I let out a breath, then a thought struck me.
Although talismans are profitable, I should also focus on farming and cultivation. And there is also alchemy.
I paused mid-motion, hand hovering over my storage bag.
Ah. I forgot to buy the materials and tools for making pills.
I clicked my tongue.
Well, it doesn't matter. I will visit my naughty fox again. Some petting and cuddling time will make up for the trip.
Getting up, I activated the robe's cleansing effect, feeling the subtle warmth wash over my skin and clothes, removing the grime and sweat from last night's training.
Clean and refreshed, I stepped out of my room.
The sight that greeted me stopped me in my tracks.
Mo Fan and Mo Ling were seated at the dining table, but barely. Mo Fan was slouching so deeply in his chair that his chin nearly touched his chest, eyes half-closed. Mo Ling had given up entirely, her upper body collapsed flat on the table, cheek pressed against the wooden surface.
They looked utterly exhausted.
"What happened?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
Mo Fan mustered enough energy to lift his head slightly. "We don't know, Big Brother Shen. After waking up, we were very hungry. But there was no food in the kitchen, so we sat here and waited for you."
I stared at them for a long moment, then slowly raised my hand and slapped my own forehead.
Stupid. Completely stupid.
I had been so focused on cultivation, on the city, on the overseer, on everything else, that I had completely forgotten to stock the kitchen with supplies. Before, it had just been me and Grandfather, and I had so much free time that meals were prepared without a second thought.
Now things were different. Now there were children who depended on me.
"Ah, Yuan'er, you're awake," Grandfather's voice came from behind me from the backyard entrance. He walked in slowly, his eyes immediately finding the two half-starving children at the table. "Make something for them. Looks like they're about to fall over."
"Yes, Grandfather. It was my mistake. I will fix it right away."
I moved quickly to the kitchen. This time, the children did not follow. They didn't even have the energy to.
As I began pulling ingredients from my spirit pouch, a realization settled over me like cold water.
This is serious. The vermillion blood rice has strengthened not only their bodies, but also their metabolism and digestive systems. They need more nutrition now than before.
I started cooking spirit meat, noodles and vegetable soup, the three spiritual threads extending from my fingertips and working in practiced harmony. Meat was sliced mid-air, vegetables chopped and tossed into the pot, noodles stretched and folded by invisible hands.
While my threads worked, I stood still, mind wandering.
I should give them something to make up for this, I thought. A gift. But what?
The ingredients and dishes flew around me in a slow, organized dance, and for a moment I simply watched them move, lost in thought.
Then an idea struck me.
At the same time, I thought of grandfather weak appearance.
His health had been declining slowly but steadily over the years.
I'd seen him wince when he thought I wasn't looking, watched him move more carefully each morning, noticed how his hands trembled slightly when holding his carving tools.
The old injuries he said from protecting me when I was an infant had never properly healed, couldn't heal, not without proper spiritual medicine.
But with a poor farmer savings he couldn't afford it.
Then I remembered.
I have the means now, The system gave me something that could help him.
The Vitality Drop.
I'd been saving it, along with the remaining Verdant Dew and Blood Energy cards, as emergency resources. But what was the point of hoarding treasures if the people I cared about suffered while I waited for some hypothetical future crisis?
No more waiting, I decided firmly. No more watching him deteriorate while I have the power to change it.
The Vitality Drop can be used directly, I thought, accessing my system inventory mentally. It's designed to save lives, heal injuries, restore vitality. There's no danger of overload or energy imbalance that's the whole point of such medicine.
But...
I paused, frowning.
If I just hand Grandfather a single drop and tell him it can extend his life by 10-15 years and heal all his injuries... he'll immediately understand how incredibly valuable it is.
And that was the problem.
Grandfather, he would directly refuse. He'd insist I save it for myself, for emergencies, for the future. He'd argue that his old injuries weren't worth such a precious treasure, that he'd already lived a full life, that I needed it more.
Stubborn old man, I thought with affection and frustration. He'd rather suffer than "waste" something valuable on himself.
