Chapter 010: Brewing Spirit Soup
West River Villa Complex.
This was the most luxurious villa district in Jiangnan City, gathering most of the city's wealthy and nobility. A single villa here would easily cost tens of millions. Those by the east side, facing the river, were even more astonishingly expensive.
The Liu family's villa was located right in the center.
Lately, Liu Ruyan had been feeling very uncomfortable.
An unwanted fiancé had suddenly appeared, and not only had he flung a check at her face but he had also looked down on her with utter contempt. This anger, she had still not swallowed.
"Ruyan, you're back?" Liu Changzheng sat on the sofa, legs crossed at the knee.
Frowning slightly, Liu Ruyan said, "Grandfather, why are you dressed up as a charlatan again?"
Liu Changzheng was wearing a gray robe and round sunglasses, with a mustache on his upper lip, looking ridiculous. If Guo Yi saw him, he would surely recognize him as the old man selling rat poison on West Street.
"Isn't it for the sake of your father's health?" Liu Changzheng sighed, "Your father has contracted a strange illness, and now, the Feiyu Group can only rely on you."
"Then you..." Liu Ruyan was about to scold him, but felt it was impolite.
"Don't even mention it." Liu Changzheng said with an excitement that was unbecoming of an elder, "Today, I met a medical expert on West Street who can bring the dead back to life. If we could invite him to treat your father, I think there's a little hope!"
Liu Changzheng was deeply concerned for his son's strange illness, so he had no choice but to disguise himself daily and roam West Street in hopes of encountering a medical grandmaster.
"Grandfather, how many times have I told you." Liu Ruyan said with a look of distress, "Those people on West Street are all charlatans, mostly swindlers. If there really is the medical expert you speak of, why would they go to that godforsaken place? They would have already established their own sect."
After speaking, Liu Ruyan placed her bag on the coffee table.
Clatter...
A jade token fell out of the bag.
"What is this?" Liu Changzheng immediately noticed the jade token.
"Don't get me started, it makes me angry." Liu Ruyan was infuriated beyond measure and recounted Guo Yi's sins. She wished she could flay him alive and scatter his ashes. Naturally, some parts of the story were exaggerated.
After listening, Liu Changzheng's face became grave and he said, "The Guo family doesn't know what's good for them, so be it. Since he is so heartless, don't blame our Liu family for not showing loyalty. Out of consideration for the long-standing friendship between our families, I did not mind their decline and agreed to marry my granddaughter to him, yet he had the audacity to insult the Liu family like this, huh!"
"Exactly!" Teeth clenched, Liu Ruyan said, "Like I care about him, all high and mighty!"
Thinking of Guo Yi's haughty demeanor, Liu Ruyan wished she could punch him in the face until his eyes swelled! He was clearly a destitute young master trying to act superior as though no one was on his level. What right did Guo Yi have to do so?!
"However, this jade token..." Liu Changzheng, curiously fiddling with it, said, "Where did it come from?"
"It's from him." Liu Ruyan recounted the story of Guo Yi using the jade token to settle a debt.
"What an arrogant claim!" Liu Changzheng's impression of Guo Yi plummeted even further, his eyes flaring with anger: "A mere jade token, and he dares to claim it's worth a hundred of my old ginseng. Dream on!"
"That's right!" Liu Ruyan took the opportunity to further denounce Guo Yi.
Liu Changzheng quickly formed a new idea in his heart; how could such an arrogant young man be worthy of his excellent granddaughter?
......
Back at the Modern Huafu, Guo Yi returned home.
Today, he had made a business deal and had already cashed the check while on the road.
Five hundred thousand in cash, not much really. Just five bundles.
To facilitate contact with Chen Anqi, Guo Yi purchased a mobile phone, choosing the cheapest Nokia model and getting a SIM card. He also bought some medicinal herbs for Chen Anqi to condition her body.
Over the past eight years, Chen Anqi had been working tirelessly, day and night, taking care of her father, and her complexion was very poor. Neither her vitality, spirit, nor health seemed good. If Guo Yi carelessly gave her an elixir, she would not necessarily be able to accept it, so he chose a method she could accept, herbal conditioning.
After arriving home.
Guo Yi prepared a large pot and poured the herbs into it. Ordinary flames definitely wouldn't bring out the potency of the herbs.
