Seeing the reactions of the old man and Lu Xingyao, Gu Xingzhao felt a bit guilty for suggesting she could bring blessings to Lu Xingyan with the clothing she requested.

If she remembered correctly, Lu Xingyan’s mother was Lu Qing’s second wife. She had gone into early labor after an accident when she was eight months pregnant. The child survived, but she didn’t. As a result, Lu Xingyan was born with a weak constitution, frequently falling ill. Even a serious illness could be life-threatening, and he had been kept alive by a constant regimen of medicinal soups. The imperial physicians had once predicted that he might not live past twenty-five. Now, at twenty-four, he was still unmarried.

Originally, with proper medicine and care, he might have lived to thirty. But given the current situation, it seemed that the imperial physicians’ prediction might come true.Gu Xingzhao remembered seeing a variety of strange elixirs in the system’s store. She asked the system, “Is there any miraculous elixir that can extend life?”

[No…]

Gu Xingzhao wasn’t surprised by the answer. She thought to herself, “That makes sense. After all, I’m not a real deity. No matter how advanced the technology, extending someone’s life isn’t something that can be done so easily. Sigh.”

[But there is a Cleansing Marrow Pill. It can improve one’s constitution, strengthen the body, and potentially extend life.]

Gu Xingzhao: “…” Whose system gives answers like this with such a dramatic pause?She immediately opened the system store and found the Cleansing Marrow Pill. But when she saw the price, she almost passed out. The cost was a staggering 199,999 yuan, or 1,999 offering points.

“Does this system think I’m rich? I can’t even scrape together 20,000 yuan. And you’re showing me a pill that costs nearly 200,000? How absurd is that!?”

The system’s voice chimed in again, [If you need it, we can offer you a loan. The down payment is only 30%, with a maximum of 24 months to repay. The first three months are interest-free, and for the remaining 21 months, the monthly interest is only 1,999 yuan.]

[If you take the loan now, you’ll also receive a 30,000-yuan discount voucher that can be applied to this purchase.]

Gu Xingzhao: “…” It’s not the 30,000-yuan discount I’m missing—I can’t even afford the 30% down payment!

She strongly suspected that the system must gain something from these loans; otherwise, why would it be so eager to push a loan on her, even throwing in a discount voucher?[Would you like to proceed with the loan?]

Gu Xingzhao: No.

[This is a limited-time offer with the best rates. Don’t miss out.]

Gu Xingzhao: No!

[Alright.]

For some reason, Gu Xingzhao thought she detected a hint of disappointment in the system’s response.

Gu Xingzhao: Is there anything else that can improve Lu Xingyan’s health? Something cheaper?

A new page popped up, revealing a product called Cleansing Marrow Liquid. It required only 199 offering points to exchange and was one of the ingredients used to make the Cleansing Marrow Pill. However, its effectiveness was far inferior to the pill.

The Cleansing Marrow Pill could completely transform a person’s constitution, while the liquid could only temporarily heal minor ailments. For someone like Lu Xingyan, whose weak constitution stemmed from birth, the pill would be far more effective, possibly even curing him entirely and allowing him to live a long life…

After all, everyone in the Lu family has the character “Xing” in their names, isn’t that some kind of fate? Now that I’m bound to the Lu family, our bond runs even deeper. Who knows, maybe our ancestors from five hundred years ago were related. Saving a life is a virtuous deed, and if you think about it, the down payment is less than 60,000 yuan. After the 30,000-yuan discount, the total loan amount is only 110,000. Spread over 24 months, the monthly principal would be around 4,600 yuan, plus 1,999 in interest—about 7,000 yuan in total. For a loan, that’s quite reasonable.

It’s just a Cleansing Marrow Pill—what’s the big deal? It’s not like I can’t afford it!

“Exchange for a bottle of Cleansing Marrow Liquid.”

[…]

[Alright.]

[Exchanging for one bottle of Cleansing Marrow Liquid. Offering points -199. Remaining offering points: 5.]

With the Cleansing Marrow Liquid in hand, Gu Xingzhao glanced at her offering points, which had just surpassed 200 after several days of accumulation but were now down to 5. However, since it wasn’t real money, she didn’t feel too strongly about it—just a few numbers on a screen.

Besides, she could easily accumulate more offering points by feeding the Lu family in the future. It wasn’t a big deal.

Gu Xingzhao quickly placed the small bottle of Cleansing Marrow Liquid, no bigger than her thumb, into Lu Xingyao’s bamboo basket. “There’s a porcelain bottle in the basket containing sacred water. It can strengthen the body and should help your youngest son’s condition.”

At that moment, Lu Qing’s gratitude toward Gu Xingzhao peaked. “Thank you, Ancestor!”

He was so grateful that he almost fell to his knees to show his respect.

[You’ve received gratitude from Lu Qing, a member of the Lu family. Offering points +20!]

After Gu Xingzhao left, Lu Qing retrieved a small porcelain bottle from the bamboo basket, no bigger than his thumb. Leaning on his cane, he hurriedly made his way to find his youngest son, Lu Xingyan.

Noticing something was amiss, Lu Xingyao quickly helped his grandfather along.

When he reached Lu Xingyan, Lu Qing handed him the small bottle, his face serious, his eyes filled with both joy and anticipation. “Yan’er, drink this. Don’t leave a single drop!”

By this time, the other members of the family had all settled down for the night, so no one noticed what was happening.

Lu Xingyan was puzzled, “?”

Staring at the small porcelain bottle, he began to sense something but quickly dismissed it as impossible. After all, the imperial physicians had said that not even a deity could cure his condition. Even if their ancestor was skilled in medicine, she had never taken his pulse…

However, seeing the eager and hopeful looks in the eyes of his father and nephew, Lu Xingyan decided to drink the contents of the bottle.The liquid tasted sweet and cool, sliding down his throat and immediately suppressing his urge to cough. At the same time, a warm sensation spread through his body, quickly reaching his internal organs, leaving him feeling comfortably warm.

He was astonished and stared at the empty porcelain bottle in his hand for a long time.Meeting Lu Qing’s concerned gaze, Lu Xingyan smiled faintly, “Thank you, Father. I’m feeling much better.”

Lu Qing’s eyes reddened with emotion, “That’s good to hear.”

He turned away to discreetly wipe away his tears.

Lu Xingyao, watching closely, noticed that his third uncle’s complexion had improved, a rosy hue replacing the previous pallor. Licking his lips, he couldn’t help but eye the porcelain bottle in Lu Xingyan’s hand. “Third Uncle, since you’ve finished the medicine, why don’t you give me the bottle?”

After all, it was a gift from the ancestor!Once the medicine is gone, it’s gone, but the bottle is a tangible object. And since it’s a divine item, it should be well cared for. Just thinking about it made his heart race with excitement.

Lu Xingyan’s eyes crinkled with amusement as he smiled at his nephew, “Is the bottle yours?”

Lu Xingyao chuckled sheepishly, “No, but I like it and want it. Besides, you’ve already taken the medicine, so what use is the bottle? Why not give it to me? Tomorrow, when there’s more food…”

Before he could finish, Lu Xingyan had already tucked the tiny bottle into his pocket, showing no intention of giving it up.

Lu Xingyao: “…” He had no idea his third uncle could be so stingy. The man had handed over his outer garment without a second thought, but now he was guarding a tiny bottle as if it were a precious treasure.