Chapter 616: Stimulating

’Now that the taipan is gone,’ Liam thought, ’The other ingredient should come out.’

Liam checked off items on his mental list. Near-death experiences aside, the hunting period was proceeding as planned. Actually, it was delivering far more than he could have hoped for.

It wasn’t just about amassing poisonous ingredients and getting better with the greatsword. Liam was also improving as a cultivator, learning to use all the branching stage had to offer while broadening his horizons.

Time was Liam’s only gripe. In a different situation, he would have taken things slowly and methodically, alternating hunts with long alchemy-focused seclusions.

Like that, Liam would absorb his gains before moving to the next, harder step, lowering its difficulty. He would be stronger and better armed, removing unnecessary risks, or at least limiting them.

Yet, with the Aetacia region’s political situation so unstable, Liam had to postpone the lengthy seclusions, focusing on gathering resources and what he needed to bring a modicum of peace.

That wasn’t necessarily bad. Sure, the danger was greater. The artificial limit on Liam’s growth also restrained him to some extent, since lower strength meant he had to add more planning to his recklessness.

Still, the benefits would be exponential once Liam finally absorbed his gains. He would also waste fewer resources since he would start experimenting after spending more time adjusting to his new level and sorting his ideas.

The issue mostly came down to annoyance and eagerness. Liam had to keep himself in check despite the ideas flooding his mind. It also wasn’t wise to delay power-ups for someone in his situation, but there was little he could do about it.

Well, Liam could change his priorities, but they were there for a reason, so he stuck to them.

’I have enough toads to complete the testing phase,’ Liam calculated. ’I should even have enough left to concoct actual products, but there’s acupuncture to consider.’

Liam had hunted a lot, but he also had much to do, and he wanted to do even more. Yet, he couldn’t manifest magical beasts out of thin air, and the issue was even worse with the taipan.

’I can save on ingredients by experimenting with the level two corpses first,’ Liam planned. ’But can I even find enough taipan? Can I even kill them consistently?’

The last battle had pushed Liam to his limits, revealing a nigh-insurmountable barrier. He had won, but at a steep price, sacrificing his only amphora. Experience could improve his future hunts, but the next snake might be even stronger.

Truth was, Liam just wasn’t strong enough yet, and the problems didn’t end there.

’I have little over a week left of smoking powder,’ Liam thought. ’I must stop to concoct more anyway, so I might as well take a short break and start processing what I have accumulated.’

Liam also had to use that opportunity to gather the key requirement for the Heavenly Blossom’s main ingredient. Getting that part done and succeeding in the following experimental phase was even more crucial since his whole plan about the political situation hinged on it.

’A break it is,’ Liam decided. ’I can go to the other forbidden zone to find the Drought Berry afterward. I would have everything I need for the Heavenly Blossom like that.’

The plan saw Liam cutting his hunting session short, but there was no helping it. Besides, he could always return to the forbidden zone once he fixed the political situation and accumulated more strength.

The issue there was with the Dark Heaven Tribe itself. Fixing the political situation theoretically meant that Liam’s business with that force was over. He could take his commission and head west, getting closer to Grace, but things weren’t as easy.

It was also rather impossible not to take the matter seriously when the very princess of that force was currently sitting on Liam, happily massaging his bare back.

’It feels even better today,’ Liam sighed internally, giving in to the pleasantness spreading inside him.

As promised, Rachel started massaging Liam whenever she got the chance, especially after strenuous battles, aiding his recovery, and bringing pleasant coziness in general.

The initial awkwardness was long gone, so Liam took that opportunity to look at his reddish canvas, where twenty-five fully developed branches now stood.

A single interaction with the taipan’s venom had grown five whole branches to completion, and the number would have been even higher if Liam had absorbed all of it instead of healing himself.

Of course, refusing to heal would have killed Liam, but the sudden growth still proved that he wouldn’t lack suitable nutrients for the foreseeable future. He just had to keep hunting them.

’It’s just ...’ Liam sighed internally again, this time helplessly. ’If they make me like this now, what will happen once the acupuncture experiment succeeds?’

The massages were a tamer version of the project meant to replace the body-enhancing pills. They were even required since Rachel had to learn how Liam’s body worked before moving to the next step.

Nevertheless, the massages weren’t without drawbacks, if Liam could call them that. They basically empowered the body, accelerating its functions, which heightened drives cultivators should have left behind, especially at higher stages.

Hunger was one such drive, which was easy enough to deal with. Instead, another was quite troublesome in Grace’s absence. Liam had even suffered from it for a while, and Rachel worsened it greatly.

Liam snapped out of his relaxed state when soft wetness landed on his shoulder, responding with a scolding groan. "Rachel."

"Honey, it was a necessary step," Rachel chirped. "Little Sister would never lie about it."

"I’ll wear robes if you don’t stop," Liam threatened.

"But-" Rachel complained. "Honey is already wearing pants."

"Did you forget what you tried to do when I wasn’t?" Liam pointed out.

"I had already done more when you had fainted," Rachel pouted. "What’s a kiss when I tried to take it all in my mout-"

"I don’t want to know," Liam cut the statement short before it could force his brain to process the information.

Another issue with the massages was that Liam couldn’t differentiate between the actual practice and Rachel’s shenanigans. Anything involving her lips was easy to reject, but certain touches were a grey area he couldn’t confidently exclude.

It didn’t help that the massages weren’t just relaxing. At times, they were quite stimulating, creating a problem Liam usually wouldn’t have since his brain only reacted to specific kinds of attraction, and he didn’t know whether Rachel was doing it on purpose.

"My Honey is positively tasty," Rachel whispered sensually as she lowered herself to Liam’s ear. "Little Sister can’t wait until you’ll let her serve you properly. I’ll worship all of you devoutly."

Rachel’s shenanigans didn’t stop at her sensual whispers. Her hands were on Liam’s lower back, pressing in seemingly random spots that caused a specific reaction in him.

Honestly, the practice was messing with Liam’s mind, but he never let it go too far.

A gasp escaped Rachel’s mouth when Liam’s hand snapped at her throat. He didn’t want to treat her like that, but that actually worked for the best, and her face confirmed it.

Rachel’s rich lips had parted, her expression lost in desire as she looked deep into Liam’s eyes, yearning for more.

"Was that really necessary?" Liam asked coldly.

Rachel nodded, breathing deeply. "I must learn how your body works. All of it."

Liam cursed internally. He truly couldn’t tell whether that was the truth, but Rachel had earned his trust many times over by then. He just couldn’t let her do as she wished with him.

"Hold back a bit more," Liam eventually said, letting go of Rachel, only for her to grab the hand on her throat, pressing on it as she laid her head on his shoulder.

What was supposed to be a threat served as a reward for Rachel. Liam could smell her enjoyment and hear it in her panting. Having her on his back like that was extremely sensual, which was why he put an end to it, forcefully retrieving his hand.

Rachel moaned in protest, but eventually straightened, looking down at Liam with a somewhat fulfilled smile.

"Honey, turn," Rachel gently urged. "I must do your front."

"I’ll smoke first," Liam said.

That was a trick, which didn’t fly with Rachel. She knew exactly why Liam wanted to buy himself a few minutes. It wouldn’t even be his first time attempting to hide what her massage had caused to prevent her from sitting on it.

Yet, one of Rachel’s bracelets suddenly trembled, releasing a faint noise that claimed both her and Liam’s attention.

"Honey, you were right," Rachel revealed. "The magical beasts you were waiting for really came."