Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

Yang Guo held the purplish-red sphere in his hand.

This thing was extremely hot, and it burned the skin on his palms until it turned slightly red.

He placed the inner elixir on a flat stone slab beside him.

The bluish-gray stone was instantly scorched with a black mark, and a few wisps of white smoke rose from it.

Yang Guo mobilized the Nine Yin True Qi in his dantian and separated a small portion to wrap around it.

The moment the true energy touched the surface of the inner core, it was instantly burned away.

The domineering fire poison rebounded along with his true energy, forcing Yang Guo to quickly sever his internal energy.

He touched his chin; this thing was truly bizarre.

"Butler Cheng."

Yang Guo pointed to the inner core on the stone slab and said, "This thing is too tough to chew and inedible. I just tried it with my inner energy, and it couldn't suppress the fire poison inside at all. If I swallowed it directly, my intestines would probably be burned through."

Cheng Ying sat by the fire, the blush on her face still lingering.

She looked at the steaming inner core and her brows furrowed slightly.

"Don't do anything reckless."

Cheng Ying lowered her voice and advised, "This snake king has lived for over a hundred years, and the fire poison in its inner core has long been potent. Even if you have profound internal strength, your flesh and blood body cannot withstand such a thing."

Yang Guo walked over to her and plopped down on the floor.

He reached out and wrapped his arm around Cheng Ying's slender waist.

Cheng Ying stiffened, trying to break free, but Yang Guo held her tightly in his arms, making it impossible for her to move.

"Of course I know."

Yang Guo pinched her slender waist and felt its soft, yielding texture.

"I haven't lived enough yet. My wife is waiting for me to come home and pamper her. How could I bear to die?"

Cheng Ying blushed at his words, biting her lip and whispering, "Brother Yang, be serious, we're talking about serious matters."

"What's wrong with you, bro?"

Yang Guo's palm slid down an inch along her waistline.

"Brother is very angry right now and needs Butler Cheng's help to cool him down."

Cheng Ying's body trembled slightly, and the mark on her lower abdomen began to feel hot again.

The feeling of being controlled made her completely powerless to resist. She could only push his chest with her hands, but she couldn't budge him at all.

"Let me go..."

Yang Guo knew when to stop, and at the right moment he released his grip and stood up.

"We can't consume the inner core, let's find another target."

Yang Guo looked out of the cave and said, "The old poison master raised this snake king to extract its gallbladder. Snake gallbladder can cure all poisons and enhance one's internal strength. It might even be more useful than an inner elixir."

Cheng Ying straightened her disheveled Taoist robe, took a breath, and then said, "Since this snake king has an inner core, its gall bladder is probably no ordinary thing either. We must be careful when taking it."

Yang Guo, carrying the sheathed dagger, strode toward the cave entrance.

The severed snake body was left on the flat ground outside the cave entrance.

The snake lay belly up, its pungent, fishy stench permeating half the valley.

Yang Guo crouched down and used his dagger to cut open the snake's belly along the scales.

Hot blood spilled all over the ground.

He reached inside and groped around in the cavity for a while, until he touched something round.

This thing is twice the size of a fist, and its outer skin is so smooth it looks like it's been coated with oil.

Yang Guo pulled hard and pulled out the entire snake gall.

His expression changed drastically the moment he got his hands on it.

it's too cold.

The snake gall was not hot at all; on the contrary, it was ice-cold.

Yang Guo held it in his hand, and a layer of white frost quickly formed on the surface of his palm.

The extreme cold air surged up his arm, making his bones ache.

"Hold."

Yang Guo cursed under his breath and quickly threw the snake gall on the ground.

He rubbed his hands together vigorously a few times, circulating the true energy of the Qiankun Technique through his meridians, and the white frost on his hands slowly melted away.

My ten fingers were numb and painful, and it took a while for them to regain feeling.

Cheng Ying walked over, saw the thing on the ground, and stopped in her tracks.

"Why is this snake gallbladder blue?"

The snake gall was entirely dark blue, with a semi-transparent thin film covering its surface.

The cold air seeped out layer by layer from the inside, and the surrounding soil was frozen into a layer of fine ice crystals.

Yang Guo stared intently at the blue sphere on the ground, his mind racing.

"That beast spends all his time holed up in the cave at the bottom of the icy pool."

