Kirin Bloodline

Kirin Bloodline

Zhang He was stunned for a moment. "What?"

Lian Xiaodi explained, "I've never seen my sister get close to any man. You're the first man she's ever brought home from the outside."

Zhang He couldn't help but laugh. "Little brat, your sister brought me here to treat your illness. Don't go spouting nonsense and ruining her reputation."

"I'm not! I can tell you're a good person. If you really became my brother-in-law, that would be great. You don't know, but so many people say they like my sister, yet I don't like any of them. It's obvious they're just greedy for her beauty and our family's wealth," Lian Xiaodi muttered.

Zhang He chuckled. This kid was truly precocious, worrying about such things already. Zhang He called the people outside in, gave a few instructions, and had them bring in a wooden tub to prepare a bath for Lian Xiaodi.

Lian's mother hesitated for a moment; her son was covered in wounds, so how could he bathe? Only when she saw Zhang He drop a packet of medicine into the tub did she understand his intention. Sure enough, after Lian Xiaodi finished his bath and emerged, the bloody claw marks on his body had rapidly scabbed over, and the previous wounds had healed so completely that not a trace remained.

Lian's mother and father immediately regarded Zhang He as a divine physician, filled with admiration.

"The power within his body is unique. Cultivating it will yield twice the result with half the effort; it's definitely a benefit. I've cleared the heat toxin from his system, so he shouldn't suffer from that unbearable itching anymore. However, his body will still feel somewhat feverish, though this will gradually subside as his cultivation grows," Zhang He said to Lian Yunbi.

Since he had come to treat the illness, he had to ensure the patient's family understood the situation once he was finished.

Seeing Zhang He's gentle and pleasant demeanor, Lian's mother felt a twinge of shame when she recalled her previous words and actions. She was also very curious about Zhang He's identity. To be able to refine medicine and heal illnesses—someone with such capabilities was certainly no ordinary person. Furthermore, looking at her daughter's seemingly good relationship with him, Lian's mother took note; it seemed she would have to properly question her daughter later.

If Zhang He were an apothecary, that would truly be a stroke of fortune!

Once Zhang He finished his work, he took his leave. Lian's father tried to keep him to host a banquet at the estate to properly thank him, but Zhang He politely declined. He had his own matters to attend to, and in truth, he had gained an advantage by coming here to treat the boy. The heat toxin he had absorbed from Lian Xiaodi was of great benefit to his own Rejuvenation True Qi.

After exiting the Lian family gates and boarding the carriage they had prepared, he was just about to leave when Lian Yunbi's voice suddenly came from behind: "Zhang He, wait a moment. I have something to tell you."

The carriage stopped, and Zhang He poked his head out, looking at Lian Yunbi with confusion.

"My birthday is in two months. Can you come?" Lian Yunbi asked, her face slightly flushed.

"Are you inviting me to your birthday banquet just to thank me?" Zhang He teased. Lian Yunbi paused, hesitated for a moment, and then said honestly, "Besides wanting to thank you, I truly hope you will do me the honor of coming. It's my eighteenth birthday, after all."

What an honest child! Seeing the hope in Lian Yunbi's eyes, Zhang He smiled and nodded. "Alright, but I'll say this first: I don't have the money to prepare a fancy gift."

Lian Yunbi brushed back her hair and smiled brightly. "As long as you can come, that will be the best gift of all." After saying this, she suddenly felt the tone was a bit intimate and her face turned red. Seeing Zhang He's cheerful smile, she remembered the incident on horseback earlier and felt so embarrassed that she turned and ran back into the estate.

Zhang He watched her, rubbed his nose, gave a faint smile, and told the driver to move on.

Inside the carriage, Zhang He silently circulated his Rejuvenation True Qi, refining and absorbing all the heat toxin from the Kirin Bloodline. His True Qi had actually grown significantly. As he reversed the flow of the Rejuvenation True Explanation, the scorching heat of the Kirin toxin transformed into a frigid power—a coldness that felt as if it were about to freeze his very blood.

"This heat toxin from the Kirin Bloodline is actually a potent medicine. It's a pity that ordinary people have weak bodies and cannot withstand such tyrannical power, which is why it becomes a deadly poison."

Zhang He realized that this heat toxin was, in fact, a power beneficial to the body. When the Rejuvenation True Explanation was reversed, the toxin could only turn into a frigid force with no other special effects. Conversely, when circulated normally, it could produce the miraculous effect of tempering the body.

Zhang He circulated his Rejuvenation True Qi forward again. The Kirin heat toxin surged through his body, and wherever it passed, his muscles and bones were enveloped in that scorching aura, as if being forged in a raging fire.

Zhang He's body was tougher than Lian Xiaodi's, so he could endure the heat. After completing one cycle, Zhang He clearly felt that his physical fitness had improved significantly under the influence of the Kirin heat toxin. This further verified his hypothesis.

"Phew. The Kirin Bloodline is truly miraculous. The world is vast and full of wonders; there must be other powerful things that can allow one to rapidly increase their cultivation." Zhang He suddenly felt a sense of pressure. "I have reached the peak of the Force Martial Realm. To break through to the True Martial Realm, I need a Void Insight Pill."

