Chapter 65: Purity (Part 1)

"Lead me there."

"Yes."

Led by the butler, Uncle Chen, Fu Juemin quickly arrived at a room in the estate’s rear courtyard.

The room wasn’t large. The floor in its center had been dug out to form a square pool.

At that moment, the pool was filled with scalding hot water. The billowing steam made the entire room hazy with mist, like a dedicated sauna.

This was the Medicated Bath room Fu Juemin had specially ordered for his Entry Level breakthrough of the `Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body`.

Next to the room was the Fu Family’s water house, capable of providing a continuous twenty-four-hour supply of hot water. The Entry Level Medicated Bath for the `Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body` required the water to remain scalding hot for an extended period.

Fu Juemin reached out a hand to test the temperature. Finding it acceptable, he ordered the herbs to be added.

Several pharmacy assistants, brought specially from Xing’an Hall, waded through the water to the center of the pool, to the edge of a separate, circular pool that was slightly larger than a normal bathtub.

Then, they methodically poured in the pre-prepared Medicated Bath ingredients one by one, immediately stirring with long bamboo poles.

The true Medicated Bath was this central circular pool; the outer square pool was only for changing the water and maintaining the temperature.

Once all the preliminary steps were complete, Fu Juemin dismissed everyone, took off his clothes, and stepped into the circular pool.

The eighty-degree medicinal soup, carrying a pungent, bitter smell, submerged his chest. For Fu Juemin, who had already completed the Skin Polishing and Bone Forging stages, reached the Entry Level of the Iron Armor Technique, and possessed a Defense Attribute of a high 11 points, this temperature was not enough to scald him. He only felt a slight discomfort.

He took a deep breath and sank to the bottom, holding his breath as he practiced the five strange movements of the "Pharmacist Master Purification Diagram" underwater, while mentally reciting the full text of the `Pharmacist Buddha Sutra`.

Once, twice...

Fu Juemin’s mind was clear and empty. He had no idea how many times he had repeated the five movements.

He continued until he awoke from his meditative state and broke through the water’s surface.

The medicinal soup in the pool was still scalding, but its medicinal power had evaporated, and the liquid had lost its original color.

’I failed?’

Fu Juemin felt for any changes in his body, then brought up his character panel to check. He had no choice but to accept this reality.

Though disappointed, it was within his expectations.

He was attempting an innate-level Iron Body Strange Skill with an acquired mortal body; success on the first try would have been the true surprise.

’The Medicated Bath and the Purification Body Map are fine. The key problem is probably my state of mind...’

Fu Juemin analyzed inwardly.

Although he had been diligently reciting the `Pharmacist Buddha Sutra`, his understanding of the so-called "Purity of Mind" was still hazy, like viewing flowers in a fog.

With the thought of seeking out Li Tong for guidance if he still couldn’t comprehend it, Fu Juemin climbed out of the pool, dried himself, and put his clothes back on.

After ordering his subordinates to clean the Medicated Bath pool, Fu Juemin left the room.

Just as he came out, he saw Qian Fei walking towards him in a hurry, head bowed.

"Young Master."

Qian Fei looked like he had something important to report.

"Speak."

Fu Juemin spoke. Qian Fei lowered his voice, leaned in, and said quickly, "Second Master sent me to tell you that there’s been some movement on Zhao Xinhua’s side."

"Oh?!"

Fu Juemin’s expression flickered, and he listened as Qian Fei continued.

"...The brothers from the Black Shark Gang who were on surveillance spotted him in close contact with a few unfamiliar faces from outside the city. It looked like they were discussing something..."

"..The day before yesterday, those men left the city again. Second Master has already sent people to follow them.

As soon as there’s any news, I’ll come and inform you immediately."

Listening to Qian Fei’s report, Fu Juemin couldn’t help but frown slightly.

’If they had told me about this from the start, I could have used [Yao Ling] to eavesdrop. I might have figured out Zhao Xinhua’s plot long ago. Now, it’s obviously too late. I can only hope that the men Second Uncle arranged are competent enough.’

"Alright, I understand."

Fu Juemin nodded, but he saw that Qian Fei still had a hesitant look, as if he wanted to say something more.

"Is there something else?"

Qian Fei gritted his teeth and said quickly, "Actually, there is one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Second Master is injured.

