"Yaaawn~"
Blinking his drowsy eyes open, Lin Li yawned and sat up from the sofa.
He turned his head to look at the clock hanging on the wall behind the TV and saw that it was already 1:30 in the afternoon.
'I just took a nap, but I ended up sleeping for almost two and a half hours.'
The nap was incredibly satisfying, completely restoring his energy and sweeping away his previous drowsiness and fatigue.
GRRROWL... The sound from his stomach reminded Lin Li that he needed to eat lunch.
He picked up his phone from the side, opened a food delivery app, and was about to order takeout for himself as usual when his hand suddenly paused.
'My savings are down to just 500,000 yuan. I'll need money for a lot of things later, so I should be more frugal. I'd better skip the takeout and just cook for myself.'
Lin Li exited the food delivery app, locked his phone, set it aside, and then got up to head to the kitchen.
The three hundred yuan worth of Wild Boar Beast meat he bought this morning was in the fridge. He decided to get things ready and cook himself a passable bowl of noodles with shredded pork and egg.
「 」
Heat oil in a wok, stir-fry some scallions and ginger until fragrant, then add the shredded Wild Boar Beast meat. Sauté until it changes color, then add water.
Once the water boiled, he added the noodles. When the noodles were cooked, he poured in a beaten egg. Finally, he seasoned it with salt and chicken powder, sprinkled some chopped scallions on top, and a fragrant bowl of noodles with shredded pork and egg was ready.
Lin Li carried the freshly cooked bowl of noodles out of the kitchen and placed the steaming dish on the dining table.
He sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and was just about to dig in when the doorbell rang.
DING DONG...
'Who is it? Couldn't they have waited until after I finished my lunch to ring the bell?' Lin Li grumbled internally. He put down his chopsticks and got up to walk to the door.
CLICK.
He opened the door to find a beautiful, unfamiliar woman standing before him. She looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, stood around five-foot-six, and was wearing a white t-shirt and blue jeans.
She had long hair that draped over her shoulders, an oval face, and a scholarly air about her that immediately suggested a gentle personality.
"Hello, can I help you?" Lin Li asked the unfamiliar woman.
"Hi, my name is Xia Qing. I moved in next door last night. It's nice to meet you," Xia Qing said with a smile, greeting Lin Li.
'The apartment that's been empty for almost two years finally has someone living in it...' Lin Li nodded at her and replied politely.
"Hello, I'm Lin Li. Neighbors should help each other out. If you ever run into any trouble, feel free to ask me."
Xia Qing had a naturally timid personality. She had hesitated at home for quite a while, mustering up her courage before finally ringing her neighbor's doorbell.
She hadn't expected her neighbor to be a young man in his early twenties who looked like he could still be a college student. This made Xia Qing, who was a few years older, feel a bit more at ease.
Hearing Lin Li's polite response now, she felt that her new neighbor was a kind and friendly person.
"Mom, didn't you say you were going out to buy soy sauce? Why haven't you gone yet?"
A little girl, about five or six years old with a small ponytail, a white dress, and chubby cheeks, peeked her head out from the crack in the door behind Xia Qing and asked curiously.
'So my new neighbors are a family...' Lin Li gave the cute little girl a small smile.
Seeing this, Xia Qing called to her daughter, "Zhou Tongtong, this is Lin Li. We're going to be neighbors from now on. Quick, say hello."
"Hello, Lin Li," the little girl named Zhou Tongtong said very politely, tilting her head up to look at Lin Li with her big, round, sparkling dark eyes.
"Hello." No one could dislike such a cute little girl. Lin Li replied with a chuckle, then turned to his new neighbor. "I have extra soy sauce. Let me grab a bottle for you!"
"Oh, I couldn't possibly. I can just go out and buy some," Xia Qing said, shaking her head quickly. She had just moved in and only just met her neighbor; how could she impose on him right away?
"It's no problem. I bought several bottles during the 618 Shopping Festival," Lin Li said with a smile.
Without waiting for her to say anything else, he turned and went back inside, walked into the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and took out an unopened bottle of soy sauce.
"Here, take it!" Lin Li said, returning to the doorway and handing the soy sauce to Xia Qing.
"Thank you. How much was it? I'll transfer the money to you." Seeing that Lin Li had already brought the soy sauce out, Xia Qing no longer refused. After accepting it, she took out her phone to pay him.
"Don't worry about it. It's just a bottle of soy sauce, it's not much money." Although Lin Li was a bit tight on cash at the moment, he could certainly afford a bottle of soy sauce.
"No, Mr. Lin. If you don't let me pay, I can't accept this soy sauce," Xia Qing said very seriously.
"Alright, then. It was on sale during the shopping festival. It was 9.90 yuan a bottle." Sensing her firm attitude, Lin Li took out his phone and opened his payment QR code.
After she paid, they exchanged a few more pleasantries before returning to their respective apartments.
'Oh, crap, I need to eat my noodles quickly before they get soggy.'
As soon as he closed the door, Lin Li rushed to the dining table, sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and began to eat heartily.
「 」
SPLASH...
The sound of running water splashed in the kitchen. A moment later, the sound stopped.
Having finished washing the dishes, Lin Li came out of the kitchen. He first dried his water-stained hands with a dry towel, then walked into the living room.
'Well-rested and well-fed. I'm in perfect condition now. Time to start cultivating.'
Lin Li sat down on the living room sofa, picked up the exquisite gift bag, and took out the gift box containing the Spirit Stones.
He opened the box, and ten crystal-clear, pigeon-egg-sized Spirit Stones appeared before him.
He took one Spirit Stone from the box and observed it up close. The translucent crystal was incredibly beautiful.
'Fifty thousand yuan for a single one, of course it's beautiful.'
He muttered to himself, then sat cross-legged and held the Spirit Stone in the palm of his right hand.
Then, he mobilized the Spiritual Energy in his body, gathering it in his right hand. A faint golden Spiritual Light bloomed from his palm.
The Spiritual Energy within his body began to draw out the Spiritual Energy contained within the Spirit Stone. Soon, the stone's energy was pulled out and slowly absorbed by Lin Li.
Ten minutes later, Lin Li's own Spiritual Energy reserves were fully restored. He then continued to absorb the Spiritual Energy from the Spirit Stone while simultaneously expending his internal reserves to temper his body, thereby increasing his maximum Spiritual Energy capacity.
Nearly fifty minutes later, the Spirit Stone in Lin Li's hand was completely drained, not a single wisp of Spiritual Energy left to absorb.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!!!"
"Fifty thousand yuan only let me cultivate for one hour? Is cultivation for Cultivators really this expensive?"
「 」