Spear That Weaves Through Lightning walked forward with his own weapon out. “Even though she just made us help a bunch of mortals by doing work that should have been left up to the city lord—”

Little Spring scowled. “Are you still talking about that?”

“—You don’t insult our sect’s senior.”

The kid stepped in front of me, as if determined to protect me this time. This brat.

Actually, all of these young kids were brats!

As a thousand-year-old monster, I really didn’t need the help. But youths liked to feel useful so I’d let them do what they wanted.

“You realize that two of those alchemists are in the golden core realm, right?” I gestured to Violet and Red Leaf.

Clear Eyes grinned. “Doesn’t matter. We’re from the Indomitable Will Sect, and we have each other’s backs.”

“Also, one of their guards.” I pointed to a muscular man who was eyeing us like he was gonna take us down any second.

Basically, we’d end up dead before we could even touch their sleeve. It was partially why I hadn’t tried anything.

“It’s not like Peak Elder Grass Sprout isn’t in the area,” Little Spring said.

Point to the brat.

Goddamn it. That dragon was going to update our scorecard once he found out.

“Oh! Grandmaster Grass Sprout is here?” Alchemist Red Leaf said. “I haven’t seen her since the last Alchemist Assembly a few decades ago.”

Violet sent me a look that told me that I was on her ‘To Kill When She Had the Chance’ list.

Red Leaf waved everyone down. He must have had the respect of everyone there because they did so without question.

“There’s no need for that. Violet Pill Fairy here was merely expressing her concern and didn’t mean anything by her words. Now, why don’t we discuss the Dao of Alchemy while we wait for your Peak Elder?”

I could practically feel Mad Tongue getting ready to escalate and Violet Pill getting ready to prove her elder wrong.

The last thing our sect needed was to start a war with the Alchemists’ Guild just because Violet and I wanted to murder each other.

“Of course we can discuss the Dao of Alchemy!”

The teen pursed his lips.

I began to lead everyone to our courtyard while talking to the old man.

“By the way, when is the next assembly?”

“Oh, in a few years.” He stroked his beard, “With your contribution to creating a cure for the plague, I’ll be sure to send you an invitation.”

I glanced back at Violet. That plastered smile on her face couldn’t fool me. Not when I could see a vein in her forehead bulging from her rage.

She had obviously wanted to impress him to get into the conference.

Having been there before, I knew that they limited who could enter, relying almost entirely on the current members to bring in new ones who contribute to their field.

This was likely her one chance to get in. And I was stealing it right out from under her.

Muahahahaha! Take that bitch.

Now, I just needed to con er— convince these guys into helping me end the plague so I could go home faster.

***

Several difficult months later…

Little Spring, Salamander, Clear Eyes and I gathered to say our farewells to Hu Huan and Head Physician Xiang You.

“I hope you both will live healthy lives.” And long ones for mortals.

Little Spring grinned. “Thank you for your hospitality.”

Hu Huan ran up to the kid and handed him a rock or something that seemed significant between them. The two had become friends since their ages were so close and since they’d both experienced similar upheavals.

After much persuasion, Xiang You had adopted the little mortal into his family as a favor to me… Also because he’d come to care for the child after looking after him for so many years.

Surprisingly, the kid had spent the whole fight sitting on the toilet and completely missed everything. That may have been for the best, though it probably left him a bit traumatized.

I looked to Sword Master Salamander, who had reached the peak of Golden Core and was almost ready to go through his tribulation.

In my past life, he only made it to this level when I turned 25.

::I don’t have any gold or silver…:: I explained to Salamander. ::Sword Master, can I borrow some, and I’ll pay you back in spirit stones?::

He sent me a look. ::The last time I used mortal currency was around twenty years ago… I think I might have a few coins somewhere?::

We both turned to Clear Eyes Mad Tongue. ::Bring out your silver and gold.::

The teen rolled his eyes and waved his hand in front of the two mortals. A small chest of silver teals in the Empire’s currency appeared in front of them.

I tossed him a spirit stone to pay him back for it and he looked insulted.

Hey, not all of us had a master who could bankroll our cultivation. Some of us had to be our own masters.

I turned to the Head Physician. “This should be enough for Little Huan’s education.”

He wiped the sweat off his forehead using a handkerchief. “I-I believe so. You don’t have to do this. You already saved our city!”

Of course I did. I needed to get rid of any karmic ties I made because of my promise to Hu Xiaofan. I was currently outsourcing most of my responsibility to Xiang You.

“Also, if the child is ever in danger, break this.” I handed him a token I carved out of jade and embedded with a piece of my will inside of it, similar to the one I left with my body’s original parents. “I promised his mother that he’d live a long mortal life and I intend to keep that promise.”

“Yes, Master Alchemist Lin!”

I was just glad the kid didn’t ask to come with us.

***

Our team and the alchemists from the Guild gathered together outside of the palace in front of City Lord Long Jiaye. It was time to officially leave.

“Thank you everyone from the Alchemists’ Guild.” He bowed to them, then went on for a few minutes, extolling how they’d helped.

