Meng Chen felt as though he was about to fall apart.
To think that the power of the Golden Dragon King, a being at the very pinnacle of the Divine Realm, slumbered within him, yet two girls had actually forced him into retreat!
If he had not been worried that unleashing his blood energy would demolish the Benevolent Heart Apothecary outright, he would have thrown them over his knees and given them a good spanking!
"I came to buy medicine! To buy medicine, seriously!"
Meng Chen hurriedly covered his head and backed away two steps, putting some distance between them as he spoke indignantly.
"Medicine? What medicine could a tiny little thing like you possibly want?"
Dugu Yan could not resist teasing him, her eyes brimming with affection and mischief.
"Yanyan, stop fooling around. Where are your manners?"
Just then, a gentle, warm, refined voice drifted over from the arched entrance to the apothecary's rear courtyard.
A beautiful middle-aged woman in a moon-white embroidered gown emerged with slow, graceful steps.
She looked exceptionally dignified and gentle, her features bearing a seventy- to eighty-percent resemblance to Ye Lingling's. Her black hair was gathered into a cloud-shaped bun, and a faint crabapple fragrance lingered around her, soothing the heart and mind.
It was none other than Ye Cixin.
"Mother."
Ye Lingling obediently bowed and stepped aside.
Dugu Yan stuck out her tongue as well, then stood up and greeted her properly.
"Aunt Ye."
Ye Cixin first gave the irrepressible Dugu Yan a helpless glance, then turned her gaze to Meng Chen in the middle of the hall. A flicker of surprise and amusement crossed her eyes.
"I was wondering why the front hall was so lively today. Little fellow, you're back again."
"Hello, Madam Ye."
Meng Chen breathed a sigh of relief. At last, a reasonable adult had arrived. He hastily straightened his clothes and greeted her politely.
Looking at the adorable, fair little boy before her, Ye Cixin asked gently, "What medicine would you like to buy this time?"
Meng Chen wasted no time. He took out a strip of yellow silk bearing a list he had prepared earlier and read it aloud, his childish voice soft but every word clear.
"I need a thousand-year Dragon Scale Fruit, a thousand-year Blue Vein Vine, a thousand-year Earth Dragon Tendon, and a portion of thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow."
The moment he finished speaking, the cheerful atmosphere in the apothecary's hall fell silent.
"What?"
Dugu Yan froze where she stood, wondering whether she had misheard.
As the granddaughter of a Titled Douluo, she had been exposed to all sorts of poisons and tonics since childhood, and her knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary Soul Masters.
Not one of the four ingredients Meng Chen had named was something a normal person could take as an everyday tonic!
Even the usually unflappable Ye Lingling parted her red lips slightly beneath her black veil, her face filled with astonishment.
Ye Cixin's gentle expression turned abruptly serious. Her brows knitted as she strode forward, took the list, and looked at Meng Chen with utmost gravity.
"Little Meng Chen, do you know what these medicinal ingredients are? Thousand-year Dragon Scale Fruit grows in places of extreme yang energy and scorching heat. Its medicinal potency is fierce enough to feel like flames burning through your body."
"Earth Dragon Tendon contains domineering, violent earth-and-wood dragon energy that can tear a Soul Master's meridians apart with the slightest mishap. As for thousand-year Sea Dragon Marrow from the deep sea, even an adult Power Attack System Soul Ancestor risks their body exploding if they forcefully refine it..."
Ye Cixin crouched and gently rested her fingers on Meng Chen's wrist, taking his pulse as she asked earnestly.
"You're still young, and your meridians are delicate. What do you need these medicines for? Is His Highness Qinghe feeling unwell?"
"Brother Xue is perfectly fine. These medicines are all for me."
Meng Chen blinked his large eyes, but his young face carried an unquestionable seriousness.
"I've had a special constitution since I was little. I need these potent medicines to temper my body! I've already completely absorbed the medicinal energy of the two spirit fruits I ate at the residence a couple of days ago. Now I need even stronger medicinal energy to scour my muscles and bones."
