Chương 31: This Is Just a Coincidence, Right?

Xiao Xuan walked back to his chambers, his eyes scanning the long, hundred-item list Su Luoyao had handed him. It was only after he had sworn to buy her every single item on the parchment and agreed to a future rematch that she had finally forgiven him. Xiao Xuan let out a long, exhausted sigh and tucked the list safely into his storage ring. When he reached his room, Head Butler Su Shi was waiting outside in the corridor.

"Good afternoon, Young Master."

"Good afternoon, Butler Su. What brings you here?" Standing straight, the elderly butler began.

"The Patriarch sent me. He wanted you to have this." Butler Su brought out a silver tray holding two jade vials from his own storage ring.

"These are—""Foundation Building Elixirs!" Xiao Xuan interjected, his eyes lighting up.

"…That is right, Young Master," Butler Su said, recovering quickly.

"With your vast alchemy knowledge, I should have known you would recognize them instantly. You did well today. Even though the Second Miss was holding back her cultivation, you gave her a fair fight."

"Father was watching?!" Xiao Xuan's eyes widened.

"That is right, Young Master. He is very much pleased with your progress. He also told me to inform you that you will start receiving your cultivation stipend from next month."

"Please forward my thanks to Father…" Xiao Xuan said, gently taking the vials, his gaze glued to them.

"Of course, Young Master. Also, I have been instructed to inform you that the trade deal between the clan and the Tang Auction House has been finalized. We will be transferring our first batch of consignments tomorrow evening. The Patriarch wants you to personally oversee the process."

"Alright. I will be there. Thank you."

"That is all. I hope you have a good evening, Young Master," Butler Su bowed politely and took his leave. Xiao Xuan entered his room and pushed the heavy wooden door shut, still staring at the glowing vials in his hand. He had not recognized the elixirs because of any alchemy knowledge. He recognized them because he had seen these exact same vials in his dream. The exact same translucent jade glass, radiating the exact same faint golden glow. This is just a coincidence, right?

Everything had been far too weird since his dreams began. First, he had the nightmare of the original host's perspective of the purple lightning strike. Then, a dream reflecting his own inner desires. Both times, he had been in a semi-passive state. But then came the last lucid dream. If he hadn't realized the absurdity of it in time, he might have been stuck 'living' in it. The only logical conclusion was that these hyper-realistic dreams were a side-effect of his psychic enhancement.

But that wasn't the end of it. His memories and the knowledge he gained from the lucid dreams stayed with him in reality. He could now sense Su Luoyang's emotions. His physical cultivation had passively advanced while he was sleeping. And now, a specific part of the dream had just materialized into reality. But they all had limitations. He couldn't control when the dreams happened. He had no idea if he could actively control his 'emotional radar' or apply it to other people.

His cultivation was being forced, and because his meridian pathways were still blocked, it threatened to contaminate his pure Qi reservoir. And he couldn't tell which part of his dream would come true, or how. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Anyway, I have no complaints. They weren't exactly reliable, but they were useful nonetheless. I just need more proof to confirm this.

Letting out a tired sigh, Xiao Xuan sat on the edge of his bed and tucked the jade vials into his silver ring. Shifting into the lotus position, he closed his eyes and proceeded to clean his meridian pathways. Ever since he finished his spar with Su Luoyao, his body had been absorbing ambient Qi on its own.

This was a normal phenomenon that happened to every cultivator, but typically only while they were resting, and at a slow pace, the exception being those cultivators of the Qi Zun rank and higher, who could absorb natural Qi at all times. Right now, however, his speed of absorbing Qi passively was nearly the exact same as his speed while actively meditating! While this was a massive advantage, if he didn't manually clear his meridians first, the impure energy would eventually pose a problem.