Yang Guo squatted down and analyzed, "The water in the cold pool is cold to the bone. In order to protect the pure yang inner core in its chest cavity from the cold, it made the snake gallbladder into an extremely cold substance. The yin and yang in its body balance each other, which is why it can live for hundreds of years without dying."

He paused, then added, "If we kill this beast, once its yin and yang are separated, the coldness of its gallbladder will be even more ferocious than when it was alive."

Cheng Ying squatted down and watched for a while, then nodded gently: "You're right. The outer membrane of this snake gall is full of cold poison. If you eat it directly, your internal organs will probably be frozen and lose all feeling."

Yang Guo was in a bit of a predicament.

The inner elixir is too hot to handle, while the snake gall is too cold.

The snake king dropped a bunch of amazing treasures, but none of them could be touched.

"This is awkward."

Yang Guo scratched his head in frustration: "I was hoping to take a powerful tonic and go to Xiangyang to defeat the old monk Jinlun, but now it's all gone to waste."

Cheng Ying's lips twitched slightly as she watched Yang Guo's discomfiture.

This person usually acts with an air of confidence and it's rare to see him worry.

However, she quickly composed herself.

"Brother Yang, don't worry."

Cheng Ying pondered for a moment and continued, "All things in the world are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. The snake's gall is extremely cold, and its inner core is extremely hot. These two things originally counterbalanced each other within the snake king's body. Since they can be balanced in the snake's body, they may not be unable to work in the human body."

Yang Guo turned to look at her: "You mean, eat both together?"

"This is just one idea."

Cheng Ying said.

Yang Guo rolled his eyes: "Steward Cheng, are you trying to make me a human alchemy furnace? If these two forces start fighting inside me, I'll just explode and leave no trace."

Cheng Ying did not respond.

She wasn't entirely confident.

Neither snake gall nor inner elixir are ordinary medicinal materials. Their yin and yang energies are extreme, and swallowing them rashly is tantamount to courting death.

Just then, a noise came from inside the cave.

Lu Wushuang let out a long breath and opened her eyes.

Her cheeks were flushed, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

"My lord!"

Lu Wushuang jumped up and ran quickly to the cave entrance: "All the meridians in my left leg have been opened up, and I can walk without limping at all now!"

She grabbed Yang Guo's arm and jumped and bounced around.

The left leg, which was originally disabled, stomped on the ground with a loud thud, and the steps seemed incredibly light.

Yang Guo let her fool around, and casually pinched her thigh: "Not bad, these legs are long and strong. From now on, I'll leave the errands to you."

Lu Wushuang playfully slapped his hand away.

She looked down and saw the blue snake gall bladder on the ground, radiating a cold aura, and her eyes lit up.

"What is this thing?"

"The snake king's gall bladder is frozen; we can't eat it."

Yang Guo said something simple.

Lu Wushuang squatted down and was about to reach out to touch it, but Yang Guo grabbed her wrist.

"Don't touch it. The cold poison on it is extremely potent. With your meager internal strength, even touching it would cripple your finger."

Lu Wushuang stuck out her tongue and withdrew her hand, then thought for a moment and asked, "What should we do? It's such a waste to throw it away."

Yang Guo did not answer.

He stared intently at the snake gall, his mind racing with calculations.

He possessed the Nine Yin Manual, and the innate primordial energy pearl within his body was formed by the fusion of two opposing forces of Nine Yin True Qi.

The foundation of the Qiankun Technique lies in communicating with Yin and Yang and refining the power of the two poles.

Snake gallbladders are extremely cold, while the inner elixir is extremely hot.

When practicing the Qiankun Technique together, their meridians are connected, and their true energy flows back and forth.

If he can't withstand the impact of these two extremes on his own, what if it's split between two people to bear it?

As long as he swallows the pure yang fire poison of the inner core, and finds someone to share the extreme cold energy of the snake gall, he can achieve his goal.

The two forces circulate within the two individuals through dual cultivation, with yin and yang complementing each other, just like the balance between the snake gall and the inner elixir within the snake king.

Of course, there are risks involved.

But compared to trying to do it alone, the chances of success are more than doubled.

Yang Guo's gaze slowly turned to Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze and instinctively took a half-step back: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Butler Cheng."

Yang Guo stood up and dusted off his hands: "I just thought of a way. This snake gall is too cold. It's easy for me to mess up if I bear it alone. I need to find someone to help me share the cold. The two of us are connected by meridians, and the yin and yang will restrain each other. That's the only way to be safe."

