Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Arriving at the side room, Xu Xian pushed open the door and went inside. The room was filled with a strong smell of herbs, mixed with the aroma of pungent spices.

Mo stood in the center of the room, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, one hand immersed in a wooden tub about half his height, his arm slightly red.

The water in the bucket was steaming, and various herbs were floating on the surface, none of which Xu Xian recognized.

Old Sun stood to one side, holding a large wooden basin filled with colorful herbs. He was tossing handfuls of herbs into the bucket, muttering the quantities as he did so.

"Old Sun, is this what you meant by 'adding a little something extra'? Judging from your attitude, you're going to dump all the medicine I've stored in my pharmacy into it."

"Rest assured, my lord, I know what I'm doing. The recipe for this soup was found in a tattered scroll in the Medicine Palace. It's specially formulated to treat all kinds of internal injuries and hidden ailments. With the addition of your internal energy, the effect will be doubled."

Xu Xian approached and peered into the bucket. He could vaguely see Mo Feichang's hand trembling slightly beneath the surface of the water, with wisps of red steam rising from the edge of his palm, causing the entire bucket of water to tremble gently.

He sniffed the medicinal scent in the air.

"Is Si Zheng making soup? It smells amazing! Si Zheng, are you making pork rib stew? I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

Mo Feichang didn't even turn his head. "Go inside."

Xu Xian was shocked and took a step back.

"Master Si! How have I offended you? You want to boil me into soup! All I did was point my sword at you last time, that was just to lighten the mood, please forgive me. The water's already boiling, I'll just go in and be cooked, won't I?"

Mo tilted her head and glanced at him sideways. "Are you coming in or not?"

"Don't be afraid, Xiao Xu..."

Old Sun chuckled, "This is a very nourishing soup. Take a soak in it; it will do you a great favor. It took me three whole days to prepare this medicine, and I used six different ingredients just for the main ingredients. I guarantee it will transform you completely!"

"Look at the color of this water, it's bright red and clear. The medicinal properties have been extracted, it's the perfect time to put it in the pot—no, the perfect time to take a bath."

Xu Xian glanced at Mo Feichang's hand, which was still submerged in the tub, then at Lao Sun's smiling face, gritted his teeth, took off his shirt, and climbed into the tub.

The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, and the aroma of herbs enveloped his entire body from all directions.

He leaned against the tub and let out a long sigh of relief, thinking that although Mo Feichang had a strange temper, he was actually a really good person and had specially prepared a medicinal bath for him.

Old Sun was adding ingredients to the bucket, sprinkling handfuls of herbs into the water, reciting the name and effects of each herb as he added it.

Just as Xu Xian was about to fall asleep in comfort, Mo Feichang suddenly flipped his hand, which was immersed in water, and the red steam surging from his palm suddenly became several times more intense.

The water temperature in the bucket soared, and bubbles began to rise to the surface, with the herbs tumbling in the boiling water.

Xu Xian's skin instantly turned red, as the medicinal properties were activated by the high temperature and frantically penetrated into his pores.

He grabbed the edge of the bucket with both hands and tried to stand up.

"Enough, enough, Si Zheng! The water's boiling! I'm almost cooked! Old Sun, tell Si Zheng quickly, if it stays at this temperature any longer, I can be on the table today!"

"Sit still."

  

Mo used his free hand to press down on his shoulder and push him back into the bucket.

"While it's not appropriate to promote you beyond your rank, I can always offer you some benefits..."

"This bucket of water is enough for you to reach the Great Perfection of the Body Tempering Realm. Don't waste it. Hold your breath, focus, and circulate your Qi and blood."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian stopped struggling.

He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and exerted all his strength to activate the boiling blood and qi within his body.

The scalding liquid pierced his skin, burning along the blood vessels. He could clearly feel the medicinal power surging in his blood. Every blood vessel washed by the medicinal power was contracting and expanding violently. The stinging sensation gathered from his limbs to his dantian, and then surged from his dantian to his whole body.

Old Sun tossed the last herb into the bucket, patted the broken leaves off his hands, peered at Xu Xian's face, then tested the water temperature with his hand, and chuckled.

"It's ready, this tonic soup is ready to use. Xiao Xu, how are you feeling? It's normal to feel pain; if it doesn't hurt, it won't be effective."

Xu Xian's lips twitched, and he almost got distracted—Old Sun's words sounded like he was talking about stew.

