Lin Qinghan’s gesture took Zhou Luo completely by surprise.
That night, as they prepared for sleep, Zhou Luo leaned in and whispered softly into her ear, “Thank you.”
Lin Qinghan’s body trembled slightly. She did not speak, but silently rolled over and wrapped her arms around him.
Under the gentle moonlight, Zhou Luo looked at the beauty cradled in his embrace. He thought to himself, She only just conceived, so it shouldn’t hurt to be a little active, right?
With that thought, he leaned over her.
*
Early the next morning, Zhou Luo stepped out of the courtyard.
Now that Lin Qinghan had agreed to procure the necessary tools, he needed to buy the raw medicinal herbs.
Before long, he arrived in front of a majestic, five-story building.
A bustling crowd flowed in and out of the entrance, making for a lively scene.
This was the Lin family’s dedicated trading hub, known as the Hundred Goods Pavilion.
Upon entering, Zhou Luo headed straight for the fourth floor.
The fourth floor of the Hundred Goods Pavilion housed only a single shop: the Hundred Herbs Hall, which specialized in medicinal herbs.
Weighing the heavy pouch in his hand, Zhou Luo walked in with a confident stride.
Fortunately, his “mother-in-law” had previously gifted him some cultivation resources, giving him the capital to shop here.
Otherwise, his ambitions would have suffered a premature end before he could even begin.
The currency inside his bag consisted of the standard medium of exchange in this world—Spirit Stones. They were classified into three grades: low, medium, and high.
The exchange rate between each grade was one to one hundred.
Zhou Luo’s pouch contained Low Grade Spirit Stones. Also known as ordinary Spirit Stones, they were the most common form of currency among lower-level cultivators.
As for the higher-grade stones, they were generally reserved for daily cultivation rather than commerce.
Zhou Luo had calculated that a single Low Grade Spirit Stone was roughly equivalent to ten dollars from his previous life.
Having already decided on his purchases, Zhou Luo began selecting his items.
He chose his ingredients with extreme care, picking only herbs that were generally considered beneficial to the body.
This way, no one would ever suspect he was actually planning to refine poison.
Once he had gathered his selection, he laid the herbs out on the counter.
Behind the counter sat a grey-robed, white-haired elder.
The elder inspected the herbs, then looked up at Zhou Luo, a trace of suspicion in his eyes. “Are you planning to refine pills?”
“Just trying my hand at it,” Zhou Luo replied with a warm, easy smile.
The elder did not pry further. He calculated the total, signaled an assistant to pack the herbs, and handed the bundle over.
After parting with eighty Low Grade Spirit Stones, Zhou Luo left the shop.
Watching him depart, the old man muttered to himself, “A matrilocal husband trying his hand at alchemy? How amusing.”
The elder had recognized Zhou Luo’s status the moment he walked in.
After all, very few people frequented the fourth floor, and almost all of them were familiar faces. Since Zhou Luo was entirely new, the elder immediately connected him to the batch of matrilocal sons-in-law the family had recently recruited. The source of this chapter is novelping.com.
Yet, one thing puzzled the old alchemist.
Zhou Luo’s selection of herbs was incredibly bizarre. Even with his years of experience as an alchemist, he could not deduce what kind of pill those ingredients were meant to produce.
*
Meanwhile, by the time Zhou Luo returned to his quarters, Lin Qinghan had already instructed her servants to clear out a small side room on the left side of the courtyard. Inside, she had set up a furnace cauldron along with the necessary tools for alchemy.
Upon entering the room, Zhou Luo placed a large folding screen directly in front of the pill furnace.
Now, unless someone stepped fully into the room, it would be impossible to see what he was doing.
Although only he, Lin Qinghan, and the maid Xiao Lan resided in this courtyard, it paid to be cautious.
With everything prepared, Zhou Luo stood before the cauldron with a surge of anticipation. He began placing the selected herbs inside.
The first concoction he planned to refine was a poison called the Spirit Draining Pill.
Though the name sounded ominous, it was essentially a highly potent laxative.
Once ingested, it would cause uncontrollable diarrhea within a single minute. Even a cultivator at the fifth layer of Qi Refining would be entirely incapacitated by it.
