Chapter 114: Bestowing Divine Pills Upon You

Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Bestowing Divine Pills Upon You

For Ouyang Mingruo, being this close to Shantang was a first. Everything was a fresh experience, and she was particularly curious about the small wooden cabin.

Normally, the most she saw of live fish was at seafood restaurants or aquariums. Watching these fish, both large and small, nibble on grass was incredibly amusing to her.

"They actually eat grass? I thought they only ate fish feed," she said.

"Maybe large-scale farms use feed so they grow faster. We can’t afford that kind of cost, so the fish just eat microorganisms and aquatic plants," Zhang Yun explained.

"Cut the act! Didn’t my dad just have Dong Junwu give you a whole suitcase of cash? And you still can’t afford feed?" Ouyang Mingruo wasn’t buying it.

"Lady! When was that? Could my fish have waited for that money? Besides, your dad didn’t just ’give’ me a suitcase of cash—it was to buy a century-old wild ginseng. That was a business transaction!" Zhang Yun corrected her.

Ouyang Mingruo laughed out loud. "Why so eager to clear things up? Are you afraid it’ll be used as evidence that you’re just a kept man marrying into wealth? What kind of ginseng is worth that much? I don’t really believe it. One million could fund an entire project or even a startup."

"I’m not trying to sell it to you anyway. As long as someone is willing to buy it, that’s all that matters..." Zhang Yun scratched his head.

"What’s wrong?"

"I don’t know. I feel like I’m forgetting something."

"Like what?"

Just then, his phone rang. Seeing that it was Zhang Youcai calling, Zhang Yun answered it immediately.

"I heard you took your girlfriend out for a stroll? Don’t lose track of time!" Zhang Youcai said.

"Time for what?"

"We still have to collect Ancient Artifacts today! Yesterday, we covered our village and the nearby areas, but today we have people coming from towns further away. They took a bus all the way here, so don’t keep them waiting. I had my wife boil some mung bean soup to cool down beforehand..."

Hanging up, Zhang Yun chuckled. "I really did forget something! It’s all because I was busy keeping you entertained, my lady."

"What did he just say? Taking your girlfriend out for a stroll—isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?" Ouyang Mingruo thoroughly enjoyed the title and didn’t bother clarifying.

Since it was just the two of them, Zhang Yun didn’t bother arguing. "Do you want to catch some fish for fun? I have to head back and collect antiques soon."

"Why would I want to catch fish? Let’s just walk back slowly."

Although Ouyang Mingruo felt incredibly relaxed, she knew very well that this wasn’t her real life. She could only use this as a brief breather to unwind; she couldn’t let herself get addicted to it.

"By the way, you guys are collecting antiques? You started yesterday?" she asked.

"Yeah. I’m doing it with a businessman from our village."

Ouyang Mingruo scoffed. "Dong Junwu was too flashy with that suitcase of cash. People are just trying to find ways to scam you out of your money!"

"It won’t come to that. I know this guy’s secret, and I’ve helped him out of a tight spot before," Zhang Yun smiled confidently.

"Come on, man! Have a little self-awareness, okay? Back when you were just raising fish, did he ever seek you out for a partnership? You got the money the day before yesterday, and he partnered with you to collect antiques yesterday. If that isn’t for your money, then what is it?" Afraid that he was being swindled, Ouyang Mingruo lectured him bluntly. "Any investment can be a scam, but antiques are the worst! How much something is worth, whether it’s real or fake—it all comes down to a so-called expert’s word. What kind of good stuff could you possibly find out here in the countryside? They’re just tricking you out of your money!"

Zhang Yun placed both hands on her shoulders, looking at her with a smile.

"What are you doing?"

"Thank you for looking out for me. But I’m confident he can’t scam me."

Zhang Yun truly was brimming with confidence. Even if he did get scammed, it would only be a little bit of money. He had already acquired priceless Energy for himself.

"You really are so terribly average yet so full of yourself," Ouyang Mingruo huffed, giving him a light shove. "You just have more money than sense! You won’t learn your lesson until you get scammed! I can’t be bothered with you."

"Do you want to come and watch later?" Zhang Yun offered. "If any of the antiques catch your eye, I can give you a few. As the boss, I get them for free!"

