Chapter 135 - 87: Endure a Moment of Humiliation, Bear a Moment of Pain!

Chapter 135: Chapter 87: Endure a Moment of Humiliation, Bear a Moment of Pain!

Amidst the rising steam, Zheng Jun took off his Official Robe, tossed it casually onto a sandalwood clothes rack nearby, and submerged himself completely in the large wooden tub.

"PHEW."

The moment he sat in the tub, a wave of comfort washed over him. He felt his nerves, stretched taut over these past few days, finally unwinding.

"It’s been a long time since I’ve been this comfortable," Zheng Jun sighed in his mind.

Ever since crossing over to this world, he had either been taking out loans or paying off debts without a single moment of rest. His most frequent form of daily entertainment was actually going out to eat at the Rejuvenating Building. And it wasn’t even a normal meal—it was "team building" with his subordinates. He didn’t have much time to relax like this.

However, he only allowed himself a brief moment of relaxation. Soon, he readjusted himself, grabbing the bottle of Earth Evil Qi, the Blood Soul Qi Fiend, placed in front of him. He fixed his posture and breathing rhythm, striving to enter a state of cultivation.

Meanwhile, outside the room, Qingdai brought over the Purple Gold Incense Burner and placed it at the door. Immediately, a wisp of blue smoke curled upwards. A faint, elegant fragrance bloomed and diffused through the air, filling the entire room before long.

The Purifying Divine Incense burning inside the Purple Gold Incense Burner wasn’t overwhelmingly strong, nor was it bland. It struck a perfect balance, enough to calm the mind and body so one could better absorb the Earth Evil Qi.

With the elegant fragrance filling his lungs, Zheng Jun didn’t hesitate for a second. He began preparing to absorb the Earth Evil Qi known as the Blood Soul Qi Fiend.

Since this was his first time using such premium goods, there were many things not recorded in books. For example, he had never even seen a medicinal bath like this before. Thus, he could only call out to ask Qingdai, the young maid in a plain dress waiting outside the door.

Hearing his question, Qingdai immediately replied, her voice as melodious as a canary, "Young Master, please circulate your Main Cultivation Method first, then release the Blood Soul Qi Fiend. Slowly guide it using your True Qi, and..."

Her voice was clear and pleasant to the ear, and she explained the steps with absolute clarity. This was exactly what she had learned at Jishi Hall.

Under Qingdai’s guidance, Zheng Jun gradually began to absorb the Blood Soul Qi Fiend.

The boiled medicinal juices dyed the water in the tub a vibrant emerald green, floating lightly on the surface. As the Blood Soul Qi Fiend was released, it quickly generated a neutralizing reaction.

As the energy slowly entered his body, Zheng Jun gradually relaxed and began chatting with Qingdai. He mainly asked about her and her fellow maids’ names, their treatment, and wages.

The girl in the plain dress was named Qingdai, and she acted as a sort of housekeeper. The other six maids were Bai Zhi, Jiang Li, Zi Yuan, Banxia, Shan Nai, and Forsythia. Just like Qingdai, they were all named after medicinal herbs.

"What a pity. There’s no Long Kui and Xue Jian," Zheng Jun mused in his mind.

After chatting for a bit, Qingdai took the initiative to excuse herself to prepare the medicinal tools for the next step. Zheng Jun didn’t ask her to stay, instead pondering, "What does Jishi Hall mean by this? Are they trying to invest in me too? The scale of this investment seems much stronger than the Cai Family’s. They’re just paving the way with silver coins..."

To be fair, the Cai Family hadn’t provided him with much assistance in terms of cultivation resources. However, their help lay in connections and networking. Without the Cai Family, his official career wouldn’t have been such smooth sailing, allowing him to become a Captain of the Black Mountain Guard.

Still, Zheng Jun was rather surprised by Jishi Hall’s wealthy and imposing manner. A medicinal bath, an incense burner, and even maids. How much money must all this cost?

Leaving everything else aside, just look at Qingdai, the girl acting as a housekeeper outside the door. She had a mastery of pharmacology and understood the absorption methods for more than a dozen types of Earth Evil Qi. She could even refine some ordinary Pills. She was undeniably an Alchemist’s apprentice.

A girl who was proficient in everything, and even more outstanding than the young ladies of ordinary wealthy families, was actually sent to be his housekeeper.

When he asked how they were paid every month, he found out that the wages of all seven girls—Qingdai, Bai Zhi, Jiang Li, Zi Yuan, Banxia, Shan Nai, and Forsythia—were paid directly by Jishi Hall, so he didn’t need to spend a single dime. Similarly, their deeds of indenture were held by Jishi Hall. To put it bluntly, their presence here was basically a "labor dispatch."

As for the medicinal bath and incense, all these bits and pieces would cost at least one thousand taels of silver for a single session.

"It’s great to have money," Zheng Jun couldn’t help but sigh in admiration as he soaked in the bath, absorbing the Blood Soul Qi Fiend.

Since things had come to this, he might as well make peace with it. Even if these maids weren’t completely loyal to him and were planted by Jishi Hall to keep an eye on him, it wouldn’t hinder his cultivation. In fact, if Jishi Hall wanted to invest in him, this would let them know his true level immediately!

He would show them what it meant to be an Unparalleled Celestial Pride! He would let Jishi Hall understand that no matter what kind of world-shocking absolute art or secret legacy it was, as long as he got his hands on it, he could achieve instantaneous comprehension!

Uh.

That was assuming he had enough skill slots available. If not, just pretend he never said it.

Just as he was lost in thought, a sudden, needle-like piercing pain swept through his entire body!

"HISS!"

Caught completely off guard by this sharp pain, Zheng Jun jumped in fright. He could only push all other thoughts aside and focus on enduring it.

This needle-like stinging sensation was naturally a side effect of absorbing the Blood Soul Qi Fiend. After all, the Blood Soul Qi Fiend was incredibly tyrannical. If it could be absorbed easily, that would be taking the word "Fiend" in "Earth Evil Qi" far too lightly.