You Have Connections? No, I Have Money!

"Whatever anyone says, the child is definitely going to Second High School."

"I married into the Ge Family and worked like an ox and a horse for over a decade. This is my one and only request. If you won't agree, I'll come here and make a scene every day."

A woman was speaking, her voice loud and shrill, like a shrew yelling in the street.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to listen more closely,

the courtyard gate opened.

A middle-aged couple came out. The man looked somewhat like Old Master Ge.

There was no need to guess. They were surely father and son.

As for the woman, the answer was obvious.

They glanced at Lu Yuan but said nothing, then simply left.

Seeing this, he didn't ask any questions. He walked straight into the courtyard. "Old Master Ge, I'm back."

The old man stood some distance away, looking a little troubled. But when he saw Lu Yuan, his expression softened slightly, and he said, "Xiao Lu, keep an eye on my medicine for me."

With that, he didn't wait for a response and went straight into the house.

Lu Yuan smiled and began tending to the medicine stove.

Nearby,

the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu he wanted was still piled in the corner.

It was a long while before Old Master Ge came out of the house. He had a bankbook in his hand, and his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he'd run into some difficulty.

He still didn't say anything. Coming over to Lu Yuan, he said, "Xiao Lu, I've lived for decades. I know there's no such thing as kindness without a reason. You've been coming every day to help me lately, so you must want something. Just say it. As long as it's not too much, I'll consider it."

He was already in his sixties or seventies. If he couldn't see through something like this, he'd have lived all those years for nothing.

"To be honest, Old Master, I've always loved collecting antiques."

Lu Yuan didn't stand on ceremony. "I really like your medicine stove. I hope you'll part with it. We can discuss the price."

Since he'd brought it up, there was no need to beat around the bush.

"Money doesn't matter."

Old Master Ge shook his head and brought out the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu. "This has been passed down in my family. I don't know how many years old it is. I wouldn't give it to just anyone, but since you want it, take it."

They hadn't known each other for long, but he could tell that the young man before him was decent.

Otherwise, would anyone patiently come here day after day?

Just to help an old man?

Impossible.

As for money, he did need it, but he truly didn't care much about it.

"Thank you, Old Master."

Lu Yuan nodded. He knew the other man wouldn't accept money.

But he understood the principle of repaying kindness with kindness. After a moment's thought, he said, "I know you have a granddaughter. She just graduated from elementary school, right? Is she going to Shanghai City No. 2 High School?"

"You heard all that?"

Old Master Ge nodded. "Yes. The education resources at No. 2 High School are better. That's what my daughter-in-law wants, but our family isn't registered in Shanghai City, so it's difficult."

"It's difficult because you haven't found anyone to help. Why not ask whether I can do something about it?" Lu Yuan said with a smile.

"What, you have connections?"

Old Master Ge was taken aback. He knew that getting into a school like that usually required connections.

"No."

"Then?"

"I have money."

"..."

Old Master Ge sighed.

He really didn't want to accept, but his daughter-in-law had made such a fuss that he couldn't take it anymore.

In the end, he silently got to his feet and went back inside. He brought out an old book and handed it to Lu Yuan. "This was passed down through the Ge Family. They say it contains methods for alchemy and preparing medicine. I've studied it for many years, but I can't make head or tail of it. I'd meant to pass it on to my son."

"But in this day and age, traditional Chinese medicine and the like are all outdated. If you're interested, take it too."

"Then I'll thank you, Old Master."

Looking at the old book in his hands,

a smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face.

That was right. It recorded the techniques Immortal Master Ge had used to make pills.

And if he wanted to make proper use of the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu, this old book was absolutely indispensable.

It was one of his goals, too.

The reason he hadn't put it to use yet was that the cataclysm hadn't begun. Once the new era arrived, it would have unexpected uses.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

Old Master Ge waved a hand and sat down to brew the medicine.

The old man and the young man chatted for a long while. Of course, Lu Yuan mostly listened.

Before leaving, he turned back and said, "Old Master, if you ever need help with anything else, you can contact me."

He'd already given the other man his phone number.

He'd said this partly to forge a good connection between them.

There was another reason, too: Lu Yuan vaguely remembered that Old Master Ge's granddaughter would become somewhat famous in the future.

Perhaps their paths would cross someday. If the opportunity arose, he could lend her a hand.

Soon,

Lu Yuan drove away, heading nowhere else and going straight home.

He'd finished everything he needed to do in Shanghai City. All that remained was to get his hands on the last two things.

Of course, he needed to make some preparations first.

The cataclysm was drawing closer and closer.

Just as Manager Lin had said, the outside world was in chaos. He needed to be able to protect himself.

After returning home,

Lu Yuan first put the Eleven-story Pagoda in the basement.

Then he filled a basin with clean water and set the Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu on the table.

The stove was ordinary and looked very old. Inside, it seemed to be covered with a thick layer of ash and black residue.

An ordinary person would surely have tried to wash it clean.

But when Lu Yuan saw the residue, he couldn't hide his smile. "The Zi Wu Bu Tian Lu was used by Immortal Master Ge to make pills. Every time he finished a batch, some of the essence would remain in the stove. Even after a thousand years, that essence would still have an effect."

"All I need to do is dissolve it in some clean water, then pour the water into the tub and soak in it. It'll temper my body and strengthen my constitution."

In his previous life, the reason he'd managed to gain a foothold in the new era was precisely these remnants of pill essence.

And this was one of the few things Lu Yuan knew of that could affect the body even before the global cataclysm.

With it,

Lu Yuan was confident he could build a superhuman physique in a short time.

And once he succeeded, he'd reap even greater benefits when the cataclysm arrived.

At that moment, he said nothing more.

Following the method he knew by heart, he dissolved the pill essence in clean water.

Then he filled the bathtub. Once it was ready, he poured in the water from the stove.

The water gave off a faint fragrance. Looking closely, one could even see wisps of purple light shimmering across its surface, making it seem extraordinarily mysterious.

After all, Immortal Master Ge was a legendary immortal.

"Now, I can begin."

Lu Yuan took a deep breath. Without the slightest hesitation, he immersed his entire body in the water, not even leaving his head above the surface.

And tonight

was the day of his first transformation!