Chapter 149 - 149: I Thought He Couldn’t Get It Up
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Qiao Mai also didn’t expect the pill to work so well. In a day, Yuan Jiaqi could get out of bed on his own.
On the second day, she gave him another pill, and his injuries were completely healed.
Yuan Jiaqi found it unbelievable that Qiao Mai had such excellent medicine in her possession.
He couldn’t mention it, fearing it might bring her trouble.
During these days at home, Qiao Mai cooked for him, stocked up on nourishing foods, and took great care of his body.
As soon as classes started, he left without letting Qiao Mai accompany him. He didn’t want to delay his studies for even a day; he was obsessed with learning.
Once he left, the old lady pulled Qiao Mai aside.
“What’s going on between you two?”
“What do you mean?”
“I noticed you don’t live together. This isn’t how a married couple should behave.”
Qiao Mai finally understood what Old Mistress Wang was asking.
“Jiaqi and I are a fake couple. When he and Chuan’er were in dire straits, they sought refuge with me. I hadn’t considered remarrying but agreed and took him in.”
Old Mistress Wang was wide-eyed and surprised. “You two are quite something! I thought he couldn’t get it up.”
Qiao Mai blushed and scolded her, “What are you thinking?” “He’s a good person. Why not make the marriage real?” “Now is not the time. Once he becomes an official and still remains loyal, I’ll consider it. I don’t want unnecessary complications.”
“He looks good and studies well. At the Capital, there’s a high chance he’ll become a son-in-law of some prestigious family.”
“The Capital has many talented and beautiful women. I’ll only be at ease if he can resist temptation and stay committed.”
“You’re right, but what if he changes his mind?”
“He has never confessed to me. There’s only friendship between us. So there’s no question of changing his mind or not. If he ever falls for someone, pays back what he owes me all these years, and decides to leave, I won’t make things difficult for him.
“You’re magnanimous!”
“A good man is not in short supply. There’s no need to fixate on one flower, is there?”
“But what if you develop feelings?”
Qiao Mai’s expression became stern, “Then I’ll cut the mess and let go. I’d rather be happy and get rid of the pain.”
Old Mistress Wang looked at her and nodded with approval. “You’re doing great. There are too few women in this world like you.”
“I don’t like being immersed in love stories all day long. Life has many precious things to cherish. If you meet something good, cherish it. If it’s not meant to be, let go quickly. There’s no need for excessive entanglement, which only brings trouble and sorrow.”
“Very well said. But regarding your parents, I also need to remind you.” “Old Mistress Wang, please go on.”
“In our Great Ming Dynasty, filial piety and ethics are highly regarded. Your behavior, disowning them and denying them, is quite severe. It might be fine for you, but when Jiaqi becomes an official, he might face criticism.”
“His family is also like that.”
“So, his future career may not be very smooth.”
“Then please ask the Emperor to modify the laws, remove the disowning family clause, and abolish the term ‘human trafficking.’ Otherwise, it’s just slander.”
“Ah, the Emperor is far away and may not know the details. It’s just someone else’s words, and he may listen.”
“Take it step by step. If Yuan Jiaqi returns to his family due to this issue, we’ll go our separate ways. I’d rather be an inconspicuous village woman than do something against my conscience.”
“Easy to say, hard to do.”
Qiao Mai raised her chest proudly, “Others may not, but I can do it! I’d rather die than go against my heart. I won’t force it if it’s not what I want.”
Old Mistress Wang looked at Qiao Mai saying this. For some reason, her nose tingled. She felt moved and a bit envious.
After Yuan Jiaqi left for the Windforest Academy, his teacher gave him five hundred taels ot silver tor compensation.
“The academy is compensating you with one hundred taels. Those students who bullied you are each fined one hundred taels. In total, it’s five hundred taels. Keep it well. They’ve been suspended for half a year, and if they repeat their offenses, they won’t be allowed back into the academy.”
Yuan Jiaqi bowed. “Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Academy!”
“Alright, I have high hopes for you. Are you planning to take the imperial examination next year?”
“I have that intention.”
“Then study diligently. Due to your situation, we have arranged for guards, and such bullying incidents won’t happen again.”
The teacher comforted him and left. His dormitory mates gathered around him.
“Jiaqi, you’ve turned misfortune into blessings.”
“Jiaqi, we’re benefiting from you. Now there’s a guard assigned to each dormitory, and there won’t be any more bullying incidents in school.”
“What do we do? I have to go home during the break. With five hundred taels, I won’t be able to treat you guys.”
Yuan Jiaqi had been here for two months now and had made friends. His dormitory mates were supportive.
If it weren’t for their timely intervention and discovery, Yuan Jiaqi might have ended up with broken bones. They also sent him to the medical hall.
So, he was grateful to them.
If it weren’t for his status as a live-in husband, he would have invited them to his home.
Not that he felt embarrassed about his status, but he didn’t want to burden Qiao Mai.
His status was known to his classmates, so nobody teased him about inviting them to his home or expecting him to treat them.
They all understood that life as a live-in husband was not easy. One could say that they sympathized with him!
This year, the north also experienced abundant rainfall, possibly due to the floods in the south.
Occasionally, there would be rain showers. They often occurred at night, which made Qiao Mai feel uneasy. She searched online for information but didn’t find any good or bad news.
However, she came across a statement that caught her attention. If rain frequently occurs, it’s advisable to pay close attention to any unusual events.
Typically, heavy rainfall can coincide with earthquakes and droughts during certain periods.
This made her nervous. She quickly entered her space and exchanged all the herbs on the ground for spirit stones, specifically high-quality ones. Foundation Establishment Pills were second-tier Dills. and to DreDare for Foundation Establishment, she needed to have a good supply of them.
Reaching the second tier was much more challenging than the first, and the number of herbs required was doubled.
However, it wasn’t difficult as long as she understood the principles. It was mostly about adjusting the dosage.
As long as Qiao Mai’s spiritual power could keep up, creating second-tier pills was not a problem.
Indeed, it took a bit more effort this time, but eventually, she successfully made the first batch of second-tier pills.
Although they didn’t have any patterns, the quality was excellent. She put the eight Foundation Establishment pills in a bottle.
That wasn’t her goal. She aimed to create pills with patterns. She continued her efforts, one batch after another, and finally succeeded in producing high-quality Foundation Establishment pills with patterns.
As she approached her seclusion, Qiao Mai had made all the necessary arrangements with the outside world, so she didn’t need to rush.
After cleaning herself up, she began her meditation to replenish her energy.
Half a day later, she opened her eyes, took a Foundation Establishment Pill from a jade bottle, and swallowed it. With a wave of her hand, she had all the middle-grade spirit stones surrounding her.
She was ready to begin building her foundation. She activated her cultivation technique and saw spiritual energy spiraling from above, entering her body. She guided it to widen her meridians and purify her body.
Although Qiao Mai lacked experience, she had read enough books on the subject to have a general idea of the process.
Inspired by the image of Guanyin sitting on a lotus, she decided to shape her foundation like a lotus flower. When she reaches the Nascent Soul Realm, her spiritual energy will form a lotus platform, and her spiritual roots will transform into a Nascent Soul, which is a beneficial combination.
Within her Dantian, three types of spiritual energy—gold, red, and green— flowed in without mixing, each creating its unique world.
One day passed, then two, three, until finally, a beautiful tri-colored spiritual platform was successfully constructed.
Green represented the leaves, gold the petals, and red the stamen. The platform was exquisite.
On top of it was a cloud-like substance Qiao Mai believed to be the manifestation of spiritual energy turning into mist. At this moment, she had just entered the Foundation Building Realm..
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