Ch. 151..160
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 151
Alex grabbed the stove and pulled his head out of it.
He then rushed to the table excitedly and started scribbling on a notebook. He had used up seven notebooks for the past two days. All of them were filled with weird symbols that Waltz did not recognize.
“I love nerds. Brother, you look so cool when you’re focused on work!”
Waltz sat on the table and shoved a spoonful of ice cream into Alex’s mouth. Alex was still focused on writing, hence he completely ignored her. After noting down all the sigils that he had figured out, he put down the pen and let out a sigh of relief, as if a boulder had been lifted off his chest.
Suddenly, he felt extremely thirsty. A spoonful of ice cream wasn’t enough for him, hence he snatched the whole bucket of ice cream and gobbled it all up.
“Brother, I couldn’t finish the ice cream in the bucket, so I actually spat the rest out back into it.”
Alex froze.
He immediately spat out the mint ice cream onto Waltz’s face.
Half an hour later, Alex started repairing the shabby alchemy stove.
Alex was only able to grasp a brief understanding of the ancient sigil as it was quite advanced. He figured out that this sigil was to help engage the Chi from natural elements in alchemy.
They were lucky that only a small part of the sigil was damaged. According to the knowledge he acquired from the Ultimate Book of Medicine, he was able to use reverse identification and reasoning from his vast knowledge to restore the ancient sigil.
Restoring the sigil used up some of his Chi as well. It took him three hours to be able to restore the whole thing.
As soon as the sigil within the stove was restored, the energy flowing within it grew immensely.
“Well, that was tiring. I’ll have to rest a little.” Alex put the stove aside and left the basement.
Just then, he heard light laughter coming from the indoor swimming pool on the first floor. Following the noise, he couldn’t look away from what met his eyes. Three gorgeous women were hanging out in the pool, wearing different swimsuits.
These three gorgeous women were Waltz, Maya and Brittany.
The first two women were extremely charming, there was no doubt about that.
Even Brittany, who was middle-aged, looked amazing in a swimsuit. She took good care of her figure and beauty, she usually practiced yoga at home too.
“Hey, Alex, want to join us?” Maya asked.
“Yeah, you’ve been cooped up in the basement for two days, you must smell bad. Come in here to wash up.” Waltz waved to Alex. She was wearing a black bikini.
When Waltz came out of the water, Alex felt as if there was a spotlight shining on her.
Alex felt exhilarated.
If he were to swim in the pool with such eye candy, Alex just knew that he’d feel refreshed and energized.
Brittany turned to look at Maya and Waltz, and she couldn’t help but sigh.
These two girls were both equally amazing, yet Alex was married. But this man was secretly hanging out with Waltz too. She didn’t know what to do with her son.
And just like any other mother, she wanted a grandchild. But Dorothy…
Even if Brittany was blind, she could sense that her son and Dorothy were facing problems in their relationship.
‘What kind of wife wouldn’t want to spend more time with her own husband?’
Dorothy had not even come by once since that time they had a meal together. When Brittany was still in a vegatative state, Claire didn’t come by to visit her as well. All of these indicated that the Assexes were not on good terms with them.
Brittany would rather Alex have an affair with Maya or Waltz… She didn’t intend to stop her son at all. She’d rather her son just choose one of them and produce a grandchild. That way, it would be too late for Dorothy to stop anything.
“Alright, I’ll go get changed.” Alex smiled.
Just then, Alex received a call. It was from Cheryl.
“Alex, are you free tonight?” Cheryl asked from the other end of the line.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Today’s my grandma’s birthday. Well, uhm, my grandpa wants to have you over for a meal.” Cheryl could feel her cheeks burning up.
Alex froze. He remembered that James had mentioned that when he was at the Yowells’.
He had thought Cheryl only invited him out of spite, just to mess with Dorothy. He really didn’t expect her to mean it.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 152
“No problem, just give me the time and address, I’ll be there.” Alex smiled.
“I can pick you up.”
“There’s no need for that, the journey is quite troublesome.”
“Alright!” Cheryl said softly, before adding, “I’m only inviting you because my grandpa wants to see you, don’t you dare misunderstand!”
Alex froze. “I don’t, I know you don’t have other intentions.”
“I… Just come over quickly, I’ll hang up now!” Cheryl’s cheeks were now painted in a slight shade of pink, she seemed annoyed.
‘What do you mean by other intentions?’
After obtaining the address, Alex looked it up online. Apparently Cheryl lives in a residential area in City South, California.
After informing Brittany about the invite, he went to absorb some Chi from his emeralds to energize himself. He then headed towards his destination.
