When he saw the one tael of gold being handed over, his face immediately lit up with enthusiasm.
"You're talking about this young lady? She's the daughter of the Song family in town. Her whole family was slaughtered just because someone in their household offended a cultivator."
"As for her, she managed to keep her life thanks to her striking looks, and was sold here for money."
Ah, her family was wiped out. How tragic. But listening to this, Chen An felt not a single ripple in his heart.
He had lived in this world of the jungle law for nearly forty years.
During this time, he had witnessed far too many inhuman atrocities, and he had long grown numb to such cruelty.
Let alone wiping out a minor family—even if the entire Blue Stone Town were razed, probably no one would dare utter a single word of criticism against that cultivator.
After all, this was the cultivation world, where cultivators stood high above like gods.
Compared to them, whether imperial royalty or aristocratic scions, as long as they were mortals, they were as cheap as ants and worthless as blades of grass. If they died, they died; absolutely no one would care.
"I wonder if this Song family miss is still an unmarried maiden?"
"Is the young master looking to redeem her?"
"Mm, name your price."
"This Song family miss is exceptionally beautiful, well-versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she is still a pure maiden. She is worth at least a hundred taels of gold."
A hundred taels of gold—neither more nor less—happened to equal the value of one low-grade spirit stone.
Without a second thought, Chen An pulled a low-grade spirit stone straight from his pocket, tossed it to the matron, and said indifferently, "I'll take this Song family miss."
"A spirit stone?!"
The matron's eyes went wide, her face full of sheer disbelief.
She was shocked that a man dressed so plainly as Chen An turned out to be a lofty cultivator!
You truly cannot judge a book by its cover.
She immediately changed her tune, declaring that the Song family miss would be given to Chen An for free as a way to forge a favorable karma.
Chen An did not take back the spirit stone. He directly took the Song family miss and left the alley.
He was an alchemist. Over the years, he had saved up some
savings from refining Pills, so he wasn't short of a single low-grade spirit stone and saw no need to owe a favor over this.
……
On the way back, the two conversed as they walked.
"What's your name?"
"This humble maiden's surname is Song, given name Huaying."
"That's a pretty name."
"Are you an Immortal Master, Young Master?"
"Mm."
"Thud!"
Song Huaying dropped to her knees on the spot, tears welling up as she choked out, "Immortal Master, my entire family was murdered by evil men, and now I am the only one left surviving. I beg the Immortal Master to take action and avenge my family!"
Help you take revenge?
Chen An had no desire to get involved in such dangerous business; he only wanted to quietly and safely live out the rest of his life.
On second thought, however, just humoring her with words didn't cost anything.
So he gave her a verbal promise:
"The wicked men who destroyed your family are also cultivators, so this matter requires careful planning. I will help you take revenge in the future."
"Thank you, thank you, Immortal Master!"
Overjoyed to the point of tears, Song Huaying immediately began kowtowing to Chen An.
Seeing this, Chen An hurriedly helped her up.
Song Huaying slowly got to her feet and raised her head to look at Chen An's immortal, handsome face. Her cheeks flushed involuntarily, and she lowered her head in shyness, whispering:
"For the Immortal Master's immense kindness, this humble maiden has no way to repay you in this life. I'm afraid the only way left is to offer you my body..."
Chen An just smiled without a word, thinking to himself that being handsome really had its perks—he wouldn't have to hear a beauty say "I will be your beast of burden in the next life."
……
Walking more than ten miles, the two arrived at an area with relatively dense spiritual energy.
This place was called the Bamboo Leaf Forest, a famous dwelling place for rogue cultivators, protected by a Foundation Establishment Mighty Expert. As long as one paid the fee, they could move in.
Many low-level cultivators lived here, buying protection with money.
Chen An was one of them.
Soon, the two stopped in front of a somewhat crude wooden cottage.
This was Chen An's home in the Bamboo Leaf Forest, built entirely with his own hands.
The reason he had to build it himself was because the Bamboo Leaf Forest only provided the land for protection, not housing; the rogue cultivators living inside all had to build their own houses.
"Creeak—"
Chen An stepped forward to push open the wooden door, leading Song Huaying inside.
"Make yourself at home. I'll go brew a pot of hot tea for you."
"Thank you, Immortal Master," Song Huaying said somewhat cautiously.
Originally, she had wanted to volunteer to make the tea. After all, Chen An was an exalted Immortal Master, so it was only right for her, a mortal, to wait on him.
