Just as Chen Mo was rubbing his hands together at the "85.3" Qi and Blood Value on the System Panel, like a miser plotting how to turn his little nest egg into a solid 90 within a week, the phone in his pocket began buzzing at an unusually convenient moment.
Caller ID: Zhao Peng.
The moment he picked up, Zhao Peng's unmistakable voice came through, brimming with barely contained smugness. "Hello? Brother Mo! Where are you hiding? Are you staring at your Qi and Blood Value panel and drooling, trying to figure out how to 'get rich'?"
Chen Mo laughed. "Brother Peng, can you read my mind? I just checked. I'm still four breaths away from 90."
"Four breaths? That's easy!" Zhao Peng's voice rose, full of the swagger of someone about to show off. "The news about your two skills reaching Major Accomplishment has already reached my dad. The old man slapped his thigh when he heard. He said that with your talent and grit, it'd be a shame not to wreak havoc on a professional team... I mean, to shine on a professional team! He specifically told me to bring you some 'good stuff' to give you a hand!"
"Good stuff?" Chen Mo's interest was piqued.
"Exactly! A hundred times more effective than those little blue pills you bought so frugally at the pharmacy... I mean, Qi and Blood Capsules! Just wait. I'll be at your building in half an hour. Be there to sign for it!" Zhao Peng hung up in a whirlwind.
Chen Mo held his phone, a little dazed. Chairman Zhao was personally looking out for him? And "good stuff"? Wasn't this a bit too much?
Half an hour later, a modest but gleaming car from the Zhao family pulled up outside Xingfu Residential Area. The uniformed driver, Master Xiao Liu, took two heavy, high-end thermal boxes from the back seat. Chen Mo finally got a firsthand look at what "good stuff" meant.
"Student Chen, Young Master Zhao specifically told me to hand these to you in person." Master Xiao Liu beamed as he passed over the boxes, then helpfully cautioned, "They're a little heavy, so be careful."
Chen Mo took them, and his arm sank. Good grief, were they filled with gold bars?
"The first box contains Ten-Great Tonifying Qi and Blood Soup. The master chef in the family's medicinal kitchen watched over the stove and slow-simmered it for a whole day and night with seventeen or eighteen kinds of herbs," Master Xiao Liu said, listing them off with the familiarity of an expert. "They picked herbs that were all excellent in age and quality: wild ginseng rootlets, angelica, astragalus, prepared rehmannia... And it was made with top-grade Black-Feathered Silkie. Chairman Zhao said the soup is gentle and nourishing, strengthening the body at its foundation. It's better for your constitution than those industrially extracted capsules you can buy outside."
He patted the second box. "This one has three jars of Calming Spirit and Nourishing Heart Paste, made according to an ancient method. It helps calm your mind and sleep well, and can also support the Return to Origin of your Qi and Blood. Take a spoonful each night before bed, dissolve it in warm water, and drink it. Young Master Zhao specifically told me not to let you skimp on it: a bowl of soup morning and evening, and a spoonful of paste. Make sure to take them on schedule."
Chen Mo listened in a daze, then opened the thermal boxes to take a look. The soup containers were perfectly sealed, and the porcelain jars of paste felt smooth and warm to the touch, each bearing a small, exquisite Zhao Family Emblem. The packaging alone, along with the rich, pure medicinal aroma that wafted out without being overpowering, made it clear these were worth a fortune. This wasn't just "good stuff"—these were Pay-to-win Items! Limited-edition collectibles, at that!
"Master Liu, this... this is too valuable! I..." Chen Mo was at a loss. Friends helping each other was one thing, but accepting such expensive material support made him uneasy. He'd be in their debt in a big way.
"Student Chen, please don't be so polite!" Master Xiao Liu quickly waved his hands, his smile growing even wider. "Young Master Zhao praises you all the time at home. He says training with you works better than the private coach his dad hired! Chairman Zhao was so happy to hear that. He said this little bit of stuff was nothing—it was just... a 'lesson fee' for learning from each other! If you don't accept it, Young Master Zhao will get scolded later."
Right on cue, the phone rang again. It was Zhao Peng. "Brother Mo, you got the stuff, right? Hurry up and use it—don't dawdle! My dad says this is 'strategic supplies' to help you break through! Get to 90 and secure the school subsidy. Then we can apply to use that legendary Small Spirit-Gathering Training Room at school! I asked around. The 'spiritual energy' there is a hundred times stronger than the secondhand smog you breathe in the Small Woods! We can go take advantage of it together. That'll be the life!"
After all that, refusing would be too fussy—and would be turning down the kindness of Zhao Peng and his father. Chen Mo took a deep breath and said solemnly, "Brother Peng, thank your uncle for me! I'll accept the gifts, and I'll remember this kindness."
