Dying of Envy

Zhou Tong suddenly stood up, pointed at Shen Jingchuan, and looked completely incredulous.

"Good lad!" he exclaimed in amazement. "That's the most talented woman in our Great Qian Dynasty. I've seen her in person; she's truly stunning. So you were just using the pretense of becoming a disciple to have ulterior motives!"

Xu Mo shook his head, looking envious.

"Brother Shen, your fate and good fortune are truly boundless."

He sighed. "Do you know how many high-ranking officials, scions of the Aristocratic Clan, and renowned scholars all want to marry her? If they knew you'd actually married her, wouldn't they all be heartbroken and weep bitterly? They might even want to kill you."

Xu Jingting was stunned for a moment before he realized what was going on. He was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard that his beard shook.

"Nephew, I thought it was something serious." He waved his hand, looking cheerful. "Just this little thing?"

"It's an honor for me to be a matchmaker for such a talented person as you." He shook his head with a smile. "It's nothing to do with repaying a favor; don't take it that way."

Shen Jingchuan, however, remained serious and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Uncle, I think it's appropriate." He said earnestly, "With your integrity and reputation, my master would be delighted and honored to have someone like you do it. Others would rather go to jail than ask you to."

"If you would agree, I would be extremely grateful."

Xu Jingting agreed to the matchmaker's request, then sniffed himself; the fishy smell hadn't dissipated, and he felt a little embarrassed.

"Let's stop here for today. I need to go back and take a good shower, so I can't keep you company any longer."

Shen Jingchuan quickly got up.

"Uncle, please make yourself at home. We juniors have been too kind."

As night deepened, Xu Mo instructed his servants to set out a table of wine and dishes in the room, along with several side dishes to accompany the wine.

The three of them sat down around the table, drinking and chatting.

Shen Jingchuan drank two glasses, and seeing that Zhou Tong was sullen and didn't say much, just silently drinking, he put down his glass.

"Brother Zhou, you don't seem to be in high spirits tonight." He looked at Zhou Tong. "Are you still thinking about things at home?"

Zhou Tong gripped his wine glass, gave a wry smile, and nodded.

"To be honest, I've escaped this ordeal myself, but how can I feel good when I think about my father, my mother, and my whole family still locked up in jail?"

He sighed and downed the wine in one gulp.

Shen Jingchuan patted him on the shoulder.

"No problem, leave this to me." He said confidently, "Once I finish what I'm doing in the next couple of days, I'll take you there and rescue them."

Zhou Tong was taken aback and shook his head repeatedly.

"That won't do. You don't know, this was done by the prince." He said with a bitter face, "Although I've been hiding these days and trying many methods, I simply don't know where to start."

"Don't worry about how I'll save you yet," Shen Jingchuan smiled. "I won't go into the details right now."

He was thinking to himself that since he was going to save Zhou Tong's family, he would still have to maintain contact with these friends in the future, and he would have to let them know about his cultivation sooner or later.

Rather than scaring them in the future, it's better to show them a little skill now so they can be prepared.

He said no more, raised his hand, and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snap."

A wisp of fire suddenly appeared at his fingertips, flickering softly and illuminating half of his face.

Xu Mo and Zhou Tong were startled and almost dropped their wine glasses.

"Brother Shen, what is this—"

"Where do you think Uncle got those Life-Extending Pills?" Shen Jingchuan asked calmly, looking at the flame at his fingertips.

The two stared intently at the flames, their eyes glazed over, and it took them a long time to come to their senses.

"You... you're actually a cultivator!" Zhou Tong's voice changed. "There really are cultivators in this world!"

"Of course there are." Shen Jingchuan withdrew his finger, extinguishing the flame. "Life-Extending Pills are considered invaluable treasures by ordinary people, but in the cultivation world, they're really nothing special."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Xu Mo.

"By the way, we've known each other for so long, but you've never mentioned your mother to me. How has she been lately?"

Xu Mo paused for a moment, then his expression softened.

"Thank you for your concern. My mother is in good health and has a good relationship with my father."

He was halfway through his sentence when he noticed Shen Jingchuan's expression and suddenly realized what he was doing, so he quickly waved his hand.

"Brother Shen, please don't!" he said anxiously and flusteredly. "That's too precious, you can't accept it."

Shen Jingchuan didn't answer. He flipped his hand and, without even reaching into his robes, produced a small jade box out of thin air. Inside the box was a round pill, the Life-Extending Pill.

He handed the box to Xu Mo.

"Take this one to your aunt." He said calmly, "She's like your uncle; she needs some conditioning. You know the importance of this, so you must make sure she takes it."

Seeing his ability to conjure things out of thin air, Xu Mo and Zhou Tong truly believed him this time, without the slightest doubt.

Xu Mo took the box with both hands, but did not put it away immediately. He held it in his palms, looking troubled.

He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Honestly, I really can't accept it." His voice was hoarse. "You've already given it to my father, and now you're giving it to my mother. This is too much of a debt of gratitude... I..."

"But this thing is related to my mother's health, to whether she can live a long and healthy life. As her son, I really can't refuse it."

Xu Mo held the box, caught in a dilemma.

Shen Jingchuan waved his hand, interrupting him.

"Alright, I told you to accept it, so just accept it." His tone left no room for argument. "If you don't accept it, your aunt will miss this fortuitous opportunity for health and longevity, and then you, as her son, will be the one who truly sins."

After listening, Xu Mo held the box in silence for a moment before solemnly putting it into his pocket.

He stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute to Shen Jingchuan, and spoke in a deep voice.

"I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks."

"Younger brother, I am truly unworthy of such praise."

Shen Jingchuan paused again, then raised his hand and flicked it, and two more pills appeared in his palm, one on the left and one on the right.

"Both of you, eat it right in front of me."

Xu Mo and Zhou Tong refused, waving their hands in unison.

"Brother Shen, this is too precious, you mustn't accept it." Xu Mo repeatedly declined, "You gave it to my father and then to my mother, that's already an immense favor. I'm so young, how could I need this?"

Zhou Tong nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I've already shamelessly accepted my father's share, so what about this..."

"If we tell you to eat, then eat."

Without giving a chance to explain, Shen Jingchuan reached out and pulled Xu Mo over, then pried open his mouth with his other hand and stuffed the pill inside.

"Trust me, you can't go wrong."

He then turned to look at Zhou Tong, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"What, you want me to feed them myself too?"

Zhou Tong blushed.

"No, no, I can do it myself, I can do it myself."

He took the pill himself, tilted his head back, and swallowed it.

Shen Jingchuan looked at him, smiled, and nodded.

Not long after the pills were taken, black mud spots appeared on their faces and necks, emitting a fishy smell, making them look extremely disheveled.

Shen Jingchuan frowned and pointed behind him, "Go wash up quickly."

"We'll go cleanse ourselves first, you drink it yourself."

Xu Mo and Zhou Tong, disregarding everything else, hurriedly retreated to the back.

When the two of them returned after bathing and changing, looking refreshed and full of energy, they both appeared younger.

The three sat down again. Zhou Tong watched as a wisp of fire appeared with a snap of his fingers, and seeing how easily Shen Jingchuan talked about saving his family, a weight was lifted from his heart.

They must have extraordinary abilities to dare accept such a gift so easily.

The more Zhou Tong thought about it, the more confident he felt. A smile finally appeared on his face, and he picked up his wine, feeling much lighter. The more they talked, the more they clicked, and they drank until late into the night before finally falling asleep.