Chapter 13. Do You Have Connections? No, I Have Money!

"No matter what you said, we're sending our girl to Second High. I've married into the Ge family, and worked so hard for over ten years. This is my only request. If you don't agree, I'll come here and throw a fuss every day!"

A woman's shrill voice pierced through the air. Her voice was loud and aggressive, and she sounded like a fishwife brawling in the streets.

Just as Lu Yuan tried to make out the details of the conversation, the front gate of the courtyard swung open. A middle-aged couple walked out; the man bore a striking resemblance to Gramps Ge. It was clear that they were father and son. As for the woman beside, it didn't take a genius to figure out who she was.

The couple took a glance at Lu Yuan but said nothing and walked off.

Lu Yuan didn't pry further and just stepped calmly into the courtyard.

"Gramps Ge, I'm here again," Lu Yuan announced his arrival.

Standing some distance away, the old man's face was visibly dark. But as soon as he laid his eyes on Lu Yuan, his expression eased ever so slightly.

"Xiao Lu, keep an eye on the medicine for me," Gramps Ge said. Without waiting for an answer, he then turned and headed straight into the house.

Lu Yuan simply smiled and began tending to the brewing cauldron.

Meanwhile, the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace that he needed remained in the corner, collecting dust.

After a long while, Gramps Ge returned to the courtyard with a passbook in hand and his brows furrowed together. He seemed to have encountered some trouble.

However, he didn't bring it up and merely approached Lu Yuan.

"Xiao Lu," Gramps Ge began. "I've lived for more than half a century, and I know there's no such thing as kindness without reason. You've been coming here every day to help, and there's definitely something you want. Just say it. As long as it's not outrageous, I'll consider it."

Being in his sixties, close to seventy, his entire life would have been in vain if he still couldn't see through such things.

"To be honest, Gramps, I have an interest in collecting antiques." Lu Yuan didn't beat around the bush and went straight for his goal. "I quite like that furnace of yours. I hope you'll be willing to part with it. We can discuss the price."

Since he had already revealed his purpose, there was no need to hide anything anymore.

"The money isn't important," Gramps Ge said with a shake of his head. He walked to the corner and retrieved the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace. "This thing has been passed down in my family for generations. I don't even know its age. If it were someone else, I wouldn't hand it over. But if you want it, take it."

Despite having interacted with Lu Yuan for only a short period of time, Gramps Ge could tell that the young man had a good personality. Otherwise, no ordinary person would come by every day just to help out an old man. That was not possible. As for the money, yes, he was short on money, but he didn't really care about it.

"Thanks, Gramps." Lu Yuan nodded. He understood that the old man was not going to accept his money. However, he strongly believed in reciprocating goodwill. He pondered for a moment before he said, "Gramps, I heard your granddaughter just graduated from elementary school? You're trying to get her into Second High, right?"

"You heard everything, huh?" Gramps Ge asked. He then nodded and continued, "Second High has better education resources. That's why my daughter-in-law has been pushing for it. But, we are not natural residents of Hu City, so it's hard for my granddaughter to get in."

"It's only hard because you haven't found the right person to help. Why didn't you ask me if I had a way?" Lu Yuan replied with a smile.

"What? Do you have connections?" The old man was taken aback. He knew schools like that would require an insider to get in.

"Nope."

"Then...?"

"I have money."

Gramps Ge was speechless. He could only let out a long sigh. He really didn't want to accept Lu Yuan's offer but he was truly worn down by his daughter-in-law's constant pestering.

In the end, he stood up silently and returned to the house. When he came back out, he had a worn ancient book in his hands. He handed it to Lu Yuan and said, "This is an heirloom of the Ge Family. It supposedly contains methods to concoct pills and brew potions. I've studied it for years but still couldn't make much sense of it. I was planning to pass it down to my son.

"But in today's society, no one values traditional medicine anymore. If you are interested in it, take it."

"Thank you, Gramps."

Gazing down at the book in his hand, a faint smile couldn't help but surface on Lu Yuan's visage.

Indeed, this was that very book that recorded the pill-forging techniques of the legendary Alchemist Immortal Ge. And to truly make good use of the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace, this ancient book was an essential piece.

In fact, this had also been one of his goals from the very beginning.

It didn't serve any purpose now because the global awakening had yet to begin. But once the new era dawned upon them, the book would have unexpected use.

"I should be the one thanking you," Gramps Ge replied with a wave of his hand before he sat down next to the medicine cauldron and continued tending to the brewing concoction.

The old and young chatted about many things; most of the time, Lu Yuan simply listened.

Before leaving, Lu Yuan turned back and said, "Gramps, if you ever need any help in the future, contact me."

Lu Yuan had given the old man his phone number previously. His final parting remark was his way of sowing a karmic seed of goodwill for the future.

Besides, he vaguely remembered that Gramp Ge's granddaughter would also go on to become relatively renowned. Perhaps, they might even cross paths in the future. If they ever did, he intended to help her out.

Soon enough, Lu Yuan drove off. He headed straight home without making any detours.

Everything that he needed to do in Hu City had already been completed. The next step was to retrieve the last two treasures. Before that, he needed to make some preparations.

The day of global awakening was drawing near. Just like what Manager Lin had said before—the outside world was already beginning to spiral into chaos. He needed to have the strength to protect himself.

Upon returning home, Lu Yuan first placed the Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda into the basement room.

Then, he fetched a basin of clean water before finally placing the Meridian Heavenmend Furnace on the table.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The furnace looked ordinary and aged. The internal surface was especially covered in a thick layer of dust and black grime. Given any ordinary person, they would have tried all methods available to scrub it clean.

But when Lu Yuan saw the grime on the cauldron, delight tugged uncontrollably at the corners of his eyes.

The Meridian Heavenmend Furnace was once used by Immortal Ge to refine pills. And after each batch, a portion of their essence would remain in the furnace. And even after a thousand years, these remnants still remain potent.

I just need to get the right kind of distilled water to dissolve them. Once mixed into the bath, one can soak in it to temper their body and refine their physique.

In his previous life, it was precisely these traces of pill essence that allowed him to gain a foothold in the new era.

And this was also one of the few treasures that Lu Yuan knew to be able to enhance his body even before the global awakening began.

With it, Lu Yuan was confident that he would attain a body far beyond human limits in record time. And when he succeeded, the more benefits he would gain once the global awakening finally arrived.

Without further ado, he followed the method he remembered clearly to dissolve the cauldron's clinging medicinal remnants with purified water.

Then, he filled the bathtub with fresh water. When the water was almost ready, he poured the mixed mixture in the cauldron into the tub.

Instantly, a faint fragrance drifted from the water. Upon closer inspection, threads of violet light swirled just beneath the surface of the water, giving off an ethereal and mystical appearance.

Indeed, Immortal Ge was the legendary immortal sage!

"Let's start," Lu Yuan muttered. He drew a deep breath, and without hesitation, he immersed his entire body—head and all—into the glowing water.

Tonight marked the first day of his transformation!