A Farce of a Banquet and a Curious Proposition

Inside the Zhang family manor.

“Qingzhu, this uncle tried to do good, but it turned out badly. This welcoming banquet has become such a farce.” Uncle Zhang sighed, gazing at the servants patrolling, then turned to Xu Qingzhu beside him.

The night had grown deep, and the banquet, punctuated by the thunderous flashes in the sky, had devolved into a complete farce.

Lanterns swaying, guests from all walks of life departed, shaking their heads. Some, as they left, couldn’t help but instruct their servants to be extra vigilant.

What appeared to be merely a farce was, to those influential guests who held a measure of power, a clear sign. They had seen through the superficial chaos to the truth lurking beneath.

Dangyang County was on the precipice of turmoil.

“Please don’t speak of it further, Uncle Zhang,” Xu Qingzhu said, his voice gentle. “Qingzhu sees your good intentions clearly.” He helped his uncle into the manor after seeing off the last guest.

His condition was more severe than anticipated. After a day of exhaustion and various emotional stresses, Uncle Zhang could barely stand.

Su Mo followed silently, having originally intended to gather some herbs, but now found herself unable to act.

She felt it would be best if Xu Qingzhu didn’t discover her true purpose, as concocting poisons was hardly a respectable endeavor.

‘Sharing a room with him… setting aside the question of safety, there’s no private space at all,’ Su Mo mused, the lantern light flickering in her eyes. She stood motionless in the courtyard, gazing silently at the evening pond.

“Tap, tap…” He must have been attentive, for he turned and spoke:

“My dear wife, it’s already late.”

“…I,” Su Mo began, a hesitant word escaping her lips.

Just then, his voice drifted to her ears:

“Uncle Zhang, you should also rest early. Don’t tire yourself out for the two of us.”

“Qingzhu, this matter is grave. How could I possibly sleep?”

“Uncle Zhang…”

The sight of the kind uncle and dutiful nephew left Su Mo speechless, her mouth agape.

‘Are you doing this on purpose?’ Su Mo wondered. She suspected he was intentionally using the ailing Uncle Zhang as an excuse to prevent her from bringing up the subject of ‘separate rooms.’

‘Why do I feel like I’m being manipulated?’

Husband and wife shared a room, the door closed, and a single candle flickered in the night.

After closing the window, Xu Qingzhu turned to Su Mo, who sat restlessly at the head of the bed, and spoke calmly:

“Uncle Zhang has always been wishing for me to find a wife and start a family.”

“Mm-hmm,” Su Mo replied, somewhat distracted.

Her gaze darted around the room’s furnishings, appearing utterly aimless.

“Perhaps that arrangement won’t work out for now. But if you play the role of my wife, and once Uncle Zhang recovers, then we can…”

“Really?” Su Mo’s eyes lit up.

‘Was he suggesting that she ‘act as his wife, and once Uncle Zhang recovered, they could part ways amicably’?’

A flicker in his eyes, Xu Qingzhu suppressed a smile and said earnestly:

“Yes.”

“That’s good,” Su Mo said, her tension easing considerably.

He said no more, though the mirth in Xu Qingzhu’s eyes was difficult to conceal.

She didn’t know that the latter half of his thought was:

‘…At that time, we can discuss the previous suggestion again. I’ll ensure you reach the Nascent Soul stage, and you’ll contentedly be my wife.’

Rising, Xu Qingzhu stepped forward and offered her tea:

“Care for some tea?”

“Not thirsty,” Su Mo replied with a smile, the events of last night vivid in her memory.

After all, she had been poisoned by a cup of tea just the previous evening.

“Perhaps some pastries?”

“Not hungry.”

“Are you sleepy?”

“Not at all,” Su Mo declared, her small head held high, her tiny hands resting on her thighs, utterly defiant.

“Then perhaps you could review the pharmacy ledgers with me,” Xu Qingzhu suggested, taking a sip of tea. “If all goes well, we’ll take over a portion of them soon.”

“Huh? Can I look at something else?” Su Mo whined, clearly disinclined.

“Aside from this, what else is there for you to look at?” Xu Qingzhu raised his eyes, setting down the book he held. “Cultivation techniques? Ancient texts?”

“…Storybooks?” Su Mo ventured tentatively.

She vividly recalled how, back at the orphanage, a single copy of *Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio* had become everyone’s cherished bedtime tale.

Frowning, Xu Qingzhu felt Su Mo’s indolent nature had been thoroughly exposed.

Rumor had it that she disliked cultivation, to the extent that while her peers had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, she hadn’t even grasped the basics.

“Absolutely not,” Xu Qingzhu said, his gaze fixed on her. “With such a disposition, how could you ever hope to reach the Nascent Soul stage?”

“Why are you so insistent on the Nascent Soul stage?” Su Mo asked, her beautiful eyes wide with curiosity.

He offered no reply.

