Chapter 172: Chapter 172

Liu Changyuan had no intention of reneging on his promise, nor did he dare to. Once back at the office, he immediately had all the items Su Lin requested sent over.

In the evening, Zhao Yanyan arrived at the villa in Su Lin’s car. Thanks to a heads-up, Xia Shiyu had also prepared dinner for Zhao Yanyan.

Upon entering, a fragrant aroma greeted them.

Sniffing the air, Zhao Yanyan said in delight, “Who’s cooking? It smells delicious.”

Su Lin smiled, “Besides Xiaoyu, who else could make such delicious dishes? So, it must be Xiaoyu cooking.”

“Who says it’s just Xiaoyu? I’m here too,” Lin Xiaowan emerged, apron-clad and holding a spatula.

“Xiaowan, your ears are too sharp. Su Lin and I were just talking at the door, and you heard us,” Zhao Yanyan said, surprised.

Lin Xiaowan giggled, “My ears have always been sharp, and after practicing the technique Su Lin gave us, my senses have improved even more. So I heard everything you said at the door.”

Su Lin gave her a thumbs-up, “Didn’t expect you had this skill.”

Lin Xiaowan, brandishing her spatula: “Half of today’s dishes were made by me. Su Lin, prepare to be conquered by my culinary skills.”

Seeing Lin Xiaowan’s confidence, Su Lin shuddered. He knew all too well about Lin Xiaowan’s cooking skills, which were notoriously bad, creating what could only be described as dark cuisine, even under his supervision.

Even with Xia Shiyu overseeing, Su Lin doubted the outcome would be much better.

Lin Xiaowan looked at Zhao Yanyan, “Yanyan, make sure you eat a lot of my cooking.”

Unaware of the potency of Lin Xiaowan’s cooking, Zhao Yanyan, enticed by the aroma, nodded, “Don’t worry, Xiaowan. I’ll eat a lot.”

Satisfied with Zhao Yanyan’s promise, Lin Xiaowan smiled, “With your words, Yanyan, I’m content. You truly are a good sister.”

Su Lin looked sympathetically at Zhao Yanyan, who was blissfully unaware of what awaited her. Minutes later, Xia Shiyu came out with the dishes,

“Yanyan, you’re here.”

Zhao Yanyan nodded, “Xiaoyu, you really look like a perfect wife and mother. No wonder Su Lin likes you.”

Xia Shiyu smiled, “Not at all. My cooking isn’t as good as Su Lin’s. If he cooked more often, you wouldn’t want to leave after tasting his dishes.”

Zhao Yanyan was skeptical, “Is that an exaggeration? I can’t imagine Su Lin cooking.”

Lin Xiaowan laughed, “Xiaoyu isn’t exaggerating at all. Su Lin’s cooking is indeed delicious. You’ll get to try it sometime.”

Zhao Yanyan looked at Su Lin, “Su Lin… I want to taste your cooking too.”

Su Lin playfully responded, “Yanyan, unless it’s a special occasion, don’t ask me to cook. It’s such a hassle.”

“Hubby~! I want to eat it,” Zhao Yanyan cooed, clinging to Su Lin’s arm.

“Cough, cough, cough… Tomorrow, I’ll cook for you in the morning,” Su Lin said, defeated.

“Yeah, you’re the best, hubby,” Zhao Yanyan kissed Su Lin on the face.

“Alright, alright, you two, stop with the public display of affection. Let’s have dinner,” Lin Xiaowan pulled Zhao Yanyan over, “Yanyan, this is a great chance to taste my cooking. Although it’s not as good as Su Lin’s or Xiaoyu’s, I’ve been practicing for a while now.”

“Really? Then I must try it properly.” Zhao Yanyan eyed a dish of bamboo shoots fried with meat. It looked fine, although not as aromatic as Xia Shiyu’s dishes, but she thought it couldn’t be too bad.

She took a bite.

“How is it…”

“Ptui, ptui, ptui~! Why does it taste both sweet and salty, and the MSG flavor is also too strong?”

Zhao Yanyan grimaced, and Xia Shiyu quickly handed her a glass of water, “Rinse your mouth.”

“Ugh~! What’s this weird taste, Xiaowan? How did you make this?”

“I… I just followed what Xiaoyu told me, but when I was frying, the oil splattered, so I got a bit confused. Don’t worry, I’ll get it right soon,” Lin Xiaowan said innocently.

She didn’t expect the meat to cause such violent splattering that it almost hit her face. At that moment, Lin Xiaowan couldn’t remember the steps Xia Shiyu told her and just added ingredients haphazardly.

Su Lin patted Lin Xiaowan’s head, “Xiaowan, it’s been so long, maybe it’s best if you don’t cook, okay?”

“Su Lin… I… give me another chance. I can cook well,” Lin Xiaowan pleaded.

Su Lin smiled, “With Xiaoyu here, that’s enough. She’s our chef, and Xiaowan, you have your strengths too.”

