"Ow!"
Du ke couldn't help but roar as his eyes widened. After the golden bead-like Sun Essence Pill entered his belly, it immediately turned into pure heat.
This heat far exceeded what Du ke usually felt after taking the pills he had consumed before.
If the other pills he had swallowed, like the Blood Qi Pill, were like a flame entering his stomach, then this Sun Essence Pill was like a burning ember.
It was a rolling, burning ember that continuously released heat.
After roaring, Du ke exhaled a hot stream. At the same time, he curled up like a boiled shrimp.
The Sun Essence Pill was just too hot.
It was so hot that it seemed like all the blood in his body was about to boil, his bones were about to be cooked, and his internal organs were about to be burnt.
"I should have found a test subject first," Du ke now deeply regretted not resisting his body's urges and swallowing the Sun Essence Pill in one gulp.
"No, I have to find a way!"
Du ke struggled to support himself and slowly stood up. He arduously assumed the tiger stance.
Just after assuming the tiger stance, Du ke felt the ember inside his body start to move.
Wherever his qi and blood flowed, the ember followed.
In an instant, rain-like sweat poured down Du ke's body, and traces of black oozed out along with his sweat through his pores.
As the qi and blood circulated through the meridians again and again, the searing heat brought by the ember gradually dissipated.
At the same time, his whole body, both inside and out, felt an indescribable comfort after being scorched by this heat.
It was like the refreshing lightness after finally clearing the burden in his body after struggling for thousands of miles.
Before long, Du ke felt the heat inside his body recede. He could no longer maintain the stance and collapsed headlong onto the ground, passing out.
Last night, he had refined pills many times and also consecutively refined many things. Added to the turmoil earlier, his strength was completely exhausted. This caused him to directly lose consciousness.
"Lord Cat!"
After some unknown amount of time, Yue Yun pushed open the door and saw Du ke sprawled on the ground, sleeping groggily.
If this was all, it would be fine. But Du ke's fur was extremely dirty and messy, and he gave off a peculiar smell.
"Oh my god!"
Yue Yun covered his nose, "How can he smell like this!"
"Lord Cat, how long did you cultivate last night?"
Yue Yun knelt on the ground and reached out to touch Du ke's neck. As soon as his fingers touched the small black cat's neck, his expression changed.
"Oh my! His qi and blood are so much stronger!"
"It shakes my fingers when I touch it!"
"Did Lord Cat break through again?"
As Yue Yun muttered to himself, he also picked Du ke up and placed him in the cat bed.
"And he's gotten so much heavier now!"
"He's growing too fast!"
After settling Du ke in, Yue Yun turned and left to prepare a bath for Du ke. He knew Du ke liked being clean, so he might as well bathe him while he was passed out unconscious. This would save himself some trouble.
...
"Oh my god!"
Du ke let out a moan from his throat as soon as he opened his eyes.
"I haven't slept this comfortably in a long time!"
First, Du ke yawned widely, then arched his back to stretch luxuriously.
Now he felt that his condition was extremely good, so good it was unbelievable.
Not only was his qi and blood thriving, but his energy was also full. His body also felt light and agile, as if a burden of thousands of catties had been removed.
"Could it be the effect of that Sun Essence Pill?"
Du ke blinked. He was also somewhat puzzled.
But the more he thought about it, he couldn't come up with any other explanation. He could only attribute it to the wonderful effects of the Sun Essence Pill.
The Sun Essence Pill's effects were much more powerful than the Moon Blossom Pill's. It was also immediate, unlike the Moon Blossom Pill which only made him feel good for a moment without any other effects.
Du ke smacked his lips, but he didn't plan on giving up on the Moon Blossom Pill either.
Yin cannot grow without yang, and yang cannot thrive without yin.
Only taking the Sun Essence Pill or only taking the Moon Blossom Pill for a long time would probably not be good for him.
Also, all the books said that when a beast has mastered inhaling and exhaling the essences of the sun and moon, it will transform into a demon.
He didn't know what the principle behind it was, but he had to persist.
Gu gu gu...
While Du ke was pondering, gurgling sounds came from his belly, and he realized that he hadn't eaten yet.
"Awooo!!"
"Awoooo!!!"
"Awooooo!!!"
Du ke howled at the top of his lungs, calling for the little black cat Yue Yun to bring him some food.
After a few howls, the door to the cat room opened. Du ke was about to complain to the little black cat, but the person who opened the door made him pause.
