"You," Liu Yebai shook his head and smiled, having nothing more to say to this old friend of his.
But wasn't it their mutual admiration for each other's character that made them life-and-death companions?
"Let's go, into the city," Meng Dajiang said.
The two of them quietly arrived at Yufang City. It was late at night, and the city gates had long been closed, with guards stationed on the walls. Yet Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai silently transformed into two shadowy figures, leaping lightly to a height of several dozen zhang (approximately 100 feet), surpassing the city walls by more than ten zhang! A faint, shadowy mist enveloped their bodies, making them even harder to detect in the darkness.
Just like that, they glided silently over the city walls, staying ten zhang above them.
"My lord."
"My lord."
On the city walls, Wang Qianfan, the gatekeeper, led several subordinates on patrol, and the guards were all very respectful.
"Hmm?" Wang Qianfan suddenly frowned and looked up.
"My lord, what's wrong?" his deputy asked in confusion.
"Tell the brothers to be careful. We can't let any demons sneak in," Wang Qianfan said with a frown. He felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint why. After all, he was a strong expert of the Impervious Realm who had comprehended Momentum, the guardian of Yufang City. Below the level of a Divine Lord, it was unlikely anyone could escape his senses. If it truly were a Divine Lord or a Demon King-level existence…
There would be no use in ordinary people like them attempting to stop it.
"Yes," the deputy quickly responded.
Whoosh~~~
Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai quietly entered Yufang City.
"That leader of the city gate guards was actually an expert who had comprehended Momentum. If we had been careless, he might have discovered us," Liu Yebai said with a smile. "If we had been discovered, we wouldn't have been able to stay here for long."
"I've dragged you into this," Meng Dajiang said.
"Between brothers, do we need to say such things?" Liu Yebai replied.
...
In a wealthy merchant's residence in Yufang City, the servants all knew that their master had welcomed two close friends, and the master was enthusiastically entertaining them.
"Alright, you may leave," Liu Yebai instructed.
"Yes," the merchant promptly complied.
Only Liu Yebai and Meng Dajiang remained in the hall. Meng Dajiang was focused on eating a whole roasted lamb, with a large amount of beef beside him.
Crunch, crunch~~~ Meng Dajiang's teeth were so strong that even the hardest bones were easily crushed and devoured. As he ate the meat, he occasionally lifted a gourd to take a swig of the wine inside.
"Dajiang, watching you eat like that makes me hungry too," Liu Yebai sat there, leisurely pouring himself wine from a jug, and said with a smile, "Speaking of which, at least in Dongning City, your appetite must rank first. A whole roasted lamb, and over a hundred pounds of beef and pork, you've eaten it all clean."
"Are you jealous of me?" Meng Dajiang, who had obviously put on some weight, picked up a wine jar beside him and poured wine into his gourd. After filling it, he took out a porcelain bottle from his chest, retrieved three pills, and dissolved them in the wine.
"Anyway, I've never heard of your cultivation method before. In this world, there's actually a way to get stronger just by eating," Liu Yebai sighed.
Meng Dajiang drank and ate meat at the same time.
After finishing all the meat, he had gained about ten pounds in weight.
"This method heals my wounds quickly. Today, my injuries are mostly healed," Meng Dajiang said, "Tomorrow, they'll be completely healed. But the previous battle burned too much flesh and blood. To return to my peak, I'll need to eat for another five or six days."
"Take your time, no rush," Liu Yebai smiled, "Meng Chuan won't step into the Transfiguration Realm until at least May, so there's plenty of time."
"Mm," Meng Dajiang nodded.
...
They stayed in the wealthy merchant's residence for six days. During these six days, Liu Yebai managed everything behind the scenes, while Meng Dajiang ate, drank, and cultivated every day. After six days, his weight had increased by about eighty pounds. From a rather handsome appearance, he had turned back into a fat man.
Once his strength had returned to its peak, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai quietly left Yufang City.
"What happened?" The wealthy merchant and his six servants suddenly woke up, feeling as if the past six days had been a dream, but they couldn't remember what they had dreamed about.