However, the stinging sensation did gradually decrease, replaced by a feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

He could feel his blood and qi surging through his veins much faster than before, and with each heartbeat he could send his blood and qi to his fingertips. His cultivation level broke through a barrier silently.

He opened his eyes, looked down at his palms, and activated the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. The faint golden light in his palms grew thicker and heavier, and his blood and qi surged and surged.

He has reached the eighth level of Body Tempering, the Great Perfection of the Body Tempering Realm, and is only one step away from entering the Meridian Opening Realm.

Just as he was about to get up to thank him, Mo Feichang suddenly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't move, I'll lend you another hand..."

He turned to look at Old Sun, "Old Sun, add more ingredients."

Old Sun took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket.

The porcelain bottle was extremely small, only the size of a thumb. He uncorked it and carefully dripped a drop of an unknown liquid into the bucket. The moment the drop hit the water, the entire bucket of medicine trembled.

An unprecedented surge of power rushed into Xu Xian's body, causing him to groan in pain.

He felt as if something was forcibly opening up his meridians, each one swelling and contracting, a feeling of soreness and distension surging from his dantian to his chest, and then from his chest to his limbs and bones.

"Mobilize Qi and blood to stimulate the Ren meridian in the chest."

Mo's hand, submerged in water, rested on his back. A strange power flowed through his palms, coursing along his meridians, clearing away blockages layer by layer, like a warm river washing over a dried-up riverbed.

"The first step to the Meridian Opening Realm is to open the Ren Meridian. The Ren Meridian originates in the dantian, ascends to the chest, then to the throat, and runs through the five internal organs. The medicinal power in your body is already sufficient; I will help you!"

Xu Xian had never learned the methods of the Meridian Opening Realm, and couldn't even find the Ren Meridian.

But at this moment, the Qi and blood in his body were drawn by Mo Feichang, flowing into the Ren meridian in his chest, breaking through the blocked meridian nodes, and extending from the Dantian all the way down to his throat.

Before long, he felt as if something had pierced through his chest, giving him a sense of sudden relief and comfort. Each breath was deeper than ever before, and the air he inhaled seemed to be delivered directly to his dantian.

He slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. The crimson liquid in the bucket had faded to a very pale color, almost invisible, as he had completely absorbed its medicinal power.

Xu stepped out of the bucket, his bare feet touching the blue brick floor, and looked down at his palms.

He moved his limbs, his bones cracking, and he could barely feel the hidden injuries he had sustained in Qingzhou.

He was deeply moved, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "Thank you, Chief Justice!"

Mo Feichang pulled his hand out of the bucket, wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, stared at him for a few moments, then took out a gold medal from his pocket and tossed it to him.

"You got involved in this mess because you were investigating cases—the mission case, the tax silver case, the children's case, the cold iron case—each one was done for the court. Now that you've gotten yourself into trouble, I can't just ignore you."

"Now that my Ren meridian is open, I'll be able to run faster and won't die as easily..."

He paused, then stared at Xu Xian, looking him up and down, his brows furrowing slightly, as if examining a piece of art that he wasn't entirely satisfied with.

"Your aptitude is below average... Logically speaking, someone with your aptitude should have reached the third level of Body Tempering by now, but you've progressed from a mortal to the seventh level of Body Tempering in just over half a year. That's faster than even a top-tier genius. That's strange."

Xu Xian was taken aback, chuckled twice, and said nothing.

Mo Feichang didn't ask any more questions.

He'd seen too many secrets and long ago learned not to pry.

She simply wiped her hands with a handkerchief again, then turned and walked out.

"Go about your business."

"Yes."

Mo Feichang walked out, and Xu Xian bowed to Old Sun with his fists clasped, "Thank you, Mr. Sun. What was that last drop of stuff? When it was dripped down, I felt like my meridians were going to explode."

Old Sun was tidying up the remaining herbs in the basin when he looked up and winked at him.

"That's Jade Marrow Essence, a tribute from the Medicine Palace. A small bottle is worth a thousand gold pieces. Lord Mo brought out all his most treasured stock, all paid for out of his own pocket. You should thank Lord Mo..."

"It wasn't easy to gather all these medicines. Just that one ingredient, Jade Marrow Cleansing, is enough to buy three sets of your little courtyard. This is the first time I've seen Lord Mo so concerned about a centurion."

Xu Xian was shocked. "So much money? How much did Si Zheng embezzle?"