"You... you're using them to temper your body?!"
Dugu Yan sucked in a breath of cold air and reached out to feel Meng Chen's forehead.
"Little brother, you don't have a fever, do you? Those are thousand-year dragon-related ingredients of extreme yang potency! If that little body of yours swallowed them, wouldn't you just..."
"I don't have a fever. I'm really strong!"
Meng Chen pursed his lips. His blood energy quietly began to circulate, releasing a faint yet supremely pure trace of overwhelming dragon might.
Hum!
Dugu Yan felt her breath catch. The Jade Phosphorous Serpent Martial Soul within her began trembling uncontrollably, as though it had encountered a true king of dragons capable of subjugating all serpents!
Ye Cixin's eyelids gave a sharp twitch!
She was a support-type Soul Saint, yet in that instant, she had sensed a surging, boundless torrent of blood energy within Meng Chen's tiny body, akin to that of an Ancient True Dragon!
That vigorous vitality and the toughness of his muscles and bones far exceeded even those of an ordinary level-thirty Power Attack System Soul Elder!
How was this a frail little Soft Bone Rabbit Martial Soul?
This was clearly a Ferocious Beast cub wearing a Soft Bone Rabbit's pelt!
"So... it really is for body tempering..."
Ye Cixin drew a deep breath, struggling to quell the towering waves of shock in her heart as she looked at Meng Chen with a complicated expression.
Monster. When had Heaven Dou City produced a Little Monster like this?
"These four ingredients are extremely rare and expensive. Even the Benevolent Heart Apothecary's storeroom currently has only thousand-year Blue Vein Vine and Earth Dragon Tendon of sufficient age."
Ye Cixin composed herself and spoke gently but solemnly.
"As for the thousand-year Dragon Scale Fruit and Sea Dragon Marrow, we'll need to arrange urgent transfers from Vast Sea City and the Southern Branch Hall. Gathering them will take at least three to five days."
"No problem! As long as you can get them!"
Meng Chen's little face lit up, and he slapped his Gold Soul Card onto the medicine counter with a generous flourish.
"Here's the deposit. It doesn't matter how many Gold Soul Coins it costs. There's enough money on the card!"
Seeing Meng Chen acting like a wealthy little grown-up, Ye Cixin could not help laughing. She accepted the gold card and promised him.
"In five days, once all the ingredients are ready, I'll personally arrange for someone to deliver them to the Crown Prince's Residence."
"Thank you, Madam Ye! I'll head back now!"
With the key ingredients for breaking through the second seal secured, Meng Chen was in excellent spirits. He turned and ran happily toward the apothecary's exit.
"Hey! Little brother! Wait for me!"
Seeing him about to leave, Dugu Yan hurried after him to the threshold, gazing reluctantly at his tiny, skipping figure.
"Remember my name! I'm Dugu Yan! My grandfather is Poison Douluo Dugu Bo!"
"If you get bored, come to Dugu Manor and play with me anytime! I'll have the tastiest treats ready for you, all right?"
Outside, sunlight spilled over Meng Chen's black hair. The pair of long, furry golden ears atop his head twitched nimbly, as though in reply, before his little figure vanished around the bustling street corner in a flash.
Dugu Yan... she really is an enthusiastic... big sister.
As Meng Chen jogged toward the Crown Prince's Residence, he rubbed his little cheeks, still red from being pinched, and chuckled to himself.
After returning to the Crown Prince's Residence, Meng Chen spent a peaceful afternoon there.
Toward evening, the setting sun bathed the entire imposing Crown Prince's Residence in a warm orange-red glow.
Accompanied by steady, refined footsteps, "Xue Qinghe," dressed in an opulent brocade robe, entered the bedchamber.
Seeing Meng Chen sitting obediently at the table eating candied fruit, Qian Renxue's refined, handsome face, which had remained tense all day, immediately softened.
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