Chapter 60: Calm Down, Xiaoxue

"Now you know it was all a misunderstanding?"

"Get the hell out of here! If I ever catch you harassing Xiao Bai again, a couple of slaps is the least of your worries!"

"Get lost!"

Chen Dabao couldn't be bothered to waste breath on such spineless bullies. With a stern warning, he sent them packing.

"Yes, yes, yes! We're leaving, we're leaving right now!"

Brother Zhao didn't dare utter another peep. With his tail tucked between his legs, he scurried away in a panic.

Officer Liu offered a hasty farewell and quickly retreated as well.

"Brother Qiang, thanks!"

Watching them leave, Chen Dabao expressed his gratitude to Zhang Qiang.

This incident made him realize that out in the world, fists alone weren't enough; one needed influence too. Had Zhang Wei's men not shown up today, he would have undoubtedly faced quite a bit of trouble.

Of course, had that happened, Officer Liu and Brother Zhao would have been in even deeper trouble, as Chen Dabao had plenty of ways to deal with them.

"You're too kind, Mr. Chen. It was nothing at all. If you don't need anything else, I'll take my leave!" Zhang Qiang said respectfully.

"Alright, go ahead."

Chen Dabao nodded, and Zhang Qiang drove away.

Noticing the unusual closeness between Chen Dabao and Bai Yu, Zhang Qiang resolved to instruct everyone at the factory to start having breakfast at the Bai Family Noodle Shop every morning to support her business.

"Big Brother Dabao, thanks to you today!"

Bai Yu looked at Chen Dabao with melting, affectionate eyes and expressed her gratitude.

Facing such deep affection from a beauty, Chen Dabao awkwardly scratched his head and guiltily averted his gaze.

Given his current state where he couldn't act on anything, he simply didn't dare reciprocate Bai Yu's passionate feelings. If Bai Yu were to crawl into his bed as well, even a heart of stone like his would surely be stirred by mortal desires.

"Xiao Bai, we're friends, no need to be so formal. If those punks ever dare show their faces again, just give me a call. Anyway, I should get going—I'll text you the herbal decoction instructions later!"

Not daring to linger, Chen Dabao hurriedly hopped onto his motorcycle and sped off.

"Just friends?"

Bai Yu watched Chen Dabao's departing figure, her bright eyes dimming slightly.

Riding back home, Chen Dabao immediately took out the blood ganoderma and washed it thoroughly. This single blood ganoderma was only enough for a single dose of the medicinal primer.

A single blood ganoderma, paired with a wild mountain ginseng at least ten years old, barely constituted the proper amount for one dose of the Spirit-Returning Soup. If he wanted to continue refining medicine in the future, he would need to purchase more of these herbs.

"It's a pity I couldn't get any tiger bone; the soup would be even more potent," Chen Dabao muttered to himself with a sigh.

Nowadays, tigers were a protected species, entirely different from the past. Back then, killing a tiger made you a hero; nowadays, killing a tiger landed you in prison.

"When it comes down to it, everything boils down to money. Without money, what's the point of practicing martial arts or pursuing the Dao?"

After organizing the medicinal ingredients, Chen Dabao shook his head slightly.

The path of cultivation—wealth, companionship, land, and method—was an ancient truth. In ancient times, there were impoverished scholars, but never impoverished generals. While one could barely manage to study while starving, it was impossible to practice martial arts on an empty stomach.

Without a vast fortune, one couldn't even dream of cultivation.

Take this batch of Spirit-Returning Soup alone; it was merely a single dose, and just barely usable at that. At current market prices, it required an investment of hundreds of thousands.

If he were to use higher-grade ginseng and tiger bone, the cost would be astronomical.

Having prepared the herbs, Chen Dabao began brewing the medicine. Once the water boiled, he added the ingredients one by one in a strict, specific sequence.

The blood ganoderma, serving as the medicinal primer, was added last.

It had to wait until the other herbs were thoroughly cooked.

