That evening, on the second floor of the Whale-Kill Boxing Hall, in the Medicine Bath Room.
The simple, understated room was about thirty or forty square meters, with dark brown wooden floors.
Shelves lined both side walls, holding all kinds of medicinal herbs. A Red Whale Leaping Sea Painting hung at the back.
In the middle of the room, Lin Ye sat submerged in a wooden tub filled with murky medicinal liquid, with only his head sticking out.
Beside him, Lei Long took a clay jar from the shelf and scooped out a thick black liquid that gave off a strong fishy smell.
He poured it into the tub. The murky liquid immediately began to bubble, and Lin Ye's face twisted with pain.
"How's the absorption going?"
Lin Fei, sitting on a chair in the corner, asked. She had one foot propped on the chair, her chin resting on her knee, and held a peach in one hand as she took a bite.
Lei Long pushed up his glasses and put the lid back on the jar.
"Very efficient. Even better than I did back then. I figure he'll be ready for a second medicine bath once he reaches the third level."
The boxing hall's medicine bath was no ordinary soak. Its medicinal properties were extremely potent, so it couldn't be taken casually.
Generally speaking, you could only take one medicine bath before training Soul Whale Fist to the fourth level.
But some people had especially robust constitutions and could take two medicine baths before the fourth level. It was a huge benefit, raising the human body's limits.
It was only after his second medicine bath that he'd gradually brought his punching strength to the threshold of five hundred kilograms.
Lin Fei smiled in pleasant surprise. "Really? Then I'll deduct the cost of the second medicine bath from your salary too."
Lei Long stiffened and shot Lin Fei a furtive glance.
"Are you a dog or what?"
"Is that not allowed?" Lin Fei looked over, wearing an innocent expression.
"Of course it is! No problem at all! It's not like I have any use for my money!"
Lei Long put on a fawning smile, returned the jar to its place, and mouthed a stream of curses where Lin Fei couldn't see him.
A few minutes later, the liquid in the tub stopped bubbling. It cleared, leaving a layer of black, cotton-like residue settled at the bottom.
Lin Ye's consciousness gradually cleared.
As the burning sensation in his body faded, an indescribable comfort spread through him.
"Monument."
Without opening his eyes, he murmured the word in his mind. The black Monument appeared in his thoughts.
[Strength: 0.64] [Constitution: 0.57]
Of his four attributes, Strength had increased by 0.01, while Constitution had jumped by 0.03.
The medicine bath was probably meant primarily to heal damage to the body, which explained why his Constitution had increased so much. The boost to Strength was just an added benefit.
But what interested him most was the last line: [Soul Whale Fist, Level 1 (20/100)].
One medicine bath had given him 10 experience points, far more than he'd gained from a whole day of Lin Fei's intense training.
If only I could do this a few more times.
In the tub, he clenched his fist and tried channeling his strength.
At once, the sensation of energy rooted in his spine flowed down his upper arm and reached his forearm.
"Looks like the closer the energy gets to the fingertips, the harder it is to channel it through all ten fingers."
It was like pressing oil: at first, the oil flowed quickly and in abundance, but squeezing out the very last drop was much harder.
But channeling energy through all ten fingers was different from pressing oil. He couldn't throw away the last dregs; he had to work through them bit by bit.
"You're awake. Why haven't you opened your eyes?"
Lin Fei's voice came from beside him.
Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes. Lin Fei's face was almost pressed against his, one eye wide and the other narrow.
"How do you feel?" Lin Fei asked, then stepped back and straightened up.
"Pretty good."
After saying that, Lin Ye climbed out of the tub. Lei Long silently handed him a towel, then backed away.
"Don't rush to get dressed after you dry off."
Lin Fei had somehow moved beside a low single bed. She patted it, making a dull thump.
"Come over here for a massage~"
He wore a smile, his high ponytail swaying slightly with each pat. His youthful voice carried a hint of excitement.
Thump.
Lei Long silently walked out of the Medicine Bath Room and pulled the door shut behind him.