"That's more like it! No need to be polite with me! Get started tonight! I'll hang up now. The guild war's about to start in the game!" Zhao Peng's boisterous voice disappeared from the receiver.
That evening, an intoxicating, unusual fragrance drifted out of the tiny kitchen in Chen Mo's home. His mother, Chen Yaqin, poked her head in curiously. "Mo, what are you cooking? It smells wonderful!"
"A nourishing soup from a classmate's family, Mom. I'm heating up a bowl. Want some for you and Dad?" Chen Mo said, serving a small bowl for each of his parents as well.
"This soup... can't have been cheap, right?" His father, Chen Guoqiang, took a sip. He knew good food when he tasted it. The soup's flavor and the warmth that immediately spread through his stomach were anything but ordinary.
"My classmate's family runs a medicinal kitchen. They made it themselves, so it didn't cost anything," Chen Mo said vaguely. But in his heart, he thought, It didn't cost money, but kindness weighs more than money.
He drank a bowl himself, and the effects were immediate! A thick, gentle warmth spread from his stomach throughout his body, nourishing every inch of his bones and flesh until he began to sweat lightly. It felt far more comfortable—and far more effective—than the dry heat of taking Qi and Blood Capsules, where the medicine's force seemed to push his body. It was like a long-awaited downpour on parched fields.
He immediately went out to practice Standing Meditation in the Small Woods. This time, the feeling was completely different! His Qi and Blood had already flowed with ease after reaching Major Accomplishment, but with this "top-grade fuel" driving them, they were like a car fitted with a high-performance engine. Their speed and force had both improved by a whole level! Wherever his mind directed them, his Qi and Blood followed, flowing smoothly without obstruction.
After finishing his Standing Meditation, he eagerly checked the panel.
[Qi and Blood Value: 85.5]
It had gone up by 0.2 points in one go! That was almost as much as two days of hard training!
Chen Mo stared, looking at the remaining soup and paste as if he could see countless "+0.2"s beckoning to him. "This isn't nourishing soup... It's an experience boost card! And one that keeps working!"
Over the following days, Zhao Peng's support through Money Power was comprehensive and left no stone unturned.
Knowing Chen Mo was worried that training at home at night might disturb his family and neighbors, Zhao Peng waved a hand and used his connections—and his dad's sponsorship—to secure the evening use of the school's VIP Training Room in the Martial Arts Hall, a room normally reserved for teachers and Specialty Students. It was excellently soundproofed and covered with top-of-the-line cushioning mats. They said the walls were built with special materials that could weakly gather "Psionic Particles," making training inside twice as effective.
"Brother Mo, the key! Use the place however you want tonight! I've already talked to the administrator. You could punch a hole in the punching bag in there and it wouldn't matter!" Zhao Peng slapped an electronic key into Chen Mo's hand, all swagger.
And that wasn't all. Seeing Chen Mo train every day until he looked like he'd been dragged out of a pool, Zhao Peng worried he might accumulate hidden injuries. He made one phone call and had his family's personal physical therapist come over—Master Wang, whose miraculous hands supposedly made him booked three months in advance. Now, every night, Master Wang would wait outside the VIP Training Room for Chen Mo.
So late each night, when Chen Mo finished training, utterly exhausted, and opened the door to the training room, he'd find Master Wang waiting with a kindly, professional smile and a full set of tools. "Student Chen, Young Master Zhao told me to make sure your treatment is thorough. Come, lie down. Today, we'll focus on relaxing your latissimus and lower back. You've been compensating a little in those areas when exerting force."
Master Wang's hands seemed to have magic in them. Under his expert touch, Chen Mo's sore, stiff muscles quickly relaxed, and minor blockages in his Qi and Blood were skillfully cleared. The next morning, Chen Mo felt refreshed, as if the previous night's fatigue had been wiped away with the press of a button. He could throw himself into a new round of "grinding" full of energy.
Zhang Shun had witnessed Chen Mo's "emperor-level" training arrangements and was so envious his eyes turned green. He circled Chen Mo. "Brother Mo, come clean! Did you save Zhao Peng's dad's life? Or... are you actually an illegitimate son of the Zhao family who was lost outside the home? You've got top-notch medicinal cuisine, a VIP room all to yourself, and a personal physical therapist... You're not cramming for the Gaokao. You're a crown prince trying out life as an ordinary person!"
Chen Mo was happily drinking that day's "experience soup." He nearly choked, then laughed and cursed, "Get lost! You're the illegitimate son! This is comrades supporting each other in the revolution! Get it? Want the same treatment? Starting tomorrow, come to the VIP room with me. Master Wang can 'support' you too!"
Zhang Shun imagined Master Wang's grip, strong enough to crush bricks, and shrank his neck, waving his hands repeatedly. "No, no! This little body of mine couldn't handle it. I'll stick to gnawing on chicken drumsticks in the Cafeteria."
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