At this moment, Ning Fa heard a fierce argument outside.
"It seems Brother Yun has woken up."
A strange look flashed in Ning Fa's eyes, and then he got dressed and went into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, Yun Ying was tightly holding Yun Jian, preventing him from rushing into the room to fight Ning Fa.
Seeing Ning Fa come out, Yun Jian's eyes were bloodshot, as if he wanted to devour someone.
Ning Fa said calmly, "Brother Yun, in your current state, you are no match for me."
Yun Ying's eyes were also filled with tears, and she choked out, "Brother! I did this willingly, it's not Ning Daoyou's fault!"
Yun Jian roared, "You shameless pervert who takes advantage of others' misfortune! I will definitely kill you!"
In his emotional agitation, green energy surged around him, his body flickered, and he directly fainted.
Yun Ying, in a panic, quickly held him up. After checking, she found that he had merely fainted and breathed a sigh of relief, though her eyes were still teary.
Ning Fa frowned slightly, then returned to his calm demeanor.
Yun Ying calmed her emotions and apologized, "Ning Daoyou, I'm sorry. I will persuade my brother. Please don't mind."
Ning Fa waved his hand, indicating he didn't mind.
Then, his gaze fixed on Yun Ying, and he suddenly said, "Fairy Yun, the Spirit Contract we signed stipulated that after I cure your brother's poison, you would accompany me in Dual Cultivation for three months. To be frank, I've found that Dual Cultivation greatly aids one of my secret techniques. I hope to extend this period. You can name your conditions."
A blush first rose on Yun Ying's pretty face.
Then she calmly replied, "As long as you can completely restore my brother's damaged foundation, I will agree to any condition."
"But it's best to do it quickly. The longer it drags on, the smaller the hope of my brother's recovery."
Ning Fa's eyes flashed, and he confidently said, "Fairy Yun, don't worry. I am now more confident than before. Also, I won't force you to stay by my side. We can discuss the time limit when it's up."
The icy look in Yun Ying's beautiful eyes softened slightly. After a low thank you, she carried her brother out.
The two were now living in Xiao Yu's former residence.
Inside the room, Yun Jian slowly woke up.
He sat up abruptly, his expression pained, "Little sister, if you save me like this, I would rather die!"
Yun Ying wiped the tears from her face, her expression calm, "Dying is simple, I won't stop you. After you die, I will avenge our Yun family's deep-seated hatred myself. If you know in the underworld, please bless me."
Yun Jian's entire body trembled. His previously ferocious expression gradually subsided, but a look of pain and struggle flashed in his eyes.
Yun Ying continued calmly, "Compared to the deep hatred for the tens of thousands of lives lost in our Yun family, what are personal gains and losses, or suffering?"
Yun Jian fell silent. The rage that had consumed him moments ago was gone.
Yun Ying sighed, "Honestly, meeting Ning Fa is already very fortunate for us. It's as if heaven hasn't abandoned our Yun family. Although he's not exactly a gentleman, he is a straightforward person. Crucially, he can cure the poison in your body. Meeting him means our fate is not yet sealed."
Anger reappeared on Yun Jian's face, but he forcibly suppressed it.
Yun Ying continued, "He said he has confidence in restoring your foundation, and the price is that I have to continue Dual Cultivation with him for a period. I agreed to this condition."
"How can that be!?" Yun Jian exclaimed, both angry and anxious.
Yun Ying sighed faintly, "Only when both of us advance to Foundation Establishment will we have a chance to go to that place to retrieve our Yun family's secret treasures. Only then will we have a chance to form a Golden Core. And only by becoming Golden Core cultivators can we avenge our Yun family's great hatred. Therefore, I cannot miss this opportunity to restore your foundation."
Yun Jian abruptly closed his eyes.
After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes. The recent agitation and pain had subsided, and his expression had become calm.
He asked calmly, "How can we trust that person? What I used before was the Burning Yuan Secret Technique from the Golden Yuan Secret Canon. Although I stopped it forcefully in the end, my dantian has already shrunk by more than half. Unless I have a healing pill of the level of an Essence Gathering Pill, it might be possible for me to recover completely."
"And how precious are pills of that level? Their value even exceeds that of Foundation Establishment Pills. No matter how powerful that person is, he is merely a Qi Refining Cultivator. How can he obtain such a pill?"
Yun Ying was silent for a moment, then replied, "The Ning Family has considerable influence around Thousand Wave Lake. From my observations these past few days, Ning Fa holds a high position in the Ning Family. He values my Ethereal Wood Spirit Physique greatly. Perhaps he can indeed obtain an Essence Gathering Pill."
"I plan to set a limit of one year. If he cannot achieve this by then, we will leave and head to Black Marsh Immortal City. We'll try our luck there to see if we can obtain an Essence Gathering Pill or a pill of equivalent level."
"During this period, we can hide from the pursuit of the Chongyuan Society within the Ning Family. I can also attempt to reach Foundation Establishment. If I succeed by chance, my strength will not be comparable to ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivators. My Spiritual Body has only begun to awaken. My chances of reaching Foundation Establishment were slim, but Ning Fa gave me a Wood Origin Fruit. With the help of this fruit, I might have a chance to successfully reach Foundation Establishment."
At this point, a strange look appeared in Yun Ying's beautiful eyes, a mixture of shyness and confusion.
After Dual Cultivation with Ning Fa, she felt that her Darkwood Spirit Body's level of awakening had increased slightly.
This was also one of the reasons she dared to attempt Foundation Establishment so quickly.
However, she felt too embarrassed to say it out loud.
Yun Jian comforted her, "Little sister, as long as we can open that secret treasure, several items inside will be of great help to your Spiritual Body. Then, you will have a great chance of condensing a Golden Core."
Seeing her brother finally return to normal, Yun Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded heavily.
Three months later.
Ning Fa received intelligence.
The several major powers surrounding the Meng Family had finally united and launched an offensive against the Meng Family.
After obtaining detailed intelligence, Ning Fa immediately understood that the Meng Family was in trouble.
The enemy's strength this time was too great.
The operation was led by three major cultivation families, with a total of three Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
The Meng Family, besides their ancestor, only had one other Foundation Establishment Cultivator assisting them.
This person was none other than the Nine Wood Hermit from the Chang Kong Alliance.
However, due to severe conflicts between the Nine Wood Hermit and two other Foundation Establishment Cultivators within the Chang Kong Alliance, he only brought a small contingent to the rescue.
If two Foundation Establishment Cultivators had relied on the defensive formation and focused solely on defense, they should have been able to hold out.
But shortly after the conflict began, a fourth Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared on the opposing side.
This individual was a survivor from a small family that the Meng Family had wiped out decades ago, named Xie Feng.
Through a fortunate encounter, he successfully advanced to Foundation Establishment and even became a guest elder of the Xue Family.
He harbored deep hatred for the Meng Family, and it was indeed this person who, leveraging the Xue Family's power, had orchestrated the offensive against the Meng Family from behind the scenes, uniting various forces.
Not only did he personally attack, but he also brought a portion of the Xue Family's elite forces, meaning the Xue Family was also directly involved.