Violet, who had been shockingly quiet over the past few months, hid a smirk behind her fan. It was like the bitch thought she was the only one who deserved the praise.

Senior Red Leaf nodded. “The Guild will remember your hospitality.”

“I and the Empire also would like to thank the cultivators from the Indomitable Will sect.” He bowed deeply to us. “And I am grateful to you for helping save my citizens directly after the disaster.”

“We only did what needed to be done,” I said.

The City Lord then placed several chests in front of each team for us to take back to our organizations.

Most of ours were full of raw materials that our sect could use, like local herbs and metals. He also had his maids give each cultivator a small box with local spiritual ores as a token of his gratitude. They weren’t rare, but this wasn’t exactly a rich area.

But I could use them to create armor for Little Spring and myself. We’d need a good set for our tribulations.

“And to Master Alchemist Lin. I’d like to give you this in appreciation for all the work you’ve done to help the city and the empire through this plague.”

He handed me a box. Using my divine sense, I looked inside to find a rare spiritual fruit in stasis.

Violet Pill Fairy sent me a glare.

What? It wasn’t like she could use it since she was already in Golden Core.

“I had planned to have a Perfected Golden Core medicine made from this when I reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, but I might not reach that realm in my life. I’d rather give it to someone who will need it.”

I kind of liked this City Lord. When his people were in trouble, he did everything in his power to prevent the spread of the plague. He’d listened to our advice without complaint. There were even rumors going on about how he fought off the vines during the Demonic Slaughter Formation incident and protected those he could.

There were no rumors going around about him doing weird or extremely heinous things behind closed doors, and he treated everyone decently enough for this time period.

He may have ignored me when I first came here, but that had been my plan‌. As far as I was concerned, the guy was a rare decent person for someone in his position.

I scanned Long Jiaye with divine sense. Ah, there it was. A blockage from an old injury prevented him from continuing down his path.

::I recommend you get a Three Tears Qi and Blood Cleansing Dan from a good alchemist. It needs to be at least High Quality. Its effects might surprise you.::

His hand subtly shook. ::Thank you, Master Alchemist Lin!::

Whether him becoming a Golden Core cultivator would be a good thing or a bad thing, who knew? ::Just keep taking care of your city and people as well as you have been. Some cultivators look down on mortals, but we should never forget that we came from their number.::

He nodded.

As long as he did a decent job keeping everyone here safe, that would also help me take care of Hu Huan.

Now, it was time to go home and get my goddamn kiwis!

The City Lord returned to his palace leaving just the teams who were about to leave.

Before we could leave, Red Leaf walked over and greeted me. Violet and the others trailed behind him.

“Your official invitation arrived this morning.” He handed me a jade token with the symbol of the Alchemists’ Assembly. “I hope you’ll agree to holding that lecture on Sky Rank Pills you mentioned.”

And the Pharma Bitch looked like she’d just eaten something sour.

Muahahaha! I stole her spot and the bitch still couldn’t do shit about it. But I didn’t doubt that we’d meet again. And the next time, things might not end so peacefully between us.

I placed the token in my spatial ring. “Of course. And I look forward to your lecture on the control of strange flames in Golden Core.”

He chuckled. “Ah! I almost forgot since I didn’t have time to give them to you earlier!” He took out two large jade gourds. “The medicinal wine I’ve been brewing has finally finished fermenting. Gift one to that nephew you were telling me about. And keep the other for a special occasion... ah, when you’re older.”

Yeah. Giving wine to a near eleven-year-old, even if it was technically medicinal, wasn’t really a cool thing to do, but there weren’t laws against it.

“I’ll be sure to drink it when I’m ‘older’ and have something to celebrate.”

He looked at the gourds like he might be regretting his decision.

I took out a much smaller jade gourd that I’d filled with a diluted spiritual spring water. Something I could only give now that we had a whole sect backing us... with Little Spring’s permission, of course. “My brother and I wanted to gift you with this before we left. We don’t have much.”

He quickly put it away before anyone could scan it with their divine sense. Smart man.

“As expected of Alchemist Lin and Apprentice Little Spring.”

***

Peerless Resolve showed no hint of surprise when he saw me enter his hall, so someone must have spilled the beans... or he was getting better at not showing his emotions.

I grinned. “Nephew! I returned alive!”

He coughed. “I didn’t doubt that you would.”

“I even made a friend who I conned out of some good medicinal wine.”

The tips of his lips turned down a little. There we go, some emotions. “Aunt Lin. You’re too young to drink wine.”

“Hey! I never said it was for me.”

I pulled a gourd from my ring and handed it to him.

He took one look at it and his lips twitched as if he were about to break his forced facial paralysis again. “Well, I can’t say no to a gift from my Martial Aunt.”

I nodded. “Right? Now, do you have something for me?”

“Of course, I won't forget. You know, it took us a whole three months to gather all of these?” He waved his hand and a spatial ring flew towards me. It was even better than the one I’d been given for winning the alchemy tournament! “You can keep the ring. It has a time stop function added to it to keep the kiwis and other ingredients fresh for when you eventually use them.”

Wait... “You didn’t have me stay there for three whole months just so you could gather these, right?”

