Eric Zheng understood perfectly well the effects of the pills inside the porcelain bottle in his hand.
Back in the courtyard, just smelling it made his whole body feel refreshed. Then he tracked it here, swallowed one pill, and instantly broke through the bottleneck between peak Inner Strength and the Pseudo-Vajra realm, stepping into Pseudo-Vajra.
Its effects are nothing short of miraculous—far surpassing even the most carefully brewed medicinal herbs.
Eric Zheng's face was full of excitement. He gripped the porcelain bottle tightly, unwilling to let go.
Fifth-Rank Vajra!
If he could formally reach Fifth-Rank Vajra, his future would be completely different!
"No way!" Joy Zheng's expression changed instantly and she rushed forward to snatch it back.
But Susan Xu blocked her at every turn, pressing her body firmly against Joy Zheng and looking at her frantic, panicked face with obvious disdain. "Come on, it's just your nephew wanting a bottle of snacks. Are you really that stingy?"
"Besides, it's not like you have any use for it. How about I give you some money? Go to the supermarket, see what you want to eat, and buy whatever you like."
"You've been teaching in Whitewood County all these years, right? Teacher's salary is so little, I bet you haven't eaten anything nice. That stuff in the bottle probably isn't even worth much. How about I give you ten thousand yuan?"
"Take the ten thousand, and if you really want, just buy another bottle later."
Susan Xu spoke while rummaging through her pockets, but couldn't find anything.
"Oh shoot, I rushed over and forgot my wallet. Look at my memory!"
Susan Xu slapped her forehead, her face full of playful amusement.
"I'll pay! I'll pay!"
Frank Chang hurried forward, digging in his pocket and pulling out a bank card.
He handed the card to Joy Zheng with a big smile. "There's twenty thousand yuan on this card—consider it a gift from me to my son."
"No need to give me any change. The password is six ones."
Frank Chang handed over the bank card.
Joy Zheng's face kept changing, her whole body shaking with anger. "You people are going way too far!"
"How is this bullying? Just listen to yourself," Susan Xu said, displeased. "This stuff is useless for you, but Eric likes it. If Eric likes it, he'll train harder and get much stronger."
"If his strength improves, that's a huge benefit for our Zheng family—it gives our family a lot more face."
"Aren't you part of the Zheng family too? If Eric brings honor to the Zhengs, isn't that also giving you more face? How can you not understand such a simple thing!"
Susan Xu spoke every word with arrogant pride.
Joy Zheng couldn't out-argue her.
Originally, Joy Zheng came back to see the Zheng family patriarch and matriarch, but unexpectedly, the day before she arrived, they went to Wutai Mountain with Ben Moran and hadn't returned yet.
"This was given to me by Xiao Yi. If Eric wants some, I'll ask Xiao Yi to get more for him when he comes. If Xiao Yi finds it's missing, he'll definitely be mad."
Joy Zheng felt wronged and tired deep down.
Having a sister-in-law like this was truly a headache. That unreasonable attitude was clearly meant to put her in her place.
"Getting mad is no big deal. If he's angry, let him come find Eric."
Susan Xu smiled. "Kids get mad, they just want to throw a couple punches and vent. That's all it takes."
"When he comes back, let him go find Eric. Eric can just stand there and let him punch a few times to blow off steam. That should be fine, right?"
After she finished, Susan Xu looked at Eric Zheng behind her. "Eric, what do you think?"
"No problem! Not just a couple punches—he could hit me all day and I'd be fine!"
Eric Zheng promised confidently.
Now that he's reached Pseudo-Vajra, ordinary external-strength fighters can't hurt him at all. Even inner-strength experts wouldn't do much.
As for this Xiao Yi Joy Zheng mentioned?
Who the hell is that?
Probably just some country bumpkin student.
Eric Zheng wasn't worried at all about standing still and getting hit. What he did worry about was that the kid would tire himself out before Eric even felt a thing.
Thinking of this, Eric Zheng's lips curled up in smug satisfaction.
Of course, snatching things by force would probably earn him a harsh scolding from the Zheng family matriarch, but now that he'd broken into Pseudo-Vajra, it was a huge cause for celebration in the Zheng family.
When the time came, Eric could just hide the unfinished pills, put on a show and offer a fake apology, and the whole thing would blow over.
"You people!"
Joy Zheng was furious.
"Just take it, don't be embarrassed. Twenty thousand yuan for a porcelain bottle—you're making a killing!" Frank Chang tossed the bank card on the table and grinned.
"Right, you called me here to give me one of those Youth-Preserving Beauty Pills, didn't you?" Susan Xu remembered, smiling.
Today, Joy Zheng had called Susan Xu over, planning to give her a Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill.
When Joy Zheng asked Evan for these pills, it was so her older sister, her sister-in-law, and the Zheng family matriarch could use them.
But unexpectedly, Susan Xu showed up with Eric Zheng.
As soon as Eric Zheng walked in, he demanded the Small Foundation-Cultivating Pill from Joy Zheng.
"Not giving it!"
Joy Zheng, furious, spat out her words.
"Don't be like that. When I saw Claire Zheng, her skin looked years younger. She said it was thanks to your Youth-Preserving Beauty Pill. And you called me here for this, didn't you?" Susan Xu smiled, scanning the room. She soon spotted a porcelain bottle on the table, her eyes lighting up as she quickly walked over.
"Is this it? Let me see!"
Susan Xu didn't hesitate, giving Joy no chance to stop her. She was already at the table, picked up the porcelain bottle, and sniffed it. "Wow, it smells amazing!"
"Mom, if you like it, just take it. Worst case, I'll let that Xiao Yi punch me a few extra times—consider it a gift from your son!" Eric Zheng laughed.
"Great! Then I'll take it!"
Susan Xu put the porcelain bottle in her pocket.
"You're only supposed to take one!"
Seeing Susan Xu take the whole bottle, Joy Zheng's face changed and she hurried to stop her.
"It's fine, it's fine, I don't mind taking a bit more. Besides, Eric said your son can punch him a few extra times, and Frank just gave you an extra ten thousand yuan, right?"
"So that extra ten thousand can count as payment for this bottle too!"
"Joy, you traded two porcelain bottles for twenty thousand yuan! You made a huge profit!"
Susan Xu laughed loudly, then left with Eric Zheng and Frank Chang.
Leaving Joy Zheng alone, facing a ransacked room.