After coming out, Su Xuan took Lu Zhiyi on a shopping spree in the Marketplace.
Aside from the Spiritual Rice and ox bones needed to refine Inedia Pills, he also took an interest in buying a few pounds of spiritual beast meat, some Spiritual Rice, seasonings, and even a cotton quilt.
Spiritual Stones were not easy to earn, but they were spent quickly. From his original ten Spiritual Stones, only three remained after the shopping, along with a dozen or so spiritual sands. These Spiritual Stones still had to cover his eldest disciple’s medical expenses and be kept for emergencies. The Spiritual Stones he had originally intended to use for increasing his cultivation had gone down the drain.
He was still poor…
At least he had the skill of alchemy. Once he figured out the Second-tier Pill Recipe, life would surely get better. At least there was hope. Su Xuan sighed, tucked the money into his robe, and walked toward the Medical Clinic.
“Master, wait… wait.”
Lu Zhiyi carried a bundle as large as a small mountain, her two hands full as she struggled to follow him.
“Couldn’t you just give some to me?” he asked grumpily, reaching out to take some of the load.
“No, Master is an Alchemist. How could you do such things yourself?” Lu Zhiyi retorted, dodging his hand.
She continued to carry the bundle, walking cautiously for fear of stepping on her new clothes. Seeing her stubborn expression, Su Xuan was speechless. ‘She was so obedient before. Why has she started talking back ever since I protected her? Heh, women.’
Seeing her persistence, he was happy to enjoy the lack of labor.
Renxin Medical Clinic was located in the southeast corner of the Marketplace.
The old doctor was a Physician who specialized in medicine.
Although he could not refine pills, his medical skills were superb, and he was highly respected in the Marketplace.
By the time Su Xuan and Lu Zhiyi entered the clinic, it was getting late.
The old man was brewing a decoction on a stove.
When he saw Su Xuan enter, a wave of panic washed over him, and he hurriedly stood up to ask.
“You… what are you doing here!”
Why did those words sound so familiar?
Su Xuan rubbed his nose.
‘Why are you saying that too? Was the original owner really that disliked?’
He thought carefully for a long while but could not figure out how the original owner had offended the old man.
It was quite baffling.
“I’ve come to see Zhiwei. Thank you for your hard work,” Su Xuan said politely.
“Oh… the girl hasn’t woken up yet. She needs to rest here peacefully. Don’t you dare cause any trouble.”
The old man stroked his beard and let out a sigh of relief before leading them to the inner room.
On a bed in the pharmacy, Lin Zhiwei had a cloth strip wrapped around her forehead.
Her eyes were tightly closed, and her breathing was steady.
A young girl sat beside her, keeping watch—it was the old man’s granddaughter.
“Is my senior sister okay? Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” Lu Zhiyi leaned over the edge of the bed, her eyes filled with worry for her sister as she asked the old Physician.
“It’s a pity. If your master had hit her just a bit harder, it would have saved you all some money,” the old Physician snapped, casting a sour glance at Su Xuan.
‘It’s all the sin of the original owner!’
He did not know how much Lin Zhiwei would hate him when she woke up.
Su Xuan rubbed his nose, feeling both embarrassed and worried.
After a moment of thought, he pulled out one Spiritual Stone from his robe and pressed it into the old man’s hand.
“Old Man Lu, thank you for your care over the past few days. I indeed struck her too hard in the past. This is for Zhiwei’s medical expenses. Please look after her.” Su Xuan’s tone was sincere and polite.
Old Man Lu was stunned.
He weighed it in his hand.
A whole Spiritual Stone was more than enough for the medical expenses; there was a significant amount left over.
“Sigh… young man, you can’t be like this anymore. It’s a sin…” The old man seemed to lose his anger, speaking with earnest weight.
Su Xuan nodded, then took out the set of clothes from the bundle and handed them to the young girl nearby.
“When Zhiwei wakes up, please give these to her. It’s getting late, so we’ll be heading back. Please notify me immediately when she wakes up. Thank you.”
After saying this, he stood up with Lu Zhiyi and took his leave.
The two left the clinic, their silhouettes quickly merging into the night.
“Child, don’t you think that boy Su is acting strange? He never used to give so much money, let alone buy clothes for the girl,” Old Man Lu said to his granddaughter with a sigh, weighing the Spiritual Stone.
“Hmph! Grandfather, look. He dumped all those heavy things on Sister Zhiyi.” The girl snorted coldly, turned back into the room, and added in a childish voice, “Don’t let his appearance fool you. In my opinion, a leopard can’t change its spots!”