Cheryl was picking an outfit in front of her mirror. Clothes were all over the room, yet she still couldn’t find the right one.
Suddenly, an old lady walked in with a sweet smile. “Cherry, picking an outfit, I see?”
Cheryl was frustrated. “Grandma, I don’t think I have any suitable clothes.”
The old lady hugged Cheryl’s arm. “Aw, my dear granddaughter is all grown up now. It’s not that you don’t have any suitable clothes, it’s just that you think you don’t have the perfect outfit. You’re perfect in any clothes, my dear, that’s how I see it.”
“Grandma!”
“That’s the same for him too. If that boy really likes you, he’d still see you as a beautiful angel, even if you were in rags.”
Cheryl’s face was bright red, her heart was pounding out of her chest.
Grandma then said, “I’d really like to see just how amazing this boy is. He’s managed to charm both of you for some reason.”
Cheryl wasn’t the only one who was acting differently. James had been constantly praising Alex as well. Grandma was starting to get jealous of Alex.
The doorbell chimed, it would seem that Alex had finally arrived.
Cheryl had never felt her heart race so much when she opened the door.
Alex looked calm, holding a basket of fruits. However, he froze as soon as he saw Cheryl. “Dr. Coney, is your shirt inside out?”
Cheryl looked down at her shirt. She wanted to curl up into a ball of embarrassment.
She had been picking an outfit out for more than half an hour, yet she ended up wearing it inside out. She felt extremely awkward.
“Come in, I just randomly put something on. Did you think I’d doll up for you?” Cheryl rolled her eyes.
“Uhm, no. You don’t even have to wear anything if you’d like.”
“Ahem, I mean, you do you.”
Just then, James rushed to the door to welcome Alex as well.
After scanning the room, Alex realized that he was the only guest invited.
After sitting down at the table, Grandma couldn’t take her eyes off of Alex. She was smiling brightly, as if she was looking at her son-in-law.
“Uhm… Happy birthday, Grandma! I hope all your wishes come true!” Alex said as he handed her a present. He bought it on the way here.
It was a jade buddha statue, but it wasn’t all that expensive.
Suddenly, someone else had arrived at the Coney household. It was an old man with his grandson.
The old man seemed energetic, his gaze was as sharp as daggers. The young man on the other hand looked like he was extremely full of himself.
The old man yelled out loud. “Hey Coney, I’ve got you the best grandson-in-law ever. Look at my grandson, he just came back from overseas. Your granddaughter seems to still be unmarried, so I’ll give you a hand. If this keeps up, she’ll end up becoming a spinster!” Comment by Melisa Chan: replaced “Christmas Cake” with this just cause not many in the west would be familiar with the term since it originated (and probably mainly used) in Japan. An alternative is “old maid”?
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 153
James was clearly unhappy with their sudden appearance.
Cheryl was exceptionally annoyed by the old man’s words too, her face was filled with disgust.
‘What do you mean by ‘spinster’?
‘I just have high standards for men!’
James replied, “What brings you here, Wilson? What makes you think I’d welcome you at my doorstep? Were you banned from working in Michigan? Is that why?”
This old man was Patrick Wilson, he had quite a history with James. The two used to be apprentices under a famous doctor, they were like godbrothers. James was older than Patrick, so became the older brother.
However, Patrick didn’t learn medicine to save lives, he wanted the money.
Back then, he would use his master’s title to scam others. This was why their master expelled him and was no longer deemed as one of his disciples. However, Patrick had the mind of a businessman. Even though he couldn’t become a famous doctor, he managed to start up a health care centre, selling ancient spa treatments.
To their surprise, his business was extremely successful, and he managed to open a few more branches in other states.
James knew exactly how his spa treatment worked. It wasn’t entirely a scam, yet the advertised effectiveness was way too misleading. The price for said treatment was off the roof too.
Patrick’s grandson was Zachary Wilson, an actual doctor. He graduated from a prestigious medical university overseas as well.
Zachary had met Cheryl before and was absolutely mesmerized by her beauty. He had many dreams about her as well, and he enjoyed every second of those dreams.
He couldn’t help but burn up when he thought about her exceptionally curvy body.
He noticed Alex, a complete stranger, was handing Grandma a jade statue. He felt upset and competitiveness grew within him as his gaze turned cold.
Patrick huffed. “Coney, are you deaf? I said I’ve got you a grandson-in-law. Cheryl will become the Wilsons’ daughter-in-law from now on.”
Cheryl just couldn’t bear listening any further. “Did I agree to this?”
