Poison Cultivation

The head of this last family was called "Wen Ruan," and he was about ten years younger than Chen Luo.

He is now thirty-four, and Wen Ruan is twenty-one.

In his early years, Wen Ruan's father was seriously injured after going to sea. He lay on his sickbed for a few days before passing away.

At that time, Wen Ruan was only a teenager, and Chen Luo helped with her father's funeral.

Because there were many people offering help, and Chen Luo was just one of them, he wasn't sure if they would lend him money.

Whether he lends it or not, Chen Luo no longer cares.

Now he just wants to see what kind of people he's associated with.

As he stepped up the stairs, he knocked several times.

The empty knocking echoed, and after waiting for a long time, as expected, no one answered.

Chen Luo gave a helpless, bitter smile, utterly speechless at his past judgment of people.

As the saying goes, "Wealth and honor are like a dragon, roaming all corners of the world; poverty is like a tiger, frightening away even one's nine generations of relatives."

"I never imagined the cultivation world could be so realistic."

Having come to understand the ways of the world, he didn't linger and turned to leave.

But after taking only seven or eight steps, a creaking sound suddenly came from behind.

This is the sound of the restrictions being lifted and the old wooden door being opened.

"Is that Uncle Luo?" A somewhat weak voice came from behind.

Chen Luo paused, stopped, and looked back.

A tiny head timidly peeked out from the crack in the door.

Wen Ruan's face was ashen, and she was shrouded in illness; even her breathing was frighteningly light.

Yet, despite his frail appearance, he possessed strikingly handsome features and was so thin that only his slender frame remained. The more haggard he looked, the more heartbreaking it was to see him.

He was puzzled. He had been injured at sea, so how did Wen Ruan end up like this?

At that moment, I lost all desire to leave and returned.

"Xiao Ruan, what happened to you?"

Wen Ruan gave a pale smile. "Uncle Luo, come in and talk."

She stepped aside and invited Chen Luo into the house.

The monks' houses are all protected by protective barriers, which are both sturdy and able to prevent detection and eavesdropping.

If the homeowner has malicious intentions, they might even set up a protective array inside the room. If someone rashly breaks in, they'll be left with no recourse.

Chen Luo was of course not afraid of Wen Ruanbu Xiyao's formation. Although he could only exert the strength of the third level of Qi Refining now, his original realm was still the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The saying goes, "Even a starved camel is bigger than a horse," and Wen Ruan's mere Qi Refining Level 3...

"Wait, Xiao Ruan, when did you break through to the third level of Qi Refining?"

Chen Luo looked Wen Ruan up and down in surprise. Wen Ruan also had three spiritual roots, so her aptitude was not bad.

However, because his father died early, he himself did not have many resources to cultivate, so he has always been at the second level of Qi Refining.

He was surprised by the girl's weakness, but overlooked the difference in their cultivation levels.

"I only recently broke through," Wen Ruan replied, then welcomed Chen Luo into the house.

Upon entering the room, the overwhelming smell of medicine filled Chen Luo's nostrils, causing him to unconsciously furrow his brow.

In the world of cultivation, almost every cultivator knows a little bit about alchemy and talisman drawing, but the level of expertise varies.

Through the strong medicinal aroma, Chen Luo could clearly distinguish several rich and heavy blood-tonifying herbs, including angelica, rehmannia, and donkey-hide gelatin.

However, Wen Ruan's complexion clearly showed signs of qi deficiency and mental exhaustion. She should have been gently nourished and replenished, but instead, she was given these strong yin-nourishing medicines, which stagnated her qi and made her weaker the more she was nourished.

Looking at her again, she had only stood by the door for a moment before she was trembling with weakness.

Chen Luo became increasingly confused. If it were a normal breakthrough, this situation should never have occurred.

"Little Ruan, did you forcibly break through your cultivation level and damage your vital energy?"

Wen Ruan paused for a moment, blinked, and looked up, appearing bewildered.

"So it was because my vital energy was depleted? I feel weak all over and can't even stand up straight. I thought it was because my essence and blood were damaged."

Chen Luo couldn't help but want to laugh, but remembering that he was an elder, he forced himself to hold it in and pretended to be serious, saying:

"Forcing a breakthrough may seem to enhance one's true energy, but in reality, it weakens one's foundation, leaving one as fragile as a rootless duckweed."

You should consume more Qi-replenishing pills and Yuan-restoring pills; otherwise, your cultivation level will become unstable, and you will surely fall.

"Oh, I see!" Wen Ruan exclaimed in realization, a look of understanding spreading across her face.

She was all alone, and no one was usually willing to teach her this knowledge; she was also too embarrassed to ask.

I could only rely on books to study and improve myself, but I never expected that a small mistake could lead to a huge error.

The thought that she had finally broken through to a higher level, only to fall back to where she started, made her somewhat panicked.

