Body Tempering

Body Tempering

Medicinal Liquid used for body tempering could even be used by cultivators who were not Dou Zhe.

Xiao Yan was not stupid. Although he did not know what grade of Spirit Medicine this bottle of Medicinal Liquid would be appraised as if it were taken to Mittel Auction House for auction, it was absolutely a medicine of no small value.

Without tens of thousands of Gold Coins, there was no way to get it... and that was even assuming there was a market for it at any price.

Xiao Yan fell silent for a moment, then solemnly cupped his fists toward Yao Wan and said, "Wan Guniang's kindness today is something Xiao Yan will never forget, even unto death."

"...Hmph."

Only, toward the promise given at this moment by a Young Man who did not even count as a Dou Zhe and was merely at Dou Qi Stage 3, Yao Wan more or less had an entirely natural "disdain."

"Wait until you surpass me before saying such things."

Xiao Yan also knew that Wan Guniang probably did not care for his promise, so there was no need to waste any more words. He merely silently engraved this kindness in his heart.

After taking his leave, Xiao Yan no longer dawdled. He gripped the small Jade Bottle in his hand and returned to his room.

As for Wan Guniang's warning, Xiao Yan naturally would not treat it as words that went in one ear and out the other.

Although he had once stepped into the ranks of Dou Zhe, the strength of his body was actually no different from an ordinary person's. Xiao Yan was not so arrogant as to directly use up the entire bottle of Medicinal Liquid in one go.

After boiling a pot of bathwater, Xiao Yan opened the small Jade Bottle inside the wooden bathing tub.

Even though he had only just opened the Jade Bottle, Xiao Yan smelled that faint medicinal fragrance he had smelled in Wan Guniang's guest room.

Although the medicinal fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, it was not intense. It was like a passing breeze, now near, now far. Before Xiao Yan had fully adapted to this faint scent, that elegant medicinal fragrance, along with the Medicinal Liquid, fell into the bath barrel and quickly dispersed, as if melting into the mist rising from the hot water.

Seeing that the amount was about right, Xiao Yan put away the Jade Bottle.

Warm sunlight shone in through the gaps of the window, and fine specks of light dotted the tidy room.

He stripped off all the clothes on his body and hung them neatly to one side.

Accompanied by the sound of water, the black-haired Young Man sat upright in the bath barrel, closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and entered a state of cultivation.

Xiao Yan's chest rose and fell slightly. As he breathed, there was an extremely rhythmic feeling to it. As his cultivation time stretched on, the pale cyan liquid in the wooden basin gradually emitted faint streams of air. The air currents carried a slight cyan tint and slowly climbed upward, finally following the Young Man's breathing and burrowing into his body.

Those streams of air were like water, yet also like extremely fine steel needles, piercing through his skin and reaching straight to the Meridians beneath his flesh.

"Hah—"

Xiao Yan kept his eyes tightly shut, yet he still could not help but subconsciously furrow his brows. Of course he felt the sensation of Dou Qi circulating through every limb and bone in his body.

Only, compared to the awkwardness when he circulated Dou Qi himself, this Body Tempering Spirit Liquid had undoubtedly already penetrated into every corner of his body, expanding his Meridians and merging into his bones and blood.

However, this kind of transformation was not especially easy for Xiao Yan.

At first it was only an illusion like phantom pain, but it very quickly turned into a needle-prick stabbing sensation. Only after fifteen minutes did the Young Man, whose sweat and bodily impurities had been washed away, gently breathe out a mouthful of Stale Air. His furrowed brows also gradually relaxed along with it.

When he opened his eyes again, the pale cyan, clear pool water before him had also lost its pure color.

Xiao Yan subconsciously stretched his body, feeling the relaxation brought about after his body's initial tempering. Moreover, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that as his Meridians widened, the speed at which he absorbed Dou Qi had also become faster.

It was just a pity.

If not for that illness of his, for some unknown reason making him unable to accumulate Dou Qi—

The moment he thought of this, he ultimately still felt somewhat unwilling as he wiped the water from his body clean. Xiao Yan casually put on a clean set of clothes, then sat down cross-legged. After who knew how many blows and disappointments, he pulled himself together once more and cultivated with a calm heart.

Cultivation slowly passed amid bitter practice that made him forget to eat and sleep. The sunlight shining in from outside the window gradually weakened, and the scorching temperature also slowly dropped.

Only when the Night Sky descended did Xiao Yan slowly open his eyes. A trace of disappointment could not help but flash through his black pupils.

The Dou Qi in his body still showed no sign of increasing...

Even with the rare Spirit Medicine performing Marrow Cleansing, everything before him was ultimately still inevitably disheartening.

...Forget it.

Xiao Yan adjusted his mood slightly, then pulled himself together once more and got up to head to Wan Guniang's residence.

As a result, just as he left his room, he saw the old servant of his household carrying a food box and walking toward him.

"Old Man, what is this?"

Xiao Yan was slightly startled and could not help asking.

"Third Young Master, the Clan Leader saw that you had cultivated for an entire day again and could not rest easy, so he ordered this lowly one to bring Third Young Master some food."

The old servant's wrinkled face was full of smiles. The old servant was an old man who had followed the Xiao Clan for several decades. As far as he knew, even his Father, Xiao Zhan, had grown up under this old servant's watch.

Therefore, unlike those outsiders who immediately turned on him, mocking and jeering, after his cultivation path collapsed, the old servant's attitude toward Xiao Yan remained the same as always, respectful and carrying an old man's kindness.

Xiao Yan also found it difficult to refuse and merely said, "Mm, it's just that I'm not hungry right now. Old Man, just put the food on my table first. I'll naturally eat it when I return."

As he spoke, Xiao Yan quickly left his own courtyard.

"Third Young Master—"

For Yao Wan, the passing of a day was only the time it took to close and open her eyes during cultivation. When she once again sensed Xiao Yan walking into the Guest Room Courtyard, the sky had already unknowingly turned dark.

Before Xiao Yan could knock on the door and speak, Yao Wan lightly parted her Cherry Lips and said, "You used it. Pretty quick, aren't you?"

"This is all thanks to Wan Guniang's generosity in gifting the medicine."

Xiao Yan stood in the courtyard and said in a clear voice.

Yao Wan thought for a moment, then pushed open the door, walked out of the guest room, and looked toward the Young Man under the Night Sky, only a faint silhouette revealed by candlelight.

Beneath the black gauze hanging from her bamboo hat, a wisp of fire leapt through those brilliant starry eyes, flashing past in an instant.

Afterward, the Embroidered Eyebrows hidden behind the black gauze could not help knitting slightly.

"..."

"Wan Guniang, what's wrong?"

"...I seem to have overestimated things a little."

As she spoke, Yao Wan once again lightly tapped the center of Xiao Yan's brow, sending over a strand of pure Medicinal Property that merged into his bloodline. Xiao Yan immediately felt his body lighten, and even the faint stabbing pain left over from just now vanished along with it.

Xiao Yan blinked. All he could feel was that the stabbing pain had disappeared. Other than that, he could not say much more for the moment.

He only saw the breeze blow past as Wan Guniang slowly lowered the Slender Jade Fingers that had tapped the center of his brow.

Then, the wind grew stronger, lifting the sheet of black gauze that had been blocking his view.