The soft and comforting rising sun’s rays filtered through the windows to caress Adam’s face.
Awoken by their warm touches and the spring breeze carrying the garden’s floral scent, his sparkling eyes snapped open, and his heart drumd in his ears.
Unable to contain his excitent, he jumped out of bed and shook Misha’s shoulder.
"Let’s go, big sister!"
"Mhh." Misha yawned like a cat and rubbed her eyelids before she gazed at him and smiled. "Sure, but let’s have breakfast with Shen first."
With a nod, he dashed to the door. "Alright, hurry up!"
He tapped his foot before the door, waiting for her to freshen up while he snapped his fingers. A hot bubble condensed over his head and burst with a pop, drenching him with perfud water. With another snap, water droplets burst from his flapping robes as a hot wind blast blew his blue hair back.
Clean like new, he heard the door crack open behind him a mont later and saw Misha’s golden hair tied in a neat cultivator’s ponytail.
Her pristine robes fluttered, and her fair skin glowed as she chuckled.
"I’m starving. Let’s go."
They strolled down the corridor, the sweet scent of breakfast and the noise of bubbling water and stirring fish from the kitchen causing their mouths to water.
They hurried to the gazebo and noticed Shen sipping from a porcelain cup.
"Good morning, Mister Shen." Misha bead a smile and sat across from him.
He followed and offered the man a short nod. "How was your sleep?"
Shen put down his cup, the tea stirring and the aroma drifting to their nostrils before he returned their smiles and rang the table bell to call for i Lan.
"Excellent. Have you tried the cultivation technique yet?"
"I did!" Misha raised her hand and leaned over the table. "It’s great to gather Qi, and I like the mild tingle in my abdon when I use it."
Adam shook his head, understanding Misha’s focus on the positives rather than the negatives.
"I refined a few pills to sell, so I didn’t find ti to try it."
"I see." A slight frown creased Shen Wu’s brows before he shifted the subject. "What do you plan to do today? An elder fad for his movent techniques shares his insights this afternoon. I can pay your fees if you want to attend."
Adam frowned. How were lessons not free when they had to pay for their daily expenses and lodging? Life seed much harsher in the Jin Long sect than in the College of Alchemy and Transmutation...
"Yeah, no, thank you." He shook his hand lazily. "We’ll buy books later and learn from the start. I don’t believe we’ll understand much with our limited knowledge anyway." He raised his thumb and smirked. "I’ll sell my pills first, then we’ll find a nice shop nearby."
The noise of rolling wheels and clattering plates broke their discussion—just in ti to hide Shen’s widening eyes—as i Lan erged with a tray.
The aroma of savory rice, magical fish, sweet bakeries, and honey-flavored tea made their stomachs grumble in desire.
"Good morning, children." i Lan’s wrinkly cheeks seed to smooth as the sun brightened her tender smile. She placed the plates on the table and handed Shen Wu’s clean pipe with a tender gaze.
"Eat well to beco strong cultivators. And Shen, stop smoking so much." Her tone hardened, and worry flashed in her eyes.
Shen coughed and turned his head aside.
"Let enjoy the little ti I have left, Xiao Lan... But I’ll try."
anwhile, Misha and Adam devoured the food, the noise of their chopsticks hitting plates and bowls echoing as delighted smiles curved their lips.
Drawn by the enthusiastic noises, i Lan poured honeyed tea for them and chuckled. "I’ve never seen such appetites. Is my cooking that good, or do you usually eat like five grown n?"
"Both!" Adam and Misha replied in unison, causing her eyes to water slightly as she patted their heads.
Then, she pushed the tray back inside and waved her hand. "Good luck with your training. I’ll prepare sothing even better this evening!"
Adam glanced at her hunched back. The weight of the years hadn’t been rciful for i Lan’s body. Defective liver, loose lungs, weak heart, all those piling-up defects appeared as clear as water in his glowing eyes, but one took the first spot: her abdon. He felt like sothing had been torn out decades ago.
’Her dan tian?’ His brows creased into a deep furrow. ’That would explain why she didn’t learn cultivation... But now I’m curious as to how it happened.’
Even if he could have ignored her state like he did the first day, the aged lady’s warmth, the love she poured into her dishes, and her gentleness found their way into his heart. From indifferent curiosity, he felt a growing appreciation bud for the hardworking i Lan.
As he pondered, Shen placed his pipe on the table without igniting it and resud their discussions.
"A shop? Planning to pass your pills as sothing you bought, right?" He tapped his finger on his cheek. "Show your pills."
Adam produced two pills from his spatial ring and pushed them toward him.
Upon seeing their golden sheen and slling the thick herbal scent, his eyes widened, and his heart pounded against his ribs.
He knew about Adam’s talent, but such skills were just unheard of from a seven-year-old boy. No, age didn’t even matter here. Even his friends working at the alchemy union couldn’t produce such high-purity pills despite their higher ranks.
He stared at the pills for a mont, disbelief lding with ideas in his mind.
"Hahaha." A nervous laugh escaped his lips as he pushed the pills back. "No one will believe you refined them, not even that crazy Xian Yunxu. I approve of the shop." He shook his head. "I’ll even lend you the money to smooth the early stage. You can reimburse after selling this batch."
Adam handed his jade card with a grateful nod.
"That’ll help a lot." His spatial ring flashed, the box of cigars he had stolen... Maxwell had offered him, appearing in his hand. "To thank you. Don’t smoke them all in a day, though." He pushed the box with a grin.
Shen Wu’s eyes sparkled in intrigue. What were those brown tubes? But the woody and spicy sll... it was intoxicating.
With a swift movent, he picked up the card, transferred six hundred sect points—enough to rent a shop in the inner sect for a week—tucked one of the tubes between his lips and lit it.
The blend of flavors, from sweet to acrid, hit his taste buds as he inhaled. His mind spiralled into an unknown world, and his shoulders slumped in enjoynt.
"Where did you get these marvels?" He slapped the table, a broad grin tugging at his lips.
Adam stored his card back and shrugged.
"Soone gifted the box to ." He rose to his feet, the clean plates sparkling clean before him. "We’ll busy ourselves with the shop. Enjoy them and see you later."
Misha followed him, nodding at Shen Wu.
"Thank you for your help, elder. We’ll return your money the mont we sell our stock, so visit our shop with your friends."
With determined gazes, they stepped out into the bright morning, the bustling streets of the inner sect beckoning.
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