Chapter 3: Elixir

  Xiao Ping, in surprise, tentatively jogged around the room and after a while, was delighted to find that the previous feeling of being out of breath with just a little exercise, as if there was a huge stone pressing on his chest, had disappeared. At first, Xiao Ping still didn't dare believe it was real, so he jumped rope in the room for a while and did a few push-ups, only then starting to feel a slight stuffiness in his chest.

  However, the fact that Xiao Ping only started to feel unwell after exercising for so long indicates that his condition has improved significantly. Although he still hasn't fully recovered to a normal person's level, it will no longer have too much impact on his daily life.

  "What...what's going on?" Xiao Ping stared at himself in the mirror, unable to believe that such a miracle would really happen. At this moment, Xiao Ping's emotions were surging, and he was so happy that he couldn't even speak. Because of this illness, he hadn't even been able to attend university, let alone find work. The burden that had weighed on him for over twenty years had suddenly lifted by more than half - how could Xiao Ping not be ecstatic?

  After the initial joy, Xiao Ping gradually calmed down and began to think about the reason for his recovery. After thinking through the experiences of the past few days from start to finish, Xiao Ping finally determined that the miracle that had occurred on himself must be related to the Lian Yao Hu.

  The only strange thing that happened to Xiao Ping in the past few days was getting the Lian Yao Hu at the river. He quickly linked the things he touched in the bottle, the smell all over his body and the improvement of his illness together. Thinking of this, Xiao Ping hastily opened the lid of the Lian Yao Hu, hoping to pour out another drop of spiritual liquid from it. He believed that as long as he could get another drop of spiritual liquid, he would definitely be able to fully recover his health.

  However, no matter how hard Xiao Ping tried, he couldn't pour out the spiritual liquid from the Lian Yao Hu anymore. This made Xiao Ping worried and disappointed. If yesterday's pouring was the last drop of spiritual liquid in the Lian Yao Hu, then his wish to recover his health would be in vain.

  For Xiao Ping, becoming a healthy person was undoubtedly the most important thing. So in the following days, he unusually did not go out to sell newspapers, but instead stayed in his room all day, taking out the Lian Yao Hu every now and then to see if the miracle of that night would happen again.

  Fortunately, reality did not disappoint Xiao Ping this time. On the third day's dusk, when he turned over the practice demon jar again, he was surprised to find that the spiritual liquid slowly flowed out of the bottle and gathered into a crystal drop hanging from the mouth of the bottle.

  This time, Xiao Ping wouldn't let the spiritual liquid fall into his hands and be wasted. He hastily opened his mouth to receive it carefully. When the spiritual liquid fell into Xiao Ping's mouth, he felt a warmth on the tip of his tongue, then this heat quickly spread throughout his body, making him feel warm and comfortable all over. In this state, Xiao Ping felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and soon he fell fast asleep...

  When Xiao Ping woke up, it was already the second day. As soon as he came to his senses, he sniffed hard at himself and couldn't help but laugh happily when he smelled a strong stench. Xiao Ping didn't bother to wash off the dirt on his body and started doing high-intensity exercises in the room. This time, his physical condition recovered better, and whether it was jumping rope or push-ups, he did them with ease. After exercising continuously for over two hours without feeling even slightly tired, Xiao Ping's eyes became moist.

  The burden that had been weighing on Xiao Ping's body since childhood has finally disappeared, and from now on he can live without bearing the strange gaze of others, just like a normal person. How could this not make Xiao Ping's emotions surge? Since his only relative, Grandfather, passed away, no matter how difficult life was, he had never cried. This is still the first time in five years that he has shed tears. Unlike before, at this moment Xiao Ping's eyes are filled with happy tears, as if he has already seen a beautiful life beckoning to him.

  After a while, Xiao Ping slowly calmed down. The first thing he did was to find a thin rope and hang the Lian Yao Hu around his neck. Now that it has been confirmed as an extraordinary treasure, of course, he had to carry it with him at all times to feel at ease. After hiding the Lian Yao Hu close to his body, Xiao Ping began planning his future life.