The Void Insight Pill was a medicine specifically used for breaking through from the Force Martial Realm to the True Martial Realm. There was a chasm between the two realms, and breaking through was extremely difficult. However, with a Void Insight Pill, the chance of successfully reaching the True Martial Realm would increase to at least seventy percent!

After stepping off the carriage, Zhang He returned to his courtyard.

Fatty Tang and Wang Dachui were still training hard. Seeing Zhang He return, Fatty Tang immediately winked. "How was it? Is the Goddess Lian's home a paradise on earth? Did you enter her boudoir? Ouch! Dachui, you blockhead, can't you see I'm talking to Zhang He? Why are you hitting me!"

Zhang He was left between laughter and tears. "Just focus on your training. By the way, I need to go up the mountain to gather some herbs, so I won't be able to come by for a few days. You two practice on your own and don't slack off."

"Got it, got it. We're planning to stun everyone at the Martial Child Test, so how could we slack off?" Fatty Tang said with a grin.

Zhang He smiled, went into his room to grab the necessary supplies, and left the courtyard. Absorbing the Kirin heat toxin had increased his True Qi, but it had also made him feel a sudden sense of crisis. Through this Kirin Bloodline, Zhang He realized he could not underestimate the heroes of the world.

Zhang He was determined to take first place in the Martial Child Test. Wen Liang was his greatest competitor! If he couldn't cultivate eight apertures and utilize a major move like the Half-Step Blast Fist, he wasn't confident he could win. Therefore, Zhang He was now impatient to head up the mountain to find the herbs needed to refine the Void Insight Pill and help him break through his bottleneck.

With only a month left until the Martial Child Test, time was tight, and he had to hurry.

After ascending the mountain, Zhang He hunted venomous insects along the way to refine the Five Poison Beads. The Five Poison Beads were selling like hotcakes, and he couldn't afford to run out of stock. Fortunately, the beads were only the size of soybeans and didn't take up much space; he soon filled a thousand of them into the medicine jars inside his large basket.

On the road, Zhang He encountered a few wild wolves, but they had made a mistake in choosing their prey and were all killed by Zhang He. There were also a few small demonic beasts, but they were very cunning; upon sensing Zhang He, they immediately took to their heels and fled. Zhang He's purpose in coming up the mountain was primarily to find herbs for the Void Insight Pill, so he didn't bother chasing them.

On a hillside, Zhang He checked his medicine basket.

"To refine the Void Insight Pill, I need thirteen types of herbs. Aside from the main ingredients, the Blood-Draining Vine and the Ghost Thunder Needle Grass, the others can be substituted. I've already found the Ghost Thunder Needle Grass; now, the most important thing is to find the Blood-Draining Vine!"

There were already eight types of herbs in his basket. Aside from the Ghost Thunder Needle Grass he had found by chance, the other seven were auxiliary herbs that could be easily replaced—they were insignificant. Yet, he had no leads on the most crucial Blood-Draining Vine, which left Zhang He feeling quite helpless.

He had walked the whole way without finding a single trace of the Blood-Draining Vine! Frustrated, Zhang He shouldered his basket and continued searching for the remaining five herbs.

Just as he crested a hill, Zhang He suddenly heard a rumbling sound coming from the other side. Zhang He paused, turned his head toward the source of the noise, and his expression turned strange. "Isn't that the Cold Pool?"

Zhang He saw it clearly: on the other side of the Cold Pool, a massive, dark-green, snake-like creature suddenly shot into the sky. Several brilliant flashes of light struck the creature, and with a shrill, miserable roar, the serpent plummeted back down.

"Is that a Cold Flood Dragon? Is someone hunting a Cold Flood Dragon?" Zhang He's heart skipped a beat. The Cold Flood Dragon was a Level 4 demonic beast; if someone there was capable of hunting it, their strength must be at least the Fourth Layer of the True Martial Realm. He had initially thought about checking to see if he could profit from the situation, but he immediately stopped in his tracks. "Anyone with the strength to hunt a Cold Flood Dragon is no ordinary person. If I rush over, I might provoke their hostility, and if I invite a fatal disaster, that would be my bad luck. Forget it, I'll just continue searching for my Blood-Draining Vine."

Zhang He had long had his eye on the Cold Flood Dragon. As a Level 4 beast, its venom was surely incredibly potent; if he could absorb it, his cultivation would definitely skyrocket. However, he knew—

"Sun Shaochuan, I, Wang Jian, was truly blind to believe in a beast like you! As long as I don't die today, I will make sure everyone knows your despicable face!" A roar suddenly echoed from the forest ahead.

The voice grew closer. Hearing the shout, Zhang He's pupils constricted. He immediately curled his body, held his breath, and hid behind a thicket of bushes, not daring to move. His gaze, however, secretly peered through the foliage toward the direction of the sound.

"Senior Brother Wang Jian, don't waste your breath. With a Cold Flood Dragon in the vicinity, no one dares to come here. Even if you scream until your throat tears, no one will hear you! Just go in peace. You played an indispensable role in this hunt for the Cold Flood Dragon. After I claim the sect's reward, I'll even help you apply for a Heroic Memorial Tablet so you can die with honor. As for Shao Ying and that unborn child, I'll take care of them for you as well."

The speaker sounded smug, and Zhang He frowned slightly. Under his gaze, three figures appeared in the distance.