Patrick was shocked. “My grandson is a postgraduate from the prestigious Mediziner University, his future is bright! With our family’s wealth, you won’t have to worry about anything for life! How dare you reject our offer? You haven’t even found anyone at this age. Do you really want to become a spinster?”
James replied, “You’re too late, Cherry already has a husband. This man, Alex Rockefeller, is my grandson-in-law.”
“What?”
When Zachary realized that his doubts were true, his feelings for Cheryl immediately turned into anger.
‘How dare you marry someone else?
‘I’d already decided to have you as my wife!’
Alex was puzzled, he turned to Cheryl and met eyes with her.
Cheryl inched closer towards him and nudged his arm gently, her eyes pleading.
Alex smiled softly and nodded.
He had agreed to be Cheryl’s pretend-husband temporarily.
Suddenly, Patrick snapped. “Coney, what are you bullsh*tting about? How would I not know if your granddaughter had gotten married? If she really did, you would’ve definitely sent wedding invitations to Baker and the others! Listen, stop making unbelievable lies up. What? Do you think my grandson doesn’t deserve your granddaughter?”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 154
Patrick approached Alex and dragged him closer. “Hey brat, I don’t care who you are. Cherry is definitely going to be my granddaughter-in-law. Tell me, how much money is enough to make you leave her?”
‘Pretty intimidating and ruthless, huh?’
Alex furrowed his eyebrows, he was about to snap.
Grandma yelled. “Stop it this instance, Patrick! My granddaughter hasn’t married yet, but their wedding is near. We’ve already agreed on giving him her hand in marriage long ago. What? Do you really want to become a homewrecker?”
Patrick was furious. “Bullsh*t! Cherry is my granddaughter-in-law, her father gave us her hand in marriage back then. Are you trying to go back on your word? Do you need me to bring your son over to make things clear? Besides, Coney, don’t you dare forget who saved you from drowning back then. Are you that ungrateful? And you call yourself a miracle doctor?”
Patrick seemed to have stunned everyone with his words.
Alex noticed that Cheryl’s eyes were filled with hatred when Patrick mentioned her father.
‘Ah, it would seem that this is an unresolved trauma in this family.’
James fell silent upon hearing Patrick’s words.
Grandma was so angry that she couldn’t speak as well.
Cheryl’s tone was cold. “I’m the one who decides who I marry, I don’t care what that man promised you.”
Zachary said, “Cherry, we’re childhood friends, you know? I’ve missed you so much for the past few years. Besides, we really are engaged, you can’t just go back on your word like that. You know what? How about I compete against this guy? What does he work as?”
‘Compete?’
James’ eyes lit up. “Alright, then so be it. You guys can compete against each other. Alex is a doctor as well, you can compete on medical expertise.”
James was very confident about Alex’s medical skills, even more so than his own.
Moreover, if Alex were to defeat Zachary and have him give up on his own, then there wouldn’t be any more problems from now on. They’d be able to live a peaceful life. This was just great!
Zachary huffed at Alex. “You’re a doctor too? Then tell me, which prestigious medical school did you graduate from?”
Alex folded his arms behind his back. “I never studied in a medical school.”
Zachary asked again, “Oh? So that means you were a disciple. Then who was the famous doctor that taught you?”
Alex replied, “I never had a teacher too.”
Zachary’s expression became more smug. “You’ve never graduated from a medical school, or learned from a famous doctor. Then, how are you a doctor? Are you just a bluff? Don’t tell me, you don’t have a doctor’s license?”
Alex nodded. “You’re right, I don’t.”
Both Patrick and Zachary started laughing out loud.
James and Cheryl seemed upset too. They had originally asked Alex to help them kick these two out, yet he lost before the competition even started. How would he be able to fight them off now?
Cheryl glared at Alex, extremely frustrated.
She thought, ‘You could have helped me if you just made up some sort of lie! Do you really want to cut ties with me that much?’
As the laughing continued on, Alex spoke up once again. “I’ve never been to a medical school, because none of these universities deserve to have me as one of their students. I have no teacher, because no doctor deserves to have me as their apprentice. As for the doctor’s license, is that thing really all that important? Can you really become a famous doctor as soon as you get the license?”
Zachary cackled harder. “That’s the biggest bluff I’ve ever heard! Really now? No university in the world deserves to have you as one of their students? You probably can’t even get in. Do you really think it’s that easy to get enrolled?
“I’ll tell you what, I’ve been learning medicine since I was three. I memorized the prescription verse at the age of four. I even memorized the whole Compendium of Materia Medica at the age of eight too! I’m one of the best graduates from Worthington Medical University and also one of the best Master’s students in Mediziner University. All my theses earned me multiple awards. Just look at you, you’re dirt compared to me. You don’t even have anything to go up against me.”
