Chapter 8

With enough spirit liquid, Xiao Ping was finally able to plant vegetables throughout the entire courtyard. He watered the vegetables every three days with water mixed with spirit liquid and took two drops of spirit liquid each time to strengthen his physique. Besides that, he occasionally entered the Spirit Refining Cauldron to check on the growth of the ginseng.

Compared to the outside world, the environment inside the Spirit Refining Cauldron was clearly more suitable for plant growth. In just a short twenty days, all the ginseng had grown several leaves. Xiao Ping estimated that ginseng that would take three to four years to grow in the outside world could be harvested in less than a month inside the Spirit Refining Cauldron. However, he did not plan to harvest it so soon, as the older the ginseng, the more valuable it became. Xiao Ping decided to let it grow for a while longer.

During these three weeks, Xiao Ping also took the spirit liquid several times, which greatly improved his physical condition. He felt a significant enhancement in his strength, endurance, and reaction speed. He could easily lift a heavy object weighing over a hundred pounds and work all day without feeling tired. Even swatting flies had become much easier.

Under Xiao Ping's careful care, the second batch of vegetables grew quickly and only needed one more watering with spirit liquid before they could be harvested. However, before watering them, Xiao Ping had to clear out the weeds to prevent them from competing for nutrients with the vegetables. Some of the weeds, under the influence of the spirit liquid, had grown thick and tall, and only a sickle could easily remove them.

Xiao Ping skillfully used the sickle to remove the weeds. Although he had been busy for a while, he did not feel the slightest bit tired. The spirit liquid had made his physique better and better, making his work increasingly easier. However, frequent consumption of the spirit liquid also brought a problem: Xiao Ping was not yet accustomed to his rapidly increasing strength, sometimes even injuring himself as a result.

While cutting a vine, Xiao Ping underestimated his own strength. He swung the sickle heavily, cleanly cutting the vine, but the momentum of the sickle left a deep wound on his arm. The cut was severe, almost to the bone, with the flesh splitting open and blood gushing out.

Only then did Xiao Ping feel the pain, involuntarily drawing a sharp breath, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead. Even if Xiao Ping was not a doctor, he could see that such a deep wound would require stitches. He pressed hard on the wound to stop the bleeding and hurried back to his room to get money to go to the hospital.

However, when Xiao Ping got the money, he was surprised to find that the bleeding had stopped. The originally frightening wound had formed a thin scab, and it looked like it would heal quickly even without going to the hospital. An ordinary person would never have such a strong healing ability, which was clearly one of the benefits of the spirit liquid.

"This is... too amazing!" Xiao Ping looked at the wound on his arm and muttered to himself, "If this keeps up, won't I become invulnerable in the future?"

Since the wound was no longer a major issue, Xiao Ping decided not to waste money on a hospital visit. Medical treatment was expensive, and getting a dozen stitches would cost several hundred yuan. It would be better to use that money to buy some jade for the Spirit Refining Cauldron to absorb.

So, Xiao Ping changed his blood-stained clothes and planned to finish the work in the vegetable garden. As he walked to the gate, he saw Li Wanqing coming in from outside. Although they lived under the same roof, Xiao Ping had not seen his neighbor for many days. It was said that Li Wanqing's company was busy with a major project, and she had been working overtime for over half a month, leaving early and returning late every day, even on weekends. Today was Sunday, and Li Wanqing had gone to work early, but for some reason, she had returned early.

Xiao Ping noticed that Li Wanqing had become much thinner and paler than a month ago, clearly having had a tough time. She managed a weak smile as a greeting and then asked in a weak voice, "Is Aunt Wang here? I need to talk to her about something."

"It's Sunday today, Aunt Wang should be upstairs at this time," Xiao Ping replied to Li Wanqing and then couldn't help but ask, "You don't look well, are you okay?"

"Nothing, I might just be too tired from working overtime recently," Li Wanqing said with a faint smile. "I'll go upstairs to find Aunt Wang."