  For Xiao Ping, who had been afraid of bitter days for a long time, the thing he wanted to do most was to make money and enjoy life, and live with his head held high. He had never given up on this ideal and had always been quietly preparing for it. Now that Xiao Ping's body had recovered, the first thing he thought of was to make money, but the question of how to make money really stumped him.

  The Lianyou Hu can produce a drop of spiritual liquid every three days, and such a treasure can definitely be sold for a high price. However, at present, Xiao Ping is just an extremely ordinary person, and if the matter of the Lianyou Hu were to be made public, it would likely bring him not wealth and status, but rather fatal disaster. Therefore, the plan to sell spiritual liquid for money is absolutely not feasible. Nevertheless, apart from this method, Xiao Ping cannot think of any other way to make money.

  "How can I make money?" Xiao Ping thought hard about this question, his eyes unconsciously scanning the room back and forth. When he saw the potted plants on the table, his eyes suddenly lit up, seeing a glimmer of hope for making money.

  On the desk, there was a pot of golden orange tree. Due to lack of sunlight and care, it had almost withered away. However, at this moment, the golden orange tree is growing very spiritedly. Each leaf is as green as the best jade, white small flowers are blooming among the branches and leaves, and more than ten fruits have taken shape, looking like they will be ripe soon.

  Xiao Ping remembered that when he threw the paper towel that had been wiped with spiritual liquid into the flower pot, the dying orange tree was able to make such a big change in just three days, it was obviously all due to the effect of the spiritual liquid. Since the spiritual liquid is also useful for plants, Xiao Ping decided to use the spiritual liquid to grow vegetables to sell. Vegetables grown with spiritual liquid will definitely be very popular, and using them to earn the first pot of gold in life should not be a problem.

  "Since heaven has given me this opportunity, I must seize it!" Xiao Ping grasped the demon-suppressing vase hanging on his chest, his heart filled with fighting spirit. He hastily washed up and then went to find his landlord, Liu Jianguo and his wife were chatting idly in the kitchen, when they saw Xiao Ping walk in, Wang Fang hurriedly asked: "Xiao Xiao, is your illness better?"

  Xiao Ping had not gone out for several days, and Wang Fang also asked him what was going on. At that time, Xiao Ping said he got a cold from getting rained on and needed to rest for a few days, so Wang Fang would ask when she saw him.

  "It's all right." Xiao Ping smiled at Liu Jianguo and his wife, "Uncle Liu, I'd like to discuss something with you. Can I borrow the courtyard outside your house?"

  Liu Jianguo asked curiously: "What did you borrow the yard for?"

  "I plan to grow vegetables," Xiao Ping said, giving a reason he had thought of long ago: "I used to have a classmate who worked at the Agricultural Institute, and they cultivated new varieties of vegetables. It's said that they sell very well on the market. Anyway, I don't have anything better to do right now, so I'm going to try it out first. If it really is as good as they say, then I'll expand the scale."

  Liu Jianguo was originally a peasant, so he naturally agreed with Xiao Ping's plan and nodded in satisfaction: "Yes, young people are doing something practical. However, the yard has been deserted for nothing, you can go and plant vegetables if you want, I won't accept your money."

  Xiao Ping certainly knew that Liu Jianguo said this out of kindness, but he never wanted to take advantage of others, and hurriedly refused: "Uncle Liu, you must accept the money, otherwise I would not be comfortable using that house."

  Liu Jianguo was also very stubborn and insisted on lending the yard to Xiao Ping for free. The two argued for a long time, and finally both sides took a step back. Xiao Ping rented the yard at a price of 50 yuan per month, but the rent would only be collected after he made money from selling his first batch of vegetables, which was also a win-win result.

  King Fang asked with some concern: "Xiao Xiao, growing vegetables is not easy, can your body handle it?"

  "It doesn't matter, I'll just take it slower. Besides, proper exercise is good for the body, who knows, my illness might even get better slowly."

  Wang Fang didn't quite understand how serious Xiao Ping's illness was, but since he said so, she put her mind at ease and nodded in agreement with her husband.

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