Chapter 45: The Resurrection Herb

A moment later.

The upturned corners of her mouth could no longer hold their shape. On her once fair and dewy face, tiny specks of black sludge began to surface. Looking down at her hands and body, she saw that the black sludge was oozing out everywhere—more and more, thicker and thicker.

"Ah!" Xu Jiya cried out in terror, utterly at a loss. Suddenly, she realized why Su Yao had rushed out as if fleeing after eating, not even caring about the beast’s first kill. And it explained why everyone had urged her to eat at home instead. So this was what happened—eating that thing turned you into a mud person.

Becoming beautiful was wonderful, but this was truly disgusting! She couldn’t even bear to look at herself! Xu Jiya hurriedly dashed for the bathroom. For a girl, nothing was worse than being covered in black sludge!

In the living room, Xiang Nan slouched on the sofa, his stomach growling loudly. He’d spent the whole night drinking, and now hunger gnawed at him. He couldn’t help but crave a bowl of noodles cooked by Xu Jiya—his mouth watered at the thought. Yet as soon as he’d entered the house, both girls had hurried straight into their rooms. Even if they were tired, this was a bit much! Why not have a midnight snack before sleep?

At that moment, Xu Jiya’s startled scream echoed from upstairs. Xiang Nan froze—she wasn’t asleep? Had something happened? Should he go up and check? It wouldn’t be too much to ask Xiao Ya to cook some noodles while he was at it.

Decision made, Xiang Nan strode quickly upstairs. He knocked, but no one answered. He gently pushed the door; it swung open easily. In her rush to eat those candy beans, Xu Jiya hadn’t closed it properly. Without further hesitation, Xiang Nan stepped inside.

The next instant, the bathroom door swung open. Xu Jiya emerged barefoot, wrapped in a towel. She barely had time to register Xiang Nan’s presence before she gasped in shock. The wet floor was slippery; she lost her footing and pitched forward. The towel, loosely draped around her, slipped free in the tumble.

A flash of white—dazzling to the eyes! Xu Jiya crashed into Xiang Nan, knocking him to the floor, leaving him completely stunned. The sensation of her falling on top of him was, undeniably, wonderful. Instinctively, his hands supported her as she lay atop him—her skin was slippery and smooth, still damp with the warmth of her bath, sending a tingling itch right to his heart.

Above him, Xu Jiya’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato, her embarrassment breathtakingly lovely. She dared not move—if she got up, everything would be exposed, but staying as she was was even more mortifying; gravity pressed their bodies tightly together.

“Don’t move—I’ll move,” Xiang Nan said, rolling over so that he was now above her. The new position made Xu Jiya even more flustered; even the tips of her ears burned. Was Xiang Nan-gege… was he about to do something? What if he really wanted to—should she just… just… Oh, it was too mortifying!

Then, in the next instant, a towel was draped across her chest.

“Finally got it,” Xiang Nan murmured.

Xu Jiya blinked in surprise. So he’d only rolled over to help her reach the towel? Was he really that straightforward? In just two more days, she would be eighteen! She’d already prepared herself mentally!

Xiang Nan covered her with the towel, got up, and headed for the door.

“Um… I’m really hungry!” he called back.

Xu Jiya, clutching the towel to cover herself, blushed furiously. Did the sight of her make him hungry? What did that mean? Was it finally going to happen?

“Xiao Ya, when you’re done, could you come down and make me a bowl of noodles?” he added, then closed the door and went downstairs.

Huh???

So he really was just hungry? Was that all he meant?

Xu Jiya pouted, her lips sticking out in a sulk. Why did she even have such thoughts? How embarrassing!

…

Several days passed in peace. Xiang Nan was content to cultivate at home. It took him three whole days to fully refine the third-tier spirit pill from the Iron-armored Fire Tiger. His level rose directly to second-tier, two-star.

After tasting a third-tier spirit fruit, even the second-tier spirit pearls sent by Xu Qingshan paled in comparison. Fortunately, his merit points in the system kept refreshing nonstop. Xiang Nan drew lots every day until his hand ached, truly experiencing what it meant to be extravagantly indifferent, outrageously wealthy.

As expected, he won several more Rebirth and Renewal Pills in the lottery, so he simply handed a handful each to Xu Jiya and Su Yao. Having two stunning beauties with peerless looks around was certainly a feast for the eyes. Of course, Xiang Nan himself didn’t skimp, popping the pills liberally.

Onward with the lottery.

[Ding! You’ve obtained one Phantom Sky Spirit Fruit.]

Not bad! At third-tier, the Phantom Sky Spirit Fruit might not directly raise his level, but it still greatly enhanced cultivation.

[Ding! You’ve obtained one Resurrection Grass.]

Yes!!!

Finally, a new prize! The name alone was impressive. Description: If administered within half an hour to someone on the brink of death or newly deceased, it can restore vitality and bring them back to life.

True resurrection—it was a divine medicine! Xiang Nan carefully stowed it away. With Resurrection Grass, he essentially had an extra life. Just like in games—if you died, you could respawn with a resurrection item.

Elsewhere, under the enthusiastic promotion of Wu Liang and others, the business of Spirit Treasure Essence was thriving. Its miraculous healing properties had become well-known in the street market scene. Upon hearing this, Xu Qingshan, with his half-merchant’s mindset, immediately increased his investment—he spent considerable funds to acquire numerous storefronts in bustling districts, aggressively marketing Spirit Treasure Essence.

With this reform, business exploded. Merit points soared daily by at least five figures. Whenever Xiang Nan had a spare moment, he’d draw the lottery again—merit points were so plentiful, he could never use them up. He truly understood what the wealthy meant when they said money was just a number.

Day by day, time slipped past.

On this particular day, Xiang Nan was cultivating alone in the villa’s backyard when Wu Liang came running in, flustered and panicked.

“Nan-ge, something’s happened! Steward Xu was ambushed by the Axe Gang—he’s barely hanging on!”

Xiang Nan’s expression turned grave; he quickly steadied his breath. So the Axe Gang had been lying low, plotting in secret all this time. Though he was now the young master of the Eagle Alliance, the alliance still depended on Xu Qingshan for most affairs—Xu Qingshan could not be allowed to die.

“Hurry, take me to him!”

Without another word, Xiang Nan strode out of the villa, jumped into Wu Liang’s car, and sped off to the Xu residence.

Before he even entered, he saw Su Yao, eyes red with fury, storm out and leap into a car, which roared off into the distance. Xiang Nan hesitated briefly but didn’t delay—he went inside.

The house was filled with wailing and sobs. Xu Jiya knelt by the sickbed, her face awash in tears. Mrs. Xu was beside herself, nearly choking on her sobs.

On the bed lay Xu Qingshan, unrecognizable. Not a patch of unharmed flesh remained—one glance was enough to tell that these injuries weren’t caused by ordinary weapons, but by an ability of third-tier or higher.

His features, battered beyond recognition, oozed blood from every orifice, a clear sign that his internal organs were nearly destroyed. Two doctors in white coats stood by, injecting him with cardiac stimulants. With each injection, Xu Qingshan, already unconscious, convulsed and slowly opened his bloodshot eyes.

“Dad!”

With a desperate cry, Xu Jiya clutched his mangled hand, weeping bitterly.