"I never expected that just as the blood demon chaos passed, a gang war would break out in the blink of an eye. Who knows if pill prices are going to skyrocket again."
Chen An analyzed the situation all the way home.
Yet, after thinking it over carefully, he figured that pill prices would most likely not rise after all.
Because the Bamboo Leaf Gang was a major faction, they must have stored up a considerable stock of pills within the gang.
Even if their reserves were insufficient and they needed to purchase more from the alchemists in the Bamboo Leaf Forest, the prices would surely remain the same as usual, or perhaps even be driven down.
After all, the Bamboo Leaf Gang were the masters of the Bamboo Leaf Forest. If any alchemist living inside dared to raise their prices, chances were they would simply vanish by the next day.
The world of immortal cultivation was no peaceful era; when someone's strength utterly crushed yours, they could kill you simply because they felt like it.
In better times, they might still negotiate purchases with you, at worst squeezing down your prices a little.
Once things became truly desperate, however, they would straight-up resort to outright looting within minutes. After robbing you, they might even drag you off to serve as cannon fodder, executing anyone who resisted on the spot to make an example of the rest.
"Ah, I hope these two gangs don't end up fighting after all."
"Otherwise, once the flames of war spread, the days for a low-tier cultivator like me will probably lose all peace once more."
Chen An thought with a worried expression.
Soon, Chen An returned home.
As soon as he stepped through the front gate, he saw Song Huaying and Gu Xinyue watering the vegetables in the front yard.
The two women chatted casually back and forth, their relationship appearing much more familiar than before.
However, this "much more familiar" was purely relative to how things used to be.
Although they were supposedly chatting, in reality it mostly consisted of Song Huaying saying ten sentences, to which Gu Xinyue would coldly reply with one or two.
Still, no matter how one looked at it, this was a huge improvement over the past.
It was a good sign.
"Husband!"
Seeing her husband return, Song Huaying immediately put down her water scoop with a heart full of joy and hurried over to greet him.
Gu Xinyue stood motionless, simply watching quietly as Song Huaying threw herself into her husband's arms. Her face remained completely expressionless, devoid of the slightest emotional ripple.
Yet the moment Chen An glanced in her direction, she immediately lowered her head in a panic, her pretty face feeling intensely hot as she silently kept her gaze fixed on the vegetables to disguise her embarrassment.
Ever since Chen An had cherished her so tenderly last night, a wisp of romantic sentiment had sprouted in her heart toward him. She found herself caring deeply about his every move, feeling utterly distracted and absent-minded.
Chen An took in all of Gu Xinyue's reactions.
Her personality was cold?
No matter, affection grows with time, after all.
If dripping water could pierce stone, surely he didn't need to fear penetrating a mere block of ice?
And if all else failed, he could just use his Golden Finger to poke through.
Sooner or later, he would crack open her heart.
Soon, the three of them headed to the parlor together to have dinner.
The meal was a lavish spread.
Eight dishes and one soup, featuring five meat dishes and three vegetarian ones.
Song Huaying's pretty eyes curved slightly, and she said with a mischievous glint in her gaze:
"Husband, among tonight's dishes, one of them was made by Sister Gu. Take a guess which one it is."
"Must be this plate of smashed cucumbers."
"Eh, Husband, how did you guess?"
"Want to guess?"
"Husband, you're annoying~"
Song Huaying puckered her cherry lips in a pout of coquettish spoiledness, expertly exchanging flirtatious banter with Chen An.
Watching her, Chen An felt an itch in his heart. He longed to pin this tea-flavored little sprite of a woman right onto the dining table and thoroughly discipline her on the spot, just to see if she would still dare to use that sugary, affected baby voice to act coquettishly like this.
Unfortunately, there was a third person in the house right now.
The day would come when everyone grew close enough to truly lay bare their hearts to one another; perhaps then he would get the chance to try out that classic scene from a certain film and television drama: *No, you've arrived at just the right time.*
"Husband, stop teasing me and hurry up and taste Sister Gu's cooking."
