The bathroom was filled with steam.
Tang Wen lay in the medicinal bath, attended by several maids who trimmed his hair and nails.
When the time was up, he stood and rinsed off the black, mud-like residue of the medicinal herbs.
Gazing at his near-perfect reflection in the mirror, he shook his head inwardly.
His physique was too strong—the Martial Master-level medicinal bath had no effect whatsoever.
"Young Master, how do you feel? As you instructed, we doubled the herbs in today's bath."
The female steward eyed his robust physique with fervent admiration and longing.
If not for the ever-present fear of being executed by the Hall Master, she would have thrown herself at him on the very first day!
Ah, if only Young Master Tang Wen would take the initiative.
A mere gesture or glance would suffice.
As the maids helped him dress, Tang Wen frowned. "It's not enough."
The steward was momentarily confused: Not enough? Are we not serving you well enough?
Is he hinting that I should be bolder?
Her usually monotonous life stirred with excitement, and a silvery glint flashed in her eyes.
Tang Wen had no intention of wasting more time. "My body is naturally extraordinary—I can lift cauldrons weighing thousands of pounds. But in the past month, my physique has barely improved. Contact the physicians. I need a more potent prescription."
"Ah, this—?"
Tang Wen left no room for argument. "Do as I say. Tell them I've ingested fresh Extraordinary Blood Essence raw. I'm not afraid of strong medicine—only of it being ineffective!"
Awe and reverence filled the steward's eyes.
The Young Master is truly formidable.
Her gaze drifted downward.
That must be impressive indeed!
Though he noticed her look, Tang Wen remained unmoved.
Since entering his secluded training state, his resistance to temptation had improved significantly.
By his own estimation:
In his everyday state, his willpower was weaker than that of an average Martial Master.
But once he entered prolonged cultivation, his endurance surpassed even that of seasoned Transcendents.
The reason lay in his—[Experience Panel].
Eighty percent of his achievements came from the Experience Panel, not through years of grueling training.
Thus, in his daily life, he was prone to indulgence.
Yet, because of the [Experience Panel], his cultivation progress became a visible, measurable process.
This infinitely boosted his motivation. In the face of such gratification, women?
Hah!
They would only slow down his cultivation speed.
The steward bowed her head. "Understood, Young Master. The Hall Master may intervene."
Aside from Tang Wen himself, Shui Yun was the most invested in his progress.
"Of course, inform my senior sister. Ask her to arrange the prescription with the physicians."
Soft rice?
Fragrant and tender—who wouldn't want a taste?
"Yes."
"Prepare the carriage. I'm returning to my residence today."
That morning, Tang Wen arrived at his courtyard.
"Young Master, you're back!"
"Young Master!"
Xiao Rou and A Shui abandoned their tasks and hurried over to greet him.
In his absence, the three women had felt adrift, as if missing their backbone.
Under the guidance of a female Martial Practitioner, they spent their days practicing martial arts and strengthening their bodies to pass the time.
Tang Wen's return brought ready-made delicacies, offering them a welcome change in meals.
After eating, he found an opportunity to retrieve the message cylinder from the Blood Raven.
The cylinder was tiny, no larger than a young girl's pinky finger.
It was coated in multiple layers of wax, and the narrow strip of paper inside had also been treated with wax to resist moisture.
Carefully unrolling it, a single line of text met his eyes:
[Zhao, will arrive shortly.]
General Zhao is coming?
No wonder they used such a small message cylinder despite knowing the Blood Raven's round trip takes two months.
Whatever needs to be said can be discussed more securely in person.
Moreover, this single line wouldn't matter even if intercepted.
It contains no concrete information whatsoever.
At most, readers would know someone surnamed Zhao is arriving somewhere.
But where exactly, when, or for what purpose—none of that is revealed.
"Caw!"
"Caw!"
In the private cultivation room of the backyard,
two ravens met.
Highly intelligent creatures,
they exchanged greetings in their own language without confrontation.
Tang Wen studied the brief message repeatedly.
The elegant handwriting resembled Sister Bing's script?
Hmm, having rarely seen her write, he couldn't be certain.
Perhaps it was his sister's.
Though he hadn't seen much of Tang Tang's handwriting either.
She kept an account book but never showed it to anyone.
Suddenly, his thoughts froze.
In his reply letter, he had mentioned details about Four Seas Camp.
Normally harmless.
But if General Zhao visits Four Seas Camp first,
even casual inquiries—
no, not even deliberate ones—
might lead him to hear Tang Wen's name.
Tang Wen of Mountain Chasing City's Blackwater Gang, the Seventh Young Master.
Once the name caught his attention,
he'd easily find Tang's portrait at Four Seas Inn.
An unmistakable identification.
This realization struck him.
Without delay, Tang Wen seized the Blood Raven.
He began force-feeding it various Extraordinary Pills in succession.
The raven gagged, stretching its neck indignantly: I just flew thousands of miles!
Is this my reward?
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
Tang Wen tossed some Mental Soothing its way while coaxing: "No pain, no gain... for ravens too!"
"These are premium Extraordinary Pills! Digest them properly, and you'll evolve from a regular High-level Exotic Beast Raven to a formidable one!"
Such persuasion wouldn't work on ordinary animals.
But the Blood Raven's intelligence bred ambition.
Ambition made it susceptible to promises.
As the elixirs' energy surged through its body,
Tang Wen urgently sent the coachman to purchase several bags of Frost Stone.
By the time the Frost Stone arrived,
the raven's flesh had turned crimson, nearly medium-rare from overheating.
Tang Wen promptly dunked it into an ice barrel,
continuing the medicinal regimen.
The Brown-tailed Crow observed everything with beady eyes,
a mix of astonishment, envy, and confusion.
It cawed questioningly: "After such an exhausting flight, why not wait a few days for recovery before enhancement?"
Tang Wen froze mid-motion, ice water dripping from his ladle: This little creature knows too much!
Daring to question its master?
With IQ high enough for college entrance exams—scoring 400, perhaps?
Watching the disoriented Blood Raven struggle with the elixir's effects,
Tang Wen glared at the Brown-tailed Crow: "Less curiosity about worldly affairs does you good!"
"Caw?"
"Enough with the cawing!"
After a brief pause, Tang Wen fabricated an excuse: "These pills lose potency after opening. Immediate consumption ensures maximum effect and success rate."
"Caw caw caw (Understood)."
The explanation seemed accepted.
"Caw caw caw caw... (Should I take mine now too?)"
Tang Wen: ...
The youngster's grown.
Harder to fool now.
He said irritably, "What's the rush? If you eat now and don't recover in time, who will stand guard tonight? Who will protect our home? Who will defend it?"
Brown-tailed Crow seemed to half-understand.
Several hours later, after Blood Raven successfully strengthened itself, ate its fill, and rested until evening, it directly took off into the sky with the message.
Only then did Brown-tailed Crow realize—shouldn't the one who completed the strengthening stay behind to guard the home?
Why did it fly away?
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