Guo Yi chose to use his Spiritual Power to simmer the water with a gentle flame.
This approach was akin to extravagant waste, just like using money to fuel a fire to boil a pot of water.
Cultivators consider Spiritual Power precious and don't waste it lightly, as replenishing it is quite troublesome. One can either absorb nature's spiritual energy through breathing exercises to convert it into internal Spiritual Power or use Gathering Spirit Pills for a rapid replenishment.
The former takes time, the latter costs money.
Gathering Spirit Pills require many medicinal herbs, which in turn need a considerable amount of money to purchase. The reason Guo Yi did this was to cook a pot of Spirit Soup for Chen Anqi to bathe in. Although the soup didn't have the potent effects of an Elixir, it could fortify one's foundation and vitality, improve Chen Anqi's complexion, and make her look younger and more vibrant in spirit.
With both hands against the pot's sides, he maintained a gentle heat output.
The water in the pot quickly began to boil, and before long, white steam billowed, the scent of herbs filling the air. It was a supreme delight of the human world.
About half an hour later, Guo Yi had expended much of his Spiritual Power, sweat rolling down his forehead.
"Almost there," Guo Yi muttered to himself.
This time, Guo Yi had used a gentle flame of several hundred degrees to boil the water. In half an hour, only a third of the pot remained, condensed into the essence.
At that moment, Chen Anqi returned.
"Little Yi, are you decocting medicine?" Chen Anqi asked as she entered.
Guo Yi, drenched in sweat, replied, "Sister Chen, I noticed you looked a little pale, so I bought some medicinal herbs from West Street to make you a soup for bathing."
"Little Yi..." Chen Anqi said tenderly as she wiped his face, thinking to herself that West Street was full of charlatans and this foolish boy was most likely swindled. Nonetheless, she couldn't dismiss his good intentions, and she resolved not to put them to waste.
"Sister Chen, it's the beginning of summer, the best time to treat winter illnesses. You should take a bath with this medicinal soup," Guo Yi urged. He had used a great deal of his Spiritual Power to make this Spirit Soup, and in this world, besides Chen Anqi and Mu Zhiruo, there was no one else worthy of such effort.
"Alright, alright!" nodded Chen Anqi.
Though aware that Guo Yi had been misled, she didn't voice it. Little Yi had been humiliated and tortured; she couldn't fathom how he had endured these past eight years. How could she blame him? Lost money could be earned back, and she was unwilling to let Little Yi endure any hardship.
She loosened her clothes and lay down in the wooden tub.
Comfortable!
That was the only thought in Chen Anqi's mind. Soon, drowsiness swept over her, and she dozed off for over an hour.
When Chen Anqi awoke, she felt incredibly relaxed, as if all the fatigue accumulated in her body had vanished in an instant. She wondered if the rest had rejuvenated her vitality. She didn't consider how much the Spirit Soup benefited her body, thoroughly eliminating her hidden ailments.
"The effect is quite good," Guo Yi thought to himself upon seeing Chen Anqi. Her complexion had improved and her spirit seemed more abundant. It seemed that he should make the Spirit Soup for Sister Chen regularly.
Chen Anqi, naturally beautiful, now appeared even more radiant after the bath like a lotus emerging from the water.
The dinner that evening was unusually lavish.
Guo Yi, a Cultivist and a master of the Qi Transformation Realm, had little need for grains. The Spiritual Energy in the air was what sustained him. In the Qi Transformation Realm, to inhale and nourish the spirit was the essence of his state of being.
"The classmate reunion tomorrow?" Chen Anqi inquired.
"Mhm," Guo Yi nodded lightly. Hesitating for a moment, he added, "I ran into Hou San today."
"Ah..." Chen Anqi was momentarily stunned, her expression complex as she said, "Try to avoid contact with people like him in the future."
"I know," Guo Yi agreed with a nod.
How could Guo Yi associate with such a dishonest and disloyal person? Even if Hou San was worth millions, what of it? He wasn't worthy!
Guo Yi harbored suspicions. Each time Hou San's name was mentioned, Sister Chen seemed to harbor some unspoken secrets. What could be the reason? Guo Yi felt a flicker of doubt but chose not to pursue it further.
......
ps: Thanks to Tianya Mingyue for the reward. Please keep the recommendation tickets coming.