Alex took a glance at him and said, “Really now? If you’re so great, then why can’t you cure your wet-dream problem?”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 155
Gasp!
Zachary’s hearty laughter stopped abruptly, as if a lively aged duck that had its neck suddenly pinched, waiting to be slaughtered.
In that instant, he was flushed with anger.
Alex nonchalantly said, “Aha, did I just expose the truth?”
“Nonsense! You’re the one with wet dreams, same goes to all your family members!” Zachary was infuriated.
It was his greatest pain as it happened almost every night. In the middle of the night, he was always jolted awake by the discharge, and had to clean up after himself. It was so bad that he dared not share a bedroom with his classmates when he was studying overseas, fearing his condition would be exposed.
However, Alex exposed his woe right in front of Cheryl, so he felt searing pain in humiliation as if his skin was being torn off. Therefore, he would never admit to it. Cheryl and James looked at Zachary amusingly.
James said, “Zachary, why don’t I check your pulse and see if it is legitimate? If it is true, it might affect your reproductivity, and you need to be treated as quickly as possible.”
“I said, I am healthy and there is nothing wrong with my body!” Zachary was extremely frustrated.
“You’re a doctor as well. It is an illness, don’t you know it? Your refusal to let me check your pulse is a sign that you have a guilty conscience. A little discharge here and there is fine. Then, is it possible that your conditions are very severe? How could I possibly let Cheryl marry you, knowing that you are having issues with your manhood?” James said.
Zachary snorted. “Fine, just check it if you want to. The traditional medicine practice is nothing but wizardry. During my time overseas, I had spent time in research and proved that traditional medicine is pseudoscience, just like the practices by those witch doctors. Such practice is completely out of touch and it should be phased out.”
However, after checking his pulse, James shook his head. “Zachary, you need to pay attention to your condition. Do you have wet dreams every night? It is quite severe already, you have to get it treated soon!”
Zachary was so embarrassed that he had an impulse to hit himself against the corner of the table.
Zachary was not convinced and said, “I am strong and energetic. Please do not speak nonsense.”
Cheryl snorted. “My grandfather is known as the genius doctor of California. How dare you question his abilities? I think you’re the one who knows nothing! Don’t ever think that studying overseas for a few years gives you the right and confidence to doubt our practice! How dare you actually say that traditional medicine is pseudoscience, it’s preposterous!”
“Other than wet dreams, you have severe renal insufficiency too.” Alex shook his head.
“You… Nonsense!” Zachary rebutted as his face turned grim.
Alex said with a faint snort, “Nobody can endure such over-frequent discharge every day. No matter how healthy you are, the over-frequent discharge will put a tremendous strain on your body, eventually you will be wasted! I daresay the modern practice that you admire so much would not be able to diagnose your illness. In the end, only traditional medicinal practice that you claim fraud can cure your ailment. Now it’s just renal insufficiency, but it might turn into renal failure a month later. When the time comes…”
Zachary knew what would happen without Alex continued saying.
That would be an unbearable consequence — uremia!
He had secretly visited countless hospitals and specialists but to no avail. The reason he came to visit James today was to consult his expertise on the matter and cure his ailment. Who would have thought Alex would come right in and ruin his plans.
James looked at Alex. “I do not have a good solution to his issue, Alex. The only way is to remove his manhood, to prevent worsening of his conditions.”
Zachary was on the verge of collapse after hearing James’ suggestion.
It meant that he would be castrated, and that would be even worse than death.
“I can cure it,” said Alex.
“Really?” Zachary’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Alex nodded and said, “I did not say I will cure you, though.”
Zachary was immediately dumbfounded.
However, he thought again. If he were in Alex’s position, seeing his girlfriend being so concerned by another guy, he would not lend a hand too. However, it did not matter anymore. As long as he could restore his body to its healthy state, he would no longer have to worry about having a girlfriend. After all, there were plenty more fishes in the sea.
As he thought about it, he immediately dropped onto his knees in front of Alex with a thud. “Genius Doctor Rockefeller, please, you have to save me! If you can cure my ailment, I promise I will leave Cheryl alone and cancel the arranged marriage, I will call you brother and Cheryl will be my sister-in-law. May you both be blessed with a happy and harmonious marriage until old age.”
The sudden change of events was out of everyone’s expectation.
The opponent had lost before the competition.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 156
Gasp!
Zachary’s hearty laughter stopped abruptly, as if a lively aged duck that had its neck suddenly pinched, waiting to be slaughtered.