With that, Song Huaying picked up a piece of cucumber, placed it into Chen An's bowl, and urged him to taste it right away.
Gu Xinyue still made no move, but her entire attention was now focused on Chen An, eagerly awaiting his evaluation.
Under the expectant gazes of the two women, Chen An picked up the cucumber slice and popped it into his mouth to taste.
The texture was good, quite crisp and refreshing.
As for the flavor, however—to be honest, it was very ordinary.
The seasoning blend simply hadn't been mixed well.
Though that was the actual reality, Chen An's eyes nonetheless lit up as he put on a look of pleasant surprise and said:
"Sour with a hint of spice, spicy with a touch of sweetness, and the texture is both crisp and refreshing! Your husband has never eaten such delicious smashed cucumbers in his life. Yue'er, your culinary skills are simply wonderful."
"Husband, this is the very first time Sister Gu has ever made smashed cucumbers."
"Yue'er, you're truly a genius!"
"I'm not..."
Gu Xinyue was so heavily praised that she felt terribly embarrassed, instinctively lowering her head. A faint flush bloomed across her fair, pretty face, mixed with a trace of joy so subtle it was almost imperceptible.
[You hypocritically praised your wife Gu Xinyue as a culinary genius. She is very happy to receive your recognition; marital affection +1.]
[Wife: Gu Xinyue]
[Attributes: Pure and flawless, steadfast and unwavering]
[Affection: 1 Star (1/100)]
[Divine sense strength provided: 15]
Hm? Affection increased?
Could it be that this newly acquired concubine of mine has lacked self-confidence since childhood and deeply yearns for validation from others?
Chen An suddenly felt as though he had found the key to winning over Gu Xinyue.
He resolved that tonight, when they rested and engaged in the union of water and fire, he would heap praise upon her and see if he might reap some unexpected delight.
After the meal.
The three of them strolled around the courtyard to help digest their dinner.
Taking advantage of the magnificent moonlight, Chen An produced the two hairpins he had purchased from the market today, presenting them to his wife and concubine out of thin air like a magician. With a slight smile, he said:
"Come, these are gifts your husband carefully selected and bought for you today. The one embedded with the pink pearl belongs to Ying'er, and the one with the blue sapphire belongs to Yue'er. Do you like them?"
"Husband, these two hairpins are so pretty! I love them so much!"
Song Huaying hopped up and down with excitement, staring fixedly at the two hairpins with eyes full of eagerness.
Gu Xinyue, standing to the side, was actually rather thrilled as well and desperately wanted the sapphire hairpin, but she didn't show much of it on her face.
"Come, your husband will put them on for you."
"Husband is the best!"
"Mn..."
One wife and one concubine—one unreservedly poured out her affection, while the other remained as reticent as gold.
Song Huaying was the primary wife with whom he shared a deep bond, so Chen An put the hairpin on her first.
This was a perfectly natural course of action.
Yet seeing this from the side, Gu Xinyue still inevitably felt a tiny ripple of disappointment in her heart.
Though it made little logical sense, she truly wished Chen An had pinned her hairpin on first.
"Husband, Ying'er loves you most!"
Once the hairpin was fastened, Song Huaying couldn't help standing on tiptoes to plant a kiss on Chen An's cheek. Afterward, she unconsciously glanced toward Gu Xinyue at her side and felt a slight pang of embarrassment.
Chen An reciprocated the gesture in kind.
Watching from the side, Gu Xinyue felt a surge of envy; she wanted to be kissed too, but was too shy to show it.
Picking up the sapphire hairpin, Chen An walked over to Gu Xinyue and said with a smile:
"Yue'er, let your husband put it on for you, shall we?"
"Thank you for the trouble, Husband."
