Chapter 726
Gu Nanxiang's Vigilance! Compromise, Gains
While absorbing the spiritual energy and medicinal energy in the corridor, Zhang Lingshan looked around, feeling quite worried.
Given the current situation, we can neither join the alchemy pavilion to refine medicinal liquids nor return to the weapon refining pavilion, so we can't gain any merit points at all. Are we really going to waste three days like this?
suddenly.
Zhang Lingshan's gaze fell on Gu Nanxiang.
'Gu Nanxiang's abilities are limited; she couldn't even fully absorb the Clear Spring Pill, and some of its medicinal power even escaped. This cannot be wasted.'
A thought struck him, and he immediately moved closer to secretly absorb the medicinal power of the Clear Spring Pill emanating from Gu Nanxiang.
but.
This is too inefficient.
"What are you doing!?"
After Gu Nanxiang finished refining the Clear Spring Pill, she was surprised to find that Zhang Lingshan had secretly moved closer to her. She shrank back and looked extremely wary, thinking to herself, "Has this young man taken the wrong medicine? Why is he so close to me? What does he want with me?"
Seeing Gu Nanxiang's wary expression, Zhang Lingshan said, "I need to discuss something with you."
"What do you want? Stay away from me. No matter what we're discussing, you don't need to be this close."
Gu Nanxiang said coldly.
Zhang Lingshan said, “You’re wrong. This matter must be done close to you. I see that your absorption of the Clear Spring Pill is extremely inefficient. Why don’t I absorb it instead? I can feed the medicinal power back to you, which will not only nourish your water-type spiritual root but also strengthen it. When you refine the Pure Lotus Pill for Huo Ran later, it will not only last longer but will also not damage your foundation. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”
"Nonsense, rambling nonsense, utterly incomprehensible! Stay away from me, or I'll call the manager."
Gu Nanxiang's face turned cold, and she sneered, convinced that Zhang Lingshan was up to no good. He not only wanted to trick her into taking the Clear Spring Pill, but also wanted to have intimate contact with her body, coveting her beauty and figure.
hateful!
It's already infuriating to be reduced to contributing water-based spiritual roots here, but this kid still tries to take advantage of the situation. He's no good.
If I hadn't been alert and reacted in time, I would have been bullied by you, you sleazy brat.
"hehe."
Seeing Gu Nanxiang's expression, Zhang Lingshan smiled faintly and said, "You're judging a gentleman by your own petty standards. We've both fallen to this state, so we should be in the same boat. How can we be wary of each other and try to harm one another? What good would it do me to harm you? Don't you even think about it? However, I'm magnanimous and won't hold it against you. One day, you'll understand my good intentions."
That's all.
Zhang Lingshan then walked to the other side, sat down cross-legged, and began to silently absorb the immortal energy and medicinal energy in the stairwell.
Since Gu Nanxiang doesn't believe in his good intentions, he can only wait. When she comes to her senses and has no other choice, she will naturally come to ask Zhang Lingshan for help.
For now, he can only secretly absorb the medicinal energy she exudes. Because of the distance, he can't absorb much, but it's better than nothing.
Three days passed in this slow, steady improvement.
When Huo Ran returned to his alchemy room, he still couldn't be bothered to look at them. He simply had them provide fire and water elemental spiritual roots as instructed. After the Pure Lotus Pill was completed, he sent them out and hid inside alone to collect the pill.
Then, following the same procedure, each person was given a bottle of Clear Spring Pill and four hours to refine it.
After four hours, another batch of Pure Lotus Pills will be refined, and they will be given 10,000 merit points and three days of rest.
Everything was exactly the same as before, with no changes whatsoever.
The only change was that Gu Nanxiang's condition had worsened.
Because she was unable to effectively utilize the Clear Spring Pill, her water-type spiritual root was not properly nourished. As this continued, her condition would only worsen as her water-type spiritual root became increasingly depleted.
Zhang Lingshan remained calm and observed the situation.
Soon, three days passed, and it was time for the next round of refining.
And so it went, three days after three days, three days after three days...
at last.
During this three-day break, Gu Nanxiang, with a pale face, asked, "Zhang Huogong, you said before that you could nourish my water-type spiritual root, is that true?"
Zhang Lingshan said, "You only remember me now? In your current state, how much of my water-based spiritual root essence and how much of my life force would it take to nourish your spiritual root and help you recover?"
"I……"
Gu Nanxiang stammered.
Before she could continue her nonsense, Zhang Lingshan asked, "How many Clear Spring Pills have you saved up?"
Gu Nanxiang took out six small porcelain bottles from her bosom and said, "These are all the Clear Spring Pills I have left."
"I've saved up quite a lot."
