Chapter 28

Over the next few days, Su Yi’s life became extremely regimented.

In the early morning, he would go to the mulberry forest by the Dacang River to practice martial arts, return to the city at noon to buy medicinal herbs, and upon returning home, he would boil the herbs to refine his body.

Just three days.

The two obsidian spirit crystals, each the size of a sesame seed, were completely refined.

And Su Yi’s cultivation had reached the peak of the "Flesh Refinement" stage.

The next step would be to begin the "Tendon Refinement" stage.

This cultivation speed was already astonishing, and it was over ten days faster than Su Yi had initially anticipated!

However, such progress was also reasonable.

After all, he spent 1,500 taels of silver worth of medicinal herbs every day, and the obsidian spirit crystals he refined were extremely rare. Combined with the profound secrets of the Pine Crane Body Tempering Technique, it was difficult for his cultivation not to advance.

"Only 2,000 taels of silver left..."

In the courtyard under the green jujube tree, Su Yi lay lazily in a rocking chair, basking in the sun. The dappled sunlight filtered through the branches of the jujube tree, making his eyes squint slightly.

He had just completed an intense cultivation session, and his body needed to rest.

In just ten days, the 10,000 taels of silver given by Zijin had already been spent by 8,000 taels, which made Su Yi start to think about ways to earn money.

"But, there’s no need to rush with earning money."

Su Yi raised his hand, picked up a cup of ginseng tea from the side table, and drank it in one go.

Instantly, a refreshing warmth flowed from his throat into his body, spreading like a tide to his limbs and organs. His blood and qi surged, and his exhausted body began to recover rapidly.

In just a moment, all his fatigue was gone!

This was a medicinal tea made from the leaves of the Nine-Leaf King Ginseng, to which Su Yi had added blood poria and polygonum multiflorum, among other herbs, rich in vitality and spiritual energy.

"The leaves for tea, the roots for soup, and the fruits to be eaten raw. This Nine-Leaf King Ginseng can support my cultivation for several days," Su Yi thought to himself.

After all, the Nine-Leaf King Ginseng is a second-grade spirit medicine, more than sufficient for the Qi Gathering stage.

"I’ll go forge a sword tomorrow morning!"

With a long breath, Su Yi’s eyes became bright.

In his previous life, he had attained the Dao through the sword, ultimately dominating the stars and being revered as the "Xuanjun Sword Master" by the world.

And the reason for his reincarnation was also to achieve a better realm in the sword path!

It could be said that all of Su Xuanjun’s Dao pursuits were related to the sword path.

As a sword cultivator, how could he not have a sword in his hand?

"Son-in-law, the mistress asks you to come to the main hall. She says she has something to discuss with you."

Suddenly, a maid’s voice sounded from outside the courtyard.

Su Yi was taken aback but responded, "Alright."

...

Main Hall.

When Su Yi arrived, his father-in-law Wen Changtai and mother-in-law Qin Qing were already seated at the dining table.

The table was set with a steaming, sumptuous lunch.

"You can sit and eat too."

Wen Changtai glanced at Su Yi and said.

"Hold it!"

Qin Qing glared at Wen Changtai in dissatisfaction.

Wen Changtai immediately fell silent and lowered his head to eat quietly.

Su Yi was not surprised; his father-in-law Wen Changtai was a "honest man," with a simple and straightforward personality, lacking ambition, and only wanting to live a peaceful life.

Qin Qing put down her chopsticks and said, "Su Yi, do you know that Lingzhao is about to become a personal disciple of the deputy head of the Tianyuan Academy?"

Su Yi nodded, "I’ve heard about it."

The day after the old matriarch’s birthday banquet, news spread that Wen Lingzhao had been chosen by the deputy head of the Tianyuan Academy, Zhu Guqing, to be his personal disciple.

Zhu Guqing was one of the few martial arts grandmasters in Yunhe County, with a renowned reputation.

To ordinary martial artists, he was like a celestial dragon.

When Wen Lingzhao was chosen by such a martial arts grandmaster, the entire Wen family was overjoyed, and the whole family was in a frenzy.

When the news spread, the entire Guangling City was shaken, causing a great stir, and many people were astonished.

But to Su Yi, it was merely a bit unexpected.

After all, Wen Lingzhao had only been in the Tianyuan Academy for less than half a month, and to be favored by a martial arts grandmaster was something even Su Yi hadn’t expected.

However, he wasn’t shocked by it.

A disciple of a Furnace Refinement stage martial arts grandmaster, what’s the big deal?

Qin Qing’s brows were filled with joy as she said, "This is a great blessing for our Wen family. This morning, the clan leader personally promised to grant us 1,000 taels of gold, 10 hu of pearls, nine property deeds, and the management of the ‘Apricot Yellow Medical Hall’ on Blue Sparrow Street!"

As she spoke, her face lit up with excitement and pride.

These past few days were definitely the most pleasant period for Qin Qing. Everyone who saw her greeted her with a smile, full of enthusiasm and flattery.

Even the clan leader and the old matriarch treated her with much more respect!

This made Qin Qing feel almost unreal.

"This is indeed a great blessing."

Su Yi responded casually.

Qin Qing suddenly became wary, "None of these riches are yours, don’t even think about it!"

