[Name: Qin Gengyun]
[Lifespan: 35/40]
[Cultivation: Qi Cultivation Second-Layer, 98/100]
[Skill: Alchemy Apprentice, 93/100]
[Spirit Root: Fire Lower Grade Spirit Root (12/100), Ice Lower Grade Spirit Root (17/100)]
The next day, Qin Gengyun opened his eyes, touched his sore abdomen, and called out his attribute panel.
The 6 cultivation points gained last night were all added to his cultivation, now only two points away from reaching the third layer of Qi Cultivation.
For over two years since the crossing, Qin Gengyun practiced diligently, but progress was halted due to the pill poison in his body. To his surprise, after a night of wedding bliss, his stagnant cultivation finally advanced again.
Reaching the third layer of Qi Cultivation meant that his divine sense was sufficient to move objects with a furnace, allowing him to try concocting the lowest-grade pills.
Even though a night had passed, Qin Gengyun was still quite excited.
Hmm?
Qin Gengyun suddenly noticed that the progress of his fire and ice spirit roots seemed different from last night.
Last night when he first checked, the fire lower grade spirit root was at 11 points, and the ice lower grade spirit root was at 15 points.
But now, the fire spirit root had increased by 1 point, and the ice spirit root by 2 points.
Yet there was no hint from his golden finger.
Could this be a gain beyond the golden finger?
Qin Gengyun recalled last night when Qiu Zhihe claimed to be a born Ice Spirit Body with acquired fire poison, resulting in a special constitution.
Could it be that this is why both his fire and ice dual spirit roots improved?
Qin Gengyun gently turned over and looked at Qiu Zhihe, who was still sleeping beside him.
The woman curled up under the blanket, only showing her delicate round face, her skin flawless and tender, with slightly messy hair draping her lips, exuding an innocent charm.
She was utterly different from the cold woman who had overpowered him last night.
Such a stunning woman with a cold demeanor was completely different from the female cultivators Qin Gengyun had met.
She might not be an ordinary loose cultivator.
Perhaps she was once a disciple of a small sect, possibly even the sect leader's daughter, whose entire sect was destroyed by the Demon Sect, and she was captured and tormented by them.
Now that the Demon Sect has been annihilated, she was rescued, but with no family left in the world, despondent, she would casually find a man to end her life?
Qin Gengyun quickly concocted a tragic drama in his mind.
Yet, no matter what, in his poverty, unable to even afford a bride price, Qiu Zhihe was still willing to marry him and give herself to him without hesitation.
Just for this reason, Qin Gengyun was immensely grateful in his heart.
He looked down at Qiu Zhihe's tender and lovely face, secretly vowing that since he had seen hope for survival, he would strive even harder for his own sake and for the betterment of his wife in the future.
Of course, he and Qiu Zhihe were still somewhat unfamiliar, which was obvious from the mere five-point "spousal intimacy" metric.
Even though their bodies were no longer separated after the wedding night, for a lasting relationship, closing the emotional gap was most important.
Moreover, the couples' feelings should significantly impact cultivation improvement. Whether out of gratitude to Qiu Zhihe or for upgrading his cultivation, he should treat her well.
He would not fail himself, nor his wife.
Having made up his mind, Qin Gengyun got out of bed, walked quietly to the door, opened it, and stepped out, gently closing it behind him.
He went to the mouth of Narrow Rain Lane where there were many breakfast stalls in the morning. To save money, Qin Gengyun usually had a bowl of porridge and two steamed buns.
But today, he bought three more meat buns, two tea eggs, and a serving of hot soy milk.
It cost a total of three spirit coins.
The stall vendor, who was familiar with him, asked in surprise, "Taoist Friend Qin, what's the occasion today?"
Qin Gengyun smiled, "There will be one more person at home from now on."
The vendor smiled and cupped his hands, "So, Taoist Friend Qin got married, congratulations!"
"Thank you!" Qin Gengyun returned the gesture with a smile, bringing the breakfast back home.
Qiu Zhihe was still asleep, her face rosy, with slightly disheveled hair sticking to her cheeks, looking even more adorable.
Qin Gengyun lightly placed the breakfast on the table, walked to the bedside, and looked at his wife's beautiful face, his mouth unconsciously curling into a smile.
From now on, I am a married man too.
He didn't wake Qiu Zhihe, instead, sat back at the table, quietly drank a bowl of porridge, ate two steamed buns, and seeing that Qiu Zhihe was still asleep, he covered the breakfast he bought for her with a steaming cover to keep it warm.
He took out pen and paper, wrote a line of text, placed it on the table, thought for a while, and then pulled out fifty spirit coins from his pocket, placing them on the table.
He glanced back at Qiu Zhihe, smiled, and then left the room again.
Click.
With a soft sound, the door closed, and the cramped room fell silent again.
The woman on the bed opened her eyes, her gaze as frosty as ice, breaking the previously adorable and lovely scene in an instant.
She slowly sat up, lifted the thin blanket, and on the white bedsheet beneath her, there was a striking red bloodstain.
A biting her lip, with tears welling up in her cold eyes, but they never fell.
She bears a deep-seated blood feud and from now on will only shed blood, not tears.
This man called Qin Gengyun, is merely a tool for her to hide her identity and restore her cultivation.
Once her cultivation is fully restored, everyone in the Three Great Sects must die, and this man will no longer need to live.
