Torso Bone Quenching Complete

"This is the switch for the shower; blue is for cold water, and red is for hot water."

Shen Qing turned the handle, watching as water cascaded from the showerhead above. Shen Qingtang's eyes widened as she nodded.

"But you have to be careful; this thing is arguably the most precise mechanism in the world."

He turned it off and instructed her earnestly:

"Turn it a bit to the left, and you'll get a third-degree burn. Turn it to the right, and it's Frostmourne. If you aren't careful, you'll either be freezing or boiling. Try it yourself."

Shen Qingtang stepped forward, looking lost, yet she mastered it easily. Her curious expression as she toggled it on and off held a hint of silliness.

But that was normal; when faced with something they had never encountered before, most people would unconsciously display a bit of that same silliness.

Or perhaps, bewilderment.

After Shen Qing finished explaining the various toiletries and how to use the toilet, he saw her nod and walked out of the bathroom.

Shen Qingtang was just about to close the door.

With a "snap," Shen Qing leaned back in, clutching the doorframe. He looked at her with wide eyes, like a startled kitten, and explained:

"Don't be nervous. I just wanted to tell you that I don't have any women's clothing here, so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with mine for now."

"Don't lock the door just yet."

With that, Shen Qing rummaged through his room, brought out some of his own clothes, and handed them over. "Here. As for women's clothes... I'll see what I can do."

If he didn't have the time, he would just have to ask someone else for help.

Once he was sure there was nothing left to address, Shen Qing sat back on the sofa and suddenly drifted into a daze.

Picking up an ancient person out of the blue—what a strange feeling. If this had happened a week ago, he wouldn't have believed it even if he were beaten to death.

"She even knows about Supernaturalists. I wonder if she's mastered any ancient secret manuals?"

He muttered to himself, feeling like he was overthinking it. What could a young girl who at most knew some basic martial arts possibly understand?

When Shen Qingtang came out, Shen Qing happened to have stepped out. The room was empty, and for a moment, she felt a sense of bewilderment.

"Shen... Qing?"

Hearing no reply, she instinctively reached for the waist saber she had discarded.

The moment her fingers touched the scabbard, a "click" sounded as the front door suddenly opened. She sprang up almost instantly and hid behind the sofa, peering out with only half her head visible.

"It's me."

Shen Qing walked in carrying a new mattress and a summer quilt. Once she confirmed it was him, Shen Qingtang hesitantly emerged from behind the sofa.

Then he saw the female escort from Anding Escort Agency wearing the white shirt and trousers he had worn to his job interview, her hair still damp.

She kept tugging at the hem of the shirt.

How should he put it? Like a lotus flower rising from clear water?

But he was a decent man; he wouldn't have any improper thoughts. Besides, the excellence of his ex-girlfriend was still fresh in his mind.

"Here is the bedding. Go get some rest if you're tired."

Shen Qing handed over the bedding. Shen Qingtang took it subconsciously and then stood there motionless, staring at him, her eyes still filled with a lingering sense of confusion.

"I know you still have many questions and probably haven't accepted all of this yet, but it's getting late. You haven't had a proper rest in the last few days, have you?"

Seeing the dark circles under the female escort's eyes, Shen Qing pointed toward the guest bedroom.

"So, go get some rest first. We can talk about any questions tomorrow, okay?"

Ultimately, following Shen Qing's suggestion, Shen Qingtang nodded and walked into the guest room. It contained only a single bed, a nightstand, and a small desk lamp.

"If you aren't used to the dark, you can leave this small lamp on."

Shen Qing helped her pull the door shut, and his footsteps gradually faded away.

Shen Qingtang still couldn't sleep. She sat on the bed, clutching her waist saber tightly to her chest.

From wandering into this place for no reason to being taken in by this young man who claimed to be a government official... he was a good person, but everything felt like a dream.

Second Uncle, Aunt, Anding Escort Agency...

She closed her eyes, and the familiar images of her memories surfaced once more, making her realize that everything had truly changed. She didn't know if she would ever be able to return.

Fear and bewilderment enveloped her, causing Shen Qingtang to curl up tightly.

Next door, Shen Qing, who was scrolling through his phone, couldn't sleep either.

Too many things had happened today, and this world was becoming increasingly strange. Ever since he saw a ghost a week ago, his cheat had been activated.

And now, he had picked up a female escort who seemed to be from ancient times—though, to be precise, he hadn't picked her up; she had come to his door on her own...

If a normal person encountered something this absurd, they probably wouldn't turn it over to the authorities, right?

It was the same logic as his cheat.

"Forget it, back to cultivation."

Shen Qing stood up abruptly; compared to sleeping, he felt that sitting in meditation could calm him down more effectively. He fished out a Blood Qi Pill from his clothes, one that Captain Fang and the others had provided him.

He wanted to see just how effective it was.

He swallowed it in one gulp.

Aside from being a bit hard to swallow, there didn't seem to be any reaction?

The moment that thought crossed Shen Qing's mind, the blood throughout his entire body began to boil—hot, that was the only thought he had now.

Then, a sharp pain deep into his marrow surged, as if his bones were being treated like iron blocks, with a hammer relentlessly striking and quenching them.

His skin began to turn red and heat up, and waves of white steam rose from his body.

"..."

"No wonder you can't take too many of these."

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Qing snapped his eyes open. His body let out a series of cracking sounds, and he let out a long breath, a flash of joy appearing in his eyes.

Although this pill was indeed painful, the effects were also very obvious.

He would have originally needed five or six days to break through to the late stage of the Ninth Grade, but a single pill had saved him about two days of time.

All fifty-one bones in his torso had been tempered; next would be his limbs, and then his skull.

"Clang!"

Shen Qing suddenly punched his own chest, and a sound similar to metal colliding immediately rang out.

"I reckon I can really try blocking a handgun bullet now."

Of course, that was on the condition that the bullet didn't slip through the gaps between his bones to strike his internal organs directly.

After the initial joy, the side effects of the pill had not yet completely faded, and Shen Qing couldn't help but gasp in pain.

The lingering fear of the earlier agony remained; this pill was truly not suitable for continuous consumption.

Just as he was preparing to rest for a moment, his ears suddenly twitched.

"Asleep?"

The walls were not particularly thick, and since he was no longer an ordinary person, he could hear the sound of steady breathing coming from next door.

"I'll catch some shut-eye too."

Shen Qing stood up, feeling sore all over. After taking a shower, he lay down on the bed, closed his eyes, and surprisingly fell asleep very quickly.

When he opened his eyes again, sunlight was streaming in.

Knock, knock, knock!

Shen Qing, who hadn't fully woken up yet, jumped up abruptly.

"Damn, I almost forgot Xie Chong is coming over today to clear out that demon corpse."

He walked quickly out of the room.

After a night, even a demon containing power within its body had started to develop a stench, though fortunately, there were very few households in the entire residential complex.

Shen Qingtang was already awake, listening to the knocking on the door with a dazed expression, looking somewhat at a loss.

She stood before his door, seemingly wanting to knock but not daring to.

"Morning."

Shen Qing greeted her. Shen Qingtang subconsciously looked out the window; it was nearly the hour of the dragon—was it still early?

Not paying attention to the female bodyguard's thoughts, he explained:

"The person outside is my colleague, also a government officer, but as you know, helping you is my personal action, so for the time being, you need to stay in the room. It's best if you don't make a sound."

Shen Qingtang nodded and walked back into her room.

"Seriously, what's taking you so long?"

Hearing Xie Chong's impatient voice outside the door, Shen Qing hurried over to open it.

"I'm coming, can't a guy just wake up?"