Sudden Change (Part 1)

Phoenix Garden gets its name from the trees and flowers planted there, which resemble a phoenix.

But in essence, this place was once the private backyard of an incredibly wealthy merchant.

However, this mere wealthy merchant dared to name his garden after dragons and phoenixes, and as a result, he was exposed, convicted, and his property was confiscated.

Since then, Phoenix Garden has been raided and confiscated. Now, in the Great Ling Era, it has become a recognized public garden district in Qingchuan.

Deep within Phoenix Garden, along streets adorned with flower petals, stand numerous residential buildings of various styles.

Many people come here to live in seclusion, and many others open guesthouses and Inn.

With occasional events offering rewards for poems, songs, and fine wines, this place is the best spot in Qingchuan for flower viewing and relaxation.

Ping Residence is a small Inn in Phoenix Garden.

The proprietress here Chang Yuqing, comes from Spirit Noble. At this moment, she is gently licking the wound on her finger with a furrowed brow.

"Miss, how can you be so careless again? How many times has this happened this year? If you're not careful, you'll hurt yourself again. If the master sees this, he'll be heartbroken!"

Xiao Yao, the personal maid standing to the side, kept nagging with a bitter face.

"It's alright, it'll be over soon," Chang Yuqing said softly.

"What do you mean 'it will get better soon'?! Have you forgotten last time?!" Xiao Yao's expression turned angry, as if blaming her for not taking good care of her body.

"I'm really okay, don't worry." Chang Yuqing gently touched the back of Xiao Yao's hand, a gentle smile appearing on her delicate face.

She was born into a noble family, but due to her frail health, her father arranged for her to recuperate here, simply because the environment at Phoenix Garden was better for her health.

Otherwise, her father would never have been willing to let her stay in this small Qingchuan Prefecture for so long.

Just as he was about to continue comforting Xiao Yao, there was a soft knock on the door.

"Is anyone here? Are you still doing business?"

"Coming!" Xiao Yao hurriedly ran out to answer.

Watching her hurried figure, Chang Yuqing smiled gently, a smile that was somewhat helpless, but mostly warm.

At this moment, Zhang Rongfang waited quietly alone outside the Inn's main gate.

He didn't bring anyone with him, but instead pretended to be a guest who came to stay at the hotel during his free time.

At this moment, he was dressed in a white silk robe with flowing sleeves, and a wooden crown with a blue ribbon, which made him look dashing and also effectively concealed his overly burly physique.

"Sir, are you looking for a room? Do you know our rates?" Xiao Yao didn't immediately invite him in, but instead asked carefully.

"Of course I know," Zhang Rongfang said with a smile. "Besides, I've heard that there's a rather unique and famous Yu Jing Wine here, brewed by the owner himself. It has a refreshing and leisurely taste that's one of a kind. I came here specifically to try it."

He licked his lips, seemingly indicating that he really was there to drink.

But no one knew that he was savoring the blood sample from the small porcelain bottle he had just drunk.

The sample found by his subordinates was a small amount of blood that had accidentally seeped onto other parts of the body from a spot on the other person's finger.

Not only is the quantity very small, but the organisms have also lost their activity due to the long time elapsed since they were collected.

After Zhang Rongfang drank it down in one gulp, his Blood Flesh Completion only improved slightly, so he stopped again.

At this moment, even as he stood outside the door, he could smell the incredibly rich aroma wafting from inside.

With such a fragrance, one can only imagine how terrifying the talent of the person inside must be.

Based on his previous analysis, the stronger the Flesh and Blood Aroma, the more terrifying the talent.

Just like my Grandmaster Uncle.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Zhang Rongfang's mind.

When he returned to the Heavenly Treasure Palace and met his master Yue Dewen, he did not seem to smell any Flesh and Blood Aroma on the other man.

This question flashed through his mind for a moment, but he quickly put his attention back on what was in front of him.

"Since you already know, please come in." Xiao Yao stepped aside and led the way inside.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, quickly had the strong women in the Inn clean the room and confirmed the location and room number of Zhang Rongfang's residence.

The entire Inn is a simple courtyard house.

The so-called rooms available for accommodation actually consist of twelve rooms on three sides, with four rooms on the remaining side, which were mainly used by Xiao Yao and his servant.

The courtyard is filled with all kinds of medicinal herbs and flowers, creating a colorful and pleasant scene.

Chang Yuqing sat on a swaying swing, dressed in a white dress, with black hair and a silver belt, her skin as smooth as jade, and her features exquisite, like a perfect jade statue carefully sculpted by a master sculptor.

As Zhang Rongfang passed by, he glanced at it and his throat involuntarily bobbed a few times.

It's confirmed, it's her! He suddenly had a feeling of destiny.

If he hadn't come to Qingchuan Prefecture, he wouldn't have discovered this extremely special individual.

Such aptitude and talent are not commonly seen.

Even in Citong, a place with such a large flow of people, and in Great Capital, where there are also many talented people and experts, I still haven't heard of an individual with such talent.

Only in Qingchuan Prefecture.

After Xiao Yao settled everything for him, she told him when to eat, when to take a bath, and when he could come out to enjoy wine together.

All activities here are led by the host Chang Yuqing.

She would bring her guests along whenever she wanted to try something.

The entire Inn seemed to have been opened on her own whim, simply to connect with more people.

