Chapter 60: Only Through Hardship Can One Rise Above Others

Liang Xiaoyu’s smug demeanor amused Long’er. Meanwhile, Huang Yaoshi, having finished instructing the eight people upstairs, wandered over to the pharmacy doorway. He peered curiously at the screen of Liang Xiaoyu’s phone. Noticing Long’er watching him, he immediately adopted a serious pose, hands clasped behind his back, feigning indifference as he glanced around. Long’er turned her head aside, the corners of her lips lifting slightly. Was this truly the famed Huang Yaoshi, one of the Five Greats?

Liang Xiaoyu was oblivious to Huang Yaoshi’s presence behind her, busy uncorking a porcelain bottle. “This is the Bosqu Snake Gallbladder. Wow, what an exotic fragrance…” She was just about to boast when a pungent odor assaulted her nose. It wasn’t foul, but it was fishy, with an indescribable intensity. Her expression froze for half a second as she glanced around and spotted Huang Yaoshi behind her. Was the smell coming from him? No! She moved her nose closer to the bottle. The pungent scent grew even stronger.

The livestream chat was full of gleeful comments.

[Why does the host look like she just ate something disgusting?]
[What’s going on?]
[Haha, I bet the Bosqu Snake Gallbladder smells terrible.]
[Could it be even worse than fermented herring?]
[Come on, host, eat it already.]

“I actually rather enjoy stinky tofu and fermented mandarin fish; some things smell bad but taste great,” Liang Xiaoyu declared loudly, trying to reassure herself. Huang Yaoshi continued to watch her phone screen curiously from the side. Long’er backed away to the doorway, wary.

Liang Xiaoyu took a deep breath and emptied the black snake gallbladder into her mouth. The pungent taste nearly made her spit it out. She suppressed her nausea, chewed quickly, and swallowed it with a constipated expression. Immediately, she felt a surge of heat rising in her abdomen.

“Sit cross-legged and circulate your energy!” Huang Yaoshi lightly tapped her shoulder. Liang Xiaoyu quickly sat down and began meditating, digesting the sudden influx of internal energy. After about two minutes, she exhaled deeply. “My inner energy has definitely grown stronger,” she said to the camera, though her face was still twisted as she spoke.

The taste lingered in her mouth, intensifying the longer she thought about it. Her heartbeat quickened. She wasn’t one to shy away from hardship—she’d eaten bugs and centipedes in the jungle before—but the flavor of Bosqu Snake Gallbladder was truly unbearable. It was like herbal digestive drops, magnified a hundredfold.

[Keep eating!]
[Host, you’re just steps away from a hundred years of cultivation!]
[Only those who endure hardship rise above.]
[Go for it, Xiaoyu!]

Liang Xiaoyu took another deep breath. “Having tried the Bosqu Snake Gallbladder, I think it’s time to attempt this,” she said, shaking a red vial. It was a Precious Snake Blood extract, promising two more years of cultivation and immunity to all poisons.

“This is a blood extract—it shouldn’t be hard to drink,” she thought. Facing her viewers, she cleared her throat. “I won’t waste your time. I’ll drink this Precious Snake Blood extract right away…” After a brief spiel, she exhaled, opened the vial, and poured the bright red liquid into her mouth. A strong medicinal aroma filled her nose. Liang Xiaoyu immediately covered her mouth, coughing.

“This mouthful is worth five million!” she managed, forcing herself to swallow the red liquid, which tasted as if eighty percent of it were bitter herbal coptis. Without waiting for Huang Yaoshi’s instructions, she sat cross-legged and meditated.

Cultivation +2.

Liang Xiaoyu pumped her fists, feeling a bit stronger. Facing away from the camera, she opened her mouth wide, trying to exhale the lingering taste. Huang Yaoshi, still sneakily watching the phone screen in fascination, frowned, puzzled: Why does this woman keep sticking out her tongue? Is she a demon—perhaps her true form is a dog?

He’d started this job in a rush and still didn’t fully understand everything. Long’er found the situation amusing.

She asked Liang Xiaoyu, “Are you leaving?”

“Why would I leave?” Liang Xiaoyu replied, tongue out. “With such treasures to improve my cultivation, I’d eat anything—even dung!”

Long’er was taken aback.

“I even enjoy civet coffee,” Liang Xiaoyu said proudly, raising her chin. “Someday, I’ll treat you to ox bile hotpot and you’ll see.”

“What’s ox bile hotpot?” Long’er asked, curious, unconsciously licking her lips. Just yesterday, she’d had hotpot with Liang Xiaoyu, and was still savoring the memory.

“In short, you feed a cow some medicinal herbs, then after slaughtering it, you take whatever remains undigested in its stomach and intestines, squeeze out the liquid, add bile, peppercorns, ginger, dried tangerine peel, herbs, then boil it as the hotpot base…” Liang Xiaoyu squinted. “I think adding some chili peppers would make it even better.”

Long’er’s eyes widened: People actually eat that?

Huang Yaoshi narrowed his eyes, looking behind Liang Xiaoyu to see if she had a tail. She kept mentioning dung and urine—could she truly be a dog demon? His heart trembled slightly. No wonder Mr. Qiao had told him this place was full of hidden talents, and that someday, he might even work alongside immortals and Buddhas.

“All right, hurry up and eat then,” Long’er said helplessly. No matter how enticing Liang Xiaoyu made it sound, she wasn’t about to try it herself.

After listing off a string of “virgin eggs,” “roasted pig eyes,” “hairy eggs,” “dried field mice,” “fried locusts,” and other such delicacies, Liang Xiaoyu finally felt a bit better. She ignored the livestream and went straight to the shelves, buying ten bottles of Bosqu Snake Gallbladder—the maximum allowed per transaction.

With the bottles in hand, she sat down cross-legged.

“Long’er, keep an eye on me,” she said.

Long’er stood three meters behind her, nodding. “All right.”

Huang Yaoshi watched with great interest. A demon who could practice martial arts—how extraordinary!

Under their gaze, Liang Xiaoyu ate them one after another, swallowing all ten gallbladders in just a dozen seconds. Warm energy churned and surged in her abdomen. Her cheeks flushed as she circulated the Quanzhen Heart Method, absorbing the excess internal energy.

After about ten minutes, she finished absorbing the energy, got up, and silently continued to scan and purchase more.

...

A full hour and a half passed before she finally stopped. A surging aura radiated from her. One hundred years of cultivation!

“I could punch a velociraptor to death with one blow!” she proudly announced to the livestream, head held high.

Summoning her inner energy, she swung her fist at a nearby wooden rack without hesitation.

“Ouch!” A sharp pain made her double over. The surge of energy dissipated, and her stomach twisted violently.

She bent over, about to vomit.

...