Along the way, Fang Yan remained completely silent, leaving Chen Nuo'en too intimidated to speak much, while Fang Miaoxue also kept quiet.
She could increasingly sense that her older brother had changed, as if, quite inadvertently, he had changed so very much.
Especially tonight; it had truly shocked her.
Although she didn't know how lofty the Chen Family's status was, just looking at the luxury of their estate and the guards stationed at the front gate allowed her to guess that they were countless times more powerful than the Fang family.
Upon returning home, Fang Miaoxue washed up early and went to bed. Watching her brother sitting cross-legged in meditation beside the bed, she couldn't help asking, "Brother, what are you doing?"
"Breathing exercises, clearing my mind."
Fang Miaoxue pouted slightly. "Brother, are you angry with Sister Nuo'en?"
Fang Yan turned his head and smiled gently. "Silly girl, why would you think that? I never had any ties with her to begin with, so why would I be angry?"
"But I feel... you really are angry. What that Uncle Yuan said made you mad."
"Haha, a person like that has never caught my eye; it's simply that their Chen Family and I are not meant to be."
With that, Fang Yan took out an Essence Qi Pill and handed it to Fang Miaoxue.
"What is this?"
"Your health hasn't been good lately. I made this medicine for you."
In fact, Fang Yan had intended to give it to his younger sister that afternoon, but Su Wan'er had suddenly shown up, followed by their trip to the Chen Family, which had delayed things until now.
Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Miaoxue took it and put it straight into her mouth.
Yet a moment later, she paused in slight surprise. "Brother, what kind of medicine is this? It went right down my throat before I even chewed it."
"It's an Essence Qi Pill. Take it daily from now on, and you won't feel so exhausted every day."
Fang Miaoxue nodded. Indeed, ever since they were driven out by the Fang family, she had taken the initiative to shoulder a great deal of the pressure. Young as she was, both her mind and body frequently felt exhausted.
"Brother, when on earth did you learn medical skills? How come I knew nothing about it?"
Fang Yan smiled. "I taught myself in my spare time during college, stumbled onto the right path, and... I suppose I was just lucky."
Hearing this, Fang Miaoxue smiled with a face full of pride.
"I knew it! My brother is simply amazing. Actually, Sister Wan'er doesn't understand you; you're definitely a stock with huge potential!"
Fang Yan gently flicked the tip of his sister's nose. "Little kids should comment less on adults' affairs. Go to sleep!"
"Hmph, I'm turning eighteen soon, you know..." Fang Miaoxue said with a pout. "Though I really do feel a bit sleepy now. Good night, Brother."
Although she still had many questions she wanted to ask her brother, once Fang Miaoxue took the Essence Qi Pill, drowsiness immediately washed over her.
This was also the effect of the Essence Qi Pill; after all, Fang Miaoxue was an ordinary person, and a sleeping state was best for nourishing her constitution.
At the Chen Family residence.
"What? It seems the mister holds a grudge against our Chen Family.After Zhou Zhiyuan and Li Mingtong left, Chen Xingzhi had remained in the study the entire time, hoping to ask his granddaughter what kind of attitude Fang Yan really held.
Hearing that Fang Yan had been aloof and silent the whole way back, the old man could only sigh.
Chen Tianluo said, "Dad, why don't... I go over tomorrow and apologize to him?"
Chen Xingzhi waved his hand. "No. If you go rashly, how will you apologize? Money? Last time, when he accepted a million-dollar consultation fee, not the slightest ripple crossed his brow. Ordinary benefits can hardly move the mister."
"This..."
Chen Xingzhi looked at Chen Nuo'en. "Nuo'en, you should go instead. I noticed you and Mr. Fang's sister get along very well."
Chen Nuo'en nodded. "Miaoxue is innocent and sunny, and she's indeed very easy to approach. But Grandpa, Uncle Yuan really went too far today, I'm afraid..."
Chen Xingzhi furrowed his brows and said, "Indeed. However, if we cater to his preferences, even a martial artist will have needs."
Chen Nuo'en slowly shook her head. "Grandpa, although Mr. Fang possesses great abilities, he and his sister are still living in an ordinary residential compound—Miaoxue mentioned it's even rented."
"What? They live in a rented place?" Chen Tianluo was startled, his worldview seemingly upended.
Looking across the entire province, the supreme experts in Chen Xingzhi's eyes numbered no more than two or three, yet this Fang Yan was actually renting a home?
Was this expert simply being extremely low-profile? Or was there... some other reason?
