Chapter 895 - 411: Sister Xiangrong, Offering Flowers to Buddha, Nine-Story Money Tower, Purging Body Toxins (3)

Chapter 895: Chapter 411: Sister Xiangrong, Offering Flowers to Buddha, Nine-Story Money Tower, Purging Body Toxins (3)

Tao Xiangrong’s expression slightly twisted, feeling amused yet helpless, she said, "Let’s shorten it then."

Li Xian said, "Alright! Let’s start from when I was seven years old." Tao Xiangrong had already guessed that Li Xian had no gift prepared, so she deliberately dragged the conversation on to annoy him until he got bored and left.

She thought to herself, "There’s no man in the world that sister can’t handle. Such petty tricks are useless against me." She said, "Start from the past month, focus on the important things, you don’t need to mention eating and relieving yourself."

Her beautiful eyes wandered around, secretly amused, finding the random little servant she encountered quite lively and interesting.

Li Xian said, "Alright then. I must sincerely thank General Xu. A few days ago, I learned from him that he would bring me to Bi Xiao Long Dream Tower for the banquet."

"Initially, I didn’t know it was Sister Xiangrong’s birthday banquet, but since General Xu invited me, I had to be prepared, so I looked into it, and soon realized it was Sister Xiangrong’s birthday banquet. I was overwhelmed with joy, words can hardly express it."

Tao Xiangrong raised her eyebrows, thinking, "This guy sure has a sweet mouth." She said, "Continue."

Li Xian said, "But I also knew that everyone attending the banquet must be from aristocratic families, noble descents. I, Li Xian, am extremely insignificant. Being Yu people, just promoted to Gold Appraisal Guard, I’m exceedingly ordinary, neither my looks nor family background stands out. I felt immense inferiority."

"I know I’m not presentable, but thanks to General Xu’s support, I got the chance to attend this banquet. Of course, a birthday banquet calls for gifts. I thought the gift should be for Sister Xiangrong. For someone plain like me, I’m afraid even if I exhaust a lifetime of luck, it would just exchange for this brief encounter. The gift must be valuable, so I put in all my effort."

"After pondering for a while, I heard of a kind of wine, its aroma rich, lingering around the teeth without dispersing, intoxicating invisibly. I thought: ’Isn’t Sister Xiangrong, as rumored, just like this wine, intoxicating invisibly? No, she’s even more potent than the wine, as the wine needs to be consumed to intoxicate. But merely hearing Sister Xiangrong’s name makes my heart drunk,’ I decided to buy the wine as a gift."

"This wine is exceptionally expensive, beyond my current financial capacity. So I borrowed silver from the Money Shop and wrote IOUs to my colleagues, barely managed to purchase it, but before I could gift it, fate played tricks, and I discovered... the wine I painstakingly acquired was nothing to Sister Xiangrong. It so happened to be the wine served at Sister Xiangrong’s banquet. How dare I present it as a birthday gift. Hence, I slipped away from the banquet."

"During my moment of distress, I suddenly saw beautiful scenery and started enjoying the wine and scenery. This wine has been half-consumed, Sister Xiangrong, do you still want it?"

Upon hearing "beauty like wine," Tao Xiangrong felt slightly proud. Especially when Li Xian cleverly praised her, saying "just hearing her name makes the heart and mind intoxicated," it was particularly pleasing to hear. She had heard countless praises of her beauty. Related witty phrases, poems, and songs were numerous. But coming from Li Xian, it had a naturally harmonious charm, effortlessly spoken, spontaneous. It surpassed others’ deliberately crafted praises that were thought out days or months in advance.

Hearing further that Li Xian’s schemes had run out, after various twists and turns, the proposed gift was surprisingly not a wine pouch at his waist, and he even sipped from it. She couldn’t help but feel amused, thinking, "This guy is just babbling nonsense with me, not intending to give a gift at all, probably because he liked my wine and deliberately poured it into the wine pouch to take away. Now being cornered, caught in action, helplessly borrowing flowers to gift to Buddha, using my flowers."

At this moment, she didn’t know whether to be angry or to laugh, glancing at Li Xian, but indeed not angry, she said, "Barely passed, hand it over."

Li Xian asked, "Sister Xiangrong, do you truly want it? I’ve already drunk from it." Tao Xiangrong countered, "Have you heard of refusing gifts at a birthday banquet?"

Li Xian said, "Then if I were to give Sister Xiangrong a living person, would you accept without hesitation?"

Tao Xiangrong said teasingly, "You little imp with no sincerity, weren’t you saying there was an urgent matter? I’ll let you go now, hurry up and scram."

Li Xian immediately bowed his hands and said, "Farewell." He turned around and fled.

Tao Xiangrong, initially disinterested, was now amused after a conversation, her mood lifted. She handed the wine pouch to her maid, placing it like any ordinary birthday gift. Today’s encounter, she no longer paid it any mind.

...

...

Li Xian boarded the "Sending Immortal Bird" to leave Bi Xiao Long Dream Tower, landing on solid ground, feeling as if he had just descended from the Celestial Palace. With his free-spirited nature, he quickly adapted.

A few miles from Bi Xiao Long Dream Tower, along "Worship Dream Street," stood a Nine-Story Money Tower. The Nine-Story Money Tower... a secretive organization managing finances within Jianghu. No matter where it is, the tower is entirely black, about nine stories tall.

