I Can Strengthen Infinitely-Chapter 45 - 44: Gathering Elixirs

"Awoo awoo."

The tiger cub struggled and twisted in Qin Yuesheng’s arms, like a mischievous little cat.

But it was no match for Qin Yuesheng; even if it were to bite, it couldn’t break Qin Yuesheng’s skin.

In the end, it could only be held tightly in Qin Yuesheng’s arms, played with.

I have to say, the fur of this tiger cub really feels nice to the touch.

"Ah Hu, as your master, from now on when I hold you, you must behave well, that way people will think you’re cute." Qin Yuesheng pinched Ah Hu’s tiger face, not caring whether it understood or not.

Anyone who has a pet would privately act as if they’re communicating with their pet.

Ah Hu was the name Qin Yuesheng gave to this tiger cub.

Not very complex, just surprisingly easy to remember.

The Qin family’s carriage traveled down the street, seemingly heading towards the Du Mansion.

Qin Yuesheng sat by the window holding Ah Hu, quietly watching the bustling streets and alleys outside.

Not long after.

"Young Master, we’ve arrived at the Du Mansion." Cao Zhengchun walked to the window and said.

"I know."

Stepping on the wooden stool that Cao Zhengchun had long prepared, Qin Yuesheng stepped off the carriage, holding Ah Hu as he directly walked towards the Du Mansion gate.

The Qin and Du families have always been on good terms, and Qin Yuesheng often came to visit Du Beilun before. The gate guards naturally recognized who Qin Yuesheng was and didn’t even make a slight hindrance, letting him in directly.

"Young Master Qin, I’ll go inform our Third Young Master right away," said a household servant, bowing as he hurried away from the place.

Behind the screen wall was the Guest Hall, which is the most common architectural layout for large southern mansions. Qin Yuesheng made himself at home and casually picked a clean seat to wait for Du Beilun’s arrival.

Cao Zhengchun stood behind Qin Yuesheng, holding the Evil-Subduing Saber that Qin Yuesheng had asked him to bring along.

"Hey, Yuesheng, what made you suddenly think of visiting me today? Did you open a business or something?"

Quickly, Du Beilun came in from outside the door, shaking a folding fan. On his forehead was a big lump, his right eye socket bruised and dark, looking very much like a panda eye.

Qin Yuesheng was puzzled. When he took him back last night, Du Beilun didn’t look like this.

He couldn’t help but ask, "What happened to your face?"

"Oh, don’t mention it. Yuesheng, you would never guess what I went through last night."

"Tell me about it."

Du Beilun sat next to Qin Yuesheng, only then noticing Ah Hu lying in Qin Yuesheng’s arms.

"Hey? A little tiger? Where did you get it?"

"Caught it in Meteor Mountain."

"Got any more? Get me one too."

"No, just this one." Qin Yuesheng shook his head. "Don’t get sidetracked, tell me your story."

"Oh, my story is quite bizarre." Du Beilun smacked his lips. "Last night, I went to Bai Yue archway and played a few rounds. Later, because I drank too much and there was no bathroom, I went to the back alley to relieve myself. Believe it or not, a wedding procession showed up there, with gongs and drums, making quite a racket."

Qin Yuesheng raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

"Then I don’t remember clearly. Anyway, when I woke up, I was in the backyard of my family’s inn. A water-fetching waiter said he saw me fly over the wall and crash into the well’s edge. See, the injury on my face is from that."

Saying this, Du Beilun even pointed to the lump on his head and his eye.

Qin Yuesheng gave an innocuous smile, but he felt a little awkward inside.

He had been in a hurry to return to the mansion and hadn’t considered if anything was on the other side of the wall. Fortunately, it was just the well; it was only a superficial injury. If he had fallen into the well, it would have been a big problem.

"Oh right, why did you come to see me today?"

"Does your family have any stored pills? I’m in short supply lately, but there’s no stock in Cyan Yang City, so I thought I’d borrow some from you first."

"Pills?" Du Beilun instantly recalled the scene at the Celestial Immortal Pavilion where Qin Yuesheng ate Small Rejuvenation Pills like they were candy.

"Mm."

"Oh, that’s a small matter. I thought it was something major. Sure, I’ll have someone bring them to you right away. No need to talk about borrowing; just treat me to a meal sometime."

Du Beilun clapped his hands, and immediately a household servant walked in from outside.

"Go ask the head steward where our Du family’s pills are stored. After you find them, bring them all to me."

"Yes."

Taking advantage of this moment, Qin Yuesheng started chatting with Du Beilun.

"Cyan Yang City is becoming increasingly unstable lately. Be careful when you go out, and never act alone. Always have a few guards with you," Qin Yuesheng advised.

First, there were the white-faced and faceless coffin bearers, water ghosts, and black boats. Now, there’s a wedding procession moving mysteriously within Cyan Yang City and the eerie pavilion by the lake. All of these prove that the city is shrouded in a mysterious danger that ordinary people can’t detect.

