Trash Techniques Are Actually Pretty Efficient - Volume 1 Chapter 57

The group of five girls and one “girl” went out into the backyard.

“What are we doing here? Aren’t we going to the marketplace?” Xie Jian was confused. There were only three marketplaces in Hongliu City, and none of them were in this direction.

“Ah, we’re going to the capital.” Lu Xifa sliced the ground with her two fingers, opening a portal that could fit one person. “Who wants to go first?”

Xie Jian stayed silent, but gripped Lan Xiang’s arm.

“Huh? What is it, Jian’er?”

“If we’re going to the capital, I can’t come with.” Xie Jian looked dispirited.

Lan Xiang was also disappointed. “Why?”

“You’re using my Disguise Ring. If I don’t use a disguise, everyone’ll recognize me, especially since we’re going to the capital.”

“Oh, you’re right.” Lan Xiang clicked his tongue. He really wanted to get another Disguise Ring now.

“Bye.” With a hesitant look, Xie Jian went back inside.

Lan Xiang frowned as he jumped into the rift.

Inside the mansion, Xie Jian’s head was full of thoughts.

“Xifa really just opened a portal, right in front of me. That means she’s part of the ancient Lu family, which means that my grandmother is also part of that family.” Xie Jian was the most shocked by this revelation. Everyone else seemed to know about it already, so was she not keeping it secret?

…..

Lan Xiang went through the portal, landing on his two feet.

“Huh? Xiang, where’s Cousin Jian?” Lu Xifa was more or less used to seeing the girl form of Lan Xiang. Still, that didn’t make him any less attractive.

“She went back, said she can’t go to the capital without a Disguise Ring. I’m using hers, after all.” Although he sounded nonchalant about it, Lan Xiang was actually disappointed.

“Woah, this place is huge! And crowded!” Zhang Xiaoqin looked around Wuji Street excitedly.

“So, what’re we gonna do here?” Ren Weiwei didn’t expect it to be this hot.

“I’ll refine pills for my customers, of course.”

Soon enough, they found the spot they were originally at. Strangely, it was still unoccupied, like before. It was such a good spot, why did no one place their stalls here?

Lan Xiang shrugged as he placed the rug and his furnace down. He also wore his black cloak and conjured ice on various parts of his body, as to not get a heatstroke.

“Aiya, it’s hotter than yesterday!” Lu Xifa couldn’t stay for long in this weather. She was born and raised in Pei Luan, a country far up north. Familiar with the cold, hostile to the heat was the signature trait that all people from that country shared.

Lan Xiang sat down behind the furnace as he took out the labels and taped them in front.

Ren Weiwei read them. “Mysterious Xiang Lan? Xiang, this is really stupid. On the topic of names, you should have gone with just the letter ‘X’ instead. It’s more mysterious.”

Lan Xiang thought that what she said made sense. He tore the paper in two and took another one out, drawing an elaborately designed ‘X’ and stuck it on the furnace.

Zhang Xiaoqin was getting bored. Nothing was really happening. “I’ll be exploring for a bit around here!”

…..

An hour later.

A rhythmic pattern of snores came from Lan Xiang’s stall. One after another, four people snored while they slept on the rug.

Lan Xiang hadn’t expected this heat to drain all his energy, falling asleep in the process. The same happened to the three girls who came with him.

“She’s here! The Mysterious Xiang Lan!” One of the people in the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

Lan Xiang sat up straight, startling the three behind him. “My first customer for the day!”

“Ma’am, Miss, uh, Madam Xiang! Is it true? You’re offering to refine pills for free?”

“Firstly, I’m not Xiang, I’m X, look here! Secondly, yes, I am. You just need to bring your own ingredients and recipe.”

“Oh, thank the gods I finally found you! Here, Miss X. The recipe is right here. Can you make, like 10 pills of this? I have 10 batches of ingredients.”

“Ten batches…?”

Lan Xiang took the label on his furnace, wrote something, and replaced it.

“PS: Only one pill per recipe.”

The woman who approached Lan Xiang was dispirited. “It’s fine if you only make one.”

“Hand it to me then.”

Mighty Junior Dragon Strengthening Pill

Bronze level technique (More details…)

Sell value: 30 t-pts.

What a tacky name… Lan Xiang couldn’t help but turn up in disgust.

He looked at the pill recipe, and then at the lady who was making him refine this pill.

He must’ve already found out what this pill is for… The lady peacefully whistled. It’s not my fault my husband needs things like this.

Lan Xiang shook his head. At least, he could raise his mastery of the Pill Refinement Notes.

Ren Weiwei and Lu Xifa observed as the furnace filled with water with a wave of Lan Xiang’s hand.

“Wait a second!” They both widened their eyes. Both of them had witnessed him using the fire element when he fought, how come he could use the water element as well?

Lu Xifa was about to approach Lan Xiang when Ren Weiwei grabbed her shoulder.

“Don’t! You’ll disturb him. Let’s ask later.”

The two made a mental reminder.

As Lan Xiang refined the Mighty Junior Dragon Strengthening Pill, another person lined up behind the lady. When he added an ingredient and mixed it thoroughly, another person lined up. When he took off the lid to let some steam out, one more person lined up…

By the time he finished refining the pill, the line already numbered more than 10 people.

“Ah, it’s a busy day today.” Lan Xiang chuckled.

…..

Zhang Xiaoqin cheerfully walked around the marketplace. Ever since she was a child, she had always been sheltered by her parents. As such, it was her first time visiting a place like this.

The bustling crowd, the summer heat, and the rough surface of the ground… made her feel free.

While walking, her nose twitched. She sniffed out a scent that made her drool.

“Ah, what’s this?” Zhang Xiaoqin grabbed one of the sticks from the stall.

“First time here, missy?” The vendor looked at Zhang Xiaoqin’s attire. She was definitely a rich person!

“Yes, how did you know?” The enthusiasm that Zhang Xiaoqin emitted reached the vendor.

“Just my intuition.”

Intuition, my ass! It’s pretty obvious from the way you looked around curiously!

“Well, what should I do here?”

Zhang Xiaoqin observed the stall. There was a giant wok pan full of oil, with a small gas tank under the stove. The oil popped and sizzled, heat emitting above the pan.

Little floating balls swam around the oil, turning from a white color to a golden brown, then gradually into a dark burnt brown.

“You already have a stick? Pierce one of the fish balls inside the pot and pour this sauce over it.” The helpful hawker gave her a ladle and opened the container full of brown-colored sauce.

Zhang Xiaoqin started to drool even more. In the blink of an eye, she pierced one fish ball and poured the sauce all over it, and placed it inside her mouth.

“Wait, missy, it’s still hot-!”

Zhang Xiaoqin’s eyes widened. She opened her mouth and fanned inside with her hands. Her tongue was burning all over, as were her cheeks and her gums.

“F*ck, this is too hot!”

However, the flavors were evident to her. They weren’t of refined, perfect taste like she was used to. The flavors were all over the place, from the fishy taste of the ball to the sweetness and spiciness of the sauce. In the end, her verdict was… it tasted really good!

As such, even though her mouth was burning, she could not bear to spit out the balls of fish.

“Hey, mister, what are these called?” Zhang Xiaoqin had teary eyes.

“Th, they’re called fishballs.” The vendor had never seen such a tenacious girl before.

In the end, both of them thought the same thing. “It’s never too late to widen your horizons…”