Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 803 Li Minghu's Experiment
The summer night breeze was warm and humid. The three of them busied themselves around the grill, their faces full of anticipation and joy.

Chef Lin Ning was in charge of the barbecue. She skillfully skewered the food, controlled the fire, and added charcoal with fluid, effortless movements—it seemed that nothing in the culinary world could stump this young woman.

Yan Yu stood beside her, skewering meat and vegetables with metal skewers. Although it was his first time making them, his skillful technique made him just as efficient as a seasoned pro.

Behind the two, Chen Lingyun sat in a chair, elegantly sipping tea.

Seven or eight ghosts were preparing the food around him, each with their own task, and everything was done in an orderly manner. Some were chopping, some were marinating, some were mixing, and one ghost was watching the earthenware pot on the stove, where tea was bubbling away.

This is not a demon-summoning monk, this is a slave owner.

Yan Yu suddenly had some doubts. Could guiding her to become a magistrate cultivator in this life have been an even bigger mistake—causing her morals to plummet to an unfathomable depth?

"I told you," Lin Ning said, placing the first batch of skewers off the grill on the table next to her. "You seem to have a lot of free time lately."

"Free?" Yan Yu asked.

“Yes.” Lin Ning stared at the oven and said, “In the past, you spent your free time either training and honing your skills or watching other people’s battle videos, such as domestic cultivators and foreign superheroes, and you said it was necessary intelligence gathering work.”

"All you do all day now is sleep... I mean, just sleep all the time. All you do is eat, like a pig."

Yan Yu pondered this question carefully.

“It’s very simple,” he replied. “Because I am already the strongest in the world. No one is my match, so why should I bother to learn about the enemy? As for honing my skills, I have never stopped, you just haven’t noticed.”

"What about the serpentine monster?" Lin Ning asked.

“The serpentine giant isn’t human,” Yan Yu said matter-of-factly.

Lin Ning was speechless.

However, after being together for so long, she had long been immune to this level of shrewishness, so she simply pretended not to hear it and calmly sprinkled powder and sauce on the skewers. The fat dripped onto the charcoal fire, bursting out with amazing heat and aroma.

Yan Yu finally finished skewering all the ingredients, and when he looked back, he saw that Chen Lingyun was already eating.

One ghost was responsible for forking the roasted meat off the skewers and placing it on a clean white porcelain plate. Another ghost arranged the roasted meat in order and brought it to Chen Lingyun as soon as it cooled to lukewarm temperature.

"How did you get to eat?" Yan Yu used a dragon claw move to press Chen Lingyun's head down hard. "We're all still working, and you've already started sneaking food by yourself?"

"Ouch!" Chen Lingyun shrank her neck.

Yan Yu released her head with a cold laugh, but unexpectedly she turned around in a flash, and with a precise flick of her chopsticks, put the roasted meat into his mouth.

"Now you've eaten too," Chen Lingyun said with a smile. "We're accomplices now."

Yan Yu: ………………

"How does it taste?" Chen Lingyun asked.

"The meat is perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat; the person skewering it is really skilled," Yan Yu said.

"Stop bragging!" Lin Ning complained. "There's too much fat in it. I'll use the heat to render off the excess oil for you, okay?"

“That’s because the meat cutter had a problem.” Yan Yu skillfully shifted the blame. “Ningning, stop working and sit down with us to eat.”

"Wait until I finish baking this batch," Lin Ning said, refusing to leave. Everyone in the family who cooks is like that; they won't sit down to eat until all the dishes are washed.

"Hurry up!" Yan Yu urged impatiently. "If you keep getting so engrossed in the skewers, I'm going to poke your butt with a skewer!"

Lin Ning was so frightened that she immediately covered her buttocks. She instantly realized that Yan Yu definitely wouldn't use a real iron skewer to poke her... How could such an indecent act be done in broad daylight!
Even though it's nighttime and there's no one around, that won't do!

"Come here quickly!" Yan Yu's voice rang out with the authority of the head of the family.

Lin Ning could only remove most of the charcoal and reduce the heat before reluctantly sitting down next to Yan Yu.

"This plate is for you." Yan Yu pushed the meat towards her.

"Oh, thank you!" Lin Ning was overjoyed. She hadn't expected Yan Yu to be so gentle and considerate, even removing the metal skewer in advance.

Chen Lingyun smiled without saying a word, and did not expose his attempt to use someone else's flowers to flatter him.

The three of them enjoyed their barbecue to the fullest, and then the ghost brought them beer and soy milk.

"Lingyun, could you lend me a ghost?" Lin Ning looked on with envy and couldn't help but say, "If I had an assistant to help me prepare the dishes, my efficiency would also improve."

"Sure," Chen Lingyun said. "I'll train one up..."

"Why not find someone alive?" Yan Yu suddenly asked. "Yun Jin and Xiao Lian can both cook. Oh, and Ye Yun can cook a few dishes too."

