Chapter 2: Refining the Demon Vessel

  The small bottle was just the right size to be held entirely in Xiao Ping's hand, and its shape was flat and round, similar to a snuff bottle. This "snuff bottle" was pure white and delicate, giving people a warm and jade-like feeling. However, since Xiao Ping came from a poor family background, he couldn't confirm whether the snuff bottle was made of jade or not.

  The front of the snuff bottle is painted with a small tree with only a few leaves, growing alone by the clear spring. Although this pattern is very delicate, it seems that as long as you look closely, you can see the veins on the leaves and the texture of the trunk clearly. This pattern seems to have a kind of magical power, and Xiao Ping felt a strong attraction after just a few glances, as if it was going to absorb his entire spirit.

  Xiao Ping hastily averted his gaze, and the strange feeling also disappeared. With a lingering fear in his heart, he flipped over the snuff bottle and found that on the back was written in regular script three words: Lian Yao Hu.

  "Could there really be a monster trapped in this small bottle?" Xiao Ping muttered to himself as he opened the lid of the demon-refining pot.

  The bottle seemed to be empty, but when Xiao Ping curiously turned the bottle over, a drop flowed out of the mouth and landed on his hand. Xiao Ping only felt a scorching sensation where he was touched, and was startled, hurriedly pulling out a paper towel to wipe it off. However, he was shocked to discover that the liquid on the back of his hand was rapidly shrinking, all seeping into his skin.

  Xiao Ping hastily wiped away the remaining **, casually throwing the used tissue on the table, and carefully observing the skin on the back of his hand. What had just happened was indeed a bit strange, making Xiao Ping's heart feel somewhat apprehensive. Heaven knows what ** is inside the Lian Yao Hu, if it's some kind of chemical substance harmful to humans, that would be disastrous.

  However, no matter how carefully Xiao Ping observed, he couldn't see anything abnormal. Unconvinced, he took a mirror and found that his complexion was also normal, without any signs of poisoning, and he finally put his mind at ease slightly.

  Xiao Ping really wanted to know the origin of this little thing, and searched online for a long time for information related to the Lian Yao Hu. However, he found that according to the most common saying, the Lian Yao Hu was just an item in a certain computer game, and did not exist in reality.

  "Could it be a collector's item for some gaming enthusiast?" Xiao Ping looked at the exquisitely crafted Lianyou Hu and muttered to himself, "But how did this thing end up in the river..."

  Xiao Ping couldn't think of a reason, so he casually threw the Lian Yao Hu on the bed and slowly fell asleep. Xiao Ping slept very soundly until the next day when he was startled awake by the urgent knocking at the door. As soon as he heard the knock, Xiao Ping knew it must be his good friend Zhou Jun, because no one else would knock like that. Without even asking who it was, Xiao Ping opened the door and let Zhou Jun in.

  Zhou Jun is a local, his family conditions are not bad, he bought several trucks to run transportation with the support of his old man, and can be considered as one of the "rich second generation" in the city village. In theory, Zhou Jun and Xiao Ping are not on the same path from any aspect, but the fate between people is really unpredictable, Zhou Jun just got along well with Xiao Ping, and the two quickly became good friends.

  As soon as Zhou Jun entered the door, he asked: "I heard from Aunt Wang that you came back like a drowned chicken, didn't catch a cold? Do you want to go to the hospital for a check-up?"

  Xiao Ping shook his head and said, "No need, I'm fine."

  Zhou Jun was very familiar with Xiao Ping's character, and seeing him so persistent, he didn't mention going to the hospital again. Instead, he asked with a smile: "I remember you brought an umbrella when you went out yesterday, did you see a beautiful woman on the road and heroically gave her your umbrella?"

  "Go away, you think I'm like you, forgetting my own surname when I see a beautiful woman."

  Just then, Zhou Jun saw the tissue paper that Xiao Ping had thrown on the table last night and smiled slyly: "No need to explain, look, the evidence is still on the table!"

