I have changed my destiny and become an unparalleled immortal.

His hands trembled slightly with each cough.

If the hand trembles, the knife tip will leave an uneven scratch on the wood.

But he didn't stop.

He was carving a doll.

There was a little baby whose hair was tied up in a high bun and whose mouth was open in a smiling expression.

Gu Yun had never studied carving.

His knife skills were very poor, appearing clumsy and awkward.

"Old man, I don't have anything good to give you."

Gu Yun muttered to himself softly, his eyes filled with tenderness, as if he were gazing upon the most precious thing in the world.

"I consumed your spirit beast, and my lifespan was thus extended."

He knew he had cultivated the "Thirteen Pearls of the Purple Mansion," but his foundation was far too weak, and he still had a mortal body.

If one day I really can't wake up, at least I should leave that girl something to remember me by.

Two hours later.

A wooden doll with an adorably ugly appearance has finally been completed and is now fully formed.

It has a big head and a round body.

Its smile is about 70% similar to Luo Ling'er's. However, because of its knife skills, it looks more like a silly-smiling potato.

Gu Yun found a red rope and threaded it through a small hole at the top of the wood carving.

The next morning.

Luo Ling'er woke up rubbing her still sleepy eyes.

"You're awake? There's some porridge in the pot that's already warmed up. But you probably don't need to eat."

Gu Yun didn't even turn his head as he spoke.

Luo Ling'er yawned and was about to speak when she suddenly felt something flying towards her.

She instinctively reached out and caught it.

It was a dark, wooden lump.

"What exactly is this thing?"

Luo Ling'er picked up the red rope with a look of disgust and shook it, saying "It's so ugly" and that it looked like a black potato.

"Don't give it back to me."

Gu Yun made a move to snatch it.

"Who said no!"

Luo Ling'er pulled her hand back, shielding the wooden carving to her chest. She examined it carefully, then suddenly burst out laughing.

"This is me! Although I'm a bit ugly, I'm actually quite cute."

She lowered her head and looked at the protective golden lock around her neck, a gift from her sect leader father, capable of withstanding a full-force attack from a Golden Core cultivator.

Looking at the broken wooden carving in my hand, this item can't even be called an item.

He hesitated for a moment.

She simply untied the glittering gold lock and casually put it into her storage bag.

Then, he very carefully put the ugly-cute wooden carving around his neck, and even placed it very upright, so that it was close to his heart.

"Old man, this is a gift from you."

Luo Ling'er patted her chest, raised her chin, and said with a proud expression.

"This is my signature weapon! If anyone dares to say it's ugly, I'll knock their teeth out!"

"Alright, alright, hurry up and drink your porridge. After you finish, leave quickly and don't disturb this old man's sunbathing."

"Hmph, I'm not leaving! I want two more bowls!"

The Thirteen Pearls of the Purple Mansion are operating continuously.

……

"I won't eat it! I won't eat it! I'd rather die than eat it!"

Then, a red figure angrily rushed into the abandoned pill room.

Luo Ling'er kicked the broken bamboo basket containing medicine residue at the doorway away.

Then she plopped down on the big blue stone where Gu Yun often sat, crossed her arms over her chest, and pouted so much that an oil bottle could be hung on her lips.

At that moment, her eyes were very bright and lively, filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall, looking very aggrieved.

Gu Yun was turning over a few roasted sweet potatoes when he looked up, dusted off his hands, and asked calmly.

"What happened? Who made our little darling unhappy?"

"He's not my dad, is he!"

Luo Ling'er took out an extremely exquisite jade box from her bosom and then slammed it onto the stone with a snap.

When the jade box was opened, a rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air.

The fragrance contained extremely strong spiritual energy fluctuations; just one whiff was enough to make Gu Yun feel his blood and qi surging within him.

Inside the box was a pill, as black as ink, with three faint golden lines flowing across it.

Gu Yun's cultivation level is relatively low.

He spent a considerable amount of time in the abandoned pill room and was able to identify that it was a three-stage Qi-stabilizing pill.

This is a very precious medicine used by cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage to refine their foundation; its value is quite high.

Luo Ling'er pointed to the pill and said.

"This piece of junk!"

Her face was full of disgust. Her father insisted on forcing her to take the pill.

This elixir is extremely bitter, many times more bitter than Coptis chinensis.

The last time she took a small bite, her tongue was numb for three whole days, to the point that she couldn't even taste her favorite spiritual fruit.

As she spoke, she shivered, clearly indicating that she had developed psychological trauma.

"Those elders lied to me, saying that stuff was sweet... Humph! I just spat it all over them."

Gu Yun listened and couldn't help but chuckle.

In the world of cultivation, efficacy is valued, while taste is not a major concern.

The alchemy masters only thought about infusing all the medicinal power into it, completely disregarding whether it tasted good.

"So you ran away?"

Gu Yun poked at the fire with the fire poker.

Luo Ling'er sniffed, indicating that she was not going back.

She said she would sleep here tonight unless many people used up all the pills.

At this moment, in the clouds above the abandoned alchemy room.

Elder Sun, who was in charge of protecting them secretly, was so anxious that he kept pacing back and forth.

The sect leader issued a strict order, stating that the young lady must take this Qi-strengthening Pill tonight, otherwise the optimal period for the medicinal effects to be fully realized will be missed.

But this little princess is neither easily persuaded nor easily coerced. If we force her to swallow it, it might upset her and that would be a huge mistake.

Elder Sun looked at the two people below, pondering what to do.

