...

The sun was bright and the wind was gentle, the last of the snow melting away. Li Xiang was doing some farm work in the backyard, with five kittens, two goslings, and a small hedgehog playing around him. The Little Fox and Er Huang had gone to patrol the back mountain.

Li Xiang planned to plant a batch of strawberries. Although he could buy them, they wouldn’t taste as good as homegrown ones, and he could guarantee their quality. Some of the store-bought ones were treated with various chemicals, like growth accelerants.

Zhao Xueqing carried a pot of fragrant tea into the greenhouse and placed it on a small table inside. "Brother Xiang, I brewed you some snow chrysanthemum and goji berry tea." She rolled up her sleeves and started to lend Li Xiang a hand.

Lei Xiaohui followed right behind her, carrying a cup of milk tea, which she also placed on the table. "Brother Xiang, this is a new milk tea recipe I came up with. Fifty percent sugar. I think it’s pretty good, you should try it." She picked up a small trowel and bent down to help Li Xiang.

A moment later, Yao Yao arrived as well. She was wearing a short skirt and Snake Skin Soft Boots, revealing her long, fair legs. She carried a half-empty bottle of new red wine—she had likely just drunk the other half. Her cheeks were flushed like a spring sunset, and she exuded a seductive charm. The sight made Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui roll their eyes. ’She’s so shameless,’ they thought. Neither of them could pull off such an outfit.

Yao Yao set down the wine, swayed her slender waist, and came over to help Li Xiang. "Brother Xiang, you should taste this wine later. I think its texture and flavor are superb. I’m planning to order a large shipment, but I still need your approval."

Li Xiang smiled. "I don’t know much about red wine. You can just make the decision yourself."

"Okay, Brother Xiang," Yao Yao said, remembering something. "Brother Xiang, about the persimmon wine and Spirit Wine you asked me to brew—they aren’t ready yet because it hasn’t been long enough. But I’ve been checking on them every day, and everything is progressing normally."

"I’m not in a hurry. Take your time with it."

The three women kept Li Xiang company for a while, reporting on their various tasks. Since they all had things to attend to, they left before long.

However, Yao Yao soon returned, sneaking back to his side. She sidled up to him and asked, "Brother Xiang, what did you secretly give Zhao Xueqing the other day? Look how radiant she’s been these past few days."

Li Xiang replied, "Nothing much, just some Spiritual Medicine."

He looked Yao Yao up and down and said, "What do you mean Xueqing is radiant? I think you’re the one who’s radiant."

"That’s because I’m thinking about you," Yao Yao joked.

Then, she picked up the half-empty bottle of wine and asked mysteriously, "Do you know the best way to let this kind of wine breathe to make it taste good?"

"How? With a decanter? Or just let it breathe in the glass?" Li Xiang didn’t know much about red wine; his knowledge was spotty at best.

Generally, ordinary red wine doesn’t need to breathe, but the one Yao Yao had chosen was high-end, so that step was essential.

"Like this." Yao Yao immediately demonstrated. She tilted her head back and took a large mouthful, her cheeks puffing out. "Mmmph, mmmph..."

Her ruby lips, carrying the scent of wine, moved closer. She was actually going to feed Li Xiang mouth-to-mouth. Mhmm, her mouth was the decanter, her tongue swirling the wine to let it breathe. Or perhaps, they could work together to make the flavor even more exquisite.

Li Xiang: "..." ’You’re testing me with this?’

Yao Yao’s Snake Skin Soft Boots sank into the loose soil, and she suddenly lost her balance, stumbling into Li Xiang’s arms. The tassels on her earrings got caught on his button. Her virgin scent mingled with the aroma of red wine, fermenting in the greenhouse air.

"Brother Xiang! Brother Xiang!" Lei Xiaonan’s shouts startled the sparrows pecking at persimmons on a nearby tree. Frightened, Yao Yao instantly jumped back, almost choking on the wine in her mouth. She coughed repeatedly.

Li Xiang smiled and patted her on the back.

Lei Xiaonan ducked into the greenhouse, saw the scene, and immediately gave a silly grin. "Sorry, did I interrupt something?"

Actually, he had originally planned to look for Li Xiang in the afternoon. But he had just run into Zhao Xueqing and his cousin, Lei Xiaohui. They told him that Li Xiang happened to be free right now and that he should hurry over, as Brother Xiang might be going out later. That’s why Lei Xiaonan had rushed over in such a hurry.

Seeing the scene before him, he instantly understood that he’d been used as a pawn. However, Lei Xiaohui was his older cousin, so it was only right and proper for him to help her. Thus, despite the awkwardness, he stubbornly stayed put.

"Brother, I have to go, I have something to do. Don’t forget to taste that red wine." Feeling embarrassed, Yao Yao shot Lei Xiaonan a glare and quickly walked away.

In the distance, Zhao Xueqing and Lei Xiaohui were peeking from a second-floor window of the National Tea House. When they saw Yao Yao storm out in a huff, the two of them couldn’t help but double over in silent laughter.

"’Trying to do something naughty behind our backs? Not a chance.’"

...

Back in the greenhouse, Lei Xiaonan faced Li Xiang, feeling quite ashamed and frustrated.

"Brother Xiang, I’ve also taken the Spiritual Medicine and practiced the Breathing Technique, but I still haven’t been able to generate any Spiritual Power. I asked my Brother Ming and Sister Xiaohui, and they said to just keep practicing like that, and I’d quickly cultivate Spiritual Power and form a spiritual power vortex." Lei Xiaonan hadn’t come to Li Xiang rashly. He had genuinely practiced for a long time, very diligently, and had even sought advice from Lei Jiaming and Lei Xiaohui, but he just couldn’t get the hang of it.

That was why Lei Jiaming and Lei Xiaohui had suggested he come and ask Brother Xiang for guidance in person.

Li Xiang beckoned him over. "Come on, let’s go outside. Show me how you do it."

So, Lei Xiaonan followed him out and demonstrated how he usually practiced his Cultivation.

Li Xiang watched very carefully, even sending a thread of his Spiritual Power into Lei Xiaonan’s body to investigate his muscle movements and see if there were any irregularities.

However, everything—his posture, breathing frequency, and Force Manipulation—was perfectly standard.

"How about this," Li Xiang said. "I’ll teach you a few more Breathing Techniques. Go back and give them a good try."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Xiang!" Lei Xiaonan bowed, looking overwhelmed with gratitude. But then he couldn’t help but ask, "What if I still can’t do it?"

Li Xiang replied, "If you still can’t, it might just be a matter of talent. You can’t force it."

This kind of thing really did depend on talent. If someone truly couldn’t cultivate, there was nothing Li Xiang could do.

So, Li Xiang taught him the introductory parts of several more Breathing Techniques and personally guided him in his practice. Once Lei Xiaonan had grasped them, he left, overjoyed.

When Li Xiang taught his disciples, with the exception of brilliantly talented ones like Luo Feifei and Jiang Cai’Er, he always taught in stages. He would start with the basics, and only after they reached the corresponding Realm would he pass on the more profound parts.

If someone couldn’t even master the basics, then the introductory parts were all they would ever get.