Luo Xiu slept until he woke naturally, and by the time he did, it was already past seven in the evening.

He lay on his back in bed, savoring the last bits of warmth from the covers, his eyes fixed on the ceiling as he let out a long sigh.

The medicinal herbs he'd obtained from Wan Yao Hall and Boss Huang, along with those given by Su Guobang, had barely restored the medicinal strength of the Qihuang Technique to fifty percent. But due to Lin Xiyue last night, it had all been depleted again, down to the last drop.

"HISS..."

Luo Xiu drew in a sharp breath, enduring the ineffable soreness and weakness throughout his body as he struggled to get out of bed.

The laughter and playful noises of the women downstairs could be heard clearly even from the third floor.

After a quick wash and tidy-up, he went downstairs.

The five women were gathered around the table, enjoying hotpot amid lively chatter and laughter.

Luo Xiu approached them and said, "You heartless bunch, taking advantage of my nap to sneak in some hotpot?"

Sun Li snorted, her voice tinged with coquetry. "We're not giving any to the old lecher."

Su Shanyue covered her mouth to stifle a giggle, then made an "I'm sorry" gesture to Luo Xiu in sign language.

Wu Xin, however, remained expressionless, acting as if Luo Xiu didn't exist.

Xu Qianqing smiled. "We saved your portion. Take a seat, I'll go get it for you."

Lin Xiyue glanced at Luo Xiu and asked, "How are your injuries?"

Although the women who knew Luo Xiu were aware of his large appetite, far exceeding that of a normal person, he managed to astound them once again that evening.

Tonight, Luo Xiu ate for a full two hours before finishing his meal.

And during those two hours, his mouth almost never stopped moving.

Xu Qianqing had cooked two full pots of rice.

"Xiu, I'm so envious of you. You can eat so much without gaining an ounce."

Sun Li rested her chin in her hands, propped up on the table, silently admiring Luo Xiu as he ate.

She found the way he ate to be extremely adorable, like a little puppy guarding its food.

To her left and right, the other four women were in almost the exact same pose, all silently appreciating the sight of Luo Xiu eating.

"I think you should enter an eating contest."

"Luo Xiu, what on earth is your stomach made of?"

"Two pigs probably wouldn't eat as much as you, right?"

Luo Xiu paid no mind to the chattering women. He gulped down a bowl of seaweed soup, set the large bowl down, and patted his bulging belly as he got up to leave.

"Lin Xiyue, come with me for a moment."

Lin Xiyue stood up and followed Luo Xiu upstairs.

Watching their retreating figures, Sun Li asked with curiosity, "What are they going upstairs for?"

Wu Xin said indifferently, "Haven't you heard the saying? After a full meal come lustful thoughts. So, what do you think they're going up there to do?"

At her words, the other women blushed and fell silent.

Suddenly, Sun Li waved her little pink fists. "That won't do! We have to stop them!"

Wu Xin said coolly, "They're a legally married couple. What right do you have to stop them?"

---

As the saying goes, food and medicine come from the same source; the grains, chicken, duck, and fish of one's daily meals are also a form of potent medicine.

Thus, after a hearty meal, Luo Xiu's spirits had significantly improved.

The reason he had always been such a big eater was because of the Qihuang Technique.

However, a single meal could only provide a negligible amount of medicinal power to the technique.

"Sit down."

Luo Xiu walked into his pharmacy first and motioned toward the small sofa nearby.

Lin Xiyue sat down as instructed, her gaze quietly fixed on him.

Luo Xiu asked, "That condition you had last night, has it ever happened before?"

Lin Xiyue nodded slightly.

"Give me your hand."

"Oh."

Lin Xiyue extended her hand toward him.

Luo Xiu took her wrist and slowly closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, Luo Xiu opened his eyes and looked at her gravely.

"Your meridians… Forgive my bluntness, but you don't have long to live."

Lin Xiyue, however, was as calm as ever. "I know."

Luo Xiu sighed softly. "I'm sorry. We've been together for so long, and I never noticed… I've never encountered a condition like yours before."

Lin Xiyue smiled. "You don't need to apologize to me. I've known about my condition for a long time. I was just hiding it. Besides Du Gang, no one else knows."

"I see."

Luo Xiu looked at Lin Xiyue with a pang of heartache.

At that moment, he couldn't help but think of himself.

Wasn't his own condition similar to Lin Xiyue's? Wasn't his life also hanging by a thread?

Suddenly, he felt a sense of empathy, a kinship in their shared plight.

"So if it wasn't for last night, you would have kept hiding it?"

Lin Xiyue said, "It just so happened that the moon was very round last night. On top of that, being kidnapped made me very emotional, so it triggered an episode."

With that, she stood up and faced him. "There's nothing you can do now that you know. I hope you can keep it a secret for me and not let my family find out."

