Xia Youhui's remarks piqued Chen Chu's curiosity.. "How much is the cheapest of these vitality supplements?"
"The cheapest?" Xia Youhui paused to contemplate, before responding. "As far as I know, there are seven types of supplements we can use for foundational cultivation. The least expensive one is the Blood Deer Antler from Tianyou Group, which is ten thousand yuan a dose. A single dose of it can help you sustain vitality circulation for five cycles. It's quite cost-effective."
The second he heard that price, Chen Chu realized this was beyond what he could afford.
The sole breadwinner in his family was Zhang Xiaolan, his mother. As a junior manager at a metalworking company, Zhang Xiaolan earned around seven thousand per month. After paying for insurance and other family expenditures, there wasn't much left, and they only had that much because they didn't need to pay for the education the two brothers were receiving, just the school meals.
Ten thousand yuan might not be much for individuals like Lin Xue, who came from an affluent family, but that was not the case for Chen Chu. Considering a dose of Blood Deer Antler would only last for five cycles, their savings would run dry in no time.
"Old Xia, thanks for your advice. I have something to attend to, so I need to get going." Chen Chu patted Xia Youhui's shoulder and departed with his single-strap bag.
Old Xia? Am I really that old?
Looking at Chen Chu's retreating figure, Xia Youhui felt amused and surprised by the sudden moniker of "Old Xia" for a young man like him. I'm still quite handsome, right?
Chen Chu strolled past the school playground, mulling over Xia Youhui's earlier words.
Evidently, Xia Youhui had noticed that he had strained his vitality and weakened himself after cultivation, which would explain why he had been waiting outside.
Despite only having spent a few days together, it was clear that they were getting along, and they started to understand each other's circumstances. . Xia Youhui knew Chen Chu lacked knowledge about cultivation, and took the initiative to remind him not to overwork himself and end up harming himself. At the same time, he told Chen Chu about resources to help speed up his cultivation, such as those vitality supplements.
It was a pity that Chen Chu didn't have the money. But, even without those resources, if he kept on at this pace, he was confident that he could complete his Foundation Building within a month.
Nevertheless, Chen Chu appreciated the goodwill and regarded this person as a true friend. That was why his form of address had shifted from "Xia Youhui" to "Old Xia."
He couldn't help it; the guy just looked too mature.
After 5 P.M., Chen Chu returned home with two shopping bags and prepared a large plate of fish.
In the fish tank, the six-horned salamander, now measuring twenty-two centimeters, lifted its head to look at the pieces of fish falling from above and snatch them.
The salamander's taste buds were different from a human's. Chen Chu could taste how fresh and tender the fish was as it was devoured—delicious...
Well, it was the salamander's sense of taste that found it delicious. A human eating raw fish would only find it cold and fishy.
After finishing the large plate of fish, the avatar swelled to twenty-four centimeters in length, with a head now as big as a chicken egg. That was more than twice its size a few days ago.
Soon. Watching the evolution points rise to 7, Chen Chu nodded in satisfaction.
Around 6 P.M., Chen Hu rushed into the house with his backpack, all sweaty. Apparently he had been playing around with his friends on his way home. "Bro, I'm back."
"Oh, you're back." Chen Chu, busy in the kitchen, didn't turn around. "Wash your hands and help set the table."
"Alright." Chen Hu tossed his backpack onto the sofa, washed his hands, and came to the kitchen to help.
Holding bowls and chopsticks, he curiously approached Chen Chu. "Bro, you've been cultivating for two days. How does it feel? Have you become powerful?"
Chen Chu glanced at him, not very pleased. "Do you think I'm practicing some kind of divine arts? Do you think I can fly away after just two days of practice?"
"Hehe, didn't they say that true martial arts are formidable?" Chen Hu grinned.
Perhaps due to the integration of memories, Chen Chu had seamlessly blended into this family without needing much pretense. However, he still felt somewhat uncomfortable with his new mom. After all, he had already been in his twenties before his rebirth.
By 6:30 P.M., when Chen Chu finished cooking, Zhang Xiaolan returned from work. At the dinner table, she expressed concern about Chen Chu's learning progress and his adjustment to high school.
After bathing around 7 P.M., Chen Chu sat on his bed, ready to start cultivating.
Before he could begin, however, a knocking sound came from outside, followed by Zhang Xiaolan's voice. "Ah Chu, are you asleep?"
Zhang Xiaolan pushed the door open, holding a bank card as she walked in.
Chen Chu looked at her in confusion. "Mom, is something wrong?"
Gazing at her son, who was sitting crossed-legged ready to cultivate, Zhang Xiaolan spoke gently, "At work today, sister Wang told me that people who start learning true martial arts in high school need supplements to nourish their vitality.
"A few years ago, her son started high school and bought a vitality supplement called Sword Tiger Paste. She said the resource had an excellent effect, though it was expensive. Her son wasn't talented at cultivation, though, and he eventually chose to pursue the humanities."
With that said, Zhang Xiaolan handed the card to Chen Chu. "I don't know much about cultivation, so I can't help you much with that. But some of your classmates should be using these. You can ask them which one works well.
"The day after tomorrow is Saturday. There's about ninety thousand in my account, and the password is your birthday. If you think you need it, use it to buy what you need."
Looking at the bank card she offered, Chen Chu fell into silence briefly. This money was probably all of Zhang Xiaolan's savings from all these years of work.
"Mom, I don't need it." Chen Chu shook his head lightly, pushing the card away. "A classmate told me about vitality supplements today, but I don't need them.'
"You don't need it?" Zhang Xiaolan was puzzled.
Chen Chu nodded. "There are only two situations where you need vitality supplements. Either you lack talent and you need the resources to help build your foundation, or you want to cultivate faster and get ahead of others who are more talented.
"The thing is, I have some talent for cultivation. I'm no genius, but there's no need for me to compete with others. That's why I'll follow the regular way to cultivate."
"Ah Chu, are you sure you don't need the supplements? Don't worry about the money. If this is not enough, Mom can borrow some from sister Wang and the others." Zhang Xiaolan hesitated, knowing that her son had always been sickly and weak since he was young.
Chen Chu felt touched, but he understood their situation and he knew the right thing to do. "Mom, I'm sure."
In the end, with Chen Chu's persuasion, Zhang Xiaolan accepted that he truly didn't need vitality supplements, though she left with lingering doubts.
Chen Chu didn't deceive her; he genuinely didn't need it. Even if he spent the money, he would only accelerate his progress by half a month. After all, with the Body Refining Art mastered, he would still need to work on his meditation until he could form the Lotus Platform.
Moreover, the Foundational Arts were only the beginning of cultivating true martial arts. There was no need to exhaust the family's savings for the sake of getting this little head start.