Currently, only the pathway to his first star was fully cleared, and the path to his second star had a little blockage left. That was roughly equivalent to a Level 3 talent. If he could thoroughly clean all his meridian pathways, he could 'upgrade' himself to a Level 10 talent, surpassing even his genius wife! He decided to focus on clearing the remaining pathways first, so that he could utilize his new passive ability to its fullest. … In a dimly lit chamber somewhere far across the district.

"This is the target. With this, they will definitely yield," a young man in plain clothes stated, his voice cold.

"What about the others? Will no one help them?" a masked man in black robes asked from the shadows.

"I will take care of that," another man in luxurious robes said smoothly, pausing to take a slow sip of his tea.

"The plan is set then. Now, we wait for the right opportunity," the young man declared.

"What about the boy?" the man in luxurious robes asked, his cup clicking against the table.

"What is there to worry about that brat? What can he do?" the masked man sneered.

"Do not underestimate him. He has made formidable allies," the young man warned sharply.

"Also, he is close with the target, so we have to be careful."

"I have a plan that will force them to lock him inside the estate. Listen…" The man in luxurious robes turned toward the young man.

"So, what do you think?" The young man stared at the two figures for a long moment. His eyes gleamed with anger.

"Fine," the young man finally spat.

"But how long do we have to wait?" the masked man pressed.

"Not for long. For now, we prepare everything," the young man instructed.

"But," he paused, a dark glint in his eyes.

"We can cause some distractions early on to divert the main family's attention for now…"

"Can you handle it?" the young man asked, turning to the masked man.

"Hehe, definitely," the masked man chuckled darkly.

"I didn't expect you to do this, boy," the man in luxurious robes noted, looking at the young man with amusement.

"But that is good. We can take them down together, and for good. Hahaha." … Back in Xiao Xuan's room, he slowly opened his eyes. He had finished clearing his meridian pathways all the way to his third star. The process was significantly faster now, but it still took him about four hours. Outside his window, the sun had already set, casting long shadows across the estate. He had promised he would take Su Luoyao out shopping the next day.

Channeling a thin thread of Qi into his ring, Xiao Xuan brought out a new silver cauldron and a dozen small lockboxes filled with raw ingredients. I better prepare for some extra cash. Since he had to talk to Tang Zefei tomorrow to oversee the trade deal anyway, he decided to concoct and sell some pills at the same time. After all, he didn't know how expensive his apology to his sister-in-law was going to be. Su Luoyao had been drafting her 'wish list' since she was ten.

Her parents and Luoyang were incredibly strict and monitored her expenses thoroughly. And now, he was the one who had to fulfill her demands. Taking a deep breath, he began to prepare the ingredients for his Tier 3 healing pills. This time, he was confident that he could concoct a perfect pill. Learning pill refinement, cultivation and the Falcon Dash had all become easy for him. It was all due to his enhanced cognitive power.

What other cultivators needed months of repetition to learn and understand, he now needed just a few hours. And even physically applying his theoretical knowledge had become easy due to his heightened senses and cell-level control over his own body. With a calm, focused gaze, he dropped the first ingredient into the silver cauldron and ignited the flame. …

"Where have you been, Zhongyong?" Patriarch Su Zhongtian asked, his deep voice cutting through the quiet corridor.

"I had some affairs to manage outside, brother. What is the matter?" First Elder Su Zhongyong asked, smoothing out his robes as he returned from the carriage grounds.

"The Tang House has officially agreed to the trade deal. Xiao Xuan will be directly overseeing the transfer tomorrow," Su Zhongtian informed him, a hint of pride in his tone.

"I know, brother," Su Zhongyong said, a subtle gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Let us just hope he doesn't mess it up."

"What are you saying? It is entirely because of him that we are able to secure this deal in the first place," Su Zhongtian protested, his brow furrowing.

"Whatever you say, brother," Su Zhongyong replied smoothly.

"But I still believe there were far more capable, experienced men in our ranks to handle such an important matter…" Without waiting for a response, Su Zhongyong turned on his heel and walked away toward his own chambers. Watching his brother's retreating back, Su Zhongtian let out a long, heavy sigh.