In that instant, he was flushed with anger.
Alex nonchalantly said, “Aha, did I just expose the truth?”
“Nonsense! You’re the one with wet dreams, same goes to all your family members!” Zachary was infuriated.
It was his greatest pain as it happened almost every night. In the middle of the night, he was always jolted awake by the discharge, and had to clean up after himself. It was so bad that he dared not share a bedroom with his classmates when he was studying overseas, fearing his condition would be exposed.
However, Alex exposed his woe right in front of Cheryl, so he felt searing pain in humiliation as if his skin was being torn off.
Therefore, he would never admit to it.
Cheryl and James looked at Zachary amusingly.
James said, “Zachary, why don’t I check your pulse and see if it is legitimate? If it is true, it might affect your reproductivity, and you need to be treated as quickly as possible.”
“I said, I am healthy and there is nothing wrong with my body!” Zachary was extremely frustrated.
“You’re a doctor as well. It is an illness, don’t you know it? Your refusal to let me check your pulse is a sign that you have a guilty conscience. A little discharge here and there is fine. Then, is it possible that your conditions are very severe? How could I possibly let Cheryl marry you, knowing that you are having issues with your manhood?” James said.
Zachary snorted. “Fine, just check it if you want to. The traditional medicine practice is nothing but wizardry. During my time overseas, I had spent time in research and proved that traditional medicine is pseudoscience, just like the practices by those witch doctors. Such practice is completely out of touch and it should be phased out.”
However, after checking his pulse, James shook his head. “Zachary, you need to pay attention to your condition. Do you have wet dreams every night? It is quite severe already, you have to get it treated soon!”
Zachary was so embarrassed that he had an impulse to hit himself against the corner of the table.
Zachary was not convinced and said, “I am strong and energetic. Please do not speak nonsense.”
Cheryl snorted. “My grandfather is known as the genius doctor of California. How dare you question his abilities? I think you’re the one who knows nothing! Don’t ever think that studying overseas for a few years gives you the right and confidence to doubt our practice! How dare you actually say that traditional medicine is pseudoscience, it’s preposterous!”
“Other than wet dreams, you have severe renal insufficiency too.” Alex shook his head.
“You… Nonsense!” Zachary rebutted as his face turned grim.
Alex said with a faint snort, “Nobody can endure such over-frequent discharge every day. No matter how healthy you are, the over-frequent discharge will put a tremendous strain on your body, eventually you will be wasted! I daresay the modern practice that you admire so much would not be able to diagnose your illness. In the end, only traditional medicinal practice that you claim fraud can cure your ailment. Now it’s just renal insufficiency, but it might turn into renal failure a month later. When the time comes…”
Zachary knew what would happen without Alex continued saying.
That would be an unbearable consequence — uremia!
He had secretly visited countless hospitals and specialists but to no avail. The reason he came to visit James today was to consult his expertise on the matter and cure his ailment. Who would have thought Alex would come right in and ruin his plans.
James looked at Alex. “I do not have a good solution to his issue, Alex. The only way is to remove his manhood, to prevent worsening of his conditions.”
Zachary was on the verge of collapse after hearing James’ suggestion.
It meant that he would be castrated, and that would be even worse than death.
“I can cure it,” said Alex.
“Really?” Zachary’s eyes lit up.
“Of course.” Alex nodded and said, “I did not say I will cure you, though.”
Zachary was immediately dumbfounded.
However, he thought again. If he were in Alex’s position, seeing his girlfriend being so concerned by another guy, he would not lend a hand too. However, it did not matter anymore. As long as he could restore his body to its healthy state, he would no longer have to worry about having a girlfriend. After all, there were plenty more fishes in the sea.
As he thought about it, he immediately dropped onto his knees in front of Alex with a thud. “Genius Doctor Rockefeller, please, you have to save me! If you can cure my ailment, I promise I will leave Cheryl alone and cancel the arranged marriage, I will call you brother and Cheryl will be my sister-in-law. May you both be blessed with a happy and harmonious marriage until old age.”
The sudden change of events was out of everyone’s expectation.
The opponent had lost before the competition.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 157
What?
As Cheryl headed back to her house after finishing her speech, Alex’s anxious voice could be heard from behind. “Dorothy! Dorothy! Hello! Listen to me, it’s not what you think! I…. Hello, hello! Hello…”
Cheryl’s sweet stir had destroyed Alex’s hope in an instant. Not to mention going on a midnight movie date with Dorothy, he feared that she might not let him enter the house next time.
How could Dorothy feel good after hearing Cheryl’s loving yet ambiguous voice over the phone in such late night?
