A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

He took a small sip, letting himself calm down a bit.

Lü Zhong was thinking about his future plans.

On the way, he had already reached an agreement with Yu Feng’Er. The terms could be considered mutually beneficial.

The Chengde Commerce Association offered twenty percent of its net profits to invite Lü Zhong to become their Honored Guest Elder. His main responsibility would be to resolve intense conflicts, such as trade disputes, and to make appearances to represent the association.

All in all, Lü Zhong was definitely not getting the short end of the stick; in fact, he was getting a great deal.

After all, ordinary Honored Guest Elders only received a fixed monthly stipend, with an occasional bonus at best. Who else got a direct cut of the net profits like he did?

’Once the Chengde Commerce Association’s business is back on track, I won’t have to worry about cultivation resources anymore. I can also take a break from Talisman Making and array formation. I’ll just need to practice from time to time to make sure I don’t get rusty. Then, I can focus all my energy on Alchemy and improving my own strength.’

Lü Zhong had already decided. Once he was capable of concocting Creation Spirit Liquid, he would spend a fortune to buy a Spirit Vein, or perhaps just borrow the Yu Family’s Spirit Vein. This would solve the problem of his cultivation progressing too slowly and the difficulty of gathering the Spirit Medicines needed to practice the Second Layer of the Jade Vein Technique.

As he was lost in thought, a fragrant scent wafted over.

Li Hejun returned with a freshly groomed Yu Feng’Er. Although both women were far more beautiful than ordinary people, Yu Feng’Er, who had been nourished by Immortal Spiritual Qi for years and possessed a cultivation base, had a slight edge.

Seeing the tear tracks at the corners of Yu Feng’Er’s eyes and noticing her expression seemed a bit off, as if she were avoiding his gaze, Lü Zhong couldn’t help but turn to Li Hejun and ask, ”What did you do to her?”

”Fellow Daoist Lü, I am fine,” Yu Feng’Er explained hurriedly. ”I was just enlightened by my sister here, which has dispelled much of the sorrow in my heart.”

”Oh, that’s good then.”

Seeing this, Lü Zhong said no more.

’But since when were the two of them close enough to call each other sisters?’

’Ah well, no use overthinking it.’

So he spoke again, ”What do you think? This one of mine is quite the business genius. With her as Chief Steward, restoring the Chengde Commerce Association to its former glory would be as easy as flipping a hand.”

As soon as he said this, both women blushed.

Hearing the words ”this one of mine,” Li Hejun couldn’t help but wonder what Lü Zhong really meant. Did he mean it in the way a mortal husband and wife would, or was it just a slip of the tongue?

Meanwhile, Yu Feng’Er stammered for a long moment before timidly replying, ”No problem.”

’What’s with them now?’

Lü Zhong thought to himself, ’A woman’s heart truly is an ocean of secrets. I’d probably need to use that Mind Reading Skill to have any clue what’s going on in their heads.’

”Then it’s settled. I still have things to attend to, so you two can talk.”

”Yes, Master!” Li Hejun said with a curtsy.

Once Lü Zhong’s figure had vanished into the rear courtyard, she covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and clapped her hands together. CLAP CLAP. Then, she gave Yu Feng’Er a teasing look.

The latter blushed to the roots of her neck and shyly lowered her head.

...

「Half a month later.」

A set of spiritual materials for the Vein Tempering Formula Great Cycle Chapter was delivered.

This was the payment Lü Zhong had agreed upon with Yu Feng’Er. Having a Commerce Association dedicated to gathering resources really made a difference. Materials that were difficult for ordinary people to buy even with Spirit Stones were collected with much less effort.

That very day, Lü Zhong had Xia He prepare the medicinal bath, getting ready to begin his cultivation of the Second Layer of the Jade Vein Technique.

As for this Vein Tempering Formula Great Cycle Chapter, it truly lived up to its reputation, being enhanced with seven Spirit Medicines that were three hundred years old or older. The Spiritual Qi it emitted was like a raging tide. The moment he submerged himself, he felt a torrent of medicinal power wash over him like a flood.

”HISS, this medicinal power is absurd!”

Lü Zhong didn’t dare to delay and hurriedly began circulating the Jade Vein Skill Gate.

He was afraid of wasting even a single drop of the medicinal power.

His entire body turned beet red again, and he even began to emit a faint red glow. Scalding waves of medicinal power surged into him one after another, beginning a cyclical process of tempering his Great Cycle Meridians. They became tougher and denser, able to withstand an ever-increasing load of True Essence.

However, just like the Minor Circulation Marrow Tempering Formula, the Vein Tempering Formula Great Cycle Chapter also had side effects.

Not only did they exist, but they were also far more intense.

At this moment, his Yang Qi surged upward, and an indescribable, scorching heat washed over him.

Lü Zhong had initially considered calling for a concubine to help him resolve it. But seeing how intense the sensation was, he decided to endure it himself. Otherwise, if he really did call a concubine in, there was no telling if she would make it out alive.

Using human lives for his cultivation clearly crossed his bottom line.

And Lü Zhong’s bottom line had never been as flexible as a Demon’s.

By the time he had persisted in his cultivation until the first time water was added, he could clearly feel a significant increase in the strength of his meridians.

To put it in terms of the Late Sun Sword Skill, he could now execute one more strike.

This was a good thing.

Because an increase in meridian strength also meant an increase in his cultivation speed.

”Why are you still standing there? Hurry up and leave after you’ve added the water. Don’t linger here!” Lü Zhong couldn’t help but scold when he saw the maidservant hadn’t left after refilling the bath.

Just then, however, he felt a biting chill wash over him.

His mind cleared in an instant, and only then did he realize it wasn’t a maidservant standing outside at all. It was clearly Yu Feng’Er.

”Fellow Daoist Yu, what are you...?”

”I’m not interested in married women. You should leave.”

Yu Feng’Er hadn’t expected Lü Zhong to have such principles. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she quietly revealed a secret, ”I... I am still a virgin.”

’Are you kidding me?’

’Unless that Zhang Hai was born a eunuch, how could she still be a virgin after he married into the Yu Family for thirty years?’

Lü Zhong’s face was a mask of disbelief.

Seeing his disbelief, Yu Feng’Er blushed so hard it looked like her face could bleed. She tried her best to explain, ”I have an Ice Soul Spirit Body, as you know, Fellow Daoist Lü. If not for the enhancement from the Vein Tempering Formula’s medicinal power right now, I’m afraid you wouldn’t be feeling any amorous thoughts either. That... that Zhang Hai before... forget about being intimate with me, even just touching my skin, the moment he was stimulated by the Ice Soul Spiritual Energy, his mind would instantly become as pure as a sage’s. How... how could he possibly have any thoughts of... doing that?”