Old Man, Hand Over the Money, I Want to Raise a Blondie.jpg

Facing Wang Dong'er's strange question, Jiang Ci'an was accustomed to it and replied casually:

"If it were anything improper, I wouldn't have told you."

"That's true."

Wang Dong'er let out a soft hum, reached out to take the cup, and seemed to be in a good mood.

Suddenly, I feel like this guy is actually pretty decent?

Thinking this to herself unconsciously, Wang Dong'er held the cup and took a shallow sip, but suddenly paused.

She felt a gentle, moist sensation spread from the tip of her tongue, seeping deep into her body. Her entire spirit felt refreshed, as if her very soul had been nourished.

Wang Dong'er's eyes brightened. Unable to resist, she tilted her head back and downed the rest of the supplement in a few large gulps.

Her throat bobbed as the cup quickly hit the bottom.

"Hah—"

Wang Dong'er let out a long breath, set the cup down heavily, and licked the corner of her lips with her small pink tongue, feeling like she wanted more.

She turned her head to look at Jiang Ci'an, her blue and pink eyes sparkling.

"Is there any more? Give me another bottle!"

"You think this is water, just 'another bottle'?"

Jiang Ci'an gave Wang Dong'er an annoyed look and explained offhandedly:

"This is a mental supplement I just concocted to assist in practicing the 'Concentration Meditation Method.' It's still in the experimental stage, so I don't have much stock."

This wasn't a lie.

The essence of this mental supplement was a blend of various herbs that nourished the spirit. Verified through Tang San's personal experiments, the current efficacy was decent, but there was still plenty of room for improvement; the ingredients and ratios were still being adjusted.

With the knowledge from his past life and his upbringing in this one, he had a strange talent for this, and developing it hadn't taken him much time.

Wang Dong'er paused slightly and asked without hesitation: "Then can't you make more?"

"I can, but it'll take time."

Jiang Ci'an took the cup from beside her and explained slowly:

"Don't look at this as just a small drink you finished in a few gulps; a single portion consumes quite a lot of medicinal herbs.

"Acquiring those herbs takes time, and because of the large quantity, I have to plan the funds.

"This month's training budget is almost used up, so I'll have to set aside some funds next month to buy more.

"However, because of the bulk order, I might be able to negotiate a discount."

"Is that so..."

Wang Dong'er murmured softly, pursed her lips, and said nothing more, though she silently made a mental note of it.

Evening.

Twilight crept in from the west, staining the horizon a deep, melancholic orange.

In the main hall of the pharmacy's backyard, after finishing dinner, Wang Dong'er stood up while wiping her mouth:

"I'm heading back for today, you two take your time."

Xiao Xiao was sitting across from her, chopsticks still in hand. Seeing Wang Dong'er finish so quickly, she blinked, feeling a bit surprised.

"Not staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, not tonight."

Wang Dong'er said earnestly: "I'm going back to find something, I'll come over tomorrow."

Xiao Xiao didn't ask further, just nodded and continued eating.

Jiang Ci'an, sitting to the side, didn't pay much attention to it.

Since Wang Dong'er visited the pharmacy often, they had grown closer over time, and eventually, she even had a room here.

After all, their homes were close, only a minute or two away by foot, so resting here wasn't a big deal.

Sometimes, if she and Xiao Xiao chatted late, she would even share a room with her, which was likely why the two had become such good friends.

Of course, Wang Dong'er couldn't live at the pharmacy forever, so every few days, she would return to Da Ming and Er Ming's place, though there was no fixed pattern—it all depended on her mood.

Today, she was likely just in a good mood.

After Wang Dong'er left, Xiao Xiao finished her meal and, without resting, took advantage of the medicinal meal she had just consumed to practice the "Body Tempering Method" in the training yard as usual.

As for Jiang Ci'an, he returned to his room, sat upright on his bed as always, closed his eyes, meditated, entered the Virtual World, and then sacrificed Xiao Wu.

Elsewhere.

In the back hall of a shop specializing in various refined metals, Da Ming and Er Ming were holding a map of Shrek City, planning the locations they would search tomorrow.

They had never forgotten the purpose of their visit to Shrek. Every day, they went out to search every inch of Shrek City, all to find the source of that special shielding domain.

It was a pity that, to this day, they had still gained nothing.

Da Ming and Er Ming were in the middle of planning, but as their peripheral vision swept across the room, they saw Wang Dong'er walking into the main hall in a hurried pace.

"Dong'er is back?"

Er Ming was slightly surprised and wanted to say something, but he saw Wang Dong'er not even slowing her pace, saying hurriedly:

"Mm-hmm, hello Big Daddy, Second Daddy, goodbye Big Daddy, Second Daddy!"

As the words fell, that blue-and-pink figure hurried out of the main hall again, heading toward the backyard.

"..."

Da Ming and Er Ming were silent for a moment. They exchanged a glance and simultaneously put down what they were holding to follow her.

Arriving outside Wang Dong'er's room, they saw the door wide open, with Wang Dong'er rummaging through cabinets and drawers inside.

The wardrobe door was open, the vanity drawers were pulled out, and even the bedside drawer had not been spared.

Wang Dong'er was half-kneeling on the floor, with half her body poked into the bottom-most drawer, searching for something inside.

Soon, she had a thick stack of cards in her hand.

Da Ming stood at the doorway and recognized the cards in Wang Dong'er's hand.

They were all Gold Soul Coin Cards; it seemed they were the pocket money he and Er Ming had given Dong'er during this period.

After all, the environment was different now.

Back on the mountain, there was nowhere to spend money, and Dong'er only had to say a word if she wanted anything.

But now in Shrek City, there were many places to spend money when going out, so naturally, they couldn't treat Dong'er poorly. What if some pig that popped out of nowhere came to root up their cabbage?

Therefore, he and Er Ming had never stopped giving her pocket money.

But what was the situation now?

Da Ming watched as Wang Dong'er began to count the stack of Gold Soul Coin Cards in her hand and couldn't help but ask:

"Dong'er, why are you suddenly looking for Gold Soul Coins? Is there something you want to buy?"

"No."

Wang Dong'er shook her head without looking up. While sorting the Gold Soul Coin Cards by denomination to make counting easier, she answered as if it were a matter of course.

"I'm just preparing to give this money to Jiang Ci'an."

Da Ming and Er Ming: ???

Wait, give it to whom?!

Er Ming's expression changed instantly. His mouth opened and closed, looking as if he wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to speak again. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.

He instinctively looked at Da Ming, only to see that the usually composed Da Ming's expression was equally unsettled.

After a long while, Da Ming recovered.

He took a deep breath, his expression returning to calm, and was just about to ask what exactly was going on, However, he saw Wang Dong'er suddenly think of something and jerk her head up.

Those blue-and-pink eyes looked at Da Ming and Er Ming, sparkling as if she had discovered some treasure, and her whole demeanor became spirited.

"Right, Big Daddy, Second Daddy, can you give me some Gold Soul Coins too? So I can give them to that guy."

Da Ming and Er Ming: ???

Da Ming felt as if he couldn't catch his breath.

He slowly raised a hand to support his forehead, yet he still felt an inexplicable headache.

What on earth... was going on?