Ouyang Mingruo wore a look of utter disdain. "What could you possibly collect in this rural area? You won’t even find fakes, probably just a bunch of old junk. Calling them antiques! I have no interest in them."

"Haha, fair enough. A high-class lady like you definitely has high standards. That saves me the trouble!"

The two chatted as they walked back. As they left the fields and headed toward the village, Ouyang Mingruo’s footsteps grew slower and slower.

"Are you getting tired? The midday sun is beating down harder and it’s getting hotter. Be careful not to get heatstroke," Zhang Yun said, feeling a bit awkward. Because he was used to roughing it, he had completely forgotten to prepare any water for her.

Ouyang Mingruo shook her head. "I don’t know if it’s whatever you gave me to eat last time, but not only are my injuries fine, my overall health has improved significantly. I don’t feel like the heat is unbearable right now."

Hearing her say that, Zhang Yun finally realized it himself. The weather had been sweltering these past few days, yet even when he was harvesting grain in the fields, he hadn’t been drenched in sweat. That had to be due to the changes in his body as well!

"Of course! Just think about it—that was a million-dollar ginseng."

"I’ll take your word for it!" Ouyang Mingruo said. Then, a hint of melancholy touched her voice. "Out here, it feels like a poetic rural escape. But heading back to your house means the time for me to leave and return home is drawing near."

Zhang Yun fell silent. He didn’t know what to say, nor could he urge her to stay. If another assassin showed up and implicated his elderly father, it would be disastrous.

"All encounters in this world are reunions of long-lost souls. Whenever you get the urge, you can drop everything and speed right back over here. Next time, I’ll definitely be waiting outside the village to welcome you!"

"Cheesy!" Ouyang Mingruo was amused by his comforting words. "Let’s go back. I shouldn’t delay your antique collecting—it’s big business, after all!"

Returning home, they found that Xu Jin and the others had come back. The men stated that they had obtained their families’ permission, packed their bags, and were ready to follow her back to the city at any time.

While Ouyang Mingruo briefed them further on her situation, Zhang Yun took four cups into his room. He poured a little white liquor into each, then plucked two Mysterious Petals from the Peach Blossom Spring Space.

"Just for calling me ’Master,’ and based on your performance yesterday, I’m investing a lot of capital into you guys," Zhang Yun muttered to himself, dropping half a petal into each cup.

He was definitely taking a financial loss here, but cultivating a few loyal, direct disciples was a worthwhile trade-off. In situations like the one at the factory yesterday, having them handle things so he didn’t have to lift a finger would be much more effective.

"Finished talking? Why don’t you head upstairs and rest for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat," Zhang Yun said as he walked back out.

"Alright." Guessing that he had some instructions for his disciples, Ouyang Mingruo went upstairs first.

To Xu Jin and the others, this proved that the two of them were living together. She really was his girlfriend—their soon-to-be master’s wife.

"Are you giving us a send-off?" Xu Jin joked, catching the scent of the liquor.

"Die, Zhao Ye, go to the kitchen and bring four soup bowls filled with water. Make sure it’s clean and drinkable."

"Oh, got it!" Fu Yudie and Zhao Ye hurried out.

Zhang Yun then instructed the rest of them to grab some bamboo mats and lay them out on the floor, turning the ceiling fan up to its maximum speed. The living room wasn’t fully enclosed, so there was no air conditioning; they just had to make do with the fan.

"Sit cross-legged. Place a bowl of water in front of each of you."

The group was puzzled but immediately took their seats. They wondered if they were supposed to practice balancing the bowls of water on their heads.

Zhang Yun put on a deadpan, serious expression. "Here are four cups of liquor in which I’ve dissolved our sect’s Divine Pill. I am rewarding you with this Elixir, and then I will channel my energy to help you boost your Power by three years!"

Xu Jin and the others were dumbfounded. As Sanda fighters, they only believed in Inner Power because they had seen and experienced it firsthand. But surely it required a massive amount of time to cultivate? Generally, Inner Power took far longer to master than External Skills.

Now Zhang Yun was actually telling them to consume an Elixir, after which he would channel his energy to increase their Power by three years... Wasn’t this all a bit too fantastical?