Only after a long moment did he suddenly ask:

“In terms of cultivation, what sort of talent do you possess?”

Lowering her gaze, Su Mo pondered, remaining as still as a statue.

He didn’t press her; such a matter indeed required serious contemplation.

It was a decision that would shape her future for hundreds of years, an art that would accompany her for the rest of her life, and thus, could not be treated lightly.

Yet, in the quiet of the deep night, Su Mo uttered a sentence that took him by surprise:

“Are there any medical arts in the cultivation world? Even healing cultivation techniques would be fine.”

His dark eyes narrowed slightly, and Xu Qingzhu looked at her with extreme seriousness, asking:

“Why? That path is one of the most arduous to cultivate.”

“Before, I saw people fall ill, their families poor, unable to receive timely treatment… so I remembered,” Su Mo reminisced, the echoes of their cries of anguish still ringing in her ears.

“Is that a talent?”

“Isn’t it?” Su Mo countered.

The book in Xu Qingzhu’s hand trembled slightly, and he let out a solemn hum:

“Hm.”

With no further elaboration, Su Mo began to suspect that his casual inquiry had merely been a deception.

And she had been pondering one of her future paths so earnestly!

“Thump.” A book was casually placed before her. Su Mo looked up, noticing the ink wasn’t even dry.

Her gaze flitted between the book and Xu Qingzhu, and Su Mo found herself speechless.

“If you don’t believe it, then don’t look,” Xu Qingzhu said, making a move to retrieve the book.

With a sudden lunge, Su Mo pressed his hand against her chest and pouted:

“Young Master Xu, please, have mercy on me!”

He tried to withdraw his hand, but her grip was too firm. He gave up.

Yet, in this position, Su Mo’s face flushed crimson, and her earlobes turned a delicate red.

‘Gritting her teeth, she vowed not to waver!’

“Let go of my hand, and I’ll give it to you,” Xu Qingzhu said after a moment of silence.

“You promised,” Su Mo stated, staring intently at him. Had her hands not been clutching his arm, she would surely have pointed at his nose.

“A gentleman’s word.”

“Is as swift as a team of four horses!” Su Mo exclaimed, rising to demand the book from him.

He shook his head, handed it to her, and turned to leave.

It was as if the recent scene had not affected him in the slightest.

However…

“Why is there a faint scent of milk in the air?” He lowered his head in silence, gazing at the arm she had pressed against, utterly speechless.

‘Are you made of milk?’

Su Mo, however, was in no mood to notice his peculiar behavior.

Although it was a text Xu Qingzhu himself had penned not long ago, its contents were undeniably substantial.

‘He seems to know a little bit of everything,’ Su Mo mused with a sigh.

Honestly, if someone told her he wasn’t Xu Qingzhu, Su Mo would have believed them.

Yet, his genuine affection for Xu Qingzhu’s family seemed undeniably real.

‘What exactly did he go through to become so formidable in such a short time?’ Su Mo suspected the guy had some kind of cheat.

Fortunately, she had discovered another path to becoming stronger: draining Xu Qingzhu dry!

Make him spill all his knowledge for her!

‘Learn from the barbarians to defeat the barbarians,’ Su Mo thought, finding it immensely reasonable.

She would learn from him, use his resources, enjoy his provisions, and then happily make her escape.

Blissful indeed, this was Su Mo’s grand path to success.

‘Oh, you foolish Xu Qingzhu, you’ve already fallen into my trap!’ Su Mo puffed out her chest, then began to clear her mind and read intently.

The more she read, the more she marveled at the vastness of the knowledge contained within the book.

It detailed various minor spells, including healing methods that could be performed with spiritual energy, though their effects were generally not very potent.

It also recorded a method to absorb spiritual plants from heaven and earth, extract their medicinal properties, and ultimately transform oneself into a ‘medicinal body’ whose very saliva could save lives.

“Amazing… wait? Isn’t this just turning a person into a medicinal pill? Wouldn’t they be eaten?” Su Mo frowned, her imagination running wild.

Though not overtly powerful, it could grant immunity to most poisons and even provide a continuous healing buff during combat.

The cost, however, was likely the very risk Su Mo had envisioned.

Cautiously, she darted a glance at him. Su Mo feared this hypocrite had intentionally revealed this information.

‘Oh no, I’m starting to believe he wouldn’t do that.’ The thought had barely formed in Su Mo’s mind when a voice within her immediately contradicted it.

‘Could it be that I’m the big fool here?’

Cautious, careful, and deliberating repeatedly, she decided:

‘My code of conduct cannot be abandoned!’

Turning back, she eagerly immersed herself, meticulously reading the techniques for the medicinal body.

“The Great Jade Lifegiving Medicinal Body Method—what a strange name,” Su Mo mumbled, sprawling on the bed and reading aloud.

Propped on her hands, her small feet dangling and swaying, she didn’t even notice her own peculiar posture…