?”

Dong Qian looked at Ji Yuan and asked.

“Me? I’m even more eager than you are. I don’t even want that Phantom-Heart Flower now—I just want to run,” Ji Yuan nodded. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“That’s good.”

Dong Qian relaxed upon hearing Ji Yuan’s answer.

“Then let’s wait a bit.”

Ji Yuan infused spiritual energy into his storage pouch and began checking his belongings.

For example: the top-tier magic artifact Thunder-Gathering Boat, and the talisman treasure Sky-Fleeing Shuttle—if anything went down, they might not help him win, but at least he could run fast.

After about half an hour passed, with Zhu Yue still not returning, Dong Qian prepared to go out and check.

But before Dong Qian could head out, a gentle voice suddenly rang in both their ears.

“Junior Sister Dong, and this fellow… Junior Brother, you must be from our Water Dragon Sect as well. Might I trouble the two of you for a small favor?”

Hearing this, Ji Yuan instinctively exchanged a glance with Dong Qian.

That was all it took to know who had arrived.

Feng Yichen!

“Senior Brother Feng, where are you?” Dong Qian stood up and asked.

“Over here.”

The door swung open, and Feng Yichen entered, holding someone in his arms. Upon closer look, the person was none other than Zhu Yue, who had just left earlier.

Dong Qian quickly stepped forward to take Zhu Yue from him.

“Don’t worry, she’s fine. Nowadays, Old Locust Valley has become a place full of trouble and isn’t safe for wandering. Your friend went to inquire about the Phantom-Heart Flower and got targeted by people from the Medicine King Valley. I acted quickly and knocked her out for safety,” Feng Yichen explained with a cheerful smile.

Dong Qian relaxed upon hearing this and placed the unconscious Zhu Yue on the bed.

Only then did Feng Yichen turn his gaze toward Ji Yuan. With a slight smile, he said, “May I ask Junior Brother’s name?”

“I am Ji Yuan. Greetings, Senior Brother Feng.”

This time, Ji Yuan reported his real name.

As for his appearance, he figured someone like Feng Yichen, who possessed divine sense, had already seen through any disguise.

“Junior Brother Ji has quite the celestial appearance—truly enviable,” Feng Yichen praised Ji Yuan’s looks—mainly because there wasn’t much to praise about his cultivation. Feng Yichen himself was at the peak of Qi Refinement; praising someone at the ninth layer of Qi Refinement would just sound odd.

“Senior Brother Feng’s name is also known far and wide,” Ji Yuan replied with courteous flattery.

Seeing that Dong Qian had settled Zhu Yue and walked over, Feng Yichen straightened his posture and said seriously, “Actually, I’m here on a mission from the sect. I didn’t expect to run into Junior Sister Dong and Junior Brother Ji here. It must be fate.”

Ji Yuan smiled but said nothing.

Dong Qian had no choice but to respond, “Earlier, Senior Brother Feng mentioned needing our help with something?”

“Indeed.”

Feng Yichen nodded slightly and said in a low tone, “It’s like this—previously, Medicine King Valley ordered Jian Zong to assassinate Liu Cangke of our Water Dragon Sect. You both should be aware of this, right?”

Ji Yuan and Dong Qian exchanged glances.

They were both part of the Water Dragon Sect’s Mutual Aid Association, and Liu Cangke was the president.

How could they not know?

They both nodded.

“Since the Medicine King Valley struck first, they can’t blame us for retaliating,” Feng Yichen continued. “The sect has tracked down the location of Zhang Zehuai from Medicine King Valley—he’s currently here in Old Locust Valley. My mission is to eliminate him.”

Ji Yuan hadn’t heard of Zhang Zehuai before and turned to Dong Qian.

She explained, “He’s considered the second most prominent disciple of Medicine King Valley, second only to Jian Zong—the one who killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator.”

No wonder he’d been selected as the target of this beheading mission—Ji Yuan nodded slightly.

Judging from this, the rumors about the imminent emergence of the Nine Nether Grotto-Heaven were likely true. The Water Dragon Sect was initiating targeted strikes to reduce internal pressure on their disciples during the upcoming chaos.

