Three Sins Against Heaven

As Dylan Chen swallowed one Spirit Gathering Pill after another, the Spirit Stones in Ghost Guest's hands continuously turned to powder. Feeling his Spirit Root gradually being repaired, a smile never left his lips.

Ten days later, Ghost Guest slowly opened his eyes. With a flick of his sleeve, spiritual energy surged out, pushing the window open. The powdered Spirit Stones on the ground scattered with the breeze.

During these ten days of cultivation, the spiritual energy in his meridians was approaching the second acupoint. Soon, he would be ready for the second breakthrough.

At the rate of one acupoint every five days, it would take him a year to break through to the second level of Qi Refinement.

Still too slow. Mark Ye had broken through to the second level of Qi Refinement in less than four months. This was the difference in talent.

But perhaps it wouldn't take a year. His talent had been improving, and his cultivation speed would surely get faster and faster.

As long as the transformative effects of the Extinct Spirit Seed remained, one day his talent would catch up to, or even surpass, Mark Ye's.

Having finished the last batch of Spirit Gathering Pills, Ghost Guest picked up some ingredients, ready to refine more. His gaze fell on the ingredients, and he fell into deep thought.

Ingredients were also plants and trees; they should be able to enhance talent too. He just didn't know how effective they would be.

With this thought, Ghost Guest picked up a Spirit Mist Flower and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. As one of the ingredients for refining Spirit Gathering Pills, the flower alone could also enhance the speed of absorbing spiritual energy, though it was far less effective than the pills.

After finishing the Spirit Mist Flower, Ghost Guest closed his eyes to feel for a moment, then picked up a seven clusters of root and ate it.

Comparing a single ingredient to a pill was meaningless; he needed to compare a full set of ingredients to get a result.

After consuming a full set of ingredients, a flash of light passed through Ghost Guest's eyes.

It worked!

For enhancing the Wood Spirit Root, natural plants were far more effective than man-made pills!

Moreover, different ingredients had varying effects on enhancing talent. He needed to test which ingredient had the greatest effect on the Wood Spirit Root.

With this in mind, Ghost Guest quickly opened the door and rushed out.

In the courtyard, Little Tiger had already set up a copper pot and was holding a plate of mutton. Seeing the excited Ghost Guest, he quickly called out, "Dylan, you're just in time. Try the hotpot from my hometown."

"You guys eat first, I'll be right back!" Ghost Guest hurriedly said, rushing out at top speed.

Laura Jiang took the plate of mutton from Little Tiger, eating silently while watching Ghost Guest's departing figure, lost in thought.

A stick of incense later, Ghost Guest rushed back, grabbed a bowl, and hastily ate a few mouthfuls. "Hmm, delicious, but a bit bland."

Little Tiger handed over a small dish. "Of course it's bland if you don't add any seasoning. What's so urgent? You don't even have time to eat?"

"It's very urgent." Ghost Guest quickly finished the mutton in his bowl and rushed back into the attic. "I'm done eating, you guys take your time."

Little Tiger scratched his head, not understanding why Ghost Guest was in such a hurry today, but he didn't ask further. If Ghost Guest said it was urgent, it must be really urgent.

Laura Jiang put down her bowl and followed him inside. These days, they often went out and talked with other Spirit Slaves, learning about their lives.

In comparison, their treatment was unbelievably good. She understood that Ghost Guest might have been a Spirit Slave before and didn't want to exploit them.

But living here for free all the time made her uneasy. She had been hesitating for days and finally decided to talk to Ghost Guest.

In the room, Ghost Guest took out all the ingredients from his Storage Bag, filling the entire room.

The remaining seventy or so Spirit Stones had all been exchanged for ingredients for Rejuvenation Pills. He had a plan that required a large number of Spirit Stones, so he needed to refine enough Rejuvenation Pills to exchange for Spirit Stones at the Spirit Treasure Platform.

Suddenly, light footsteps sounded outside the door. With his keen senses, he knew it was Laura Jiang. He flicked his finger, sending a burst of energy to open the door latch.

Laura Jiang was about to knock when she saw the door open by itself, her hand freezing in mid-air.@@novelbin@@

"What is it?" Ghost Guest asked.

Laura Jiang stepped forward but hesitated upon seeing the room full of ingredients. She shrank back and said softly, "Can I talk to you?"

Ghost Guest nodded slightly, put away all the ingredients, and sat down at the table, pouring two cups of water. "Sit down and talk."

Laura Jiang took a sip from the cup and spoke softly, "These days, you've taken great care of us, and I'm deeply grateful. But I've been thinking, and the more I think, the more uneasy I feel. Doing nothing all day makes me anxious. Please, treat me as a servant. I can serve you, pour tea, and do other chores. If you need me to serve you in other ways, I can also..."

At this point, Laura Jiang blushed deeply and lowered her head.

"You and your sister clearly come from a well-educated and wealthy family. Why call yourself a servant? I've already told you, you don't need to call me 'sir.' Just call me by my name, like Little Tiger does. Stay here without worry; there's no need to be anxious." Ghost Guest sighed inwardly. He had been a Spirit Slave too and understood Laura Jiang's fear.

When the status is unequal, no matter how well one is treated, it feels like walking on thin ice.

"But I feel so overwhelmed..." Laura Jiang said, her voice barely audible.

"Do you feel uneasy?" Ghost Guest asked.

"Yes." Laura Jiang nodded lightly.

"So you need to feel needed to stay at ease, right?" Ghost Guest asked again.

Laura Jiang nodded again.

"Then..." Ghost Guest rubbed his chin and pointed to the bed. "Didn't you say you wanted to serve me? Lie down."

Laura Jiang was stunned, then sat on the edge of the bed, reaching for the knot on her waistband. But her hands felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.

"Sir..." Laura Jiang retracted her trembling hands into her sleeves, mustering the courage to look at Ghost Guest. Her soft voice carried a hint of pleading, "I'm not ready yet. Can you give me a few days?"

Ghost Guest suddenly laughed, leaving Laura Jiang confused.

"You see, if you can't do it, why force yourself?" Ghost Guest walked over to Laura Jiang, looking at her seriously. "There are many ways to be needed. Don't make me look down on you. In the future, don't talk about serving me. I have two friends who are true immortal couples. The man is chivalrous, and the woman is virtuous. I hope you become someone like that. Marry someone you love, share a bed with someone you love."

Laura Jiang whispered, "Yes, I will remember your words."

"I don't see you as a servant, so don't belittle yourself, and don't call me 'sir.'"

"Yes, I will remember." Laura Jiang looked at Ghost Guest, her gaze softening. "Can I call you 'young master' then?"

Ghost Guest nodded slightly. "Give me your hand."

"Oh." Laura Jiang extended her slender, fair hand, watching as Ghost Guest held her wrist, her face flushing.

After a while, Ghost Guest released her hand and nodded. Laura Jiang's talent was better than his, especially her Wood Spirit Root, which was nearly seventy percent. If her Wood Spirit Root were just a bit more, she wouldn't have become a Spirit Slave.

Ghost Guest said gently, "As I said, there are many ways to be needed. In the future, help me grow some ingredients. I'll teach you in a few days."

Laura Jiang's tension slowly dissipated. She got up and walked to the door, giving Ghost Guest a deep look before closing the door softly, a gentle smile appearing on her face.