He sighed, thinking that he could only wait until the young lady fell asleep, and then use a spell to force her to do some things...

Just then, Gu Yun below moved.

Gu Yun picked up the precious pill and then smelled it.

Gu Yun said in a serious tone, "This smell is indeed not very pleasant, like the smell of boiled and spoiled tree bark."

Upon hearing these words, Luo Ling'er immediately resonated with them. She nodded quickly and forcefully and said...

"Right, right! You, old man, also think this thing isn't fit for human consumption, don't you!"

"However..." Gu Yun changed the subject, smiled mysteriously, and continued.

"I have a way of making it taste good, old man."

Luo Ling'er looked at him with a hint of doubt and said, "Is that really true? You mustn't lie to me. If you do, I'll pluck out all your beards."

Gu Yun didn't make a sound, and turned around to walk into the dilapidated little stone house.

After a moment, he came out carrying a chipped rough porcelain bowl filled with some brown sugar.

"Fire."

Gu Yun gave the order.

Luo Ling'er didn't understand what he wanted to do, but she still snapped her fingers very politely and lit a small pile of pine wood.

Gu Yun picked up a small iron spoon, put brown sugar into it, and added a very small amount of water.

The flames licked the bottom of the spoon, and before long, the brown sugar had melted and turned into a thick, dark red syrup.

As the temperature rises, the syrup begins to bubble with tiny, fine bubbles.

A sweet, cloying aroma filled the abandoned alchemy room.

That tastes like sugar.

Luo Ling'er couldn't help but wrinkle her nose, her eyes fixed on the spoon.

Gu Yun's hands were very steady.

He was previously an ordinary food enthusiast who was extremely skilled in the art of sugar boiling.

The syrup had turned into an enticing golden amber color. Gu Yun moved swiftly, grabbing the precious three-turn Qi-stabilizing pill in one go and stringing them together with a thin bamboo skewer.

Then, he flicked his wrist.

The string of items spun rapidly in the scalding syrup.

Nourish

Syrup solidifies when it cools.

In the blink of an eye, the dark, ugly, and extremely bitter pill was wrapped in a layer of crystal-clear and glittering sugar coating.

It is sandwiched between two bright red hawthorns, and from the outside, it looks like a string of exquisite red agate.

Gu Yun picked up the specially made candied hawthorn skewer.

He shone the light towards the setting sun. The sugary coating gleamed with an incredibly alluring sheen.

"Here, have a taste."

Gu Yun handed it over.

Luo Ling'er swallowed, still somewhat hesitant, and asked, "Really...it won't be bitter?"

Gu Yun smiled and said, "Try it and you'll know the result. If it's bitter, then you can put this old man into the furnace to refine him too."

Luo Ling'er approached quietly, like a tentative kitten, and licked it with her pink tongue.

Sweet!

The sweetness, pure and free of any spiritual impurities, immediately exploded on the tip of the tongue.

Click.

She couldn't resist taking a bite.

She bit into the pill, and its medicinal power began to gradually dissipate. Her mouth tasted sweet and sour with a lingering sweetness, and a hint of bitterness. That slight bitterness, amidst the sweet and sour aftertaste, transformed into a unique flavor.

Well!

Luo Ling'er's eyes brightened instantly, as if she had seen something new and amazing that she had never seen before.

Click, click.

She swallowed the Three-Turn Qi-Strengthening Pill, which had caused headaches for the entire sect, in just a few bites, along with the hawthorn and its sugar coating.

Luo Ling'er was still licking the bamboo skewer, as if she hadn't had enough to eat.

Above the clouds.

Elder Sun stared, his eyes wide open, his jaw practically dropping to the clouds.

You... you've already eaten it?

The sect leader was troubled by this problem for three days, and none of the many alchemy masters could solve it.

As a result, the old man solved the problem with a spoonful of ordinary brown sugar.

This is simply... the greatest truths are the simplest!

In front of the abandoned alchemy room.

Seeing that the little girl was quite satisfied with her meal, Gu Yun reached out his rough, calloused hand and wiped away a bit of sugar residue from the corner of her mouth.

His eyes were very gentle, and they also carried a sense of knowledge that came from having experienced many things.

"Girl, remember that."

Gu Yun spoke softly, but her voice seemed to possess a calming power.

"Suffering exists in this world; there is no way to avoid it. Just as medicine must be taken if it is prescribed."

"However, we can add some sweetness to our lives."

"If you ever find life bitter or medicine difficult to swallow in the future, then come find Grandpa. Grandpa will give you some candy to eat."

Luo Ling'er was stunned.

She stared at the old man before her. His face was covered with wrinkles, and he lacked any of the imposing presence one would expect from a powerful person.

An unprecedented sour and astringent sensation reached my nose.

Luo Ling'er suddenly realized that although this abandoned pill room was dilapidated and smelly, it was the warmest place in the entire Zixu Sect.

She lowered her head, gripped the bamboo skewer tightly in her hand, and muttered something under her breath.

"Um... thank you... Grandpa."

The voice calling "Grandpa" was very soft; the sound disappeared with a gust of wind.

But Gu Yun heard it.

His aged heart suddenly pounded violently.

Deep within the sea of ​​consciousness, the Thirteen Pearls of the Purple Mansion were continuously operating.

"well."

Gu Yun's eyes welled up with tears. He turned away, as if to cover it up, and began to clean up the sugar spoon.

"What are you planning to eat tonight? That big turtle in the tank looks really fat. How about we stew it?"

"Yay! I want some soup!"