“So, what exactly does Senior Brother Feng need our help with? Just to be clear, Junior Brother Ji and I are alchemists, not skilled in combat. If you’re asking us to fight, we might not be much help,” Dong Qian said, deflecting the idea of battle with a single line—which made Ji Yuan feel a bit more at ease.

Senior Sister Dong’s cautious nature was one that promised longevity.

“Don’t worry, it’s just Zhang Zehuai. I won’t need assistance,” Feng Yichen smiled. “Also, there’s another Foundation Establishment cultivator here, but the sect arranged for a rogue cultivator to lure them away. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared come.”

“So, what are you asking of us, then?” Ji Yuan finally spoke.

“Here’s the situation.”

Feng Yichen took a deep breath and said, “Although that Foundation Establishment cultivator has left, many Qi Refinement disciples remain. I’d like to ask you two to help draw some of them away.”

“If I engage, I must end things quickly. If I get delayed and that Foundation Establishment cultivator returns, it’ll be a huge problem.”

Ji Yuan didn’t respond to this request.

Dong Qian also remained silent.

Feng Yichen, as if expecting this, added:

“Don’t worry—you won’t have to fight. Twenty li north of here, there’s a Medicine King Valley warehouse, usually guarded by just two Qi Refinement disciples. I’d like you to go and set it on fire. That’ll force them to send some people over to investigate.”

“You won’t even have to confront the guards. I have three top-grade Swift Movement Talismans. Once you start the fire, stick these to your flying boat—they won’t be able to catch up.”

As he spoke, he handed over three talismans that shimmered with a green glow.

Dong Qian hesitated—accepting them or refusing them both seemed inappropriate.

“You came here in search of the Phantom-Heart Flower, right? I happen to have eight of them. I don’t need them myself, so I’ll give them to you two as payment for this task. What do you say?”

He handed over another open jade box.

Ji Yuan looked down.

Inside were eight blooming silver-white flowers, each petal marked with dual gray-and-white stripes. Just looking at them gave Ji Yuan a feeling of being drawn into a trance.

He quickly blinked, snapping himself out of the illusion.

Phantom-Heart Flowers.

Their reputation was indeed well deserved.

Ji Yuan hadn’t expected that, after searching for so long, the Phantom-Heart Flowers would appear before him in this way.

“In that case, Junior Brother Ji and I will do our best. Senior Brother Feng, please take care.”

Dong Qian no longer insisted—she eventually agreed.

Ji Yuan understood.

Feng Yichen had handled this matter quite thoroughly. The reward for the favor was generous, and he had already arranged everything so that there would be minimal danger.

Moreover, this mission was clearly assigned by the upper levels of the sect. Now, by coincidence, they had run into each other here.

Since Feng Yichen personally made the request, both sentiment and reason compelled them to help.

Otherwise, if things took a turn for the worse—say, they refused to help and Feng Yichen’s mission failed—he could simply make a few comments upon returning to the sect, and Ji Yuan would find himself in big trouble.

Besides, this request wasn’t even that difficult.

“In that case, I thank you both,” Feng Yichen said, his tone lightening after hearing Dong Qian’s agreement.

Earlier, seeing that the two hadn’t agreed, even his voice had turned somewhat heavy.

“When does Senior Brother Feng plan to take action?” Ji Yuan asked.

“The sooner the better, of course.”

Feng Yichen’s intent was clear—if possible, then right now!

“Very well.”

The reason Ji Yuan and Dong Qian had come here was for the Phantom-Heart Flower. Now that they had acquired it, there was no reason to linger.

And so, Feng Yichen prepared to leave.

Just then, Dong Qian seemed to recall something.

She suddenly asked, “Senior Brother Feng, at the beginning you mentioned that Old Locust Valley had become a hotbed of trouble. Is something big about to happen here?”

Feng Yichen, who had already reached the doorway, paused in his steps. After thinking for a moment, he turned back with a smile and said:

“Nothing big, really.”

“It’s just that I, Feng Yichen, am here.”

“And that alone turns this place into a land of trouble.”