At 7 PM, Qin Zhenhua and the other three finished dinner and sat in the courtyard with a group of villagers, chatting idly.
They were people from two different worlds with different experiences, so after not much conversation, no one else came to disturb them.
During this time, a few village cadres came to accompany them. Chen Shaocong became a bit impatient, and his tone was somewhat harsh, scaring the village cadres away from asking further questions.
It wasn't until 8 o'clock that Luo Xi finally arrived.
As soon as she appeared, everyone's eyes widened, exclaiming that a big star had arrived.
Some thoughtful villagers were already considering how to curry favor with Zhao Shijie's family.
Zhao Shijie's friends all came from prominent backgrounds.
Qin Zhenhua and the other three quickly stood up and went to greet her with smiles.
As soon as the four approached, the two bodyguards behind Luo Xi immediately stepped in front to block them.
"Brother Chen, Brother Li, it's fine, you can stand down," Luo Xi's voice was ethereal.
The two bodyguards nodded slightly and moved a step to the side.
Qin Zhenhua's eyes narrowed slightly; he had inadvertently caught sight of a handgun tucked into the waist of one of the bodyguards.
Bodyguards with gun licenses in China are rare, so it seems Luo Xi's identity is not simple.
"Where's Zhao Shijie?" Luo Xi asked.
"Follow me," Lin Ye signaled with his eyes and led Luo Xi into the inner room.
Upon seeing Zhao Shijie, Luo Xi could hardly believe her eyes; he was so different from the Zhao Shijie in her memory!
The Zhao Shijie in the game was full of spirit, but the real-life Zhao Shijie was emaciated.
It was too tragic!
Luo Xi extended her slender, fair hand, and one of the bodyguards behind her understood, took off his backpack, and retrieved two boxes and a golden-yellow small alchemical cauldron from it.
Luo Xi took the boxes, placed them by the bed, and opened them to reveal two medicinal herbs inside.
"Time was short, so I only found Millennium Polygonum Multiflorum and Purple Heart Lotus. Have you found the remaining herbs?"
Qin Zhenhua and Chen Shaocong exchanged glances, even more curious about Luo Xi's identity. They had used their family connections and only managed to find some auxiliary herbs.
Let alone Millennium Polygonum Multiflorum, there was no news of Purple Heart Lotus or Dragon Bone Grass yet.
"Only Dragon Bone Grass hasn't been found. I'll call the old man and ask," Qin Zhenhua replied.
Luo Xi nodded slightly, her eyes signaling for them to leave.
Qin Zhenhua had the same intention; he was the first to leave the room, hurrying to an empty corner to call the Qin family's old man.
"Hello, Zhenhua, what do you need your grandpa for?" A deep voice came from the phone.
"Grandpa, do you know of any prominent families named Luo in China?" Qin Zhenhua asked urgently.
"The Luo family? Why do you ask? Have you offended the Luo family?" Grandpa Qin's tone suddenly became serious.
"No, it's a friend of mine, her surname is Luo. I suspect she comes from a prominent background, so I wanted to ask you," Qin Zhenhua quickly explained.
There was silence on the phone for a moment before the old man's voice finally sounded: "There are ten hidden families in China, and among them, the Luo family and the Fang family are the most powerful. If your friend truly comes from the Luo family, you must seize this opportunity well. This might be our Qin family's chance to break into the top ten."
After hearing the old man's words, Qin Zhenhua was slightly moved and briefly explained Zhao Shijie's situation.
This time, the silence on the other end of the phone was even longer.
Qin Zhenhua thought the signal might be bad and was about to hang up when the old man's voice suddenly came through: "Did you just say Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill)?"
"Yes, Grandpa, do you also know about this kind of pill?" Qin Zhenhua asked curiously.
"Mm, years ago, your grandpa bought some antiques from a tomb raider, and among them was a damaged bamboo slip that happened to record the Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill)."
Now it was Qin Zhenhua's turn to be surprised, but then he thought, since Chu Huaian knew about it, it meant the Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill) truly existed.
"Zhenhua, can you bring that Xian Ge you mentioned back home so your grandpa can meet him?"
"Probably not. Xian Ge is a very mysterious person, but there's an opportunity for you to get in touch with him."
"What opportunity?"
"Playing the game," Qin Zhenhua said with a strange tone, stifling a smile. "The fifth batch of player slots is about to open. As long as you can snatch a slot, you'll be able to meet him."
"Game?" Grandpa Qin was slightly taken aback but didn't pay much attention, thinking it was a unique way for young people to make friends.
"You handle this matter. Is there anything else? If not, Grandpa will hang up."
"Yes, Grandpa, do you know about Dragon Bone Grass?"
Qin Zhenhua originally didn't hold much hope, but unexpectedly, Grandpa Qin gave a positive answer, "We have it at home. When I obtained the Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill) secret recipe before, I specifically kept an eye out for it, but I don't know if it's the Dragon Bone Grass you're talking about. I'll take a picture and show you."
With that, the old man hung up the phone.
Soon, Qin Zhenhua received an MMS message, which clearly showed Dragon Bone Grass, exactly as Chu Huaian had described it.
Qin Zhenhua's face lit up with joy. He asked the old man if he could bring it out to save someone, and the old man simply replied: "Send me the address."
With the Dragon Bone Grass, all the ingredients for the Xisui Dan (Marrow Cleansing Pill) were finally collected.
...
At 2 AM, Huo Sichun and Jiang Xiaoxiao appeared in the courtyard, looking travel-worn.
"Zhao Shijie? Is he dead yet?" Huo Sichun gasped, her face filled with anxiety.
"Not yet," Lin Ye replied blankly.
"Good, good, we finally made it," Huo Sichun patted her chest, relieved.
Chen Shaocong's eyes lit up when he saw Jiang Xiaoxiao. He approached her with a bright smile and happily said, "Xiao Xiao, you're even more beautiful than in the game."
"Eww, I'm getting goosebumps," Jiang Xiaoxiao showed a disgusted expression, rubbing her arms.
Chen Shaocong showed a hint of embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head.
To be honest, he had never been in a relationship his entire life. He wanted to, or more accurately, he wanted to have a sweet relationship with Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Unfortunately, Jiang Xiaoxiao wasn't interested in him. Several times he tried to confess, but Jiang Xiaoxiao glared him back, making Chen Shaocong lose his confidence.
At this moment, only Qin Zhenhua and a few others were in the courtyard; everyone else had been sent back by Zhao Shijie's grandfather much earlier, so Huo Sichun and Jiang Xiaoxiao were quite relaxed.
"I'm going to see Zhao Shijie."
Huo Sichun said, and was about to enter the house.
Qin Zhenhua and the others quickly stopped her, "Luo Xi is inside refining medicine. Don't disturb her."
"Sister Luo Xi is here too?" Jiang Xiaoxiao's face lit up with joy, beaming.
As they were talking, the door to the inner room opened, and Luo Xi walked out, looking exhausted.
Jiang Xiaoxiao and Huo Sichun quickly rushed over.
"Hehe, Sister Luo Xi, I'm so happy to see you," Jiang Xiaoxiao intimately linked her arm with Luo Xi's, gently swaying.
Huo Sichun, however, bypassed the two and rushed into the inner room. Upon seeing the dying Zhao Shijie on the bed, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
"Wuwu..."
She threw herself into Zhao Shijie's arms, wailing loudly: "Zhao Shijie, how could you be so cruel as to abandon me and just leave like this..."
"Wuwu... you died so miserably..."
"Cough... cough..." Zhao Shijie was shaken awake, coughing violently, and pushed Huo Sichun away.
That last shake almost sent him to his next life.