Gu Xinyue no longer spoke in monosyllables, and a faint, delicate blush was clearly visible spreading across her face.
Chen An held the hairpin and proceeded to gather her hair and fasten it in place.
Inevitably, this process involved some physical contact with her, such as brushing against her ear or neck.
At that moment, Chen An noticed that her pretty face grew increasingly flushed, and each time he accidentally touched her, her body would involuntarily tremble.
Was this what they called a cold personality?
Was he sure she wasn't just overly sensitive?
Or perhaps simply unaccustomed to speech?
Chen An gained a deeper understanding of Gu Xinyue, and the desire to conquer her grew all the more intense within his heart.
He envisioned making her far more proactive in the future—a cold, aloof flower atop a snowy peak when facing outsiders, yet a passionate, unbridled red rose of a contrast goddess solely in his presence.
Just imagining this contrast between how she acted before others and how she acted before him was enough to stir his feelings.
"Husband, does it look good on me?"
Gu Xinyue's pretty face was stained a deep red, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzzing, making her look exceptionally charming.
Both Chen An and Song Huaying were left completely stunned upon hearing this.
What was going on here?
This taciturn lump of ice actually took the initiative to ask such an ambiguous question?
Time flew by in a flash.
Before they knew it, the Hour of Xu had arrived.
As usual, Chen An boiled a large bucket of hot water and took a mandarin duck bath with Song Huaying in their bedroom.
He had asked Gu Xinyue if she wanted to join them.
The reply he received was: "No."
After finishing his bath with Song Huaying, he refused to give up and went to ask Gu Xinyue once more: "Yue'er, would you like to take a bath with us later? Just the two of us."
The reply he received was: "Mn."
Chen An was overjoyed.
He knew that his newly acquired concubine genuinely and truly wished to integrate herself into this household.
Moreover, she had chosen the most difficult path for herself—beginning by trying to please her own husband.
This alone was proof of her determination.
Two joss sticks' worth of time later:
[You engaged in deep communication with your wife Gu Xinyue, striving for the continuation of your lineage; marital affection +1, divine sense strength +1.]
[You cast your supreme martial art technique, the Golden Finger, upon your wife Gu Xinyue, opening her eyes to unprecedented joy; affection +1, Golden Finger proficiency +1.]
"Yue'er, do you like your husband?"
"I like you."
Gu Xinyue set aside a little of her reserve as she nestled in Chen An's arms, her pretty face flushed as she spoke in a soft murmur.
Chen An felt an immense sense of satisfaction in his heart.
From that day forward, he treated both his wife and concubine with absolute equality, showing not a shred of partiality.
Every single day was like this, evenly bestowing his rain and dew upon them both.
Half a month later.
On this day, Chen An opened his eyes and woke up. Sitting up from between his wife and concubine, he carefully perused the prompt notifications appearing before his eyes.
[You tenderly and carefully engaged in deep communication with your wife Song Huaying, striving for the continuation of your lineage; alchemy experience +2.]
[You engaged in deep communication with your wife Gu Xinyue, striving for the continuation of your lineage; divine sense strength +1.]
[You... divine sense strength +1.]
[You... divine sense strength +1.]
[......]
[You praised your wife Gu Xinyue, saying "Yue'er, you're truly capable," saying "Yue'er, you're amazing"; marital affection +1 +3 +1 +4 +5 +2 +0......]
[You cast your supreme martial art technique, the Golden Finger, upon your wife Gu Xinyue; Golden Finger proficiency +1.]
[You... Golden Finger proficiency +1.]
[You... Golden Finger proficiency +1.]
[......]
After finishing his review, Chen An shifted his thoughts and brought up his personal attribute panel.
