The cold night stretched on within the Crown Prince's Residence.
Having just returned from outside, Meng Chen immediately ran toward the side hall where Qian Renxue was.
He had barely stepped into its outer chamber.
A wave of warmth washed over him, dispelling the bone-piercing chill that clung to his body.
Qian Renxue still sat behind the broad desk, holding a jade-green teacup. Her plain white robe glowed faintly golden beneath the warm yellow candlelight.
"So you remembered to come back? Did you enjoy yourself out there today?"
Meng Chen came closer, his face brimming with the satisfaction of a full belly, and chuckled. "Brother Xue, the soy-braised pork knuckle and roasted pork ribs at the Listening Cloud Tower were delicious. I'll treat you next time so you can try them."
"Such a honeyed tongue. You've only just received your viscount's grain stipend, and you're already thinking of treating me?"
After rolling her eyes at him, Qian Renxue set her teacup aside and lightly tapped the jade box on the desk.
"All right, stop playing the good boy in front of me. Look at what's on the desk."
In fact, Meng Chen had caught that familiar dragon aura the moment he entered.
Now, following Qian Renxue's finger with his gaze, his face immediately lit up with delight.
He strode to the desk and lifted the jade box with both hands.
A rich, pure warmth traveled through the meridians in his palms and into his body, making the dormant blood essence of the Golden Dragon King within him tremble involuntarily.
"Millennium sea dragon marrow!"
Meng Chen nearly jumped with excitement.
He was not putting on an act. He truly was thrilled.
The 10,000-year sea dragon marrow Bibi Dong had previously sent with Ghost Douluo was excellent stuff.
But swallowing it with his current physique would be no different from swallowing a ticking time bomb. Unless he had absolutely no other choice, he really did not want to use it.
Now everything was sorted. With the millennium sea dragon marrow in hand, its mild, mellow medicinal properties and age made it just right to serve as a binding agent to temper the more domineering medicinal power.
Seeing his treasure-hoarding look, as though he wanted to cuddle the jade box in his sleep, Qian Renxue could not help laughing.
But soon, her brows knitted slightly, and her expression grew more solemn.
"Little Chen, when the head shopkeeper of the Benevolent Heart Apothecary delivered it just now, I made a point of inspecting it."
Qian Renxue reached out and gently patted Meng Chen's shoulder, reminding him earnestly, "Sea Dragon Marrow is a substance of supreme yang and ferocity, condensed within the spines of deep-sea soul beasts. Ordinary soul masters generally absorb it in decoctions prepared to gently nourish their marrow. You specifically requested this ingredient. Are you planning to temper your body again?"
Qian Renxue knew all too well how outrageously bold this little fellow was.
Holding the jade box, Meng Chen felt warmth well up inside him, though he wore a sheepish smile.
"Nothing gets past you, Brother Xue. My Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul gives me a naturally weak physical foundation. If I hadn't relied on brute strength and medicinal baths to temper my body, how could I have held out long enough to teleport away from those two Soul Ancestors in the Southern Suburbs a few days ago?"
"But don't worry, Brother. I'd never gamble with my own life."
Looking into the boy's determined eyes, Qian Renxue sighed inwardly.
Deep in his bones, this child possessed a frightening ruthlessness and competitive drive. His hunger for strength was no less intense than hers had been back then.
Simply trying to stop him would only make him rebel, perhaps even take risks behind her back.
"You really never let anyone rest easy."
Qian Renxue shook her head helplessly and lightly tapped his forehead.
"I've given you the medicine, so how you use it is your business. But remember this well: if you notice even the slightest sign of your meridians swelling or aching as though they're about to burst during your body tempering, you must stop immediately!"
"As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Do you understand?"
"Understood! Brother Xue treats me best!"
Meng Chen nodded vigorously, put the jade box into his Storage Soul Tool, and obediently bowed before darting out of the side hall.
Watching the boy leave, the smile in Qian Renxue's eyes slowly faded.
She sat upright in the seat of honor, pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"Uncle Yu."
In a corner of the hall, Snake Lance Douluo's burly figure appeared without a sound. He clasped his hands and bowed.
"What are your orders, Young Mistress?"
Qian Renxue narrowed her eyes slightly and looked toward Meng Chen's courtyard in the rear garden, concern in her gaze.
"Little Chen will probably begin tempering his body soon. Conceal your aura and stand guard outside his courtyard. Be sure not to alert him. If everything goes smoothly, leave him be. But if he truly suffers a backlash, intervene immediately and protect his heart meridians, even if you have to ruin the medicine's potency!"
Snake Lance Douluo paused, inwardly surprised by how much importance the young mistress placed on this boy.
As a rank ninety-two Titled Douluo of the Worship Hall, he normally received the utmost respect even from imperial princes.
Yet now he was being sent to act as a private guardian for a greenhorn from a junior academy.
Still, She Long dared not defy Qian Renxue and immediately accepted the order. "Rest assured, Young Mistress. With this old man watching from the shadows, nothing will happen to the young viscount."
With that, Snake Lance Douluo's figure turned insubstantial once more and silently vanished into the deep night.
Meanwhile, inside the bedroom of the courtyard residence in the Crown Prince's Residence's rear garden.
Once Meng Chen had prepared everything, he immediately latched the door and drew all the curtains.
An enormous iron tub for his medicinal bath had already been set up in the center of the room.
A concealed flame from the underfloor heating burned beneath it.
Clouds of white steam rose from the boiling water inside.
Meng Chen took a deep breath and settled his surging emotions. With a turn of his wrist, his Storage Soul Tool flashed repeatedly.
Four distinct treasures of heaven and earth were neatly laid out on the table.
Millennium sea dragon marrow, millennium blue vein vine, and millennium earth dragon tendon.
Between them sat a millennium dragon scale fruit.
Meng Chen's eyes burned as he looked at the four ingredients.
According to the original Legend of the Dragon King, these were precisely the four spiritual treasures Tang Wulin had used to unlock the Golden Dragon King's second blood essence seal.
The millennium dragon scale fruit was to be taken internally.
The millennium dragon scale fruit primarily worked from within, while the Blue Vein Vine, Earth Dragon Tendon, and Sea Dragon Marrow had to be ground into an extremely thick medicinal slurry.
Mixed into boiling water for an external medicinal bath, they would strengthen the host's skin, sinews, bones, and meridians from the outside in.
They would build an indestructible dam of flesh to withstand the Golden Dragon King's divine power.
Without the medicinal bath to protect his body, consuming only the Dragon Scale Fruit would lead to just one outcome.
The power bursting through the seal would instantly blast him into a sky full of bloody mist.
"Finally, I've got them all!"
Meng Chen hesitated no longer and immediately got to work.
He placed the millennium blue vein vine, millennium earth dragon tendon, and half a length of millennium sea dragon marrow together in a specially made stone mortar.
The rhythmic pounding of medicine echoed through the room.
Under Meng Chen's tremendous arm strength, the tough Earth Dragon Tendon was smashed to pieces.
Rich, dark green juice flowed from the Blue Vein Vine, while the Sea Dragon Marrow became an icy-blue, viscous paste.
The three blended together, slowly forming a thick, dark brown slurry with a distinctive medicinal fragrance inside the mortar.
Meng Chen lifted the stone mortar and poured the entire bowl of priceless spiritual medicine slurry into the scalding bath.
Dark brown foam immediately bubbled up in the crystal-clear boiling water.
The water throughout the wooden tub thickened like mercury at a speed visible to the naked eye.
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