Lu Fan approached the old man's bedside and felt his pulse. The pulse was weak, almost imperceptible, and his eyes were cloudy and lifeless. Yet, the old man wore rows of medals on his chest...
Lu Fan took a deep breath, a silent reverence filling his heart. He took out a small bottle from his embrace and gently dripped the liquid within onto the old man's lips.
Spirit liquid! Lu Fan had saved it for his own cultivation and for alchemy. Now, it proved useful. While the spirit liquid contained boundless vitality, it also held potent energy. Someone who hadn't cultivated would find it difficult to withstand. Thus, only a single drop could be used...
However, even with just one drop, after it entered his throat, the old man's breathing immediately smoothed out considerably. His complexion also showed signs of improvement.
"Elder! I need some medicinal herbs," Lu Fan said.
"Just tell me what you need. No matter how rare the herbs, they will be here within half an hour," the old man said urgently.
"No need for rare ones. His bodily functions have already deteriorated; overly potent ingredients would be counterproductive. He needs slow nourishment," Lu Fan immediately wrote a prescription and handed it to the old man.
The old man took the prescription and went to the door. The person at the door then took the prescription. Indeed, within ten minutes, the medicinal herbs were delivered.
Lu Fan took the herbs, confirmed them, and then took out half of them. He placed the herbs in his palm, and a faint blue flame suddenly erupted, enveloping the bundle of herbs.
The old man beside him was inwardly shaken, though his expression remained calm. He simply watched quietly from the side.
The herbs in Lu Fan's hand, surrounded by the flame, gradually became scorched, then fused together into a ball. They then condensed at a speed visible to the naked eye...
With a sigh, a small, pale red pill was born from Lu Fan's hand. With a swish, it was collected into a small bottle.
"Elder! This pill is for internal consumption, and these herbs are for soaking and external application. It might take a day to restore his bodily functions," Lu Fan said, handing the small pill to the old man.
"Hua Thirty-Five! Thank you! For him to live one more day is a tremendous asset to our country. You have achieved this; you are a hero!" The old man suddenly grasped Lu Fan's hand and said.
Lu Fan suddenly felt as if he had grown much taller!
...
Returning to Hua Rong Mansion from the old man's place, Lu Fan's small courtyard had already gathered quite a few people. Hua Big Brother and Hua Twenty-Three were also present.
"Hua Thirty-Five! You're back!? You... you didn't get into any trouble, did you?" Hua Fifteen was the first to rush over, asking with some urgency. If Lu Fan was disciplined, he might also be implicated.
"Discipline? No! Are you overthinking things?" Lu Fan gave Hua Fifteen a sideways glance, then looked at the others and said loudly, "Someone up there heard how good my tea is and insisted on taking two liang of my tea! That's a whole two liang, it pains me to death. Hmph! If I knew who reported me, I'd beat their backside!"
"What?"
"What?"
The surrounding people were stunned, almost dropping their jaws! Someone from above took two liang of your tea and you're still unhappy? Others would beg to offer gifts and couldn't find a way!
"Let's go, let's go! This kid is too full of himself!"
"Exactly! Besides money, this kid is ruthless!"
The crowd dispersed instantly... only Hua Big Brother and the other six remained.
"You guys... still need something?" Lu Fan asked, looking at the six who hadn't left, his eyes darting around.
"Uh... well... your tea, it really wasn't us who spread the word!" Hua Big Brother's words caught in his throat and took a detour.
"Oh... it's nothing! Two liang of tea, that's only one or two hundred million..."
Before Lu Fan could finish speaking, Hua Big Brother and the others turned and left. This kid, with a single sentence, mentioned one or two hundred million, he was too arrogant! Just because he had a little money...
"Alas... it seems no one will accompany me for tea today!" Lu Fan sighed lightly and turned to go back to his small courtyard.
With a swish, Hua Big Brother and the others instantly appeared beside Lu Fan.
"Hua Thirty-Five! We'll accompany you!"
"Good heavens... did they change their minds that quickly?" Lu Fan felt a jolt of surprise.
"Hua Thirty-Five! Let's have a cup of tea and chat! Heh heh!"
"Right, right! It's been a long time since I had tea with Thirty-Five!"
...
Lu Fan chuckled inwardly, as if he had actually had tea with them before.
Entering Lu Fan's small courtyard, Hua Big Brother and the others took a deep breath. The spiritual energy within was indeed dense.
A moment later, a pot of fragrant tea was brewed.
"Wow! It really is good tea! Just smelling it makes one feel refreshed."
Several people eagerly picked up their cups and began to sip.
"Hua Thirty-Five! There's nothing ordinary about the things you have! Where did you get all this from?" Hua Third Brother suddenly asked while drinking tea.
With a swish, the gazes of the others also turned towards him. They all wanted to know how this kid obtained so many good things.
"I snatched them!" Lu Fan said with a hint of smugness, then suddenly added, "By the way, do you know what fishing is?"
"Fishing? Who doesn't know that? I used to like fishing! Often went to the riverbank..." Hua Third Brother immediately replied.
"Enough, enough! That's not what I call fishing! I'm talking about *this* fishing!" Lu Fan said, and with a swish, a thin strand of heavenly silk appeared in his hand!
With a swish, the eyes of the people nearby immediately lit up. This was a good thing, indestructible and uncuttable by knives – heavenly silk, a rare treasure!
"How is it? Is it a good thing?" Lu Fan asked with a slight upward curve of his lips.
"Yes, yes, yes..."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Several people nodded repeatedly.
"Do you want it?" Lu Fan suddenly asked again.
"Want... no, don't want! Don't want!" Hua Third Brother blurted out two words before quickly realizing and shaking his head.
"It's right that you want it! I used this to fish! Many people wanted it, so they came to snatch it! Heh heh heh! And then... everything they had became mine!" Lu Fan said with a grin.
"My goodness! You're too devious! Fishing like that!!!"
The people beside him suddenly felt an urge to beat this kid up. However, they reconsidered; they might not be able to win.
"Let me tell you, a few days ago, I caught three more fish. Wow... those three fish were amazing! Two males and one female, they were using some kind of ring-shaped blade that I've never seen before. They looked fierce and wanted to kill me!" Lu Fan gestured wildly as he spoke his fabricated story...
"A... and then?"
The faces of the people beside him instantly changed, and they hurriedly asked.
"Heh heh! How could it be so easy to kill me! I dealt with them swiftly..." Lu Fan paused deliberately here.
"Killed... killed them?"
With a whoosh, the six people beside him suddenly stood up.