Xiao Ping was in a hurry to finish the work in the vegetable garden, so he nodded and walked out. However, just as he reached the gate, he heard a scream behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw Li Wanqing, who had already walked up the stairs, fall backward. Without thinking, he rushed over in one swift step, reaching the bottom of the stairs and catching Li Wanqing with his outstretched arms.

Li Wanqing hit Xiao Ping's chest hard. If it had been two months ago, he would have been knocked to the ground. But now, Xiao Ping stood firmly, holding Li Wanqing's slender and soft body in his strong arms, preventing her from falling to the ground.

If Xiao Ping had been anyone else, he would not have been able to catch Li Wanqing in time. Thanks to the spirit liquid, his reaction and speed far exceeded those of an ordinary person, allowing him to catch her just in time.

Li Wanqing's fragrant and soft body in Xiao Ping's arms made his heart flutter, and he couldn't help but think, "Saving a beauty, she should fall in love with me, right?"

However, saving a beauty also came at a cost. The impact reopened the wound on Xiao Ping's arm, and blood started flowing again. But Xiao Ping didn't have time to worry about that. He held Li Wanqing's slender waist and asked, "Are you okay?"

Xiao Ping asked twice before Li Wanqing came to her senses, realizing she was in Xiao Ping's arms. Embarrassed, she struggled to stand up, but a wave of dizziness immediately hit her, forcing her to give up the attempt. She weakly said, "I feel dizzy."

Xiao Ping quickly helped Li Wanqing sit on a chair. Looking at her haggard appearance, he suddenly had an idea and said, "Wait here, I'll be right back."

Without waiting for a response, Xiao Ping ran out with a cup from the table, went to the vegetable garden, and filled it with the water he had prepared for the vegetables. Xiao Ping didn't notice that Wang Jian, who was hiding in his room, had seen everything.

The noise of Li Wanqing falling down the stairs also alarmed Wang Jian. When he ran to the door, he saw Xiao Ping catching Li Wanqing. This scene made Wang Jian jealous, thinking that such a heroic act should have been done by him, not Xiao Ping. Seeing Xiao Ping run back with the water, Wang Jian guessed what he was going to do but decided to wait for the best moment to expose Xiao Ping.

"Drink this," Xiao Ping said, handing the cup to Li Wanqing. "It will do you good."

Looking at the cup of cold water, Li Wanqing hesitated. The continuous overtime work for over half a month had taken a toll on her, and it was her menstrual period, which made things even worse. Today, she couldn't bear it anymore and had returned early to ask Wang Fang for some red sugar water to warm her body. She had fallen down the stairs, but fortunately, Xiao Ping had caught her. However, she couldn't drink cold water during her period, but as a young woman, she found it embarrassing to say so to Xiao Ping.

Xiao Ping noticed Li Wanqing's hesitation and smiled, saying, "This isn't just ordinary cold water. It contains many medicinal ingredients that are very beneficial to your health. I recovered from my illness thanks to it."

"Blowing it up, turning cold water for vegetables into a miraculous elixir, I'll expose you in a moment!" Wang Jian, hiding in his room, sneered at Xiao Ping's words. However, he decided to wait for the best moment to expose Xiao Ping and continued to watch patiently.

Li Wanqing was somewhat moved by Xiao Ping's words and cautiously took a small sip. Strangely, although the water was cold, she soon felt a faint warmth spreading through her body, making her feel much better.

Surprised, Li Wanqing took a few more sips and finally believed that the seemingly ordinary cold water was indeed effective. Her dizziness disappeared, her limbs warmed up, and her spirits improved. With this confidence, she drank the rest of the water without hesitation.

Seeing Li Wanqing's complexion gradually turn rosy, Xiao Ping knew the water had worked and smiled, saying, "I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Li Wanqing felt a bit embarrassed for doubting Xiao Ping and gave him an apologetic smile. Just as she was about to say something, Wang Jian suddenly burst out of his room, indignant and shouted, "Xiao Ping, you liar! You tricked Wanqing into drinking cold water for vegetables, pretending it was a miraculous elixir. What are your intentions?!"

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{Piaotian Literature}