Late at night.
Su Yi sat cross-legged, his qi circulated as he continuously nourished and tempered his physical strength.
This was the cultivation method described in the Songhe Body Refining Technique, the refining stage of the Blood Shifting Realm called "Flesh Tempering."
"The progress of my cultivation is clearly not as good as during the 'Skin Refining' stage..."
After a while, Su Yi opened his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed.
It wasn't that he found his cultivation speed slow, but rather the results he obtained from cultivation were not as significant as before.
Firstly, most of the medicinal materials he consumed during his day and night cultivation were ordinary in quality.
Secondly, the "Flesh Tempering" stage was inherently more difficult to cultivate compared to the Skin Refining stage of the Blood Shifting Realm.
"According to this progress, it will probably take at least half a month for me to cultivate the 'Flesh Tempering' stage to perfection."
Su Yi contemplated.
Half a month wasn't considered long.
But if he could save more time in cultivation, it would naturally be better.
"I wonder how the pair of Nine-Leaf King Ginseng that Huang Yunchong gave me looks. If I can have them..."
Thinking of this, Su Yi couldn't help but shake his head.
He knew his mother-in-law, Qin Jing, too well. Once such a treasure fell into her hands, it was destined not to be returned.
Just as he was thinking about this, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside, and Qin Jing's voice followed:
"You freeloader, come out and see me!"
Her voice carried a commanding tone.
Su Yi was taken aback, how coincidental.
He immediately got up and walked out of the room.
Under the moonlight, he saw Qin Jing in a green dress, her mature and graceful figure swaying.
Although she was already in her middle age, her appearance was still smooth and radiant, beautiful and dignified. Her skin was snow-white, well-preserved, and it was no wonder that both of her daughters had such exceptional beauty.
"Do you have something to discuss with me?"
Su Yi walked forward. In the year he had been married into the Wen family, he had never called Wen Changtai and Qin Jing "father" and "mother."
Qin Jing didn't mind either.
Qin Jing 's appearance at the birthday banquet today, along with the arrival of Fu Shan and Huang Yunchong, allowed her to gain recognition and stand out among the prominent figures. She was in a particularly good mood.
Even when she looked at Su Yi at this moment, she found him slightly more pleasing than before.
She went straight to the point and said, "You're well aware that Huang Yunchong gave our family a pair of Nine-Leaf King Ginseng, and Lord Fu Shan also presented a gift box. I want to ask, how do you plan to handle them?"
Su Yi couldn't help but be surprised. Even someone as shrewd as his mother-in-law would voluntarily come to discuss it with him?
He casually replied, "I don't have much to say."
Qin Jing snorted and complained, "I don't know what the old lady was thinking, insisting on giving these two gifts to a freeloader like you!"
Su Yi suddenly understood.
The old lady was well aware of the situation and knew that the gifts presented by Fu Shan and Huang Yunchong were meant for him.
Under these circumstances, she naturally wouldn't let Qin Jing take advantage of them. Otherwise, if Fu Shan and the others found out, they might blame the Wen family.
Qin Jing glared at Su Yi and said, "Listen carefully, these two gifts are for you and Wen Zhao. That means you can only take your own portion!"
She took out the two gift boxes in her hand and opened the first one.
Inside were two snow-white King Ginseng, with silky tendrils and glistening roots. A refreshing fragrance filled the courtyard, invigorating and delightful.
With just one whiff, it refreshed the mind and lifted the spirits.
Qin Jing secretly swallowed her saliva, her hatred and resentment growing stronger for being forced to give them away.
Otherwise, if it weren't for this interference, she wouldn't have given Su Yi even a single strand of the precious King Ginseng!
"You choose one."
She gritted her teeth and spoke with feigned indifference.
Su Yi couldn't help but find it amusing. He could easily tell that his mother-in-law's heart was bleeding at this moment.
He said, "Why don't you choose, and I'll take the rest."
Qin Jing's expression eased a bit as she said, "You brat still have some filial piety. It's not in vain that we've supported you for a year!"
As she spoke, fearing that Su Yi would change his mind, she quickly handed him a visibly smaller King Ginseng, "Here, take this."
Su Yi looked at her with a strange expression and reached out to accept it.
The Nine-Leaf King Ginseng was already considered a spiritual medicine, and the quality of a spiritual medicine was not determined by its size alone.
A smaller King Ginseng like this one actually had better quality...
Although Qin Jing was beautiful, she had never cultivated and had no knowledge of such matters.
She happily clasped the gift box and said, "I'll keep this larger one for Wen Zhao. She's currently practicing at the Tianyuan Academy and will definitely make good use of it."
"And this gift box, Lord Fu Shan said it must be opened by you and Wen Zhao. Open it and take a look for yourself."
She took out the second gift box and handed it over, her eyes filled with curiosity.
At the birthday banquet today, she clearly saw that when those important figures learned that Fu Shan was presenting the gift on behalf of someone influential, they were all astonished!
Who was this influential person who could command Fu Shan?
It remained a mystery.
But the more mysterious, the more awe-inspiring and intriguing it was.
Qin Jing was no exception.
As Su Yi activated his palm technique, the gift box, meticulously carved from rare ink jade, opened, and instantly, a faint golden radiance diffused like mist, dazzling in the darkness of the night.
Qin Jing widened her eyes, her breath caught, her expression filled with astonishment, fascination, and fervor.
