The Boiling Blood Beast was a rare, third-tier Ferocious Beast that could control fire and manipulate the blood within living creatures. Even among Ferocious Beasts of the same rank, it was a powerful one.
Its flesh contained a special kind of energy. Eating it made one's "blood boil."
The unbearable heat and burning sensation Chen Mochuan had felt earlier had come from that.
"Spirit Devourer" kept running, slowly devouring the energy in the Boiling Blood Beast Jerky. His condition was gradually improving. The Qi and blood in his body still surged, but they had returned to a manageable level.
However, the prolonged "tug-of-war" had left him mentally drained.
Once he sensed that "Spirit Devourer" had digested seventy or eighty percent of the energy in the Boiling Blood Beast Jerky, he lowered his stance and toppled onto the bed.
A wave of exhaustion swept over him. He fished out his Personal Terminal and replied to Li Biao, who had sent him several messages asking where he was: "Something came up today, so I'm not going to Mingxin." Then he closed his eyes and sank into a deep sleep.
He had no idea how much time had passed when, somewhere in his sleep, Chen Mochuan vaguely felt the Personal Terminal on his wrist vibrate.
Startled awake from a jumble of dreams, he instinctively raised his hand and mumbled in a slightly hoarse voice, "Display communications."
The next second, a pale-blue holographic interface rapidly unfolded in the air before him, revealing a clear, translucent floating screen.
An unfamiliar number was trying to call him.
Chen Mochuan frowned. He had never shared his number with strangers, and still heavy with sleep, he prepared to cut off the call disturbing his rest.
Just as he was about to say "Hang up," his gaze accidentally swept over the communications app on the projected interface, and he spotted a message Li Biao had sent that afternoon:
"Coach Feng Shi specifically asked me how you were doing and why you didn't come in today."
He remembered that when he'd signed up at Mingxin Martial Arts Hall, he'd entered his number in the contact information section of his membership details.
Could it be Coach Feng Shi? I've only missed one day at the martial arts hall. Why is he so concerned?
That thought prompted him to answer the call. But he soon realized he'd guessed wrong. The voice coming through his Personal Terminal was rather gruff, clearly not Feng Shi's.
"Chen Mochuan, right? I'm Liang Wenbin, the police officer who led the team last night."
He hadn't expected Liang Wenbin to call, but he'd given him his terminal number while making a statement, so it wasn't surprising that Liang had it.
He just didn't know why Liang Wenbin had gone out of his way to contact him. Forcing himself to wake up, Chen Mochuan thanked him first.
"Captain Liang, hello. Thank you for giving me the Boiling Blood Beast Jerky yesterday."
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Uncle Liang."
Liang Wenbin sounded like a different person over the phone, nothing like his stern self in person.
"I forgot to tell you last night: even though that piece of jerky looked small, you'd better eat it in several sittings. Otherwise, you'll be in for a rough time..."
Liang Wenbin suddenly stopped, as if only then realizing what Chen Mochuan had said. "How did you know the jerky was made from Boiling Blood Beast meat?"
Chen Mochuan's heart gave a jolt. Most of his sleepiness vanished. He hadn't been fully awake when he answered, and he'd let slip the information analyzed by the Golden Light Screen. He hurried to cover it up:
"The jerky had an unusual reddish sheen, and after I ate it, my Qi and blood surged all over. It felt just like the 'blood boiling' described in books. Those are all characteristics of Boiling Blood Beast meat, so I was able to guess."
"You ate the whole piece?"
"Yeah."
After a brief silence, Liang Wenbin spoke again, his tone touched with a hint of concern and scrutiny. "So, are you feeling all right?"
Chen Mochuan had wanted to be vague, but if Liang Wenbin got it into his head to come check on him, it would be even harder to explain. So he said:
"At first, there were signs of Qi and blood stagnating, but I've got a fairly solid grasp of the Root-Solidifying Stance. I kept practicing it to guide my Qi and blood, and now, apart from feeling especially tired and a little sore and bloated, I don't have any other problems."
Everything he said was true. He'd only glossed over how and when he'd digested the meat.
"That's good, that's good..." Liang Wenbin said with relief, his voice noticeably more relaxed.
Last night, he'd found Chen Mochuan very much to his liking, so he'd given him the meat as a kind gesture, hoping to help improve his Qi and blood.
But today, he'd remembered Chen Mochuan's condition. He seemed to be only a third-stage Martial Warrior, and Boiling Blood Beast meat was notoriously difficult to digest.
If he overdid the tonic, Chen Mochuan wouldn't be injured, but his Qi and blood would inevitably stagnate, leaving him miserable for ten days or half a month and hindering his martial arts cultivation.
After all, Chen Mochuan was a high school senior, and every day was precious. If this delayed his preparation for the Martial Arts Department exams, Liang Wenbin would truly have meant well and done harm.
So he'd called at once to warn him, only to be too late.
Fortunately, it seemed Chen Mochuan had an unusual constitution and enough determination to endure the pain and guide his Qi and blood through stance practice. Nothing bad had come of it, and Liang Wenbin could finally breathe easy.
"Thanks to that piece of jerky, I feel like my Qi and blood have increased quite a bit. Midterms are coming up soon, so I have to thank you again for giving me such a big help, Uncle Liang." Chen Mochuan thanked him sincerely once more.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Liang Wenbin told Chen Mochuan to get in touch anytime if he needed anything, then ended the call.
Chen Mochuan saved Liang Wenbin's number in his contacts, feeling quite pleased. It was undoubtedly a good thing to have built a good relationship with a powerful Inner Scene Realm Martial Artist.
He looked out the window and saw that it was completely dark.
Then he glanced at the time clearly displayed on the terminal projection: [20:35].
If he remembered correctly, he'd lain down around one in the afternoon after practicing his stance. He'd slept for more than seven hours.
But the Boiling Blood Beast meat had a powerful aftereffect. Even after sleeping that long, he still hadn't fully recovered. His body remained sore and exhausted, so he decided to keep resting.
But just as he closed his eyes to gather enough drowsiness to sleep again, his wrist vibrated once more. Somewhat helplessly, he activated his Personal Terminal projection again and saw another incoming call from an unfamiliar number.
He hesitated for a moment as he watched the number flash, then answered.
"Hello, is this Chen Mochuan?"
This time, Chen Mochuan knew the voice well. It really was Feng Shi.
"That's me, Brother Feng. Li Biao said you looked for me this afternoon?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to ask why you didn't come to the martial arts hall today. Are you feeling unwell?"
"No, I'm fine. Something came up at home that I had to take care of, so I didn't go out."
"I see. If you need anything, just tell me. Maybe I can help..."
They exchanged pleasantries for a while before hanging up. Chen Mochuan could clearly feel that Feng Shi genuinely cared about him.
At Mingxin Martial Arts Hall, Feng Shi had always looked out for him, patiently feeding him moves under the pretext of sparring and privately teaching him the finer points of Tiger Fiend Fist.
He remembered all that kindness.
"Have I become the belle of the ball?" Chen Mochuan rubbed his still-sore brow and gave a self-mocking smile.
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