Chapter 4: 3. Keeping a low profile while cultivating is the true path

3. Keeping a low profile while cultivating is the true path.

Chen An saw the notification message at the very bottom immediately, and his eyes couldn't help but light up.

The higher the level of affection between husband and wife, the higher the benefits obtained from his little wife?

This system actually has growth potential?

Is it because the current affection level is 1 star that the Alchemy Experience only increases by one each time?

Then if I could get it to 5 stars, wouldn't the future efficiency be able to directly increase fivefold?

Thinking of this, Chen An felt secretly excited.

This setting of being able to increase the affection level really struck a chord with him.

As a mobile game enthusiast in his past life, he loved grinding for various achievements; that could bring him a sense of satisfaction.

"Ying, you walked such a long mountain road, your legs and feet must be very sore now, right?"

"Your husband will go boil some water now, and I'll help you soak your feet and give you a massage in a moment."

After saying this, Chen An immediately got up and headed to the kitchen, where he skillfully set up a pot to boil water.

After the water was boiled, he immediately used a wooden bucket to carry it to the room, placed it in front of his little wife, and said:

"Ying, lift your feet up, your husband will help you take off your shoes."

"Sorry to trouble you, husband."

Song Huaying did not act coy; she very obediently lifted her feet, following her husband's words with complete compliance, looking very well-behaved.

Gently taking off her embroidered shoes and white socks, Chen An unexpectedly discovered that his little wife's feet were very alluring.

The insteps were fair and smooth, the soles were pink and rosy, the toes were small and exquisite, and the entire Jade Foot was just the right size to be held in his hands, appearing exceptionally cute, making one unable to resist reaching out to touch them.

"Ying, is the water too hot?"

Chen An asked gently and considerately while slowly placing his little wife's Jade Foot into the water.

Song Huaying shook her head, her voice carrying a hint of shyness as she said, "It's not hot, the water temperature is just right."

While saying this, her entire pretty face turned red with heat, and she turned slightly to one side, not daring to make eye contact with Chen An.

In this world of cultivation, people's thoughts are relatively feudal and simple.

For a woman, her feet are a very private part of her body and cannot be exposed in front of others.

And like Song Huaying now, having her feet held in Chen An's hands, this naturally made her feel very embarrassed.

Even though she had already consummated her marriage with Chen An just a moment ago, the time was ultimately too short, and the awkward feeling of men and women needing to keep their distance was unavoidable.

However, as a transmigrator, Chen An didn't have so many scruples in his heart.

Hearing his little wife say the water temperature was just right, he immediately put her Jade Foot into the water and skillfully began to massage them.

The strength was sometimes heavy and sometimes light, making his little wife knit her willow eyebrows from time to time and unable to stop herself from letting out a soft moan.

【You massaged your wife Song Huaying's Jade Foot, husband-wife affection +1.】

【Wife: Song Huaying】

【Attribute: A drop of kindness shall be repaid with a gushing spring】

【Affection: 1 star (1/100)】

【Alchemy Experience provided: 6】

Looking at the notification message that popped up before him, Chen An was suddenly full of motivation and massaged his little wife's Jade Foot even more diligently.

However, after half a stick of incense passed in the blink of an eye, the result made him feel somewhat disappointed.

He kept touching, rubbing, and massaging until the water in the wooden bucket had gone cold, but he never saw the notification message for an increase in husband-wife affection appear again.

This increase in husband-wife affection level was much more difficult than he had imagined.

However, he could feel that his little wife's affection for him had deepened quite a bit now.

Because one could tell from those watery peach blossom eyes of hers that the love within them had become increasingly intense, and there was not the slightest bit of concealment.

The progress bar only increased by 1 point, simply because the system's standard for the husband-wife affection level was set too high.

"It seems that wanting to raise the affection level to 2 stars in a short time is still somewhat unrealistic."

"It has to be a long, steady stream; feelings grow over time, one cannot be too impatient."

Thinking this to himself, Chen An soon fetched a cotton cloth to dry his little wife's Jade Foot.

After wiping them, he sat on the edge of the bed and began to cuddle and embrace her.

After being intimate for a good while and feeling satisfied, he reluctantly got up to leave the room, poured out the cold water in the wooden bucket, and turned to walk into the Alchemy Room.

Arriving at an inconspicuous corner inside, he pried open a blue brick on the ground and took out all his possessions, totaling 8 Low-grade Spirit Stones.

Although it wasn't much, it was savings he had accumulated over two years.

And now, he was going to take these 8 Spirit Stones and spend them all on Alchemical Material.

He thought that after his little wife's body recovered, he would start frantically increasing his Alchemy Experience and break through his Alchemy Dao realm to First-tier Intermediate as soon as possible.