To avoid raising any suspicion, he could only buy ingredients for basic poisons. Furthermore, because he couldn’t find one particular herb, the recipe was missing a key element.
Because of this, Zhou Luo wasn’t entirely certain the poison would work.
Once all the herbs were in the cauldron, Zhou Luo lit the firewood beneath. He held his breath, focusing his mind entirely on the furnace.
When the temperature reached the optimal point, he began manipulating his own Qi, using the intense heat to decompose the medicinal properties of the herbs before carefully fusing them back together.
This process was slow and demanded absolute precision.
The slightest slip of focus would ruin the purity and efficacy of the final poison.
Fortunately, with the complete knowledge of First-Rank Poison-Making, handling such a low-grade poison was second nature to him.
Half an hour later, three small, crimson pills rested at the bottom of the cauldron.
Zhou Luo wiped the sweat from his brow and carefully picked them up, his heart racing with excitement.
The Spirit Draining Pill was a success.
With the poison successfully refined, it was time to test its effects.
He already had a perfect test subject in mind.
He slipped out of the room and headed straight for the kitchen.
Not long after, he slipped back into the side room with a satisfied expression.
The test was a resounding success.
Even though it was missing one herb, the potency of the Spirit Draining Pill remained completely unaffected. Best of all, it seemed to dissolve instantly upon contact with water.
The only pity was that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the chicken soup prepared for lunch today.
In the days that followed, Zhou Luo split his time between cultivation and researching poison-making.
In addition to the Spirit Draining Pill, he managed to concoct several other bizarre and eccentric poisons.
Believing he was simply studying diligently, the unsuspecting Lin Qinghan thoughtfully brought him various books on traditional alchemy to aid his progress.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
Lin Qinghan’s pregnancy was finally confirmed by the family.
Upon receiving the news, Lin De summoned Zhou Luo.
Stepping into the great hall after more than a month, Zhou Luo noticed that Lin De, who had been incredibly cold during their first meeting, now wore a bright, welcoming smile.
“Sit.”
Once Zhou Luo took his seat, Lin De said with visible delight, “Excellent. I did not expect you to make Qinghan pregnant so quickly.”
In Lin De’s lineage, the family line had dwindled down to Lin Qinghan as his only daughter.
Though he had tried to father more children, the higher a cultivator’s realm, the harder it became to conceive offspring.
After years of fruitless efforts with his wife, he had been forced to pin all his hopes on his only daughter.
With Lin Qinghan conceiving so quickly, Lin De finally saw a glimmer of hope.
Due to their sparse numbers, his branch of the family had suffered significant pressure and marginalization from the main branch, and even their cultivation resources were constantly being squeezed.
If his daughter could successfully expand their lineage, his branch might finally have a chance to rise again.
“It is all thanks to the Lin family’s fortune,” Zhou Luo replied, adopting a humble and respectful tone.
Lin De nodded in deep satisfaction. “Very good. Our Lin family has always believed in rewarding merit. These are some resources I am granting you personally.”
At his gesture, a servant stepped forward carrying a tray of cultivation materials.
Zhou Luo swept his gaze over the items and quickly estimated their value to be at least two hundred Low Grade Spirit Stones.
An ordinary matrilocal husband would never receive such treatment.
Zhou Luo realized more than ever that Xu Changsheng’s words had been entirely correct.
Having a backer made a world of difference.
Lin De offered a few more words of encouragement, instructing Zhou Luo to keep up the good work and not disappoint his expectations.
Zhou Luo readily agreed with an appreciative smile, then carried his new haul of resources back to his courtyard.
Just as he arrived, the steward, Lin Fu, showed up at his door bearing the official rewards from the family.
Indeed, alongside Lin De’s personal gifts, the Lin family officially rewarded any matrilocal husband whose wife successfully conceived.
However, Zhou Luo was far more interested in the privilege of entering the Spirit Vein Blessed Land.
Regarding this, Lin Fu confirmed that in three days, Zhou Luo would be permitted to enter the blessed land alongside the other successful matrilocal husbands to cultivate.
Zhou Luo’s heart leaped with excitement.
He had been waiting for this day for a very long time.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Zhou Luo changed into a fresh set of clothes and, under Lin Qinghan’s supportive gaze, walked out of the courtyard.