So, she was infuriated and immediately ended the call.
Immediately, Alex dialed her number but it was not picked up.
Then, he called again but her phone had been turned off.
Helplessly, he could only send her a message explaining that he was invited by Dr. James Coney to a birthday celebration, conveniently leaving out the fact that he was the only outsider invited and he pretended to be Cheryl’s boyfriend.
The night passed.
The next morning, he called Dorothy again. As a general manager of her subsidiary company, she could not possibly leave her phone turned off at the time. That being said, every time he tried to make a call, the call failed to be connected.
“Crap, could it be that I have been blocked?”
He thought of going to Dorothy’s office and giving her an explanation in person.
However, he thought again. She was still mad now and would not accept his explanations at all. Furthermore, his relationship with Cheryl was not something that could be cleared up with just verbal explanation.
“Why don’t I wait for another two days?”
After all, they were not on speaking terms for ten months previously. A few days now meant nothing to Alex.
More importantly, Brittany’s safety had to be enhanced.
He was a little insomniac after recalling that kiss by Cheryl, so he buried himself deep in thought instead, trying to figure out a way for Brittany to start training. He also wanted to work on the Slunce Jauda from the Yowells but changed his mind later.
Although he had revised the working route of Slunce Jauda so that it could no longer harm the heart of the user, it was still a little too much for female practitioners. This was because of their feminine attributes, so even with increased efforts, they could not reap the benefits as much as the male practitioners.
An extremely aggressive martial art like Slunce Jauda was unsuitable for females, but something a little more gentle would be better.
Therefore, he spent the entire night to create an all-new cultivation method, based on the Slunce Jauda and the Force — Silver Frost.
It was a remarkable feat, for only the greatest of masters could create a new cultivation method from the ground up.
Yet, for Alex, who had an extraordinary cultivation method like the Force, it was nothing but a piece of cake.
The reason he spent the entire night was to incorporate a technique from the Force into Silver Frost, in order to give it a room for upgrade. In the future, if necessary, he could even integrate it into a more powerful cultivation method.
“Senior!”
The restroom’s door was busted open right after Alex sat down on the toilet. Waltz, who dressed in a suit and tie, appeared in front of him.
Getting used to seeing her in dresses, it was rather surprising for Alex to see her in such an outfit.
She seemed to have the capability to look good in whatever she wore, unlike some seedy-looking people, who could not change their seedy looks no matter how expensive the clothes they wore.
Alex was shocked by her sudden entry. “Hey! What’s wrong with you, can’t you at least knock before you enter?”
“You didn’t lock the door anyway, why the fuss?” Waltz snorted.
“Anything?” Alex quickly covered his exposed body.
“Are you going to make the chakra pills today?”
Alex’s expression darkened, he thought it was something urgent. “Get out!”
“Well, that is what I intend to do. I came to ask for my leave.”
“Where are you going?”
“Work, to earn money. Senior, are you going to pay for me instead?” Waltz leaned onto the door frame as she provoked Alex with a brazen look in her eyes. Soon after, she glanced at her wristwatch. “I am the general manager of Thousand Miles Conglomerate’s maritime business. There is a board of directors meeting today that I absolutely cannot miss. Time’s almost up, I have to go now!”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 158
“I’ll be back by afternoon, and I’ll bring a watermelon for you later. Be a good boy at home!”
Only now did Alex know that Waltz had a legitimate profession. Apparently, she was the head businesswoman of all maritime businesses in California.
As the clock struck nine, Alex went down to the basement and attempted his pill concoction.
Why would he need a cauldron for pill concoction?
This was because pill concoction was different from medicinal cooking, in which the herbs just had to be thrown into a cooking pot in order to be cooked. After all, it was just medicine, so its effects were incomparable with concocted pills. Since each portion of medicinal herb had different properties, the purpose of pill concoction was to eliminate all the useless portions of the herbs, leaving only the essential portions. Then, the essential portions would be supplemented with Chi, or even the essence of heaven and earth, to be condensed into one single pill.
Therefore, regular cooking pots could not be used for pill concoction as they would shatter the moment Chi was exerted into the pill.
Three hours later, Alex finally completed his first batch of chakra pills.
The first two attempts had failed.
Fortunately, Waltz had gathered sufficient medicinal herbs. Alex also made sure to be prudent with his usage of the ingredients since it was his first attempt at pill concoction.
He continued with another few attempts after that.
As his success rate increased with more attempts, subsequently he managed to complete seven more batches of chakra pills in the two hours.
A total of eight chakra pills were concocted, including the first batch.
