Returning to the valley, Yang Yunhai glanced from afar. Zhu Zhuqing was moving swiftly along the cliffside.
Without a doubt, she had improved greatly these past days. Not only had her limb strength increased significantly, but her stamina, endurance, flexibility, and balance had also improved a lot. Even her skin had become firmer, and her figure more striking.
Her abs looked smooth like silk, her waist curved like a peach, and her long legs were powerful and toned—changes visible to the naked eye.
Yang Yunhai withdrew his gaze, deciding not to disturb her.
The sun was already tilting westward, not far from dusk. Seeing this, Yang Yunhai didn't plan to cultivate anymore. Instead, he returned to the cabin, entered his bedroom, and pulled a chair to sit at his desk.
It was time to see what kind of books his cheap master had left him.
He touched his chest, and a thick stack of books appeared in his palm. With a pa, he dropped them on the desk.
The first book: Handbook of Common Medicines. He skipped it.
The second: Notes on Skincare.
'This really is Chrysanthemum Douluo!'
The third: Illustrated Compendium of Immortal Treasures.
Yang Yunhai instantly sat up straight, like a pine tree.
Suppressing his excitement, he carefully opened the first page.
"Yearning Heartbroken Red, the legendary King of Immortal Flowers. To obtain it, one must have their beloved in mind, with true feelings, watering it with their own blood…"
Clear words, with illustrations.
He read carefully and imprinted it in his memory, then turned the page.
"Beautiful Silk Tulip, King of Immortal Herbs."
He continued flipping: "Aromatic Silk Beauty, Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Infernal Delicate Apricot, Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, Black Jade Divine Bamboo, Land Dragon Golden Melon, Cockscomb Phoenix Sunflower…"
"666, now this is what I call professional. This is real expertise!" His eyes gleamed with excitement.
There were dozens of immortal herbs, far more complete than the ones Tang San had stolen from the Mysterious Heaven Treasure Record. It made sense. That tiny martial world lacked spiritual energy, so how many immortal herbs could it possibly produce? Humans there couldn't even fly, limiting their exploration. Compared to that, with soul masters and gods, the Douluo Continent was on a whole other level.
This was the difference between worlds.
The next moment, he thought about hidden weapons like the Buddha Fury Tang Lotus, which could kill multiple Soul Saints in their Martial Soul True Body.
He fell silent, twitching at the corner of his mouth, before continuing to read.
Though titled Illustrated Compendium of Immortal Treasures, the book also recorded many rare herbs that hadn't yet matured into immortal rank.
According to Chrysanthemum Douluo's notes, those herbs weren't immortal yet only because they hadn't matured when discovered. From their medicinal properties, as long as they were allowed to grow longer, they could absolutely reach the immortal level.
Things like Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng, Ginseng King, Sacred Soul Grass—given enough years, they could all become immortals.
'It's not that they can't, it's just that humans don't let them grow long enough.' Yang Yunhai sighed.
Half an hour later, footsteps sounded in the living room beyond the half-closed door.
Yang Yunhai pulled himself out of his focused reading, stored the books into his soul tool, and strode out.
"Zhuqing, you go wash up first. I'll cook." He smiled warmly, heading toward the kitchen.
Soon after, at the dinner table, Yang Yunhai handed her another sachet he had bought, grinning. "I picked this up on the way back. One for each of us."
"Thank you." Zhu Zhuqing accepted it happily.
Yang Yunhai immediately followed up, in a negotiating tone, "How about a little reward? Maybe tonight I change where I sleep? I promise I won't try anything."
Though their relationship had heated up, he was still sleeping in his own room every night.
Once or twice was fine, but every night? Back in his old world, people would call him less than a beast.
Zhu Zhuqing didn't believe him, but she didn't want to bluntly reject him either. In love, every action from her partner mattered. Carefully maintaining what she felt was a perfect romance, she lowered her head and whispered, "We're still young…"
She thought maybe he was already at that stage.
Soul masters strengthened their bodies through soul rings, so their growth was much faster than ordinary people. Having already reached Soul Elder, Yang Yunhai's body was without doubt fully developed.
A true man.
His 1.75-meter frame, muscular build, and restless hands made that obvious.
'When boys hold back too long… is it really that bad?' She didn't fully understand, but she realized it might be serious.
'Not so young anymore.' Yang Yunhai glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and nodded slightly. "Alright, forget it then."
"Let's eat before the food gets cold." He smiled, picking up his chopsticks.
Relieved, Zhu Zhuqing looked at him, then nodded. "Mm."
After dinner, as usual, Yang Yunhai sat with her outside, holding her while watching the sunset to digest their meal.
In his arms, Zhu Zhuqing toyed absentmindedly with her sachet, sneaking glances at him.
Yang Yunhai gently stroked her hand, eyes on the horizon.
'These next few days I need to finish Master Chrysanthemum's books, fill my head with enough to bluff as half a doctor, and learn to make a few decent tonics. Then I can mix it into blood for Dugu Bo's detoxification medicine.'
He had tested with his second soul skill already—he could absorb poison, but only if it hadn't yet invaded the organs.