However, having just walked over ten miles of mountain roads in a mortal body, her legs ached terribly, and the moment she sat down, she knew she wouldn't be able to stand back up again.
Soon, the tea was ready.
Chen An poured a cup for Song Huaying and cut straight to the point: "Ying'er, I redeemed you from the Yixiang Courtyard because I want to take you as my wife. Are you willing?"
Song Huaying trembled slightly upon hearing this. She had originally thought she was merely brought here to be a maid, never expecting to become a wife. It felt just like a dream.
After snapping back to her senses a moment later, she lowered her head with a bashful blush and replied in a voice no louder than a mosquito's: "Being able to marry the Immortal Master as his wife is Ying'er's fortune..."
"Then let's not waste any time. Let's perform the wedding ceremony right now."
Chen An had no intention of pretending to be a rigid gentleman. He quickly and simply went through the wedding process, and before dark, he impatiently consummated the marriage with his little bride.
Song Huaying was still an unmarried maiden and felt somewhat flustered by the consummation, able only to cover her small face with her hands the entire time and yield to his embrace.
About half an incense stick's time later, both of them had become true adults.
[You spent the night in intimacy with your wife Song Huaying, making efforts to spread your branches and leave descendants. Alchemy experience +1.]
What is this?
Looking at the text that suddenly materialized before his eyes, Chen An froze for a moment.
Then, the very next second, another panel popped up in front of him.
[Name: Chen An]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation 3rd Layer]
[Alchemy Skill: Rank 1 Beginner (19/100)]
[Spouse: Song Huaying]
[Descendants: None yet]
……
PS: Bowls out, begging for monthly votes and recommendation votes!
2. Deepening Affection
System panel!
This was a cheat, a Golden Finger!
Chen An was so excited he was practically moved to tears. After waiting for over thirty years, he had finally gotten the system he had been longing for.
Calming his emotions slightly, he hurriedly browsed through the information on the panel, finally letting his gaze fall on the bottom-most spouse and descendants sections.
Combining this with the prompt message that had popped up at the very beginning—[Alchemy experience +1]—he faintly guessed the function of his system.
So, he stroked his little bride's pretty face and looked at her affectionately as he said:
"Good Ying'er, let's continue."
"Ah?"
Song Huaying thought she had misheard. She figured she had just become a woman today, and her body couldn't possibly handle much more tossing about. Why wasn't her husband showing a bit of pity?
[Alchemy experience +1]
[Alchemy experience +1]
[Alchemy experience +1]
[……]
I do not know how much time passed, but Song Huaying's peach-blossom eyes were flushed red. Biting her thin lips, she looked at Chen An with a look of grievance and said, "Husband, this concubine is tired."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Chen An quickly soothed her: "It's this husband's fault for not considering Ying'er's feelings and letting your body get tired."
"Ying'er, get some good rest. This husband will go brew a bowl of chicken soup to nourish your body."
With that, he quickly put on his clothes, got out of bed, caught an old hen from the chicken coop in the backyard, and personally cooked chicken soup for his little bride.
Out of guilt, he tossed several precious medicinal herbs into the pot—herbs he usually couldn't bear to eat himself.
Afterward, he found a random spot to sit down and summoned the panel with a thought.
[Name: Chen An]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation 3rd Layer]
[Alchemy Skill: Rank 1 Beginner (25/100)]
[Spouse: Song Huaying]
[Descendants: None yet]
"Sure enough."
Looking at the data behind the Alchemy Skill section, Chen An confirmed his suspicions.
As long as he engaged in marital intimacy with his little bride, he could gain alchemy experience.
Moreover, in less than a day, his alchemy experience had increased by 6 points.
At this rate of growth, as long as he kept up his diligent cultivation every day, he would probably break through to become a Rank 1 Intermediate alchemist in less than a month.
By then, his pill success rate would increase significantly, thereby reducing alchemy costs and earning him more spirit stones.
"Life is finally looking up."
Chen An felt a surge of excitement in his heart, filled with hope for the future.
At that moment, a round of rough knocking suddenly sounded from outside the house.
"Bam! Bam! Bam!"
Then, a rough man's voice rang out shortly after:
"Anybody home?!"
"Open the door!"
"Get out here and pay your rent right now!"
A familiar knock, a familiar booming voice.
Without even looking, Chen An knew it must be that manager from the Bamboo Leaf Forest coming around to collect rent again.
He lowered the fire under the chicken soup, grabbed a low-grade spirit stone, and hurried out of the kitchen to open the door.
"Coming, coming!"
