Director Ma stood frozen at the entrance to the Chinese medicinal herb garden for a long time.
After confirming that the scene before him was not a hallucination and that he wasn't dreaming, he let out a gasp of disbelief. "That kid, Zhao Yuan, how on earth did he do this? It hasn't even been two hours since I gave him the key, has it? He actually managed to bring about an earth-shattering change to the herb garden! This is just incredible!"
Director Ma had no doubt that Zhao Yuan was responsible for the change in the herb garden. After all, he had just been here yesterday. And between yesterday and today, besides himself, only Zhao Yuan could have possibly come. The others were either not in Rongcheng City or didn't have a key to the garden.
His heart pounding with excitement, Director Ma strode into the Chinese medicinal herb garden.
The birds resting inside were startled and took flight, but they didn't fly far. The refreshing Spiritual Qi emanating from the garden made them too reluctant to leave. Instead, they circled high above, forming a 'cloud of birds'.
The sight was so beautiful and rare that Director Ma found himself captivated.
After a long moment, Director Ma finally snapped back to his senses and began weaving through the garden, inspecting the condition of the herbs.
The more he looked, the broader his smile became. He muttered to himself in excitement, "Wonderful, this is just wonderful. All the medicinal herbs here have regained their vitality and are now thriving! This Zhao Yuan is truly capable, far beyond my expectations. With the herb garden in his hands, I can finally be at ease!"
Although he didn't understand how Zhao Yuan had managed to completely revitalize the garden in just two short hours, Director Ma didn't dwell on it. He simply assumed that Zhao Yuan, coming from a remote mountainous area where he'd helped with farm work since he was a child, must have some unique skills when it came to cultivation.
Fortunately, Zhao Yuan had used medicinal herbs to set up the Feng Shui Formation instead of a Magical Artifact. Otherwise, the herbs in the garden wouldn't have just regained their vitality—they would have shot up and grown to full maturity in an instant! If that had happened, Director Ma likely wouldn't be feeling excited, but terrified!
After spending nearly half an hour in the herb garden, Director Ma finally left, his face beaming with excitement.
As he walked away, he was still muttering, "This Zhao Yuan... he's really solved a huge problem for our Chinese medicine department! If this situation continues, I'll definitely put in a word for him and make sure the university gives him a proper commendation!"
Zhao Yuan had no idea that Director Ma had gone to inspect the herb garden after he left. He was currently having lunch with Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan at a small restaurant just outside campus.
"Strange, why do I feel like I just can't get full today?" Wu Yan's chopsticks were a blur as he continuously shoveled food into his mouth, looking as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.
"Me too. This is already my fourth bowl of rice, but my stomach doesn't feel the least bit full," Liu Zhu chimed in. After snatching the last bit of food from the table, he yelled, "Hey, boss! A few more dishes, please! Anything's fine, just make it quick!"
Meanwhile, Wang Rongfeng was too busy burying his face in his bowl to even spare a moment to speak.
Seeing the state they were in, Zhao Yuan couldn't help but laugh. He explained, "This is a normal reaction to practicing the Four Saints Technique! Your bodies are improving because of your Cultivation, but this improvement requires the Essence of Water and Valleys, so your appetites have naturally increased."
Wu Yan said thoughtfully, "So you're saying the reason you've been eating so much lately, Third Brother, is because you've been practicing the Four Saints Technique?"
"That's right," Zhao Yuan nodded.
Liu Zhu said with a wry smile, "We haven't seen any of the physical improvements from the Four Saints Technique yet, but we're definitely getting a firsthand experience of its effect on our appetites. Looks like from now on, Third Brother won't be the only glutton in Dorm 301."
Zhao Yuan's eyebrow shot up. He demanded, "Wait, 'glutton'? Since when did I get that nickname?"
"Huh?" Liu Zhu, Wang Rongfeng, and Wu Yan exchanged glances before saying in perfect unison, "Uh, let's eat, let's eat. Hurry up and eat."
"Fine. Just you wait for tonight's training session. I guarantee I'll work you until you're crying for mercy!" Zhao Yuan said with a cold smile, his expression as menacing as he could make it. The three of them shivered in unison.
After lunch, Zhao Yuan went to a nearby pet store and bought a small bed for the White Cat, along with a food bowl and a bag of cat food.
Back in the dorm, he placed the small bed under his own. The spot was relatively hidden, so it wouldn't be easily discovered by the dorm manager during inspections.
Evidently, the White Cat was very satisfied with its little bed. It kept crawling in and out, as if inspecting its new home.
"Come on, time to eat," Zhao Yuan called to it, tearing open the bag of cat food and pouring some into the bowl.
The White Cat walked over and sniffed at the bowl, but didn't take a bite. Instead, it looked up with an expression of pure disgust.
"What, you don't like it?" Zhao Yuan asked, confused. "That's odd. The person at the pet store told me this brand of cat food is really popular, that most cats love it. Here, try a bite. Maybe you'll like it once you taste it."
The White Cat meowed twice in protest.
"Alright, you're quite the picky eater. What do you like to eat, then? Hey, how about I take you to the pet store and you can pick something out yourself?" Zhao Yuan said in a placating tone.
The White Cat meowed twice, then suddenly leaped out the window.
Fearing it would fall, Zhao Yuan rushed to the window and looked out. He saw the White Cat moving with incredible agility, leaping between the window ledges of different floors and landing effortlessly at the bottom of the building.
Its posture and grace were so elegant, it looked like a master who had perfected the ultimate Qinggong.
A few minutes later, the White Cat returned to Dorm 301 the same way it left. It was carrying a small snake it had caught from who-knows-where. It dropped the snake into the food bowl, glanced up at Zhao Yuan and meowed once, then buried its head and began to devour it. In a matter of moments, it had eaten the entire snake, leaving not even a single bone behind.
"Well, I'll be. No wonder you don't like cat food—you prefer your meals live!" Zhao Yuan finally understood why the White Cat had made a face of pure disgust. When you have fresh, live meat, who would possibly want to eat cat food?
"Alright then, you can hunt for your own food from now on," Zhao Yuan said, shaking his head. He decided not to worry about the White Cat's meals anymore.
「Time quickly passed into the afternoon.」
After his classes ended, Zhao Yuan returned to his dorm, grabbed the travel bag full of money, and left the school, heading for Antique Street.
When he arrived at Shufang Studio, Cheng Yunlong was in the tea room, drinking tea with a guest. Seeing Zhao Yuan, he quickly stood up and apologized to his guest, "Old Wang, please wait here for a moment. I have an important guest to attend to."
The man called Old Wang, whose full name was Wang Qing, was a dealer in the antique business. Cheng Yunlong often acquired treasures from him.
Wang Qing turned his head, saw Zhao Yuan walk into the shop through the tea room's glass window, and asked curiously, "Old Cheng, what's the story with this 'important guest'? Why are you so worked up about him?"
After a moment's hesitation, Cheng Yunlong told him the truth. "I won't hide it from you—he's a Feng Shui Master! You know how I asked you to help me procure those Five Elements Coins recently? I want to ask him to use them to create an Exorcism Talisman for me."