Cheng Ying's face turned pale instantly.

She knew all too well what Yang Guo meant by "sharing the burden".

She had already experienced how the Qiankun Technique worked.

That night in the dilapidated temple, it was this same man who used the same words to pin her down.

"no."

Cheng Ying took two steps back: "My internal strength is weak, and I can't withstand the cold poison of this snake gall. It will kill me."

"What you're enduring is the cold air filtered through my internal energy, not something you're supposed to eat directly."

Yang Guo strode over and approached her step by step: "After soaking in the icy pool for so long, my constitution is much more resistant to cold than the average person. I'll take the fire poison and share half of the cold with you, it's just right."

Cheng Ying was forced against the stone wall of the cave, with nowhere left to retreat.

"Brother Yang, can you think of another way..."

"Where am I supposed to find someone else in this desolate wilderness?"

Yang Guo reached out and pinched her chin, the strength of his fingertips leaving no room for resistance: "So, it's just a pity for Steward Cheng."

Lu Wushuang watched from the side, pouting somewhat aggrievedly.

She felt a pang of sadness, but she also knew that she had just opened her meridians and couldn't help at all.

"My husband, you're being unfair to me."

Lu Wushuang tugged at Yang Guo's sleeve.

Yang Guo turned to look at her and said, "You stay outside and keep watch. I have important business to attend to tonight, and no one is allowed to come in."

He bent down, used his dagger to pick up the snake gall, and put it into an empty water bag.

With his other hand, he grabbed Cheng Ying's wrist and dragged her deeper into the cave.

Cheng Ying struggled a few times, but it was no use against Yang Guo's brute strength.

Her heels dragged on the ground as she was pulled inside.

Deep inside the cave was a large blue stone covered with a layer of dry grass.

The firelight couldn't reach this area; it was pitch black all around, with only the faint blue glow emanating from the snake gallbladder in the water sac.

Yang Guo placed the water pouch on the rock and turned to look at her.

Cheng Ying bit her lip, her eyes slightly red: "Brother Yang, please don't force me."

"I didn't force you."

Yang Guo placed one hand on her shoulder and forcibly pressed her down.

"Your internal strength from Peach Blossom Island is too weak; you can't even withstand a broken flute. If you pass this test tonight, your internal strength will at least double. That's a great thing, understand?"

His words were eloquent and his hand gestures were equally precise.

Yang Guo reached out and pulled open the belt of Cheng Ying's Taoist robe.

Cheng Ying gasped and quickly covered her chest.

The pink Taoist robe slipped down to her shoulders, revealing a large expanse of fair and delicate skin.

"Take your hand away."

Yang Guo's voice turned deep.

The mark within Cheng Ying's body was aroused by his voice, and it felt as if half of her strength had been drained away in an instant.

She closed her eyes helplessly and slowly released her grip.

Yang Guo stripped off her outer robe and threw it aside, leaving only her close-fitting bodice.

He didn't look at it any longer, picked up the water bag, and poured out the snake gall.

The pale blue light reflected a cold hue in his palm, and a chill emanated from it continuously, even his breath carrying a wisp of white mist.

"Sit cross-legged and circulate your Peach Blossom Island cultivation technique."

Yang Guo's tone became serious: "Later, I will transfer the cold energy through your meridians, and you will guide it into your dantian. You absolutely cannot be distracted during this process. Put away all those messy thoughts in your mind. If you go into qi deviation, we will both die here today."

Cheng Ying gritted her teeth, climbed onto the large blue stone, and sat cross-legged.

Yang Guo took off his shirt and sat down opposite her, their knees touching.

He took the inner core out of his pocket and placed it on his right side.

Left hand: snake gall; right hand: inner elixir.

One cold, one hot, facing off across his body.

Yang Guo crushed the venomous membrane on the surface of the snake gall.

Blue bile flowed out instantly, so cold that the skin on his hand cracked from the cold.

He gritted his teeth and swallowed a large mouthful. The extreme cold temperature flowed down his throat and into his stomach, as if his internal organs had been stuffed into an ice cellar in an instant.

Immediately afterwards, he grabbed the back of Cheng Ying's head with one hand, pried open her chin, and forced the remaining bile in her mouth into her mouth.