Chapter 34 – I’m Thirsty, Drink Two Bottle of Foundation-Building Liquid
When Xia Yi woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. He raised his hand to block the sunlight and blinked sleepily as he looked to the side.
The spot next to him was empty, and he could hear the sound of pots and pans clanging in the kitchen. Before bed last night, hadn’t Gu Wenzhu been exhausted, like a dead dog? How was he already up so early?
Gu Wenzhu was indeed strong. After just one night of rest, he had regained his energy.
When Xia Yi entered the kitchen, he saw a large clay pot on the stove, bubbling away with a fragrant chicken soup made with eucommia bark and codonopsis.
Seeing Xia Yi sniffing the air as he came closer, Gu Wenzhu gently said, ‘It’s to nourish your body.’
Actually, Xia Yi thought, ‘Gu Wenzhu, you’re the one who needs to be nourished!’
Gu Wenzhu ladled some soup into a bowl and set it aside to cool. Then he added two large, tender chicken legs to another bowl and handed it to Xia Yi.
The chicken legs were big and juicy, the aroma tempting. Xia Yi picked one up and stuffed it into Gu Wenzhu’s mouth before grabbing the other to gnaw on himself.
‘What about Qilin? Let’s soak some rice in chicken soup for him.’ Xia Yi suddenly remembered that he hadn’t seen Qilin for days and wondered what the poor dog had been eating.
‘Qilin is at the old house, staying with Meng Lao and his disciple.’
Xia Yi paused mid-bite, stunned. ‘Do those two know how to cook?’
‘They won’t starve,’ Gu Wenzhu replied casually.
‘Won’t starve? Do Meng Wanzai and his disciple look like they know how to cook? For all we know, they could be dead by now!’
‘I’ll go check on them.’ Xia Yi quickly finished his chicken leg, muttering with his mouth full, ‘Pack up some chicken soup for me to take to them.’
Gu Wenzhu frowned. The chicken had been slaughtered especially to nourish Xia Yi, and he wasn’t thrilled about sharing it with those two Taoists.
But after a moment’s hesitation, he packed a box full of chicken soup.
Xia Yi hurried to the old house and opened the courtyard door. For a moment, he almost dropped the food box, doubting if he’d come to the right place.
The courtyard was spotless, the blue brick ground gleaming under the sun. The old, broken baskets were gone, replaced with several pots of green plants, and the open well had been covered with a clean wooden lid.”
“Make way, make way.” A somewhat unfamiliar male voice came from behind, not sounding like Meng Wanzi or Qi Zhou.
Xia Yi turned around and saw a large stone slab right in front of him, quickly stepping aside to clear the way.
The slab was carried into the courtyard and gently laid down, revealing an honest, simple face.
Er Niu wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve and grinned at Xia Yi.
“Er Niu?” Xia Yi asked in confusion, “Why are you here? Where are Meng Lao and Qi Zhou?”
Qi Zhou’s voice came from inside the house, “I’m building a rock garden.” As he spoke, Qi Zhou walked out leisurely with his hands behind his back.
Xia Yi asked in shock, “You’re building a rock garden in the courtyard?”
“Yes. No matter where I am or how long I stay, I can’t lower my standards for living.” Qi Zhou straightened a slight wrinkle on his clean robe. “Not only am I building a rockery, but I’m also going to plant some flowers and raise some birds and fish.”
After speaking, he nodded reservedly at Er Niu. “Gu Beicheng, well done. Continue tomorrow.”
Er Niu looked at Qi Zhou with shining eyes, chuckled, and said, “I’ll come back tomorrow to help you build it.” After that, he turned and walked away.
Just as Er Niu left the courtyard, a Qilin with two small slabs strapped to its back also walked in.
When Xia Yi saw the Qilin like this, he immediately became furious.
“Qi Zhou, it’s fine if you want to pursue a better quality of life for yourself. But not only do you boss Er Niu around, you even use my Qilin as a laborer!”
“Come here, son.” Xia Yi called to the Qilin loudly, his face dark.
