The Herbs Arrived

At noon on September 14, the Express Company staff called.

The herbs Jiang Ning had purchased had arrived. The staff asked whether Jiang Ning would pick them up himself or have them delivered. Since the batch of herbs weighed over a hundred kilograms and the trip was five kilometers, home delivery would cost fifty yuan.

Naturally, Jiang Ning was not going to make the trip himself just to save fifty yuan. He gave them his number and asked for delivery.

Jiang Ning stood outside the classroom making the call. Classes had ended a few minutes earlier, and Xue Yuantong waited beside him.

"All right, let's go." Jiang Ning took Xue Yuantong home.

Xue Yuantong had already gotten used to riding on Jiang Ning's bicycle. Of course, she always found some excuse before getting on.

Lunch was still lavish today. Jiang Ning had bought Big River Shrimp and cooked a plate of Beef. The vegetable dishes were Green Pepper Eggs and Lettuce Mushrooms, accompanied by sliced chilled watermelon. They filled the little folding table.

Xue Yuantong ate happily, though she could not help feeling a little guilty.

Recently, Jiang Ning had paid for all the groceries. Her family only contributed some oil and salt, the Big Steamed Buns her mother made, or pumpkins for pumpkin porridge—none of it worth much.

She always felt she was taking advantage of Jiang Ning. They were neither relatives nor particularly close, so why was he being so nice to her for no reason? Taking her home was one thing, letting her use his Wi-Fi was one thing, but they even ate together every day.

Why was he doing this?!

Could it be... he liked her? Xue Yuantong pinched her little cheek, feeling that was unlikely. In her own eyes, she was merely good at studying, good at cooking, good at housework, smart, and kind.

Other than that, she did not have any special strengths.

Jiang Ning could not possibly be interested in her. Xue Yuantong firmly rejected the notion, ruling it out immediately.

But if this continued, she would owe Jiang Ning more and more.

She was preparing to lay her cards on the table and ask Jiang Ning why he was treating her so well.

Xue Yuantong had originally planned to do it today, but the food she had cooked today was especially delicious. What if she fell out with Jiang Ning and he carried all the dishes away? Tomorrow would be better.

She settled on a date.

While eating, Jiang Ning noticed that Xue Yuantong had been unusually quiet today. Her brows alternately furrowed and relaxed, as though she had something heavy on her mind.

He did not ask, nor did he particularly care.

Eating with Xue Yuantong every day lately had given him a taste of ordinary life. How long had it been since he had experienced such a feeling? Probably several hundred years.

Jiang Ning enjoyed the feeling very much. As for the price he paid, it was merely less than a hundred yuan a day for groceries.

He did not have much money for now, but he would never lack small change.

He had considered whether this might trouble Xue Yuantong, but seeing how happily she ate, he stopped worrying.

After all, someone who used to eat only half a bowl of rice but could now finish a whole bowl—and sometimes secretly add another spoonful—had to be happy.

After lunch, Xue Yuantong took the initiative to wash the dishes. Though Jiang Ning could clean the bowls and chopsticks with a single Spell.

But seeing how diligent Xue Yuantong was, he let her wash them.

Like some Old Man, he went to sit in the cool shade by the doorway. There were only a few minutes left until the time he had arranged with the Express Company staff.

By the time Xue Yuantong finished washing up and came outside, a silver-white mini truck was driving toward them along the River Dam before turning down the slope.

Express depots differed from courier stations. In this era, once express shipments arrived in a local city, they were often not delivered to customers' doors. Customers had to collect them themselves, since express shipments were usually large cargo.

Many express depot operators had started offering an extra service. If customers did not wish to collect their goods themselves, they could pay to have them delivered, with the workers even helping carry them inside.

For a five-kilometer trip, they charged fifty yuan, and the delivery arrived right on time.

The mini truck drove all the way to Jiang Ning's door. The driver quickly unloaded several cardboard boxes.

Jiang Ning opened the boxes and took a look, confirming that the medicinal herbs were fine.

The driver took out his phone to complete the delivery confirmation. Jiang Ning glanced at it and found it was a Xiaomi 2s, a classic model comparable to the first-generation king of durable phones, the Xiaomi 6.

"Nice phone," Jiang Ning commented.

"Heh, the head office issued it to me." The driver grinned happily.

"Thanks, sir. I can handle the rest myself. You can head back."