"I'm not used to having others help me in the kitchen." Lin Ning cursed the captain inwardly for being an idiot. Cooking is my area of ​​expertise as his girlfriend, how can I allow other competitors to dabble in it?

"Then why did you let the Yin Ghost be your assistant?" Yan Yu sneered.

“Ghosts aren’t people,” Lin Ning said.

Yan Yu was instantly speechless with anger. Comrade Lin Ning, how dare you use my words to...deal with me?

Hmph! What good is it to gain an advantage through mere words?

Tonight I'll show you that the weapon of persuasion is no match for the weapon of persuasion!

----------

Lingyou Province, Defense Underground Laboratory.

As the only serpentine behemoth to be killed, its heart was classified as a top-secret item by the Privy Council of the Lu Kingdom.

Even the five Golden Core cultivators currently stationed in Tianjin, who seem to want to deal with the Bohai Giant Serpent through conventional force, are, to some extent, covering up their secret scientific research here.

As the only non-Golden Core level transcendent being who participated in the killing of the flesh-and-blood giant serpent, Li Minghu has now stopped all other work and is focusing on cooperating with the laboratory to conduct research on the giant serpent's heart.

If the power increase of a cultivator from the Foundation Establishment Realm to the Golden Core Realm is like sublimating a True Essence of strength 1 into a True Essence of strength 10, then the serpentine behemoth undoubtedly takes a different path: by devouring a large amount of mortal flesh and blood, it forcibly compresses 10000 True Essences of strength 0.01 into True Essence of strength 100, thereby obtaining power comparable to or even surpassing that of a Golden Core Tribulation cultivator.

This was confirmed in the study of the fine structure of spiritual energy. The true essence of the flesh-and-blood giant serpent itself was far inferior to that of even the most aptitude folk cultivators; it relied on massive accumulation and compression to create a false "qualitative change."

Of course, this method of stacking and compression is also extremely valuable. For example, if a way to break this compression and stacking could be found, it would be effective in attacking and killing the serpentine behemoth.

For example, if one could master this subtle level of spiritual energy manipulation, could it be possible to transform the physical body itself, or even one's cultivation aptitude?

The latter is a topic that cannot be discussed. If a mortal can acquire power comparable to that of a cultivator by devouring the lives of a large number of their own kind... this is a mechanism that is not allowed to be explored, and it is also the red line and minefield of this scientific research.

At least on the surface.

However, there is another issue: Li Minghu's physical condition.

In terms of mental fortitude, tactical awareness, swordsmanship aptitude, and loyalty to the Lu Kingdom, Li Minghu is actually on par with Liu Longtao. Her physical condition is her only constraint, so resolving her chronic illness is something that can be done without any apparent fault.

Therefore, after the flesh and blood heart was delivered, almost a massive amount of scientific research resources were invested in the project. Even Mei Yingxue was dragged from the Wudang Mountain base to specifically tackle this project of "helping Li Minghu treat his chronic illness".

The spiritual energy revival has only been going on for a few years. Even the most gifted academic geniuses still base their thinking on the fundamental logic of modern science. Mei Yingxue, however, is different. She received complete training from a cultivation sect in the cultivation world, and the foundation of her worldview is a Taoist philosophy. The difference is like that between Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Although the renowned TCM doctor, Teacher Mei, has learned some Western medical skills and can speak eloquently about them, if the battle were fought in the realm of traditional Chinese medicine, no one would be her match.

“We have already refined the pill.” Mei Yingxue took out the pill bottle and placed it on the table. “The problem now is that we need a test subject.”

"Me?" Li Minghu asked calmly.

“From a scientific point of view, we should conduct sufficient experiments with other materials first to ensure that reliable conclusions are drawn before performing the final treatment on you,” Mei Yingxue explained. “But when it comes to the underlying spiritual energy structure, there are actually no so-called ‘reliable conclusions’.”

“I have indeed heard Ye Yun mention it,” Li Minghu said thoughtfully. “The essence of spiritual energy is chaos.”

“Not entirely,” Mei Yingxue said. “The spiritual energy before Pangu separated heaven and earth can be considered complete chaos. When heaven and earth were first separated, the pure energy rose and the turbid energy sank. In fact, macroscopic order was established on the basis of microscopic chaos.”

"Order built upon chaos? Isn't that contradictory?" Li Minghu asked, somewhat puzzled. She possessed exceptional comprehension, but not superhuman comprehension; she couldn't instantly grasp something she didn't understand at all.

“Contradictions can transform into each other,” Mei Yingxue replied.

She pushed the pill over and said:
"On this basis, the effects of elixirs can also be transformed into one another. For example, what may be a transformative medicine for other test subjects may become a deadly poison in your body."

"That means the effect is uncertain." Li Minghu understood. "It's a gamble."

