How Do I Get Home?

I know you might not believe me if I just make things up.

He changed the subject and looked at Elder Wen:

"Elder Wen, why don't you... give it a try first?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Wen suddenly raised his head, and was taken aback at first.

He was a sensible man, and in an instant he understood the implications. In terms of status, what kind of people were Elder Yang, Elder Li, and Elder Wang? He was just a health care doctor who treated patients. According to their status, these four pills should not have been given to him at all.

Mr. Shen's "give it a try" sounded like an excuse for him to be the first to taste the medicine and verify it, but once the pill entered his mouth, it would be a real blessing bestowed upon him.

This is a clever way to give him a huge benefit in a legitimate way, without being conspicuous at all, thus avoiding any concerns about "overstepping his bounds" and fulfilling his wishes.

Having figured this out, Elder Wen in his heart. His gaze towards Shen Jingchuan changed, a mixture of surprise, joy, and gratitude. His lips moved, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

The three Elder Yang were shrewd enough to understand the implied meaning. They exchanged glances, but none of them pointed it out. Instead, they were happy to go along with it.

After all, everything we have today was achieved through Professor Wen's efforts.

Elder Wen immediately stood up.

"Alright!" He gritted his teeth, with a hint of reckless abandon, "Then I'll be the guinea pig!"

He reached for a jade bottle, uncorked it, poured it into his palm, and a pill rolled out.

The pill was about the size of a longan, perfectly round, and had a warm, amber luster. When you got close, a faint, pure medicinal fragrance wafted out, instantly invigorating the senses.

Without further thought, Elder Wen put the pill in his mouth, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

Shen Jingchuan stepped forward to help Elder Wen sit back down in his chair.

As soon as the pill went down, Elder Wen felt a warm sensation slowly spreading from his abdomen, coursing through his entire body, a feeling of comforting warmth that was indescribable.

Immediately afterwards, his face flushed slightly, which was clearly visible to those around him.

The wrinkles on his face were visibly smoothing out and fading, and the age spots on his skin were fading, revealing a renewed luster.

The graying hair at his temples was gradually turning black, inch by inch, starting from the roots;

His previously cloudy old eyes became clear, his hunched back straightened unconsciously, and even his breathing became deep and powerful, as if he had become decades younger overnight.

At the same time, a layer of sticky, grayish-black oily sweat seeped from his body, mixed with years of accumulated stale smell, which didn't smell very pleasant.

That means it needs to be rinsed off.

Shen Jingchuan, wanting to show off his skills again, raised his hand and made a hand Cleaning Technique. With a "whoosh," the layer of oil and sweat grime on Elder Wen's body disappeared completely, and even his clothes were as clean as new. There was no need for him to take a bath.

The three elders, Elder Yang and Mr. Yang, watched with wide eyes.

Meng Ke also saw this move and immediately began to mutter to herself in annoyance:

Oh, so there's such an easy way! When I took those pills, why didn't you give me one too?

She secretly glared at Shen Jingchuan, then couldn't help but let her imagination run wild—could it be that he did it on purpose? Just so I could peek at him while I was showering...?

Shen Jingchuan noticed that the others were still putting on airs, so he took the initiative to speak and break the deadlock.

"Gentlemen, you should eat it too. Carrying this stuff around and taking it out is a disaster; it will only attract unwanted attention. It's safest to eat it yourself, and it will save you from having to hide it and risk any unforeseen problems later. What do you say?"

The three old men thought about it and realized that this didn't make sense. No matter how good the elixir was, holding it in your hand was like holding a hot potato; swallowing it was the best thing for you. The three exchanged glances, and Elder Yang was the first to reach for a jade bottle.

"Alright, let's not stand on ceremony then, one bottle each."

Elder Yang laughed heartily, "The three of us old buddies shared hardships back then, and now we'll share the good times together. Young Friend Shen's words make sense."

He uncorked the bottle, poured the pill into his mouth, and swallowed it without even blinking.

Seeing this, Elder Li and Elder Wang no longer hesitated. Elder Wen's living example was right in front of them, and besides, Young Friend Shen had no grudge against them, and they had gotten along well over the days, so there was no reason for him to harm them.

The two exchanged a smile and each took a pill.

Once the medicine took effect, the three elders underwent changes just like Elder Wen: their wrinkles smoothed out, their white hair turned black, and their cloudy old eyes regained their luster.

However, since they were older than Elder Wen, they inevitably experienced aches and pains when their Qi and Blood were being unblocked. But these three had weathered countless storms, so they gritted their teeth and endured the pain without uttering a sound.

After the changes subsided, Shen Jingchuan raised his hand and cast a Cleaning Technique on each of them. With three quick "swishes," the oil, sweat, and grime on the three elders' bodies were swept away, and their clothes were as clean as new.

The wondrous sensation of being enveloped by magical arts was something the group was experiencing firsthand for the first time. They looked at each other, and in each other's eyes, they saw undisguised surprise and joy.

After looking at each other again, the three old men seemed to have become decades younger, full of energy. Elder Yang touched his face, beaming from ear to ear.

"Oh dear, looking at it this way--"

He drew out his words, glancing at his two old buddies on either side:

"Should I start addressing you as 'Young Friend Li' and 'Young Friend Wang' from now on?"

"Get lost, Young Friend Yang, stop talking nonsense." Elder Li laughed and scolded, "At your age, how can you be so incompetent?"

Elder Wang joined in the fun, trembling as he stretched out his hand.

"In that case, my two young friends, would you be so kind as to lend this old man a hand?"

One sentence made the whole room burst into laughter, and several elderly people laughed so hard they were doubled over, they hadn't had such a good time in many years.

After laughing, Shen Jingchuan took out a mirror from his Storage Ring and handed it over.

"See for yourselves."

Elder Yang took it first, examined it closely in the mirror, and was increasingly amazed.

Elder Li and Elder Wang quickly gathered together, and Elder Wen also came over—they could see the changes in each other's bodies, but they couldn't see their own faces, and they were all itching to see them.

A mirror was passed around among the group. They looked at themselves in it for quite a while before reluctantly putting it down.

Finally, the mirror fell into Elder Wen's hands. He looked at his face, which looked decades younger than before, and sighed deeply, but his eyes were full of smiles.

"Ah, I never imagined..." Elder Wen murmured, "I, Wen, would have such good fortune in my lifetime."

Overjoyed, he suddenly remembered a difficult problem, which troubled him. He looked up at everyone.

Elder Wen, with a pained expression, pointed to himself. "Looking like this, how am I going to get home later?"