The structure is uniform, without any alteration.

Li Xian returned to Shepherd Jujube Residence, passing by here, recalling Princess An Yang’s arrangements. He mused, "Princess An Yang already suspects me, contemplating whether to act against me. At this moment, she might even have people watching my movements. I should heed her instructions and slowly seek a solution."

He approached the vicinity of Nine-Story Money Tower, peered inside, and saw the Nine-Story Money Tower brightly lit day and night, bustling inside. All visitors wore masks, donned black cloaks, concealing their identities and appearances.

Li Xian quietly retreated, changed to another mask, removed his tiger python attire. With simple clothing, he re-entered the Nine-Story Money Tower to set up a money account.

Nine-Story Money Tower used "tokens" and "secret codes" for financial transactions. Tokens are minted by the Money Tower, and the minting skills of Nine-Story Money Tower’s tokens are unparalleled worldwide.

Once, a Martial Artist from Jianghu claimed to have uncovered Nine-Story Money Tower’s secrets, forged Money Tower tokens, and tried to swindle money. He was recognized on the spot and was killed by the tower’s enforcers.

Li Xian once accompanied Wen Caishang to withdraw silver from the Nine-Story Money Tower. He hurried towards the Dragon Appreciation Banquet, passed through several big cities, frequently saw the presence of Nine-Story Money Tower.

This tower spreads its branches, widely established throughout Great Wu.

After Li Xian opened the money account, the secret token was a "Bronze Small Sword" with a uniquely patterned blade. The code phrase was: "Suddenly, like a spring breeze overnight."

If the money account held any silver, Li Xian could simply present the token at any Nine-Story Money Tower, recite the "code phrase," and retrieve the silver at any time.

After handling miscellaneous matters, it was already midnight. Li Xian returned to the "Shepherd Jujube Residence," feeling relaxed.

He completely took off the Black Armor, shed the Tiger Python Garments, and removed his mask. His whole body felt relaxed and comfortable. Despite the grandeur of Bi Xiao Long Dream Tower with its thirty-three levels, it couldn’t compare to the comfort and relaxation of this small house.

Li Xian went to the stable to tend to the extraordinary horse, Ju Feng. He gently stroked its mane and spoke of the various events of the day. Ju Feng was very docile, gently rubbing its head against him, displaying intimacy.

[Skill Level +1]

[Skill Level +1]

...

The Finger-Flashing Golden Light was close to perfection. The Dubhe Saber Technique, Stone-Pushing Palm Technique, and the difficult body scriptures steadily improved. Li Xian’s mastery of various martial arts grew deeper, accumulating strands of Inner Qi.

He had cultivated up to 159 zhang!

Li Xian’s Inner Qi filled his physique, enabling the Dubhe Saber Technique to manifest in myriad transformations, flying lightly and dazzlingly, truly a delight to behold. Inner Qi is the key to evolving martial arts.

The more Inner Qi is infused into a single move, the more potent it becomes. Its evolution becomes more tumultuous. Like a bucket full of water, the water represents Inner Qi. Li Xian raises his hand to stir it, causing the liquid to swirl and create a vortex.

This vortex is the technique.

And as the amount of water in the bucket increases, the vortex’s momentum grows fiercer. When the bucket is as large as a lake, its water flows continuously, also filling as a lake. This vortex can overturn boats.

When the bucket reaches the size of the vast sea, with infinite sea water, the vortex can cause the sky to darken, raising terrifying waves and unleashing an incredible suction power. It is accompanied by torrential rain and thunderous roars.

Every bit of Inner Qi accumulated by Li Xian has immense use!

Thus, he practiced for an hour. Though energized, he ceased further practice, harboring other thoughts: "Martial arts are indeed urgent, but now that Princess An Yang has appeared, and she harbors the intent to kill me, I must appear accommodating and attempt to pivot the situation. But behind the scenes, I must quickly find a way to resolve the body poison, freeing myself from its control, before dealing with Princess An Yang, gaining confidence."

[Medical Ethics Sutra]

[Skill Level: 362/0]

[Medical Mental Sutra]

[Skill Level: 312/0]

[Ghost Vein Four Absolutes]

[Skill Level: 34/0]

Li Xian had not neglected the medical arts lately, often silently reciting the dual medical scriptures whenever he had free time. On the bedside cabinet, the "Yao Clan Medical Sutra" was always placed for brief browsing before sleep.

His medical skills were already quite unremarkable and he secretly sought to cure the body poison, researching a detoxifying medicated bath. On his last visit to Yao Baishun, Li Xian took the opportunity to take some medicinal remains.

Sufficient to prepare a detoxifying medicated bath.

Li Xian had no guidance from predecessors, and despite an exceptional Taoist lineage, lacked a mentor to pave the way, inevitably falling short by several measures. The poison, formulated with painstaking effort from "Hao Green Snake," was awfully terrifying and potent.

The detox method can only be attempted bit by bit.

Once the medicated bath was ready, Li Xian immersed himself in it. The medicine’s efficacy touched his physique, instantly transmitting a tingling sensation.

Li Xian internally circulated Inner Qi, supplemented by the medicinal bath’s power, attempting to expel the body poison. After several attempts, he finally achieved some effect.

Black poison gradually exuded from the skin surface!

(ps: Tonight’s condition is poor due to some bothersome matters, couldn’t get into the state, only completed typing at three o’clock.)