Chapter Thirty-Nine: Extracting Spiritual Energy

Xiao Junyi’s words left Liu Ji with a face full of dark lines. He, a legitimate heir, would go so far as to become a gigolo? That was nothing short of a ridiculous joke—utterly impossible, not in this lifetime!

Liu Ji stepped forward and nodded, “Uncle Xiao.”

Xiao Junyi looked Liu Ji up and down, and his plump face was filled with satisfaction. He nodded approvingly, “I see you carry yourself with remarkable poise and talent—surely destined for greatness. You are indeed worthy of being Brother Liu’s son.”

He showered him with praise before continuing, “Not only are you handsome, but also a noble heir. I imagine the threshold of your house must be worn thin by all the visitors seeking your favor?”

“I am already betrothed,” Liu Ji replied with a smile, “Though it seems she doesn’t much care for a useless heir like me. But I don’t mind.”

Xiao Junyi was surprised. He wondered what kind of woman could have such spirit, to disregard a noble heir—even if Liu Ji’s reputation was rather poor, he was still the son of the Prince of Southern Defenses. To marry him would mean a lifetime of wealth and privilege.

Liu Ji looked at the young lady beside them, “And this is?”

“What are you waiting for? Come here!” Xiao Junyi pulled the girl forward, introducing her to Liu Ji with a smile. “This is your cousin, Xiao Mei. I brought her especially so the two of you could meet. What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful?”

Liu Ji joked, “What, Uncle Xiao, are you planning to introduce your daughter to me?”

Xiao Mei was indeed beautiful; her fair, delicate face carried an air of boldness, her long sword-like brows and clear eyes gave her features an exquisite charm...

Xiao Junyi burst out laughing, “Matters of romance aren’t for a father to decide. Feelings are something you two must figure out yourselves. I couldn’t possibly force my daughter to marry you, could I?”

Liu Ji grinned, while Xiao Mei pursed her lips, apparently unimpressed.

“Old Xiao, come on, it's not often you visit—today the two of us must drink until we drop!” Liu Heng tugged Xiao Junyi toward the manor.

“Naturally!” Xiao Junyi agreed.

“Please.” Liu Ji gestured politely. Xiao Mei nodded and followed Liu Ji into the manor. Suddenly, she asked, “Hey, are you really as useless as people say?”

Liu Ji was taken aback by her directness. He smiled slightly and replied, “If you think so, then I am. If you don’t, then I’m not.”

Xiao Mei bit her lip and pressed further, “I heard you managed to master your family’s Supreme Saint’s Heavenly Strength Technique... Is that true?”

Seeing the curiosity written all over her face, Liu Ji chuckled and gave a noncommittal answer, “If you believe it, then it’s true. If you don’t, then it’s not.”

“Hmph, so mysterious.” Xiao Mei muttered, “If you really mastered the Supreme Saint’s Heavenly Strength Technique, I’d have liked to spar with you. To be honest, I’ve wanted to test its power for a long time!”

Liu Ji laughed, “Why don’t you try sparring with my father instead?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Xiao Mei shot him an annoyed glance. “If I could beat Uncle Liu, would I be asking you? I haven’t lived long enough to risk that!”

Liu Ji smiled but said nothing more.

At the dinner table, Liu Heng and Xiao Junyi never stopped talking, discussing everything under the sun. Liu Ji, Xiao Mei, Liu Ming, and Liu Yuqing—the four younger ones—sat quietly, eating their meal without interrupting.

When Liu Ji finished eating and was about to stand, Liu Heng said, “If you’re free, why not show Xiao Mei around? It’s her first visit, after all.”

“Free? Hardly. Let Yuqing take her,” Liu Ji replied with some annoyance.

Truthfully, after the attack outside the city, although his life had been spared, Liu Ji had suffered significant injuries—internal bleeding was inevitable. The bumpy journey back had left him utterly exhausted; all he wanted was to lie in bed and rest.

So, he left the dining hall.

Xiao Junyi was puzzled, “What’s with him...?”

Liu Heng smiled, “It’s nothing. He had a bit of trouble outside the city and was wounded, but it’s no big deal. Let Yuqing take your niece around the manor—since they’re both girls, they’ll find plenty to talk about.”

Leaving the dining hall, Liu Ji considered for a moment, then pushed through his fatigue and headed to the Armory—a place where the Southern Prince’s treasures were stored.

The Prince of Southern Defenses, Liu Heng, had spent his life on the battlefield and collected many treasures, which were all kept here in the Armory as the foundation of the manor.

“Open the door.” Liu Ji took out a black token from his pocket. The armored guard nodded and slowly pushed open the heavy stone door.

Liu Ji entered. His footsteps echoed through the dim passage. As soon as he stepped inside, he felt sharp gazes from the shadows, making him uneasy.

He knew those gazes belonged to the experts guarding the Armory. It was no surprise—they must be formidable, given the importance of this place; it was the heart of the manor.

He ignored those piercing gazes.

Following the signs, he arrived at the herb section, where neatly divided gardens held a variety of plants he didn’t recognize. Seeing the abundance of herbs, his heart beat wildly.

With so many medicinal plants, becoming stronger was only a matter of time. Yet he didn’t act rashly, for he knew well that these herbs represented the entire foundation of the Southern Prince’s manor.

If he squandered them recklessly, he’d be branded a wastrel.

Besides, most of the herbs here had properties he couldn’t identify. If he accidentally extracted something harmful, it would be disastrous. So he had to choose carefully.

Following the signs, he found himself before a garden planted with herbs for replenishing energy and blood. He squatted down and pulled out a purple vine by the roots, noting the floating data above it.

“Spirit energy +0.1...”

“So little?” Liu Ji was surprised. He muttered, “Could it be because the herb is too young?”

That seemed likely. Younger herbs contained less spiritual energy, so it wasn’t surprising that he could extract so little. But there weren’t many older herbs.

He moved to those herbs that had grown for several, even dozens of years. Reaching out, he pulled up a vine bearing small purple berries. According to the label, this was Purple Vine Fruit, producing one berry per year. The fruit could replenish energy and blood and had excellent healing properties, making it very useful for cultivation.

“There are over twenty berries—so this Purple Vine Fruit has grown for more than twenty years. Tsk, it’s older than I am.”

Liu Ji clicked his tongue in amazement as another line of data floated up.

“Spirit energy +58...”

“Not bad.” Seeing the spirit energy increase by over fifty, Liu Ji was delighted and pulled up a herb that had grown for more than thirty years.

“Spirit energy +88...”

“Tsk, tsk, old herbs are indeed more potent!”

Liu Ji was overjoyed.

He proceeded to pull up all the rare, long-grown herbs without the slightest hesitation.

As his spirit energy steadily increased, those priceless, irreplaceable medicinal herbs turned to ash in his hands.

If outsiders witnessed this scene, they would surely cry out in anguish, “Wastrel! Such a wastrel! Absolutely heartless!” Each of these ancient herbs was worth tens or hundreds of thousands; any one of them would cause a stir if brought outside.

But now, they were all ruined by this prodigal son!

Yet as the heir of the Southern Prince’s manor, Master Liu may lack women, strength, or other things, but money is certainly not one of them!

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PS: Second update.
Asking for recommendation votes~