The mini truck started up and drove onto the Dam.

"Jiang Ning, are you sick? Why did you buy so much medicine?" Xue Yuantong asked in surprise.

After the boxes had been set down, she had caught a faint herbal scent and wondered what Jiang Ning had bought.

Only after he opened them did she see that they were packed full of herbs.

"I'm not sick. I have a use for the herbs—they're for conditioning my body." Jiang Ning did not hide it from Xue Yuantong.

He was not going to become like a startled bird and start sneaking around in everything he did just because Ding Shuyan had noticed him once.

The herb merchant and the courier station already knew he was buying herbs anyway. This sort of thing was hard to hide from others.

Xue Yuantong usually spoke little. She was practically invisible in class, and she kept a tight mouth. She would not spread it around.

Besides, even if others found out he was buying medicinal herbs, so what? Could he be investigated just for buying some herbs to play around with?

What a joke. As long as he did not endanger society, the authorities did not have the time to meddle in such matters.

As an immortal cultivator who possessed all kinds of Spells, if he came to a world full of ordinary people and still had to look over his shoulder and sneak around just to buy medicinal herbs, then he might as well forget Worldly Engagement and go cultivate in some remote mountain forest!

It was safe there, and no one would meddle in his affairs.

Hearing Jiang Ning's explanation, Xue Yuantong did not ask more. Looking at the large boxes, she rolled up her sleeves.

"I'll help you carry them."

Jiang Ning looked down at the crown of Xue Yuantong's head. "I'll do it myself."

"What, you looking down on me? As friends, shouldn't we help each other? I know you don't want to trouble me, but my, Xue Yuantong's, dignity will not allow me to stand by and do nothing."

After saying all that, she put her little hands on a cardboard box and tried to lift it. Her face turned red from the effort, but it did not budge.

Jiang Ning casually lifted a box on his side, making it look effortless.

Holding the box, Jiang Ning stared at Xue Yuantong. Xue Yuantong stared back at Jiang Ning. The air seemed to freeze for several seconds.

Xue Yuantong secretly exerted more force, but the box still would not move. It was simply far, far too heavy for her.

She calmly withdrew her hands, dusted them off, and spoke naturally.

"Seeing how easily you can carry it, you should do it. I ate too much at lunch just now, so this is the perfect chance for you to get some exercise. Such a great workout opportunity—I definitely can't fight you for it. I'll let you have it!"

"I understand." Jiang Ning carried the box inside.

The moment no one was looking, Xue Yuantong's little face immediately fell.

Jiang Ning was so strong. If she had that kind of strength, she could carry cement bags at construction sites and earn several hundred yuan a day.

Jiang Ning made several trips, carrying the boxes into the kitchen. By then, Xue Yuantong had gone next door for her afternoon nap.

Jiang Ning went into the kitchen and looked at the boxes piled high with herbs.

Nearly three hundred jin of herbs had cost only ten thousand yuan, averaging thirty yuan per jin. It was truly cheap. Not all of the herbs were for refining Qi Gathering Pills and Spirit Accumulation Pills; there were also some useless medicinal materials mixed in as camouflage.

Although modern technology could not produce those two kinds of Pills in an environment without Spiritual Energy, Jiang Ning preferred to be cautious.

He had less than twenty thousand yuan left on him, and he could actually buy more herbs.

But before making the purchase, Jiang Ning had estimated that with his current Qi Refinement cultivation, the Formation he could set up could barely preserve the efficacy of these three hundred jin of herbs. Any more, and he could not guarantee it.

Jiang Ning activated his Spiritual Energy and continuously formed Magic Arts with his hands. Multicolored Spiritual Energy shot toward the area around the boxes. Finally, with a light tap, he linked the Spiritual Energy in every direction together. A bright cyan barrier suddenly rose within the small kitchen, spiritual light flickering across its surface.

The medicinal fragrance filling the kitchen instantly withdrew.

The Formation was complete.

Jiang Ning tapped a few more times and set up a simple concealment Formation outside it, hiding the conspicuous cyan barrier.

In one go, Jiang Ning transferred eighty percent of the Spiritual Energy in his body into the Formation to maintain its normal operation.

His Spiritual Energy was only enough to sustain the Formation for a few hours. Having to replenish it every day from now on would be quite a burden.

"I need to refine these herbs into Pills as soon as possible over the next few days."

"There's going to be plenty to do."