Zhang Lingshan scoffed and said, "Leave it all to me to refine. I will relay the medicinal power back to you. Whether you can recover depends on your cooperation. If you still don't trust me, then you can fend for yourself. Even a god can't save you."
"I, I will definitely cooperate fully."
Gu Nanxiang dared not hesitate any longer and hurriedly called out.
She knew that in her current state, her water-based spiritual root would definitely suffer irreparable damage during the next alchemy session. By then, it would be too late to ask Zhang Lingshan for help; that would truly be beyond the help of even a god.
Although she still harbored doubts about Zhang Lingshan, she had no choice but to take a gamble and hope that Zhang Lingshan could really save her from her predicament.
As the days went by, I was exhausted every day, and I couldn't even use up all the Clear Spring Pills I had exchanged. Even if I exchanged for other pills, I couldn't refine them completely, so I couldn't fully recover from my depletion. My condition was getting worse and worse every day.
In contrast, Zhang Lingshan's condition hardly changed day by day, and he could always refine all the Clear Spring Pills in his hands, and he did so very quickly.
This can be seen.
Zhang Lingshan wasn't lying when he said he could absorb the medicinal power of the Clear Spring Pill more easily. As for whether he could transfer its medicinal power into Gu Nanxiang's body, that remains to be seen.
But given the current situation, I have no choice.
"Alright, as long as you cooperate fully with me, I won't say you'll recover immediately, but at least I can help you get through the next pill refining session."
Zhang Lingshan said.
Gu Nanxiang's expression was somewhat unpleasant as she asked, "Is it only possible to survive until the next pill refining session?"
Zhang Lingshan said, "I told you I would help you, but you wouldn't listen. Now your condition is too deep-seated to be cured, so we can only take it slowly. As the saying goes, illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon. I have the ability to nourish and restore your water-based spiritual root in one go, but do you have the capacity to handle it?"
"I...I understand."
Gu Nanxiang lowered her head slightly, not daring to retort to Zhang Lingshan.
Now that I need someone's help, I can only do whatever they say, and I just hope that Zhang Lingshan won't screw me over.
"Then let's begin."
Zhang Lingshan said calmly, then stood back to back with Gu Nanxiang.
He was too lazy to reach out and transfer his Xuanbing power to Gu Nanxiang, so he used his back to transfer it to her. He would let her absorb as much as she could, it all depended on her own abilities.
In any case, Zhang Lingshan just needs to consume and refine the Clear Spring Pill as usual. The growth of his own Xuanbing Tree will naturally release some Xuanbing power, which is enough for Gu Nanxiang to enjoy endlessly.
While Zhang Lingshan began refining the Clear Spring Pill, Gu Nanxiang held her breath and concentrated, not daring to miss a single detail.
哗。
A bone-chilling cold suddenly came from behind, making Gu Nanxiang shiver involuntarily.
Then, she was overjoyed, and her whole body trembled with excitement. Zhang Lingshan could actually transfer the power of the Clear Spring Pill to her, Gu Nanxiang, and it was purified, becoming even more wondrous and easier to absorb than her own water-based spiritual power.
Unbelievable!
How did he do that?
Is he a genius with a water-based spiritual root?
No wonder he absorbed the Clear Spring Pill so quickly, and even after refining the Pure Lotus Pill for so long, he showed almost no signs of loss.
Is this all he has to offer?
If I had known this would happen, I should have trusted him from the beginning and given him all the Clear Spring Pills. I wouldn't have had to live such a miserable life these past few days.
Gu Nanxiang couldn't help but feel extremely regretful.
Fortunately, Zhang Lingshan is a magnanimous man. He accepted her apology and was willing to help her. It's not too late for her to start using Zhang Lingshan's abilities to nourish her water spirit root.
Zhang Lingshan knew nothing about Gu Nanxiang's inner thoughts, nor did he care to know.
He is currently refining the Clear Spring Pill with great enthusiasm.
Gu Nanxiang had accumulated six bottles of Clear Spring Pills. If Zhang Lingshan didn't absorb them all at once, wouldn't his good deeds have been in vain?
Moreover, in addition to Gu Nanxiang's six bottles, Zhang Lingshan also exchanged two bottles for himself as usual.
Absorbing eight bottles of Clear Spring Pills at once was incredibly exhilarating, and Zhang Lingshan had no desire to stop.
While Zhang Lingshan was absorbing the spiritual energy, Gu Nanxiang received a great deal of benefit. She felt as if her water-type spiritual root had been blessed with rain after a long drought. It not only began to recover, but also grew to a certain extent.
Although the extent is small, as the water elemental energy on Zhang Lingshan's body constantly circulates, I am certain that I can strengthen my water elemental spiritual root accordingly.
'I regret it so much! I regret it so much!'
