Chapter 154: Birthday Gift

In his previous life, Xiao Cheng had heard of items like the Void-Shattering Pouch and the Universe Bag in the cultivation world, magical treasures so rare that even high-level practitioners rarely possessed them.

Thus, seeing Long'er's ability to swallow water sparked this idea in his mind. However, seeing Long'er's aggrieved look, his heart softened, and he grabbed a small toothpaste cap instead, handing it to her.

Long'er hesitated slightly, then swallowed the toothpaste cap whole, waiting for Xiao Cheng's next instruction.

"Wait a minute, then spit it out!"

A minute later, Xiao Cheng said expectantly, "Now spit it out and let's see!"

Long'er stuck out her tongue and spat out the toothpaste cap. Yet, the outcome was not as wonderful as Xiao Cheng had imagined; the cap was entirely corroded and riddled with holes, utterly unrecognizable as a toothpaste cap.

Xiao Cheng shook his head and dismissed the notion. It seemed that setting up a portable storage cache still had a long way to go.

After finishing his bath and coming out, Sister-in-law and Zhuo Qinglian had prepared a large table of dishes. Looking at them, Xiao Cheng immediately felt his appetite stirred. Over the past few days, aside from the meal on Mount Shenfeng, he truly hadn't eaten a satisfying meal.

Sitting down at the table, he noticed Liu Yiyi staring wide-eyed at the dishes, looking thoroughly astonished. Growing up, she had never seen such an elaborate spread; just looking at the colors told her how delicious it must be.

Fang Yujia and Zhuo Qinglian brought over the bowls of rice, their gazes towards Xiao Cheng appearing extremely peculiar at that moment.

The strength Xiao Cheng displayed tonight when killing Wang Qiyi had left them dumbfounded. Afterwards, listening to Liu Yiyi recount the fierce battle with the python had deepened their realization of his capabilities.

After some mental digestion, both women felt that Xiao Cheng's recent transformation was nothing short of sensational. Just two months ago, Xiao Cheng was still that good-for-nothing, reckless playboy who lived off others and stopped at nothing.

Yet two months later, he had completely changed. Not only did he possess formidable strength, but his temperament had also undergone a heaven-shaking transformation, making him seem like an entirely different person.

Two months ago, Xiao Cheng had been struck by lightning, only to miraculously come back to life afterward. Could it be just like those 8:00 PM television dramas, where Xiao Cheng's body had been hijacked by another soul?

Both women harbored varying degrees of doubt. Women were naturally special creatures; once suspicion took root, it was unstoppable. Comparing Xiao Cheng's actions from before and after the past two months, they realized his style of conduct was indeed drastically different.

Fang Yujia was inherently a rationalist who never believed in the supernatural, but tonight Xiao Cheng had completely shattered that perception, which was why she grew suspicious.

"Xiao Cheng, let me ask you a question?" Zhuo Qinglian looked at him doubtfully and continued, "Where was the first place you met Older Sister?"

Xiao Cheng was taken aback. Why was Zhuo Qinglian asking such a random question out of the blue? Could she suspect that he was no longer himself?

Xiao Cheng muttered inwardly; women's intuition was truly terrifying—they had even begun to doubt his true identity.

"On the riverbank in Yuehai Town to the east," Xiao Cheng replied.

"When is my birthday?" Fang Yujia asked calmly.

Xiao Cheng was stunned for a moment; even Sister-in-law had joined the ranks of the suspicious.

"The twenty-seventh day of the eleventh lunar month!"

Hearing Xiao Cheng's accurate and unhesitating answer, both women let out a sigh of relief. As long as Xiao Cheng was still Xiao Cheng, it didn't matter so much whether he had grown stronger or if his temperament had improved.

Xiao Cheng frowned and calculated the date. Wasn't today precisely the twenty-seventh day of the eleventh lunar month?

"If Elder Sister Yu hadn't asked, I almost would have forgotten. Isn't today Elder Sister Yu's birthday?" Xiao Cheng smiled.

To be honest, he was naturally carefree and had been entangled in trivial matters lately. If Sister-in-law hadn't reminded him, he truly wouldn't have remembered.

Prompted by Xiao Cheng, Fang Yujia finally remembered as well. She had always only paid attention to the Gregorian calendar because it was tied to work and paying bonuses to employees, completely ignoring the lunar calendar.

"Happy birthday, Elder Sister Yu!" Xiao Cheng smiled and congratulated her. With a flash of inspiration, he added, "Later on, I'll give Elder Sister Yu a special gift."

