His words were mocking, but Wang Kong was already moving again!
He lunged with a straight punch, aiming right for Chen Lingxi's face!
The stance was crude, but the force behind it was vicious. The punch tore through the air with a sharp whistle, and Chen Lingxi could clearly feel the fiery blood qi rolling off the strike, radiating scorching heat.
Chen Lingxi's breath hitched. The blood qi within his own body surged instinctively. He retreated three rapid steps and threw his left arm up in a horizontal block, solid as a river dam!
Bang!
Fist met forearm with a heavy impact, ringing out like a muffled drum.
Blinding pain tore through Chen Lingxi's forearm, as if the bone were splitting. Wang Kong's blood qi spiraled directly into his body, bringing a sudden rush of sweet copper to the back of his throat!
But the recoil forced Wang Kong to sway slightly as well. A flash of shock and suspicion crossed his eyes.
"You dare dodge?" The surprise vanished, replaced by a freezing smile. Wang Kong narrowed his beady eyes into slits. "You're a lowly official bondservant. Chief Steward Zhao honoring you as a medicine tester is a privilege! Do you think climbing the West Courtyard's high branch means you can forget what you are?"
Rolling his wrist, he closed in step by step. Beneath his robes, his muscles pulled taut as bowstrings, poised like a leopard ready to pounce.Nearby, the servants sweeping the snow had already cowered and retreated. None of them dared wade into these muddy waters.
Has Wang Kong gone mad? He actually dares strike someone inside the marquis's residence!
Swallowing the excruciating pain in his forearm, Chen Lingxi frowned.
Just then, a light cough drifted from the corner of the veranda, followed by a soft voice.
"Overseer Wang. What a fiery temper."
The voice wasn't loud, but it swept through like a gale, instantly tightening the air in the garden.
A figure strolled out from the distance.
He was around forty, with a pale, beardless face and the gentle brow of a scholar. His indigo silk robe was completely spotless. In his hands, he cradled a copper-bodied enamel hand warmer. The lid was carved into the shape of a suanni lion, with thin threads of sandalwood smoke curling outward from its snout.
Seeing the newcomer, Wang Kong halted his stance. His expression shifted slightly, but he ultimately gathered his sleeves and bowed. "Steward Liu."
His etiquette was flawless, though a vicious glint still lingered in his eyes.
Chen Lingxi naturally recognized the man. It was Liu Que, the senior steward of the West Courtyard. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting as well.
Liu Que strolled between the two. Without so much as a glance at Chen Lingxi, he fixed his gaze on Wang Kong's clenched fist and smiled faintly. "Overseer Wang. Chief Steward Zhao just accepted you as his adopted son a few days ago, and today you're already here in the West Courtyard teaching our servants the rules?"
He stroked his hand warmer as he spoke, his tone as mild as idle chatter. "It's just that this official bondservant is now exclusively tasked with arranging the young lady's vases and flowers. If that punch of yours had landed solid and ruined the hands he uses to hold the shears... when the young lady asks, how exactly am I supposed to answer?"
Veins throbbed at Wang Kong's temples. He fell silent for several long breaths before grinding his teeth. "I was reckless."
He bowed a fraction deeper. "Head Steward Liu is entirely correct."
"I wouldn't dare," Liu Que chuckled, pulling a plain handkerchief from his sleeve and offering it over. "Wipe your sweat. It's freezing out—careful not to catch a chill! Chief Steward Zhao's adopted son is a man of great status here in Yuanjiang Prefecture, after all."
Wang Kong reached out to take the handkerchief, but his fingertips suddenly trembled. The cloth was bone-piercingly cold—completely soaked through with snow water.
When he looked up, the fury in his eyes crackled like hot coals doused in oil, on the verge of exploding. But he ruthlessly suppressed it, squeezing a few words through his teeth. "...Many thanks, Head Steward Liu."
Liu Que paid him no further heed, turning instead to Chen Lingxi. "The purple clay vase you requested has been sent to your courtyard. Why aren't you off arranging the flowers?"
Leaving those words behind, he turned and walked away without lingering.
Chen Lingxi stowed the vine into his sleeve and lowered his head, hurrying after him.
As he walked past Wang Kong, Chen Lingxi caught a chillingly soft sneer, barely louder than a whisper.
