txolops Chapter 105 Shen Gongbao with Something on His Mind
Chapter 105 Shen Gongbao with Something on His Mind
In the days that followed, Han Xiaoliu resumed his ordinary yet carefree "immortal life".
During the day, he would linger at Miaoyin Gate to admire the beauty of fairies, and at night he would spend the night in boudoirs, surrounded by beautiful women, living each day with great passion.
The reason he could be so carefree was that he had made arrangements in advance—sending out all those annoying little girls to scavenge for the resources needed to upgrade the "Dreamlike Three Realms".
After all, the next opening of the realm is not far away, and those who are short of money are naturally anxious and have no time to disturb his peace.
Outside Cave No. 66, a gentle breeze swept across the lotus pond, bringing with it a refreshing fragrance.
Han Xiaoliu lay comfortably on the recliner, playing with the newly upgraded "Soul-Guiding Banner" in his hand, carefully feeling the magic power flowing within it.
Bubble sat obediently at his feet, holding a fishing rod, intently watching the water as she fished.
At this moment, a resolute and unassuming young man walked up with steady steps, bowed slightly, and softly called out, "Young Master."
Han Xiaoliu glanced at the mature-beyond-his-years-old man, a smile playing on his lips. "Hmm, it's Shen Gongbao! You're back? How was it? Any gains?"
Shen Gongbao replied respectfully, "Young Master, this time we have found two mortals with mixed spiritual roots. Although their aptitude is mediocre, their character is quite resolute. I have taken them with me and intend to test them further."
Over the years, Shen Gongbao has used the guise of free spiritual root testing to find many ordinary people with four or five spiritual roots among the common people.
For those children who lacked a solid foundation but possessed a resilient character, he would take them under his wing, teaching them medical principles while secretly tempering their character.
He wanted to cultivate a group of absolutely loyal followers for the young master, but he was also afraid that these commoners would not be of good enough interest to the young master, so he always acted with trepidation and caution.
In fact, Han Xiaoliu was very pleased after learning about his good intentions.
He not only highly approved of this effort to expand his influence, but also gave it absolute trust and authority.
Aside from casually inquiring about the progress each time Shen Gongbao returned, he allowed Shen Gongbao to handle all other matters freely without ever interfering.
"Young Master, can I also have a few men like Brother Leopard?"
A crisp sound broke the tranquility by the lotus pond.
The speaker was Lu Xueqi, who was clutching a huge sum of money worth thousands of merits in her hand, her face full of eagerness. As the only one among them who didn't have to go out and collect resources to earn merits, she was clearly very interested in this novel experience of "being a leader."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiaoliu rolled his eyes at her, annoyed. "You!... You're only at the Foundation Establishment stage and you're already dreaming? Wait until you reach the Core Formation stage before you think about these grand gestures!" He paused, his tone becoming serious. "Don't forget, you're just a mortal now, with a limited lifespan. If you can't break through your cultivation level quickly, you might not have the chance to follow me for the rest of your life! Now get back to cultivating!"
"I understand!" Lu Xueqi was hit where it hurt, and she was well aware of her weakness. Her lifespan was much shorter than that of other cultivators, and time was of utmost importance to her.
If you want to stay by your master's side, the only way is to desperately improve your strength.
"Hey! Left vanguard, right vanguard!" As Lu Xueqi shouted three times, three burly wild boar summon spirits suddenly rushed out from the side, majestically protecting her.
"Let's go back and cultivate! Master, I want to become stronger!" She flipped herself onto the wild boar and galloped towards the cave with a determined look in her eyes.
Watching Lu Xueqi's hurried departure, Han Xiaoliu shook his head helplessly.
Then, he turned his head and looked at Shen Gongbao, who was still standing to the side with a serious expression. His originally stern gaze softened instantly.
He waved his hand, gently dismissing him, "Alright, you go too. Just tell me if you need any resources, don't be shy." Looking at Shen Gongbao's tense shoulders, Han Xiaoliu smiled reassuringly, "Don't feel burdened. What you're doing now has already helped me a lot!"
Shen Gongbao bowed respectfully to Han Xiaoliu, then silently turned and walked into the cave.
He walked steadily to the storage box and carefully stored the pills that he had been refining day and night and had devoted so much effort to during this period.