Once it seeped deep into the lungs or bones, he couldn't safely remove it. It wasn't that he couldn't absorb it, but his control wasn't good enough. He couldn't guarantee drawing out the poison without damaging the organs.
Poison wasn't like a stone you could pick out—it was like dye in a vat, seeping everywhere.
And his martial soul's thorns weren't scrapers; they were needles, and short ones at that. They could barely reach muscles, let alone the organs.
'Hard? Way too hard.'
It was like trying to pick grains of sand out of tofu with embroidery needles.
So relying on his martial soul alone to detoxify Dugu Yan and Dugu Bo was unrealistic right now.
Learning from Chrysanthemum Douluo's books? Or directly calling him for help? Dream on.
He had skimmed Chrysanthemum Douluo's notes earlier—amazing at tonics and supportive medicines, but detoxification and poison? Not his field at all.
'Probably too much of a clean freak to touch poison.'
Otherwise, why did Dugu Bo always escape in the original story?
So, after thinking it over, he could only follow Tang San's route: take the Infernal Delicate Apricot and Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, use his blood as a guide to refine a detoxification medicine for Dugu Bo. Once the poison was removed, the rest would be easy.
'And Master Chrysanthemum's expertise would handle the rest perfectly.'
If they became friends, it would be ideal—their knowledge perfectly complemented each other.
Narrowing his eyes, his thoughts continued to turn.
'Not even talking about curing Dugu Bo… Just the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well itself—that extreme yin and yang energy is already beyond what I can handle.'
'Even with the Beautiful Silk Tulip and my Blue Silver Emperor right leg bone's healing, I might not last long. That yin-yang qi isn't just hot and cold—it's poison. My healing might not withstand it.'
'So if I stayed too long, I could be crippled like Tang San was.'
'Then again, maybe not. Until I try, who knows?'
'But one thing's sure: after ice-fire tempering, I'll be able to freely enter and leave the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well. My body will be reforged, tougher, and I'll cultivate faster with lightning. Like eating an immortal herb, but with lasting benefits.'
'And my martial soul will gain immunity to ice and fire, covering its weaknesses. Plus, my body will resist all poisons. Against Tang San's poison arts later, that would be a huge advantage.'
'Too many benefits. Definitely worth it.'
'And after the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and Infernal Delicate Apricot, I can still take Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew, boosting my spiritual power even further. With stronger eyes, if I really gain fiery golden eyes that see through everything, that'd be incredible.'
'Too bad Chrysanthemum Douluo didn't leave notes on which herbs could be safely combined. So, safest path—copy Tang San's method. After all, my martial soul is also Blue Silver Grass.'
'Though mine has lightning too… but ice-fire tempering affects the body, not soul attributes, so it won't matter.'
Satisfied, he leaned back.
"Zhuqing, let's go cultivate."
"Mm." Her cheeks flushed, she nodded lightly.
They returned to their rooms to meditate.
Hours later, Yang Yunhai woke, stretched, and went to relieve himself.
Pushing open his door, he noticed a faint light across the hall—Zhu Zhuqing's door slightly ajar.
Heart racing, he quickly finished in the toilet, then tiptoed over. Inside, under dim moonlight, the quilt trembled slightly, leaving a large empty space.
His face heated up instantly. He slipped inside.
He touched her waist—she trembled, stiffened. Then he pulled her closer, chest to back, warmth flooding him.
Her small fists pressed lightly against him, head lowered, eyelashes trembling.
Neither spoke. Their hearts beat wildly.
Time passed.
Then came a tiny whisper: "Your soul power…"
"My soul power?" Yang Yunhai froze. Then realization hit him like cold water.
His soul power could heal. That ability was priceless in battle, letting teammates recover quickly. But—
He looked down, muttering softly, "Darling… do you know what tools a noodle maker needs to knead dough?"
Pushing slightly, drawing her closer.
Zhu Zhuqing blanked. "A… rolling pin? A board?" she whispered.
The next moment—"You… hateful." She punched his chest, her face red.
He didn't resist, only released her when she gently pushed.
—
Next day, training ground.
"Xiao Hai, where's Zhuqing?" Dugu Yan asked when Yang Yunhai arrived alone.
His healing didn't solve exhaustion. She was too tired to get up. Yang Yunhai shook his head, half-sighing. "She twisted her ankle climbing yesterday. It's nothing serious, she's already applied medicine. With one day's rest she'll be fine."
"It's good for her to rest. She's been pushing herself hard lately."
"As long as it's nothing major." Dugu Yan nodded.
After training ended, Yang Yunhai rushed back to cook.
At dinner, when their eyes met, she lowered her head shyly, while he grinned.
—
Next morning, they walked to the training ground together, calm as ever.
"Twisted ankle?" Dugu Yan arched a brow, smirking as she glanced between them.
The others exchanged looks—surprised, impressed, envious.
Zhu Zhuqing blushed, looking away without speaking.
Yang Yunhai straightened, facing Dugu Yan.
"Sister Yan, I've found a way to treat your old illness."
(End of Chapter)
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