Chapter 98: 98. Night Talks Gold
Li Pei's residence was located on Qingyun Street, close to Du Wenlan's home, where only officials lived, guarded by standard-bearers.
The eunuch Zhang Jin was well aware that his master valued the three members of the Liao family highly and had arranged for them a private courtyard adjacent to the rockery garden, boasting a splendid view.
Lu Yao drove the classic car straight into the courtyard to park, then curiously surveyed the elegant and delicate garden.
~~~~~~~
In the study, Zhang Jin came to report, "Commandery Princess, the Liao family has been settled in."
"Mmm, keep an eye on them for me, we must not be impolite."
At the moment, Li Pei was examining two bottles of Golden Elixir Brew closely, "The Liao family really isn't lacking in material wealth."
This was what Lu Yao had just given to her. The herbs used to brew this alcohol were very expensive, the cheapest being deer antler and Lingzhi mushrooms, and they were used in large quantities.
After all, brewing medicine only required a pinch, but soaking alcohol needed handfuls being thrown in. Take ginseng, for instance—when brewing medicine only a few slices were needed, but soaking alcohol required an entire root.
Thus, a bottle was quite valuable, worth ten taels of silver on the Imperial City's market.
Zhang Jin, storing away the Golden Elixir Brew for his master, laughed, "To send two bottles of Golden Elixir Brew is indeed generous. But Young Master Lu is wealthy and it's normal for him to be generous."
He would never forget the shocking sight when he discovered a million catties of grain stored in that remote warehouse.
~~~~~~~~
In the evening, Li Pei visited the courtyard of the three from Lu Yao's group. Stay connected via m-v l|e'm,p| y- r
"Are you finding it comfortable to live in? If you need anything, just let me know."
Liao Ya said with gentle grace, "Thank you, Commandery Princess, this place is very nice, we lack for nothing."
Li Pei nodded, sat down with an easy grace, and everyone began to exchange their experiences in cultivation.
They first discussed the most difficult Spirit Refinement. The cultivation of Spirit Refinement was incredibly arduous, with less than 1% of martial artists at the same realm achieving it.
It was assumed that no one had made much progress, but then Lu Yao casually mentioned, "I have entered the state of 'Sitting Forgetfulness' by myself twice."
After saying this, he even winked at Liao Qe, causing the girl's cheeks to redden with embarrassment.
Li Pei was shocked, and immediately pressed for details, "How did you do it?"
99% of Spirit Refiners were stuck in the stage of Focused Spirit and meditation—'Sitting Forgetfulness' was rare even in the Imperial City, let alone for someone as young as Lu Yao!
Lu Yao replied earnestly, "Just relax both body and mind, free from desires and aspirations, reaching a state of selflessness, like a saintly sage."
Li Pei appeared contemplative and said, "A State of Saintly Sage..." before thanking him formally, "Thank you for the guidance!"
Lu Yao struggled to keep a straight face, "Not at all, not at all."
Liao Qe gave her sweetheart a stare—partly to interrupt and partly out of curiosity—and asked, "Commandery Princess, the newspapers say we are going to war with the foreigners again?"
Li Pei sighed, "The great powers are exploiting our difficulties, and the envoy from Queen Einheit of England is being especially brazen—demanding that we give up customs control over several trading ports."
Liao Qe spoke harshly, "These detestable foreigners, they are always bullying us!"
Lu Yao asked curiously, "Commandery Princess... with the many experts at the Imperial Court, are we still afraid of the foreigners' firearms?"
Li Pei took out a 9mm bullet and placed it in her palm, lamenting,
"An Organ Refining Expert spends twenty years cultivating, yet cannot stop such a small bullet.
And such tiny bullets are produced continuously from factory production lines, enabling ordinary people to use them, let alone cannons.
Moreover... the foreigners have more than just firearms. In today's world, merging cultivation with technology is the true path."
The scene fell silent, leaving only the sounds of early summer insects. After a little while, Li Pei smiled again,
"There's no need to worry, with a Great Grandmaster of the Indestructible Golden Body Realm overseeing things at the Imperial Court, and with scholars diligently researching techniques, our current difficulties are but temporary."