“I have already consulted with my superiors about this matter,” Mei Yingxue continued. “Most of them hope you won’t take any risks, but ultimately it depends on your opinion.”

"The pill is yours; you can make the decision yourself."

Li Minghu took the elixir bottle, gently unscrewed the cork, and saw that there was only a round elixir the size of a thumb inside. Its color was as red as dragon blood, and it had a strange fragrance. If you smelled it for too long, you would feel dizzy.

She hesitated for a moment, then without hesitation, she picked up the elixir bottle, tilted her head back, and swallowed it directly.

"That's decisive." Mei Yingxue was quite surprised. "Didn't you say goodbye to your family and friends before taking it, just in case?"

"No need." Li Minghu smiled slightly. "If I unfortunately pass away, I hope to leave unnoticed, so that too many people will not feel sad because they could not say goodbye to me."

Mei Yingxue frowned. She sensed a subtle, deathly stillness emanating from the girl, but everyone has their own destiny, and as an outsider, she couldn't say much. So she said calmly:
"Go lie down over there. We will monitor your condition and provide timely medical assistance if necessary... if we can save you."

"Okay." Li Minghu lay down on the operating table with a calm expression, allowing the medical team to install various monitoring devices on her body.

Refining the medicinal power takes time, and no corresponding changes have yet appeared in his body. Li Minghu stared at the pristine white ceiling, his gaze seemingly slightly unfocused.

Suddenly, I remembered the promise I made with Yan Yu: If one day your life is about to come to an end, would you like to experience the taste of love?
Li Minghu slowly closed his eyes.

...No, never mind.

If you would feel sad and upset about saying goodbye to your girlfriend at the last minute, I would rather just leave quietly.

----------

Mei Yingxue watched as Li Minghu remained motionless, allowing medical personnel to insert tubes all over her body. She sighed, turned around, and dialed a phone.

"Hello?" The other end answered quickly, the voice sounding somewhat hurried.

“Li Minghu’s experiment has begun,” Mei Yingxue replied.

"Why didn't you notify me beforehand?" A distinct gasp came from the other end of the phone, "Hiss—"

“It will take some time for the effects of the medicine to wear off,” Mei Yingxue said calmly. “The real reaction will occur after that, so you should have enough time to get here.”

"I'm coming right away," the person on the other end said.

Then came the muffled sounds of arguing:

"I also need to go……"

"Stop fooling around, what are you going to do..."

"You only gave it to her and not me?"

"I'll definitely make it up next time... Listen to me, this is something serious..."

The call was finally disconnected. Mei Yingxue frowned slightly, not understanding what the other end was doing.

But it doesn't matter, since we've already decided to come, let's just report it to our superiors first.

Yan Yu arrived at the base in the early hours of the morning, accompanied by Lin Ning and Chen Lingyun.

After receiving permission to proceed, the three hurriedly arrived at the laboratory deep underground, where they saw Mei Yingxue standing outside the observation window.

Inside the operating room, Li Minghu, covered in tubes, lay quietly on her back, draped in a sterile blanket, like a delicate and fragile piece of porcelain.

"How is she?" Yan Yu asked. "May I go in?"

"The medicine hasn't taken effect yet," Mei Yingxue replied. "The room is sealed off; you can't go in now."

"Am I late?" Yan Yu asked, slightly disappointed.

Damn it, if it weren't for Chen Lingyun nagging me... women really only slow down my sword-riding speed!

“But you can communicate with her telepathically,” Mei Yingxue added.

Yan Yu immediately gave her a resentful look. "Teacher Mei, don't talk like that! Are you deliberately teasing me?"

He turned to look at Li Minghu and transmitted his voice to him:
"Minghu?"

"Hmm, you've arrived?" Although Li Minghu's eyes were closed, as if she were in a deep coma, her senses were still sharp, and she quickly locked onto his location. Her tone of response was slightly surprised.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yan Yu asked.

“I didn’t say anything, but you still came,” Li Minghu replied.

Although it seemed like an irrelevant answer, Yan Yu understood what she meant: I didn't want you to come, but I'm still very happy that you came.

"You will definitely recover," Yan Yu said earnestly through telepathy. "Don't forget, you signed a couple's agreement with me. You can't leave this world without my permission."

"It's okay, isn't it?" Li Minghu wanted to joke with him. "I'm not the only one who signed a couple's agreement with you."

"A contract doesn't become invalid just because you sign it multiple times," Yan Yu said domineeringly. "If you really die, I'll have Chen Lingyun capture your soul and force you to have a ghost marriage with me."

Li Minghu: ………………

"Then it seems I can't die so easily." She said with a wry smile in her voice, "Otherwise, seeing them being intimate with you while I can't touch you would probably drive me crazy."

“That’s right,” Yan Yu said. “So you have to survive.”

"Just think of it as being for me."

(End of this chapter)