"...Meow?"
Du ke raised his paw and scratched the air, then tilted his head cutely at the person who had opened the door.
"Father, I told you the general is very well behaved."
Soon, a small head squeezed out from beside the person who had opened the door. This person who had opened the door was Su Qiluo's father—Su Xiuming.
"I haven't seen him being well behaved, but he does seem quite smart."
"Then can I bring the general with me to visit grandfather in Yunzhou?"
Su Qiluo seized the opportunity and clung to her father's leg.
Su Xiuming stroked Su Qiluo's head. "Whatever you like!"
"Oh!"
Su Qiluo cheered and hugged her father's thigh.
"Father is the best to me!"
"Alright, prepare well these next few days. Once preparations in the estate are complete, we'll set off for Yunzhou immediately."
"Okay, father, I'll see you off!"
Su Qiluo accompanied Su Xiuming out again. The conversation between father and daughter just now left Du ke somewhat confused.
Where was Yunzhou?
Were they going on a trip?
But the hunger in Du ke's belly kept him from thinking too much about it. Instead, he howled again to call Yue Yun to bring him some food.
"Lord Cat, Lord Cat, no more howling. Your meal is here!"
Yue Yun carried in a large pot of cat food and entered the cat room. The fragrance of the cat food involuntarily made Du ke lick his lips.
This cat food was specially prepared by Yue Yun. Not only did it contain meat, vegetables, and grains, it also had many medicinal ingredients that were beneficial to Du ke's body.
"Careful Lord Cat, it's hot!"
Yue Yun served Du ke a large porcelain bowl. Du ke immediately started gobbling down the food impatiently as soon as the bowl was set down.
By the time Du ke had eaten half the pot, Su Qiluo walked in from outside.
She had clearly just seen her father off from Langya Palace.
"Miss, the general is eating. Let me explain..." Yue Yun said softly. Su Qiluo sat on the carpet and waved her hand. "Let the general eat his fill first."
"Alright, I'll head out first and come back to clean up later."
Yue Yun turned and left, thoughtfully closing the door on his way out.
Su Qiluo pulled the little monkey over and held it in her arms, scratching its belly.
Compared to when it was first brought back from the beast park, the little monkey had practically doubled in size now.
Not only was Yue Yun nurturing its inner qi, he was also using carefully prepared medicinal cuisine to accelerate its growth and reduce developmental time.
The little monkey was now even bigger than Du ke.
"General, look what I've brought you!"
Su Qiluo took out a small scroll from her sleeve. The scroll was only the size of a palm, but it was a whole finger-width thick.
"Meow?"
Du ke made a curious sound as he continued eating.
"It's the pill formula you wanted me to find!"
When Du ke heard Su Qiluo say this, he immediately stopped eating and took the small scroll from Su Qiluo's hand.
Du ke held down the opening of the scroll and gave it a flick. The scroll opened up, revealing pill formulas written in minute font.
Not only were the two Extreme Realm Pills included, but seventeen or eighteen other pill formulas were also listed.
"I previously told Cloud Robe Auntie that I wanted to start learning pill refining from the most basic pill formulas. When father came by today, he directly gave me this scroll."
"It contains not just the Extreme Realm Pills, but also nearly twenty kinds of pills like the Blood Qi Pill, Wound-Healing Pill, Qi-Lengthening Pill, Lesser Return Pill, and more."
Looking at the pill scroll, Du ke now wished he could give Su Qiluo two grateful kisses.
With this, he could attempt pill refining.
"There's more than just this. I've also prepared the extreme realm medicinal ingredients for you. I'll bring them to you later."
"Additionally, apart from these two things, there's one more very important matter."
Du ke pulled his gaze away from the pill scroll and looked at Su Qiluo curiously.
Su Qiluo rested her cheeks in her hands and said, "Father came to Langya Palace to inform me that we will be going to Yunzhou in a couple of days to see my maternal grandfather."
"Father said that grandfather is about to pass away soon, so he wants us to go see him one last time."
Du ke blinked and Su Qiluo also said: "Although the journey to get there is long, with you as my companion, general, I feel like no matter how far it is, it will be a smooth journey!"
When Du ke heard this, his heart warmed. When did this little girl learn to speak so well?
However, Yunzhou!
He wondered just how far away it was!
For this long trip, he would have to make preparations in advance.