Consuming whale rubber

The setting sun sank into the wooded hills, and dusk shrouded the village. The evening breeze grew cool, and the clamor of villagers returning from the fields that afternoon gradually faded.

The grandfather and grandson, who had settled everything in their afternoon conversation, sat quietly inside the house.

The oil lamp's flame swayed gently, its soft amber glow making the surrounding shadows seem deeper.

Only the faint crackling of the wick remained in the quiet room.

Li Mingzhu arranged the flat stone slab he had just brought inside, propping it over some firewood like a barbecue grill.

Li Mu quietly watched from beside him. Seeing that he was nearly finished, he softly asked:

"Mingzhu, what are you doing?"

Rather than answer, Li Mingzhu first took three pieces of ten-year whale rubber out of his domain space.

Receiving no answer, Li Mu looked at the three pieces of whale rubber that had appeared. His brows furrowed slightly, and his ruddy face turned rather livid.

He might not have seen much of the world, but even if he had never eaten pork, surely he had seen pigs run? Wasn't whale rubber something nobles used to spice up their indulgent pleasures?

Li Mu thought to himself, Could this brat Mingzhu have picked up bad habits at the academy?

But he's only six!

Before Li Mu could think further, Li Mingzhu lit the firewood. Before long, the thick bluestone slab was scorching hot, its surface taking on a faint red glow.

Li Mingzhu placed one piece of whale rubber in the center of the slab, then hurriedly explained its benefits to Li Mu. With that livid face staring at him, he was afraid he would get a scolding otherwise.

The whale rubber sizzled on the slab. Before long, the hard mass began softening at the edges, melting little by little until it gradually became a clear, pale-white liquid gel that slowly spread across the stone.

Once it looked nearly ready, he hurriedly collected it in a container he had prepared beforehand.

"Grandpa, just swallow this in a moment. It really is good stuff."

With that, Li Mingzhu handed the heated whale rubber to Li Mu.

Seeing Li Mingzhu's earnest expression, Li Mu stopped doubting him. He took it and swallowed it in one gulp.

After all, surely he wouldn't trick his own grandfather!

Watching Li Mu swallow it in one gulp, Li Mingzhu couldn't help admiring him. He had expected Li Mu to find it unbearable and swallow it in several portions.

He had to admit, the older generation really went all out!

As it passed through his mouth, a powerful fishy odor shot straight to Li Mu's brain. He forced down his discomfort and held his breath before finally swallowing it all.

Under Li Mingzhu's guidance, he immediately sat cross-legged.

Seeing this, Li Mingzhu immediately circulated his Soul Power and slowly channeled it into Li Mu's body, helping him absorb the whale rubber's medicinal effects.

Ten minutes later, Li Mu felt a warm current rise from his stomach, and his entire body grew feverishly hot. His dull, clouded eyes abruptly changed. His drooping eyelids lifted, and the weariness and haze faded from his dim eyes, replaced by an excited gleam that made his gaze burn bright.

At the same time, power continually washed through every limb and bone, gradually loosening the grime and impurities within his flesh.

Once he felt Li Mu had endured enough, Li Mingzhu placed him in the bathing tub he had prepared beforehand.

Ice-cold water instantly enveloped Li Mu. The chill frantically burrowed into his body through his pores, immediately suppressing the fiery heat erupting in his lower abdomen.

Thin traces of gray-black, greasy grime slowly seeped from his pores and floated on the bathwater. A layer of murky oil gradually formed over the once-clear water.

Only after the whale rubber's effects had worn off did Li Mu emerge from the tub.

Li Mingzhu immediately came over.

"Grandpa Mu, how do you feel?"

Seeing that Li Mu's once-scrawny body had become strong and powerful, Li Mingzhu knew the whale rubber had worked well on him.

At the question, Li Mu threw three swift punches into the air in succession. Seeing how thoroughly he had been transformed, he quickly replied:

"It worked wonderfully. My whole body feels light and strong. Just now, it felt as though something inside me was trying to burrow out!"

Li Mingzhu pointed at the murky black water in the tub and smiled. "Grandpa Mu, those were the impurities in your body being expelled."

Even Li Mingzhu hadn't expected mere ten-year whale rubber to work so well.

After thinking it over carefully, he realized that Grandpa Mu was old and frail, with too many impurities accumulated in his body. That was why the effects had seemed so remarkable.

Li Mu was overjoyed. The normally dignified village chief was now smiling like a child. He had originally thought Li Mingzhu had been deceived about the whale rubber's benefits.

He had agreed so readily only because he feared Li Mingzhu would misuse it and damage his body. Yet it had truly produced outstanding results.

Li Mingzhu then took out the dried meat he had bought in Nuoding City.

"Grandpa Mu, eat this dried meat first to replenish yourself."

This time, Li Mu didn't refuse. He took the dried meat and began eating.

Once Li Mu had filled his stomach, Li Mingzhu placed the remaining two pieces of whale rubber on the slab.

After changing the water in the tub, he turned to Li Mu.

"Grandpa Mu, just eat these two pieces in a moment."

Li Mu hurriedly refused.

"Mingzhu, if this whale rubber is useful, why don't you use it yourself? That one piece just now already felt like enough!"

Li Mingzhu smiled helplessly. "Grandpa Mu, my body is too strong. Ten-year and hundred-year whale rubber are basically useless to me. Besides, I bought thousand-year whale rubber for myself."

Left with no choice, Li Mu swallowed the remaining two pieces of whale rubber in the same way as before.

Once Li Mu finished absorbing the whale rubber as he had before, the impurities expelled through his skin amounted to less than half of the previous batch.

It looks like ten-year whale rubber is no longer any use to Grandpa Mu!

Seeing this, Li Mingzhu formed a guess: Grandpa Mu could take at most one piece of hundred-year whale rubber after this. The old man was frail and had no Soul Power to sustain him, so consuming too much wouldn't accomplish much.

Too much might instead leave his weak body unable to handle the nourishment. One more piece later to replenish his blood and vitality should be enough!

"Grandpa Mu, does your body feel even better now?"

"Yes, but Mingzhu, it doesn't feel as strong as the first time."

"That's how the effects work."

As he spoke, Li Mingzhu examined Li Mu's body.

Only after he was completely certain there were no problems did they return to their respective rooms to rest.

He left a day of rest in between, giving Grandpa Mu time to adjust to the changes.

On the following evening, after Li Mu went to sleep, Li Mingzhu began consuming whale rubber himself.

Earlier that day, Li Mingzhu had already given Li Mu the piece of whale rubber that had only just reached a hundred years. After eating it, Li Mu's blood and vitality surged, leaving him full of energy all day. Only that evening did he grow tired and go to bed early.

Once Li Mingzhu was alone in his room, he no longer concealed anything. He took out the remaining three pieces of whale rubber, starting with the one that was over nine hundred years old. A burst of dragon flame shot out, immediately softening the whale rubber enough to consume.

Don't ask why he hadn't used dragon flame earlier. The answer was that Li Mingzhu had feared a moment's carelessness would burn the ten-year whale rubber to charcoal.

Following Li Mu's example, Li Mingzhu put the whale rubber straight into his mouth.

A powerful fishy odor shot straight to his brain. Li Mingzhu forced down his discomfort, held his breath, and swallowed it in one go.

Then he sat cross-legged and began circulating his Soul Power.

Li Mingzhu felt the medicinal power of the whale rubber he had swallowed gradually begin surging wildly through every limb and bone. A scorching heat spread endlessly outward from his dantian, flushing the skin all over his body a feverish red.