Luo Xiu nodded, then turned and walked to a desk on the side, a heavy expression on his face.

Unbeknownst to Lin Xiyue, he took a book out of his Jade Pendant and began flipping through it.

Watching his back, Lin Xiyue said calmly, "You might laugh when I say this… but I want to have a child before I die."

Luo Xiu froze for a moment, then said, "So that night at the bar… and then asking me to marry you, insisting on consummating our marriage every Monday, and without protection… it was all because you want a child?"

Lin Xiyue's cheeks flushed red as she said softly, "Don't you laugh at me."

Luo Xiu smiled. "What's there to laugh at? Everyone has their own wishes. But why did you have to choose me?"

Lin Xiyue replied, "There are so many men in the world, I had to pick one. It just so happened to be you. Does there need to be a reason for everything?"

"Found it!" Luo Xiu suddenly exclaimed.

Lin Xiyue looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

Luo Xiu smiled. "Although I can't cure you right now, I have a way to let you live for another ten years or so."

Lin Xiyue, however, just shook her head. "Don't bother."

As if he hadn't heard her, Luo Xiu closed the book and said, "I need to go out for a bit. You'll stay here for the time being. Be good."

Without giving her a chance to respond, he turned and left.

Lin Xiyue watched his retreating back, her lips pressed together, wanting to say more but holding back.

She could feel that Luo Xiu had taken this matter to heart.

"Luo Xiu, thank you for caring about me so much…"

---

As soon as Luo Xiu went downstairs, he was stopped by Wu Xin.

"What is it?"

Wu Xin said, "I investigated today. Besides Cao Hong, the people who kidnapped your wife last night also included men from the Western District and the South District."

Hearing this, Luo Xiu's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

"I'm certain."

A chilling light glinted in Luo Xiu's eyes as he said coldly, "Then I have a score to settle with them."

Wu Xin said, "I advise you not to do anything foolish. Even Boss Huang wouldn't dare to provoke the forces of two districts at the same time."

Luo Xiu said no more and walked away.

After leaving the villa complex, he hailed a taxi straight to Wan Yao Hall.

On the way, Luo Xiu had already called Li Jiuzhen and He Dang Gui, asking the two old men to meet him there.

---

"Gentlemen, I'll have to trouble you with these medicinal ingredients," Luo Xiu said, placing a list on the table.

The two old men looked at the densely written list with serious expressions, taking out a pen to make notes on it.

The items they marked were the ones they could find or knew the location of.

But there were still many exceedingly rare medicinal herbs that they couldn't locate.

"Young friend Luo, may I ask why you need so many rare ingredients?" Li Jiuzhen finally asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

Luo Xiu didn't hide it. "I'm going to perform alchemy."

"Alchemy?!"

At his words, the two old men's eyes widened, their spirits instantly lifted.

"Young friend Luo, I had no idea you also knew alchemy!"

"This old man has an impudent request… when you are performing alchemy… would it be possible for this old man to observe from the side?"

Considering the two elders were helping him find so many ingredients, Luo Xiu readily agreed.

"If you want to learn alchemy, I can teach you as well."

"Really?!"

The two old men were so excited they nearly jumped out of their seats.

Luo Xiu waved his hand. "The immediate priority is to find these ingredients."

"Yes, yes, finding the herbs is what's important!"

He Dang Gui's face bloomed into a wide smile as he quickly added, "This old man can get most of the ingredients on this list. After all, my position as the president of the Medical Association isn't just for show."

Li Jiuzhen picked up the list for a closer look, his brow suddenly furrowing. "Hm? By the way, Young friend Luo, this 'Three Gold Silkworm Jade Dew' you're looking for… I remember Xiang Laoer from the Western District has some. I tried to buy it from him years ago, but he wouldn't sell, no matter how much money I offered."

He then added, "And coincidentally, this 'Tear-condensed Red Flower' is in the hands of Tao Laosi from the South District."

"The Western District? The South District?"

Luo Xiu frowned, suddenly recalling what Wu Xin had said before he left.

According to Wu Xin's investigation, people from the Western and South Districts were involved in Lin Xiyue's kidnapping last night.

He asked, "Are they underground forces?"

Li Jiuzhen nodded.

Luo Xiu said, "In that case, I'll just go and rob them. It just so happens I have a score to settle with them."

Hearing this, both old men were left speechless, unsure of what to say.

To talk about robbing two Dragon Head bosses so casually… he was truly one of a kind.

He Dang Gui changed the subject. "As for this Scorching Sun Profound Purity Fruit, as far as I know, it's a rare medicine carefully cultivated by those reclusive Martial Artist factions. It's a priceless treasure, so I'm afraid it won't be found anytime soon."

Luo Xiu sighed softly. "In any case, let's start with the ones we can find."

"Gentlemen, it's getting late. You two should head back and rest. I'm going to go rob some ingredients first."

"..."

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