Chapter 8: Someone Wants to Make Friends

Since that day of fishing on the pleasure boat, Yu Xian had frequently taken his beauties out for amusement, occasionally enjoying a threesome.

He suddenly understood why, in his previous life, couples would refuse to go home during the holidays, choosing instead to pay for hotel rooms just to "toss about." It was all about the atmosphere. In the same environment, staring at the same face, it was easy to grow weary. If one could not change the person, one might as well try changing the scenery; perhaps there would be marvelous discoveries to be made.

In any case, Yu Xian felt his motivation for cultivation soar, and his progress was steady. However, he soon encountered a grave problem: he was running out of money.

As everyone knows, having fun is an expensive endeavor, especially when accompanied by women and involving special programs. Two hundred taels of silver per month from the Prince’s Mansion was more than enough for a bachelor, but for a man with female companions, it was never enough.

Yu Xian did not complain about the sum. The mansion provided housing and wives, covered all his meals, and required no labor; receiving two hundred taels monthly for nothing—with extra bonuses whenever he was called upon to act—was a sweet deal. Since the Chen Xiao incident, the mansion had approached him twice, both times for tasks involving murder and wiping out families. The pay was generous, and there were additional spoils of war. But Yu Xian found it troublesome and worried about exposing his identity as a cultivator to some hidden expert, so he refused, determined to freeload until absolutely necessary.

The Prince’s Mansion did not force him. After all, the weight of a Heaven-grade honored guest was significant, and they could afford two hundred taels a month to support a martial arts master. But he could forget about any extra perks. The mansion was no fool; they would provide glory and wealth, but one had to earn it by risking one's life.

Yet, he didn't want to work; he only wanted to freeload. Where would the money come from? Yu Xian was very annoyed.

...

Prince Fu’s Mansion, Earth-grade Courtyard No. 3.

Unlike the independent pavilions of the Heaven-grade guests, the Earth-grade guests lived in standard courtyards, one room per person. Most guests had their own properties and homes, keeping only a name at the mansion to contribute when needed. However, some resided there permanently, such as the medically skilled Doctor Huang.

His reason for becoming a guest was simple: the mansion had a vast collection of medical texts for him to study and a steady stream of patients with strange illnesses to choose from. Most importantly, even if he couldn't cure someone, no one dared to trouble him because he was under the Prince’s protection.

But at this moment, someone was indeed troubling him.

"The money is all gone?!"

Yu Xian’s gaze turned cold as he stared at Doctor Huang, who was wiping sweat from his brow.

"That was blood and sweat money I earned after hacking through thorns and fighting a fierce enemy for three hundred rounds, and you tell me it's all gone? Is it because I’ve been too easygoing lately that people think I’m soft and easy to bully?"

It never rains, but it pours. Just as he was fretting over where to get money to take the girls out, Doctor Huang informed him that the medicinal herbs for his "Perfect Tonic Wine" had run out. A thousand-tael bank note, gone in less than two months. Was that just medicinal wine? That was the gas station for his kidneys!

Flesh and blood could only take so much! If Doctor Huang didn't give him a satisfactory explanation today, he might have to make a high-profile appearance and stage a "rob the rich to help the poor" act. He heard that doctors were quite wealthy.

"This old man would never dare to deceive honored guest Yu!"

Doctor Huang, whose full name was Huang Yu, was in his fifties, thin, and sported an inch-long goatee. He waved his hands repeatedly, hurriedly pulling a list from behind his bookshelf and laying it before Yu Xian with a look of grievance.

"Every bit of medicine used for you is detailed here. I haven't even charged a cent for my labor. It is just that you, ahem, have a very high dosage requirement. Moreover, the herbs used are all precious items. Though a thousand taels of silver is a lot, it cannot sustain such consumption."

Yu Xian took the list and scanned it quickly. Seeing the precious herbs listed at over a dozen taels per unit, along with several hundred-year-old wild ginseng roots, his expression gradually calmed. The items and prices were clear; he could verify them at any pharmacy outside. Doctor Huang would not make such a low-level mistake. Of course, the main reason was that the wine worked; otherwise, even if the list contained celestial herbs, he would have made him cough up ten or a hundred times the cost.

"My apologies, then."

Thinking of his financial worries, Yu Xian subconsciously touched the spirit stones in his money pouch. The value of spirit stones in the mortal realm was beyond words. Perhaps for those martial artists stuck at the peak of the Acquired realm, a single spirit stone could help them draw qi into their bodies and advance to the Innate realm—a price they would pay a thousand gold for.

However, while spirit stones could buy silver, silver could not buy spirit stones. Since obtaining these two stones from Chen Xiao, Yu Xian had been reluctant to use them. One reason was that his cultivation didn't strictly require them; the other was to keep them as a trump card. If he ever encountered an emergency and his magic was exhausted, he could use the stones to recover quickly.

But the tonic wine was equally important; it concerned his cultivation and his "double happiness," so that couldn't be cut off either. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. Having recently increased his spending, he found it difficult to lower his standards again.

Should he just take out a spirit stone to tide himself over? Yu Xian was deeply conflicted.

Doctor Huang seemed to sense Yu Xian’s predicament and suddenly asked, "Is honored guest Yu short on silver?"

Yu Xian glanced at Doctor Huang, expressionless. Damn it, the old guy dared to mock him! Could he not tell if he was short on cash?

Under Yu Xian’s gaze, Doctor Huang felt a chill run down his spine. He offered a sheepish smile and hurried to explain.

"Honored guest, please do not misunderstand. I suddenly remembered that a few herb merchants approached me recently, saying they wanted to meet you and become friends. I was worried about disturbing you, so I refused. But to my knowledge, they have always been very generous with their friends."

Yu Xian’s eyes lit up instantly, though he feigned a tone of reproach.

"Old Huang, this is where you are wrong. I have always been approachable and love making friends. By the way, how do they go about 'making friends'? Please, tell me in detail."

Hearing Yu Xian address him so politely as "Old Huang," Doctor Huang nearly pulled out his goatee. This change of face was entirely too natural. He had previously worried that Yu Xian was a high-minded individual. After all, for the past few months, Yu Xian had acted so properly, only playing with women inside the mansion. Brothels, gambling dens, street-side playhouses, pleasure boats, restaurants, horse tracks... he hadn't even set foot in them! It left others with no chance to "accidentally" encounter him.

Doctor Huang, needing herbs and experimental materials for his research, often dealt with various factions outside. A few major herb merchants had pressured him so much that he finally agreed to act as a go-between. He hadn't rushed to disturb Yu Xian, waiting specifically for today’s opportunity.

Hearing this, Doctor Huang thought for a moment and spoke somewhat cryptically: "Well, making friends simply means eating, chatting, and incidentally, giving you some small gifts."

Yu Xian was clearly dissatisfied, his expression revealing his true thoughts.

"Small gifts? Is my status so small?"

*Vulgar! Truly vulgar!* Doctor Huang cursed inwardly, wearing a bitter smile on the outside, and decided to be more direct.

"Not small at all. For a first meeting, if they don't bring a gift of at least a thousand taels or so, I wouldn't let them off the hook myself."

Hearing that there would be over a thousand taels to collect, Yu Xian felt satisfied. He nodded with reserved dignity and said, "It seems they are sincere about making friends with me. I will give you some face, Old Huang, and go meet them."

Of course, the gift was just for the meeting. If they asked him for favors after the gift was accepted, that would be another price entirely.