The two figures gradually retreated, vanishing through the moon gate deep in the corridor.
Wang Kong remained rooted in place. His fingers slowly curled inward, crushing the wet handkerchief into a solid lump of ice.
After a long while, he abruptly let go, letting the cloth drop into the snow.
The rage washed from his face like a receding tide, replaced by a bizarre, almost gleeful smile.
"It's done..."
He muttered to himself, instantly picking up a little tune.
The melody was "Treading the Snow," the most vulgar folk ballad in the streets, and he hummed it with an unnervingly slick, jaunty rhythm.
Keeping time with his steps, he marched across the snow, looping around the frozen winding pond and passing through a trellis hung with icicles. He headed straight for the Yin'an Courtyard.
Seeing his jubilant expression, the servants and bondservants along the way quickly cleared the path and bowed their heads.
Inside the eastern heated pavilion of the Yin'an Courtyard, the underfloor flues were burning strong.
A middle-aged man sat on a red sandalwood couch carved with scrolling grass patterns.
He wore no brocade robes, and his features were remarkably ordinary: faint brows, narrow eyes, and a low nose bridge. Only his thin lips, pressed together like a razor's cut, lent him an aura of innate, intimidating authority even when he sat in complete silence.
At this moment, he was looking down at the ledger in front of him. A straight plume of blue smoke rose from the Incense Burner gifted by Lin Suri on the desk, casting flickering shadows over the side of his face.
Wang Kong entered and fell to his knees before speaking a single word.
"Adoptive Father."
He prostrated himself, touching his head to the floor in an ultimate display of reverence.
The middle-aged man was Zhao Yong, Chief Steward of the Baosu Marquis Residence.
He didn't even look up, merely turning a page of his ledger. "Did you test him?"
"Yes." Wang Kong lifted his head, every trace of his previous frivolity gone. "That official bondservant has indeed been thoroughly reborn. I used three-tenths of my strength in that punch; without entering the Iron Body realm, it would be absolutely impossible to dodge. Yet he managed to evade it twice, and the recoil force from his arm bones when he blocked it... was no less than three hundred jin. He's already caught a glimpse of the Iron Body."
Zhao Yong finally set the ledger down. A dark gleam flashed through his narrow eyes. "A little over ten days... from a dying medicine slave to catching a glimpse of the Iron Body... That dose of Dragon-Drawing Powder really was effective on him."
"Adoptive Father is wise." Wang Kong bowed his head once more. "What is the next step? Do you need me to quietly snatch him back..."
"No need." Zhao Yong leaned back against the couch, shutting his eyes as if going to sleep. "Since he is a prime medicine primer, we need to raise him properly, and even... temper him well."
"In another month, the medicinal force of this dose of Dragon-Drawing Powder should fade. When that happens, secretly find a few men to snap his tendons and shatter his bones, then feed him another dose of Dragon-Drawing Powder. That will let him grow into a truly qualified medicine primer."
Wang Kong nodded in agreement, but then hesitated. "As for the Eldest Young Lady..."
The smoke from the Incense Burner suddenly dissipated, obscuring Zhao Yong's expression, yet his gaze remained as tranquil as ever.
"In this estate, if you offend the Eldest Young Lady, I won't even need to say a word. Someone else will naturally step in to protect you."
A specific figure flashed through Wang Kong's mind, instantly erasing all of his doubts. He bowed and withdrew.
Zhao Yong stood up, a faint smile finally creeping onto his lips.
"Two medicine primers, refined into two Dragon Pills. That will be more than enough to poison you to death."
Back in his small courtyard, Chen Lingxi felt as if his forearm were about to snap off from the pain.
He shut the door and lay down on his bed. Curling his body like a drawn bow, he once again began breathing to circulate his qi.
As that wisp of qi flowed into his forearm, Chen Lingxi distinctly sensed that the bone was covered in countless hairline fractures.
This Wang Kong's blood qi is like fire. He must have stepped into the Bronze-Red Realm, refining a fiery nature into his vitality. His blood qi circulates through his entire body like the flames of a furnace!
No wonder Wang Kong holds such an extraordinary status among the servants and has earned Zhao Yong's favor!
Did he attack me because I originally belonged to Zhao Yong as his medicine slave, but then threw in my lot with the West Courtyard?
