Chapter 86: Chapter 44: No Need to Be Polite with Me (2)
Such projects have significant local importance at the village or town level, as the staff at Joy Valley are all hired nearby, allowing many people from the town to work there without having to leave their hometown.
Even Aunt had planned that if He Shan couldn’t find a satisfactory job after graduation in the future, it would be better to come back home and get someone to find a job at Joy Valley, maybe manage something in an office there.
But Joy Valley, which seemed always bustling with business, suddenly closed down five years ago. Now it’s abandoned, with weeds growing half a person’s height on the vacant land; what a pity for those facilities, particularly such a large investment.
The reason for closing was simple; reportedly, it was due to the financial chain breaking.
The first phase of the park managed to break even, but the owner took out loans for a second phase. At that time, many similar projects appeared nationally, the visitor growth here didn’t meet expectations, and the financial and operational costs multiplied several times.
So later on, for those years, Joy Valley might have looked bustling on the surface, but every day it operated meant another day of loss, and eventually, the owner couldn’t bear it anymore...
During the day, looking from He Kao’s house, you can still vaguely see the upper part of the Ferris wheel among the swaying tree shadows, but at night, it’s completely invisible.
The amber bracelet that Huang Xiaopang usually wears, He Kao suspects was bought back in the day from Joy Valley, remembering that kind of item seemingly being sold among the stalls on the commercial street there.
While idly chatting and enjoying the refreshing cool breeze, Xiaopang’s phone vibrated, but he ignored it. After a while, Mrs. Chen’s voice sounded from outside the courtyard wall: "Xiaopang, it’s so late, hurry up and go home to sleep! If you don’t sleep, Xiao Kao also needs to rest!"
Huang Xiaopang shouted: "I’m not going back tonight, I’ll sleep with He Kao!"
He Kao grabbed him up: "With whom are you sleeping, I don’t have bunk beds, only two beds, one for me and one for Old Qian. You better hurry home to sleep."
Then he also raised his voice to shout, "Mrs. Chen, Xiaopang will head back right now, and he’ll bring you a dish too!"
They headed downstairs, and Xiaopang finally left. Old Qian took out a package from the car’s trunk, smiling: "I was testing your willpower, that’s why I only took it out now... Are you itching with impatience?"
He Kao retorted: "Your willpower is good, which is why today you were squatting at the bank entrance waiting for me?"
What Lin Qingshuang sent were five bottles of elixirs, the names of which sound quite "commonplace": one bottle of Essence Nourishing Pill, one bottle of Qi Replenishing Pill, and three bottles of Peiyuan Pill.
Each pill is about the same size as a Bezoar and Oyster Shell Pill and is wrapped in gold foil, with twelve capsules per bottle.
Essence Nourishing Pill is suitable for consumption during the Foundation Establishment phase before entry, as the name suggests, it has the effect of nourishing and strengthening essence. Even the strong should only take half a pill at most once within seven days.
Old Qian looked He Kao up and down: "In your case, it’s okay, combined with the technique annotated for you by Elder Lin, you can reluctantly take one pill, but there should be at least a week’s interval before taking the next one.
If you feel it no longer has any effect, then there’s no need to continue using it to avoid waste, it can be reserved for those in need... This stuff is quite precious, with few releases from the Alchemy Sect each time."
He Kao: "Is this medicine from the Alchemy Sect?"
Old Qian: "These three types of elixirs, the Qi Replenishing Pill mainly comes from the Observing Body Sect, while the other two types, Essence Nourishing Pill and Peiyuan Pill, mainly come from the Alchemy Sect. Rest assured, Elder Lin has checked them, there won’t be any problems."
He Kao: "What does ’no effect’ mean?"
Old Qian grinned mischievously: "The Essence Nourishing Pill has a non-side effect side effect, it’s for nourishing and strengthening your essence, if you know, you know. During the nurturing practice period, you must absolutely maintain virginity, even self-effort is prohibited!"
He Kao muttered: "I’m long past being a virgin."
Old Qian: "I couldn’t tell! But it’s fine, as long as you maintain virginity during medication. I know you have money now, but don’t impulsively go to those kinds of places."
The efficacy of this elixir is to stimulate the energy and vigor, but it’s not suitable for those who are weak, otherwise, it might deplete the body.
Even those who are strong must strictly abstain from desires after taking it and coordinate with appropriate techniques for cultivation. It mainly assists disciples who haven’t entered in establishing their foundation.
Foundation Establishment is a term frequently seen in contemporary Xianxia novels, often associated with depictions like "Foundation Establishment masters being terrifying," supposedly needing Perfect Ninth Level of Qi Cultivation to establish foundation.
Yet in traditional cultivation, Foundation Establishment is also a term but unrelated to being a master; it primarily indicates adjusting mindset to meet cultivation requirements.
For instance, some might start with Meditating on the Dantian to achieve the "Yi Yangsheng" state, refining essence into qi and circulating a full cycle, which counts as successful foundation establishment, according to the Alchemy Sect’s technique style.
After establishing foundation, comes Refining Essence, Refining Qi, Refining the Spirit, leading to a Tier Three Sorcerer, then Gathering Herbs and Returning to the Pot, using the body and mind as the furnace, merging divine qi to form a spirit pill...
Another example is beginning from Lowering the Curtain and Listening, experiencing the activation of the qi mechanism and connecting the entire body’s meridians, entering via self-introspection, which is the Observing Body Sect’s foundation establishment style.
He Kao hasn’t received formal inheritance of any technique, but his foundation is excellent, which doesn’t hinder him from continuing to cultivate the basics more perfectly.
The so-called ’no effect anymore’ doesn’t mean he has wasted his practice but implies full self-contentment with essence and qi, rendering further elixir unnecessary.