C13 So You Are That Idiot Who Used the Psicrystal to Buy a Hen!(1)

As Zhen Dongwei sipped the chicken soup, Zheng Gongming watched his wife with bated breath.

Recently, Zhen Dongwei had attempted to enjoy some "delicacies," but each time she tried, she would immediately vomit them back up.

"Hmm?" Zhen Dongwei held a mouthful of chicken soup, a novel flavor tantalizing her taste buds.

She swallowed without feeling sick and, still unsure, signaled for her daughter to give her another spoonful.

With the second taste, not only was there no nausea, but she also felt an urge to eat more.

"How is it, Madam?" Zheng Gongming asked, a flicker of hope in his eyes.

"Delicious!" Zhen Dongwei proclaimed, taking the spoon from her daughter to serve herself more soup.

"It's truly working!" Zheng Yueting and her father exchanged glances, both seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.

Zhen Dongwei's appetite surged; she eagerly consumed the chicken soup and even nibbled on a few pieces of chicken. The sensation of hunger, absent for so long, thrilled her.

Her stomach, unused to food, felt full after just half a bowl of soup. Reluctantly, she dabbed her mouth with a silk handkerchief, looking longingly at the remaining soup.

"Madam, how are you feeling?" Zheng Gongming inquired, full of concern.

"Who knew such deliciousness existed in this world!" Zhen Dongwei gazed affectionately at Zheng Gongming. "My dear husband, it seems I'll be by your side for many more years to come."

"Good, good!" Zheng Gongming was so overwhelmed with emotion that he struggled to find the words, gripping Zhen Dongwei's hand tightly.

"My dear, we owe so much to Tingting this time," Zhen Dongwei said with a radiant smile. Despite her pallor, her grace was evident.

"Ha, indeed! We've certainly raised a wonderful daughter," Zheng Gongming beamed with pride and affection. In his joy, he found everything about her endearing. "Tingting, name your reward. Whatever it is, if it's within my power, it's yours."

"Dad, I don't lack for anything, but Mom still needs 'Rivaling the Gods' for her health. Liu Qiqi kindly gave me some on her behalf this time. We can't keep accepting favors without giving anything in return; it wouldn't be proper for the Zheng family to be seen as lacking manners."

"You're right. Whispering Blossoms healed your mother's illness, so I must certainly express my gratitude!" Zheng Gongming agreed heartily. "But what exactly is this 'Rivaling the Gods' that it works such wonders?"

"Dad, there's still half a bowl of chicken soup left. Would you like to try some?" Zheng Yueting suggested with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well then, I'm curious to taste this chicken soup that can conquer anorexia," Zheng Gongming said, taking the bait. He grabbed the spoon and eagerly took a sip.

As the chicken soup hit his taste buds, Zheng Gongming's eyes sparkled with delight.

Could there really be something this delicious in the world?

Had he been eating swill all this time?

He couldn't help himself, spooning the soup into his mouth continuously, unable to stop.

Before long, the bowl was nearly empty. As a cultivator, Zheng Gongming naturally had a hearty appetite and he didn't hesitate to polish off the chicken pieces as well.

Staring at the empty bowl, the leader of the Order of the Gold Blade wiped his mouth, looking longingly at Zheng Yueting.

"Dad, that's all there is, and I don't know when we'll get more. We need to save it for Mom's treatment," Zheng Yueting said, her expression a mix of amusement and sympathy as she gestured to the paper-wrapped package in her hand.

"Ah, such a 'Rivaling the Gods'! Having tasted such a delicacy, how will I ever be satisfied again?" Zheng Gongming lamented, his expression woeful. His eyes met Zhen Dongwei's, and they shared an understanding look.

Having gone to great lengths to make the salt, he had given it all to the two ladies. Come dinner time, Zhong Wen was once again plunged into despair.

Having sampled the chicken soup at lunch, the evening meal seemed even harder to stomach.

Zhong Wen was kicking himself for not having saved some for his own use.

He glanced at Lin Xiaodie sitting across from him and noticed that the little girl wasn't faring much better.

"Zhong Wen, do you have any more Rivaling the Gods?" The little girl gazed at him with a forlorn expression.

Having developed a refined palate from the salt's baptism, Xiaodie found herself unable to stomach the meal prepared by Wang Quanxin.

