Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Of all the things I brought back, there was only one left.

A large, brownish-red cone, brimming with vitality.

Liu Xingmo held the spiky ball, not knowing where to start eating it, and could only look to his wife.

Sumari took out a bright silver alchemy file and sawed off a sharp thorn from the cone.

She brought out her witch's cauldron, poured in a bottle of blood potion, then ground the thorns into powder and mixed it in, finally adding a few unknown medicinal herbs.

She lightly touched the strange patterns on the surface of the pot with her finger, and the liquid inside immediately began to boil and bubble, emitting a bitter smell. As time passed, it turned into a thick paste.

She caught all the paste in a clear beaker and brought it to her husband: "Drink it!"

Liu Xingmo blinked, at a loss: "Why not make it into a pill? So it'll be easy to swallow in one gulp."

"I don't have the ability to process top-grade spiritual medicines. All I can do is solidify the blood essence in the powder to reduce waste during consumption."

"oh."

Liu Xingmo gripped the beaker, steeled his resolve, and drank the paste in one gulp.

The blood and qi, so thick they were almost tangible, coated the throat and esophagus, seeping directly into the blood vessels. It didn't distinguish between meridians and muscles, but instead swept over the entire body.

Liu Xingmo quickly entered a meditative state to control the raging blood energy.

Once he sat down to meditate, he remained motionless and fell into a long silence.

Sumali looked at the remaining maple leaves.

This sea urchin-shaped sphere, the size of a head, had one of its sharp spines removed. Its smooth cross-section shimmered with red light and emanated a bloody aura.

The spiritual energy in the entire space changed, and the concentration of blood energy rose sharply.

Su Mali picked up Feng Qiuzi and placed her next to Liu Xingmo.

Liu Xingmo's body absorbed the pure blood essence on its own, and he entered a deeper state of meditation.

The next day, early in the morning.

Liu Xingmo slowly awoke, feeling the surging power within his body and a newly formed soul imprint. He knew he had advanced once again, reaching the seventh level of the first tier.

Not far away, Sumali leaned back in a chair in the living room, snoring softly.

Liu Xingmo carried his wife to the bedroom and covered her with a blanket.

He moved his body, sensing the pervasive aura of blood in the room. He looked towards the source of the blood aura: the Crimson Maple Ball, missing a thorn.

He quickly rummaged through drawers and cabinets, found a jar of ointment, dipped a little into it and applied it to the damaged surface of the maple leaf, then stored this treasure in a jar covered with magic circles.

Unexpectedly, after just over two months, I've made another big step forward. While ample resources and diligent cultivation are certainly factors, the medicinal effects of the Maple Seed should not be underestimated.

This is truly a treasure, a genuine top-grade elixir.

"Knock knock knock!" came the knocking sound.

Liu Xingmo opened the door.

Standing at the doorway, Liu Sanniang glanced at the young man before her and smiled, "Congratulations, you've taken another step forward!"

"Yes, I got some good stuff yesterday." Liu Xingmo invited Liu Sanniang into the house and sat down with her in the living room. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Isn't Mary an alchemist? Does she have any good methods for dealing with this Maple Ball?" Liu San Niang sensed the change in blood energy next door and understood a lot.

"At the second-tier level, how could I possibly handle a top-grade spiritual medicine? I can only adjust the formula to minimize the waste of its medicinal effects."

"That's more than enough!" Liu San Niang's eyes lit up. "How did you prepare it? Get me some too! I didn't accept any storage bags; I asked for a whole thousand Azure Maple Balls!"

The room was dimly lit, the flickering light of the oil lamp illuminating the two faces with their different expressions and casting their shadows on the uneven stone wall.

"Hiss—!" Liu Xingmo gasped sharply. "The production volume of this thing is actually so high!?"

"That's right! That fifth-tier innate rare seedling—the Crimson Maple Tree—produces tens of thousands of fruits every year, each worth a thousand. I heard that its owner is Elder Liu Piaoxu, the great-grandfather you mentioned. By the way, I am his seventeenth-generation descendant."

"Oh! I'm the eighteenth generation, we're a generation apart." Liu Xingmo shook his head and began calculating the profits. "That tree can earn ten million a year! The storage bag is worth a thousand maple seeds, worth a million! My God, my values ​​are collapsing..."

"A fifth-tier cultivator can certainly earn five figures a day!" Liu Sanniang said matter-of-factly. "And what do you need that useless storage bag for, you silly boy? If you exchanged it for spirit herbs, it would be enough for you to easily reach the third tier!"

"Oh dear! My great-grandfather warned me, but I didn't take it seriously. It's true what they say, 'Those who don't heed the advice of their elders suffer the consequences'..."

Liu Xingmo shook his head and sighed. He looked at Liu San Niang beside him, puzzled.

"Wait a minute, Third Sister, you're not in a rush to advance. What do you need so many maple balls for? For a third-tier expert like you, even a thousand would only be enough to advance a few levels, right? You could do so many other things with that money!"

"What's wrong? I have ambitions too! I want to advance to the fourth rank, is that getting in your way?" Liu San Niang crossed her arms and turned her head to the side.

"Something's not right! Something's really not right!"

Liu Xingmo stood up from his seat and looked around Liu San Niang, left and right.

The woman was dressed in a festive red outfit, her hair was styled in a high bun, revealing her slender, fair neck, and the gold earrings on her earlobes reflected the lamplight, complementing the crimson of her dress.

No matter how you look at it, she's that charming but somewhat affected female restaurant manager.

"Third Sister, after knowing you for so long, shouldn't you reveal your true colors?" Liu Xingmo said cautiously. "I told you, you're in deep trouble, do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember it clearly. You were drunk and you cursed me to die soon."

"Hmph! If it weren't for me, you would have been dead long ago! Do you think you could have taken care of the spy outposts outside the city all by yourself? And what about that Nian beast from a few days ago? Could you have even thought of dealing with it?"

"I..." Liu San Niang began to stammer, "What you're saying is all just a coincidence."

"Wrong! I've studied fortune telling and physiognomy. Your problem right now is that your luck is too strong, and you can't handle it!" Liu Xingmo said nonsensically. "Look at your broad forehead, it's shiny with oil... cough! This is a sign of great fortune."

Liu San Niang carefully combed her bangs: "Is my forehead wide? No, it's not! Is it oily? You washed it carefully..."

"Don't interrupt! Listen to me!" Liu Xingmo shouted, then continued his tirade, "Your fortune is comparable to that of a fourth-tier cultivator, but you lack the corresponding strength, which has led to your impending death. Think about it, if you were a fourth-tier cultivator, the credit for eliminating the spies would belong to you alone; the benefits of driving away the Nian beast should also be enjoyed by you alone."

"Oh really? Now that you mention it, how much money have I lost!" Liu San Niang gritted her teeth, heartbroken.

"Losing money? You'd have to be alive to spend it!" Liu Xingmo plopped down in a chair, turned to stare at the woman beside him, and asked in a deep voice, "Third Sister, now that things have come to this, don't hide it from me anymore. What kind of innate beast did you catch? Tell me."