Whew!
Back home, Lu Zhiyi set down the things and let out a long breath, feeling as if her waist were about to snap.
She rested her hands on her waist and rubbed it.
Su Xuan looked at the unguarded girl.
When she wore baggy hemp clothes, he had not noticed, but now that she was wearing the new clothes, her firm, rounded buttocks were a great temptation to a young man full of vigor.
Lu Zhiyi was already quite charming, and he remembered that Lin Zhiwei’s figure was even…
‘You’re quite the lucky man…’ The old man’s words from the Marketplace earlier that day suddenly echoed in his mind like a devil’s whisper.
He shook his head sharply.
These two sisters likely still hated him, so he should not think about such things.
‘Sigh, I guess I’m going to have to give you another chance to show off.’ Su Xuan extended his right hand and sighed.
“Master, you must be hungry. I’ll finish up and go cook right away.” Lu Zhiyi did not rest for long.
Glancing out the window, she sensibly began tidying the items from the bundle and spoke to him.
“Stew the meat too. Let’s eat something good.” Su Xuan nodded and walked toward his room.
He thought about going to the kitchen to show off his skills, but with only one Spiritual Stone left in his pocket, it was better to prioritize figuring out the pill recipe.
He closed the door with a slightly guilty conscience and pulled out the copy of Churui Miscellaneous Records from his robe, beginning to study the mysteries within.
Unlike the brief glance he had taken at the Marketplace during the day, he had to read it carefully to figure out the pill recipe.
He could only say that as expected of a Demonic Sect giant, Zhezhi Daoren had deep research into the art of “plucking flowers.”
Many of the pos—knowledge within was indistinguishable from the educational films of his previous life.
After reading through it once, his face felt a bit hot.
He shifted his legs, adjusted his posture, and began to read the seventh page carefully.
Gradually, things like “Jade Toad” and “Silver Goose” that had initially puzzled him became clear, and a pill recipe appeared in his mind.
“Epimedium, Rehmannia, Spiritual Branch Leaves…”
It was a Second-tier Pill, the Zhongmiao Pill!
He smiled, though he felt a bit strange.
It was indeed a Second-tier Pill Recipe, but the effects were a bit…
“Master, time to eat!” Lu Zhiyi said, pushing open the door.
Glancing at Su Xuan, she froze, her face suddenly turning bright red, and she nearly dropped the food in her hands.
“M-M-Master, dinner is ready.” She set down the food and stood to the side like a startled quail, speaking in a small voice.
She was truly frightened by the way Su Xuan had been looking at those notes with a strange grin just now.
“Cough… I was studying a pill recipe,” Su Xuan coughed and explained, though it sounded weak.
“Yes, yes, I understand,” Lu Zhiyi nodded quickly, pretending to believe him.
“Let’s eat. How does the spiritual beast meat taste?” Seeing that he could not explain it clearly, Su Xuan abruptly changed the subject.
“It’s delicious.” At the mention of food, Lu Zhiyi’s eyes lit up.
She nodded repeatedly, staring at the small bowl of meat, but her chopsticks only reached for the vegetables as if she wanted to eat the meat but did not dare.
Su Xuan looked at the pale chunks of meat that lacked any aroma.
He took a skeptical bite, and a fishy, gamey smell rushed to his brain, almost making him vomit.
“You… call this delicious?” He casually placed a piece in the girl’s bowl.
Seeing her eat it happily, Su Xuan was profoundly shocked.
Just how long had it been since she had eaten meat?
“Eat, eat. It’s all yours.”
Looking at Lu Zhiyi, who was staring longingly at the bowl of meat again, he was speechless.
He tipped the meat directly into the girl’s bowl, piling it up like a small mountain.
‘I’ll cook it myself next time. This is terrifying.’
He finished his meal with just the vegetables.
Resigned, he lay down on the bed, feeling a bit hopeless.
Perhaps because studying the pill recipe had been too mentally taxing, he simply lay there as Lu Zhiyi finished cleaning up and locked the door on her way out.
Su Xuan did not feel like moving and gradually drifted off to sleep.
In the woodshed, Lu Zhiyi held her new green dress, staring blankly toward Su Xuan’s room.
‘Master bought me clothes these past two days and even gave me all the meat. He really seems to have changed…’
‘But he reads those kinds of books. What if he… oh my, what should I do?’
Under the moonlight, the girl’s face alternated between its normal color and a bright red, filled with inner conflict.
She did not even realize that she could have run away right now.