“Of course not.” He glanced to the right.

“Because, if you needed three months to get the ingredients, all you had to do was tell me.”

He cleared his throat. “Little Aunt Lin. I thought it would be safer than staying here. While you were away, I made some progress toward finding the demonic cultivators within the sect.”

“Were you able to find them all?”

He sighed. “I only found a few more, but I haven’t outed them yet. For now, I’m using them to track down the others. I’ve also been intercepting their communications to find out what they’re planning next.” He paused. “Be careful while in the sect, Martial Aunt Lin.”

“Always.”

Eye scanned me with his divine sense. “I’d hoped that you’d use the time while you were out to transcend your tribulation. You’ve been sitting at the peak of Qi Condensation since before you arrived here.”

I grimaced. Maybe I should just tell the truth. Well, some of it. “As the disciple of an immortal, my tribulation... will be very difficult to transcend.”

His eyes narrowed. “How difficult?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at the end of Foundation Establishment would barely pass it... I also wouldn’t be surprised if it suddenly became harder than that.”

Considering that the last time I attempted to transcend a tribulation I fucking died I seriously questioned my luck when it came to them.

“Then what’s your plan?”

Just thinking about going through another death-seeking tribulation sent a weird chill down my spine.

I had time. I was still very young and already at the peak of Qi Condensation. No one could say that I was slow, even if I delayed it for a decade.

Except that I didn’t exactly have a decade.

While my soul and body were currently stable, there was always a possibility that I’d need to use my divine sense at a higher realm than my frame could handle. And that would put me right back into the situation I had been in before.

“It will take every possible thing I can throw at it in order to survive. So...”

***

I rushed to our courtyard and found Little Spring practicing the sword. Ever since I’d been hurt while trying to stop the demonic formation, he’d been dedicated to training. He’d finally realized that strength was nothing without the skill to wield it.

He jumped when he saw me. “Ah! Sister Lin!”

“I need to start preparing to transcend my Foundation Establishment Tribulation.”

“That means you’ll have to travel more, right?”

I nodded.

He bit his lip, cast a cleaning technique on himself, then ran up to me.

“I made a lot of mistakes while on this sect mission, but please keep taking me with you! I’ll work so hard that I catch up.”

Catch up to me? Brat. You’re a thousand years too young. “Where is this coming from?”

“Please?” The kid tugged on my sleeve and looked up at me.

I sighed. “Originally, I hadn’t been planning on picking up any missions for a while. This one was supposed to be special because it was an emergency.”

He eyed me with obvious doubt.

Brat.

“Regardless. It’s good that you’re trying to attempt the impossible. There are worse goals to have than being as badass as myself.” I smirked.

He looked a bit exasperated.

“However, everyone is different. Lean into your differences and make them unique.”

“Yes, Sister Lin!”

“Another reason we need to work on increasing our realm — a war with the demonic cultivator sect is going to occur, eventually.” It may even come sooner than I’d originally expected. “If we’re going to survive it. We’ll have to get stronger.”

“That also means more training, right?”

“That is part of it. Especially for you. You’ll have to start seriously working on your immortal cooking if you want to be able to make those body cultivation meals.”

His eyes sparkled at the prospect. “I’m planning on spending the contribution points I earned to have a Golden Core master instruct me.”

“Be sure to do that before we leave.”

“Wait? Leave?”

“I also signed us up for a sect mission.” Before he could frown, I continued, “We’ll need to hunt down crab spiritual beasts during the upcoming Great Crab Migration. Not only do their shells make great additional ingredients for spiritual armor, but I hear their meat goes well with immortal cuisine.”

He frowned. “Won’t that take a lot of time? And we just returned from a mission.”

After waving my hand as if I could wave away his concerns, I said, “It’s fine. This is just a short mission. It will take us less than two months.”

Dark eyes bore into me with the skepticism of an old man who’d seen it all.

I grinned. “But let’s not focus on the things that will happen. Right now, we should celebrate! We just cured the demonic vine plague and made it back alive and well!.”

I retrieved the extra bottle of spiritual wine.

Technically, I was older. A day older.

Little Springs’ eyes grew wide. Probably because I’d told him that wine wasn’t healthy for growing kids. Even the spiritual kind.

Then I pulled out two small cups. First, I poured a little into each glass, then I drowned it in spiritual spring water, knowing that it would purify the drink and remove any of the adverse effects normally associated with alcohol, including intoxication. This was all while keeping the flavor.

The kid scowled.

“What? We have the bodies of children. I will not give us actual wine.”

I had just pulled the equivalent of taking out a champagne bottle, pouring a child some, only for them to take a sip to realize that it was sparkling apple cider all along.

“Congratulations on a successful first Sect Mission!”

He grinned. I showed him how to clink our cups together, then we both drank wine-flavored spiritual spring water. And I got to watch as the kid made a face like he just tasted something nasty.

“Why would anyone want to drink this?”

Muahahahaha!

***

This is the end of Story 7! 🎉

Story 8 - Tribulation Troubles (Part 1), will post September 23 at 2:15 PM PST