"Happy birthday, Sister Yujia!" Zhuo Qinglian echoed with a smile, rummaging through her pockets to produce a small trinket—a piece of emerald-green jade—which she presented to Fang Yujia.

The quality of this jade was exceptionally fine; on the market, it would easily fetch hundreds of thousands.

"Happy birthday, Sister, but I don't have anything to give!" Liu Yiyi looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Hehe, Yiyi, don't overthink it. Birthdays are all about being happy!" Fang Yujia comforted Liu Yiyi. If Xiao Cheng hadn't brought it up, she really would have forgotten. Celebrating her birthday today wasn't bad either; her mood was exceptionally good.

"I'll go get some wine!" Fang Yujia said, standing up to retrieve it.

Xiao Cheng was slightly startled. He remembered being thoroughly knocked out by Sister-in-law the last time—were they drinking again?

Zhuo Qinglian's expression also stiffened slightly. She had witnessed Fang Yujia's drinking capacity over the past two days; even when she cheated using inner energy, she couldn't outdrink her.

Fang Yujia brought back the wine, and the table began eating and drinking merrily, genuinely capturing the vibe of a large, happy family. It made Xiao Cheng drift off into thought for a moment—was this lifestyle a portrait of his future happy life? Not bad at all.

As the three women drank, they suddenly noticed that Liu Yiyi's expression was a bit strange. Holding her chopsticks without picking up any food, tears were swirling in her eyes.

"Yiyi, what's wrong?" Xiao Cheng asked with concern.

"Nothing, I just miss Master. With so many dishes, how wonderful it would be if Master could eat them too!" Liu Yiyi said, and the tears immediately rolled down.

What a filial girl. Xiao Cheng's heart softened as he recalled the elderly and frail Hermit Hui'an. Raising three sisters alone was no easy feat. Now that Yiyi was following him, strictly speaking, the Zhongling Sect was Yiyi's natal home. When he had time, he should still help improve the conditions of the Zhongling Sect; that wasn't difficult for him at all.

"Yiyi, don't worry. Later on, I'll have people send some good things over so your Master can eat whatever she wants!" Xiao Cheng comforted her.

"Elder Brother Xiao, you're so kind!" Liu Yiyi said, her tears turning into a smile.

After the meal, Xiao Cheng was slightly buzzed, Zhuo Qinglian also carried a hint of intoxication, and Liu Yiyi's cheeks were flushed red. Yet Fang Yujia's expression remained completely normal, her gaze clear without the slightest hint of drunkenness.

Earlier, Fang Yujia had displayed overpowering dominance in a three-player showdown, drinking probably around five catties of Baijiu. To hold her liquor this well without a trace of intoxication—she truly possessed a legendary capacity for alcohol.

After dinner, Fang Yujia took a bath, put on her pajamas, settled Liu Yiyi into her bedroom, and prepared to turn in. Just then, Xiao Cheng knocked on Sister-in-law's door.

After her bath, Fang Yujia's skin was as white as if she had soaked in milk, exuding a light and pleasant fragrance. Dressed in a loose white pajama set, she possessed an added touch of gentle, domestic feminine charm.

Xiao Cheng lost himself for a brief moment, smiled slightly, fished a jade box out of his pocket, and presented it to Sister-in-law.

"Elder Sister Yu, this is your birthday gift. I didn't think of it a few days ago, so it's a bit hasty and unprepared—please don't mind it!" Xiao Cheng said as he opened the jade box.

Fang Yujia smiled faintly and looked inside the jade box, only to find a small cherry tomato lying quietly within.

Sending this, Xiao Cheng himself felt it was somewhat inappropriate.

It wasn't that the Heavenly Origin Fruit wasn't precious, but rather that he originally intended to use these fruits to remold the physical bodies of Sister-in-law and Zhuo Qinglian. Using it as a birthday gift indeed felt a bit far-fetched, but he had no other choice. Having nothing else suitable to give, letting Sister-in-law down on her birthday wouldn't be good.

Fang Yujia was slightly stunned, thinking to herself that even if he hadn't prepared, he didn't need to use a cherry tomato to make up the numbers. Still, she didn't mind too much; she wasn't lacking anything anyway.

However, as she looked at the small cherry tomato a second later, she suddenly paused. What was another name for the cherry tomato in Western languages? It was the *Shengmu Guo* (Virgin Fruit/Love Apple), which represented...

In his previous life, Xiao Cheng had never applied himself properly in cultural studies, so naturally, he didn't know a single fruit could carry so many implications. He completely failed to guess what was going on in Sister-in-law's mind!