"Creeak—"
Chen An pulled the door open, and a burly, thick-set fellow immediately came into view.
Seeing that Chen An had dragged his feet so long before opening up, Manager Zhang didn't give him a pleasant expression at all, saying coldly:
"Dragging your feet like a woman just to open a door! Hurry up and pay your rent—one low-grade spirit stone!"
"……"
Without a word, Chen An silently handed over the spirit stone he was holding.
Taking the spirit stone, Manager Zhang's tone improved quite a bit as he said, "Starting next month, the rent is going up to two low-grade spirit stones a month. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Hearing this, Chen An's brows instantly knitted together.
Feeling utterly perplexed, he couldn't help asking, "Manager Zhang, why is the rent suddenly going up by so much?"
Manager Zhang explained, "Because just a short while ago, Blue Stone Town, located over ten miles away from the Bamboo Leaf Forest, was wiped out."
"Wiped out?"
Chen An was shocked and felt his hair stand on end.
He had only been to Blue Stone Town this morning to pick up a wife.
Yet such a large place—a place where tens of thousands of people lived—was wiped out in the span of a single afternoon, just like a joke.
This world was simply too terrifying.
Steadying his nerves, Chen An pursued the question: "Blue Stone Town was fine. Why was it suddenly destroyed?"
Manager Zhang continued to explain, "Just now, a massive swarm of blood demons flew in from somewhere. As they passed through Blue Stone Town, they devoured everyone inside like a plague of locusts."
"Those blood demons originally wanted to attack the Bamboo Leaf Forest as well, but fortunately, they were all blocked by the formation outside the forest."
"Right now, the formation is severely damaged and urgently needs repairs, which is why the rent has been increased."
Chen An could not accept Manager Zhang's explanation.
Didn't he hand over one low-grade spirit stone every month precisely for this protective service?
Why should we consumers bear the cost now that the protective service caused the formation to be damaged?
Though deeply dissatisfied in his heart, Chen An didn't voice any complaints.
Because he knew that in this jungle-law cultivation world, reasoning with people was useless; fists were the only absolute truth.
Otherwise, one could only accept it calmly.
"The times are getting more and more chaotic. It's not easy to find a place of refuge nowadays, so I advise you not to think about moving just because the rent went up. Otherwise, once you go outside, wanting to come back will be harder than ascending to heaven."
Leaving behind this warning, Manager Zhang strolled off humming a tune toward the next house to collect rent.
Watching the retreating figure, Chen An felt a wave of anxiety.
A rent of two low-grade spirit stones a month was already beyond what he could afford.
Because right now, he only earned a little over one low-grade spirit stone a month.
To deal with the current predicament, the only solution was to elevate his alchemy realm to Rank 1 Intermediate as quickly as possible.
That way, he could reduce material costs and increase his income.
And if he wanted to elevate his alchemy realm in a short time, his little bride's help was indispensable.
"Sigh, I wonder if Ying'er can handle it."
"I'll just have to nourish her more often and improve her physical condition as much as possible."
Through the window, Chen An saw his little bride resting on the bed inside, and worry washed over him.
At that moment, a rich aroma wafted over.
The chicken soup in the kitchen was ready.
Chen An went over, ladled out the chicken soup, and carried it all the way to his little bride.
"Husband, this concubine is well-versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I can earn money for you and won't live off you for nothing."
Song Huaying sat up from the bed, her pitiful, watery eyes looking at Chen An nervously as she tried hard to prove her worth.
She had heard the conversation outside just moments ago, and seeing Chen An's deeply worried expression, she couldn't help but fret that she might be discarded as a burden, leaving her feeling deeply insecure.
Sensing her worry, Chen An sat beside her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and soothed her:
"Don't worry, Ying'er. You are this husband's first woman, and this husband will certainly never abandon you."
"Husband..."
Deeply moved, Song Huaying's peach-blossom eyes grew watery, making her look exceptionally pitiful.
Chen An comforted his little bride a bit more, then patiently blew on the chicken soup spoon by spoon, gently feeding it into her cherry lips.
Flustered and grateful, Song Huaying never expected that Chen An, an exalted Immortal Master, would actually be willing to lower his status to take care of a mortal like her.
She gazed at Chen An with smitten eyes, thinking to herself that from now on, she must serve her makeshift husband with all her heart and soul so that every day of his life would be as joyful as an immortal's.
Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, several prompt messages suddenly popped up before Chen An, who was sitting right opposite her.