On the second day of May, Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai returned to Dongning City.
"We're back," they both looked at the Meng Mansion before them, feeling extremely happy.
Meng Dajiang felt the jade box in his chest, which contained an 'Ice Heart Fruit,' something he had earned through years of life-and-death struggles.
"Master, Master Liu," the guards at the gate showed joy on their faces.
"Young Master, Young Miss, the two masters have returned," a servant immediately ran to report.
Meng Dajiang and Liu Yebai entered the mansion together. It was noon, and Meng Chuan and Liu Qiyue were having lunch. They were pleasantly surprised to see their fathers return.
"Dad, you're finally back. This trip took almost half a year," Liu Qiyue ran over and tightly hugged her father, Liu Yebai, tears in her eyes.
"I'm back," Liu Yebai smiled, stroking his daughter's hair, "Qiyue, you've grown taller. It won't be long before you catch up to your dad."
"Dad," Meng Chuan also walked up to his father.
"I went out for a while and brought back some lotus root fish powder," Meng Dajiang, his chubby face beaming with smiles, patted the bag on his back and said cheerfully, "Catching fish, drying them into jerky, and grinding them into powder... it's not difficult, just time-consuming."
"Dad, Uncle Liu, you haven't eaten yet, right? Let's have lunch together," Meng Chuan was in a great mood with his father back.
"Mm, let's eat," Meng Dajiang said happily.
"Just mention eating, and your dad gets happy," Liu Yebai laughed beside him.
"You eat too little, look how thin you are," Meng Dajiang raised his eyebrows and walked confidently into the hall.
On the night of May 11th, Meng Chuan completed the blood transformation of the Marrow Washing Realm, achieving perfection in the Marrow Washing Realm. On May 12th, Meng Dajiang brought Meng Chuan to the ancestral home. Madam Meng was leisurely eating some pastries while flipping through a book.
"Grand Aunt," Meng Chuan greeted Madam Meng.
"Has the Marrow Washing Realm reached perfection?" Madam Meng nodded with satisfaction and took out a porcelain bottle from her robe, handing it to Meng Chuan. "This contains a drop of Divine Lord Jade Marrow Liquid! Once you begin cultivating the Divine Lord Physique, you can take it. It must be consumed within the first three months of cultivating the Divine Lord Physique. After those three months, you will miss the critical period for laying the foundation of the Divine Lord."
"Understood," Meng Chuan solemnly accepted it. This was something the entire Meng family had nearly exhausted their family treasures to obtain.
"Have you decided which Divine Lord Physique to cultivate?" Madam Meng asked. "Choosing the Divine Lord Physique is of utmost importance! Once chosen, it cannot be changed. Even if you become a Divine Lord in the future, you must continue along the same path." "For example, if you choose to cultivate the 'Flame Divine Body,' in the future, you can only choose from a few Divine Lord Bodies of the 'Flame Divine Body' type and cannot switch to other paths," Madam Meng explained.
Meng Chuan was well aware of this. The Divine Lord Bodies cultivated in the Body Shedding Realm are very basic and only possess a portion of the Divine Lord's power. Only when one becomes a Divine Lord in the future will they possess a complete Divine Lord Physique!
"There are many types of Divine Lord Bodies," Madam Meng said. "Some have extremely strong defenses, almost indestructible. Some have incredibly strong vitality, capable of regrowing severed limbs. Some possess immense strength! Some are extremely fast! Some are skilled in perception and detection! Some can influence an entire area... Each Divine Lord Physique excels in its own way." "Once chosen, you must follow this path for life." "Our Meng family has the techniques for all sixteen basic Divine Lord Bodies," Madam Meng asked. "You've read them all, haven't you?"
"I have gone through them all," Meng Chuan nodded. The basic Divine Lord Physique techniques are only cultivable before becoming a Divine Lord, and it is not difficult for any Divine Lord family to collect them all.
"Which Divine Lord Physique do you intend to cultivate?" Madam Meng asked.