[Name: Chen An]
[Cultivation: Qi Condensation 4th Layer]
[Alchemical Skill: Rank 1 Intermediate (414/500)]
[Divine Sense: Qi Condensation (early) (77/100)]
[Golden Finger: Novice (99/100)]
[Wealth: 404 low-grade spirit stones]
[Spouses: Song Huaying, Gu Xinyue]
[Offspring: Conceiving (7 months)]
"The Golden Finger is just 1 point of proficiency away from breaking through to the Proficient stage. I've also saved up over 400 low-grade spirit stones, and my alchemical realm will soon break through to Rank 1 Advanced as well. It's time to move to the core district."
Chen An made up his mind: in a few days, he would move his household into the core district to live.
What forced him to make this decision was that the relationship between the Bamboo Leaf Gang and Black Iron Manor had grown increasingly tense lately, with several clashes already having broken out.
Although these were all petty squabbles between early-stage Qi Condensation cultivators that had not yet involved key figures from either side,
in Chen An's eyes, the situation was already looking very grim.
He knew that these so-called petty squabbles were merely mutual probes between the two sides before a major war commenced.
It probably wouldn't be long before the real storm arrived.
He had to move house as soon as possible.
With these thoughts, Chen An looked toward Gu Xinyue, who was still fast asleep beside him, and silently gathered the spiritual energy within his body onto his fingertips. A faint golden glow flickered into existence... Ah, it was time to push his Golden Finger through to the Proficient stage.
[You cast your supreme martial art technique, the Golden Finger, upon your wife Gu Xinyue; Golden Finger proficiency +1.]
[Golden Finger: Proficient (100/500)]
[Name: Gu Xinyue]
[Attributes: Pure and flawless, steadfast and unwavering]
[Affection: 1 Star (39/100)]
[Divine sense strength provided: 77]
[Golden Finger proficiency provided: 33]
"Finally broke through!"
Watching the realm of his Golden Finger shift from Novice to Proficient, Chen An felt a surge of excitement well up in his chest.
Yet he quickly calmed his emotions, lowering his gaze to look at Gu Xinyue, whose pretty face was flushed scarlet. She had turned her head slightly to the side, using her hand to tightly cover her small mouth. Reaching out, he gently stroked her snowy hair and smiled:
"Yue'er, there's no need to cover your mouth to keep from making a sound. Ying'er sleeps deeply every night; that little noise of yours isn't going to wake her up."
"..."
Gu Xinyue blushed so fiercely she simply lifted her other hand to cover her face as well, leaving only a small expanse of her glowing, heat-radiating cheeks exposed.
How could anyone look at such a bashful, naked beauty and endure it?
Wouldn't any man transform into a beast and lavish her with tender affection?
Yet Chen An held back.
Because compared to continuing his dalliance with the cold and charming Gu Xinyue, he was far more eager right now to go outside and test the might of his upgraded Golden Finger.
Soon, Chen An left the bedroom and headed to the backyard.
Full of eager anticipation, he unleashed the Golden Finger, discovering that the golden light shining from his fingertips was far more brilliant than before.
Next, he aimed his finger at a boulder over ten meters away and, instinctively knowing how to do so, projected the golden light clinging to his fingertip outward.
The next second, with a loud *bang*!
The golden beam struck the boulder with pinpoint accuracy, instantly piercing clean through it and shattering it into fragments, even leaving a shallow crater blasted into the yellow mud beneath the stone.
So powerful!
The destructive force generated by this golden light was several times greater than a pistol from his past life!
Looking at the palm-sized shallow crater on the ground, Chen An was practically beside himself with excitement.
If it was already this formidable at just the second tier, what about the third, fourth, or even fifth tier?
At that point, would the power of the Golden Finger become comparable to the laser cannons of sci-fi novels from his past life, capable of accurately slaying enemies from a thousand miles away or even destroying heaven and earth?
Just thinking about it was thrilling.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
Over the next half-hour or so, Chen An didn't even have time to eat the breakfast his wife and concubine had specially brought to his lips; he simply kept firing off his Golden Finger everywhere.
