Chapter 22: Lu Zhiyuan's Gift

The next morning, after finishing an entire night of cultivation, Fang Xu simply washed up, then left his house and headed to the blood food shop in town.

Since the shop was to open tomorrow, at the blood food shop today Lu Zhiyuan and his daughter Lu Qingluo were directing the assistants to clean up and busy themselves hanging lanterns and tying decorations.

"Master Lu." Fang Xu arrived, clasped his hands, and greeted Lu Zhiyuan.

"Here." Lu Zhiyuan gave a faint smile, pointed to the newly renovated blood food shop, and asked, "How does it look?"

Fang Xu looked it over and found that Lu Zhiyuan seemed to have spent a lot of money to renovate the blood food shop inside and out; overall it looked much more imposing than before.

"Not bad." Fang Xu gave a faint smile, then clasped his hands and said, "Master Lu, I have a matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Lu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod: "What is it?"

Fang Xu said, "Wang Ergou was on close terms with me during his lifetime; now that he has passed away, his wife, Mrs. Wang, remains alone in Maple Forest Town with no one to look after her. Yesterday, Brother Erhu also came to ask me to speak on her behalf, hoping I could arrange for Mrs. Wang to work at Master Lu's blood food shop."

Mrs. Wang?

Lu Zhiyuan stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said, "The blood food shop mostly involves physical labor; I have heard that Mrs. Wang is a frail woman..."

"Master Lu." Before he could finish, Li Yunshan beside him suddenly said, "The shop is actually lacking an attendant to greet customers."

"I've heard Mrs. Wang has a decent appearance; she should be capable."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyuan nodded slightly, looked at Fang Xu, and said, "In that case, what do you think?"

Fang Xu quickly clasped his hands and said, "Thank you, Master Lu; I will go inform Mrs. Wang right away."

Lu Zhiyuan waved his hand, saying there was no need for thanks.

"Fang Xu, I observe that your progress in the Visceral Tempering realm has been rather fast lately, but do not pursue quick success and damage your foundation." While observing Fang Xu, Lu Zhiyuan suddenly frowned and spoke.

In the Visceral Tempering realm, even a slight change causes one's qi to become noticeably evident; Lu Zhiyuan could clearly sense that Fang Xu's progress in this realm was comparatively swift.

He feared that Fang Xu, eager to become a Martial Apprentice as soon as possible, might overlook the importance of a solid foundation.

"Master Lu's teachings, I keep them in mind." Fang Xu replied with a faint smile.

The reason his Visceral Tempering cultivation advances faster than others' is entirely thanks to the Divine Extension Canon.

Seeing him say that, Lu Zhiyuan slowly extended his hand and said, "May I take a look?"

Fang Xu hesitated slightly, then extended his palm. Lu Zhiyuan grabbed his wrist, and a gentle force traveled along his arm's meridians into Fang Xu's body, wandering over his viscera for a moment before withdrawing.

"Unthinkable... unthinkable!" After personally checking Fang Xu's Visceral Tempering condition, Lu Zhiyuan's face showed deep surprise.

Staring at Fang Xu's face, he pondered for a long time, then took out an exquisite small jade box from his sleeve; the box opened slowly, revealing a round, crimson-colored pill lying inside.

"This pill is called the Three Yuan Pill; I obtained it by chance. In the Visceral Tempering realm it can offer some protection to the viscera. I have no use for it now, so I give it to you."

"Father..." Lu Qingluo, standing nearby, looked at the pill in Lu Zhiyuan's hand, her expression shifting slightly; she was about to say something when Lu Zhiyuan laughed and cut her off: "The blood food business brings great profit; Fang Xu's family thought of me first, so I owe him a favor."

Lu Qingluo gave a complex look at the pill, then at Fang Xu, and finally swallowed the words she had been about to say.

Fang Xu, meanwhile, stared at the pill before him with some hesitation.

"Master Lu, such a precious item—I dare not accept it."