After settling everything in, Zhang Rongfang slowly walked into the courtyard and looked at Chang Yuqing.

"To be honest, when I came to this Inn, I heard people say that the young lady has a photographic memory and extremely high comprehension."

To be honest, I don't believe that someone of that age would simply stay in such a remote place.

"So I came to take a look." Zhang Rongfang said frankly.

"Now that you've seen it, what are your thoughts, sir?" Chang Yuqing smiled slightly.

"I saw the person, but I'm not sure if the rumors are true," Zhang Rongfang replied. "A photographic memory and exceptional comprehension—these aren't things you can just judge by appearances. Could you please demonstrate some of these, young lady?"

"But why should I show it to you alone?" Chang Yuqing shook his head.

"I paid a lot of money to stay here. Your hotel's prices are far above average. At this price, don't you have any unique features or amenities?" Zhang Rongfang retorted.

His serious demeanor immediately made Chang Yuqing's lips curl into a slight smile.

"That makes perfect sense, I can't argue with that." She stood up from the swing. "So, how would you like me to express my opinion, sir?"

"It's very simple." Zhang Rongfang had never seen a genius of this caliber before. At this moment, he was both hunting to replenish his flesh and blood and satisfying his own curiosity.

"I have a classic text of the Daoist Sect here. The characters are complex and contain many annotations left by our predecessors. If you can read it once, memorize all the annotations, and understand them thoroughly, then I will believe you have this talent." Zhang Rongfang took out a piece of yellow parchment covered with densely written small characters from his sleeve.

He handed over the parchment.

Chang Yuqing took it and began reading it slowly and easily.

"This was left by Qian Xiuzi Daoist Sect. All the text is in ancient seal script, and it is a further commentary on the I Ching. It mentions the transformation of Yin and Yang, when and in what state Yin-Yang Exchange. It also discusses the definition and application of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams and the Eight Trigrams in life, with the key being how the basic structure of the Eight Trigrams is determined."

In just over ten minutes, Chang Yuqing finished reading and began to explain with ease.

Zhang Rongfang began by asking questions, carefully seeking solutions to some of the more difficult points in the annotation.

Unexpectedly, Chang Yuqing understood everything thoroughly and explained it exceptionally clearly.

The two of them, one asking and the other answering, became faster and faster, more and more urgent.

Later on, Chang Yuqing would answer almost immediately, without even thinking, as soon as Zhang Rongfang asked a question.

It was as if she had already read this annotation.

"Okay, okay!!"

Suddenly Zhang Rongfang stopped abruptly.

"Truly a born genius! It's a pity he was born extremely weak." He shouted loudly, then quickly lowered his voice, revealing a look of regret.

This annotation is about 35,000 words long and makes extensive use of pronouns and neologisms. In many places, one has to infer the meaning from the context.

"Sir, you've heard of it too?" Chang Yuqing had a very good impression of Zhang Rongfang at this moment, because judging from the questions he had just asked, the other party was also someone who knew about the Daoist Canon.

It wasn't that he was just bored and randomly picked something to test her.

"I didn't just hear about it, I saw it for myself," Zhang Rongfang said with a smile.

He could sense that there were martial arts experts secretly guarding the area nearby.

But the so-called "experts" only apply to ordinary people; for him, they are better than nothing.

At his current level, ordinary experts are not much different from ordinary people in his eyes.

"I am somewhat skilled in Medicine, and I often concoct elixirs for myself. Since you are so talented, Miss, if you are willing, you may allow me to make a diagnosis and perhaps find a way to improve your condition."

"The Medicine?" A hint of doubt flashed in Chang Yuqing's eyes. "It is possible, but I have seen far too many medical masters with my constitution. Please be prepared, sir."

"It's nothing. I, Zhang, have developed my own unique diagnostic method. It only requires visual observation and a little bit of your blood."

Zhang Rongfang's gaze fell on the other person's bleeding finger.

"Is that so?" Chang Yuqing nodded. The rules of medical masters are varied, and she had encountered similar ones before, so it wasn't surprising.

Immediately, she squeezed a few drops of blood from her finger and dripped them into a small porcelain cup on the stone table next to her.

Then he handed it to Zhang Rongfang.

"Please take a look, sir."

"Thank you." Zhang Rongfang thanked him for no apparent reason, took the porcelain cup, took out the water he had prepared from his waist pouch, poured it into the cup, swirled it, and then took a swig.

Mmm~~~~ A feeling of floating on air, as if he were completely intoxicated, overwhelmed him.

He felt that as the blood went down his throat, his body was like a parched desert, frantically absorbing, permeating, and enveloping it.

Before it even reaches the stomach, the blood is already absorbed by the esophagus.

This time, it wasn't the dead blood from before, but rather a few drops of fresh blood that had just been squeezed out.

Its quality is incomparable.

Zhang Rongfang could feel the tumor on his back changing rapidly.

Meanwhile, in the Attribute Panel within the field of vision, the value for Blood Flesh Completion ability was also constantly soaring.

It has been increasing slowly and steadily from the previous 85.

87.

89.

91.93.95!! Finally, with only five points left to reach one hundred, the Blood Flesh Completion finally stopped.

Click.

Just then, Zhang Rongfang vaguely heard the sound of something cracking.

The sound came from within his body, and its source was his back! That mysterious tumor.

It cracked!