On the courtyard wall, on the tree trunks, across the ground... he shot everywhere he looked, and within moments the entire area was riddled with craters.
Watching from the side, his wife and concubine were left utterly dumbfounded with shock.
What was going on here? The Golden Finger their husband usually used just to please them was actually a martial art technique of such immense and terrifying power? Just what kind of sacred being was their husband, anyway?
After finishing lunch, Chen An shared his plan of moving to the core district with his wife and concubine.
Both women were caught completely off guard, but the dominant emotions they felt were confusion and worry.
The core district?
It was said that the rent there alone cost a hundred low-grade spirit stones a month! Was that a place cultivators at the very bottom like them could ever afford to live?
The two women racked their brains in vain.
Not until Chen An retrieved the four-hundred-plus accumulated low-grade spirit stones, placed them all out in front of them, and told them that he would be able to break through to a Rank 1 Advanced alchemist in less than four months did sudden understanding dawn on their faces.
To celebrate this joyous occasion, Song Huaying pulled her husband into the bedroom with eyes full of love, eager to reward him properly.
Seeing this, Gu Xinyue hesitated for a moment, but in the end, her pretty face blushing crimson, she followed them inside to celebrate as well.
[Alchemy experience +2]
[Divine sense +1]
[Alchemy experience +2]
[Divine sense +1]
[Divine sense +1]
[Divine sense +1]
[......]
Emerging from the bedroom, Chen An immediately plunged into the alchemy room, beginning to brew pills with extra overtime effort.
After all, since they were about to move to the core district, he needed to earn as many spirit stones as possible beforehand.
The more, the better.
After spending over two hours refining a pile of pills, Chen An fetched a medicine chest, packed all the pills inside, strapped it to his back, and bade farewell to his wife and concubine before setting off for the market to set up his stall.
Arriving at the familiar lane and setting up his familiar spot, Chen An had just put down the medicine chest and prepared to open for business when several stall owners nearby began teasing him.
"I say, Alchemist Chen, you've made so much money lately, why are you still coming out to suffer through the wind and sun like the rest of us? Why not just rent a proper storefront and open a medicine shop? How wonderful that would be—why torture yourself?"
"Exactly, Alchemist Chen."
"Tsk tsk, if I were Alchemist Chen, I'd definitely open a medicine shop right in the center of the market, hire a few assistants to help manage it, and spend my days holed up at home with a few dao companions making merry every single night."
"..."
Facing the banter of his peers, Chen An smiled and waved a hand. "It's all hard-earned money, hardly amounting to much at all. Not long ago I was nearly unable to scrape together the rent, which is why I'm still out here setting up a stall. If I could afford it, I'd have holed up at home living the good life long ago."
The stall owners simply laughed without replying, thinking to themselves that anyone who believed him was a fool.
Wealth must never be flaunted; everyone understood that rule.
For the remainder of the time, Chen An chatted casually here and there with his fellow vendors while systematically laying out the pills from his medicine chest to sell.
They were uniformly Passion-Severing Pills.
Because this type of pill had low production costs and high market demand, brewing them offered an extremely high cost-performance ratio.
"Fellow daoist, give me 10 Passion-Severing Pills."
"Fellow daoist, I'm buying 20 at once—can you give me a discount?"
"Ah, Fellow Daoist, my daughter is fair-skinned and beautiful with an exquisite, slender figure, and she currently has no dao companion. She spends every single day guarding an empty chamber—I wonder if these Passion-Severing Pills might help my daughter resolve the emptiness and loneliness of her nights?"
"..."
No sooner had Chen An set up his stall than a continuous stream of passing customers flocked over to make purchases.
In the span of barely over an hour, all the Passion-Severing Pills were sold out.
He had netted roughly a third of a spirit stone in profit.
During this time, quite a few female cultivators dressed in alluring attire came over to flirt, hinting in both words and insinuations at wanting to form a dao companion bond.
However, Chen An paid them no heed.