Chapter 21: Life and Death Survival

“Purple Heart Vine!”

The moment the gift box was opened, Xiao Nan was so excited he nearly shouted.

Inside the box lay a segment of Purple Heart Vine.

Previously, Xiao Nan had only vaguely sensed that the contents of this gift box were extraordinary, but he never imagined it would actually be a piece of Purple Heart Vine.

This was truly an enormous surprise.

Purple Heart Vine is the most essential and also the rarest ingredient in refining the “Qi-Accumulating Pill.”

The Qi-Accumulating Pill is the most crucial elixir for advancing cultivation at the Innate Realm.

Xiao Nan had been preparing for this for quite some time.

He had already gathered nearly all the dozen or so medicinal materials needed to refine the pill—except for the Purple Heart Vine.

He had planned to search for it after the engagement banquet.

Who would have thought it would come to him so effortlessly here?

Xiao Nan glanced at the inscription on the gift box; it was a congratulatory gift from the Zhang family.

He committed this family to memory—they had inadvertently done him a great favor.

This piece of Purple Heart Vine was over an inch long, enough to refine a whole batch of Qi-Accumulating Pills.

On the path of cultivation, no matter the realm, one cannot do without the aid of pills.

Ever since Xiao Nan was young, the old master not only taught him cultivation techniques but also extensively imparted knowledge of alchemy.

Once Xiao Nan reached the Innate Realm, the old master’s teachings in alchemy went beyond theory—he even passed down the pill furnace he had used his entire life and began instructing him in pill refinement.

Due to the fire toxin within his body, Xiao Nan’s cultivation had been stuck at the early Innate Realm for years without progress.

So he devoted much of the time that should have been spent on cultivation to studying alchemy instead.

As a result, his skill in pill refining now was by no means inferior to his cultivation level.

Now that his Innate Realm cultivation was loosening and he urgently needed the Qi-Accumulating Pill, having the Purple Heart Vine in hand was a great advantage.

Eagerly, Xiao Nan locked his room, took out the pill furnace, and began refining.

The Qi-Accumulating Pill was not particularly difficult to refine, and with Xiao Nan’s superb alchemy skills, it took just over half an hour.

A batch of twelve clear and translucent Qi-Accumulating Pills was placed into a jade vial he had prepared earlier.

Without a word, Xiao Nan took one pill and swallowed it.

Instantly, a surge of powerful spiritual energy flooded into his dantian.

Without hesitation, Xiao Nan began reciting his cultivation method and circulating his energy.

In an instant, countless streams of spiritual energy began to gather ceaselessly above his head, forming an invisible vortex.

“Crack!”

Fully immersed in cultivation, Xiao Nan lost track of time.

With a faint cracking sound, he stopped and a delighted smile appeared on his lips.

He had finally broken through to the mid-Innate Realm.

He could clearly feel that the true qi and primal energy in his dantian had increased at least severalfold compared to before.

Opening the door, Xiao Nan stepped out, though he had no idea how long he had been cultivating.

But he knew it could not have been too short, as he was now very hungry.

At his current cultivation level, he was far from being able to fast without food.

Meals were still necessary.

“Ugh!”

Just as Xiao Nan stepped out, he saw Lin Ziqing, who had been sitting on the sofa watching TV, suddenly cover her nose and stand up.

She looked at him with utter disgust.

“What were you doing in your room? Why does it smell so bad?”

Xiao Nan sniffed.

Well, Lin Ziqing wasn’t wrong; using the Qi-Accumulating Pill to break through cultivation inevitably released some impurities. It was normal.

“Sorry,” he said hurriedly.

“I was practicing martial arts in my room and sweated a lot, so that’s probably the smell.”

He offered a half-hearted explanation, then quickly returned to his room to change into a set of clothes Lin Shuyun had given him earlier before rushing into the villa’s bathroom.

“Sis!”

Lin Ziqing kept fanning the air in front of her with her hand, looking at Lin Shuyun beside her.

“Do you think that’s sweat? Sweat doesn’t usually smell this bad.”

“What else could it be? He’s a martial artist, so sweating is normal. You’re making a fuss over nothing,” Lin Shuyun said with a faint smile.

The smell from Xiao Nan earlier had indeed been unpleasant, but she was considerate and didn’t say it outright like her sister.

“Hmph! Then I definitely can’t marry him,” Lin Ziqing pouted.

“Why not?”

“Just a little sweat and it smells that bad. If I marry him, won’t I be suffocated by his stench every day?”

“...” Lin Shuyun was speechless. Her silly little sister truly didn’t know how fortunate she was.

...

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

During these days, Xiao Nan didn’t go anywhere, fully stabilizing his mid-Innate Realm cultivation.

After being cooped up in his room for several days, he went to the villa’s garden for some fresh air.

There, he found Lin Ziqing sitting alone on the rockery, lost in thought.

She wore her professional outfit for work—a white blouse, gray skirt, and alluring black stockings.

One long leg was bent up, with her chin resting on it.

The other leg hung down casually from the rock, swinging back and forth.

From her expression, Xiao Nan could tell that the young lady was in a bad mood.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Nan approached her. “Did something upset you?”

Lin Ziqing tilted her head and gave him a displeased glance.

Getting engaged to you—isn’t that the thing that’s been upsetting me lately?

Irritated, she said, “You wouldn’t understand if I told you. Why ask so many questions?”

Then she ignored him, resting her head on her knee and staring at the nearby man-made lake.

At dinner time, Lin Ziqing barely took two bites before setting down her chopsticks and heading upstairs.

“Ah…”

Seeing the confusion in Xiao Nan’s eyes, Lin Shuyun took the initiative to explain.

“Ziqing’s company is having some serious issues. She’s in a bad mood. If you don’t have anything important, it’s best not to provoke her right now.”

“Her company?” Xiao Nan asked.

“The Lin family has many enterprises. To train our business skills, three years ago, Dad gave Ziqing and me each a company to manage ourselves.”

Since Xiao Nan was already Ziqing’s fiancé, Lin Shuyun felt he had the right to know about the difficulties she faced.

She continued, “Ziqing is in charge of our family’s pharmaceutical company, Lin Pharmaceuticals.”

“I have to say, her business ability is quite remarkable. Over the years, she has led Lin Pharmaceuticals to great success, bringing immense wealth to the family.”

“But right now, she’s facing a problem that threatens the very survival of Lin Pharmaceuticals.”

...