Qiu Zhihe stood up, walked to the table, and paused for a moment.
She saw a note on the table with two lines written on it:
"Taoist Friend Qiu, I have gone to work at the Spirit Pill Workshop. Under the lid is breakfast I bought for you. If it's cold, just take it to the kitchen to heat it up. I will return at 5 p.m. There's fifty spirit coins on the table, use them first, and let me know if you need more."
Qiu Zhihe put down the note, lifted the steamer lid, inside were three large meat buns, two tea eggs, and a bowl of soy milk, still steaming slightly.
Next to them were fifty spirit coins.
Qiu Zhihe fell silent.
Once my cultivation is fully restored, I will slaughter everyone in the Three Great Sects. However, Qin Gengyun is just a loose cultivator and bears no grudge against me, so there's no need to take his life.
It's just that I had just arrived in Yunling Town yesterday, exhausted and in despair, I sought a male cultivator with a suitable Spirit Root at random, and he appeared before me so coincidentally.
Is he really just an ordinary loose cultivator, or... is it a trap set by the Three Great Sects who sensed I am still alive, to capture me?
The hint of gentleness in Qiu Zhihe's eyes instantly dissipated. With a wave of her hand, a Storage Bag appeared, and she took out a black cloak with a hood from it.
The next moment, a petite figure dressed in the black robe was already standing by the door.
Qin Gengyun went out, walking down the long, narrow alley.
Narrow Rain Lane is the cheap rental area in Yunling Town, exclusively for the lower level cultivators, stretching three miles with a narrow alley in the middle, bordered by tightly-knit tile-roofed houses.
The house Qin Gengyun rented was the cheapest among them, costing only eighty spirit coins a month.
In this cultivation world, cultivators use spirit coins and Spirit Stones as currency for transactions.
Spirit coins hold the least value; one hundred spirit coins can be exchanged for one Spirit Stone.
Qin Gengyun once researched during the early days of his transmigration; compared to his previous world, one spirit coin was roughly equivalent to ten yuan.
Converted, the rent for such a house would equate to eight hundred yuan a month in his previous life.
Indeed, it was extremely cheap.
Living alone was still manageable, but now with a wife and needing space for an Alchemy Furnace, it felt a bit cramped.
He still needed to quickly improve his cultivation, concoct pills for sale, earn more Spirit Stones, and live better.
A few steps ahead, the door next door opened, and a couple came out.
The man was of ordinary appearance, the woman gentle and even-tempered, yet both wore the same cheap coarse cloth robes as Qin Gengyun.
These were the couple living next door to Qin Gengyun, the man named Zhang Chengdao and the woman Chen Fang.
Despite the name "Chengdao," Zhang Chengdao, like Qin Gengyun, was in his thirties with his cultivation stuck at Qi Cultivation Second-Layer, thus marrying and attempting dual cultivation with his wife.
However, they had been married for over a year without any progress in cultivation.
Clearly, their path to cultivation had already been cut off.
The couple knew this and simply gave up their pursuit of the Tao, living as an ordinary couple and beginning to enjoy life.
Each time Qin Gengyun encountered them, they were holding hands like any loving mortal couple.
Last night, Qin Gengyun borrowed the wedding dress from them.
He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Taoist Friend Zhang, Taoist Friend Chen, thank you for last night. I haven't had a chance to wash the wedding dress yet; I'll return it clean."
Zhang Chengdao waved his hands repeatedly, "No, no rush."
Chen Fang, holding her husband's arm, smiled warmly, "Taoist Friend Qin, congratulations! Do come by with your wife when you have time; I've learned a few new dishes."
Zhang Chengdao was taciturn, while Chen Fang was warm and generous. After giving up on the Tao Heart, Chen Fang devoted herself to the culinary arts like a mortal, often inviting Qin Gengyun over for meals.
"Thank you, Taoist Friend Chen, I will surely bring Qiu...my wife to visit another day."
Qin Gengyun expressed his gratitude, bid farewell to them, left Narrow Rain Lane, and hurried to Caifeng Street.
Caifeng Street was the most bustling street in Yunling Town, with morning and night markets, the Pill Talisman Tower, Spirit Treasure Pavilion, and Marriage Pavilion all on this street.
Passing the Marriage Pavilion, he saw Matchmaker Wang already at the door early in the morning, waiting for customers. Qin Gengyun bowed to her with a smile:
"Taoist Friend Wang, thank you for your continuous efforts in helping me find a match; it's how I met my wife."
Matchmaker Wang laughed heartily and bowed in return, "Taoist Friend Qin, you're too kind. I see your wife is beautiful, obedient, virtuous, and gentle. You two will certainly be harmonious and embark on the great path together!"
"Thank you, Taoist Friend Wang!"
After passing the Marriage Pavilion, he left Caifeng Street and in front of him was a rather spacious courtyard, with a vermilion plaque hanging at the door, reading — Spirit Pill Workshop.
This was where Qin Gengyun worked.
Each time he stepped in here, Qin Gengyun felt gloomy and hopeless.
But today, there was a glimmer of hope for the future in his heart.
Although I am still low in cultivation and poor, no matter what, there is now a bit of optimism for life.
Work well, treat my wife well, and live well!
Qin Gengyun smiled as he entered the Spirit Pill Workshop.
In the distance, a petite figure in a black robe watched Qin Gengyun coldly.