The morning sun cast a warm glow, and birds chirped merrily. Still very early in the morning, but Liu Mingzhen was already at the gate of Orion's residence, where he rang the bell. Orion had already detected his arrival through the radio signal he emitted. After hearing the bell, Orion stepped out to greet him, then brought him inside.
Orion wondered what kind of business had brought Liu Mingzhen personally. Moreover, Liu Mingzhen appeared to be in a particularly good mood, smiling and more talkative than usual. They sat at a table, exchanging pleasantries.
Chunhua then entered the room, serving tea and pouring a cup for Liu Mingzhen before quietly exiting. Orion gestured and offered Liu Mingzhen the tea. After taking a sip, he finally stated his true purpose.
"Mr. Orion, on behalf of my father, I want to offer our sincere gratitude. With the help of the magical medicine MSG, my father has successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul realm. Thank you very much, Mr. Orion," Liu Mingzhen said, bowing his head and cupping his hands in respect.
Orion was rather surprised to hear this, for mere MSG could have such a significant impact on a cultivator and help them achieve a breakthrough in their cultivation. Internally, it thought, I told you to test it first. Why would you send it to your father?
"Oh, I see. That's great news. Please convey my congratulations to him," Orion replied.
Liu Mingzhen smiled and responded, "Thank you, Mr. Orion. Also, regarding my father's breakthrough, he has decided to keep it a secret for now. What do you think about it, Mr. Orion?" Liu Mingzhen probed for Orion's opinion.
"Well, it's up to him. You don't need to ask me," Orion replied.
"It's like this, Mr. Orion. We want to keep the secret about MSG as much as possible and distance my father's successful breakthrough from being related to you. If you want to maintain a low profile and not attract attention, then my father thinks it's a good idea. What do you think?" Liu Mingzhen elaborated.
"Oh, I see. I think it's a good idea. Yes, I would prefer not to attract any attention and maintain a low profile. I really appreciate your father's thoughtfulness. It's a good idea," Orion agreed.
"Then, our Liu family will make sure that we won't cause any trouble for you, Mr. Orion. I'll ensure that information regarding the MSG and our interaction with you is strictly kept hidden. In the future, my father will come personally to offer his gratitude, Mr. Orion," Liu Mingzhen assured.
"Sure," Orion replied.
"Huh? Uncle Mingzhen?" Wang Lingxin walked into the room, having finished breakfast and hearing the commotion. She came to check. "Greetings, Uncle Mingzhen," she said politely.
"Good morning, Miss Lingxin," Liu Mingzhen replied with a smile.
"Uncle Mingzhen, did you come to pick me up to help taste the Spirit Beast fried chicken?" Wang Lingxin asked. Isn't it still too early? she thought to herself.
"No, I'm not here to pick you up," Liu Mingzhen smiled. He then retrieved a beautifully crafted wooden box from his storage ring. "I've come to bring gifts," he said, opening the box to reveal eight purple fruits.
"That purple fruit... don't tell me," Wang Lingxin licked her lips in anticipation.
"It's the same one you ate yesterday," Liu Mingzhen confirmed.
"But isn't there only four fruits left on the tree? And aren't they still rather young?" Wang Lingxin walked closer to check the fruits, their sweet smell already spreading in the room.
"These are the ones we harvested last year, but don't worry, they're still fresh. They've been stored in the storage ring," Liu Mingzhen explained.
"Wow, is it for me?" Wang Lingxin asked.
"It's for your master. If you want, you can ask him," Liu Mingzhen replied.
"Master, can I eat it?" Wang Lingxin turned to Orion.
"Sure, you can have them all," Orion agreed, taking a glance at the purple fruit. The shape resembled a mango from Earth.
"Yay, thank you, Master," Wang Lingxin picked up a fruit and brought it close to her nose to smell.
"But you can't eat it now, it's still too early in the morning," Orion reminded her.
"Uh... okay," Wang Lingxin reluctantly agreed, placing the fruit back in the wooden box.
"Mr. Orion, other than the fruit, there are many other gifts in this storage ring. It's to express my father's gratitude. Please accept it," Liu Mingzhen offered the storage ring to Orion.
"Then please deliver my thanks to your father," Orion said, accepting the storage ring.
"Mr. Orion, if there is something else that you need, you can just tell me. Our Liu family will do our best to obtain it," Liu Mingzhen offered.
"Hmmm... there is no need for now, thank you," Orion replied.
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"Master, master, can we get the purple fruit tree and plant it?" Wang Lingxin eagerly asked. She hoped to have the tree so she could enjoy the fruits that would grow in the future. However, the purple fruit didn't have any seeds, so she wondered how to obtain the tree.
"What do you think, Mr. Mingzhen? Is it possible?" Orion inquired.
"Of course, I still have one young tree. I'll have Liu Jin send it later," Liu Mingzhen confirmed.
"Thank you very much, Uncle Mingzhen," Wang Lingxin expressed her gratitude.
Liu Mingzhen had received a message from his brother, Liu Ming, last night via a Communication Talisman. The message informed him that their father had successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul realm. Liu Ming also instructed Liu Mingzhen to offer thanks to Orion and bring proper gifts. Additionally, Liu Ming gave several other instructions.
The Violet Essence Fruit was very valuable to Liu Ming, and previously, giving one fruit to Wang Lingxin had been difficult for him. However, now, after being instructed by his brother and hearing of his father's successful breakthrough, he no longer hesitated to give the fruit. He had prepared various precious gifts and even included eight Violet Essence Fruits. Now that Wang Lingxin wanted the tree, he was also willing to provide it.