Chen Luo comforted her at the right time:

"There's no need to be overly nervous. You've already broken through the barrier, and even if you fall back to your original position, it's easy to rise again."

Next time, however, it is crucial to solidify the foundation, otherwise, it is extremely easy to go astray and become possessed by evil spirits.

"No...no, I can't fall back to my original level."

Hearing his words of comfort, Wen Ruan shook her head vigorously, not only unsettled but also showing a hint of fear in her expression.

Chen Luo frowned slightly, not understanding what she was afraid of. Just as he was about to ask,

Boom!Boom!Boom!

The door was knocked on again, the sound urgent and heavy, almost like kicking the door down.

If it weren't for the protective barrier, Chen Luo was afraid that the old wooden door would have been broken.

He looked at Wen Ruan, the girl looked nervous, her breathing became lighter, and she hesitated before moving forward to open the door.

With a few creaking sounds, the old wooden door was opened from the inside.

Three menacing figures blocked the doorway, their sinister gazes piercing into the room.

The man at the head of the group exuded a fierce aura and was clearly at the third level of Qi Refining. Two men followed closely behind him, both at the second level of Qi Refining.

The three of them stood at the doorway, swallowing up most of the little light that was in the room.

The leader, a man with a fierce face, was already impatient. Seeing the door open so slowly, he immediately started cursing, his voice rough and menacing:

"You little bitch, you're so slow even opening the door! Have you prepared last month's interest payment yet?"

Wen Ruan's already pale face instantly lost all color. Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she still gritted her teeth and mustered her last bit of strength to speak:

"I have already paid back the principal, along with three months' interest... From now on, I will not give you another single spirit stone."

These words almost exhausted all her courage. As soon as she finished speaking, she became timid again, her thin body trembling slightly.

The leader flew into a rage and shoved him away.

Although Wen Ruan was also at the third level of Qi Refining, her foundation was ultimately weak. Under such brute force, she was powerless to resist and staggered backward, falling heavily into the house.

"You little bitch! Back then, you were so hungry you couldn't even afford food, and we were the ones who kindly saved you from your predicament! Now that the principal has been returned, isn't the interest still money?"

"There's no such algorithm in the world! You...you bunch of scoundrels!"

Wen Ruan was both angry and scared, and her voice was trembling.

"Hahaha, you're right! We're just scoundrels!"

The three thugs laughed loudly, their faces full of smugness and arrogance, as they pressed closer and closer.

"It was all in black and white back then, the contract was signed with our fingerprints, even if you take it to the Three Gorges Sect, we're still in the right!"

"That's right, I'm not afraid to tell you, Manager Liu of Qingxia Brothel is my uncle! Do you think just anyone can do this kind of loan sharking business?"

A chilling laugh echoed in the cramped room. Wen Ruan slumped to the ground, all alone, tears finally welling up in her eyes.

Inside the room, Chen Luo observed coldly, already fully aware of the cause and effect.

Wen Ruan's situation was clearly more difficult than his.

She was born with an extremely beautiful face, but she had no power or influence and was all alone. That's why she was relentlessly targeted by these loan sharks and treated like a fat sheep.

She was only at the second level of Qi Refining before, but she was coerced and lured into paying three more months' worth of interest.

Later, unable to bear the pressure any longer, he gritted his teeth and risked attempting to reach the third level of Qi Refining.

Unfortunately, his foundation was weak. Although his cultivation had improved a bit, in the eyes of these local bullies, he was still a soft target that could be bullied at will.

"Indeed, all living beings suffer, and every family has its own troubles."

Chen Luo sighed inwardly, feeling deeply moved.

Just then, the three thugs finally noticed him in the corner.

Upon seeing that the other party was at the fifth level of Qi Refining, the three of them changed their expressions simultaneously and subconsciously restrained their arrogance.

But when they saw Chen Luo's face clearly, they all breathed a sigh of relief, and their faces once again showed contempt and disdain.

The leading man spat on the ground and sneered at Wen Ruan with a sidelong glance:

"So that's why you suddenly became so assertive. Turns out you've found a backer. It's just a pity you have such poor judgment."

He raised his chin and glanced at Chen Luo, his tone dripping with sarcasm:

"This kid went out to sea to collect herbs and his meridians were destroyed. Everyone in the surrounding streets knows this."

Only someone as naive as you would treat him like a lifeline.

The news of Chen Luo seeking medical treatment everywhere and suffering damage to his meridians had already spread like wildfire among the neighbors.

These three men had been roaming this area for years, so they naturally heard everything clearly.

Chen Luo's face darkened slightly at being mocked like this to his face.

The city gate caught fire and affected the pond fish.

He doesn't want to cause trouble, but others think he's a pushover.

The three people in front of us are acting so arrogantly, it's simply outrageous.

Moreover, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. Do you really think that the same thing applies to the third level of Qi Refining?

Today, I, with my Qi Refining Level 5 cultivation and Qi Refining Level 3 strength, will crush you cowards!