"Brother Shen, why are you always practicing that movement over and over again for years?" Xiao Mei asked cutely, putting her palms on her chin as she sat near the young man.
Before the young man could react, Ash walked over with Aetherion with a smile.
"Xiao Mei, who is he?" Ash asked with a smile.
"He's Brother Luo Shen, someone who has worked in this restaurant for a long time and has been good to me and Brother Hao." Xiao Mei's eyes lit up when she heard Ash's voice, since she had almost been bored to death looking at Brother Luo Shen for a few minutes.
"Oh? He seems to know a thing or two about swordsmanship." Ash chuckled, glancing at Luo Shen, and nodded lightly.
"Sir, you're overpraising me too much. I don't know anything besides this simple sword movement." Luo Shen scratched his head with an awkward smile as he bowed slightly.
"Luo Shen, I'll be direct with you since I don't have all the time in this world." Ash smiled, then spoke with a serious expression. "How about working under me instead of wasting your time and talent here?"
"Huh? Pardon me, but I don't understand what you're talking about, sir." Luo Shen was confused because he didn't understand the talent Ash had mentioned.
"Well, let's say that you've some hidden talent in swordsmanship. That's why I don't want you to waste that talent here. Besides, you seem to be close with Xiao Mei, so she must be happy if you also join our group." Ash chuckled.
"This… Excuse my rudeness, but may I know where you're from? Because if the place is too far away, I don't think I would be able to do that." Luo Shen replied with an apologetic expression.
"Why? Care to explain it to me?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I need to take care of my sick mother too. So, I can't work if the place is far away." Luo Shen explained.
Ash nodded his head with a satisfied smile, then tapped Luo Shen's shoulder as he said. "It's okay, bring over your mother too, and we'll handle the rest."
"But sir, her illness is quite complicated and—"
Before Luo Shen could finish his sentence, Ash interrupted him with a wave of his hand, calling out Li Jian. "Li Jian!"
"Yes, My Lord!" Li Jian immediately appeared and bowed slightly to Ash.
"Go to the Bai family and ask them to bring over the best healer, physician, or whatever you call it to heal his mother completely." Ash commanded.
Li Jian immediately vanished into thin air, leaving behind a firm voice. "Wait a sec."
Less than a minute later, Li Jian came back with three people, two of whom Ash knew, as they were the patriarch and ancestor of the Bai family. The other one was an old man in white robes with an intricate fire pattern on the chest.
"Sir, is there anything we could help with?" The patriarch and ancestor of the Bai family bowed deeply at Ash, making the other old man also bow respectfully, as he wasn't a stupid person and immediately knew what was going on.
The old man was confused at first when the ancestor of the Bai family came up to him and told him to follow him right away if he didn't want to die.
At first, he was naturally furious, but when he saw the other party's expression and the dense killing intent he had shown, he realized that it was a serious matter and finally decided to follow him first to see what happened before acting accordingly at that time.
"Nothing much, just help me cure his mom." Ash waved his hand casually.
At the side, Luo Shen opened his jaw widely, feeling shocked since he had never expected that in front of him stood the patriarch of the Bai family.
As for the other two old men, he didn't know who they were, but he knew that they should be people who had at least the same status as the patriarch of the Bai family.
After having some light conversation, they went directly to Luo Shen's home, which was actually located near Xiao Mei's home.
The moment the old man looked at the condition of the middle-aged woman who was lying on the bed, he was left speechless, as he had thought that he was going to cure a sickness that most people in the city couldn't cure, but instead, he was met with only such a trivial sickness.
Even the patriarch and ancestor of the Bai family were also left dumbstruck by the scene in front of them.
Looking at the situation they were in, the ancestor of the Bai family immediately had an idea and looked at the old man beside him with a smirk. "Old Chi, don't you have a few drops of the Elixir of Eternal Spring? A drop of it should be more than enough to cure her, right?"
'This old bastard!' Old Chi cursed in his heart, knowing the intention of why the old man mentioned it.
However, he had only like 3 drops of them, and they were one of his best treasures because they could even extend someone of his rank's lifespan by 50 years for each drop. Now that Old Bai had mentioned it, he must give it eventually since he didn't want to offend Ash.
"Of course, not only would it be able to heal her paralyzed condition, but it would even extend her lifespan by a whole 50 years." Old Chi responded with a smile.
Subsequently, Old Chi fed her a drop of Elixir of Eternal Spring. As soon as the drop of Eternal Spring entered the middle-aged woman's mouth, a soft blue light immediately enveloped her body, filling the room with gentle warmth.
Ash watched in awe as her previously pale skin gradually regained color, her wrinkles smoothed out visibly, and her frail body slowly became more youthful.
Luo Shen was astonished, stepping closer to the bed, his eyes wide in disbelief and joy.
"Mom…?" His voice trembled with emotion.
The woman slowly opened her eyes, blinking in confusion at first. Then, noticing Luo Shen standing over her, tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
"Shen'er... What's happening? Why do I feel so full of energy?" she asked softly, her voice clear and lively, completely unlike her previously weak condition.
"Mom!" Luo Shen cried out joyfully, kneeling beside the bed and holding her hand tightly.
He then turned to look at Ash and the others, bowing deeply in heartfelt gratitude. "I can't express how grateful I am. Thank you… truly, thank you."
Ash smiled warmly, satisfied by the emotional scene unfolding before him. He patted Luo Shen's shoulder reassuringly. "Now that your mother is fully recovered, there's nothing holding you back. Are you ready to join us now?"
Luo Shen nodded vigorously, his eyes shining with newfound determination. "Yes, sir! I'll dedicate myself fully to repaying your kindness."
Xiao Mei, who had been watching the entire scene from the side, clapped her hands happily and jumped around excitedly. "Brother Luo Shen, that's wonderful! Now we'll always be together!"
The moment Luo Shen agreed to work under him, Ash finally heard the notifications he had been waiting for.
[Ding! You have successfully recruited Luo Shen, a genius at the Red- rank!]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for obtaining…
[Ding! Congratulations…
…