At the mention of "Indestructible Golden Body," Liao Ya perked up, her eyes shimmering with intense longing as she gazed dreamily, "Indestructible Golden Body... to withstand cannonballs with one's flesh, what a sight that must be. We martial artists should indeed strive to reach this supreme summit!"
Li Pei glanced at Lu Yao and said meaningfully, "To ascend to this realm, you must serve the Imperial Court. You must know that the 'gold' required for cultivation is extremely precious and scarce in output, so much so that no amount of money can buy it."
Lu Yao and Liao Qe, upon hearing the word "gold," hurriedly bowed their heads to conceal the expressions on their faces.
Curious, Liao Ya inquired, "Gold? Is that the miraculous metal that has been lost since the time of Immortal Qin?"
Li Pei waved her hand dismissively, "It's not exactly lost, just that its yield is very low; there is simply not enough to meet the demand. The Imperial Court has deployed many experts to guard the sites. Alas, who knows what The First Emperor of Qin did to exhaust the country's gold reserves entirely."
Lu Yao listened intently to every word, not daring to interject with any further questions. Unfortunately, Li Pei herself didn't know much and didn't elaborate further.
Subsequently, Liao Ya began to seek advice about the practices of the Marrow-Cleansing Realm. With Li Pei as an experienced mentor, she patiently provided guidance.
"The so-called Marrow-Cleansing is the first step in 'refining immortal bones and shedding the mortal shell,' when perfected, one's marrow will be as frost with a strength of 6000 jin and a lifespan that can reach 120 years! The 'Art of the Dragon Slayer Manual' I gave you before can greatly speed up your progress."
...
After the discussion, not only did the three Liao sisters benefit greatly, Li Pei herself revisited her knowledge and made substantial gains.
The two girls enjoyed their talk so much, they decided to sleep together that night~
~~~~~~~
Lu Yao and Liao Qe entered their room, and the girl quickly took down the small golden pig and, patting her chest in fear, said,
"This thing is actually meant for the cultivation of Golden Body experts... Lu Yao, if such high-level items appear in the world, they will surely lead to fierce slaughter, where tens of thousands could easily perish!"
"I hadn't expected this either..." Lu Yao was equally surprised and said,
"With this, when we advance to the Indestructible Golden Body Realm, we won't be lacking resources. By then, the whole family will be able to withstand cannonballs, and we can crush anyone we choose~"
Liao Qe, holding the small golden pig under the light, found its golden radiance even more captivating.
She then carefully hid it away, growing ever more hopeful for the future. "Indestructible Golden Body Realm, huh... Can I achieve it too?"
~~~~~~~~
Li Pei and Liao Ya's conversation was lively, topic after topic, and they even touched upon Lu Yao and Liao Qe, noting how ninety-nine percent of their fellow disciples had paired off as couples.
It was nearly midnight before they went to bed to rest. They shed their clothes, one wearing a Blue Star bra and the other in a bellyband, both equally impressive in stature, and both boasting beautiful collarbones and seductive lines.
Their fair bodies glowed even more enticingly under the lamp, and for a time, the two beauties competed in allure, neither outshining the other.
Li Pei was curious about Liao Ya's Blue Star underwear and couldn't resist touching it. "This garment is really exquisite~ It looks foreign in style, doesn't it?"
Liao Ya suppressed her shyness and let her do as she wished, "Mmm, it's quite comfortable to wear." She involuntarily hunched her shoulders and shrank back when touched by someone else.
With a giggly smile, Li Pei fondled it a couple more times, saying, "Sister~ don't be shy. It's inconvenient for us to grow up like this; it even attracts disgusting gazes. But the more it's like this, the more we should stand tall. Besides, they're just envious through our clothes~"
Liao Ya herself couldn't be so nonchalant, and could only offer a bitter smile.
Then, she found an unworn large-size bra and gifted it to Li Pei, who happily accepted the present.
After both women went to bed, just as Li Pei was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a woman's sobbing, as if someone was biting on something...
Being from the court, she immediately realized what was happening and spit contemptuously. "They really can't help themselves!"
The noise was very faint; Liao Ya couldn't hear it, but Li Pei, with her focused spirit, could just barely make it out.
The restrained and melancholic sobbing continued until the Commandery Princess finally fell asleep in the latter half of the night.