It was worth noting that the alchemy circle inside the cauldron, which shimmered during the pill concoction, had greatly helped to stabilize the process.
Alex took one himself and found it to be working just as he expected.
After that, he went to Brittany, and with some persuading and convincing, she finally agreed to take up Silver Frost.
“This is a martial art to improve your blood circulation. It is quite similar to yoga, which you used to practice, but brings in greater benefits. The more you practice it, the healthier you get and the younger you look!” Alex meant well. “Your body is still frail after just waking up from a long coma, so it’s necessary to pick it up.”
“All right, I will do whatever you say, Son!”
“First, swallow this pill. Let me help you.”
An hour later, Brittany was propelled from a regular lady into a Beginner-Royal ranked fighter. With consistent training, her body defense could only get stronger.
“That was a good workout, but I feel much more energetic now! Let me take a shower first, I will prepare braised pork later, it’s both you and your father’s favorite…”
Brittany’s voice halted all of a sudden, after all, she had yet to get used to life without her husband.
Seeing his mother’s wistful silhouette entering the bathroom, a dash of sparkles flickered in Alex’s eyes as he thought, “John Rockefeller, have you made your decision?”
At this moment, Waltz made a call to him.
“Senior, I found the culprit responsible for Anthony Pattingson’s murder,” she said.
“Oh? Who was it?”
Waltz said, “An inmate from the same cell. Based on the intel from my guys, this person was imprisoned for negligent homicide and killed Anthony during a violent altercation. I suspect he most probably acted on orders given his history as an underling for underworld gangs.
“Senior, rest assured. I will track him down and force him to tell the truth,” promised Waltz.
“Thank you.”
“Well then, do I get a reward?” Waltz asked.
“The chakra pill is ready,” said Alex.
“Really? Wonderful! I will be back soon!” Waltz said as she was thrilled. After a moment of pause, she thought about something. “Before I forget, I also found intel on your father’s former secretary, Pepper Kimmich.”
“What about her?” Alex asked.
Waltz said, “She is a mysterious character. We checked her files but most of the information in them is fake. According to reports, her supposed birthplace recorded no such person. Also, she was noted to have made frequent trips to Japan.”
Indeed, it was very suspicious.
“Oh, she will be attending an auction of precious medicinal herbs tonight.”
A call came in right after Waltz ended hers.
It was Michelle Yowell, the little devil from the Yowell family.
“Hey, Alex. Come with me to an auction of medicinal herbs tonight.”
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 159
Why would Michelle want Alex to accompany her to an auction of medicinal herbs?
That was because during the period of time, the Yowell family had been mobilizing their people to gather the medicinal herbs requested by Alex. Yet, a few precious herbs slipped through their grasp.
She heard that a good number of century-old medicinal herbs would be auctioned in this particular auction, so she had to check it out.
As for the herbs’ efficacy, only Alex knew best.
Alex was thrilled. Just moments ago, he was told by Waltz that Pepper Kimmich would be attending the auction of medicinal herbs, and now Michelle came to invite him to it. Everything just happened according to his wish.
That being said…
“Are you the only one left? Why did the Yowell family send you, a little girl, instead?” replied Alex indifferently.
“Little girl? I am not little!”
“Um, indeed you aren’t.”
Alex had to concur with her. There was a reason that she was known to have a youthful face with huge busts. If a mature belle like Cheryl was to stand beside Michelle, obvious physical differences in some areas would be observed at first glance.
“Where are you now? Do you want me to give you a ride?” Michelle urged as it was her grandfather’s order, so she dared not disobey him.
It was Keith’s intention for Michelle to have more interactions with Alex. Even if she had a marriage arrangement and could not have a relationship with another man, he would not mind their intimate relationship as long as Alex could treat her heart problems.
However, Alex did not want Michelle to come to Maple Villa, in fact, he wanted nothing to do with her.
Alex immediately said, “Text me the address, I will see you there.”
Michelle snorted secretly as she thought, “Dumbass, you really thought that I’d like to fetch you? It’s even better if I don’t have to do so.” So, she immediately texted the address to Alex and said, “You need an invitation to attend the auction, but my name works better than it. Just mention my name, you will be through in no time. I will be waiting inside then.”
“Sure!”
Soon after, Waltz returned, and she really had a large watermelon in her arms.
After putting down the watermelon, she hurriedly rushed to Alex and said, “Can you let me swallow your pills?”
At this moment, Brittany, who just was right there, heard it but she seemed to have got the wrong idea, thinking that Waltz wanted to swallow the ones on Alex’s…
Alex rolled his eyes and said, “What’s the hurry? I’d like to devour your huge melons first.”