Su Yi was speechless. If he needed money, he had various means to earn it; he didn’t need to covet these things.

Qin Qing, seemingly recalling something, her expression changed, and she finally seemed to make a decision, saying:

"You’ve been with us for a year now, and you can’t keep living off us. I plan to have you take over the business of the ‘Apricot Yellow Medical Hall’!"

Su Yi was taken aback.

Blue Sparrow Street, though not the most prosperous area in Guangling City, was densely populated and home to people from all walks of life.

The Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, located on this street, had been in business for many years and never lacked customers.

What Su Yi doubted was whether his mother-in-law, who had always been hostile and despised him, would genuinely be so kind as to give him such a good opportunity.

Qin Qing’s expression turned serious, and she said sternly, "I warn you, though I’m letting you manage the Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, you must hand over 1,000 taels of silver to me every month. If you fall short, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Su Yi finally understood. Yes, this was more like the mother-in-law he knew; she wouldn’t give him any benefits without a catch.

"1,000 taels a month?"

Wen Changtai couldn’t help but speak up.

Qin Qing, with a smug look, said, "I spent the whole night last night sorting out the accounts of the Apricot Yellow Medical Hall. According to the current situation, it can only earn around 1,000 taels a month, give or take a few taels!"

Su Yi was taken aback. In his mother-in-law’s calculations, he was nothing more than a laborer, and not even a paid one...

What kind of deal was this?

The Xuanjun Sword Master, who once dominated the world, was now being exploited by a shrewd mother-in-law after reincarnation?

"If Su Yi doesn’t earn 1,000 taels a month, what then?"

Wen Changtai asked.

Qin Qing sneered, "I’m not unreasonable. He can owe the money and pay it off within three months."

She paused and added slowly, "However, he will need to pay interest. The more he owes, the more interest he will pay. If he doesn’t pay it off within three months, the interest will compound, and the total debt will keep doubling."

Wen Changtai, the honest man, couldn’t help but draw a cold breath, feeling some sympathy for Su Yi.

Qin Qing took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and then looked at Su Yi with a sharp gaze, "You won’t default on the debt, will you?"

Su Yi countered, "What if I earn more than 1,000 taels a month?"

Qin Qing immediately smiled and praised, "You, the freeloader, still have some ambition. Knowing how to earn more money is good. Let me tell you, any amount over 1,000 taels a month will be yours."

"Alright, it’s settled."

Su Yi agreed without hesitation.

Qin Qing was taken aback, not expecting Su Yi to agree so readily, and felt somewhat uneasy.

After some thought, she warned again, "If you try any tricks, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

Soon, Su Yi left.

Qin Qing told him to go to the Apricot Yellow Medical Hall the next day and to live and eat there from then on.

This was actually a good thing for Su Yi.

If he stayed at the Wen family, doing anything would be inconvenient, but being outside was different.

In the main hall, only Wen Changtai and his wife were left.

Wen Changtai couldn’t help but ask, "Why are you letting Su Yi manage the Apricot Yellow Medical Hall? That place has always been controlled by the second brother’s family. From the doctors to the helpers, they are all from the second brother’s family."

"If you let Su Yi go there, he will be bullied every day. How much suffering will he endure?"

He sighed at the end.

Qin Qing, angry, said, "If you were as capable as your second brother, would the old matriarch have let Su Yi marry into our family? Do you know how much委屈 (grievance) our daughter Lingzhao has suffered because of this marriage?"

"Look at your elder brother, the head of the Wen family, with all the power and control over the family’s assets. How impressive is that? You, on the other hand, are neither a scholar nor a martial artist, and you don’t strive for anything. All the benefits have been taken by your two brothers!"

"These past years, if I hadn’t personally managed our family, with your abilities, we would have been bullied to death by other members of the Wen family!"

Wen Changtai, scolded, could only smile bitterly. He knew his personality and that he was indeed mediocre compared to his two brothers.

Qin Qing’s shrewdness made him seem even more useless.

After a while, Qin Qing finally calmed down and said, "I know the Apricot Yellow Medical Hall has been controlled by the second brother’s family, but that’s in the past. From today on, it belongs to us!"

"As for whether Su Yi will be bullied... don’t underestimate him."

Wen Changtai was surprised, "What do you mean?"

"I heard that a few days ago, Su Yi beat up Huang Ganjun at the Juxian Tower. I thought the Huang family wouldn’t let him off, but he’s still alive and well."

Qin Qing sneered, "I can’t see through the reason, but my intuition tells me there’s something strange about it!"

She sighed, "If he were still the outer gate sword leader of the Qinghe Sword Mansion, Lingzhao marrying him would be barely acceptable."

"But now, Lingzhao is about to become a grandmaster’s disciple! And Su Yi, he’s utterly useless!"

Her tone was filled with deep resentment.

Wen Changtai tried to comfort her, "If he hadn’t lost his cultivation, he wouldn’t have become our son-in-law. After all, at that time, Lingzhao hadn’t even entered the Tianyuan Academy yet."

"Shut up!"

Qin Qing slammed the table, interrupting him angrily, "Are you comforting me or mocking our daughter Lingzhao? Or are you just feeling too stifled and need to be disciplined?"

Wen Changtai looked embarrassed and remained silent.

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PS: First day of April, crazy for votes!