Chapter 186: Obtaining the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon

"Mmmph... mmmph..."

Murong Wei was in agony under Yang Xun’s relentless assault. Her exquisite face was flushed crimson and tears welled in her eyes, but she gritted her teeth and held on.

"Ugh!"

A few minutes later, Yang Xun let out a low growl, and a scalding torrent gushed out like an open floodgate.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Feeling the impact deep in her throat, Murong Wei began to cough violently. She instinctively tried to pull away and resist, but Yang Xun’s hands held her head fast, giving her no room to retreat.

Her resistance futile, Murong Wei could only endure it all in silence.

After he was finished, Yang Xun let out a long breath. Completely spent, he collapsed onto the large double bed.

Murong Wei, meanwhile, braced herself with one hand on the floor, the other clutching her heaving chest as she coughed uncontrollably.

With each cough, she spat nothing out, forcing herself to swallow every last drop.

Despite being treated so brutally by Yang Xun, Murong Wei felt no anger.

On the contrary, feeling the torment of ice and fire that had plagued her for more than a decade finally vanish from her body, her heart filled with the profound relief of having survived a catastrophe.

As they rested, Yang Xun closed his eyes and began to silently circulate the Yin Yang Dragon and Phoenix Technique, refining the vast energy he had just absorbed from Murong Wei.

The extremely cold medicinal power, built up from more than a decade of medicinal baths, was guided by his True Qi and rapidly converted into pure energy. Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea, it surged into his Dantian.

BOOM!

Just over ten minutes later, a silent boom resounded from within Yang Xun’s Dantian. His already abundant True Qi instantly swelled by a large margin, and the meridians throughout his body widened in tandem.

Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm!

Yang Xun’s eyes snapped open, shining with unconcealable excitement and joy.

’I finally broke through!’

He secretly clenched his fists, his heart soaring. ’I’ve reached the Fifth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm! This means as long as I find all the ingredients, I can finally refine a Celestial Spirit Pill for my sister, Yang Cai!’

But he quickly took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

’Even though I’ve broken through, I still haven’t gathered all five of the legendary ingredients. You can’t make bricks without straw. I’ll have to redouble my efforts and find them as quickly as possible.’

Half an hour later, they had both fully recovered.

Yang Xun and Murong Wei silently dressed. Once they were ready, they left the room one after the other.

At that moment, downstairs in the living room.

Zhang Hui, Zhang Bo, Jia Yajie, and the family patriarch, Zhang Jingshi, were waiting anxiously. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they all turned in unison and rushed forward.

When they saw Murong Wei’s rosy complexion and steady breathing—a world away from her previous pained, near-death state—everyone let out a collective, heavy sigh of relief.

"Weiwei!"

Zhang Hui’s eyes turned red as he rushed forward.

Looking at her husband’s concerned face, Murong Wei thought about the frantic things she had just done with Yang Xun in the room—that she had gone so far as to do *that*—and a powerful wave of guilt washed over her. Tears streamed down her face. "Darling, I’m so sorry..."

Zhang Hui naturally saw the guilt in his wife’s eyes. He pulled Murong Wei into his embrace, gently patting her back and comforting her. "You silly girl, what are you sorry for? As long as you’re safe and alive, that’s more important than anything."

Seeing Murong Wei safe, the knot of worry in Zhang Jingshi’s chest finally loosened. Zhang Bo and Jia Yajie were equally relieved.

Although some... indescribable things had happened between Yang Xun and Murong Wei in that room, everyone understood that he had done it to save her life.

The Zhangs were all reasonable people, not the sort to make a scene over nothing. At this moment, they felt nothing but profound gratitude toward Yang Xun.

Zhang Hui in particular, after releasing Murong Wei, walked up to Yang Xun and bowed deeply. "Divine Doctor Yang, words cannot express our gratitude! From this day forward, you are the great benefactor of the Zhang Family!"

With that said, Zhang Hui turned directly to his father, Zhang Bo. "Dad, didn’t Divine Doctor Yang say he needed a Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon? You should give it to him!"

Zhang Bo heard this and nodded.

He had already heard about Yang Xun’s need for the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon, but he didn’t rush to fetch it. Instead, his gaze was intense as he looked at Yang Xun and asked, "Divine Doctor Yang, I have a question. Now that the cold toxin in Weiwei’s body is gone, will she... will she be able to have children like a normal woman?"

The moment he asked, the entire living room fell silent. Every member of the Zhang Family held their breath, staring nervously at Yang Xun.

Yang Xun smiled slightly and nodded. "Uncle Zhang, please rest assured. I have completely extracted all the cold qi from Teacher Murong’s body. She is perfectly healthy now and can absolutely bear children like any other woman."

"That’s wonderful!!"

Hearing this news, the Zhangs were so excited they nearly jumped for joy. Zhang Hui was moved to tears, tightly gripping Murong Wei’s hand.

Zhang Bo didn’t go back on his word. He immediately turned, walked to the study, and returned a moment later with an exquisite cold jade box, which he solemnly presented to Yang Xun.

"Divine Doctor Yang, this is the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon you asked for. It’s yours!"

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!"

Yang Xun accepted the cold jade box, feeling the waves of chilliness emanating from within, his heart pounding with excitement.

’The first legendary ingredient, finally in my hands. That wasn’t easy!’

Zhang Bo looked at Yang Xun, his eyes full of a desire to forge a bond, and said earnestly, "Divine Doctor Yang, if you ever need the Zhang Family’s help in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask. We will not refuse!"

"Of course."

...

After receiving the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon, Yang Xun did not linger at the Zhang residence and promptly took his leave.

He had promised Yue Feifei he would scout out the old residential complex at Jinhu Garden to confirm the location of some antique calligraphy and paintings. So, he planned to head back to Xiaoxie Village first to safely store the Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon and get ready.

As dusk fell, Yang Xun returned to Xiaoxie Village.

The moment he reached his front door, he was greeted by a rich, medicinal aroma.

He pushed the door open and saw Chen Xiafang crouching by a small stove in the courtyard, her face beaded with sweat as she brewed a concoction of herbs.

Yang Xun walked over to take a look, his brow furrowing slightly.

"You’re not controlling the heat right. That ingredient needs to go in last. You’ve got the steps wrong."

He immediately stepped forward and took the fan from her hand.

Chen Xiafang wiped the sweat from her brow and pouted, complaining pitifully, "Well, I was waiting all day for you to come back and help me, but you were nowhere to be found. I was afraid I’d run out of time, so I had to start it myself."

Seeing her cute pout, Yang Xun’s heart softened. He reached out, pulled her voluptuous figure into his arms, and consoled her with a smile. "Alright, alright, I’m back now, aren’t I? Leave the rest to me. I’ll finish this for you."

Feeling his broad, warm chest against her, Chen Xiafang blushed and gave a soft "Mm-hmm."

As Yang Xun crouched by the stove, concentrating on brewing the herbal soup, Chen Xiafang went back inside, saying she was going to get the bathtub ready.

A little over half an hour later, the medicinal soup was finally done.

Carrying the freshly brewed soup, Yang Xun pushed open the bedroom door.

However, when he saw the scene inside the bedroom, he was completely stunned.

There, in the middle of the bedroom, sat an enormous wooden bathtub. It was ridiculously large—spacious enough for three or four people, let alone just one.

"Wh... why did you get such a huge bathtub?"

Yang Xun asked, completely bewildered.

Chen Xiafang, dressed in a flimsy nightgown, slowly walked up to Yang Xun.

She lowered her head, her cheeks as red as ripe apples, and said shyly, "Didn’t we already agree... that we’d take a bath together? That’s why I made sure to get a bigger tub!"