Chapter 20 - One Who Understands Pots
Lu Yuan already knew that True Essence would gradually recover with rest.
Last night, after he increased his True Essence cap, his amount had been 111 units. He had been reluctant to use Merit Points to replenish it, and after a night of rest, it had risen to 114 units by the time he woke up in the morning.
But after an entire day, not only had it not recovered—it had actually dropped by 4 points.
“From the moment I left home this morning, I’ve been busy nonstop all day. I even got knocked unconscious by a punch from Zhang Baocheng. Yet I don’t feel that tired… it seems this is because some of my True Essence has been consumed.”
As he was thinking this, the number on the system shifted again, dropping to 109.
“Looks like consuming True Essence can also replenish a certain amount of stamina.”
Although the system had increased his True Essence, Lu Yuan had never figured out how to actively use it, leaving him somewhat disappointed.
But now it seemed that True Essence could automatically restore stamina, which was already a pretty useful ability. As for the kind of power Ji Yin had—punching through walls or leaping hundreds of meters—that was probably a more advanced application of True Essence.
Even if he asked Ji Yin, he probably wouldn’t teach him. Better to wait until he got into a cultivator university.
Aside from True Essence, the change in his Merit Points also surprised Lu Yuan.
He originally had 999 points, but now it had inexplicably increased by 500 points.
After successfully negotiating with Jia Shengnan in the morning, he had specifically checked the system—at that time, the Merit Points hadn’t changed. So it clearly wasn’t directly related to making money.
He hadn’t paid attention during the afternoon’s fighting, but now he suddenly had an extra 500 points.
This batch of Merit Points was probably related to his involvement in clearing out the cult base. If he hadn’t acted as bait today, Ji Yin might have been troubled by the cult for quite some time.
“Merit Points really are tied to merit,” Lu Yuan thought.
But then why did making zongzi count as merit?
Judging from the numbers, making zongzi had earned him even more merit than wiping out a cult base.
He couldn’t figure it out for now, so he decided to leave it and observe further.
Lu Yuan walked on in silence, thinking about Merit Points. On his back, Xiaobing looked at the side of his face, the dim streetlights of midnight casting a yellow glow across it.
“Brother, I was really scared today.”
“Don’t be. It’s already over.”
“I knew you would come save me. I just didn’t think you actually would.”
“Heh.” Lu Yuan smiled, not pointing out the contradiction in her words.
After a moment, he said, “Xiaobing, give me your hand.”
From behind, Xiaobing reached her hand forward.
Lu Yuan grabbed it, their fingers interlocking tightly.
“This time, I finally caught you,” he murmured. “And Mom and Dad too—I’ll hold on to all of you tightly.”
Xiaobing didn’t understand. “Brother, what are you talking about?”
Lu Yuan had no intention of explaining.
The two of them got home in the early hours of the morning.
The day had been thrilling and dangerous. Both of them were exhausted and disheveled, wanting nothing more than to sleep right after a shower.
Xiaobing went into the bathroom first. Lu Yuan took out his phone to charge it. It was an old phone—after a bit of use, the battery would run out. He still needed to check his online banking to see if Jia Shengnan’s money had arrived.
Not long after plugging it in, the phone powered on automatically. Soon, several messages came through. When he saw the long string of digits in the transfer notification, Lu Yuan let out a satisfied sigh.
He had finally secured the money for his mother’s treatment!
Aside from the transfer message, there were also several missed call alerts. Lu Yuan saw that they were from Jia Xuanxuan. Judging by the timing, it was probably Jia Shengnan informing him that the money had been transferred.
Jia Shengnan was a decent guy—just a bit too fond of sending his daughter to handle things. A simple call, yet he had to have his daughter make it.
After thinking about it, Lu Yuan decided not to return the call. At this hour, calling back would only annoy people.
Just as he was about to put the phone down, another call came in—from an unknown number. Lu Yuan answered, and Ji Yin’s voice came from the other side.
“Kid, did you get home?” Ji Yin showed not the slightest bit of guilt.
“Wow, thank you so much, Lord Ji Yin!”
“No need to thank me, haha!”
“How did you get my number?”
“Is it hard for the Internal Affairs Bureau to find your number?”
“…What do you want?”
“To tell you some good news…”
“Wait.” Lu Yuan cut him off. “There’s something important first!”
“Go on.”
“At the cult base, there’s a big pot. That pot was stolen from my house by the cultists. You need to return it to me!”
Ji Yin almost choked on his breath. He had thought it would be something serious.
“A pot? That’s what you care about? You’re always thinking about a pot!”
“It’s a really good pot!” Lu Yuan explained seriously. “The bottom is thick—perfect for cooking porridge, it doesn’t burn easily. And it’s big, so you can cook a lot at once!
If it were an ordinary pot, I wouldn’t care.”
Ji Yin fell silent, completely speechless. After a long pause, he finally said:
“You’re someone who truly understands pots.”
“I’ll have someone deliver it to your house.”
“Thanks. By the way, what’s the good news?”
“Well, it’s related to your college entrance exam,” Ji Yin said mysteriously.
“What is it?”
“You made quite a contribution today. I just reported the operation to headquarters and applied for a reward for you.”
“What reward?”
“An extra 10 points on the written exam. The official commendation notice should reach the admissions office in about a week,” Ji Yin said proudly. “Excited?”
“It’s alright.”
Lu Yuan didn’t say it out loud, but he was thinking: he needed a lot more than just 10 points!
Still, it gave him a clue—there were bonus point policies for the college entrance exam here. Tomorrow, he would study the admissions guide and see what other ways there were to earn extra points.
If cooking could earn points, that would be perfect.
After chatting casually for a bit longer, they ended the call.
By then, Xiaobing had finished her shower and came out in her pajamas to dry her hair, while Lu Yuan went in to wash up.
After he finished, he checked the time—it was already one in the morning. He quickly turned off the lights and went to bed.
But just as he lay down, Xiaobing pushed open the door, hugging a pillow.
“Brother… I’m scared. Can I sleep with you? Just tonight.”
Her face was full of grievance.
She was only a first-year high school girl. Being kidnapped today had been far beyond what someone her age could handle.
When they were little, they used to sleep together, but after she turned ten, her brother no longer allowed it. Xiaobing was worried he would refuse again tonight.
“You take the bed.”
Lu Yuan took a blanket and laid it on the floor, while Xiaobing happily rolled around on his bed.
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