"Dad, regardless of the reason Mr. Fang is renting, how about we provide him with a home first? I can pick out a large-unit apartment in Golden Coast, which belongs to our group."
Chen Xingzhi shook his head. "No. Since we wish to build a connection, we must show sincerity. Tianluo, didn't Zhiyuan gift me a villa last time?"
Chen Tianluo was shocked. "Dad, that's a villa at Jingyue Villa! When their resort first opened, Zhiyuan specifically reserved it for you. It's said to be worth over a hundred million. Isn't a gift like that... far too heavy?"
"To think you're a chairman with such short-sighted vision," Chen Xingzhi said, looking at Chen Nuo'en. "Nuo'en, you handle this!"
"Yes, Grandpa. Tomorrow I will go to the villa estate to pick up the keys."
...
That night, Fang Yan gazed at the Luoxian Bamboo, unable to begin his cultivation for a long time.
Now that his foundation in the early stage of Foundation Establishment had been consolidated, the spiritual energy produced by the Luoxian Bamboo had a markedly weaker auxiliary effect on his practice.
"To quickly advance my strength further, I must either set up an auxiliary cultivation array or take medicinal pills..."
"The Essence Qi Pill might have a significant effect on Fang Miaoxue's constitution, but for me, just like the Luoxian Bamboo, it no longer holds much meaning."
"It seems I must find a way to source medicinal herbs of older ages, otherwise... this speed really is far too slow."
Just as Fang Yan was about to begin cultivating, his phone rang. Seeing that the call was from Su Wan'er, he furrowed his brows slightly.
In truth, he hadn't taken the incident at the bar to heart, but calling at this hour would disturb his sister's rest.
So he directly pressed reject and turned off his phone!
Seeing that his sister was still sleeping soundly under the influence of the Essence Qi Pill, the frown between his brows relaxed somewhat.
The next day, Fang Yan walked Fang Miaoxue to school as usual.
Just as he stepped out of the building entrance, he stopped in his tracks, a trace of vigilance in his gaze.
"Brother, what's wrong with you?"
A moment later, Fang Yan's brow smoothed out, and he gave a light chuckle. "Nothing, let's go."
Watching the two of them walk out of the residential complex, Su Wan'er, standing not far away, pouted.
"Hmph, aren't they doing just fine? He even refused to pick up my phone call last night!"
After leaving Tianyi Music Restaurant last night, she had spent the whole time worrying about Fang Yan's safety, but since the other party was Lord Zhong, there was nothing she could do.
Coupled with the fear that Fang Yan would blame her for leaving, she had only mustered the courage to call Fang Yan very late at night.
To her surprise, he had hung up on her. Not knowing whether Fang Yan was angry with her or for some other reason, she had decided to come over this morning to take a look.
Now seeing that Fang Yan was safe and sound, a weight was finally lifted from her heart.
"At least he's okay; otherwise, I really wouldn't have been able to forgive myself."
...
After dropping his sister off at school, Fang Yan headed straight to the herb market. This time he browsed for quite a bit longer and happened to encounter some higher-age medicinal herbs.
Most of these herbs were thirty or forty years old. Although their effects couldn't satisfy him completely, they were at least much more beneficial than the Essence Qi Pills.
However, the prices were also considerably higher. After all, ordinary herbs aren't left to grow for so many years; these herbs were already valuable on their own, and coupled with their age, the sellers had multiplied the price several times over.
A dozen or so herbs, which barely filled a bag, cost over six hundred thousand.
"If I combine all these, it'll be good if they can yield twenty or thirty Spirit-Gathering Pills. At this rate... the five million given by the Chen Family probably won't be enough."
Thinking of this, he smiled bitterly. For the Yanyu Emperor to face such a plight—if those old monsters in the Cultivation Realm were to hear of this, they would probably laugh themselves to death.
Hailing a cab back home, the moment he entered the residential compound, Fang Yan noticed a black stretch limousine parked right at the entrance of his building.
"A Rolls-Royce..."
Qingshui Garden was a place where Tianzhou's lower class lived; luxury cars like this... were truly a rare sight.
As he walked closer, the front and rear doors pushed open simultaneously, and two men in black suits stepped out.
Immediately following them, a middle-aged man stepped out from the back seat.
The middle-aged man was slightly plump, dressed in a loose suit, with his hair neatly slicked back and a radiant smile on his face.
He jogged all the way up to Fang Yan and proactively extended a hand. "Master Fang, you're back."