By then, he would refine all the purchased medicinal materials into pills and make a big profit.

In this way, he would be able to successfully solve the problem of rising rent.

Once time passed and his savings became substantial, perhaps he could even go to the Treasury Pavilion to buy a Dual Cultivation Technique to assist in cultivation and bring his little wife along to become stronger together.

After all, a mortal body cannot live long; at most, after a hundred years, it will be nothing but a skeleton.

Chen An did not want his little wife to leave him early; he wanted her to live as long as possible, preferably with eternal youth.

"Ying, your husband needs to go out to purchase Alchemical Material; you stay home properly and don't go out."

"Mm, this wife understands; husband, you must pay attention to safety while out."

After giving a simple instruction, Chen An soon walked out of the house under his little wife's gaze.

Along the way, he was extremely careful and cautious.

Even if it meant taking a detour, he would stick to the main road and would never take a shortcut through a side path just to save time.

As he walked, he kept his eyes on all directions and his ears open, ready to defend himself at any moment.

Because he lived in the Cheap Area of the Bamboo Leaf Forest.

In the Cheap Area, one can only be spared from threats outside the forest, such as the swarm of blood demons that wiped out Qingshi Town.

But there is no guarantee against dangers from within.

Incidents like fighting, killing, and robbery happen from time to time.

It is similar to the slums of his previous life.

If one wants to live in peace, one must move to the Core Area in the very center to reside.

It is just that the rent is ridiculously expensive, costing 1 Middle-grade Spirit Stone per month, which is 100 Lower Grade Spirit Stones.

This is not something a bottom-tier cultivator like Chen An can afford.

Those who can live in the Core Area are almost all cultivators at the Qi Refining Late Stage.

……

Bamboo Leaf Forest, Market.

As soon as Chen An walked in, many vendors greeted him.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, long time no see."

"I heard Fellow Daoist Chen has taken a beautiful wife; it really makes one envious."

"The path of immortality is hard to walk; taking advantage of one's youth to enjoy some worldly pleasures is not a bad choice. I must learn from Fellow Daoist Chen."

Facing everyone's banter, Chen An listened and smiled without speaking, merely nodding in response before walking quickly toward the medicine shop not far ahead.

The market he is currently in was gradually developed by rogue cultivators in the Bamboo Leaf Forest to satisfy their daily trading needs.

Many rogue cultivators come here to set up stalls, and those with better family backgrounds even open shops for business.

As an Alchemist, Chen An has often come here to set up a stall to sell medicinal pills, and thus he has gotten to know many cultivators who are also vendors.

Before long, Chen An arrived at the medicine shop.

As usual, he relied on his status as a regular customer to buy a large pile of medicinal herbs at a 10% discount.

While packing the herbs, he chatted with the shopkeeper.

As they talked, he asked about the blood demon city-destruction incident this afternoon.

Later, he learned from the shopkeeper that a sect called the Xuanhuang Sect had discovered a Spirit Stone vein in a barren mountain not far from the Hong Ye Lin some time ago.

While mining, they accidentally dug into a blood demon nest, leaving a large swarm of blood demons homeless and running rampant everywhere.

Speaking of this, the shopkeeper could not help but condemn them.

He cursed the Xuanhuang Sect for being inhumane, letting such a large swarm of blood demons out and then ignoring them, causing several surrounding towns to be destroyed, which indirectly cost him quite a bit of business.

After hearing this, Chen An was also somewhat angry, but felt more helpless.

The mortals in this world truly have cheap lives; no one cares whether they live or die, which makes him, a transmigrator from a civilized society, feel somewhat pathetic.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, I have a way to make money recently; I wonder if you are interested?"

The shopkeeper, who was just cursing a moment ago, suddenly changed his tone and looked at Chen An with a smile.

"What way?"

Chen An knew that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and was only satisfying his curiosity.

The shopkeeper smiled and said: "Now there are blood demons everywhere outside. Although this is a disaster for mortals, for cultivators like us, this is actually an opportunity."

"As far as I know, many rogue cultivators in the Bamboo Leaf Forest have already formed teams to go out and hunt blood demons."

"Just hunting one, you can earn at least 10 Lower Grade Spirit Stones. This is much faster than staying at home and working hard at alchemy."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, if you also have the idea of hunting blood demons, I can recommend a team for you, it just requires a small referral fee."

After hearing this, Chen An smiled and declined: "I don't have any such thoughts at the moment. When I do, I will definitely come to find you, Shopkeeper, for a recommendation."

After all, he is someone who possesses a system now; he should lay low when he can, and there is no need to take risks to make money.

……

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