The Qilin, who hadn’t seen Xia Yi for days, was carrying the slabs in grievance. As soon as it saw its master, it rushed over joyfully, licking and rubbing against Xia Yi, even turning around to show its back.
Xia Yi hurried to unstrap the slabs, glaring angrily at Qi Zhou.
Weren’t you supposed to be a loyal servant of the Qishan Sect? Is this how you treat your master?
“Don’t worry, Qilin is a divine beast. It can move mountains, so these small slabs are nothing for it,” Qi Zhou waved dismissively.
Divine beast, my foot! Xia Yi quickly examined the Qilin closely, relieved only after confirming it was lively and unharmed.
Glancing at the food box of chicken soup he’d left on the courtyard wall, he thought to himself, “No way am I letting this person have any; I’ll take it back later.”
“Xia Yi, you’re here!” A cheerful voice rang out as a man, dressed as a simple villager, walked into the courtyard.
He wore a short, coarse brown shirt, his long hair tied into a bun on top of his head, with a bamboo basket on his back.
Looking at his features, wasn’t this Meng Wanzi?
Xia Yi suddenly felt disoriented. If Qi Zhou hadn’t called out “Master” from behind him, he might not have recognized him.
It had only been a few days, and the once otherworldly Meng Wanzi had become so down-to-earth?
Meng Wanzi set down the basket on his back, took a couple of sips of tea handed to him by Qi Zhou, and said to Xia Yi, “By the way, Brother Cai came by today. He said your carrots in the field are almost ready.”
“Who is Brother Cai?” Xia Yi asked, confused.
“You don’t know Wang Cai? Isn’t he your village head?” Meng Wanzi gave him a strange look, his eyes seeming to hold a hint of reproach. “Brother Cai cares so much about you. He visited every day while you were sick, thinking you might have gone to the city.”
“I always called him Uncle Wang, so I never knew his real name,” Xia Yi explained in his defense.
Had Meng Wanzi already gotten so close to the villagers that he was on such familiar terms with Uncle Wang?
“What’s that you’re holding?” Meng Wanzi suddenly noticed the food box in Xia Yi’s hand, his eyes lighting up.
“Chicken soup for you,” Xia Yi said. He didn’t want Qi Zhou to have any, but Meng Wanzi was a different story.
He lifted the box toward him, “Wash your hands first, then bring your porcelain bowl over, and I’ll serve you some.”
“There’s no need to be so formal.” Meng Wanzi wiped his sweat with his sleeve, rubbed his hands on his clothes, and took the food box from Xia Yi, heading into the kitchen.
A moment later, he returned with two porcelain bowls.
One he placed in front of the Qilin with a big smile, “Here you go, Qilin, eat up.” The other he handed to Qi Zhou.
Then, he directly grabbed the food box and started eating what was left, taking big bites.
Qi Zhou stood to the side, looking pained and unable to watch. Several times he raised the bowl to his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to drink.
Finally, with a grimace, he closed his eyes, bit the bullet, and forced it down.
“By the way, have you fully recovered?” Meng Wanzi asked, wiping his mouth with his sleeve after finishing the soup.
“Uh, yes,” Xia Yi replied, his face showing a hint of discomfort, though Meng Wanzi didn’t notice.
“Then I’ll go check on the fields.” Xia Yi quickly waved his hand, taking the Qilin with him as he hurried out of the courtyard to avoid further questioning.
Just as he stepped outside, the cheerful voice of 179 rang out amid the sound of fireworks and firecrackers.
[Congratulations, Host! Your winter melons have ripened, and you’ve successfully completed your fourth mission!]
[Mission Details: Awaken the Immortal Sovereign Cang Yi]
[Completion: 1/1]
[Reward: One rare large gift pack]
“What’s the point of these rewards? I still haven’t claimed my first mission rewards, like the Foundation Establishment Elixir and Cleansing Marrow Pill.” Xia Yi grumbled, “Rare large gift pack, my foot—I don’t care about it.”
