Chapter 3: 2. Deepening Affection

2. Deepening Affection

System Panel!

This is a cheat, a Golden Finger!

Chen An was so excited he nearly cried; after waiting for over thirty years, he had finally received the system he had been longing for.

After calming his mood slightly, he hurriedly browsed the information on the panel, finally letting his gaze fall on the spouse and offspring columns at the very bottom.

Combining this with the 【Alchemy Experience +1】 notification that had popped up at the very beginning, he vaguely guessed the function of his system.

Thus, he stroked his little bride's pretty face and looked at her with deep affection, saying:

"Good Ying, let's continue."

"Ah?"

Song Huaying thought she had misheard; she wondered, she had only just become a wife, her body could not withstand such tossing, why did her husband not know how to show some pity?

【Alchemy Experience +1】

【Alchemy Experience +1】

【Alchemy Experience +1】

【...】

I do not know how much time passed, but Song Huaying's pair of peach-blossom eyes were red and swollen; she pursed her thin lips and looked at Chen An with a resentful expression, saying: "Husband, this wife is tired."

Chen An knew he was in the wrong and hurriedly comforted her: "It is this husband's fault for not considering Ying's feelings and letting your body suffer."

"Ying, rest well; this husband will go brew you a bowl of chicken soup to nourish your body."

After speaking, he quickly put on his clothes, got out of bed, caught an old hen in the backyard chicken coop, and personally went to the kitchen to brew chicken soup for his little bride.

Out of guilt, he added quite a few precious medicinal herbs to the pot that he usually couldn't bear to eat himself.

Afterward, he found a random place to sit down and, with a thought, pulled up the panel.

【Name: Chen An】

【Cultivation: Qi Refining Third Layer】

【Alchemy: First-tier Primary (25/100)】

【Spouse: Song Huaying】

【Offspring: None for now】

"It really is so."

Chen An looked at the data behind the Alchemy column, confirming the guess in his heart.

As long as he engaged in the joys of fish and water with his little bride, he could gain Alchemy Experience.

Moreover, in less than a single day, he had gained 6 points of Alchemy Experience.

Judging by this rate of increase, as long as he could persist in working hard every day, he feared it would not take a month to break through and become a First-tier Intermediate Alchemist.

By then, his success rate in pill-making could increase significantly, thereby lowering alchemy costs and earning more Spirit Stones.

"These days are about to get better."

Chen An felt a slight surge of excitement in his heart, filled with hope for the future.

At this moment, a burst of rough knocking suddenly came from outside the house.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Following that, a rough man's voice soon rang out.

"Is anyone in!"

"Open the door!"

"Hurry up and come out to pay the rent!"

The familiar knocking, the familiar loud voice.

Chen An didn't need to look to know that it was definitely that Manager from the Bamboo Leaf Forest coming over to collect rent again.

He turned down the stove fire for the soup, brought along a Low-grade Spirit Stone, and walked quickly out of the kitchen to open the door.

"Coming, coming!"

"Creak—"

Chen An opened the house door, and immediately coming into view was a burly man with a thick-set build.

Seeing that he had taken so long to open the door, Manager Zhang did not give him a good look at all and said coldly:

"A grown man acting so sluggishly; hurry up and pay the rent, one Low-grade Spirit Stone!"

"..."

Chen An did not make a sound and silently handed over the Spirit Stone in his hand.

Manager Zhang took the Spirit Stone, his tone improving quite a bit as he said: "Starting next month, the rent will rise to two Low-grade Spirit Stones per month; don't say I didn't warn you."

Upon hearing this, Chen An's brows immediately locked together.

He felt very puzzled and couldn't help but ask: "Manager Zhang, why is the rent suddenly rising so much?"

Manager Zhang explained: "Because just a short while ago, Qingshi Town, located more than ten miles away from the Bamboo Leaf Forest, was destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

Chen An was shocked and simultaneously felt his hair stand on end.

He had only gone to Qingshi Town that morning and picked up a wife from there.

As a result, such a large place, a place where tens of thousands of people lived, had just vanished in the span of a single afternoon, as if it were a joke.

This world was too terrifying.

Chen An steadied his mind and pressed further: "Qingshi Town was fine, how was it suddenly destroyed?"

Manager Zhang continued to explain: "Just now, I don't know where a large group of Blood Demons flew in from, and while passing through Qingshi Town, they ate everyone inside like a swarm of locusts passing through."

"This group of blood demons originally wanted to attack the Bamboo Leaf Forest along with everything else, but fortunately, they were all blocked by the formation outside the forest."

"And now, the formation is severely damaged and in urgent need of repair, so the rent has been increased."

Regarding this explanation from Manager Zhang, Chen An expressed that he could not accept it.

Wasn't the whole point of him handing over one Low-grade Spirit Stone every month for this protection service?

How could it be that now that providing the protection service has led to the formation being damaged, we consumers have to bear the cost?

Although he was very dissatisfied inside, Chen An did not say anything.

Because he knew that in this world of cultivation where the weak are prey to the strong, it is useless to reason with people; only having big fists is the hard truth.

Otherwise, one can only accept it calmly.

"This world is getting more and more chaotic now. It is not easy to have a place to settle down these days. I advise you not to think about moving out just because the rent has increased; otherwise, it will be difficult to return once you leave."

After dropping this warning, Manager Zhang hummed a little tune and walked to the next door to collect the rent from the next household.

Watching the other person's departing back, Chen An felt some anxiety in his heart.

A rent of two Low-grade Spirit Stones a month had already exceeded his ability to bear.

Because as he was now, he could only earn a little over one Low-grade Spirit Stone a month.

For the current situation, the only solution was to raise his Alchemy Dao realm to First-tier Intermediate as soon as possible.

Thereby reducing the cost of materials and increasing his income.

And if he wanted to raise his Alchemy Dao realm in a short time, he could not do without the help of his little wife.

"Sigh, I don't know if Ying can handle it."

"I can only give her more supplements in the future to improve her physical fitness as much as possible."

Through the window, Chen An saw his little wife lying on the bed resting, and he felt worried.

At this moment, a rich aroma of soup drifted over.

The chicken soup in the kitchen was ready.

Chen An went over to bring the chicken soup out and carried it all the way to his little wife.

"Husband, this concubine is proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting; I can earn money for you and will not eat and live for free."

Song Huaying sat up from the bed, her eyes brimming with a pitiful look as she gazed at Chen An somewhat nervously, trying hard to demonstrate her value.

She had heard the conversation outside just now, and seeing Chen An's worried face, she couldn't help but worry about whether she would be discarded as a burden, feeling very insecure.

Chen An saw through her worries, sat beside her, put his arm around her shoulders, and comforted her:

"Ying, don't worry. You are my first woman, and I will certainly not abandon you."

"Husband..."

Song Huaying was quite moved after hearing this, her pair of peach-blossom eyes becoming watery, looking very pitiful.

Chen An comforted his little wife a few more times, then patiently blew the chicken soup cool spoon by spoon and gently fed it into her cherry mouth.

Song Huaying felt flattered; she never expected that Chen An, a dignified immortal master, would be willing to lower his status to take care of a mortal like her.

She gazed at Chen An with deep affection, thinking that she must serve this cheap husband of hers with all her heart in the future, letting him live as happily as an immortal every day.

Just as she was thinking this, several notification messages suddenly popped up before Chen An's eyes.

【Wife: Song Huaying】

【Attribute: Repay a drop of kindness with a gushing spring】

【Affection: 1 star】

【Alchemy Experience provided: 6】

【Note: The higher the level of affection between husband and wife, the higher the benefits that can be obtained from it.】

PS: Setting out my bowl, begging for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!