Early in the morning, the little spirit monkey king arrived again.
This fellow was of the "Lingming Stone Monkey" bloodline, a distant cousin of Sun Wukong, known for his tough hide.
After a day of rest, it had fully recovered and was back to its lively self.
Today, the little spirit monkey king brought another lotus leaf packet.
Hao Ren was speechless. That darn monkey, here you are again.
Hao Ren's "Iron Fist of Love" was already itching for action.
Just as he was preparing to teach the troublesome monkey a good lesson, the little spirit monkey king opened the lotus leaf packet.
Jiji!
The little spirit monkey king chirped and presented something to Hao Ren.
Lingzhi!
Hao Ren's eyes widened instantly.
Holy cow, it's really lingzhi!
Hao Ren reached out, took the lingzhi, and examined it carefully. Finally, he confirmed that it was indeed lingzhi, genuine lingzhi, no doubt about it.
Hao Ren felt quite pleased.
"Monkey, congratulations, you finally found the lingzhi,"
Hao Ren put the lingzhi away and said to the little spirit monkey king.
"You can borrow the Wuxiang Staff for another day!"
The little spirit monkey king was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear and scratching its ears.
Hao Ren felt speechless.
Silly monkey!
What's so fun about a mere iron staff!
Hao Ren looked at the monkey's silly expression and then thought of "Yun Zhaozhao".
How had that little beauty of a cultivator been lately?
She had been pestered by the "love-struck" Wang Dong, who confessed his feelings incessantly. He wondered if she had been moved.
With this thought, Hao Ren opened the system panel in his mind and began to check the status information of "Yun Zhaozhao" and "Wang Dong".
[Ding! Your friend "Yun Zhaozhao" has entered the "Ancient Immortal Sect Ruins" for exploration.]
[Ding! Your friend "Wang Dong", despite being seriously injured, resolutely entered the "Ancient Immortal Sect Ruins" for exploration to accompany your friend "Yun Zhaozhao".]
[Ding! Your friend "Yun Zhaozhao" was attacked by a "Guardian Stone Beast". Fortunately, your friend "Wang Dong" rescued her, successfully killing the "Guardian Stone Beast" without any harm.]
[Ding! Your friend "Wang Dong's" injuries worsened due to his fight with the "Guardian Stone Beast".]
[Ding! Your friend "Wang Dong" seized the opportunity to confess his love to your friend "Yun Zhaozhao" and presented the token of love, the "Divine Sense Pill".]
[Ding! Your friend "Yun Zhaozhao" rejected your friend "Wang Dong's" confession and returned the token of love, the "Divine Sense Pill".]
...
Hao Ren was unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Young Master Wang Dong of the "Medicine King Manor" was showing increasingly severe symptoms of "love-struckness," confessing his feelings at every opportunity. Each time, he presented the invaluable "Divine Sense Pill" as a token of love, tsk tsk...
Yun Zhaozhao, that little beauty, was also something else, rejecting Wang Dong, such a "rich and handsome" prospect, time and time again. She was truly "infatuated" with the monkey!
Alas!
Poor Wang Dong, he would never dream that his love rival wasn't human at all, but a stinking monkey.
Hao Ren felt sympathetic towards Wang Dong.
At the same time, he was puzzled. What was so great about a silly monkey that Yun Zhaozhao was so devoted to it?
Could it be that the monkey had some unknown special skill, a special skill, a "special skill"...
Heh heh!
That's rather vulgar!
As Hao Ren thought this, he cast a deep look at the little spirit monkey king.
Little spirit monkey king.
o( ( ⊙ ﹏ ⊙ ) )o
Human, what are you doing? Don't look at me like that, it's scary!
Hao Ren pouted, too lazy to bother with the monkey. He drew another "He Shou Wu" sketch on the ground.
Unlike ginseng and lingzhi, "He Shou Wu" didn't have a fixed appearance. After Hao Ren's "artistic processing," the "He Shou Wu" sketch looked remarkably like twisted feces.
Hao Ren looked at the monkey with concern.
With such an abstract drawing of "He Shou Wu," the monkey might never find the correct He Shou Wu in its life!
Who knew, the little spirit monkey king looked at the "He Shou Wu" sketch on the ground with full confidence, patted its chest, and chirped twice.
Don't worry, human, this thing is too easy to find, no challenge!
Hao Ren.
( ￣ ェ ￣； )
Heh heh.
Hao Ren had a bad feeling that tomorrow, the monkey would likely bring back a clump of twisted feces...
Alas!
My heart is so tired!
Hao Ren waved his hand, telling the monkey to scram.
The little spirit monkey king, holding the "Wuxiang Staff," full of confidence and high spirits, let out a long cry and left.
After the monkey left, Hao Ren took the lingzhi it brought back to the mountain cave.
The lingzhi was temporarily useless. Refining "Qi Gathering Pills" still required over a dozen other medicinal ingredients, so it would be a while. Hao Ren simply buried the lingzhi near the "Tian Yi Sheng Shui" to keep the ginseng company.
After burying the lingzhi, Hao Ren examined the ginseng he had buried a few days ago and discovered something interesting.
The ginseng had sprouted.
The leaves of the ginseng the monkey brought had long since been plucked, leaving only a bare root.
Hao Ren didn't know how to grow ginseng. He had simply buried the entire root in the soil and hadn't bothered with it for the past few days, not even watering it. This ginseng was remarkably resilient, having grown a new sprout.
Interesting!
Hao Ren carefully observed the new ginseng sprout and then looked at the "Tian Yi Sheng Shui" not far away. He suspected it wasn't just the ginseng's vitality, but the miraculous creation of "Tian Yi Sheng Shui" that had revitalized the ginseng.
If it continued to develop like this, would this ginseng evolve into a "spiritual medicine"?
Hao Ren looked forward to it.
At this moment, the little Dragon Girl walked over.
Hao Ren instructed her.
"From now on, you are responsible for taking care of this ginseng, and also the lingzhi next to it."
Ever since the little Dragon Girl lost her memory, her personality had changed drastically. She no longer had the air of the "Divine Abilities Cult" leader. Now, she was more like a blank slate, pure and flawless, completely obedient to Hao Ren, incredibly gentle, and never defiant.
Hearing Hao Ren's "command," the little Dragon Girl immediately replied obediently.
"Yes, Master!"
Hao Ren nodded with satisfaction.
His greatest gain during this period wasn't the "Tian Yi Sheng Shui," but this little Dragon Girl.
Ever since the little spirit monkey king brought the little Dragon Girl over and she recognized Hao Ren as her "Master," Hao Ren had harbored some worries.
The little Dragon Girl's true identity was the leader of the "Divine Abilities Cult," an authentic Golden Core stage cultivator.
Such a person was not to be trifled with!
What if one day she regained her consciousness and remembered that Hao Ren had treated her like a maid and ordered her around? Wouldn't she then try to kill Hao Ren in an instant?
Hao Ren couldn't withstand the blade of a Golden Core stage cultivator!
The best course of action would be to send the little Dragon Girl away and let her fend for herself.
However, when Hao Ren was about to do so, the little Dragon Girl looked at him with her big, watery eyes.
"Master, are you abandoning me?"
Her tone and demeanor were like a pitiful, voluptuous cat, ah, no, a kitten.
Hao Ren's defenses instantly crumbled.
Fine, stay, stay.
And so, Hao Ren kept the voluptuous girl, ah... the little Dragon Girl.