No, direct administration wouldn't work. He will find out immediately if I give him whole drop because change would be immediate.
But If I dilute it into something that looks like ordinary medicine or tea... something that seems less precious...then he might actually accept it.
I should also lower the concentration so it will not produce change immediately and alert him.
It was deception, yes. But necessary deception.
Besides, I can create multiple doses this way and administer him to take a cup or two per day.
I pulled out a big ceramic bowl from shelf and filled it with exactly one liter of the cleanest water from large water jar in the kitchen.
Then, glancing toward the door to ensure no one was watching, I summoned my system interface.
The inventory opened before my eyes, invisible to anyone else.
I looked at the rewards section.
There it was, the Vitality Drop card(Green), glowing with a soft, verdant radiance.
I read the details on the card.
Vitality Drop (Green)
A concentrated essence of pure vitality that can extend natural lifespan by 10-15 years (cumulative with multiple uses).
Effects:
-Rapidly recovers depleted energy and stamina
-Heals injuries of all types (external wounds, internal damage, old injuries)
-Accelerates natural regeneration significantly.
-Repairs damaged meridians and organs.
Usage:
-Can be consumed directly by anyone (mortals, cultivators, etc.)
-Safe for all cultivation levels. No risk of energy overload (vitality adapts to user's capacity)
With a thought, I withdrew the Vitality Drop from my inventory.
A glass vial materialized in my palm containing a single drop of liquid that glowed with soft green luminescence, like captured morning dew infused with life itself.
Despite its small size, I could feel the immense vitality contained within it, warm and gentle.
I opened the cap.
The scent hit me immediately like fresh, delicate and soothing, mixed with the aroma of spring grass after rain.
Beautiful, I thought.
I held it over the water-filled bowl and released into it.
The moment it touched the surface, the entire liter of water began to glow softly. The Vitality Drop dissolved instantly, spreading through the liquid like ink the clear water transforming into something that shimmered with gentle green light.
The scent intensified like green tea aroma filling the kitchen, fresh and revitalizing.
I stirred it with a wooden ladle few times and let the solution sit for a moment, watching the glow stabilize into something subtle visible if you looked for it, but easy to dismiss as just high-quality tea.
I retrieved 10 clean ceramic bottles of capable of 1 litre each from my storage bag (found in overseer bag) placed them on the table in front of me.
And took out a large pot placed it on the stove and poured little more than 9 litres of water in it and let it boil for sometime then I added some simple tea leaves and normal medicinal ingredients to it and let it simmer for some more time.
In the meantime I divided 1 litre solution like 25% into 2 bottles, 10% into 2 bottles and 5% into 6 bottles.
After the tea cooled down I added it to these bottles and mixed it by shaking so that it looks like tea nothing more.
Then I took a sip of each concentration.
I felt energised and full just from a small sip but I can feel the difference of vitality boot different bottles provided me based on the amount of original vitality potion they contained.
Then I placed them into my large storage pouch except for one 5% bottle to scam grandfather.
After that I redirected my attention back to the breakfast, which was almost completed by my spiritual threads, I dished it and carried the bowls out to the table.
The moment the scent reached them, something changed. Mo Fan straightened in his chair, nostrils flaring. Mo Ling lifted her head from the table, blinking slowly, as if a withered tree was drawing water back into its roots.
Life returned to their faces by the second.
I set the steaming bowls in front of them. They looked up at me, then at Grandfather, then back at the food. Despite their hunger, despite how desperately their bodies were screaming for sustenance, neither of them reached out.
They were waiting for permission.
Something warm tightened in my chest. These children held out even while starving.
I nodded.
Grandfather spoke first. "Eat."
They didn't need to be told twice.
Like starving beasts unleashed, they wolfed down the food with an intensity that would have been alarming if I didn't understand exactly why. Mo Fan finished his first bowl and immediately held it out for more without a word. Mo Ling ate with both hands, barely pausing to breathe between bites.
I refilled their bowls without comment.
