After putting down his phone, Lin Xiao Tian slept soundly.
Since he last used his primal true qi, Lin Xiao Tian's body had become much weaker. However, primal true qi was non-renewable. To replenish it, he either needed external resources or constant cultivation.
Cultivation naturally meant practicing the internal energy techniques from the Medical Canon. But with this method, his true qi grew very slowly. It might take over ten years to make up for the true qi he had previously consumed.
The other option was to rely on external resources, but the Medical Canon was incomplete, with very little description of such resources.
Fortunately, according to the Medical Canon, this weak state would not last long. In about two or three more days, Lin Xiao Tian would be able to regain his former vigor.
In the evening, Qin Yu Xiang, as usual, called Lin Xiao Tian to dinner.
Qin Yu Xiang's cooking was excellent, not much worse than a hotel chef's. She also genuinely enjoyed researching culinary arts.
"Sister Yu Xiang, your cooking is so delicious. I wish I could eat it every day," Lin Xiao Tian praised enthusiastically.
"Silly boy, if you don't kick me out, I'll cook for you every day. I'm just afraid you'll get tired of it," Qin Yu Xiang retorted with a huff.
"Never! As long as it's made by you, I'll never get tired of it," Lin Xiao Tian picked up a piece of fish and sent it into his mouth with relish.
"Oh, you smooth talker," Qin Yu Xiang's face instantly turned red. "There's still more food in the pot, I'll go get it."
With that, Qin Yu Xiang scurried off to the kitchen.
In the evening, Lin Xiao Tian, as usual, gave Li Er Guai acupuncture and then refined "Solidifying Origin Pills" at his house.
Due to the depletion of his primal true qi, Lin Xiao Tian found refining pills even more arduous. However, with the experience from the last refinement, although he consumed a large amount of medicinal herbs this time, the pills he obtained were double the previous amount.
Lin Xiao Tian continued refining pills until late into the night before leaving Li Er Guai's room.
Little did Lin Xiao Tian know, as he left, a pair of eyes had been watching him.
For the next few days, Lin Xiao Tian essentially lived a life of two points: busy with the fish pond during the day, assigning tasks to Huang Mao and others, and in the evening, giving Li Er Guai acupuncture and refining pills.
Soon, three days passed.
During these three days, Lin Xiao Tian's wealth increased dramatically, earning over two hundred thousand.
This was even with Lin Xiao Tian deliberately controlling the speed of fishing!
Thanks to Lin Xiao Tian, Huang Mao and the others also earned quite a bit of money, and were now completely devoted to him.
Lin Xiao Tian checked the time. Today was the day he was supposed to meet Fang Wen Hua. He handed over the fish pond matters to Li Er Guai and headed to Jiang Cheng alone.
"Don't worry, Xiao Tian. I'll handle the cargo. Just go!" Li Er Guai patted his chest.
Lin Xiao Tian trusted him so much, Li Er Guai naturally didn't want to disappoint him.
After bidding farewell to Li Er Guai, Lin Xiao Tian left the village by himself. At the bus stop at the end of the mountain road, he waited for the bus.
Since the bus only came once an hour and had a very short stopping time, it was always a crowded affair, with no regard for order.
Lin Xiao Tian was lucky. There weren't many people at the bus stop at this time, and he managed to grab a prime spot as soon as he arrived.
Time ticked by. As this was the only bus stop for several surrounding villages, many people soon gathered.
Just then, the bus came into view in the distance.
"Get out of the way! All of you, move aside, don't block the road!" roared voices that could rival thunder.
A few elderly women, seeing the bus about to arrive, desperately pushed forward. By the time they reached Lin Xiao Tian, they had even stepped on him.
Lin Xiao Tian thought that they were all rural people, and more importantly, elders, so he didn't make too much of a fuss.
But who would have thought that the elderly women, seeing Lin Xiao Tian's silence, would become even more audacious?
