Chapter 23 The Recipe for Poison Repellent

Chapter 23: The Recipe for Poison Repellent

All the way back upstairs, Hua Diao was riding the high of making money. Once home, she went back to what she was doing before—inspecting the soil inside the treasure chests.

"Whoa! There are thirty bags in total. How many monsters did you take down to get so much soil?"

She turned her head in delighted surprise to look at Xie Tingsheng, who had been following her closely, only to find him frowning deeply, his eyes dark and unreadable, not a hint of a smile on his handsome face.

Ever since noticing Hua Diao's special treatment toward the man named Chu Chengling downstairs, his expression had remained icy, a nagging irritation lingering in his heart that he couldn’t quite control. Yet, he remained silent.

Hua Diao was puzzled. Scratching her head, she asked suspiciously, "What's wrong with you?"

Seeing her big, blinking eyes and clueless look, Xie Tingsheng pressed his lips together, his gaze dark and inscrutable as if trying to see right through her. Then, in a slightly hoarse voice, he asked, "Do you... still like that Chu Chengling downstairs?"

Hua Diao blinked her beautiful, sparkling eyes and denied without hesitation, "No, I don’t. How could I? A stunning, adorable fairy like me can have any man I want. Why would I waste my time on a married man? I’m not stupid."

Besides, she never liked Chu Chengling in the first place. It was the supporting actress Hua Diao—that dumb original owner—who had a crush on him. So, she had no problem denying it.

Xie Tingsheng’s dark mood lightened immediately, the tension at the corners of his eyes relaxing as they curved upward slightly. He muttered softly, "That’s good."

Hua Diao tilted her head in confusion. "What did you just say? I didn’t catch it."

"Nothing." Xie Tingsheng replied, his lips quirking slightly. Then, shifting his gaze to the soil in the treasure chests, he asked in a calm tone, "What do you plan to grow on the balcony? Is this enough soil?"

Hearing the conversation return to the main topic, Hua Diao immediately perked up, bubbling with excitement. "Thirty bags of soil—though each is only about the size of a small flowerpot—are enough to cover a fifth of the balcony. I think we can section off a small area first to try planting seasoning crops like garlic, spring onions, and ginger. We still have other vegetables and meat in stock, so no rush. The most important thing is to test whether this soil from the treasure chests is any different."

"Mm, your call." Xie Tingsheng’s gaze remained fixed on her as he spoke softly.

Jinxiu Huayuan was a luxury apartment complex, and its balconies were designed with all kinds of weather conditions in mind, including extreme rain and wind. Thus, the balcony wasn’t open-air but glass-enclosed.

The balcony was also spacious enough to accommodate a small flower bed.

However, since the supporting actress Hua Diao disliked tending to plants, the balcony had nothing planted on it. It wasn’t designed as a garden space either—just a comfortable lounge chair, a rattan table, and a hanging chair where she usually drank tea, sunbathed, or read books.

Hua Diao led Xie Tingsheng over to scope out the area. After a glance, she realized her mistake—she should’ve bought some flower pots. Otherwise, they’d have to build a planting area with bricks.

Xie Tingsheng immediately noticed her dilemma. Lowering his gaze to the little cowlick on her head, he said, "I’ll help you build a small flower bed."

Hua Diao’s eyes instantly lit up as she turned to him. "You know how to do brickwork too?"

Xie Tingsheng nodded modestly. "A little."

Hua Diao excitedly patted his shoulder. "Great! Then the flower bed is all yours. But since this was my idea and I didn’t plan it well, I should take some responsibility too. How about I provide the cement and bricks?"

Xie Tingsheng hesitated. "But those things are heavy."

Hua Diao blinked at him mischievously and flexed her muscles jokingly. "Don’t underestimate me. Maybe I’m like Popeye after eating spinach!"

Xie Tingsheng burst into laughter, the dark intensity in his eyes replaced by twinkles of amusement. With an understanding smile, he said, "Alright then, it’s all yours, Popeye."

"Hehe." Hua Diao grinned cheerfully before eagerly waving him over. "Come on, come on! You still have two treasure chests here still unopened. Hurry up and open them—let’s see what loot is inside~"

At her words, Xie Tingsheng’s previously raised lips slowly fell, eventually pressing into a thin line, his eyes darkening.

He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of her.

"What’s wrong? Come on!"

"...Coming."

With a sigh, Xie Tingsheng allowed Hua Diao to drag him to the two treasure chests. Bracing himself, he reached out and opened them.

Hua Diao, still thrilled by the novelty of treasure chests, immediately leaned over the edge and peered inside curiously.

Her voice soon was giddy with excitement. "Oh, not bad! There’s good stuff here! Look—this chest has a bag of rice, a gold coin, and a piece of parchment!"

Xie Tingsheng’s handsome face froze in shock, his first thought being—how was this possible?

Could he actually get something other than soil and three copper coins?

Clearly, the bad experience from opening thirty chests that only yielded "soil" and "three copper coins" still haunted him.

"Look, look! It’s the recipe for Poison Repellent!" Hua Diao unrolled the parchment and immediately started excitedly hitting Xie Tingsheng’s arm, her voice brimming with envy.

"You hit the jackpot! This recipe is a cash cow! In the official game trading zone, a single bottle of Poison Repellent sells for 10 silver coins. If you can make it yourself, you can sell it for profit!"

Coming back to himself, Xie Tingsheng found his voice again. Without thinking, he said while staring at Hua Diao’s beaming face, "I’ll give this recipe to you."

Hua Diao froze, her eyes widening as she stammered, "G-give it to me? This thing could make you tons of gold if managed well. You’re really giving it to me?"

Xie Tingsheng nodded calmly. "Mm."

He had no interest in recipes or the patience to mix potions in a lab. What he enjoyed was real, hands-on monster hunting—it was the only thing that could vent the bloodthirsty killing intent inside him.

Hua Diao gulped, her gaze darting nervously. But she suppressed her greed and shook her head firmly. "No, I can’t accept it. It’s too valuable, and the materials listed in the recipe are hard to find. I’ve never even heard of something called ‘chasteberry’ before."

That’s right—a principled person knows what to take and what not to take. Some money and advantages were fair game (like milking money from Chu Chengling without guilt), but Xie Tingsheng was too good. Taking something from him would make her feel guilty.

To prevent Xie Tingsheng from insisting, she quickly shifted her attention to the second treasure chest. "Oh! This chest has good stuff too—a steaming clay pot, three silver coins, and a red berry! Now we have all three berries."

Seeing her resolute expression, Xie Tingsheng didn’t press further. With his long fingers, he casually tucked the recipe into his pocket, planning to give it to Zhu Bin later. If Zhu Bin couldn’t use it, he’d just sell it to the game authorities.