The more Gu Nanxiang cultivated, the more regretful she felt. She was so angry that tears streamed down her face. She wished she could turn back time and go back to the moment when Zhang Lingshan asked her that question.
If I had agreed back then, my strength would have improved steadily these past few days, if not dramatically. Moreover, I wouldn't have been so tired when refining the Pure Lotus Pill. I wouldn't be so exhausted now, both physically and mentally, and my strength would have even regressed.
Fortunately, it's not too late, it's not too late at all.
Time flies.
Even after Zhang Lingshan stood up, Gu Nanxiang was still immersed in cultivation. She felt more comfortable than ever before in her life, and cultivation had never been so simple. She was reluctant to wake up.
Unfortunately, happy times always pass by too quickly.
After Zhang Lingshan stopped sending her Xuanbing power to help her, her cultivation naturally had to stop.
Is that all?
Gu Nanxiang said with some lingering interest.
Zhang Lingshan said, "Two days have passed, and I'm out of Clear Spring Pills. If you still want to cultivate, you can use all the merit points you've accumulated to exchange for a few more bottles of Clear Spring Pills."
"This……"
Gu Nanxiang hesitated for a moment, then quickly made a decision, saying, "Okay, including the merit points I accumulated in the weapon refining pavilion, I now have a total of 25,000 merit points, which is just enough to exchange for five bottles of Clear Spring Pills."
Having said that, she was about to go and exchange it immediately.
What's the rush?
Zhang Lingshan stopped him, saying, "Recovering so quickly, aren't you afraid Huo Ran will become suspicious? And that guy will definitely exploit you even more. So, take it slow. We'll exchange again next time. This time, let's stop here and consolidate our gains. Haste makes waste."
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Gu Nanxiang immediately bowed slightly and said, "Thank you very much, Brother Zhang. I, Gu Nanxiang, will never forget this kindness."
"There's no need for that. We all take what we need and help each other, just to persevere and return to our weapon-refining pavilion."
Zhang Lingshan said calmly.
A day passed quickly.
It's time for alchemy again.
Although Gu Nanxiang had almost fully recovered, she still had a pale face, in case Huo Ran had any ideas about her sudden change.
However, Huo Ran still ignored the two of them and continued to refine pills methodically.
After the alchemy was completed, Gu Nanxiang exchanged all her merit points for Clear Spring Pills and handed them all over to Zhang Lingshan.
'hey-hey.'
Zhang Lingshan was secretly delighted.
Although he knew he had already subdued Gu Nanxiang and that the Clear Spring Pill was now his, he still couldn't hide his joy at getting so many bottles.
Because our strength is about to improve again.
Although there is less freedom in this alchemy pavilion than in the weapon-refining pavilion, and you can't work overtime to earn merit points, the benefits you get are much greater than in the weapon-refining pavilion.
It all depends on the wonderful effects of this Clear Spring Elixir.
The only drawback is that time cannot be used effectively.
The reason she could have so many bottles of Clear Spring Pills in just these two occasions was because Gu Nanxiang had saved up enough.
Later on, you won't be able to enjoy the good life anymore.
"I wonder when this secondment will end. It's been four months already. We can't stay here forever until our water-based spiritual roots are ruined."
On this day, Zhang Lingshan couldn't help but say.
Although the Clear Spring Pill was very helpful for his improvement, there were too few of them, and he needed more.
Life here is only comfortable when refining the Clear Spring Pill; otherwise, it's just a waste of time, so unfulfilling and boring it's maddening.
As a positive, hardworking fire-starting boy, this life is really unpleasant.
and.
There's no spirit rice to eat here, damn it!
Because they only provide fire and water elemental spiritual power and do not require mental energy, Huo Ran, that scoundrel, does not provide rice. Instead, he gives them enough merit points to exchange for Clear Spring Pills to nourish their water elemental spiritual roots so that they, as consumables, can be used for a long time.
"I estimate that we can go back in another two months."
Gu Nanxiang said.
In two more months it will be half a year.
Moreover, she estimated that without Zhang Lingshan's help, with her previous abilities, her water-type spiritual root would have completely withered and become useless within half a year, which would have been just as good as being sent back to the weapon-refining pavilion.
However, she actually wanted to stay, because only in this way could she benefit from Zhang Lingshan's water-based spiritual root power.
"Two months? I hope so."
Zhang Lingshan sighed.
Their mindsets have now reversed. Gu Nanxiang was only thinking about escaping her misery, while Zhang Lingshan was indifferent.
But now, Zhang Lingshan is thinking about getting back to his crafting profession as a weapon refiner, while Gu Nanxiang wants to stay and benefit from Zhang Lingshan's water-based spiritual root power. (End of Chapter)