“Yeah, Xiaowan, your cooking might actually poison someone. Better give up,” Zhao Yanyan teased while rinsing her mouth. This is the first time she’s ever tasted food with such a bizarre flavor.

“Alright, let’s eat the dishes Xiaoyu made, and leave Xiaowan’s aside. Let’s not waste any more time, I have something important after this.”

“Important? What important thing?” Lin Xiaowan and Xia Shiyu asked curiously.

Su Lin casually said, “Something to aid your cultivation. Later, all three of you will take a medicinal bath. One session of this bath is equivalent to five years of ordinary cultivation. How about that, isn’t it important?”

“Really?”

“Is that true?”

Su Lin nodded, “Absolutely true.”

Hearing this, the three women quickly started eating, their actions as if they hadn’t eaten in days, which somewhat dumbfounded Su Lin. All three are great beauties; didn’t they care about their image?

Well, Su Lin didn’t mind these, even finding a special kind of beauty in their actions. This must be the privilege of being beautiful, where everything they do looks appealing.

After dinner, Su Lin prepared the medicinal bath for Lin Xiaowan in the bedroom. Apart from the main ingredients provided by Liu Changyuan, Su Lin had also gathered various other medicinal herbs before returning.

“Xiaowan, this medicinal bath is quite potent. If you feel sore all over, just hold onto my arm, okay?”

Hearing Su Lin’s words, Lin Xiaowan’s cheeks flushed, “Su Lin, are you going to stay and watch?”

“Not watch, accompany. You’ll understand in a bit.”

Su Lin’s medicinal bath was based on the Yang Flame Needle technique, a forceful method that significantly aids physical enhancement. Naturally, the process would be intensely painful.

Lin Xiaowan remained skeptical, wondering if Su Lin had ulterior motives. But seeing his focused gaze, she felt reassured that he wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.

“Alright, but you better not mess around or get handsy.”

Su Lin laughed, “Relax, you’re already mine. If I really wanted to, I wouldn’t wait till now.”

Lin Xiaowan thought about it and decided not to fret over it. She was shocked to see Su Lin effortlessly turning ginseng into powder with his hands, which then dissolved into the water, followed by the Polygonum multiflorum, stalactite marrow, and others, all mixed into the bathtub.

Once the medicinal herbs were sufficiently combined, Su Lin turned to Lin Xiaowan, “Undress and get into the tub.”

“Okay, okay.” She undressed somewhat shyly and quickly slipped into the bathtub. “Su Lin, you promised not to do anything funny.”

Su Lin spread his hands, “It’s not like I haven’t seen it before. Don’t get distracted, try to circulate your qi.”

Lin Xiaowan then started to practice, but soon felt intense soreness all over her body. Initially, she could bear it, but within minutes, it became unbearable, and she tried to stand up. Without a word, Su Lin placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Ah… Su Lin, it hurts so much. What kind of medicinal bath is this? It’s so painful.”

Su Lin softly instructed, “Xiaowan, don’t get distracted. Use your technique to absorb the medicinal properties.”

“Ugh… but it really hurts.”

“It’ll be over soon.”

Knowing the value of the medicinal bath, Lin Xiaowan endured, following Su Lin’s instructions to absorb the medicinal essence.

After an unknown amount of time, sweat dripped down Lin Xiaowan’s face, her skin becoming firmer and more elastic. Seeing Lin Xiaowan calming down, Su Lin wiped off the water from his body and moved to Xia Shiyu’s room.

Soon, Xia Shiyu also began her medicinal bath with Su Lin’s help, showing much greater resilience than Lin Xiaowan. Despite the pain during the absorption process, she didn’t utter a single complaint until she was able to circulate her qi in a full cycle.

Only then did Su Lin go to Zhao Yanyan.

Zhao Yanyan also underwent the medicinal bath under Su Lin’s procedure. By the time everything was done, it was late at night.

Su Lin went to Lin Xiaowan’s room, finding her already awake, ready to get up since the medicinal power in the bath had waned. But as she was about to stand, she saw Su Lin enter.

“Su Lin, why are you here?”

“Xiaoyu and Yanyan are still absorbing the medicinal properties, so I came to check on you.”

Lin Xiaowan noticed something odd in Su Lin’s gaze and said, “They need you more right now to keep watch.”

Su Lin smiled, “Being there might disrupt their cultivation. Xiaowan, you’ve finished absorbing. Why haven’t you come out yet?”

Lin Xiaowan glared at him, “How can I come out with you standing there?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Heh… so my presence stops you? Well, you’ve been sitting in the medicinal bath for so long, your body must be numb. Let me help you.”

Lin Xiaowan paled, “No… no need. I can manage on my own.”

“Xiaowan, you always try to act tough. When will you break this little habit of yours?” Saying that, Su Lin reached out his hand towards Lin Xiaowan…