Chapter 18: Sweeping the Xu Family

After finishing her task, Tang Wanning noticed that there were still a few seconds left on the durations for Telekinesis and System Scan. Indeed, in urgent moments, human potential was limitless. Ensuring no one was around, she dashed back home. Even in her room, she didn’t dare relax too much—after all, if she made a loud noise in the middle of the night, her parents would definitely think she’d lost her mind.

Suppressing her excitement, she raised her trembling hands and began organizing the loot from the Xu family. After going through all the money, she discovered that the Xu family had a total of 2,300 yuan! This included Tang Wanning’s 300-yuan dowry, Xu Zhaodi’s 500-yuan betrothal gift and other years of contributions, Zhenhua’s remittances before he died, military and county compensation after his sacrifice, and the couple’s own frugal savings over the years. Truly, these two old folks were quite capable of saving. Yet, they constantly pretended to be poor in front of Tang Wanning, which infuriated her.

Looking at so much money, Tang Wanning felt happy again. She even felt a bit grateful that the couple had been so miserly and careful with their spending; otherwise, she wouldn’t have benefited from it. Besides the money, there was a pair of gold earrings and some furniture, bedding, and clothing. Tang Wanning didn’t care much for these items, but she didn’t want the old couple to have them either. If it weren’t for the fear of waking them, she would have taken their bed and blankets too! She planned to donate these items to those in need once she reached the provincial city.

Spotting the chickens and ducks stored in her storage space, Tang Wanning selected two to collect, successfully earning 16 points. Her total points now stood at 247. After some thought, she decided to spend 200 points to exchange for the Inner Power Manual. The previous day’s encounter with the wild boar still lingered vividly in her mind, reminding her of the constant danger around. Safety was the priority—no matter how many points she had, they were useless without life. The old saying popped into her mind: “The saddest thing in life is dying before spending your money.” She laughed at herself for a while before clicking to exchange for the Inner Power Manual.

“Use 200 points to exchange for the Inner Power Manual? Confirm/Reject.”
“Confirm.”

“Congratulations, host. You have obtained the Inner Power Manual. Remaining points: 47.”

Seeing her points reduced to double digits, Tang Wanning sighed deeply, but her mood quickly brightened. Feeling the new knowledge in her mind, she sat cross-legged on the bed and focused entirely on her cultivation. Following the memory of the manual, she guided her internal energy along specific meridians.

Though she understood the principles of the Inner Power Manual, it was her first time cultivating, so she needed to open all the meridians. Only at dawn did she successfully complete the first cycle. Immediately, she noticed the changes: she felt refreshed and alert, despite the late hour, and her hearing and vision had greatly improved. Even the sound of her neighbor cutting vegetables in the kitchen was crystal clear. If she had learned the Inner Power Manual earlier, she wouldn’t have needed to spend 20 points on the one-time “Eagle Ear” function.

In addition to enhanced senses, Tang Wanning’s thinking became sharper, and her breathing more even and smooth. Before she could even step outside to test her new eyesight, a heart-wrenching scream rang out.

“Who the hell stole everything from our house? Not even leaving the furniture! If I find out who you are, I’ll tear your mouth apart, you damned wretch…”

Bai Xiuying’s shrill yelling immediately woke several households near the Xu family. Logically, given the distance from Tang’s house, she shouldn’t have been able to hear clearly—but she did. There was no doubt: this was a result of the Inner Power Manual. Its effects were indeed remarkable.

Ignoring the commotion next door, Tang Wanning wanted to test her vision in the yard. But as she opened the bedroom door, it suddenly swung backward unexpectedly, startling her. The door had come off its frame! Acting instinctively, she caught it, and just when she expected it to crash down with her, the door remained perfectly still in her arms.

Blinking in surprise, she realized it felt surprisingly light. In fact, she now felt strong enough to lift it. Without hesitation, she did—and to her astonishment, she actually lifted the door.

Could it be that the Inner Power Manual not only enhanced her vision and hearing, sharpened her mind, but also increased her strength? Tang Wanning could think of no other explanation. The 200 points spent were worth every penny! She now even looked forward to learning advanced martial arts techniques, though the thought of how many points they would require made her head ache. Patience, she thought.

After the excitement, she leaned the door against the wall and stepped out into the yard. Her vision was sharper than ever, and all her senses felt freshly awakened, making her surroundings vivid and alive. Listening to Bai Xiuying’s shrill shrieking like a shrew, Tang Wanning felt exhilarated, took several deep breaths of fresh air, bolted the yard gate, and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

—At the Xu family residence.

After Bai Xiuying’s ear-piercing screaming, many people were awakened and quickly dressed to see what was happening. Zhang Chunhua, who lived next door and loved gossip, was the first to arrive at the scene. Initially, she planned to comfort Bai Xiuying, but when she saw the state of the yard, she froze in shock.