"Mom, this is a potion an old Taoist gave me. He said it can cure strokes. If you don't believe me, just take a little sip and you'll see." Zhang Bin handed the cup to Mother Zhang.
He knew he had to get his mother's cooperation to give his father the Spiritual Water.
Mother Zhang looked at it from all sides for a moment before taking a sip and swallowing it slowly.
Soon, her face showed a look of great surprise. "This water feels so soothing. It's like my whole body has relaxed. Could it really cure a stroke?"
"Of course, it's true. The old Taoist is over one hundred and fifty years old. He's a real Cultivator, so naturally, his medicine is magical," Zhang Bin said gravely.
"Then... should we try it?"
In her desperation to see him well, Mother Zhang actually believed Zhang Bin's lie and fed the water to Father Zhang.
"Huh..."
As soon as he drank it, Father Zhang let out a sound of amazement. "This water really is special. I feel so much more relaxed. Every part of my body feels comfortable, and even my mind seems a little clearer."
"That's fantastic," Mother Zhang exclaimed joyfully. "From now on, this is what he'll drink."
Zhang Bin was also very pleased, his face breaking into a radiant smile.
"But can we get this potion every day?" Father Zhang asked anxiously. He felt instinctively that if he could drink this potion daily, he might really recover. He knew his own body's response best.
As long as his illness was cured, life for their family would improve.
"That's right, this potion must be precious. Can we really get it every day?" Mother Zhang, still savoring the taste of the Spiritual Water, looked at Zhang Bin and asked with concern.
"We can, because that old Taoist is my master. He said I'm a prodigy in martial arts, so he took me on as his disciple," Zhang Bin lied.
He knew with crystal clarity that he couldn't keep his martial arts practice a secret from his family. Furthermore, they were bound to discover the strange abilities he would display in the future, so it was better to invent a master for himself in advance.
"Son, are you kidding?" Mother Zhang was astonished. Her son, who couldn't even beat his peers in a fight when he was a child, was a martial arts prodigy?
"It's true. I'll prove it to you," Zhang Bin said.
With that, he went outside, picked up the stone roller from the yard, walked back in, and lifted it high above his head.
"My god! Am I dreaming?"
Father Zhang and Mother Zhang were dumbfounded, hardly able to believe their eyes.
They knew exactly how heavy that stone roller was; it weighed at least two hundred kilograms. An ordinary person couldn't dream of lifting it, let alone budging it.
Zhang Bin set the stone roller back on the ground and smiled. "Do you believe me now? My master is a true expert. He definitely has a way to cure Dad's illness."
"That's wonderful!"
Faced with such ironclad proof, how could Father Zhang and Mother Zhang not believe him? Hope shone on their faces, and their eyes gleamed with expectation.
Zhang Bin helped his father out of bed, smiling as he said, "My master told me that after drinking the potion, you should move around more to speed up recovery."
So, Zhang Bin and Mother Zhang supported Father Zhang, one on each side, and walked him out for a stroll in the yard.
Father Zhang found it easier to walk with each step. A smile spread across his face as he repeatedly praised the magical potion.
"This is all thanks to our son. Without him, you might have been stuck in that bed forever," Mother Zhang said, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Hahaha... That's because I have a good fate!" Father Zhang laughed heartily.
The three of them talked and laughed together, their hearts filled with hope for the future.
And Zhang Bin suddenly realized that his family had been revived, emerging from a deathly stillness. I must work hard at my Cultivation and become even stronger! I must learn Gao Si's medical skills to keep my family healthy and happy. I also need to earn a lot of money to improve our quality of life, and I have to marry Xiao Fang...
The next day, Zhang Bin went to the Seed Company and bought some Ginseng seeds.
However, he only planted twenty of them on a cliffside platform deep in the mountains, a place completely inaccessible to ordinary people. After being watered with Spiritual Water, the seeds did indeed sprout, though they grew much, much more slowly than the pepper trees.
From now on, I'll come water them with Spiritual Water every three days. In two years, while they won't be Century-old Ginseng, they'll surely be the equivalent of several decades old. Selling them for 15 million shouldn't be impossible! Zhang Bin's face was full of anticipation. He was well aware of the value of wild Ginseng. A single wild Ginseng, over one hundred years old and weighing more than 30 grams, was typically worth over 3 million yuan.
If he could cultivate these into Century-old Ginseng, their value would be astronomical, enough to shock anyone to death.
So, I'm literally planting Gold.
Unfortunately, his Qi gathering ability was still very weak. He easily exhausted his spiritual power, which left him fatigued.
Therefore, cultivating twenty Ginseng plants was his limit.
"If I could reach the second realm of the Qingmu Longevity Technique, the Qi Refining Realm, and cultivate Longevity Qi..." Zhang Bin murmured to himself. "My Qi gathering ability would improve immensely, and perhaps I could cultivate more Ginseng."
He climbed down from the cliff and started heading back, full of hope.
Suddenly, Zhang Bin saw a Little Fox limping out from the dense forest. It went right up to him and knelt, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes.
The Little Fox was only the size of a kitten. It was pink and looked unbelievably cute.
Zhang Bin had never seen such an intelligent, human-like Little Fox before. He squatted down, picked her up, and said softly, "What's wrong? Are you sick?"
"SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK..."
The Little Fox let out a mournful cry and held up one of her paws.
Her paw was black and gave off a foul stench.
"Ouch, were you bitten by a Venomous Snake?"
Zhang Bin frowned. After a careful look, he drew the Dagger from his belt, made a small incision on the Little Fox's wound, and forcefully squeezed out the dark, poisoned blood.
The Little Fox didn't struggle at all, looking at Zhang Bin with a grateful expression.
"I'm not a real doctor yet, since I haven't cultivated Longevity Qi. How am I supposed to detoxify this Little Fox?" Zhang Bin murmured, thinking for a moment. He began the Qi gathering process, directing the Spiritual Energy he collected to float right in front of the Little Fox's mouth.
The Little Fox's face showed pleasant surprise as she breathed desperately, inhaling the Spiritual Energy.
This Little Fox must have sought me out because she sensed my ability to gather Qi. A strange expression appeared on Zhang Bin's face.
For the first time, he truly wondered if Monsters actually existed in this world.
He stopped gathering Qi only when he was completely exhausted.
The Little Fox, meanwhile, had become lively and energetic. The swelling on her wound had also gone down. She pointed a paw toward the cliff and squeaked insistently.
Zhang Bin was baffled and looked at her with a puzzled expression.
SWOOSH...
The Little Fox suddenly leaped, clearing more than ten meters in a single bound. In the blink of an eye, she landed on the very platform where Zhang Bin had planted the Ginseng.
She adopted a vigilant stance, circling the young Ginseng plants.
Then, she stared intently at Zhang Bin.
"Are you saying you'll watch over the Ginseng for me from now on?" Zhang Bin asked, his face lighting up with surprise.
The Little Fox nodded her head eagerly.
My heavens! This has to be a Fox Spirit. It can understand what I'm saying! Zhang Bin was utterly stunned.