An odd silence fell over the room, while Lin Fei's smile remained unchanged.
For no particular reason, Lin Ye felt a foreboding rise in his heart.
"Here I go. If it hurts, you can cry out~"
"Ah—easy! Easy!"
"Easy? Then I'll put in a little more strength! Don't move! Those shoulder blades are lovely! Let me pose you!"
"AAAH!!!"
Outside the Medicine Bath Room, Lei Long silently unwrapped a lollipop. Its sweet taste spread through his mouth.
About half an hour later, the door opened, and Lin Fei emerged looking refreshed.
"Um, Lei Long, you can go in now."
After saying that, he strode away. Lei Long put away his lollipop and entered the Medicine Bath Room.
Lin Ye sat on the low bed, his gaze still a little unfocused. Hearing Lei Long come in, he turned his head stiffly.
"Get dressed. How do you feel?" Lei Long asked, handing him his training clothes.
Lin Ye slowly came around, took the clothes, and put them on.
He glanced at the Monument. [Constitution: 0.58]
"Pretty good."
Lei Long chuckled. "Heh, that's all you ever say."
Then he held out a phone. "Here, your phone. Your mom called to ask why you still weren't home. I told her you were taking a medicine bath."
Lin Ye took the phone and checked the time. It was already past one in the morning. The call had come in at ten thirty, three hours ago.
"Sorry for the trouble, Coach," he said.
Lei Long smiled. "Don't mention it. You've got a lot of talent. If you become an official disciple one day, we'll be fellow disciples."
"If there's nothing else, head home. You can rest tomorrow. The boss's special training isn't until the day after."
In the head coach's office, Lin Fei stood by the window, watching Lin Ye walk away.
"Lei Long, did you notice?"
"That kid was cautious yesterday, but today he suddenly seems so clear-headed."
"Has he figured out where he fits in?"
Lei Long stepped forward and scratched his head. "Clear-headed? Doesn't that mean he's stopped caring about anything?"
???
Lin Fei turned to look at Lei Long. "You son of a—"
Suddenly, his gaze fell on the kettle boiling behind Lei Long, and a curious glint appeared in his eyes.
"Didn't I promise to help condition your body before?"
Lei Long tilted his head to look at him. "Yeah. What about it?"
As soon as he'd said it, he sensed something off about Lin Fei's expression. His eyes darted around.
"Heh, heh-heh. No, you must be remembering wrong, Boss."
Lin Fei smiled, patted his shoulder, and walked past him to pick up the boiling kettle.
"How could I? I never get things like that wrong."
"Come on. Today, I'll show you what the Ancient Method of Kettle-Pouring Crown-Cleansing is all about."
Steam rose from the boiling kettle as its lid popped up and dropped back down.
Lei Long's expression shifted. "I don't think we need to do that, do we?"
"We do. Of course we do. Come here."
"Wait, wait... Boss, Brother Fei! That's boiling water! It's boiling water—!!"
*
*
*
Lin Ye strolled beside Green Pool, feeling the night breeze brush through his hair.
It had been a long time since he'd taken a quiet walk all by himself.
He crossed Green Pool Terrace, took out his phone, and opened the navigation app.
More than an hour later, Lin Ye stared blankly at the narrow, dark alley in front of him.
Where the hell had this brought me? Was this the way home?
As he wondered, a dim light appeared in the alley and flickered against the wall, like some kind of firelight.
Lin Ye peered at it in confusion. Was that... an altar?
A four-legged bronze tripod, half a meter tall, stood in the middle of the alley.
From the marks on its surface, it didn't look like a modern imitation. It seemed like an antique.
But who would put something like this here? In the middle of the night, no less?
Confusion had barely risen in his heart when his gaze sharpened, turning aggressive.
An altar. A sacrifice... a cult!
Suddenly, Lin Ye's heart tightened.
He looked toward the depths of the alley. A thin black mist had appeared at some point, and a chill spread from it.
"Roar..."
A low growl came from behind the bronze tripod, accompanied by heavy footfalls—the sound of fleshy paws striking the ground.
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