Return of the Celestial King

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: A Visit from Relatives

Half Moon Bay Villa.

Qin Tuo and his parents had just finished dinner. His parents were in the kitchen, cleaning up the dishes.

Just as Qin Tuo was about to go help, there was a knock at the door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see it was Long Wu.

Long Wu said with a wide grin:

"Celestial King, your subordinate has successfully carried out your orders. I have gathered all the medicinal herbs you requested."

Qin Tuo’s face filled with astonishment upon hearing this.

"Oh? You managed to collect all those herbs already?"

As he spoke, Qin Tuo couldn’t help but crane his neck to look outside, expecting to see a large truck full of herbs.

Long Wu gave a wry smile and said apologetically:

"Celestial King, it would be impossible for me to get that many herbs all at once, but I have collected the entire first batch."

Only then did Qin Tuo nod in understanding.

Sure enough, a small truck was parked outside the villa.

The back was filled with numerous medicinal herbs—dozens of different kinds, at a rough count.

While this wasn’t all of them, it was more than enough for Qin Tuo to refine the first batch of Small Rejuvenation Pills.

Qin Tuo nodded and smiled.

"You’ve worked hard, Long Wu."

Long Wu quickly waved his hands in dismissal.

"It was no trouble at all, Celestial King. If there’s nothing else, I won’t disturb you any longer."

Qin Tuo waved his hand and said:

"Yes, you can head back for now. I’ll work through the night to refine these herbs into Small Rejuvenation Pills. When they’re ready, you can help me find a way to sell them."

At this, a look of intense anticipation flashed in Long Wu’s eyes.

Just then, Qin Hongguo came to the door and asked quizzically:

"Son, who was that? What was he here for?"

Seeing people carrying herbs into their home, the confusion in Qin Hongguo’s eyes deepened.

Qin Tuo thought for a moment before explaining:

"Dad, I was thinking of starting a small business with medicinal herbs to earn some spending money. This way, I can save up a little extra cash."

Hearing this, Qin Hongguo couldn’t help but break into a hearty laugh as he clapped Qin Tuo on the shoulder.

"Son, your old man is so proud that you have the drive to make money!"

Qin Tuo felt a little helpless; he could only make up an excuse to deceive his parents.

After all the herbs were moved into his room, Qin Tuo first organized them neatly before stashing them in a hidden spot.

This was to prevent his parents from accidentally disturbing the herbs, which could result in incorrect measurements and compromise the efficacy of the pills.

Although he was only refining low-grade Small Rejuvenation Pills, even this type of pill required strict precision in the dosage and properties of the herbs. The formula could not be altered in any way.

Thus, Qin Tuo first warned his parents not to disturb him for any reason.

Then, he shut himself in his room and began the slow process of refinement.

Currently, Qin Tuo’s pill-refining method was quite simple. He basically used the Celestial King Order to extract the medicinal properties from the herbs and form them into pills all at once.

Late into the night, Qin Tuo continued his constant refinement as the herbs were slowly consumed.

Finally, the night had almost passed.

As the sky was just beginning to brighten at dawn, Qin Tuo slowly stopped what he was doing and let out a long breath.

Even with his level of cultivation, he could feel that the process had taken a great deal of his energy.

His stomach was empty, and he longed for a good, hearty meal.

But when he saw the twenty neat Small Rejuvenation Pills before him, a satisfied smile crept onto his lips.

’Not bad at all. Twenty pills. This should sell for a good price!’ he thought to himself.

Meanwhile, all the medicinal herbs had basically been reduced to a pile of dried ash.

Qin Tuo first tidied up and cleaned his room before finally stepping out.

However, he was a little surprised when he reached the living room. The entire space was filled with people.

Taking a closer look, Qin Tuo realized it was his uncle, Qin Hongjian, and his family.

Qin Tuo’s uncle, Qin Hongjian, and his aunt, Zhang Caixia, were sitting on the sofa with their legs crossed, constantly looking around and sizing up the decor.

Qin Tuo also noticed the mess they had made of the house. Qin Hongjian had carelessly tossed his cigarette butts on the floor, and Zhang Caixia was deliberately spitting everywhere, fouling the air in the living room.

Qin Tuo frowned instinctively, a feeling of displeasure washing over him.

When Qin Tuo was sent to prison and his parents were going through such a hard time, his uncle’s family had turned a blind eye.

The two families rarely had any contact on a normal day.

As a result, Qin Tuo had a very poor impression of his uncle Qin Hongjian’s family.

But Qin Tuo didn’t say anything, simply treating them as if they were air.

But Zhang Caixia immediately noticed Qin Tuo and couldn’t help but say in a sour, sarcastic tone:

"Oh my, Qin Tuo is out of prison! You’d better turn over a new leaf and become a decent person from now on!"

Hearing this, Qin Hongguo and Luo Xianglan both frowned slightly. They were clearly uncomfortable, but they didn’t say anything.

His uncle, Qin Hongjian, also coughed twice and said in a preachy, lecturing tone:

"Qin Tuo, it’s not a big deal to make a mistake. The scary part is making one mistake after another until you can’t turn back. Remember that, you hear?"

Qin Tuo didn’t even want to acknowledge them. He just gave a dull, perfunctory reply and walked straight out of the room right in front of them.

This infuriated the couple, Zhang Caixia and Qin Hongjian.

"Sister-in-law, it’s not my place to say, but you’ve spoiled Qin Tuo rotten! He’s so rude. How could he just walk away from his elders like that!"

Qin Hongjian’s face was dark as well, clearly very displeased with Qin Tuo’s disrespectful behavior.

Qin Hongguo and Luo Xianglan could only force smiles and try to make excuses for their son.

Qin Tuo had just stepped out of the villa, planning to give the twenty Small Rejuvenation Pills he had refined to Long Wu and have him find a channel to sell them for a good price.

Just then, Luo Xianglan hurried out after him.

"Mom, what’s wrong?"

Qin Tuo asked curiously.

Luo Xianglan explained with a pained expression:

"Son, don’t be upset. I was the one who invited your uncle’s family over to visit. They didn’t just show up on their own."

Qin Tuo shook his head in resignation and said:

"Mom, you know what kind of people they are. Why would you invite them over?"

Luo Xianglan continued to explain:

"Son, it’s just... we’re finally living in a nice house after all this time, and I wanted to show off a little in front of your uncle’s family. Sigh!"

She let out a long sigh, clearly hoping Qin Tuo wouldn’t mind.

Qin Tuo nodded and said:

"Mom, I understand. How about this: I have to go out for a bit."

Luo Xianglan seemed to remember something and quickly added:

"Oh, right! Son, I almost forgot. Go out and book a table for a nice lunch. We’re treating your uncle’s family."

After speaking, she pulled a few crumpled bills from her pocket and handed them to Qin Tuo.

It was clear this was her own spending money, painstakingly saved up by pinching pennies.