The few elderly women coordinated their efforts, not only pushing Lin Xiao Tian backward but also waving to people behind them.
"Er Ya, Auntie Pang, hurry over, there's a spot here."
After saying this, they naturally nudged Lin Xiao Tian, trying to push him to the back.
This made Lin Xiao Tian very unhappy. He had been yielding out of politeness, but they mistook him for someone easy to bully!
Without hesitation, Lin Xiao Tian steadied himself and reclaimed his original spot.
"What are you doing? You have hands and feet, yet you're fighting for a spot with us old ladies. Aren't you ashamed? Young people nowadays have no manners. They don't respect their elders or care for the young!" the elderly woman whose spot had been taken immediately started complaining.
"Heh, respecting elders and caring for the young. Do you think you, as an elder like this, deserve my respect? You're using your age as an excuse. I let you have your way originally, but you became even more demanding, trying to push me away. Some people become wiser with age, while others, despite their age, have lived their lives like dogs," Lin Xiao Tian replied with a calm tone.
Hearing Lin Xiao Tian's words, some of the people waiting for the bus nearby couldn't help but chuckle.
They had all witnessed the arrogance of these elderly women just moments ago. They were queuing properly, but these women insisted on cutting in line and then being unreasonable. Seeing them thwarted by Lin Xiao Tian now made them feel incredibly satisfied.
"You little punk, how dare you insult us?"
"I said *some* people. Where did I insult you?"
"You..." The few elderly women stomped their feet in anger. The surrounding laughter further fueled their rage.
"Heh, looking at your tattered clothes, you must be a poor bachelor. When my son was your age, he already owned a car," one of the elderly women said dismissively, glancing at Lin Xiao Tian.
Lin Xiao Tian remained unfazed and calmly replied, "Then why are you here squeezing onto the bus with us? If I were rich, I certainly wouldn't let my mother squeeze onto the bus on such a hot day. If she met someone with a bad temper, she might not even be able to get on the bus."
"You... What do you know? My son is busy making money in the city. Otherwise, he would have come to pick me up. Unlike you, who is so poor he can't even afford a car."
"Exactly! You dead poor ghost, you look like a beggar."
Seeing that they couldn't win the argument with Lin Xiao Tian, the few elderly women resorted to overwhelming him with numbers.
Just then, a black sports car appeared by the bus stop.
"Rolls-Royce! It's a Rolls-Royce!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.
The elderly women, who had been cornering Lin Xiao Tian, were immediately captivated by the sight of this black steel beast.
"This car... it's so grand. It looks a bit better than the car my son bought," one of the elderly women who had just argued with Lin Xiao Tian said.
Immediately after, the car door opened, and a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses stepped out, appearing polite.
The middle-aged man scanned the bus stop, then walked through the crowd, arriving precisely in front of Lin Xiao Tian.
"Mr. Lin, my master sent me to pick you up."
Lin Xiao Tian recognized the man's identity. It was the same man who had driven him to see Fang Wen Hua last time, Fang Wen Hua's butler.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded and naturally got into the car. Being chauffeured was definitely better than squeezing onto a bus.
However, Lin Xiao Tian was surprised. Why did the man show up so soon after he arrived at the stop? It was too coincidental.
The Rolls-Royce started and brushed past the approaching bus.
Behind them, everyone waiting for the bus was stunned. They never expected Lin Xiao Tian, who looked like a poor bum, to have such a super sports car picking him up!
"This... what's so great about this? I'll have my son buy one too," the elderly woman who had just mocked Lin Xiao Tian was still trying to save face.
But even she knew that her son likely couldn't afford such a car.
"What does your son do?" someone asked.
"My son works in an office. He earns over ten thousand a month!" the elderly woman said proudly.
"Over ten thousand? Do you know how much that car costs?"
"How much?"
"Let's just say, one of its wheels costs more than your son's annual salary."
"Then... then my son can't afford such an expensive car." Hearing this, the elderly woman's face became even more ashamed.