Chapter 26: "Ligǔ Spring"

Chapter 26: "Ligǔ Spring"

Su Yuanpeng stood silently, listening to their conversation, feeling increasingly exasperated.

Of course, Third Sister had fallen for Xiao Chen—why else would she believe everything he said?

How could that possibly be the real Fireball Technique?

Though it looked similar, it was clearly a high-level spell disguised as the Fireball Technique, and an advanced one at that. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have lost so decisively.

Xiao Chen insisted it was the Fireball Technique, refusing to reveal the truth. Most likely, he wanted to protect the secret of his cultivation manual.

And now Su Wanning was backing him up, claiming she believed it too. She was blatantly lying.

After speaking, she even smiled sweetly at Xiao Chen, her gaze so nauseating that Su Yuanpeng’s eye twitched uncontrollably.

Sigh, well, Xiao Chen was undeniably powerful. He probably inherited a valuable cultivation legacy. At least Third Sister had good judgment in men.

Since the bet was lost, he might as well let her have her way.

Su Yuanpeng’s expression turned solemn. He stepped forward and bowed respectfully. “Disciple Xiao, I apologize. I retract my earlier offense—please forgive my recklessness.”

He extended both hands forward. In his left was a crystal vial containing greenwood spirit essence, in his right a cultivation manual and a small jade bottle. Inside the bottle were Qi Gathering Pills.

Xiao Chen couldn’t help but regard him with newfound respect.

Su Yuanpeng, an Inner Sect senior disciple at the Late Lianqi Stage and from a prestigious family, had accepted defeat gracefully.

He didn’t use his higher cultivation realm to intimidate, nor did he hide behind his family’s reputation. Instead, he admitted fault directly and offered compensation.

This behavior stood in stark contrast to the arrogant reputation of other noble heirs.

In fact, compared to those spoiled brats, his simple integrity seemed even more admirable.

Xiao Chen accepted the essence, pills, and manual. “No problem—I’ll accept these without hesitation.”

Su Wanning then handed him her portion of the spirit essence. “Here, Senior Disciple Xiao. This is your share.”

He took it with a smile. “Thank you, Junior Disciple Su. You’re too kind.”

Su Yuanpeng quickly added, “Earlier, I interrupted your meal. Please allow me to make it up to you—let’s return and share a proper drink.”

Xiao Chen tried to decline. After all, he’d already obtained what he wanted.

But Su Yuanpeng became unusually insistent, insisting on making amends with alcohol and physically blocking Xiao Chen from leaving.

Su Wanning joined in, urging him to finish his meal. “Senior Disciple Xiao, it’s almost midnight. At least eat something before returning hungry.”

“Senior Disciple Su, Junior Disciple Su, I appreciate your kindness. But look at the time—it’s already this late. The White Jade Restaurant is probably closed. Let’s reschedule.”

Su Yuanpeng slapped his chest confidently. “Don’t worry! I know the owner. It’s no problem at all—let’s go!”

...

The next afternoon, under a blazing sun, Xiao Chen groggily woke from his bed.

“Ugh!”

The moment he moved, his entire body screamed with pain, as if he’d just endured intense physical training.

“What happened? Oh right—the alcohol!”

He remembered now. Last night, the Su siblings had taken turns toasting him.

Initially, he hadn’t wanted to drink, but Su Wanning had enthusiastically run to the owner to fetch a rare spirit wine called Ligǔ Spring.

It was said to replenish blood energy, strengthen the body, and even rival basic physical cultivation techniques with long-term consumption.

It sounded like an incredible treasure.

Xiao Chen figured since the bottle was already opened, it would be a waste not to try. The sweet, smooth liquid turned into a warm current from his throat to his stomach, then spread through his limbs.

Soon, his entire body felt feverish, as if he’d just completed an intense workout.

Su Yuanpeng tried to take another sip, but Su Wanning slapped his hand away. She took the teapot herself, sitting beside Xiao Chen to pour his drinks.

Since the wine tasted mild with no strong alcohol scent and actually worked, Xiao Chen drank a few more cups.

He even clearly remembered bidding the Sū siblings farewell, returning to the Second Sub-Academy, and entering his small room.

His memory was clear up to that point.

But everything after was a blur—until the midday sun woke him, revealing he’d forgotten to close the window.

Ligǔ Spring was indeed a rare body-forging treasure. One of its unique traits was using intoxication to suppress the pain of physical cultivation.

Its special formula made the initial taste gentle but the aftereffects intense, overwhelming even for cultivators.

Typically, a pot like this was meant to be shared among four people. By the time they woke, their bodies would be tempered without unbearable pain.

But Xiao Chen, being a first-time drinker of this wine, had consumed most of the pot alone. The effect was far too strong.

He lay in bed for an hour before regaining enough strength to move.

“Who knew the cultivation world had such secret recipes? I’ll need to be cautious—never drink with strangers again.”

Struggling upright, his stomach growled loudly. He felt like he hadn’t eaten in three days, his ribs nearly touching.

He grabbed a flatbread from the lunchbox by his bed and started chewing.

Last night, Su Wanning had insisted he bring the lunchbox back. She must have predicted this situation.

If she knew, why didn’t she stop him earlier?

“Huh? What’s this?”

After finishing his eighth flatbread, he noticed a folded note at the bottom of the lunchbox.

The neat handwriting was unmistakably Su Wanning’s:

“Senior Disciple Xiao, I’m truly sorry. Yesterday, my failure to communicate properly led to my younger brother misunderstanding you.

The Ligǔ Spring used for body forging has a hidden effect—it can repair a cultivator’s meridians and slightly increase the success rate of breakthroughs to the Late Lianqi Stage.

This was originally meant to be part of our trade, but due to the unexpected situation, I’ve changed it to an apology gift.

I hope this gift proves useful, and I beg your forgiveness for taking this liberty.”

Su Wanning had planned to negotiate new terms with Xiao Chen through this invitation. But the unexpected bet had derailed her plans.

Considering Xiao Chen’s demonstrated strength as an Outer Sect disciple at Core Formation Mid-Stage, she decided to turn the valuable Ligǔ Spring into a goodwill gesture.

“Oh? There’s this effect too?”

After reading, Xiao Chen immediately tested the Yángqì Tǔnà Method. His spiritual energy flowed far more smoothly than before.

If this state persisted, the difficulty of breaking through to the Late Lianqi Stage would decrease by at least half.

No wonder noble families produced so many talents—apparently, even pure bloodlines could be enhanced with treasures like this.

This gift wasn’t just “somewhat useful.” It was invaluable.

For ordinary cultivators, it could save years of arduous training.

Even for Xiao Chen, it would save months of preparation.

Reaching the Late Lianqi Stage usually required a year’s cultivation.

But now, he felt he was just one step away.

If things continued smoothly, Xiao Chen was confident he could break through within a month and become an Inner Sect disciple.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end