24. Prepare

The rich aroma of meat filled the air, dinner was almost ready.

This time, it wasn't about eating crabs.

Liao Ya sat at the table early, waiting. Although she still appeared calm and graceful, the expression on her face was clearly joyful, with a hint of anticipation.

Before long, Liao Qe came over with a huge clay pot, filled with meat and bones, stewing with Chinese yam.

Liao Ya immediately reached out to take some, only to be stopped by her sister, "What's the rush, Sister? There's still one more step."

Having said that, she went to the yard, picked some coriander and green onion, and finely chopped them over the stew in the clay pot.

A few flecks of green instantly enhanced the dish, elevating its presentation by a notch!

Liao Qe nodded in satisfaction, "All right, let's eat!"

Liao Ya's hand moved like lightning, picking up a leg bone laden with meat and biting into it.

Lu Yao, in a state of deep meditation, clearly saw—that the moment the young girl's cherry lips opened, sparkling saliva flowed out like a stream. When she bit into a mouthful of meat, she involuntarily closed her eyes and chewed with a face full of bliss.

Lu Yao chuckled to himself, "So she likes eating meat this much."

In the blink of an eye, Liao Ya cleaned a bone, even crunching and swallowing the bone itself.

Then a muffled rumble followed, as her stomach turned into a furnace, absorbing the nutrients.

Lu Yao's eyes widened in shock, "Holy shit, that's like a wood chipper!"

At this moment, Liao Ya was also in deep meditation, her senses fully open to savor the deliciousness of the meat, and she clearly felt Lu Yao's astonished gaze, instantly becoming bashful, a blush spreading from her cheeks to her slender, creamy neck.

Feeling self-conscious under such scrutiny, Liao Ya intended to maintain some dignity and eat less. But she suddenly thought—she was about to pawn her sister off on him, so what was wrong with eating some meat!!!

Turning her indignation into appetite, she picked up another bone and started gnawing on it again, giving Lu Yao a glare to stop staring at her while she ate.

Lu Yao sheepishly shifted his gaze to the charming Liao Qe.

She was no slouch either, gobbling up a large chunk of meat rapidly like a squirrel devouring a nut.

When she ate, her eyes glazed over, evidently concentrating all her attention on the food, temporarily shutting down non-essential bodily functions...

"Well, they really are sisters; looks like the meat was a good buy."

Lu Yao daintily nibbled at a small piece of meat, his appetite not strong, and he couldn't eat much anyway.

He looked at the two beautiful, lively young girls devouring large chunks of meat with envy.

"When will I be able to cure my illness and become as fierce as Liao Ya... no, I'd be satisfied being like Liao Qe, lifting things weighing over a hundred pounds with one hand, and flattening that bastard Zhang Xin with a single punch is nothing difficult."

"Sigh, why bother thinking so much, just focus on staying alive..."

As Lu Yao became more adept at the Spirit Refining Method, he could faintly sense that his remaining lifespan wasn't much, maybe a year and a half at most. It was an indescribable feeling, somehow just knowing it.

While feeling a bit down, his arm was taken by a small fair hand—it was Liao Qe, who had come over at some point, her mouth shiny with grease, contentedly saying:

"The meat from livestock is really the best, chicken, duck, crab, none of them compare~"

Lu Yao played with the girl's delicate hand and joked, "As long as you like it, eat more, you can't practice martial arts without sufficient nutrition."

"I'm full already~"

Liao Qe had eaten about three pounds of meat, indeed a lot.

At that moment, Liao Ya coughed and gave her sister a stern look. Liao Qe stuck out her tongue and quickly withdrew her hand from Lu Yao.

Liao Ya bowed her head and continued her battle, finishing off the remaining meat and not leaving a single drop of soup, bringing the meal to a perfect end.

She herself had eaten seven pounds of meat, and when she stood up, her stomach bulged as if she were four months pregnant, quite noticeable.

The girl felt somewhat embarrassed, and immediately focused on operating her stomach at full capacity, making a muffled sound as her belly visibly shrank down to normal size after a short while.

~~~~~~~

After the meal, as usual, it was time to drink the medicinal tonic.

Lu Yao set up the medicine decoction machine and took the opportunity to ask a few questions about problems encountered during his Spirit Refining Cultivation.

Liao Ya was completely unreserved, imparting the wisdom accumulated by generations of the Liao Family.

At first, Lu Yao hadn't understood, but now he even appreciated the preciousness of martial arts knowledge—it was the foundation for families and sects to establish themselves!

Even to a direct disciple, a master would hold back some secrets and would not share everything. Liao Ya's complete openness was a true sign of trust and gratitude towards him.

Seeing that matters in the Otherworld were wrapping up, Lu Yao returned to his own room, activated the "Dimensional Door" to envelop himself, and returned to Blue Star.

~~~~~~~

After casually placing the Cordyceps he brought back into a cupboard, Lu Yao took out his phone and called "Medicine Peddler" Li Lei.

The girl's voice came through the phone, feigning calmness, "Hello, hello, hello~ Lu Yao! Do you have new stock!? "

She had been meaning to contact Lu Yao. The last batch of Cordyceps had sold out, and customers had remarked on their good effects, eager to buy more.

Lu Yao replied, "Yes, I have a large quantity. Get your money ready. Oh, and by the way~ when you come, bring me 100 jin each of Dijin Grass, donkey-hide gelatin, and bee pupae."

These were all herbs easily accessible on Blue Star, yet Li Lei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "100 jin each? That's a lot! Are you planning to open a pharmacy or what?"

The herbs are typically sold dry by the "jin". 100 jin is indeed a lot, and ordinary pharmacies wouldn't keep so much stock on hand.

"I need them. Just come over quick, and let's get this done fast."

"Alright, alright, I'm on my way."

After hanging up, while waiting for Li Lei, Lu Yao opened the local large shopping center's online store—Zhongguang Mansion.

The store boasted "One-Hour Delivery", promising that goods would be delivered to your door within an hour of placing an order.

Lu Yao purchased an extravagant, oversized "bathtub" as well as a bunch of miscellaneous items, including sanitary napkins.

~~~~~~~~

Li Lei's greatest advantage was her efficiency, especially when it came to making money; she was swift in her actions. In less than an hour, she arrived downstairs in her car.

She called to ask, "Lu Yao, I've brought the medicinal herbs. Do you need me to bring them upstairs?"

Lu Yao replied, "No need, I'll open the garage door. Just put them in the garage."

His house was in an old neighborhood with private garages, which were now quite rare, as people usually had to buy parking spaces.

He found the remote control for the garage door and took the Cordyceps down with him.

As instructed, Li Lei brought a total of 300 jin of medicinal materials—that was not a small amount.

She hopped out of the car, spat into her palm, and was ready to hoist the heavy bags over her shoulders.

Seeing the girl's slender arms and legs, Lu Yao was very uneasy. "Forget it... Don't hurt your back, alright..."

Li Lei acted unconcerned, "No worries, I may look thin, but I'm strong!"

At that moment, the deliverymen from the shopping center arrived, two sturdy young men.

The tomboy Li Lei switched gears in a blink, turning demure as she ran over and sweet-talked the two men into voluntarily helping unload the goods.

Lu Yao: "..."