[Wife: Song Huaying]
[Attribute: A drop of grace in need, repaid with a spring in deed]
[Affection: 1 Star]
[Alchemy experience provided: 6]
[Note: The higher the marital affection level, the greater the returns you can obtain from it.]
……
PS: Bowls out, begging for monthly votes and recommendation votes!
3. Cultivating by Staying Low-Key is the Kingly Way
Chen An caught sight of the bottom-most prompt message immediately, and his eyes lit up.
The higher the marital affection level, the greater the returns he could get from his little bride?
This system actually had growth potential?
Was the alchemy experience only increasing by 1 each time because the affection level was currently at 1 star?
If he could grind it up to 5 stars, wouldn't his efficiency directly multiply by five in the future?
Thinking of this, Chen An felt a faint thrill in his heart.
The setting of being able to increase the affection level really struck a chord with him.
As a mobile game enthusiast in his past life, he loved grinding all kinds of achievements; it brought him a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Ying'er, you walked such a long mountain road, your legs and feet must be aching terribly right now, right?"
"This husband will go boil some water right now and give you a foot soak and massage later."
With that, Chen An immediately got up and headed to the kitchen, skillfully setting up the pot to boil water.
Once the water was ready, he poured it into a wooden tub, carried it into the room, and placed it before his little bride.
"Ying'er, lift your feet up, this husband will help you take off your shoes."
"Sorry to trouble you, Husband."
Song Huaying did not put on airs; she obediently lifted her feet, completely submissive and utterly well-behaved toward her husband.
Gently slipping off her embroidered shoes and white socks, Chen An was pleasantly surprised to find that his little bride's feet were quite alluring.
The tops of her feet were white and smooth, the soles pink and tender, and her toes small and exquisite. The jade feet fit neatly in his hands, looking exceptionally cute and making one want to reach out and touch them.
"Ying'er, is the water too hot?"
As he slowly lowered his little bride's jade feet into the water, Chen An asked tenderly in a soft voice.
Song Huaying shook her head, her voice carrying a trace of shyness: "It's not too hot, the temperature is just right."
As she spoke, her entire face flushed hot, and she turned slightly to the side, not daring to make eye contact with Chen An.
In this cultivation world, people's mindset was relatively feudal and simple.
For a woman, her feet were very private parts and should not be exposed in front of others.
Yet like this, with Song Huaying's jade feet held right in Chen An's hands, it inevitably made her feel quite embarrassed.
Even though she had already shared marital intimacy with Chen An, the time had ultimately been too short, and the awkward feeling of men and women not touching hands could not be completely avoided.
As a transmigrator, however, Chen An didn't care about all those rigid conventions.
Hearing his little bride say the water temperature was just right, he immediately immersed her jade feet in the water and skillfully began massaging them.
The pressure was sometimes heavy, sometimes light, causing his little bride's willow brows to twitch from time to time as she couldn't help letting out soft whimpers.
[You massaged your wife Song Huaying's jade feet. Marital affection +1.]
[Wife: Song Huaying]
[Attribute: A drop of grace in need, repaid with a spring in deed]
[Affection: 1 Star (1/100)]
[Alchemy experience provided: 6]
Looking at the prompt message that popped up before him, Chen An felt instantly motivated and massaged his little bride's jade feet with even more vigor.
However, after half an incense stick of time passed in a flash, the result left him somewhat disappointed.
He rubbed and massaged continuously until the water in the wooden tub went cold, yet he never saw another prompt about increasing marital affection appear.
Raising this marital affection level was much harder than he had imagined.
Still, he could sense that his little bride's feelings for him had deepened considerably by now.
For one could see from her watery peach-blossom eyes that the love within them had grown increasingly intense and without the slightest concealment.
The progress bar had only increased by 1 point simply because the system's standard for the marital affection level was set too high.
"It seems that wanting to suddenly boost the affection level to 2 stars in a short time is still somewhat unrealistic."
"It has to be a steady, long stream—feelings growing over time. One cannot be overly impatient."
Thinking this, Chen An quickly fetched a cotton cloth to dry his little bride's jade feet.
After drying them, he sat by the edge of the bed, hugging and cuddling her for a good while. Only when he felt satisfied did he somewhat reluctantly get up, leave the room, dump out the cold water from the wooden tub, and turn to walk into the alchemy room.
Arriving at an inconspicuous corner inside, he pried open a blue brick on the floor and took out all his worldly possessions—a total of 8 low-grade spirit stones.
Though not much, it was savings he had accumulated over two full years.
And now, he was going to take these 8 spirit stones and spend every last one of them on medicinal herbs.