"So this is the Healing Spring? The style is completely different from my buildings!"

"Captain, let me be the one to test it!" Yuan Ming stepped forward without hesitation.

"Haha, alright." Qin Ziwen found a clean porcelain bowl and ladled a bowlful of spring water.

Yuan Ming took it and drank it all in one gulp.

"How do you feel? Does your wound itch?" Zhao Pu asked.

Yuan Ming frowned, concentrating on the sensation for a moment. He even gently pressed his wound. "It doesn’t itch, but I can feel a warmth here, like I have a hot water bottle on it."

The others exchanged a look. Li Yue suggested, "Why don’t you take off the bandage?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yuan Ming unwrapped the bandage from his abdomen.

A thick scab had already formed over the wound, and the surrounding area was still slightly red and swollen.

Seeing that it wasn’t healing at a speed visible to the naked eye as they had imagined, the group was a little disappointed.

Qin Ziwen used Insight on the Healing Spring.

[Level 1 Healing Spring: Level 2 External Wound Healing, Level 2 Fatigue Removal] (Special Effect: The effects of the Healing Spring can be stacked. The more you drink, the faster you recover.)

"I do feel like I’ve got more energy now, though," Yuan Ming said, scratching his head. "It’s like I’ve had several cans of coffee."

Qin Ziwu guessed, "Could it also have the effect of removing fatigue?"

"Removing fatigue isn’t that useful. It’s not like we can stop sleeping altogether." Yuan Ming couldn’t figure it out, but the warm feeling in his abdomen hadn’t faded; it was still spreading continuously. ’This Healing Spring must really work on wounds.’

"Captain, may I have some of the Healing Spring?" Wang Yun asked.

Qin Ziwen glanced at the Healing Spring’s effects. ’External wound healing and fatigue removal... It probably won’t be very effective against pneumonia, but sometimes what the family needs is just some psychological comfort.’ "Alright."

He personally filled a large bucket to the brim for Wang Yun.

Afterward, everyone else present also received a bowl of the Healing Spring.

Qin Ziwen said, "The effects of this Healing Spring should be stackable."

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Yuan Ming.

"What are you looking at me for... You don’t want me to—wait... GLUG GLUG GLUG..."

"BUUURP—" A good while later, Yuan Ming let out a long, watery burp.

Rubbing his round, bloated stomach, Yuan Ming was filled with a mix of misery and indignation.

As everyone watched, the wound on his abdomen began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. Bit by bit, the swelling subsided and the wound closed. The red scab on the surface gradually turned black, hardened, and then fell off.

In the end, all that was left was a patch of fair, clean belly and three faint pink marks of new skin.

’The effect on external wounds is incredible. It could be life-saving at a critical moment. Of course, the prerequisite is to drink your fill.’

Li Yue clicked his tongue. "The kid’s got a pretty pale stomach."

"If you want to heal quickly, you need to drink a huge amount of spring water, which isn’t very cost-effective. But if you’re not in a hurry, you can drink less and let the wound heal on its own," Zhao Pu analyzed, before adding, "By the way, your stomach is pretty pale."

Yuan Ming, "..."

Amid roars of laughter, the group gradually dispersed.

Deng Guang stayed behind. After the others had left, he said to Qin Ziwen, "Captain, I got a Card, but its footprint is too large for me to use. Do you have any extra Cards you could trade with me?"

"What kind of Card?"

Deng Guang carefully took out a gray Building Card from within his robes.

"Captain, look."

[Building Card] Level 1 Tavern.

Qin Ziwen was a little surprised. "Brother Deng, this Card has some real value. Are you sure you want to trade with me?" He then explained the uses of the tavern to Deng Guang.

Deng Guang was tempted upon hearing this, but after a long moment of thought, he finally gritted his teeth. "I’ll trade!"

Qin Ziwen took out a Micro-sized Blank Expansion Card. "Alright, but this is all I have right now."

Deng Guang’s face lit up. "This is perfect."

He didn’t have any extra space at his place, so even if he had the building, he couldn’t construct it. For him, a Blank Expansion Card was the most suitable Card at this stage.

He understood a simple truth: sometimes, what’s suitable is what’s best.

After getting the Card, Qin Ziwen went to the tavern and chose to upgrade it.

When the light from the upgrade faded.

The exterior hadn’t changed much. It was still a small, rustic-style tavern, but the mud-plastered earthen walls had been replaced with those of a small brick-and-tile building.

Inside, the tables and chairs in the front hall had been replaced with large, clean, and tidy square tables made of pearwood.

In the back kitchen, the cookware was all brand new. Two fearsome-looking cleavers with a cold glint stood on a large, round cutting board, and all sorts of spices and seasonings were readily available.

Du Yu followed behind Qin Ziwen. Qin Ziwen asked, "You’re a waiter here, after all. Don’t you have anything to say?"

Only then did Du Yu remember he had this role. He immediately smiled and said, "I wish you a booming and prosperous business, sir!"

"Shopkeeper, are you in?" An old man’s voice came from outside the hall.

Qin Ziwen lifted the door curtain and saw an old man standing outside with disheveled hair and tattered clothes.

Upon seeing Qin Ziwen’s face clearly, the old man fell to his knees with a THUD, crying, "Shopkeeper, I beg you to save me."

Qin Ziwen stopped in his tracks and looked at the old man in confusion. "Have you seen me before?"

The old man lifted his head, his face vaguely familiar.

"Are you that scholar from all those years ago?" Qin Ziwen asked tentatively.

The old man bowed deeply. "I have grown old and frail, while you, Shopkeeper, have not aged a day. I never wanted to involve a great man like you, but my family of eight was wiped out, and I have a blood debt to repay! If I die in vain, I will never be able to rest in peace!"

With that, the old man took out a cloth bundle from within his robes. After unwrapping it layer by layer, he revealed what was inside: a Card shimmering with blue light.

Qin Ziwen almost thought his eyes were deceiving him. "Where... did you get this?"

The old man gave a bitter laugh and kowtowed heavily. "It is because of this very item that disaster fell upon my entire family."