Chapter 114

“Woof! Woof!”

Jiutong barked excitedly, spinning in circles in place to show his enthusiasm and agreement.

“Jiutong,” Han Luo said as he gently patted the dog’s soft fur, “once you take the Colorless Immortal Pill, I can’t help you. Whether you succeed in the eighth refinement will depend entirely on your own effort.”

He spoke solemnly. It wasn’t that he looked down on Jiutong or wanted to abandon him. The real reason was that helping Jiutong refine his body would result in visuals far too graphic—not suitable for children or adults. No one needed to witness that.

But Jiutong barked again, insistent and undeterred, eagerly demanding the pill.

“Alright, if you really want to take it, how could I refuse? Don’t worry. Even if it doesn’t work, I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Han Luo ruffled the big yellow dog’s head affectionately, clearly doting on him.

“Woof! Woof!”

Jiutong wagged his tail and rubbed against Han Luo’s pant leg, full of joy and affection.

The process of giving him the Colorless Immortal Pill went smoothly.

Three days later, Han Luo stood before Jiutong—now completely transformed—and looked unusually serious.

Since stepping onto the path of cultivation, Han Luo had never envied anyone. His own talent had always been unrivaled—something others could only look up to.

But today, for the first time, he admitted it: he was jealous.

“Woof! Woof!”

Though Jiutong was spiritually aware, he still couldn't speak like Xiaobai. He used barks to communicate, each one full of reverence for his master.

“You dumb mutt, you’re actually pretty damn strong,” Han Luo muttered, still in disbelief.

He never expected that, like Shen Xian’er, Jiutong would also possess a pure heart. Maybe not a child’s heart, but a dog’s heart—equally bright and untainted.

With the help of the supreme refinement pill and the Colorless Immortal Pill, Jiutong had achieved the unimaginable: a ninth refinement.

Yes, you read that right.

Han Luo was stunned. This mutt—who he'd raised since birth—had managed to accomplish something so absurd. A common yellow dog had completed nine rounds of body refinement, only one short of Han Luo himself.

Where was the justice in this?

Who would believe it if he said it out loud?

In truth, Han Luo had only guided him. Just like with Li Jun, he had offered an opportunity—the rest was up to Jiutong’s own strength and perseverance.

Now it seemed even those so-called future emperors and sovereigns might pale in comparison to his silly mutt.

“Jiutong, you’ve made it big. From now on, guarding the house is going to look seriously impressive.”

A nine-times refined yellow dog watching his door? That was beyond intimidating.

As Han Luo basked in pride, trouble quickly followed.

No, it wasn’t a flood of sect members begging him to increase their refinement counts.

It was worse.

After the news of Li Jun’s eighth refinement spread, Chi Xiao stormed over like a madwoman, unleashing her wrath right at the gates of Luoxian Mountain, charging into the Immortal Trapping Formation like a berserker.

“Han Luo, you bastard! Come out and face me!”

Her domain erupted, and torrents of fiery red phoenix flames pounded against the formation. The entire mountain trembled.

She was beyond furious.

After hearing from her master that Li Jun had completed his refinement with just one pill, she instantly recalled her own excruciatingly complicated process under Han Luo’s guidance.

It had to be intentional.

He had deliberately made her suffer.

She was humiliated and enraged. And now the guy was hiding in his mountain, refusing to come out—absolutely shameless!

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Han Luo, meanwhile, sighed and kept reading his “Foundation Establishment Complete Guide.”

“Let her burn off some steam. We’ll call it cardio training.”

Never reason with an angry woman.

And definitely don’t reason with Chi Xiao when she’s angry. That kind of temper might take a hundred years to cool down.

“Han Luo, you really aren’t doing this right,” came Hongniang’s teasing voice as she lounged gracefully on the grassy slope of Luoxian Mountain. Sipping tea and sunbathing, she toyed with a red thread in her hand. “Chi Xiao’s practically throwing herself at you, and here you are, hiding away? Don’t be shy—your master aunt is rooting for you.”

Han Luo sighed. “You call that throwing herself at me?”

He summoned the mirror screen.

On it, Chi Xiao was unleashing devastation like a war goddess, blasting the formation with divine fire.

He had every reason to believe that if he stepped out, her combat power would surge by another tenfold.

“This kind of ‘affection’ could get me killed.”

“You just don’t understand,” Hongniang said, like a seasoned matchmaker. “The more a girl yells at you, the more she likes you. Look at our Chi Xiao—she likes you so much her domain is on fire. Literally!”

She really did like Chi Xiao—both her talent and her fiery personality.

“Tch.”

Han Luo shook his head.

“Master Aunt, I’m not worthy of your precious disciple. Please tell her to leave. She’s supposed to be preparing for Foundation Establishment.”

“You little brat,” Hongniang narrowed her eyes. “When I offered to match you two up before, you refused. Now you’ve gone and pulled that kind of stunt with her. I really didn’t expect you to be into that sort of thing…”

Han Luo nearly facepalmed.

You know exactly what happened—or didn’t happen!

Every day she freeloaded off him for food, and now she was playing matchmaker?

Do Nascent Soul cultivators not have better things to do?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Hongniang said with a sly smile, clearly reading his mind. “And yes, I probably know more than anyone else about what really happened. Or didn’t.”

Han Luo stayed silent and kept reading.

“But really, let’s be honest. You know exactly what went down. Whether it was intentional, accidental, or nothing at all—only you know for sure. Right?”

She giggled delightedly, pleased with herself.

Not even Han Luo could escape her matchmaking net.

“And now that it’s happened,” she went on, “as Chi Xiao’s master, I’ll take the lead. You two should get married soon. Have a few chubby kids while you’re at it. Don’t worry, I’ll raise them for you—you just focus on cultivating. How about it?”

Hongniang’s biggest hobby in life was matchmaking. Unfortunately, she’d never succeeded—until now.

Since the “rice had already been cooked,” she wasn’t going to let this pair get away.

If you try to run, I’ll break your legs myself.

Han Luo’s scalp tingled.
My liver hurts just listening to this.

“Master Aunt, the materials are ready,” he said quickly, desperate to change the subject before she started picking baby names.

Hongniang raised a brow at his impatience, then handed over a small pouch.

“This is all I could gather. Resources are tight lately—use them wisely.”

Han Luo accepted the pouch without opening it—not out of trust, but because he preferred to open it later under secure conditions.

After that incident with the Changshou sect elder, he’d become much more cautious.

“Thank you, Master Aunt.”

He bowed politely, hoping she’d take the hint.

“What, you trying to kick me out already?” she frowned. “I’m your elder, you know.”

“It’s not that,” Han Luo said tactfully. “But shouldn’t you be taking Chi Xiao out to establish her foundation now?”

“Oh, right. She should be ready.”

Hongniang stretched with elegance.

Despite being hundreds of years old, her figure remained like that of a young maiden—mature and graceful, with an unmistakable aura of power and wealth.

A true rich lady if there ever was one.

She finally led the grumbling, indignant Chi Xiao away.

Han Luo stretched too, relieved.

Finally.

Finally.

Finally—

“Senior brother, I’m back! Let’s eat!”