"Xiaodie, just bear with it today. I'll go out and get some ingredients tomorrow, and we'll make another batch," Zhong Wen said, shaking his head, resolved to return to the Vale of Healing that evening.

"Oh." Perked up by the promise of better fare tomorrow, the little girl's spirits lifted slightly, and she quietly took another bite of her rice.

Post-dinner, Zhong Wen hunched over the table, immersing himself in the study of Puidorin script.

As the night deepened and the sounds of Liu Qiqi's sword practice faded from the courtyard, Zhong Wen slipped away, heading swiftly toward the Vale of Healing.

Now employing the Zephyr Walk and humming "Riding on my beloved little motorcycle," he moved through the forest like a wraith, his actions swift and sure.

Feeling his spiritual power replenished since dawn, he found his journey much easier.

In no time at all, he was back at the stone entrance to the Vale of Healing.

Navigating the familiar path, he soon reached the Sanctum of Scrolls.

This time, Zhong Wen was on a mission. He knew exactly what he needed and headed straight for the books on runes, reaching out to touch them.

Earlier, armed with his knowledge of panacea studies and alchemy, he had wanted to try his hand at pill refining, only to realize that while he had a supreme grade furnace, he lacked the elixir's pyre.

The flame used by the Vale of Healing's alchemists was kindled with a special rune, and without knowledge of runology, Zhong Wen was at a loss.

Thankfully, with the Sanctum of Scrolls at his disposal, gathering tomes on runology should make the task of drawing runes a manageable one.

"Discovered 'Runology Basics' Volume One, a 'runology' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Runology Basics' Volume Two, a 'runology' book. Will you add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Flame Rune Compendium' Volume Two, a 'runology' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Cataloged one hundred 'rune' books. Please draw a lot to receive your reward: 1. Aether Quill Crafting Guide; 2. Puidorin Beauty Rankings; 3. Killing Stroke."

"Congratulations! You've earned the Aether Quill Crafting Guide as a reward!"

Not too shabby! It's like being offered a pillow when you're sleepy—Zhong Wen was pretty pleased with the reward.

The Vale of Healing's research into runology was quite limited, serving primarily the purposes of alchemy and the cultivation of panaceas. With just over a hundred books, the collection was hardly extensive. After cataloging the runology section, Zhong Wen still yearned for more and shifted his attention to the core category of the Vale of Healing's library: medical texts.

Upon inspection, he saw that the medical books were further categorized into 'medical theory,' 'pathology,' 'pharmacology,' 'health management,' 'acupuncture,' and more, with nearly a thousand volumes in total. The variety was overwhelming.

"Collected!" With time to spare, he finally resolved to proceed.

"Discovered 'Thousand Discussions on Cold-Induced Disorders,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Soul-Chasing Needle Technique,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Toxicology Scripture,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Medicine King's Divine Chapters,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Thousand Cases of Autopsy,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Hundred Cases of Craniotomy,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

"Discovered 'Treatise on Meridians,' a 'medicine' book. Would you like to add it to your collection? Yes/No."

Despite having mastered the Zephyr Walk, Zhong Wen was exhausted after cataloging all the books in the 'medicine' category. Thankfully, the long-awaited line of text finally appeared on the bookshelf's panel.

Even after practicing the Art of Eternal Breath, Zhong Wen was exhausted from compiling all the medical books. Thankfully, the small print he had been longing to see finally appeared again on the bookshelf panel:

"Entry of 'Medicine' books has reached 100 volumes. Please draw to receive your reward: 1. Beast Language Collection; 2. Three Hundred Tang Poems; 3. Phantom Thief."

"Congratulations, you have been awarded: Beast Language Collection!"

Zhong Wen: "..."

Have they finally decided I'm not human anymore?

Luckily, a large number of books were cataloged this time, and another line of text appeared before him:

"Entry of 'Medicine' books has reached 500 volumes. Please draw to receive your reward: 1. Puidorin Bilingual Dictionary; 2. The King of Stories; 3. Phantom Thief."

"Congratulations, you have been awarded: Phantom Thief!"

"Entry of books has reached 1,000 volumes. Please draw to receive your rewards: 1. Stygian Shadow Mastery; 2. Finger Flicking Mastery; 3. Bloom and Renewal."

The last option was truly splendid!

Seeing the three arcane techniques listed in the final draw, Zhong Wen was so moved that he was nearly brought to tears.