42: Chapter 42 Inhumanity of the Tycoon

Dinner was still a high-calorie, high-protein cheap set meal, quickly replenishing his consumed physical strength.

After filling his stomach, he didn't leave directly as usual, but instead turned towards the brightly lit and bustling Xinhuo Hall Self-Operated Pharmacy next to the cafeteria.

The interior was spacious and bright, like a small supermarket, with queues at all four checkout counters; the air was filled with a strange medicinal fragrance mixed with various supplements.

This was the first time Li Wen had stepped in here himself to buy qi and blood potions; in the past, his parents had struggled to scrape together money to buy those few "luxury items" for him at ordinary pharmacies.

The shelves were full of a dazzling array of items, with bottles and jars shimmering with an enticing yet cold luster, marked with exorbitant prices.

Li Wen looked straight ahead, suppressing that hint of desire in his heart, and walked straight toward the most crowded "qi and blood potion Section."

Just as he walked over, he saw a middle-aged man wearing the dark uniform of a Kindling Hall member.

This person had a lean and powerful build with a restrained aura, but the invisible pressure he exuded made the nearby air feel a bit heavy.

Just by standing casually in front of the shelf, he brought an invisible pressure to Li Wen.

He saw the member lean over and casually grab a full twenty or so exquisitely packaged pale red potions from the shelf marked "Level 2," his movements as casual as if he were buying bottled water.

That arrogant posture made Li Wen's eyelids twitch.

"One, two, three... there must be twenty or thirty of them, right? One level 2 qi and blood potion costs twenty thousand, this handful..." Before he could finish the math problem in his head, he saw the member already walking toward the checkout counter.

Li Wen took a deep breath, forcing his envious gaze away, and leaned over to the bottom shelf marked "Level 1," extremely carefully and solemnly picking up only... four pale white potions with relatively simple packaging.

This was the ammunition for his Cultivation tonight, and also the guarantee for his Cultivation in the following days.

A "huge sum" of twelve thousand yuan—he was reluctant to invest it all at once; keeping it in his pocket seemed to provide a bit more sense of security.

"Buying so many at once, what if I lose them, drop them, or on the way..." Various absurd yet realistic "what-ifs" tumbled through his poor-man's head.

This wasn't pettiness; it was a deep brand carved from countless nights watching his parents worry about medical bills—the fear of poverty.

He tightly gripped these four light yet heavy level 1 qi and blood potions and silently lined up behind that Kindling Hall member.

At this moment, the numbers on the electronic screen at the checkout counter jumped like magic, finally settling on an astronomical figure that almost suffocated Li Wen: 1,200,000.00.

The young lady cashier showed a professional and sweet smile: "Hello, that's a total of 1.2 million yuan. Will you be paying with points or currency?"

"Card." The member's tone was flat without the slightest fluctuation, as if it were just a three-digit price tag. He casually handed over a card.

Li Wen, standing behind him, felt like he was observing a performance that did not belong to his social class.

"Alright, please wait a moment." The cashier moved briskly, operated the computer a few times, and her smile grew even wider: "Hello, based on your distinguished status as a Xinhuo Hall v3 member, you can enjoy a 20% discount on this purchase. After the discount, the actual amount received is nine hundred and sixty thousand yuan exactly."

"Twenty percent off?! That saves two hundred and forty thousand directly?!" Li Wen's pupils shook violently; the magnitude of this discount hit his heart like a heavy hammer.

Nine hundred and sixty thousand! With the two hundred and forty thousand saved, how many level 1 qi and blood potions could he buy? How long could it support his father's medical expenses? How much burden could it relieve for his family?

The huge impact made him instantly understand the terrifying value of being an official member of the Four Great Factions! Just the discount on potion purchases could save a huge sum in a year that an ordinary family wouldn't even dare to imagine!

"I must raise my technique Realm as soon as possible! Once I reach the Unity Realm, I'll be eligible to apply for an early contract! The earlier I join, the more money I'll save! I must grind! Grind with all my might!"

An unprecedented surging motivation, mixed with strong desire and unwillingness, exploded and burned in his chest.

"Hello, four level 1 qi and blood potions in total, two thousand yuan exactly. Are you a member of our store?" When it was Li Wen's turn, the cashier's polite inquiry pulled him back from his shock.

"...No membership. Card, thank you." Li Wen snapped back to his senses, his movements slightly stiff as he pulled out his bank card.

The numbers in the card had just been made to look incomparably tiny by that "nine hundred and sixty thousand."

"Alright, a total consumption of two thousand yuan. Here are your potions, please come again."

Amidst the cashier's formulaic parting words, Li Wen carefully tucked the four individually packaged qi and blood potions into the innermost pocket of his backpack like hidden treasures and quickly left this "place of wealth."

The evening rush hour bus swayed; it was already dark when he reached home, with the neon lights outside reflecting the street scene.

Li Wen pushed the door open and entered, just in time to hear his father Li Hong speaking on the phone in a low voice on the balcony:

"...How's Old Zhao doing? Sigh... Has the hospital pressed for payment? ...No way? ...Then... then when will the compensation come through? It's not a solution to keep dragging it out... The person is still lying in there! ...Sigh, alright... hang in there a bit longer..."

His father's voice was filled with exhaustion and helplessness, and his back looked somewhat hunched under the dim balcony light.

The serious injury of a coworker and the subsequent predicament cast another shadow over this family that had only recently escaped a major disaster.

Li Wen's heart tightened, and he called out softly, "Dad, I'm back."

Li Hong seemed startled, hurriedly said "talk to you later" into the phone, and hung up. When he turned around, a habitual smile was already forced onto his face:

"Xiao Wen is back? The food is warming in the pot."

"Yeah, I've eaten, Dad. I'm going back to my room to Cultivate."

He closed the door, cutting off the faint light from the living room.

He took the qi and blood potions out of his backpack, unpacked one of the individual boxes, and placed the glass tube potion, which carried hope and weight, steadily in the most convenient spot on his desk—this was his guarantee for recovering his body's energy after his sprint tonight.

Next, he changed into a looser set of old clothes, took off his shoes and socks, and stepped barefoot onto the faded, worn-edged old yoga mat in the center of the room—this was his exclusive "arena" for practicing the Basic Method, the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method.

Because the Absolute Focus time reserved for the Basic Method in the evening was only half an hour, the early stage of Cultivation could only rely on his own state to endure.

Li Wen calmed his mind and settled into the special stance work posture of the Splitting Edge Golden Fiend Method, which used the spine as a Dragon and involved the vibration and resonance of the bones and muscles throughout the body.

Buzz... A weak but clear force of Qi and blood began to be mobilized and circulated within his body, causing his body to vibrate slightly. His skin, muscles, and even bones felt a stinging sensation as if being rubbed by invisible grit.

This stinging, accompanied by the consumption of Qi and blood, was the necessary path to strengthening oneself.