Next, he went to the storeroom where herbs were stored and skillfully picked out a batch of high-quality spiritual herbs and demon cores, preparing the materials for the next batch of pills.
After doing all this, he entered the secret chamber where the teleportation array was located.
As the spirit stone flashed, the space distorted, and he found himself in a deep underground chamber. He walked straight into an empty meditation room, completely shutting out all the noise from the outside world.
Time flies, and a month later...
In a small town south of Tianxing City, where ordinary people gather, a shop with a sign that reads "Mo Family Medical Clinic" is filled with a faint, bitter medicinal aroma.
A dark-skinned boy, exuding the simple and honest air of an island fisherman, sat upright behind the consultation table.
Despite his young age, his features exuded a maturity and composure far beyond his years. He frowned slightly, three fingers resting on the patient's pulse point, his expression focused and solemn.
After a moment, he withdrew his hand and said calmly, "Your pulse is weak and thready, indicating a deficiency of both spleen and stomach, and a deficiency of both qi and blood. Have you been indulging in cold foods lately?"
The patient nodded repeatedly in agreement.
The young man skillfully picked up his pen and wrote down a prescription, then, without looking up, instructed: "This prescription is a modified version of Lizhong Decoction, which warms the middle jiao, dispels cold, replenishes qi, and strengthens the spleen. Go and get three doses, decoct them in water, and drink the decoction. Avoid raw and cold foods." After saying this, he personally handed the wrapped medicine to the patient, "Today's clinic is free of charge. Take this home and take good care of yourself."
The patient gratefully accepted the medicine package and left with a face full of thanks.
"Brother, is this genkwa? It's different from the ones I've seen before!" A little girl of seven or eight years old, like a cheerful little bird, clutched a herb covered in soil tightly in her hand, and hurriedly ran to the clinic, looking up at the table with an eager expression.
The boy's previously serious face softened instantly. He knelt down, gently hugged his sister, and patiently pointed to the herb, explaining, "Silly girl, this is ten-year-old kudzu root. Look at the texture; every ten years, a blue vein will grow deep within the root. If it's a hundred-year-old plant, the entire plant will have a deep blue hue. When identifying medicinal herbs, you must not only look at their appearance, but also observe their color, smell their aroma, and discern their properties."
In the shadows, Shen Gongbao, concealed, quietly watched the heartwarming interaction between the brother and sister.
Seeing the boy's serious and earnest demeanor and the little girl's innocent and inquisitive eyes, a smile of satisfaction finally appeared in his usually cold eyes, and he nodded in approval.
In a daze, the scene of his chance encounter with those two lonely children in the mortal world flashed through his mind...
That was an old story from when Shen Gongbao first arrived here, and the Mo Family Medical Clinic had just hung up its signboard.
At that time, the clinic was holding a month-long "free spiritual root testing" free clinic.
On that day, amidst the surging crowds and clamor, a slender, dark-skinned boy carried a baby girl on his back, struggling to move through the long queue.
He didn't seek any divine destiny; he simply earned meager coins by queuing for others, all to find milk for his infant sister. For a whole month, he spun tirelessly through the streets like a top.
Those were perhaps the most peaceful days of his short life, at least the brother and sister were able to barely fill their stomachs.
But when the event ended, their livelihoods plummeted like a kite with a broken string—who would hire a teenager?
With nowhere else to turn, the boy reached out his dirty hand.
To raise money to buy milk, he started stealing.
Until that day, Shen Gongbao discovered his actions.
When caught red-handed, the boy did not show the panic or guilty pleading that a typical child would do when caught thief.
He quickly stuffed the stolen goods into his pocket, then looked up, his eyes fixed on Shen Gongbao.
There was no hesitation in his eyes, only a moving, almost stubborn determination—no matter the cost, he would live on with the baby in his arms!
Looking into those defiant eyes, Shen Gongbao's heart trembled.
He saw himself in the boy, someone who also came from an ordinary background and was struggling.
"Your sister?" Shen Gongbao suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked softly.
The boy nodded warily, his arms instinctively tightening around the baby girl on his back, as if afraid someone would take away his only family member in the world.
Shen Gongbao's gaze fell on the swaddling clothes wrapped around the baby girl.
The fabric was exquisite and of no ordinary quality. If it were pawned, the money would be enough for the brother and sister to live comfortably for a year.
"It was stolen," Shen Gongbao stated the fact in a calm tone.