  Zhou Jun raised an eyebrow and gestured to the crumpled tissue on the table, Xiao Ping knew he must have gotten it wrong, so he hastily threw the tissue into the flower pot by the table and said: "Don't think nonsense, I just used this to wipe my hands."

  "I wasn't daydreaming, just wiping my hands, hehe!" Zhou Jun said with a "I understand" expression: "Looks like I need to introduce you to a girlfriend, so you won't have to use tissues to 'wipe your hands' every night."

  "Never mind, the girls you know are either too masculine or more manly than you, I can't take it." Xiao Ping hastily declined Zhou Jun's kindness and said with a big heart: "I'd rather not find one at all, if I do, I'll find a woman who makes all men jealous!"

  "Alright, I'm looking forward to it!" Zhou Jun casually responded with a sentence, then sniffed his nose and said: "My god, you smell so bad, how many days haven't you taken a bath?"

  "Nonsense, I wash every day!" Xiao Ping was dissatisfied with Zhou Jun's suspicion of his hygiene habits, but he soon discovered that he indeed emitted a foul odor and couldn't help but feel embarrassed. At this time, he didn't bother to say anything more to Zhou Jun, took the clean clothes and rushed into the bathroom.

  "Huh, this kid seems to be in high spirits!" Looking at Xiao Ping walking into the bathroom, Zhou Jun muttered to himself with some confusion. However, he didn't take it to heart and soon left Xiao Ping's room as well.

  Xiao Ping washed for a long time in the bathroom, making sure there was no smell on his body before coming out. As soon as he opened the door, he saw two other tenants, Li Wanqing and Wang Jian, waiting outside, both with anxious expressions. It wasn't until then that Xiao Ping remembered it was rush hour, and occupying the bathroom for so long was really not right, so he hastily greeted them: "Sorry, I just took a shower and delayed your time."

  Wang Jian, a young man wearing glasses, frowned and said bluntly: "Xiao Xiao, it's not that I want to say you. Why do you have to join in the fun with us in the morning? You don't need to punch in for work, but we'll be fined if we're late! You, who don't work, don't know the hardships of our working class!"

  People like Wang Jian who live in urban villages and work as office workers are naturally not successful. However, he can find some sense of superiority in Xiao Ping's body, often intentionally or unintentionally mentioning that Xiao Ping is unemployed while he himself is an office worker, as if this would give him a psychological balance. Usually, Xiao Ping wouldn't bother to argue with him, but today it was indeed Xiao Ping's fault, and he could only smile wryly at Wang Jian.

  The naturally kind-hearted Li Wanqing had always been sympathetic to Xiao Ping, and at this moment, she couldn't help but interrupt Wang Jian: "When living together, we should be tolerant of each other. It's rare for Xiao Ping to use the bathroom early in the morning, so don't say anything about him anymore."

  Wang Jian had always had a good impression of Li Wanqing's beautiful appearance and had intended to pursue her. After hearing this, he immediately put on a smiling face and said: "Okay, I won't argue with him. Wanqing, you go use the bathroom first."

  When Wang Jian only called out his own name, Li Wanqing couldn't help but slightly furrow her brow, but she still smiled politely and said, "Then thank you first."

  "It's only right, it's only right." Seeing Li Wanqing smile at him, Wang Jian felt a few ounces lighter in his bones, and he even thought he was being suave as he made an inviting gesture, truly treating himself like a gentleman.

  Xiao Ping had no interest in watching Wang Jian's performance and walked silently to his own room. Wang Jian saw that Li Wanqing had already closed the bathroom door, and immediately said in a gloomy and sarcastic tone: "All he knows is to pretend to be pitiful and win women's sympathy."

  Wang Jian's words made Xiao Ping pause, almost turning back to argue with him. But in the end, Xiao Ping gave up on that idea, thinking that there were people like Wang Jian everywhere and it wasn't worth arguing with him.

  Xiao Ping returned to his room, intending to hang up his wet clothes. However, after he finished hanging them and habitually tidied up the room, he suddenly felt that something was off - despite having done so many things in one breath, he didn't feel even a little bit out of breath!

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