“Is the Foundation Establishment Elixir drinkable? If it is, give it to me now; I’m a bit thirsty and could use a couple of bottles.”
“It should be drinkable?” 179 answered, unsure.
“If it’s not, just say so. If it is, say it is. Why add ‘should’?”
“It is drinkable,” 179 responded firmly this time.
“Then give me a bottle to try.”
The moment the words left his mouth, a small white ceramic bottle, about the size of a Wahaha calcium milk bottle, appeared in Xia Yi’s hand.
The bottle was simple and ancient in design, the kind you’d expect to see in TV dramas filled with magical elixirs or deadly poisons.
But since 179 had said it was drinkable, Xia Yi didn’t hesitate. He uncorked the bottle and took a swig.
Smacking his lips, the drink was cool, sweet, and refreshing, somewhat like fruity beer. Not bad.
The bottle was small, and he finished it in a few gulps. “179, give me two more bottles.”
“I haven’t had a drink since I came to this world, not even a sip of anything sweet,” Xia Yi complained as he opened the next two bottles. “I’ve been dreaming of drinking cola, practically drooling in my sleep.”
“Master, if you ever have a baby, you can drink brown sugar water and even eat eggs boiled in it.”
“179, you’re so annoying.”
Seeing Qilin panting with its tongue out, staring at him intently, Xia Yi hesitated for a moment, then opened a bottle and handed it over. “Son, open your mouth. Daddy will give you a drink.”
Qilin obediently opened its mouth, and Xia Yi slowly fed it.
Before long, both human and dog had finished all the Foundation Liquid, both satisfied and full. “Alright, let’s go check out the winter melons.”
“Wait, master, you haven’t accepted your new task yet,” 179 reminded him.
“Go ahead, what do I need to plant this time?” Xia Yi asked, not too concerned.
179 cleared its throat and raised its voice, declaring, “Now, please accept your new mission.”
[Mission: Obtain a magic artifact and summon your own divine beast.]
[Completion: 0/1]
[Reward: Rare Gift Box]
“So, what am I planting this time?”
“You’ll be planting lettuce.”
At least it wasn’t an off-season crop. He could plant it openly and sell it without raising suspicion.
“Fine, lettuce it is. But first, let’s check out my winter melons.”
Wow! Xia Yi was stunned when he reached the field. “My winter melons grew this well? But people still see them as carrots?”
“Yes,” 179 confirmed.
“So if I sell them at the market, will I get winter melon prices or carrot prices?”
“Uh…” The system hesitated.
“Forget it, just store them all in the system space.”
“What if Gu Wenzhu asks about them?”
“I’ll just say the carrots all rotted.” Xia Yi patted the winter melons. “Go ahead, store them all.”
Returning home, Xia Yi hadn’t even entered the bedroom when he heard the sound of furniture being moved. He walked in to find Gu Wenzhu dismantling the bed they slept on.
“Brother Ge, why are you taking the bed apart?” Xia Yi asked, surprised.
“The new bed is ready. It’s bigger and sturdier than this old one, which is too small and makes a lot of noise,” Gu Wenzhu said, recalling the past few nights, blushing at the thought.
That night, the two of them slept on the new bed. It was crafted with care, solid and smooth, without a single splinter on the legs. Gu Wenzhu had sanded it down meticulously and applied multiple coats of varnish. After leaving it out to air for a few days, he finally moved it indoors.
Xia Yi lay against Gu Wenzhu’s firm chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
In his dreams, he felt something was wrong. His chest felt empty. Without opening his eyes, he fumbled around under the blanket.
Huh? Where was he? The feel of the blanket had changed from cloth to soft silk.
Xia Yi jolted awake, all sleep gone as he sat up in bed.
By the moonlight filtering through the window, he could make out the shadowy outlines of furniture in the room.
Beneath him was a lotus-patterned bed made of purple sandalwood, and in front of the bed stood a black lacquered screen with intricate carvings.
Outside the half-open window, bamboo leaves swayed in the wind.
Wait, isn’t this the Wangzhu Courtyard at the Qishan Sect?
Did I time travel again?
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