***
A week had passed since the great battle between Mu Chen and Su Qingyue.
The Tianyin Sect had no choice but to help Su Qingyue search for Mu Chen's whereabouts.
There was no way they could allow Su Qingyue to go alone. After all, the sect still needed her strength to protect its territory.
Many sect disciples flew across the land in search of Mu Chen. They visited villages, cities, clans, small sects, and even remote caves, trying to uncover his location.
However, after an entire week of searching, they found nothing.
Su Qingyue was growing increasingly impatient and kept pressuring Yun Tian to find Mu Chen.
To the east of the Tianyin Sect's territory, far beyond the rivers and forests, two elderly figures walked through the woods, an old man and an old woman.
The old man carried a wooden basket on his back, holding only a small bundle of firewood. Beside him, the old woman also carried an old basket filled with vegetables and fruit from their field.
The two of them walked together along the forest path, heading back to their home.
Suddenly, a cultivator descended and landed in front of them, asking about something.
"Hey, peasant. Have you seen this young man?" the cultivator asked rudely.
The old man glared at him and took the flyer, which contained a sketch of a man's face with the name Mu Chen clearly written beneath it.
His features were described in detail on the paper.
"I haven't seen him," the old man said firmly.
"Are you sure?" the cultivator from the Tianyin Sect asked.
The old man lifted his face and met the young man's gaze directly, "Does my face look suspicious to you?!"
The cultivator fell silent, his mouth shut without another word.
Just looking at the old man's face was enough to convince him that the old couple was not lying.
"Tell me if you find him. There'll be a huge reward."
The man flew away, leaving the forest behind. The old man continued watching him leave before spitting on the ground in contempt.
"Damn cultivators!"
The two of them resumed climbing the narrow hill path until they arrived at their small wooden house in the middle of the forest, simple and quiet, with smoke rising from its chimney.
The surrounding area was enclosed by a half-meter wooden fence, with red lanterns hanging every few steps, believed to be useful for driving away monsters.
The old man walked toward the woodshed to store the still-dry firewood.
The old woman slowly stepped forward and opened the door.
As soon as she entered, she saw a man standing in the kitchen.
"Mu Chen?" the old woman asked.
Mu Chen turned around and saw her carrying the basket of food on her back. He immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over to help her carry it.
"You only woke up yesterday. Why are you already working?" the old woman asked.
"I'm staying in your home. It would be rude if I didn't help."
The old woman smiled and let out a soft chuckle, pleased to see how helpful Mu Chen was.
She sat down at the chair by the dining table, removed her head covering, and gently rubbed her sore back.
"You know, they're still searching for you, Mu Chen."
Mu Chen paused for a moment while washing the vegetables and fruit. He let out a slow breath before continuing.
"Just let them be, Grandma Si," Mu Chen replied.
"Besides, if you turn me in, you and Grandpa Tu would get a lot of money."
"Tch!"
"What would old people like us even do with that much money? Too much of anything is never good," Grandma Si said firmly.
Mu Chen smiled faintly as he continued washing the vegetables, "You could eat well with that money."
"I've only got two teeth left. I already ate plenty of delicious food when I was young."
After finishing, Mu Chen carried the cleaned vegetables and fruit in a fresh basket to the dining table.
"Such stubborn old people," Mu Chen complained, but truthfully, he was happy to hear Grandma Si's response.
The front door opened again. Grandpa Tu returned and was startled to see Mu Chen sitting at the dining table, helping Grandma Si prepare dinner.
"You brat. You're still injured. You should be lying in bed," Grandpa Tu said.
"I'm fine, Grandpa Tu. I'm much better than yesterday."
Grandpa Tu let out a soft sigh, hung up his hat, then took out his tobacco pipe and slowly inhaled from it, exhaling smoke as he rested from his exhaustion.
"Grandma Si, Grandpa Tu," Mu Chen called.
The two old people turned at the same time.
Mu Chen stood up and suddenly knelt in a respectful bow, shocking them so much that Grandma Si stopped cutting vegetables in surprise.
"What are you..."
"I am deeply grateful and indebted to both of you. If you hadn't saved me, I might already be dead."
"I, Mu Chen, swear beneath the fate of heaven that I will repay your kindness!" Mu Chen declared firmly.
"Mu Chen?" Grandma Si called out.
"Hahaha!"
"Now that's how a cultivator should act, not those arrogant fools who act like they know everything!" Grandpa Tu said.
Grandma Si walked over to Mu Chen and helped him back to his feet. A warm smile spread across her face as her wrinkled hand gently touched Mu Chen's cheek.
"Perhaps... this is part of heaven's fate that brought us together, Mu Chen," Grandma Si said.
"You don't need to feel indebted to us. Helping one another as fellow human beings is part of our basic nature."
Mu Chen smiled broadly, nodded, and lowered his head. He did not argue with Grandma Si's words, nor did he raise his voice.
He listened quietly to everything Grandma Si and Grandpa Tu said.
The awkwardness soon faded as Mu Chen continued helping Grandma Si prepare dinner. He had no idea what Su Qingyue's situation was like now that he was no longer in the Tianyin Sect.
However, the Tianyin Sect cultivators were still wandering around searching for him. There was no way Sect Master Yun Tian would have ordered something like this.
She almost killed me... and now she wants me back?
There's definitely something wrong with her head!
Dinner was soon ready, and the three of them ate peacefully without anyone disturbing them.
A few hours after dinner, Grandma Si and Grandpa Tu quickly fell asleep, leaving Mu Chen alone, still awake.
When the surroundings had become completely quiet, Mu Chen took the opportunity to begin cultivating.
He summoned the Ancient God Cauldron once more to continue the Heavenly Refinement mission that had been interrupted earlier.
He only needed one hour to complete the mission.
The Ancient God Cauldron also appeared to have suffered no significant damage from the previous battle.
Mu Chen formed a hand seal and began cultivating, allowing the Ancient God Cauldron to float before him as it refined spiritual qi into Primordial Origin Qi.
He tried to steady his breathing, clear his thoughts, and calm his heart. The more focused Mu Chen became, the more spiritual qi was absorbed into his body.
During the entire cultivation process, he encountered no disturbances at all. That only made things easier for him.
One hour later, a burst of qi energy spread throughout Grandma Si's wooden house.
The first burst was white qi energy, while the second was pure golden qi energy.
[Congratulations! First Heavenly Refinement Mission Completed]
[Reward: 1x Primordial Origin Qi Seed || Increase 10% Qi Purity || Heavenly Refinement Art - First Layer Unlocked]
[Mission #2 Heavenly Refinement: Refine 10 low-grade spirit stones]
[Reward: 1x Primordial Origin Qi Seed || 100 low-grade spirit stones]
From within the cauldron, two items appeared, both radiating a stable golden qi aura.
Mu Chen picked up the Primordial Origin Qi Seed, which was shaped like a diamond, except it was golden in color.
What is this used for?
His attention shifted to the second item, a scroll of the Heavenly Refinement Art, engraved with golden patterns along its surface.
He reached out, grabbed it, and slowly opened it. Mu Chen read the contents of the scroll.
Unexpectedly, the Heavenly Refinement Art scroll was actually a cultivation technique, perfectly suited to his current condition.
"I'm going to learn this technique. It might be far more effective than the Basic Qi Condensation Technique."