Only after Mo Fan finished his third bowl did he slow down, setting the empty bowl on the table with a satisfied exhale. Mo Ling ate four before she finally stopped, leaning back in her chair.
Curiously I thought, watching Mo Ling pat her small round belly with both hands, a content smile on her face. How does her little body digest food so quickly?
I cleared my throat.
The children startled, Mo fan was able to sit up properly but Mo ling couldn't because her tummy was in her way but managed to sit properly after some cute struggle. Mo Fan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried to look dignified. Mo Ling simply blinked at me with sleepy eyes.
"I'm sorry," I said, setting down the dishes. "For not making any food or leaving supplies. I was used to carrying everything on me, so I forgot to stock the kitchen."
They both shook their heads quickly. "It's okay, Big Brother Shen," Mo Fan said earnestly. "We weren't that hungry."
Mo ling first shook her head sideways but she caught her brother fiery gaze she immediately nodded.
Liar, I thought with a faint smile.
"To make up for it," I continued, reaching into my spirit bag, "I have a gift for you."
I brought out three spirit bags and laid them on the table. Two were one cubic meter in size, compact and practical. The third one was larger, three meters, meant for storing bulk supplies.
Mo Fan's eyes went wide. Mo Ling leaned forward, curiosity momentarily overriding her tiredness.
"Big Brother," Mo Fan said quickly, his expression shifting to something serious and uncomfortable. "That's expensive. We don't even need it. You shouldn't waste money on us."
He tried to push his bag back across the table.
"No," I said firmly, and gently pushed it back into his hands. "Take it."
Mo Fan opened his mouth to protest again, but something in my expression must have stopped him. He closed his mouth and looked down at the bag in his hands, fingers curling around it quietly.
I turned to Grandfather and placed the three-meter spirit bag in front of him.
I had already filled it beforehand. Inside were one hundred spirit stones, two bottles each of qi nourishing pills, healing pills, detoxifying pills and one bottle of 25% of vitality potion with a note, along with the talismans I had found on the accountant, excluding the cleaning talisman and the Tier-2 sword talisman which I kept for myself.
I had also added one hundred pounds of jade spirit rice, two pounds of vermillion blood rice, and some fruits and snacks I had prepared in the kitchen before coming out.
Grandfather looked at the bag for a moment, then looked at me.
He didn't pick it up. He didn't open it. He simply nodded.
That was enough.
I turned my attention back to the children, both of whom were now staring at their spirit bags with wide, curious eyes.
"Now that you have spirit bags, you can eat anytime you want," I said. "So don't feel shy about it."
I reached into my own bag and began pulling out items one by one, setting them on the table between them.
Twenty spirit fruits first, the kind with a faint golden sheen that I had picked up at the market while browsing the stalls. I divided them evenly, ten for each child.
Then snacks and candies, small wrapped treats that I distributed with equal care.
Then meat buns, still warm from the preservation effect of the storage bag.
With each item I placed on the table, their expressions changed. Mo Fan's serious composure cracked, replaced by something bright and unguarded. Mo Ling's eyes grew wider and wider, her small mouth too opened wide by surprise then slowly she smiled, giggling when I placed a new item every time.
Their faces were radiant, like children seeing snow for the first time.
I didn't miss that, I felt a quiet warmth settling in my chest.
"The spirit bag keeps food fresh for a long time," I explained, picking up one of the spirit fruits. "But not too long so consume it quickly and ask me for more if your pouch runs out of snacks."
I placed the fruit in my hand and slipped it into Mo Fan's spirit bag, then reached in again a moment later and pulled it back out, fiddling with my hand slightly since I wasn't using spirit sense to locate it.
"See? Store it like this. Take it out whenever you want."
Mo Fan watched closely, then immediately tried it himself, slipping a candy into the bag and fishing it back out with a triumphant grin.
Mo Ling copied him without hesitation, giggling as she stuffed three fruits in at once and then carefully pulled them out one by one.
They picked up the technique quickly, experimenting with different items, their earlier exhaustion completely forgotten.
I watched them play for a moment, then turned to Grandfather.