Tang Shishi stood silently by the side the whole time. After they left, she suddenly felt a sense of relief for some reason.
She went and sat by Song Linger’s bed, looking confused. “Why do I feel a bit guilty seeing Yao? Could this be how a mistress feels when seeing the wife?”
“But I don’t feel guilty at all,” Song Linger blinked her big eyes. “Did you do something bad?”
“I didn’t,” Tang Shishi denied firmly. Then she leaned in and whispered to Song Linger about how she had secretly kissed Xiao Shun.
“Yao didn’t see right? Shouldn’t have, there was no one else in the room then.” She muttered to herself.
Song Linger’s face was flushed red as she glared at Tang Shishi, pouting angrily.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Jealous?” Tang Shishi looked at her maliciously.
“I’m not!”
…
It was Yao Cen’s first time at the little courtyard on the Eighth Path. The lush flower beds and antique-styled tiled houses made one feel strangely relaxed and tranquil as soon as they entered.
“It’s a really elegant yard,” she said, pushing Xiao Shun along and looking around.
“That’s where we usually practice,” Duan Jia took over before Xiao Shun could speak, pointing to the open area where he and Song Linger usually sparred.
Xiao Shun knew why Duan Jia had taken the initiative to speak – to avoid Yao Cen misunderstanding that Xiao Shun was hiding a lover here.
The three of them soon arrived at the warehouse. Pushing open the door, one could immediately feel a refreshing aura rushing out, the energy emitted by the Spirit Stones.
Yao Cen looked over the pill furnaces. To be honest, living in modern society, she could hardly imagine that pill refining really existed in this world.
“The medicinal mud used in Starline is refined by Linger here,” Xiao Shun explained on his own initiative.
He wasn’t worried about anyone finding the Starline formula here. Who could imagine that the most crucial component in producing massive amounts of Starline was refined in this small warehouse?
“By herself?” Yao Cen asked.
“Yes,” Xiao Shun said.
He took out some papers from a drawer, densely filled with writing. He quickly scanned them and handed them to Yao Cen, “This is the core Starline formula, detailing every step of refining the medicinal mud.”
“I’m giving it to you now. I never meant to keep it secret from you before. But you have to manage the company, the refining work has to be given to others. I wasn’t sure if you had people around you that could be fully trusted, so…” Xiao Shun said with a smile.
Of course Yao Cen understood this. Other than Xiao Shun, who could she trust? Yao Xiaoyu? Or her relatives and friends?
To be honest, even giving the formula to her mother Liu Yunxiang didn’t feel reliable.
“What do you mean now then?” Yao Cen didn’t understand why Xiao Shun was giving her the formula now.
“With the Kumi Group production lines now, output will increase drastically soon. Relying on just Linger is impossible, we need mass production. So the formula still needs to be given to the company tech team. Kumi Group’s tech team has very strict confidentiality protocols we can learn from. What do you think?” Xiao Shun said.
“Of course, no problem. You should have brought this up earlier,” Yao Cen said.
She actually hadn’t considered this issue before. The tech team mostly communicated with Xiao Shun while she just handled the company sales and operations.
She was even more surprised that the large amounts of core ingredients the company used were actually refined by Song Linger here.
She didn’t have any ill feelings toward Song Linger to begin with. And the scene of Song Linger desperately protecting Xiao Shun was still vivid in her mind, filling her heart with gratitude in that moment.
“Better late than never,” Xiao Shun said with a smile.
Helping refine Starline ingredients was also beneficial for Song Linger, at least allowing her to recognize dozens of medicinal ingredients.
Additionally, the Starline ingredients were refined using pill refining methods. This was also training for her to master the pill refining steps even more adeptly.
Proficiency comes from experience. After months of this, her success rate at refining other pills would also greatly improve.
“You’ve been at the hospital taking care of me these days, rarely going to the company. There must be a lot waiting for you to handle. Go ahead, Duan Jia can stay here,” Xiao Shun continued.
Yao Cen could tell he was sending her away. She shifted her gaze between them, looking conflicted.
“Yao, don’t think too much. I just have a pure brotherly relationship with Mr. Xiao,” Duan Jia hurriedly explained.
Xiao Shun’s face immediately turned green.
… It was fine if he didn’t explain, but the more he explained the stranger it sounded!
Fortunately Yao Cen didn’t probe further. After a few parting reminders she left.
“Mr. Xiao, why were you in such a hurry to send Sister-in-law away? She seemed a bit unhappy,” Duan Jia asked, carrying Xiao Shun to the wooden bed beside the Sea Spirit.
If possible Xiao Shun really didn’t want to be carried by him. It was too embarrassing. But there was no other way since he could barely exert any strength now. Yao Cen definitely couldn’t carry him, leaving only Duan Jia.
“I don’t want her to see me in such a sorry state,” Xiao Shun said lightly.
Unlike bones and tendons, meridians were channels for qi and blood flow, the foundation of cultivators. One could only circulate energy through the meridians. The meridians were the conduits connecting cultivators to the forces of heaven and earth.
If it was just injured bones and tendons, they could quickly heal with energy circulation.
But his injuries now were not just to bones and tendons, but the fundamental meridians of a cultivator. He needed to absorb energy to reopen them. It was an extremely difficult and painful process.
He had just let Yao Cen see his pitiful state not long ago. He didn’t want her to witness it again so soon.
Although Duan Jia practiced body cultivation, he also had some understanding of this. Xiao Shun’s explanation allowed him to realize it very quickly.
“You don’t have to keep watching either. Go rest outside,” Xiao Shun said.
Duan Jia acknowledged and left the warehouse.
Inhaling and exhaling, each acupoint the energy smashed into brought excruciating pain. Agony that ordinary people could not endure. The pain from each acupoint also differed.
Like fire scorching, knives cutting, needles pricking…
Each opened acupoint brought a sensation of smooth comfort, like floodwaters bursting a dam, or a moth breaking out of its cocoon.
Again and again, in less than half an hour he was already drenched in sweat, his whole body sopping wet as if he had just crawled out of water.
After a brief rest, he continued.
But human endurance was limited in the end. In his current weakened state, overexerting himself like this for too long would not speed his recovery, it could even have adverse effects.
So after two hours he could only stop and rest to recuperate his strength and energy before continuing.