To earn that massive sum of five hundred spirit stones, Mu Ran indeed lit the candles, fully prepared to pull an all-nighter.
Afraid of disturbing Cangshu Bai's rest, she specifically moved her things to the main room. She spread a pile of tools across the table, painstakingly assembling and fine-tuning the little wooden chickens piece by piece.
Late into the night, Cangshu Bai, draped in a loose cyan robe, stood at the bedroom doorway and asked softly, "Will you be working on this for much longer?"
Without even looking up, Mu Ran replied, "There are still two pager chickens left to make. Jinzhi, you go get some rest first. I'll go to sleep as soon as I'm done."
After a moment, she didn't hear the bedroom door close. Instead, a tall figure appeared beside her, casting a shadow that almost entirely enveloped her.
Mu Ran looked up, her gaze crashing straight into the young man's deep, dark eyes.
He said, "I'll help you."
Mu Ran looked skeptical. "You... want to help me?"
Cangshu Bai fell silent for a moment. "Am I not capable?"
Mu Ran hurriedly replied, "Of course you can!"
She laid out the blueprints and placed a pile of wooden pieces in front of him. "Jinzhi, help me piece these parts together according to the blueprints."
Mu Ran thought to herself that assembling the wooden chickens following the blueprints was just like playing with building blocks—it shouldn't be difficult at all. Once he was done, she could just fine-tune them, and everything would be perfect.
But then, a sudden wave of confusion hit her.
What were building blocks?
Cangshu Bai glanced at the blueprints. He first picked up the largest wooden block from the pile of parts, then found a smaller piece of wood among the tiny components. The pieces had grooves or protrusions; if aligned correctly, the two could fit together seamlessly to form a solid whole.
Such a task truly posed no difficulty.
Cangshu Bai's skills in alchemy and artifact refining were beyond question. A job like this, akin to a simple puzzle game, was undoubtedly a piece of cake for him.
However, when it came to taking the delicate threads made from ground spirit stone powder and threading them through the wooden chicken's body, he found himself glancing at the blueprints repeatedly. His movements slowed considerably, and it took him quite a long time just to thread a single strand through the wooden chicken.
Then, with a poof, the thread caught fire and burned to ashes.
Mu Ran shrieked, "My circuit!!!"
Sensing he had caused a disaster, Cangshu Bai waved his hand to extinguish the flames. However, a section of the wooden chicken had already been scorched black. He stood frozen in place, utterly at a loss, watching Mu Ran clutch her head in despair.
In the two years since they had been married, Mu Ran had always been emotionally stable.
This was the very first time he had ever seen her scream in such agony.
Mu Ran grabbed his arm, standing on her tiptoes to peer at the scorched wooden bird in his hand. Wanting to cry but having no tears left, she wailed, "The circuit I spent ages rolling out... it's all burned to nothing."
Cangshu Bai asked cautiously, "Circuit?"
"It's a pathway used to transmit spiritual energy. You have to grind spirit stones into powder first, then mix in datura flower juice, and very carefully roll the mixture into threads as thin as a strand of hair. You also have to make sure the thickness remains perfectly uniform throughout the entire thread, otherwise, its efficiency in conducting the spirit stone's energy is drastically reduced!"
Cangshu Bai stared at the object in his hand as if it were a hot potato.
Her heart aching, Mu Ran took back the ruined wooden chicken and let out a heavy sigh. But upon noticing Cangshu Bai's utter silence, she looked up and suddenly flashed a bright, radiant smile.
"It's fine, it's just one section that's ruined. My craftsmanship is top-notch, so I can definitely salvage it."
She placed the item on the table, disassembled the parts piece by piece, and set the scorched section aside. Then, she carefully examined the pieces in her hands, pondering how to find a suitable replacement.
Cangshu Bai said softly, "Ranran, I apologize."
"It's okay, it's really okay. You didn't do it on purpose. Besides, it's my fault too, I didn't explain it clearly to you, so I can't blame you."
As she spoke, Mu Ran looked up again. Her eyes were lively, and her voice was light and brisk. "I'm a little hungry. Could you go make me a bowl of noodles for a late-night snack?"
Cangshu Bai knew she was deliberately giving him something to do so he wouldn't feel entirely useless. Glancing once more at the thing he had ruined, he replied in a low voice, "Alright."
When he reached the kitchen doorway, he still couldn't help but look back.
Mu Ran was looking down, quietly busying herself in the candlelight. The warm, yellow glow radiated from the candlestick, softening the contours of her side profile. Her eyelashes cast faint, delicate shadows under her eyes, trembling gently with her downward gaze.
Cangshu Bai suddenly felt that if she had just scolded him a bit, he might actually feel better.
True to her word, Mu Ran pulled an all-nighter. By the time the sky began to brighten, she had finally completed three pager chickens. Too exhausted to tidy up the messy table, she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
She managed to sleep for merely two hours before forcing herself to get up, heading to town with Cangshu Bai.
Cangshu Bai fed her a sweet medicinal pill. Perhaps the power of the sweetness was exactly what she needed, as her exhausted body felt significantly better. Cangshu Bai had purposely arranged to meet Uncle Zhao, who was delivering firewood to town as well, and paid a small fee so they could hitch a ride on his donkey cart.
Sitting in the cart, Mu Ran leaned against Cangshu Bai, closed her eyes, and dozed off for a while. However, the bumpy ride meant her sleep wasn't particularly restful.
Driving the donkey cart, Uncle Zhao chuckled and remarked, "Little Doctor, you and your wife sure have a wonderful relationship."
Cangshu Bai gave a soft hum of agreement. He clasped Mu Ran's hand, quietly channeling a steady stream of warm spiritual energy into her. The frown on her face gradually smoothed out, allowing her to finally sleep soundly despite the jolting ride.
Cangshu Bai first dropped Mu Ran off at the Song family workshop, promising to pick her up later so they could head home together. Only then did he make his way to the medical clinic for work, arriving late yet again.
Taking advantage of a moment when no one was around, Doctor Hu sidled over to flatter him once more. "Godfather, I've acquired some rather exquisite rare treasures. They are absolutely perfect for prolonging life and enhancing vitality. I present them all to you to show my filial respect."
He offered up a spatial pouch filled with medicinal herbs he had hoarded over the years. Any single item from it would spark a fierce bidding war if revealed to the outside world.
Cangshu Bai was never one to refuse useful items. He accepted the pouch and remarked, "You are on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Core stage, aren't you?"
Doctor Hu nodded eagerly. "Yes, indeed."
A small medicine bottle appeared in Cangshu Bai's hand, which he tossed to Doctor Hu. "These Foundation-Consolidating and Vitality-Nourishing Pills will be of use to you."
Doctor Hu opened the bottle and took a peek. They were all top-tier pills! Overjoyed, he repeatedly exclaimed, "Thank you so much, Godfather! You are the person I hold dearest and respect the most in this world. I promise to show you and Godmother the utmost filial piety!"
He thought to himself, having a godmother really makes all the difference.
In the past, no matter how hard he tried to kiss up to this terrifying fiend, the man had always remained utterly indifferent.
Today, simply by offering up medicinal herbs that would be useful to his godmother, this terrifying fiend had actually rewarded him with such a massive benefit!
After tailing this fiend for a hundred years, he had finally cracked the code on how to properly curry favor with him.
Thrilled, Doctor Hu couldn't help but steal a few more glances at the object in Cangshu Bai's hands. "Godfather, do you find spirit stones so much of an eyesore that you're just burning them for fun?"