Song Lin’s people did it!"

?!

Fu Juemin’s expression froze. His previously relaxed shoulders and back went ramrod straight.

After a few breaths, Fu Juemin spoke, his voice carrying a barely perceptible chill.

"I’m going to see him now."

"Don’t, Young Master!"

But Qian Fei stopped him with a bitter smile. "Second Master said not to tell anyone. He specifically instructed that you absolutely must not go looking for him for a while.

His injuries... they aren’t actually that serious."

Fu Juemin’s gaze lingered on Qian Fei’s face for a long moment. Finally, he let out a soft breath, nodded, and said, "Alright."

.......

「Ten days later.」

In the Fu Family training hall.

A dozen or so sturdy men in tight-fitting martial attire, holding weapons, had completely surrounded a figure standing in the center of the room.

Suddenly, as if receiving some unified signal, all dozen-plus men attacked the figure at once.

In an instant, the training hall filled with the flash of sabers and swords, accompanied by a dense clang of colliding blades, like a downpour on lotus leaves.

The chaotic siege lasted for only a dozen breaths before a low shout was heard from the center of the fray, followed by an abrupt, brilliant explosion of silver light...

"CLANG CLANG CLANG—"

A dozen sharp clashes of weapons rang out in a continuous line, mixed with several crisp "CRACK"s of splintering. A terrifying Momentum erupted from the center of the room like a shockwave blasting outwards. It swept through like a hurricane, sending all dozen-plus figures flying.

"SHIIING—"

It was followed by another flash of silver light, slashing out like a bolt of silk. It tore through the air, its ferocious momentum aimed straight at a square-faced man in his forties who was among those knocked back.

The man’s long saber had already snapped in the middle; he was now only holding half the blade.

Seeing the blade light rushing towards him, he was completely unable to block or defend against it. He could only watch, wide-eyed, as the terrifying slash came cleaving down at his head....

"WHOOSH—"

The brilliant blade light suddenly extinguished, leaving only the residual wind from the saber to whip across the man’s face.

The man’s eyes were wide, whether in shock or terror it was unclear. He was frozen in place, as if he had turned to stone.

It wasn’t just him. The other attackers who had been knocked down and pushed back now all wore expressions of nothing but shock and horror.

After a long moment, a low, indifferent voice sounded out.

"That’s enough for today."

The middle-aged man, who had been scared stiff, finally snapped out of it as if waking from a dream. With a complex expression, he clasped his hands in a salute toward the imposing, saber-wielding figure in the center of the room, then walked out of the training hall without another word.

The other sturdy men also left one after another. As they went, their hushed discussions could be faintly heard—"The Young Master’s saber is getting more and more terrifying..." "Can’t block it, there’s just no way to block it..."

Only after almost everyone was gone did Fu Juemin slowly come down from the after-effects of the battle.

He was soaked in sweat. After stripping off his training clothes, his slightly bronzed skin could be seen glistening under the light. The muscles of his bare upper body were stacked and defined, rising and falling with his breath in a rhythmic, tide-like motion.

He looked much more powerful and robust than before, like a leopard just returned from a kill, every muscle brimming with a primal, dangerous sense of power.

’The Pharmacist Skill has been stubbornly refusing to break through, but my strength is increasing incredibly fast...’

Fu Juemin looked at the short saber in his hand, his expression caught somewhere between happiness and frustration.

In the past few days, he wasn’t sure if it was the natural enhancement to his physique from the constant increase in his Qi Blood after Blood Refining, the two failed attempts to break through the `Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body` where his body still absorbed some of the Medicated Bath’s power, or perhaps the progress he’d made in his Saber Technique practice... but his [Attack] Attribute had continuously grown, soaring all the way to a high 18 points.

That was a full 4 points higher than when he had first broken through to the Blood Refining realm!

Even when Cao Tian broke through back then, his increase hadn’t been this exaggerated.

Fu Juemin had done a rough test. The strength in one of his hands had already reached an astonishing level of over five hundred jin, approaching six hundred.

Some Martial Artists who had broken through the Blood Barrier might not even be able to reach this level.

The force of his strikes was even more terrifying. This was the main reason why, just now, he was able to easily cut down a dozen Bone Forging practitioners with just a short saber, even shattering several of their weapons.

.....