Chapter 97: Preparations Before the Banquet
Si Er couldn’t help burying his head in Si Xu’s arms, rubbing back and forth repeatedly.
“Ahhh! Having a fragrant, soft, gentle, and considerate second brother feels amazing!”
Si Xu: …
Fragrant and soft? What kind of description was that? He was a perfectly fine man—how could those words possibly apply to him?
Off to the side, Si Yi nodded in agreement. His second brother did indeed carry a faint scent of grass and woo d, refreshing and pleasant.
When they were little, he had truly been soft and fragrant. Si Yi used to hold him all the time, reluctant to let go.
Though they were only two years apart, Si Yi had even started body-tempering early just to build enough strength to carry this younger brother.
Unfortunately, after turning ten, his second brother refused to be carried anymore.
It was a pity their third brother hadn’t grown up by their side. He looked even softer.
Now that he was this big… who knew whether he’d still allow himself to be held?
Si Yi watched the two of them, wanting to join in, but feeling too embarrassed.
After observing them for a while, he silently took out the spirit beast meat he had prepared earlier and found a spot where the smoke wouldn’t drift toward them. Then he began grilling.
Catching sight of this from the corner of his eye, Si Er immediately sprang up.
“I need to start preparing too!”
Si Xu gently touched his cheek and smiled. “Go on.”
Si Er trotted to a long table. With a light wave of his right hand, all kinds of melons filled the entire surface.
He cut several watermelons in a row and began juicing them—this would be the drink for tonight’s banquet.
After finishing the watermelon juice, he prepared a cool tossed spiral cucumber dish, then arranged several fruit platters with Soul-Nourishing Hami melons.
Next, he used Diamond Pumpkins to fry pumpkin cakes, bustling about in high spirits.
Meanwhile, Si Yi kept grilling meat nonstop the entire afternoon.
Of course, Si Xu wasn’t idle either. As an apothecary, there was plenty he could do.
Starting from the first house at the village entrance, he went door to door, examining every soul pet in the village. Any with old lingering injuries were treated with healing potions he provided.
He also assessed each soul pet’s potential. The ones contracted by children were generally young and still had room for growth, so he would give them a Bloodline Awakening Potion.
If a young adult’s soul pet showed decent potential, he would let them try a potion as well. But for those already nearing the end of their lives, it wouldn’t work.
On the Myriad Beasts Continent, spirit beasts had virtually no reproductive barriers. If you traced their ancestry carefully enough, almost every beast likely had some impressive ancestor.
After consuming a Bloodline Awakening Potion, most spirit beasts had a certain probability of enhancing the stronger portion of their bloodline.
Each beast could take at most three beginner awakening potions. If there was no reaction after three doses, it meant the beast simply lacked potential and cultivation should be abandoned.
The medicinal ingredients for Bloodline Awakening Potions weren’t especially rare, but the success rate in refining them was extremely low. As a result, their price had always been very high.
For ordinary families like those in this small mountain village, it was usually impossible to afford such potions.
One potion might cost a lifetime of savings for an elderly person. If it turned out to be useless, those savings would be completely wasted—something no one could bear.
But to Si Xu, Bloodline Awakening Potions were nothing.
First, he owned a vast medicinal field in Dongyao City, where he grew all kinds of herbs he might need—including many required for awakening potions.
Second, his success rate in refining awakening potions was 99.99%. He never lacked them.
So he distributed them generously. If one dose didn’t work, he would give a second.
During the awakening process, he personally stood guard to prevent any accidents.
As a result, the entire village’s strength improved tremendously.
Si Xu thought to himself that if the villagers grew stronger, they would have more ability to protect themselves—and Si Er would worry less.
From a distance, Si Er watched everything and felt that his second brother was indeed thoughtful and attentive.
All along, what he had worried about most was precisely the villagers’ lack of strength.
This was a world where the strong preyed on the weak. Only by becoming stronger could the villagers avoid injustice.
He still remembered the time when the entire village had united and gone out to seek justice for someone. He had left before they returned and didn’t know the outcome.
But he didn’t need to think hard to guess—they probably hadn’t achieved the result they wanted.
Earlier today, he had seen Uncle Li, the one involved in that incident. One of his legs was crippled, and he was still living in poverty. His soul pet, the big black donkey that depended on him for companionship, had lost an eye.
Si Er guessed Uncle Li probably hadn’t received the compensation he deserved.
Once his second brother returned, he would ask if there was any way to treat Uncle Li and the big black donkey.
At the side, Si Yi overheard Si Er’s thoughts and immediately sent a message to Si Xu.
After receiving it, Si Xu asked a child standing nearby, “Do you know where Uncle Li, the one who keeps a big black donkey, lives?”
“Right next to our house! Uncle Li’s big black donkey is super capable—it’s the strongest soul pet in our village. It often helps haul stone for people to earn extra money.”
Si Xu smiled. “Alright, take me there.”
“Brother Xu, are you going to treat the big black donkey’s eye?” The child’s eyes lit up. “If Brother Er finds out, he’ll definitely be happy. The donkey used to give its carrots to Brother Er all the time. Brother Er really liked it.”
Si Xu couldn’t help asking, “Does Er’er like carrots?”
The child grinned. “They’re alright—carrots are crisp and sweet.”
“Compared to the other things the big black donkey likes to eat, Brother Er definitely prefers carrots.”
Si Xu had rarely seen donkeys before and didn’t know what they liked to eat. “What else does it eat?”
“Raw wheat, dandelions, hay, and straw.”
Si Xu was momentarily speechless. Among those options, carrots were indeed the only thing Er’er could reasonably choose.
The child added, “But Uncle Li used to go out for work a lot. Whenever he came back, he’d bring candy for Brother Er—sometimes even pastries.”
At this point, the child swallowed unconsciously. The pastries were always bought loose, just one or two pieces, often crushed and misshapen.
But he had never tasted one. Every time he watched Si Er eat them, he could only stand nearby and swallow his saliva.
Seeing the boy’s expression, Si Xu knew he was craving some. He took a box of pastries out of his storage ring, pulled out a piece, and stuffed it directly into the boy’s mouth.
The child’s eyes widened instantly. He held the pastry in his mouth, unwilling to spit it out yet reluctant to chew, completely stunned.
Si Xu handed him the whole box with a smile. “Take it and share with your friends. I’ll go inside now to check on Uncle Li.”
“No need to be polite with me. Er’er is your big brother, and I’m Er’er’s brother—so it’s only right that I take care of you too.”
