Location of the Green Lotus Core Flame

3rd Grade Pills.

Accumulation Pill, capable of rapidly restoring Dou Qi.

Wind Walk Pill, capable of increasing movement speed.

Gathering Essence Pill, capable of increasing the speed of Dou Qi absorption.

After copying down the ingredients for these three pills, Chen Mo went to find Elder Ba Lu.

"These are all ingredients for 3rd Grade Pills. You can refine 3rd Grade Pills now?"

Holding the paper Chen Mo had handed him, Ba Lu glanced over the ingredients listed on it, then looked at Chen Mo with a stunned expression.

Chen Mo rubbed his nose. "It's been so long. Isn't it normal for me to be able to refine 3rd Grade Pills?"

Ba Lu's mouth twitched. He then returned the paper to Chen Mo and said, "I don't have these ingredients either."

"Hm?" Chen Mo looked at Ba Lu in confusion.

"Tagor Desert was already lacking in resources, and with the high temperatures year-round, aside from fire-attributed medicinal ingredients, medicinal ingredients of other attributes do not grow well here." Ba Lu's expression suddenly darkened as he continued,

"And because humans have sealed us off, medicinal ingredients from human territories can hardly make their way to our Snake-People Clan."

"Uh..."

Chen Mo did not know how to respond, so he could only say, "Then the medicinal ingredients I asked you for before?"

"We robbed them from human caravans," Ba Lu said.

Seeing how straightforwardly he answered, several black lines appeared on Chen Mo's forehead.

He felt that Ba Lu did not regard him as human.

I'm human too, and I'm standing right beside you. Could you not put it so bluntly?

Ba Lu also noticed the situation and promptly apologized. "Sorry, I wasn't talking about you. You're different from other humans. You're a good person."

Chen Mo: ...

After casually chatting with Ba Lu for a few moments, Chen Mo left.

The moment Chen Mo left, Ba Lu went to find Queen Medusa.

When Queen Medusa was not in her bedchamber, she was usually handling government affairs in the Council Hall within the palace. Seeing Ba Lu arrive, she subconsciously asked, "Did Chen Mo ask you for medicinal ingredients again?"

Ba Lu nodded. "The ingredients he wants are for 3rd Grade Pills."

"Oh." Queen Medusa let out a surprised sound, stopping what she was doing and raising her eyes. "He can refine 3rd Grade Pills now?"

"Yes, he admitted it himself."

Ba Lu then said, "Your Majesty, have you considered the matter I mentioned to you some time ago?"

Queen Medusa knew he meant making Chen Mo one of their own. She said, "It is already underway. This Queen has assigned him as my personal guard. Once his strength improves further, This Queen will promote him to Royal Palace Guard Vice-Captain."

"Vice-Captain?"

Ba Lu's pupils contracted. After a moment of thought, he said, "Will the Council of Elders agree to let a human become the Royal Palace Guard Vice-Captain?"

"I am the Queen!" Queen Medusa declared proudly before continuing, "Since we intend to treat him as one of our own, we cannot look down on him because he is human. We'll take it slowly."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Ba Lu clasped his fists respectfully, then said, "We're out of medicinal ingredients again. Should we go raid another caravan?"

Queen Medusa's eyes narrowed as she pressed her lips together. "No. We need not do such things again in the future. First, ease our relations with the humans. If they still refuse to let the matter rest, This Queen would not mind starting another war."

"Yes."

They said Chen Mo followed Queen Medusa wherever she went.

But in truth, Chen Mo slacked off every few days.

Sometimes, while Queen Medusa handled government affairs in the Council Hall, Chen Mo would stand outside for a while before sneaking away.

At first, Queen Medusa would scold him a few times, but later, she simply let him do as he pleased.

Because Chen Mo simply would not listen to her.

For the time being, only several of Queen Medusa's trusted subordinates knew that she and Chen Mo lived together. The news had not spread.

Inside the bedchamber.

Chen Mo's bed had originally been directly opposite Queen Medusa's bed. Yet as the days passed, their beds had somehow miraculously been pushed together.

Of course, Chen Mo had taken the initiative in all of it.

On the bed, Chen Mo had already cultivated the Iron Body of the Undying Mysterious Skill - Golden Body Chapter to great mastery. Next came the Copper Body.

Like the Iron Body, the Copper Body required a drop of essence blood from a magical beast at the Dou Ling level or above—in other words, a magical beast of the fourth tier or higher.

It also required a magical core from a third-tier or higher metal-attributed magical beast, as well as several precious medicinal ingredients that the Snake-People Clan did not possess.

Naturally, the higher the grade, the better the quality of the Copper Body.

Chen Mo did not dare, nor did he have the nerve, to ask Queen Medusa for them again. He decided to leave the Snake-People Clan and take a look around Mo City.

That night.

When Queen Medusa returned, Chen Mo truthfully told her about it, except for the matter of the essence blood.

"No." Queen Medusa refused outright. She was afraid Chen Mo wanted to run away.

"Why not?" Chen Mo felt that his request was not excessive.

"No means no." Queen Medusa made it clear there was no room for discussion.

Chen Mo was no spineless coward. When it was time to be tough, he had to stand firm.

Seeing Queen Medusa respond like that, Chen Mo's attitude hardened as well. He stood up from the bed and shouted fiercely at Queen Medusa before him,

"I'm informing you, not discussing it with you."

Queen Medusa, seated on the adjacent bed, raised her brows and said coldly, "Your bones itch again?"

"Come on, then. If you've got the guts, suppress your cultivation to my level and see how this young master teaches you a lesson."

Chen Mo felt like he could do it again.

Without exception, Chen Mo was beaten up by Queen Medusa once more.

Queen Medusa was not foolish enough to suppress her cultivation to his level.

With his Iron Body at great mastery, Chen Mo claimed these were merely superficial injuries and continued arrogantly,

"If you've got what it takes, beat me to death. Otherwise, I'm definitely going to Mo City!"

Medusa furrowed her delicate brows, her icy eyes staring fixedly at Chen Mo. Not a trace of expression could be seen on her alluring face.

Only when Chen Mo began to feel unnerved under her gaze—

Did Queen Medusa finally say, "This Queen will go with you!"

Chen Mo froze, then said, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate? That is human territory. If you go, they might think you're declaring war."

The main issue was Queen Medusa's long Snake Tail. No matter how she disguised herself, it could not be concealed.

Queen Medusa's phoenix eyes sharpened. "At the border where the Jia Ma Empire and Chu Yun Empire meet, not far from Mo City, there is a Magical Beast Forest. It has what you need."

Chen Mo was taken aback. "But if you leave, the Snake-People Clan..."

"The Snake-People Clan has the Three Great Elders and Eight Great Leaders. It will be fine if This Queen leaves for a while," Queen Medusa said.

Warmth filled Chen Mo's heart. He then stood up while enduring the pain and smiled. "Your Majesty, you must be tired after a busy day. Let me massage your shoulders."

Having said that, he climbed onto Queen Medusa's bed without waiting for permission, moved behind her, and gently kneaded her fair, fragrant shoulders with both hands.

Ding! Favorability +1. Obtained 2 Favorability Coins. Intimacy bonus triggered. Obtained the location of the Green Lotus Core Flame.

Thanks to Zhili's donation of the Black Coffin Bearers package.