The Lay Flat Life: My Wife's Cultivation Makes Me Stronger - Chapter 33

The little fox pondered for a moment before speaking.

“So, this Marriage Blessing thing you’ve got going on, it’s not just some impersonal rule. There’s actually a sentient being behind it, right? Someone or something powerful is controlling it?”

“Exactly,” Han Feng confirmed.

“Then why is it helping you?”

“I don’t know,” Han Feng admitted. “Maybe it’s because I was a useless waste. The purpose of the blessing seems to be to help me get stronger, not to help me make money. After all, whatever entity is behind it probably doesn’t care about money.

I need to understand its intentions so I don’t accidentally cross a line and lose its favor. That’s the only way I can keep benefiting from it.”

The little fox nodded in understanding. “I see why you’re not selling the herb for spirit stones then. If you go back to that auction house too many times with these rare herbs, people are going to get suspicious. No one can keep pulling out century-old herbs like they’re nothing, especially when they don’t even work.”

Han Feng agreed. “Exactly. The safest route would be to refine the herbs into pills myself. I could buy a pill recipe, give it to Jiang Surou, and then get a better recipe in return. But I don’t know the basics of alchemy, and learning it isn’t something I can do in a short time. With the Ancestor’s Ceremony fast approaching, I need to figure out how to get this flower turned into pills quickly.”

The little fox narrowed her eyes and smirked. “No, it’s not that you don’t have time. You’re just lazy and want to lie flat instead of learning alchemy.”

“I’m not lazy.”

“You’re totally lazy.”

“Lying flat isn’t the same as being lazy. Lying flat means enjoying life at your own pace. Tending to herbs is something I enjoy, and so is refining pills—if I could learn it. Lazy means doing nothing and not even caring. There’s a difference,” Han Feng explained.

The little fox rolled her eyes. “Fine, you win.”

Han Feng might not have been motivated by ambition, but he wasn’t someone who shirked his responsibilities either. Every herb in his garden was meticulously cared for, not out of duty, but because he found joy in the process.

“What I need now is the recipe for Bloodthirst Pills. Jiang Surou has it. I’ll ask her.”

Han Feng pulled out his communication jade slip but quickly realized that he didn’t have Jiang Surou’s communication imprint.

He turned to the little fox.

“You said you weren’t lazy?”

“She likes you, so it’s easier for you to talk to her. Go ask her.”

“Five spirit stones.”

“One spirit stone. I’m already running twice—two trips, two stones.”

“Deal.”

The little fox grabbed his jade slip, tucked it into her storage pouch, and dashed out the door, running up the mountain at full speed.

After she left, Han Feng stored the White Lingluo Flower, then returned outside to lie back in his chair and bask in the sun.

Half an hour later, the little fox returned, panting but triumphant.

“Mission accomplished,” she announced, tossing the jade slip back to Han Feng. “I’ve added her communication imprint, and I got the recipe for Bloodthirst Pills.

Sister Surou said the recipe requires one White Lingluo Flower, three qian of Cold Tree Grass, one liang of Soft Armor Shell, and one qian of Pyrrole Stamen.

If the White Lingluo Flower is over thirty years old, the other ingredients need to be at least one year old to maintain the proper ratio, which will yield five Bloodthirst Pills.

If the White Lingluo Flower is over 300 years old, the other ingredients need to be at least ten years old, and the recipe will yield more than ten high-grade Bloodthirst Pills.”

“Perfect. I’ve got all the necessary herbs that are over one year old,” Han Feng said as he headed toward the herb garden.

“But your White Lingluo Flower is over 300 years old. You’ll need herbs that are at least ten years old!” the little fox reminded him.

“I’ll have them soon enough,” Han Feng replied, his tone nonchalant.

He went into his herb garden and harvested the necessary herbs, carefully placing them on the table.

“Take these to her,” Han Feng said.

“You’re trying to get the tenfold return again, aren’t you? You’ll get ten-year-old herbs to match the White Lingluo Flower,” the little fox said, catching on quickly.

“Smart,” Han Feng said with a grin.

“I’m on it.”

The little fox didn’t waste any time, grabbing the herbs and running off to deliver them to Jiang Surou.

It wasn’t long before Han Feng’s mind was filled with the familiar voice of the *Marriage Blessing*.

[Han Feng has gifted his Dao partner one-year-old Cold Tree Grass, one liang of Soft Armor Shell, and one qian of Pyrrole Stamen. You have received a tenfold return: Cold Tree Grass, Soft Armor Shell, and Pyrrole Stamen, all aged ten years.]

Han Feng accepted the returned herbs and stored them in his pouch.

When the little fox returned, they both stretched out on the deck chair, enjoying the warmth of the sun. There was no rush to do anything. They could take care of the alchemy later, under the cover of night.

To avoid drawing too much attention, Han Feng knew he needed to find someone outside the sect to help him refine the pills. Sect members were too risky. If one of them tried the pills and found they didn’t work, they’d come after Han Feng.

Later that night, after some careful preparations and donning a disguise, Han Feng packed the little fox into a bundle and set off.

After descending the mountain, he made inquiries in the nearest town and eventually found out about an alchemist who was perfect for the job.

The alchemist’s name was Bai Nuo, a mid-grade alchemist who had once been part of Danxia Peak. However, he had been expelled from the sect for skimming off the top when refining pills for other disciples. Now, he lived in the town at the base of the mountain, offering his alchemy services to make a living.

His shady behavior had caught up with him, though. After he tried skimming again while refining pills in town, someone broke one of his legs. Since then, he had straightened out.

Han Feng chose Bai Nuo because the man was only at the Qi Refining stage and couldn’t use his divine sense to scan Han Feng’s appearance. This would keep everything discreet and avoid future complications.

After weaving through several back alleys, Han Feng finally arrived at a small, rundown house. He knocked on the door.

“Is Alchemist Bai Nuo home?”

A few moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a scruffy-looking young man. He squinted at Han Feng before asking, “Here for pill refinement?”

“Yes.”

“Bring your own herbs. Two-eight split. I get two; you get eight.”

“Deal.”

“Come in.”

Bai Nuo hobbled back into the house, his limp evident, and Han Feng followed.

Inside, Bai Nuo sat down in front of a small alchemy furnace. “What pills are you looking to make?”

“Bloodthirst Pills.”

“Show me the herbs.”

With a pat of his storage pouch, Han Feng laid out all the required herbs on the floor.

Bai Nuo’s eyes widened slightly when he saw the massive White Lingluo Flower. “Wow, this flower must be over 300 years old.”

“Three hundred and eighty,” Han Feng corrected. “Can you handle it?”

Bai Nuo scoffed. “You can question my character, but don’t you dare question my alchemy skills. I’ve been a high-grade alchemist for years. I just don’t go back to the sect because I hate all their rules.”

Without another word, he conjured a flame in his hand, sending it into the furnace to light the fire.

As he maintained the flame with his spiritual energy, he began placing the herbs in one by one. The White Lingluo Flower was divided into ten portions and added gradually.

Bai Nuo skillfully refined the herbs, extracting their medicinal essence and carefully fusing the ingredients with his spiritual energy, gradually nurturing the pills.

Han Feng watched the entire process intently, noting that Bai Nuo didn’t skim a single herb.

It seemed that after losing a leg, Bai Nuo had indeed learned his lesson.