Probably only people like Xun Sheng and Bai Hao understand what Cyan Yang City is currently facing.

And at this critical juncture, the Qin family inexplicably got involved with the troublesome Fierce Tiger Gang and Flood Dragon Gang, which indeed gave Qin Yuesheng a headache.

Things need to be solved one step at a time.

Gathering medicinal pills to replenish the All-Purpose Essence is the first thing Qin Yuesheng needs to do.

If his strength increased, many things wouldn’t be so problematic, and many troubles wouldn’t seem like troubles.

Soon, an old man came in with seven household servants from outside the door, each holding a small box of considerable weight.

"Young Master, you asked for medicinal pills, so I brought all that we have," said the old man, who was actually the steward of the Du Mansion.

Medicinal pills are more effective than ointment, but their production methods aren’t widely known. So even the Du Mansion doesn’t store many, as too many would be useless, and there aren’t many places in Cyan Yang City to purchase them.

"Yuesheng, are these enough? If not, Lu Juncheng’s family should still have some. I can go with you. Given the relationship we have, he won’t be stingy," Beilun suggested.

"No rush, with these you’ve already provided, I won’t need more for now," Qin Yuesheng replied.

Some things shouldn’t be overdone. If he takes too many pills from family at once, it could raise suspicions.

After all, who needs so many medicinal pills without reason?

Were it not for this thought, Qin Yuesheng could even go to his betrothed, Su Lanyin, and ask her family. Given the relationship between the Qin and Su families, she wouldn’t refuse.

Having achieved his goal, Qin Yuesheng expressed his intention to leave. After exchanging pleasantries with Du Beilun, he left the Du Mansion.

The boxes containing the medicinal pills were naturally taken by the Qin family guards waiting outside, to be brought back to Qin Mansion.

...

Su Lanyin sat obediently on the chair, holding a porcelain box in her little hands. She glanced outside occasionally, but when she didn’t see the figure she was expecting, she quickly diverted her gaze.

As a young lady from an affluent family, Su Lanyin had been brought up with all sorts of rules since childhood.

To anyone looking at her, she appeared knowledgeable, well-read, gentle, and refined.

But only before one person would Su Lanyin show her true girlish demeanor.

"Miss, Young Master Qin hasn’t returned yet," the maid standing behind Su Lanyin whispered.

"It’s okay, I’ll wait for Brother Yuesheng here," Su Lanyin said obediently, glancing at the porcelain box in her hands.

Next to her, the Qin Mansion’s head steward, Qin Zheng, stood with a composed expression as if he hadn’t heard anything.

Qin Zheng knew about Qin Yuesheng going out, but he didn’t know when he’d be back. Su Lanyin’s status was different from ordinary guests, so as the steward, he had to accompany her there.

Only when Su Lanyin decided to leave could he leave as well.

Just then, a household servant suddenly ran to Qin Zheng’s side and whispered something in his ear.

Qin Zheng’s eyes lit up immediately: "Go quickly and bring the young master over. Let him know that Miss Su has been waiting for him for a long time." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

When Qin Yuesheng walked into the Guest Hall, he was quite reluctant. Having obtained so many pills from the Du Mansion, it was time to digest them and quickly enhance his strength.

But who would have thought Su Lanyin would come to Qin Mansion? As Young Master Qin, he had to entertain her — it wouldn’t be proper to ignore her.

Seeing Qin Yuesheng, Su Lanyin instantly broke into a smile and quickly ran over with the porcelain box.

"Brother Yuesheng."

"What brings you here today?" Qin Yuesheng asked with a smile.

"I learned to make some red bean cakes from the maids at home," Su Lanyin said, carefully opening the porcelain lid and presenting the box to Qin Yuesheng: "Brother Yuesheng, try them and see if they suit your taste."

Inside the porcelain box were eight exquisitely crafted, delicate white dumplings, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds, resting on a layer of fine paper. Just by looking, they appeared very appealing.

Qin Yuesheng picked one and tossed it into his mouth. The red bean cake was soft and chewy. Upon biting, red bean paste oozed out, but it was overly sweet, almost cloying.

"How is it, Brother Yuesheng? Is it good?" Su Lanyin asked expectantly.

Seeing her eager eyes resembling a little bunny, Qin Yuesheng swallowed the cake and nodded thoughtfully: "It’s not that great. The red bean paste is too sweet. Next time, remember to add less sugar. Before bringing them over, didn’t you taste it yourself?"

Perplexed, Qin Yuesheng picked up another red bean cake and brought it to Su Lanyin’s lips: "Try it yourself and see if it’s too sweet."

As soon as Qin Yuesheng made this gesture, Su Lanyin’s cheeks visibly reddened.

Under Qin Yuesheng’s gaze, she shyly took a small bite.

"Hmm, it’s very sweet."