Inside were a pair of rings, displaying a purple-gold color, sparkling and brilliant. On the left ring face was a lifelike hollowed-out phoenix pattern, with a pair of finely cut ruby eyes.
On the right ring face was a coiling dragon, raising its head and gazing at the sky, with flowing whiskers, vivid and lifelike.
This was a pair of rings, symbolizing the auspiciousness of the dragon and phoenix!
"It's extraordinary, absolutely a rare treasure in the world, priceless!"
Qin Jing's heart raced, her eyes gleaming, and her beautiful face could not hide her ecstatic joy.
Even Su Yi couldn't help but be surprised at this moment.
This pair of rings was indeed extraordinary. They were crafted from top-quality "Purple Patterned Red Gold," which itself was a kind of "spiritual material," containing spiritual energy that far surpassed ordinary gold and silver.
The eyes of the phoenix ring were carved from "Scarlet Spirit Diamonds," which, despite their small size, were worth a fortune!
And the eyes of the dragon ring were made from "Obsidian Spirit Crystals," which contained rich spiritual energy. In the secular world of Da Zhou, it could be considered a priceless treasure!
"Xiao Tianque and Zi Jin have quite the generous gift."
Su Yi thought to himself.
In the vast wilderness of the Nine Provinces, this pair of rings wouldn't be considered rare. But within the boundaries of Da Zhou, they were undoubtedly treasures.
Qin Jing cleared her throat suddenly, her gaze burning as she said, "Su Yi, how about... I help you keep this pair of rings until Ling Zhao returns, and then return them to both of you together?"
Su Yi smiled, seeing through Qin Jing's little scheme. He readily agreed, "Sure, you can handle that."
Qin Jing's jade-like face showed a range of emotions. What did he mean by "you can handle that"?
She wanted to keep them for herself, but the key issue was that the Dowager would not approve!
"A treasure like this, obtained by someone like you who lives off others, is simply a waste of precious resources!"
Gritting her teeth, Qin Jing handed over the dragon ring with a fierce look and said, "Take it! Just don't lose it!"
"Then I'll accept it."
Su Yi approached with a smile.
He knew very well that Qin Jing, no matter how shrewd and cunning she was, would never dare to defy Dowager Wen's orders.
"Oh, there's also a letter here."
Qin Jing took out a sealed envelope from the bottom of the gift box.
When she saw the words "To Mr. Su Yi" written on the envelope, she couldn't help but pause. "Mr. Su Yi? Who's that?"
"It's for me," Su Yi directly took the letter.
"Just for you? And you're Mr. Su Yi?" Qin Jing burst into laughter, as if she had heard a joke.
However, the only person in the entire Wen family with the surname Su was Su Yi, and the gift was intended for Su Yi and his wife, so Qin Jing didn't suspect anything.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room first."
Su Yi smiled faintly, ignoring Qin Jing's sarcastic remarks and walked away.
"After Ling Zhao returns, I must snatch that ring from her!"
Qin Jing gritted her teeth and stomped her foot in frustration before turning and leaving.
Returning to her residence, Qin Jing's mood instantly improved when she saw the mountains of gifts piled up in the room.
During the birthday banquet, she and Wen Changtai not only stole the limelight but also received many gifts from influential figures who actively showed their favor.
As her gaze swept over the dazzling array of gifts, Qin Jing smiled so much that her phoenix-shaped eyes narrowed. Ling Zhao was indeed impressive!
"Madam, should you rest now?"
Wen Changtai approached, his hand gently holding Qin Jing's slender waist as his lips leaned towards her snowy white neck.
He was in a particularly good mood today and had consumed quite a bit of alcohol, feeling quite lively.
Smack!
Qin Jing slapped Wen Changtai's hand away, pushing his arm aside. She spoke with displeasure, "Get lost! Every time you make me neither here nor there. When you've improved your skills, then we'll talk in bed."
With a joyful expression, she happily approached the pile of gifts and began counting them.
Seeing this, Wen Changtai let out a long sigh.
Under the same night sky.
Su Yi sat at his desk, opening the letter and taking out the note.
The note was written by Xiao Tianque, filled with respectful words and mostly pleasantries.
Only at the end did he mention that due to important matters in their clan, he and his granddaughter Zi Jin had set off for Yunhe County. If Su Yi needed anything, he could ask City Lord Fu Shan for assistance.
In short, it was a farewell letter.
After reading it, Su Yi casually lowered the note and lit it with the candle flame.
He could roughly guess Xiao Tianque and Zi Jin's intentions—they simply wanted to further solidify their relationship with him. There was nothing to be concerned about.
"With this Nine-Leaf King Ginseng, I can save a lot of cultivation time."
Su Yi's gaze returned to the desk, where a snowy white spiritual ginseng quietly rested.
According to the categorization of quality, spiritual herbs in the world were divided into nine grades.
One being the lowest, and nine being the highest.
The Nine-Leaf King Ginseng before him was a second-grade spiritual herb, enough to be treasured by individuals in the "Qi Gathering Realm"!
"Huang Yunchong is willing to spend so much to repair our relationship."
Su Yi thought to himself.
A second-grade spiritual herb like the Nine-Leaf King Ginseng was extremely valuable. It couldn't be purchased on the market in Guangling City, at least not easily!
Then, Su Yi's gaze shifted to the dragon-shaped ring made of "Purple Vein Scarlet Gold," and a slight flicker appeared in his heart.