As the pain in his forearm gradually eased, Chen Lingxi couldn't stop turning the questions over in his mind. Just what exactly was that medicine the chief steward made us test?
He suddenly realized he hadn't heard any news of Zhao Changle in quite some time, and a flicker of worry surfaced in his chest.
But Wang Kong said today that I'm one of the two who survived the medicine testing. That means Zhao Changle should still be alive.
Comforted by that thought, his mind steadied, and he focused entirely on using that wisp of qi to heal his injuries.
Two shichen slipped quietly by. Dusk had fallen, and a moon hung in the sky tonight.
Pale moonlight spilled across the front of the courtyard as Chen Lingxi finally roused from his breathing exercises.
He raised his hand and inspected his forearm. The fractures were still there, but the pain had subsided significantly.
Wang Kong, Zhao Yong...
Chen Lingxi silently recited their names in his heart, though his eyes remained utterly calm.
Smelling the smoke from the Incense Burner, he closed his eyes once more.
Through his daily breathing exercises, Chen Lingxi's mental strength had grown much more robust.
With his spirit flourishing, the amount of time he could maintain Vision Wander had lengthened as well.
The first time Chen Lingxi used the Vision Wander divine ability, he tumbled out of the Divine Chamber after just one ke. His head had throbbed violently, making it impossible to continue, and he had needed well over a full day to recover.
But today, fourteen days later, Chen Lingxi was already able to sustain it for two ke.
Just like his breathing exercises and practicing the Seven Forms of Halting War, using Vision Wander every day had become a routine for him.
It was just that Lin Suri's life in the marquis's residence was exceedingly monotonous, consisting solely of breathing exercises and cultivation. Chen Lingxi had also watched Lin Suri practice his martial arts. The man would hold a bow without notching an arrow, yet as he drew the string back, his golden blood qi would actually manifest into a sharp arrow. With an effortless release, he would fire it into the clouds until it vanished from sight.
Though he didn't know what the man had shot at, to Chen Lingxi, it was already a miraculous display of skill.
When I first arrived at the Baosu Marquis Residence, and even up until a few months ago, I would constantly hear that Lin Suri was incredibly tyrannical. He would frequently whip and torture the servants. Even Steward Wang Chu of the South Courtyard was once tortured by him.
But recently, I've hardly heard any rumors like that at all.
And whenever I use Vision Wander, I've never seen him commit any brutal acts.
Chen Lingxi's consciousness slipped into the Divine Chamber, but his thoughts kept spinning. Now that I think about it, the servants chatting also mentioned that ever since Lin Suri threw his birthday banquet, his temper has only gotten better and better.
He pondered silently. Inside the Divine Chamber, tadpole-like text hovered in the air.
Chen Lingxi suddenly raised an eyebrow.
[Divine Chamber]
[Divine Ability: Vision Wander (Ready)]
[Divine Ability: Thorough Awakening (Unavailable)]
The tadpole text for the Thorough Awakening ability has changed from gray to pale gold...
A jolt ran through Chen Lingxi's heart. He had a premonition that he would soon be able to use this mysterious Perceiving Clear Divine Ability.
The biggest change in me compared to before is that wisp of qi... or perhaps the blood qi generated from practicing martial arts.
Could the divine abilities in this Divine Chamber be connected to my cultivation base?
Chen Lingxi secretly guessed, As long as I cultivate diligently, I might be able to use the Perceiving Clear Divine Ability before much longer.
Delight filled his heart, and his intent settled upon the South Courtyard of the Baosu Marquis Residence within the Divine Chamber.
His perspective shifted, and Chen Lingxi immediately heard someone speaking with Lin Suri.
"Ancestral Mountain Maternal Qi. Take it, and you can obtain the Aptitude of the Spiritual Aperture. Drink it, and silver will surge in your marrow sea while tides rise in your bone apertures. Your entire skeleton and body will be like an old cauldron swapped for a brand-new mold.
Even in this land where spiritual energy is thin, possessing the Aptitude of the Spiritual Aperture and cultivating with it for long enough will give you the hope of reaching the Three Heavensward Towers. You can escape this cage and ascend to the Greater World!"
"Brother Lin, neither of us knows the other's origins, but we both know we aren't the only two coveting the maternal qi. There will even be people coming from the capital!"
"Why don't the two of us... join forces to acquire it, and feast upon this precious qi together?"