Shocked, Brittany subconsciously moved her gaze to Waltz’s chest as she thought, “Who knew that my son prefers this type.”
She felt awkward. “Ahem, well, uh, I will be in my room. You both… just assume I am not here at all!”
Looking at Brittany who had a blushed face as she fled the scene, Waltz was surprised but immediately came to her senses. “Oh no, Madame must have thought you were talking dirty!”
“Get lost, you were to one who did it, not me.”
“Why don’t we just get into it?”
In the end, Alex let Waltz consume a chakra pill and at the same time assisted her in strengthening her cultivation base. The entire process took a full quarter of an hour.
Alex retracted his palm. “How do you feel?”
Waltz felt an intense stir in her body, so she smashed a hole barefist through a solid marble rock in front of Alex. There were cracks all over the rock.
“A… Amazing!”
Even she felt it was unbelievable, as she could never do it before.
“Are you at Mystic rank now?” Alex asked.
The Pinnacle of Life Chapter 160
“So close, yet so far. I am almost there, though.” She started jumping around like an energetic maniac, running toward Alex and kissed him suddenly.
Brittany was initially in her room on the second floor but came out after hearing Waltz’s voices. She just saw the scene unfolding in front of her eyes as she looked down from the helical staircase.
Gently shaking her head, she retreated into her room.
Alex headed to the auction of precious medicinal herbs by himself at half-past five. The auction was held in the form of a cocktail party on the highest floor of California’s Splendor Center.
He entered the auction hall without any hiccups after mentioning Michelle’s name at the entrance.
At this moment at the entrance of Splendor Center, a group of young men and women were chatting among themselves as they entered the building. Among them was a young lady in a white dress, she was Alex’s sister-in-law — Beatrice Assex.
The other three were the ones that Alex saw back at the car dealership days ago: Mona Weiss, Wilson Jordan, and Sam Culver. The four of them were a little coterie.
Dressed smartly in a suit, Wilson took a few glances affectionately at Beatrice as he bragged, “The auction of precious medicinal herbs this time is the most prestigious auction in South California. I heard that the items that will be put up for auction tonight are tonics, which are worth at least a million dollars, and many century-old medicinal herbs that can hardly be found in the market.”
“Why?” Mona asked as she flitted her fake lashes while looking at Wilson.
The look of adoration and secret admiration in her eyes were unable to be concealed.
However, Wilson liked Beatrice instead.
Seeing Beatrice’s curious expression, Wilson continued, “It’s because medicinal herbs like the century-old ginseng and Ganoderma are extremely rare items. Over the years, humans have been excavating them, so they are nearly extinct. Even if they are discovered occasionally, they will be seized by the rich and powerful people, and they will not be sold in the market at all. Therefore, don’t ever trust those so-called century-old ginseng sold in pharmacies, they are nothing but fakes.”
Mona looked at Wilson adoringly. “Wilson, you are so knowledgeable.”
Wilson smiled humbly and looked at Beatrice, he found that she did not seem to pay much attention to their conversation.
“Okay then, let’s go in. There is a buffet inside and it serves Australian lobsters!” said Wilson. “Don’t you like Australian lobsters, Beatrice? That’s why I got myself a few more entrance tickets to the auction from my uncle. These are not something that ordinary people can get a hand on.”
Beatrice’s eyes lit up at the mention of lobsters. “Thank you!”
Sam asked, “Wilson, what does your uncle do?”
“He is the manager of Splendor Center. This auction this time could be said to be mainly arranged by him.”
The four of them entered the building.
After showing the entrance tickets, they entered the auction hall smoothly.
It was a crowded venue, with plenty of people socializing, chatting, eating, and such. Wilson did not forget to remind, “There are a lot of VIPs tonight, please behave yourselves and don’t get into trouble.”
And then, they went straight to the buffet.
Alex was there too, hungrily devouring an Australian lobster.
He was now famished as he was previously occupied with concocting chakra pills and helping both Brittany and Waltz strengthen their cultivation base. Furthermore, the lobsters looked delicious and tantalizing, so he quickly gobbled them up without scruple.
Beatrice, who was holding a dining plate, went straight for the Australian lobsters. However, she was greeted with a miserable sight of a few leftover heads and tails. Next to her was a man brazenly devouring a plate of lobster meat, which was filled to the brim.
“What a glutton!” Beatrice was irritated but she could only remain silent and curse secretly.
After all, she could not afford to offend anyone here because of her identity.
However, as she looked toward the man and he turned his head at the same time, she was dumbfounded in disbelief, with her mouth agape after their gazes met. “What, it’s you? Why are you here?”