Orion and Liu Mingzhen had a brief discussion about their current and future cooperation, and Liu Mingzhen gave an update on the progress of the house construction. After they finished, Liu Mingzhen excused himself, and Wang Lingxin followed him to the Liu family residence to help tasting the fried chicken.
After Liu Mingzhen and Wang Lingxin left, Orion called for Liu Jin, who immediately arrived and stood in front of Orion, cupping his hands.
"Is there something you need, Mr. Orion?" Liu Jin asked.
"Yes, unload the gifts from this storage ring and arrange them in the storage area of my workroom. Place them next to the other items," Orion instructed, handing the storage ring given by Liu Mingzhen to Liu Jin.
Orion couldn't retrieve items from the storage ring given by Liu Mingzhen one by one. If Orion tried to retrieve the items inside the storage ring, all the contents would flood out at once. Thus, Orion asked Liu Jin to retrieve and arrange the items. Later, Orion would store them one by one and register each item's unique electrical signature. Only after doing this could Orion retrieve specific items from the storage ring.
"Understood. By the way, Mr. Orion, do you still need more slimes?" Liu Jin inquired.
"No, unless they are Rank-2 or higher," Orion replied.
"Unfortunately, we still haven't found any Rank-2 Spirit Beast slimes or higher. We've used our Liu family connections and dispatched our men to search the forest, but there's been no success. I'll bring one immediately when we find it," Liu Jin assured Orion before heading to Orion's workroom.
Liu Jin had been supplying many slimes to Orion. He didn't know exactly what Orion was doing with them, but he guessed that perhaps Orion wanted to make slime lamps. Slimes were very abundant in the forest and were also used in large numbers in the city.
Most slimes were just Rank-1 Spirit Beasts, and it was rare for them to reach Rank-2 or higher. They were weak and docile, harmless and not a threat. Even mortal children could safely play around them.
Slimes were very useful as they consumed organic matter. People used them in latrines and dirty sewers, and to clean the feces of both animals and Spirit Beasts, whether on farms or as pets.
However, the slimes Liu Jin delivered to Orion were wild slimes that had only consumed plant material such as leaves, flowers, and grass, making them "clean".
...
In a bustling workshop in Yanjing City, young blacksmiths of various races were hard at work. Some hammered away at hot metal, while others tended to the fires of the furnaces, their faces glistening with sweat. A few meticulously applied finishing touches to weapons and armor.
The workshop hummed with activity and echoed with the sounds of clanking, hammering, and the lively chatter of the blacksmiths.
The air was rather hot due to the furnaces, with some smoke lingering in the air.
Kaboom!
Suddenly, a deafening explosion echoed through the workshop. Behind the workshop, an explosion occurred, accompanied by a thick plume of smoke and dust that billowed into the air. Rubble and debris flew in all directions, rattling the workshop, and all the blacksmiths stopped their tasks.
Some went out to check the explosion, while others peeked out from the workshop. There was once a wooden house where their master lived behind their workshop, but now it was just rubble. Even the tent, which had been built and destroyed several times over on the ruins of the house, was now also gone, destroyed by the explosion.
"Master, are you alright?" called out Little Wei, one of the young blacksmiths, from the workshop door.
Amidst the wreckage of the former house and tent, dust continued to rise. In the center of the swirling smoke, a figure could be seen seated cross-legged on the ground within a small crater, covered in soot and dust.
"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Carry on with your work," replied Luo Fengwei from amidst the smoke.
The blacksmiths in the workshop resumed their tasks, the rhythmic sound of hammering filling the air once more. It was a scene they had grown accustomed to— their master had blown up his house, replaced it with a tent which kept getting destroyed and rebuilt several times over.
The surrounding neighborhood had also grown accustomed to the explosions; initially surprised and scared, they now ignored them. Even officials from the City Lord Manor once came to check but dared not to complain. After all, the one causing the explosions was a Golden Core realm cultivator, and moreover, the most famous blacksmith in the city, and now they just ignore it.
Luo Fengwei still sat cross-legged on the ground, stroking his beard with one hand while the other rested across his chest. His white beard, white hair, and clothes were dirty from dust and soot, his brow furrowed in contemplation. "Sigh... that was close... I almost succeeded. Pity it had to explode at the end."
Luo Fengwei was still struggling with his experiment on the wolframite ore and tungsten. He was in the midst of modifying the furnace to achieve higher temperatures. The new inscription used on the furnace was a success, allowing the furnace to reach higher temperatures. However, after a while, the furnace exploded.
Despite facing setbacks, Luo Fengwei was steadily making progress. He remained optimistic about processing the wolframite ore to obtain tungsten, eagerly anticipating the opportunity to experiment with making weapons and armor using tungsten.
"Master, why are you still here? Haven't you been invited to the Liu family's banquet? Are you not going?" Little Wei inquired.
"Oh, that's right, thanks for reminding me. Sigh... I would rather continue the experiment than attend the banquet. Damn that brat Liu Yang, just having a grandson, why make such a fuss over it," Luo Fengwei grumbled.
Little Wei then entered the workshop again to continue his work. He didn't know exactly what his master was experimenting on, but it was apparent that it wasn't going smoothly.
Luo Fengwei then stood up. Wind swirled around him before a strong gust blew outward, cleaning him of dust and soot. Once he was clean again, he retrieved a comb to tidy his hair and beard and straightened his clothes. His clothes, Grade-3 defense artifacts, were not even slightly damaged by the explosion; after getting cleaned by the wind, they still looked as good as new. After getting ready, he flew to the Liu family residence.