Wood Buddha Temple [I]

Just a moment ago, he had used the Primordial Plain Panel to perform a simple scan of his original body's parents and his sister's skills.

Unfortunately, he hadn't discovered anything unusual.

However, this wasn't necessarily foolproof; further observation was required. It would be best to investigate some of the people the original body had been in contact with previously.

Hu Long thought to himself.

Knock, knock...

At this moment, a gentle knocking sound echoed through the quiet hallway.

"Xiao Long, are you asleep?"

He Yanling's voice drifted in from outside the door.

Hu Long's expression flickered, and he stood up to open the door.

He saw her standing outside holding a bone china stewing pot, the sweet, clear aroma wafting into the room along with the rising steam.

She placed the pot gently on the side table and lifted the porcelain lid.

A faint, fragrant scent immediately filled the air.

The soup was clear and bright, with plump ingredients faintly visible, soaking within.

"You looked a bit pale, so I simmered a bowl of Golden Soup Fish Maw Chicken using a twenty-year-old forest-grown ginseng. It's nourishing and gentle, perfect for building up your strength."

Her voice was soft, her eyes filled with concern.

Faced with that gaze, Hu Long fell silent for a moment.

"Thank you..."

"We're family, Xiao Long. Why are you being so polite with your mother?"

Although He Yanling said this, she couldn't help but wipe the corners of her slightly reddened eyes.

Afterward.

The two chatted simply for a while longer.

Finally, she urged him to finish it all before leaving.

Hu Long looked at the closed door and thought for a moment.

He picked up the chicken soup and drank it in one go.

It was no surprise that it had been brewed with old ginseng and various precious medicinal herbs meant to replenish blood and vitality.

Not long after it entered his stomach, it began to be rapidly digested and absorbed under the effect of his High-Efficiency Metabolism physical talent.

Instantly, a warm, glowing sensation spread throughout his entire body.

It felt like soaking in a hot spring—extremely comfortable.

"The effect is actually this good."

Hu Long's eyes flickered.

This was completely different from the feeling brought by eating ordinary meals.

The changes it brought to his body were immediate.

Perhaps he could eat more tonics.

For others, if their bodies were too weak, excessive supplementation might lead to an inability to absorb the nutrients, resulting in harm.

But for him, there was no need to worry about that at all.

He looked at the bottom of the bowl; the soup was very nourishing, but it was still just soup.

Usually, people only drank the broth and left the solids.

But Hu Long didn't have such qualms; he dumped the remaining fish maw, ginseng roots, chicken, red dates, and goji berries into his mouth, chewing and swallowing them all.

To him, these were all good things.

Sure enough, the heat in his belly intensified.

Noticing this, he stood up and began doing push-ups in the room, performing some simple physical training.

After all, this body was far too weak.

When He Yanling returned to their room, she immediately saw Hu Chengwen sitting at the desk, holding their youngest son and laughing as he played with him.

A wave of anger flared up in her heart.

"Our eldest son has finally recovered and been discharged from the hospital, and you, as his father, don't even know to go and show some concern! Who are you putting on that sour face for?!"

"I wasn't... ouch, ouch, it hurts, it hurts!"

Before Hu Chengwen could finish his sentence, his ear was grabbed and twisted by He Yanling, forcing him to beg for mercy repeatedly.

"Hu Long has just recovered and needs time to adapt. If we interfere too much, it will only be bad for him..."

He hurriedly explained.

Don't let Hu Chengwen's status as a billionaire group CEO fool you; at home, he was famously "afraid of his wife."

Of course, calling it fear wasn't quite right.

The two had always had a great relationship. In public, He Yanling always gave him plenty of face, but behind closed doors, she was the one who ultimately called the shots.

"I think you've just forgotten the older one now that you have the younger one."

He Yanling let go of his arm, her tone still carrying a hint of anger.

"Don't think I don't know what you're planning.

Neither Xiao Zhao nor Hu Long has that kind of aptitude. You're pinning all your hopes on Hu Yu now, wanting to use him to get back into the main family."

He Yanling stared straight at him.

"But let me tell you, no matter what happens to Hu Long in the future, he will always be my child. Don't you dare show favoritism."

"Sigh, what would a woman like you know?"

A flash of embarrassment crossed Hu Chengwen's face at being called out.

After saying this, he seemed to realize his words were a bit harsh.

He paused, then quickly changed the subject.

"Speaking of which, don't you feel that... Hu Long's temperament seems a bit different than before?"

Hearing this, He Yanling fell silent.

How could she not have noticed?

A mother's heart is always more sensitive than anyone else's.

In the past, upon learning of Hu Yu's existence, he would have been at least a little sullen, and it would have shown on his face.

He certainly wouldn't have acted like nothing was wrong, or gone out of his way to change the subject to avoid making them feel awkward.

But it was precisely because of this that her heart ached even more.

"The new drug at the pharmaceutical plant is in a critical stage of development. Once this busy period is over, let's take the family out for a proper trip to relax."

Hu Chengwen's tone softened, taking on a consultative note.

He pulled He Yanling into his arms.

"We'll bring Hu Long along too, let him completely unwind."

"Alright, it's a deal then. You aren't allowed to go back on your word."

He Yanling leaned gently into Hu Chengwen's embrace.

She was a smart woman who knew when to set aside her assertiveness and show dependence, giving her husband a sense of vanity.

It was precisely because of this that the affection between the two had remained as warm as it was in the beginning.

Leaning in her husband's arms, He Yanling did not see the strange look that flashed in Hu Chengwen's eyes.

"It seems the previous assessment of Hu Long's condition was wrong. It must just be ordinary mental illness; after all, it's impossible to recover and be discharged if you've really been tainted by that stuff..."

After the exercise, Hu Long slept very soundly.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a faint crowing sound startled him awake.

Outside the window, the night was still black; dawn had not yet broken.

Hu Long glanced at the time on his phone.

3:47 AM.

Outside, the night was as dark as ink, and the rain had stopped at some point.

He got up and looked toward the source of the rooster's crow.

It must have been a chicken kept in one of the other garden villas.

Hu Long couldn't understand why anyone would keep chickens in a villa of this caliber.

But the thought processes of the wealthy were beyond his understanding.

He frowned.

He didn't dwell on it, simply closing the half-open window.

The soundproofing here was excellent.

The moment the window shut, the entire world went quiet.

However, having been disturbed, Hu Long no longer felt sleepy.

Instead, he took out his phone and began browsing information about this world.

At the same time, a thought occurred to him: since he could download skills and talents from people, could he also download them from animals? If this idea were feasible, the benefits would be absolutely unimaginable.

After all, while some animals are quite weak, the talents they possess are far beyond what humans could ever compare to.

Time slipped by.

Over the past few days, Hu Chengwen only occasionally went to the company to handle necessary matters, spending most of his time at home.

He Yanling, meanwhile, stayed by Hu Long's side every step of the way. She donned an apron each day, bustling about in the kitchen and refusing any help from the servants.

She constantly found new ways to stew soups, braise dishes, steam, boil, fry, and sauté, as if she were trying to make up for all the years of care she had missed.

This made Hu Zhao, as the older sister, feel a bit jealous, remarking that she had never received such treatment herself.

However, Hu Long was not accustomed to this kind of familial affection.

After waiting a few days, he finally had to insist that they stop fussing over him and that he wanted to go out for a stroll alone, which finally put an end to it.

During this time, Hu Long had also conducted his own experiments, touching all sorts of animals—those that flew in the sky, ran on the ground, and swam in the water; he had tried them all.

Regrettably, however, the panel had shown no reaction whatsoever thus far.

It seemed his panel could only download skills from human beings.