Chapter 140: Phoenix Gallbladder of the Lunar Eye

Sun Hong, who had just been wearing a flattering smile and warmly inviting Chen Muxue, trembled violently upon seeing the text message, his face draining of color instantly!

He looked around in terror, cold sweat beading on his forehead. That influential figure truly possessed mystical and boundless powers—there were even informants stationed inside the hospitals of Qingyang!

Even his plan to go out for a meal with Chen Muxue was already known!

The mere thought of this scared Sun Hong out of his wits. He hurriedly and respectfully said to Chen Muxue:

"President Chen, I am truly sorry. I suddenly remembered I have some urgent matters to attend to. I won't be able to join you for dinner. I... I must leave first!"

Without waiting for Chen Muxue's reaction, Sun Hong fled in a fluster, hurriedly departing with his driver.

"President Sun..."

Chen Muxue originally wanted to offer a few polite words of retention, but Sun Hong had already vanished from sight.

Following this incident, Allure Technology received a massive shipment of traditional Chinese medicinal herbs sent by Sun Hong by noon. At the same time, Manager Wang of the company's finance department also received a full refund from Sun Hong.

True to Sun Hong's own request, the prices were discounted by an additional twenty-five percent compared to the original agreement, which was practically the bare-bones acquisition cost Sun Hong paid when sourcing the herbs directly from the origin suppliers.

A renewed sense of confidence ignited within Chen Muxue. She personally drafted a new contract, sent it to Sun Hong, and immediately threw herself into the production of the Rejuvenation Cream.

As long as they delivered the required volume of the Rejuvenation Cream on schedule, they would receive the payment installment from the Shenghui Group. With that, Allure Technology could finally be considered firmly established in Qingyang's cosmetics industry.

Chen Jianguo busied himself with various social engagements every day. Externally, he proclaimed himself to be the discoverer of the authentic Lanting Preface. Coupled with his honorary title as museum director, he was constantly kept busy receiving prominent figures from all walks of life who traveled from all over the country just to visit him.

He also frequently brought Lü Hongmei along to various banquets, his face glowing with health and smiles blooming endlessly on his face.

Consequently, only Su Zheng was left at home alone.

Having successfully obtained his driver's license just as he wished, he made preparations to crack open that lump of 'mud' and finally see what lay hidden inside.

Because he had long since sensed the abundant vitality pulsing from within the mud, he had not dared to open it casually before, fearing that the vitality might dissipate. Now that all preparations were complete and there was no one at home to disturb him, it was the perfect time for an inspection.

Su Zheng placed the lump of mud onto the table. Beside it sat an exquisite jade bottle he had commissioned craftsmen to carve from precious jade, standing ready to unveil the mysterious veil shrouding the contents of the mud.

"Snap!"

With a solemn expression, Su Zheng carefully peeled away a small piece of the hardened mud, revealing the sight within.

"Hmm?"

When he clearly saw the object inside, he could not help but knit his brows slightly.

Within the exposed section of the mud was a mass of fire-like red substance, radiating a rich and potent vitality. It was impossible to tell from a glance what had formed it.

Su Zheng peeled away more of the mud until the substance was finally fully exposed.

The sight left him stunned, and it was only after a long moment that a look of wild elation broke across his face.

The Phoenix Gall!

What was wrapped inside the mud turned out to be a Phoenix Gall!

It was fiery red throughout, glowing with vibrant vitality, and bore a pattern resembling an eye on its surface. The entire object was roughly the size of a pigeon's egg.

Su Zheng reached out and retrieved the entire Phoenix Gall. It felt warm to the touch, its entire body as fiery red as a diamond.

The Phoenix Gall, also known as the Dust-Guarding Pearl, is a natural jade bead. According to legends, it contains the fiery essence of heaven and earth, making it a supreme item of extreme yang energy.

In truth, the Phoenix Gall comes in many varieties, among which those patterned with a phoenix's eye are particularly precious. The phoenix eye patterns are further divided into the 'phoenix eye' and the 'moon eye', with the true phoenix eye being the most prized of all.

The moon-eyed Phoenix Gall was formed during the early stages of mineral development due to geological factors, creating a phoenix-eye pattern resembling an eye.

Upon close inspection, Su Zheng realized that the Phoenix Gall in his hand was precisely a moon-eyed Phoenix Gall!

This realization filled him with irrepressible joy. He then reached into his pocket and retrieved the red jade pendant.

"Pop!"

As if sensing each other's presence, the two items emitted a faint chime the moment they drew slightly closer, and two distinct currents of air clashed in the space between them.

Su Zheng quickly separated the two objects, not daring to let them get too close.

After comparing them, he realized that the vitality contained within the Phoenix Gall was even more potent. If he were to use special methods to refine both items together right now, the vitality surging from the Phoenix Gall might completely exhaust the deathly Qi locked inside the red jade pendant, failing to achieve the desired effect of mutual complementation.

After a moment of hesitation, Su Zheng placed the Phoenix Gall into the jade bottle. The bottle was small enough to be grasped in one hand; it was something Su Zheng had spent many days specifically searching for and acquiring just to ensure the Phoenix Gall's vitality would not leak away.

He decided against direct refinement. Instead, using the techniques passed down through his ancestral heritage, he would absorb the two extreme sources of Qi from the Phoenix Gall and the red jade pendant day by day, thereby rapidly elevating his own physical constitution and life force.

Once his body and vitality became sufficiently powerful, he would be able to cure the chronic hidden ailment plaguing Chen Muxue's body.

Having made up his mind, Su Zheng held one item in each hand, grasping the two completely opposing sources of extreme Qi, and closed his eyes.

Time ticked away second by second. He could feel his physical constitution and spiritual power undergoing a slow transformation, his five senses growing sharper and keener by the moment.

Although it was not as dramatic as the time he drank the Crimson Glow Grass medicinal liquid, which had forced a layer of impurities out through his skin, Su Zheng knew that as long as he persevered, his physique would once again achieve a massive leap forward.

As the afternoon approached dusk, Su Zheng received a phone call from Qiao Lan, who warmly invited both him and Chen Muxue to dinner that evening.

The occasion was to celebrate Su Zheng passing his driving test, an achievement worthy of a celebration.

"Well... let me ask Muxue. She has been very busy lately; I'm not sure if she has the time."

Su Zheng was somewhat lost for words. Passing a driving test was hardly anything worth celebrating, especially since his enhanced physique and spiritual perception made learning to drive feel like child's play. If not for the mandatory waiting periods between test stages, he would have secured his license long ago.

"Chuckle... Brother Zheng, do you even need to ask your wife's permission just to go out for a meal?"

Qiao Lan teased him with a chuckle over the phone, then added triumphantly, "Don't worry, before I called you, I already checked with your wife. She agreed."

Out of respect for Su Zheng and after coming to understand how silently Chen Muxue had devoted herself to him in the past, Qiao Lan naturally referred to Chen Muxue as her sister-in-law.

"Hehe... All right then, send me the address. See you later." Su Zheng smiled and hung up the phone.

After tidying up the house a bit, he headed to the company to rendezvous with Chen Muxue, and the two of them drove straight to the restaurant booked by Qiao Lan.

Junlan Island.

A restaurant renowned for its high-end luxury, where the patrons were either wealthy or noble—completely unaffordable for ordinary people.

A single meal here probably cost enough to cover an ordinary family's living expenses for several years. It was a dining spot where the rich spent their leisure time gathering, and a paradise that the poor could only yearn for in their dreams.