NOVEL WEB Chapter 107: Sifting for Gold
Chapter 107: Sifting for Gold
Xu Lian entered his main residence, closed the windows and doors, and took out the two hundred and eighty plus Condensation Pills he had prepared for his breakthrough.
“Rank, add points!”
He was already quite familiar with the process.
[Rank up successful. Adding 64 Condensation Pills will allow you to advance to the 7th Stage of the Bright Strength].
He held the 64 Condensation Pills in his hands.
With such a large quantity, it was no longer possible to hold them all… he had to cradle them instead.
He thought silently: Add ingredients.
[Ingredients successfully added. Advancing to the 7th Stage of the Bright Strength].
In an instant, the 64 Condensation Pills in his hands turned to ash.
At the same time, the energy within his body surged further, becoming even more profound!
Next.
He once again added points to his level.
Using 128 Condensation Pills, he successfully advanced to the 8th Stage of the Bright Strength.
[Name: Xu Lian]
[Level: 8th Stage of the Bright Strength]
[Skills: Breaking Wind Sword Technique (Volume 1,2 and 3), Seven Styles of Primal Gang (Complete)]
[Items: None (1-Star Longsword not equipped)]
[Note: You currently have no available progression points. Please obtain progression points.]
Xu Lian looked at the attribute panel, feeling the surging energy within his body. His mood was excellent. Advancing two levels in a row, all the efforts he had put in recently had finally paid off.
After exiting the main residence, he fetched the household’s usual medicinal alcohol for bruises and found the woman who had been hit by Caixia’s chopsticks the previous night.
He made the woman sit on a stone bench in the courtyard. With his finger dipped in the medicinal alcohol, he bent down slightly and applied it gently to the bruise. “Does it still hurt?”
The woman was really quite beautiful. No wonder Caixia had singled her out – there must have been a bit of jealousy involved.
If Caixia was the tallest, then this woman had the most beautiful face. They each had their own charm.
The woman blushed and said, “Thank you for your concern, Manager Xu. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ve already applied the medicinal alcohol.”
“It’s okay. It won’t hurt to apply a little more, just in case there are scars.”
While applying the alcohol, Xu Lian intentionally infused a bit of gentle energy into his touch. This would help the swelling and bruising disappear faster.
The woman felt something wonderful. After he applied the alcohol, the pain immediately disappeared, replaced by a refreshing coolness that felt wonderful.
After finishing, Xu Lian sat down on the stone bench beside her, took her hand and said, “I’m sorry for all the trouble you’ve been through. I promise that nothing like this will happen again. Someone as gentle as you deserves to be treated with gentleness.”
The woman felt a strange sensation in her hand. Gazing at Xu Lian’s handsome face and his star-like eyes, her face turned even redder. She replied softly with a faint “Mm.”
What a playboy… Xu Lian couldn’t help but curse himself inwardly. But what could he do? This was the way the system worked, and this was the way the world worked. All he could do was treat her well, ensure her comfort and security, and take care of her family. In Green Bamboo Town, this was the best treatment one could hope for.
“What is your name?”
“Yu Qingning.”
“Qingning, what a beautiful name. What does your family do?”
“My father works as an overseer in the Pei family’s fields.”
“I see. No wonder you have a slightly different aura. Your family must have been well off since childhood.”
“We’ve never been short of food, but we can’t compare to the wealth of Manager Xu’s family.”
“Starting tomorrow, this will be your home.”
Xu Lian took Yu Qingning’s hand and began to walk around the estate.
Yu Qingning understood what this meant. While she felt joy, she also had a hint of fear, worried that she might end up like Caixia. Caixia’s fate was a cautionary tale.
Xu Lian could see the complex emotions swirling in her eyes. “Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “As long as you don’t act like Caixia, flaunting your favor and becoming arrogant, you won’t repeat her mistakes.”
With the matter settled, Xu Lian, with nothing else to do, visited the fake new mine. He dismissed Caixia’s father from his position as overseer of the mine, reclaimed the money, grain, and workers, and sealed off the fake mine entirely.
He then redistributed the money, grain, and workers back to his own legitimate mine.
Xu Lian made arrangements and officially promoted Pu Ling to assistant manager.
“Thank you for your guidance, Manager Xu! I will continue to work hard and not let you down!” Pu Ling was ecstatic. “I now understand that Manager Xu allowing Caixia’s father to manage the mine was just a test for me.”
You’re overthinking it… Xu Lian chuckled without bothering to explain. He patted Pu Ling on the shoulder and encouraged him with a simple, “Keep up the good work.”
With that, Xu Lian left the mine, once again playing the role of a hands-off manager.
He paid a visit to Han Du, then went to the Pei Estate to pay his respects to the head of the Pei family. Although his current level and perspective had risen, he still needed to maintain these old relationships to avoid becoming too distant.
After all, he had already begun treating Green Bamboo Town as his own backyard, and these old connections were essential for stabilizing his base.
At nightfall, Xu Lian returned home. Taking advantage of the situation, he allowed Yu Qingning, who had been waiting for him all day, to join him.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Xu Lian checked the affection levels.
[Note: Yu Qingning’s affection for you: 60/100]
He felt that this was quite good. Starting at 60 was a solid base.
Over the next few days, he spent every moment with Yu Qingning, hoping to cultivate her affection.
Unfortunately, her affection did not increase, which left him somewhat disappointed.
Yu Qingning, mindful of Caixia’s cautionary tale, felt afraid and begged him not to shower her with such exclusive attention.
Xu Lian couldn’t force the issue, so he decided to spread his attention around instead.
A month later, the affection levels were finally clear.
Yu Qingning led with 70/100.
Below her, eleven others ranged from 50 to 55 in affection.
Twenty-three others showed no affection level at all, meaning that they hadn’t reached 50.
…
Another half month passed.
Yu Qingning’s affection rose to 75/100, and she continued to lead.
Among the other eleven, only one person’s affection increased to 60/100, while the other ten remained stagnant at 50-55.
Xu Lian made more adjustments.
He removed the ten whose affection levels were “too stable” from his household.
However, he didn’t place them in Caixia’s household. Instead, he opened a new household for them where their living conditions remained largely unchanged.
After all, their affection scores of 50-55 indicated a small but genuine attachment to him. He couldn’t mistreat them.
“After two months of effort, I’ve only gained one person with an affection level of 80/100, Yu Qingning, and one with 60/100, Miao Yueyue.
If I had spent those two months with Little Pepper and Little Beauty, I might have already gained progression points.
It seems that casting a wide net to catch fish is not worth it.
Caixia’s type, whose affection and ambition grew at the same rate, is rare and hard to find again.”
Xu Lian reflected on his experience.
It seemed that in the future, he would need to carefully cultivate affection one by one, rather than trying to rush through it. This scattershot approach was ineffective and only consumed his time, slowing down his progression.