Lu Zhiyuan chuckled: "Is it that you dare not take it, or that you fear my pill might be poisonous?"

Hearing this, Fang Xu waved his hands repeatedly: "Master Lu, you jest; I am merely an unknown nobody—what would be worth your going to the trouble of poisoning me?"

Saying this, he reached out, took the pill, and gave Lu Zhiyuan a slight clasped-hand salute: "Thank you, Master Lu, for the pill."

Lu Zhiyuan gave a slight nod: "Alright, go back to your cultivation. Don't forget to come for the ceremony tomorrow."

Returning from the blood food shop to his home, Fang Xu immediately took out the pill Lu Zhiyuan had given him, then carefully scraped off some powder, placed a bit on his fingertip, and licked it.

Although he said aloud that he had nothing worth Lu Zhiyuan's attention, Lu Qingluo's reaction was enough to prove that this pill was anything but ordinary.

He and Lu Zhiyuan had hardly any acquaintance; selling the blood food shop was merely a normal transaction. Given Lu Zhiyuan's usual miserly image, he would certainly not give away a valuable pill for no reason.

As his tongue touched the pill's powder, a faint medicinal aroma entered his mouth, followed by a wisp of extremely gentle energy that entered his abdomen; Fang Xu could clearly feel that this energy caused no harm to his body.

"Could it really be my petty heart?" Fang Xu felt somewhat surprised.

Gazing at the pill before him, he hesitated a moment, then decided to wait until night to try it.

After putting the jade box containing the pill away, Fang Xu went straight to Mrs. Wang's home, simply told her about going to work at the blood food shop, and she agreed without hesitation.

Wang Ergou had died; they had no children, so the familial bond between me and Wang Erhu would inevitably fade, and future support would be much less.

She understood that if she did not find a job to support herself, relying on Wang Erhu would not work.

"Brother Fang, Uncle came this morning to bid me farewell, saying he was going into the mountains." Mrs. Wang said languidly, "Perhaps after this matter is settled, he will not return to Maple Forest Town."

Fang Xu said nothing; he knew that Wang Erhu's departure would likely be ominous, making it naturally impossible for him to return to Maple Forest Town.

"Sister-in-law, don't let your thoughts run wild; tidy up and head to the blood food shop to report for work early tomorrow." After comforting Mrs. Wang a few words, Fang Xu returned home.

After a round of cultivation, it was soon the hour of Xu (7–9 PM).

He rose, came to the courtyard, practiced a set of the Coiling Dragon Technique's fists and kicks, rinsed himself with well water, ate some blood food, then proceeded to dig up the Divine Extension Canon.

Digging and reburying it all day was somewhat troublesome, but for safety's sake he dared not be careless.

Taking out the Divine Extension Canon, without consuming the Blood Qi Pill, Fang Xu directly took out the Three Yuan Pill Lu Zhiyuan had given him that morning, held it in his hand and examined it for a while, a flash of resolve crossing his eyes, then tossed the pill into his mouth and swallowed it.

With the aid of the Divine Extension Canon, he swiftly entered the Inner Viewing State; in an instant he saw the pill dissolve quickly in his abdomen, then turn into a strange energy that surged toward his five viscera and six bowels.

After that energy entered his five viscera and six bowels, it seemed to come alive, slowly enveloping them, and then fell still.

Fang Xu nervously observed all this; upon finding no discomfort, he relaxed a little and prepared to approach those energies for inspection.

Huh!?

Just as his consciousness approached, he was startled to discover that the energy wrapping his viscera actually possessed a faint spiritual fluctuation!

This thing is a living being!

Feeling that faint, almost imperceptible spiritual fluctuation, Fang Xu's heart jolted; he immediately thought of using his Blood Qi Power to strip this strange thing from his body!

Readers, please don't just hoard the book—tracking reads is the sole data for recommendations. If you want to hoard, go to the last page and click to track reads, please! Thank you, thank you!

(End of Chapter)