The moment the blood ganoderma was added, an immensely rich and intoxicating herbal fragrance wafted into the air.

In less than two hours, the Spirit-Returning Soup was ready.

Without hesitation, Chen Dabao consumed the soup and sat cross-legged on the bed to begin his cultivation.

The moment the soup entered his body, he felt a surge of warmth emanate from his abdomen, which then radiated out to his limbs and bones. Chen Dabao immediately circulated the Heavenly Secret Divine Art, converting the medicinal potency into spiritual energy to clear his meridians and strengthen his physical body.

In the mountains, time passes unnoticed. Once immersed in the state of cultivation, hours flew by like minutes.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the Heavenly Secret spiritual energy within his body finally completed a major celestial cycle. His mastery of the minor celestial cycle reached proficiency, and his progress in the major celestial cycle advanced a step further.

Hoo!

Chen Dabao opened his mouth and exhaled a breath of stale air. The stale qi shot out like an arrow, traveling three feet before gradually dissipating.

"Dabao, time to eat!"

Just then, a gentle voice sounded from outside the door. Chen Dabao opened his eyes in surprise and hastily got out of bed to open the door.

"Sister Xiaoxue, you didn't go back?"

Standing outside was Xia Xiaoxue, wearing an apron. He glanced at the sky—it was already pitch black.

If word got out that Xia Xiaoxue was still at Chen Dabao's house at this hour, as a widow and a single man, she would surely find it impossible to hold her head high in Peach Blossom Village ever again.

"Go back where? I'm divorcing Liu Qiang. Dabao, if you don't mind, I'd like to stay here for a few days. If you do mind, I'll leave tomorrow."

Xia Xiaoxue's eyes dimmed as she shook her head.

"You found out?"

Chen Dabao immediately understood. Xia Xiaoxue must have learned that Liu Qiang had spiked her water. Drugging one's own wife just to frame another man—such a marriage was truly beyond saving.

"I found out. After I drank the water Liu Qiang poured for me that day, my body started feeling strange. I vaguely remember flashes of what happened afterward."

Xia Xiaoxue lowered her head, her face flushing crimson. After the drug took effect, she had actually retained a sliver of consciousness, though her body felt completely beyond her control.

She also retained faint memories of Chen Dabao treating and detoxifying her later on.

"Sister Xiaoxue, I don't mind you staying, I'm just worried it might damage your reputation," Chen Dabao nodded, hesitating before speaking.

"What reputation do I have left? Liu Qiang's family brought the entire village to catch us in the act. How many people in the village still believe I'm innocent?" Xia Xiaoxue lowered her head, speaking with deep sorrow.

"Sister Xiaoxue, those who are innocent need no defense. If you want to stay, stay. Let's eat, dinner is ready!"

Seeing Xia Xiaoxue so distressed, Chen Dabao quickly invited her to the table.

While he was cultivating, Xia Xiaoxue had already prepared several dishes. However, there was hardly any meat in the house, mostly vegetables, as Chen Dabao hadn't bought any meat back.

"Mm, thank you, Dabao!" Xia Xiaoxue smiled gratefully, sitting down to eat with him.

After the meal, Xia Xiaoxue cleaned up and washed the dishes. Having been mentally impaired for a whole year prior, Chen Dabao had interacted with her quite a bit, and Xia Xiaoxue had always been this virtuous and gentle. It was simply tragic that such a good woman had never found a decent husband.

Dinner finished, Chen Dabao took a shower and prepared for bed.

He planned to wake up early before dawn the next day to continue his cultivation. Before daybreak, the violet energy came from the east and all things revived—it was the absolute best time of day for cultivation.

While Chen Dabao went to bed to rest, Xia Xiaoxue, lacking a change of clothes, nevertheless washed up and cleaned herself thoroughly.

In the dead of night, just as Chen Dabao was sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt a chill on his body as a slick, naked form slipped into his blankets.

Chen Dabao jolted awake, startled out of his wits.

"Sister Xiaoxue, what... what are you doing?"