The next morning, Shenhe brought back fresh live fish from the market.
Diona's eyes lit up, and she volunteered to help clean the fish, showing surprisingly skillful technique.
"Has Diona cleaned fish before?"
"My dad is Springvale's best hunter, I've helped him process all kinds of wild beasts since I was little!"
"Wild beasts?"
"Fish too! We have a big lake near Springvale with lots of Lotus Heads and fish! After I told Klee, she often went to the lake to explode..."
"Who's Klee?"
"A good friend I made in Mondstadt City, she's about Yaoyao's age!"
After the fish was cleaned, Xia Zhi made a big pot of clear fish noodle soup, its delicious taste nearly making Diona cry.
She felt all the fish she'd eaten before had been wasted because her dad's cooking was so bad!
If only she'd t Boss earlier!
During morning business, Mondstadt adventurers ca for juice again.
Diona quickly took out the letter she'd written last night and gave it to them.
Shenhe watched from the side as Diona repeatedly and earnestly instructed them to deliver it to her father's hands, a ripple passing through her cold eyes.
Father...
This word had long beco blurry in her heart...
Shenhe withdrew her gaze, her eyes instantly returning to calmness, silently continuing her work.
Near noon, Baizhu ca as promised.
Xia Zhi saw that all the poisons in his body had been cleared, his [Vitality] had returned to normal, leaving only so chronic conditions.
This wasn't a big problem - after all, Baizhu was a dical master himself, and with Changsheng's help, he could recover gradually.
Xia Zhi looked at Changsheng coiled around Baizhu's neck, its body indeed longer than yesterday.
Must be the [Calming Incense] taking effect, helping it recover so original power.
However, no new gold progress bar appeared on Baizhu - perhaps Changsheng hadn't recovered enough yet, needed more effort.
Xia Zhi rembered about [Skill Steal], opened his system panel, and selected Changsheng in his god's eye view.
"[Skill Steal] successful, learned skill [Serpent Dragon Binding thod]."
"[Serpent Dragon Binding thod]: Can form a contract with a pure-hearted and willing being, exchanging eyes and sharing life."
Xia Zhi paused - this seed to be the symbiotic contract between Changsheng and Baizhu.
The skill na seed aningful.
Ear-serpent, wearing a snake like an earring.
Dragon-binding, pulling and moving a dragon.
Xia Zhi couldn't help thinking of the great shamans from mythology - was this Changsheng's original form? Or the form of whoever taught it this thod?
For ordinary people, this thod's greatest use would be finding a long-lived species to contract with, sharing life to extend their lifespan.
But for Xia Zhi, lifespan wasn't a problem.
Now just the hidden effect of [Hourglass of ti] could keep him eternally young, the legendary [Eternal Spirit Knife] set's properties might well be "immortality," and the [Shop] even sold [Peaches of Immortality] where one could live thousands more years...
Looking at the system panel, Xia Zhi thought of sothing else.
This thod could exchange eyes...
If he contracted with soone, he might be able to see again...
And from Baizhu's dream, the life-sharing part of the contract didn't seem mandatory for the initiator. Because Baizhu's master had contracted with Changsheng, but after his death, Changsheng didn't die with him, instead forming a new contract with Baizhu.
But the contract required the other party to be pure-hearted and willing...
Shenhe might et these requirents - her heart was very pure, and she always wanted to repay him for saving her master's life, likely willing, but Xia Zhi couldn't bear making her pay the price of becoming blind.
Her [Lone Star] fate was pitiful enough.
Xia Zhi shook his head - like [Thread of Fate], without suitable contract partners, he couldn't use [Serpent Dragon Binding thod] for now.
At lunch, Xia Zhi invited Baizhu to stay and discussed more dical knowledge with him.
"May I ask how Mr. Xia's eyes were injured? If you need certain dicines, I might be able to help."
"Thank you for your concern, but my eyes are complicated, not sothing ordinary dicine can treat."
"I've collected so rare spiritual dicines over the years. If Mr. Xia needs them, I can provide them."
"No need, my eyes are a special case, not treatable even with spiritual dicines. Dr. Baizhu should keep them."
"...Mr. Xia, to be honest, I actually need more of that incense from yesterday. Such miraculous effects, it must be made from spiritual dicines?"
"Yes, Calming Incense requires many spiritual dicines, indeed not easy to make."
"For such precious items, I naturally can't ask for them freely, so I'd like to exchange spiritual dicines for them."
"Oh?"
Xia Zhi had been thinking of an excuse to give Changsheng more incense to continue recovering, but Baizhu brought it up first, saving him trouble.
This way, he could also get so spiritual dicines.
"Would that be acceptable?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll return tonight with the spiritual dicines."
"Good."
Baizhu took his leave.
Xia Zhi saw him to the door, then turned to look at the four girls playing mahjong.
Zhu Zi had just won a hand, smiling brightly.
"Zhu Zi, you haven't taken your dicine today."
"Ah?"
Zhu Zi's smile instantly vanished.
"Only two doses left. This treatnt can't be interrupted, or the effects will diminish. You don't want to drink another five doses later, right?"
"Boss! I'll go right now!"
Afternoon business.
Xia Zhi heard news about mahjong from custors in the shop.
Feiyun Comrce Guild moved fast, already stocking and selling goods after just a week.
In comparison, Liyue Publishing House wasn't doing so well - over twenty days had passed, but his submitted novel still wasn't printed.
They said end of month, and they really ant end of month.
But nothing could be done - this world's printing equipnt and technology were too backward. Being able to publish at this speed was already quite good.
In the evening, as Xia Zhi was about to start cooking, Baizhu brought two spiritual herbs, hoping to exchange them for five pieces of incense.
Xia Zhi generously gave Baizhu ten pieces: "I rarely use this incense anyway. Since Dr. Baizhu needs it, take more."
Baizhu hesitated but finally thanked him and accepted the incense, feeling his debt to Mr. Xia had grown larger.
After seeing Baizhu off, Xia Zhi put the two silver-quality spiritual herbs into his inventory, recycled them for 20 points, tearfully profiting 10 points, and felt Dr. Baizhu was truly a good person, worth dealing with.
----
You can join my P@treon to read 40 chapters early and support and my work.
[email protected]/rivyura
User Comments
0 comments from readers