The world was in chaos, but Lu Yao paid no attention to the matters outside.
At this moment, he lay in bed feeling incredibly uncomfortable. Numb, itchy, sore, stinging—forget sleeping, he couldn't even lie still.
This was the bone regeneration and growth process that one had to undergo in the Bone Tempering Realm, a truly "torture right down to the bones."
Liao Qe tenderly stroked her beloved's chest, her warm and delicate hands slightly alleviating Lu Yao's pain.
"Shall I pass you some more Inner Breath?"
"No, you've given me enough already. Speaking of which, how did you endure this torment?"
Lu Yao stopped the girl from transferring her precious Inner Breath and voiced his doubt.
With a somewhat embarrassed reply, Liao Qe said, "I'm a really heavy sleeper. Once I'm out, I don't know anything..."
"..."
"I can't learn that trick..."
Lu Yao felt quite regretful; this was a special skill unique to the girl.
"Hang in there. Once you get through this, you can start the Organ Refining. I'll keep you company and we can chat~"
"Sure." Lu Yao hugged Liao Qe, using her sweet scent, plus conversation, to distract himself:
"I'm getting a little impatient! The first two realms of the Martial Path—Sinew-Strengthening and Bone-Tempering—are just human levels, strong but not extraordinary.
But 'Organ Refining' is genuinely supernatural! The ability to jump 10 meters high, possessing a strength of 3000 Jin (1.5 tons)!
Even the speed of the fists could burst the air! This is the first significant transformation on the Martial Path. With such power..."
Just as Lu Yao was getting excited, he heard even and soft snoring sounds. Looking down, he saw the girl had fallen asleep.
He continued softly, "With such power... I can consider setting up a laboratory, extracting supplements from the Otherworld! I could even venture into the international black market for arms and buy some 'big toys.'"
~~~~~~~~
At dawn, having barely slept a wink, Lu Yao got out of bed and felt somewhat better moving around.
After busying himself outside for a while and practicing his Liao Family Fist, sweating profusely, he fetched a bucket of water from the well and poured it over himself from head to toe.
He said with self-mockery, "My situation is a bit peculiar. Others worry about how to train their organs, while I'm waiting for my bones to grow..."
Lu Yao had "examined" the two girls several times and had personally witnessed Liao Qe's Organ Refining process, gaining a wealth of experience.
With the aid of a Color Ultrasound Instrument, the step that was hardest for others was the simplest for him.
Only after a long while did Liao Qe get out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she asked, "Where did Sister go?"
Lu Yao answered, "There was a martial artist who broke in for a burglary last night, your sister went to handle it and didn't come back."
"Is everything okay?"
"It's fine, she was wearing full gear. Unless the burglar brought a cannon with him."
Ten thousand taels of silver was an astronomical figure beyond the imagination of ordinary people, worth 2.5 million yuan on Blue Star, not a small number.
But Lu Yao was a person who could travel between worlds, and now he could earn millions with just a casual round trip. That was without wanting to waste time or trying hard. If he put in more effort, tens of millions would be effortless.
"I'm not bragging, but even the Imperial Court's ten thousand taels in war reparations, I wouldn't care about it. Come on, let's eat~"
The sisters realized they had underestimated their Junior Brother's level of lavishness once again and were stunned on the spot, sitting down properly to eat.
After sitting down, Liao Ya's eyes lit up, "How can we enjoy such delicacies without liquor? Let's have it with medicinal wine!"
Liao Qe, who also loved her drink, immediately concurred, "Indeed, indeed~"
The sisters got right to it, hauling out a jug of wine and getting started.
Lu Yao reminded them, "Drink less, both of you, don't get drunk again..."
Although he cautioned them verbally, he was somewhat looking forward to it—
Unfortunately, it was the sisters' second time drinking, and they had a larger tolerance. Their cheeks were flushed red, and their eyes rippled, but they did not embarrass themselves; they just looked a bit tipsy.
Lu Yao, full of regret, turned to read the newspaper.
But just as he turned around, the previously foggy-eyed Master Liao's eyes suddenly regained a hint of clarity, looking at her Junior Brother's back with a complicated expression and a touch of shyness.
Typically, she sneaked peeks, carefully avoiding Liao Ya's perceptive gaze to prevent being rude.
This time, thinking Liao Ya was drunk, Lu Yao became careless...
~~~~~~~~
Lu Yao lazily flipped through the newspaper. The Otherworld's newspapers had their fingers in every pie, with news both timely and accurate.
After the fall of Jinling, the Imperial Court reacted swiftly, constructing a solid defense line in the south called "Jiangnan Camp."
The following month, they set up "Northern Camp" behind it, boxing in the Great Vehicle Teaching north and south.
The two sides were at a standoff, but the Imperial Court's side kept making the news.
"Northern Camp," situated upstream, had the Imperial Envoy Shang Heting struck by a brainwave. He purchased ten thousand catties of Gelsemium and Arsenic Trioxide, dumping them into the river, hoping to poison the followers of the Great Vehicle Teaching downstream.
Lu Yao couldn't help but comment, "The idea is good, but this is the Yangtze River with the world's leading water capacity! Even if you threw a million catties into it, it wouldn't make a splash!"
~~~~~~~
"Jiangnan Camp" was not to be outdone. The Imperial Envoy Lan Yuanfang, who was proficient in firearms, made a shoebox-sized cartridge with explosives and nails inside that would detonate upon opening.
It came with a note attached—'For the personal attention of Hong and Li'—hoping to kill Hong Tianwang and Yang Qing of the Great Vehicle Teaching at the same time.
This was the modern historical predecessor of the "mail bomb," but unfortunately... the people of the Great Vehicle Teaching weren't fools, and this intelligence-insulting plan not only failed, but it also made the newspapers.
For a time, these two were dubbed "Wolong and Fengchu." Seeing this, Lu Yao burst out laughing.
With such 'Immortals' present in the army, one can imagine the combat effectiveness.
If this was just a joke, what followed in the news left no room for laughter—battleships "Rattlesnake" and "Styx" from the nation of Einheit arrived in Jinling, officially visiting the Great Vehicle Teaching!