Why did you provoke me?

Listening to their conversation, Nian Nian had a different thought. No wonder they were from a prominent family. They offered to give a rough outline, and the other party accepted it so calmly without question. Clearly, she knew about this kind of thing.

Jia Daoyi was very satisfied with his family's bone-drawing artist's work; this was the demeanor of a great family. Although he still had some doubts—weren't the number of lines fixed?—he wisely didn't ask.

Yu Meng handed the ill-looking lines to Qing Yuan, "Aunt Qing, thank you for your help."

Qingyuan took the lines and went into the laboratory with Qianchuan.

Yu Meng invited Jia Daoyi to the nearby rest hut.

"What are the clan leader's thoughts on this tremendous change in the world?" Yu Meng asked first.

Jia Daoyi looked at Yu Meng and said, "The family doesn't collect much of that kind of substance. They only know it's good for the body, but they don't have any specific data."

"Has anyone experienced any unusual changes because of this?"

"Don't laugh at me, but the ones who benefited the most were actually the guards. They couldn't go inside because of their duties, and they went mad. But after a few days, they inexplicably recovered. After investigation, the reason for their recovery might be the beads made of the strange dough. Jing San brought the news about those things."

"We've confirmed that it was indeed the strange beads that were at work. A portion of the energy in the air also greatly aids the lines drawn by the bone painters. Have any of your bone painters noticed this?"

Jia Daoyi looked at his family's bone-drawing master.

She nodded slightly. "I found out, but they didn't want to believe me, so I was the only one who went out."

"Can your lines also absorb energy?" Niannian asked curiously.

The bone-drawing master from the Jia family shook his head. "I just felt that the lines were very comfortable at that time, but I don't absorb energy."

Niannian nodded. "That's a real pity."

The bone-drawing master from the Jia family looked at Yu Meng and asked, "If I recover, could I study under you for a while?"

"Yes, yes, that's what I meant too. We're working for you now, and if our abilities improve, we'll be able to do things even better," Jia Daoyi chimed in from the side.

Yu Meng looked at Jia Daoyi with a half-smile, "There's no need for that. We're just allies. Of course we'll help you if you're in trouble. As for studying, forget it. Our lineage has very strict rules, and I don't want to be punished."

Jia Daoyi, ever the shrewd one, stopped bringing up the matter and instead asked about other things. "We've discovered a special kind of alien that can enhance the human body's immune function. I brought a sample with me this time, and I'd like to ask you for some advice."

Yu Meng smiled, "Then I really have to congratulate the clan leader. It's so difficult to find valuable aliens these days. Our Aunt Qing is an expert in this, so we'll have her take a look when the time comes."

When Jia Dao mentioned this, it meant he intended to share his profits, and Yu Meng didn't refuse, accepting it readily.

Qingyuan came out quickly, with a smile on her face.

Everyone looked at her. "There's nothing seriously wrong. She's just been eating too well and can't absorb the nutrients. Everything's piling up, putting too much strain on her growth lines. And since no one's guiding her, she's evolved a simple membrane. This membrane is very valuable, comparable to a small piece of medicine."

"That's it?" The bone-drawing master from the Jia family was a little incredulous. "But I don't remember encountering anything."

When Jia Dao heard Qingyuan say this, he finally felt relieved.

He asked politely, "Teacher Qing, please take care of what to do."

"It's easy. Just absorb the excess energy, improve the condition of the lines, and then slowly absorb the energy again."

After Qingyuan finished speaking, everyone in the room fell silent. The Jia family's bone-drawing master's face twitched slightly. "Then, does my current appearance have anything to do with lines?"

Qingyuan paused for a moment before saying, "I need to test your blood."

"Sure," the Jia family's bone-drawing master readily agreed. She had already studied such delicate lines; how much more so a drop of blood?

Qingyuan nodded, and Qianchuan went out, returning shortly with the blood-drawing equipment. He collected about 5ml of blood and then went out again.

The Jia family's bone-drawing master looked at Yu Meng and asked, "How can I extract the energy from the lines? Please help me, Teacher Yu."

Niannian's eyes lit up; she knew how to do that. But she didn't want to return it. Wouldn't that mean she'd helped for nothing?

She couldn't afford to make a losing deal, so she didn't move and continued playing with her fingers.

Yu Meng saw through Niannian's thoughts and couldn't help but find it amusing. How did she develop such a personality?

She looked intently at the bone artist sitting in the wheelchair. "Lines are the most important thing for everyone. They are very delicate and are the foundation of our livelihood. It's best if you have your own methods. If not, you should find a reliable person. If you're not careful, the lines will be completely ruined."

The bone-drawing master from the Jia family nodded in agreement, "Teacher Yu is right, that's what I think too."

She gestured to the young man pushing the cart behind her to bring over a backpack from the wheelchair. "Teacher Yu, I have something interesting here that I'd like to ask you to appraise."

Yu Meng became interested. She was a smart person. "Great! Something that a senior would carefully treasure must be a good thing."

A small, bright green box was handed to Yu Meng.

"I obtained this during a trip to the Alien Battlefield," the Jia family bone carver recalled, his eyes shining with a different light. "I believe in fate. Teacher Yu saw the crux of the lines at a glance, so I would like to trouble Teacher Yu to point out a reliable person."

Niannian was stunned; they had given gifts before asking for favors.

Niannian glanced at Yu Meng, whose attention was completely drawn to what she was holding.

Niannian understood. Fourth Sister was interested in this thing and wanted to see what kind of good thing it was.

"You're too kind, senior. It's an honor to have your trust. I certainly have candidates in mind, but I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"

The bone-drawing master from the Jia family nodded, "I'll do whatever you say, after all, I really don't know anything about this."

"As I just said, lines are crucial for us skeleton artists. It's better to do something this important ourselves. What do you think?"

"Thank you so much, but I'm in such a state that I'm powerless to help."

"That's not a problem. You can stay with me for a while, and we can chat."

"That's really troublesome. I thought this was my last trip out, but I was so lucky to meet someone as kind as you."

"Your skill is truly exquisite, and I admire it wholeheartedly." Yu Meng held the object in the box, a small, dark-colored animal-shaped sculpture. It looked somewhat like a pet dog, but it was clearly not, because it had two heads.

"May I ask if this is a natural object or something that was carved later?"

The bone carver from the Jia family laughed, "It's natural. I've never seen an animal like this before. I wouldn't dare say it was created later."