Chapter 108: A Thief Never Leaves Empty-Handed, Stealing Divine Power

Several constables were startled and, fearing something might have happened to Shang Lu, hurriedly knocked on the door to inquire.

Shang Lu quickly concocted an excuse: “There’s a small mechanism on the door that closes it automatically. No need to make a fuss.”

But how could the drooping branches of the locust tree not count as a mechanism?

Hearing his explanation, the constables all relaxed and felt reassured.

As they left, Du Feng continued to tease his companions.

“Captain Lu is ruthless enough to kill a flood dragon. Even if there really were ghosts in his house, they’d be the ones getting knocked down. You guys are just overreacting.”

The constables retorted with a bit of annoyance, “Look who's talking! You were the most frantic knocking on the door just now.”

After a pause, someone chimed in, “Hey, do you think Captain Shang actually killed a flood dragon? How did he manage that?”

Du Feng replied, “That’s what the Wind Witch Officer said himself, so it has to be true. As for how he did it, no one knows…”

Immediately, the constables began to speculate eagerly, each offering their guesses.

Meanwhile, inside Shang Lu’s residence, after Du Feng and the others had left, a bathing tub suddenly appeared out of thin air in the courtyard.

The tub was filled not only with the cold, chilling liquid that Shang Lu had been soaking in before but now also mixed with some flood dragon’s blood.

The flood dragon’s blood had no fishy odor; instead, it gave off a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Previously, when Shang Lu activated his cultivation method, he used up his blood energy to heal his wounds. Though his body had regained some strength, he could barely stand or walk, making it genuinely difficult to climb into the tub himself.

“Third Lady, I’ll need your help again.”

Shang Lu cast his gaze toward the bride ghost standing in the courtyard, hoping she would come over and carry him into the tub.

If he couldn’t give Third Lady a princess carry, being princess-carried by her would be just fine.

Unfortunately, his wish went unfulfilled.

Upon hearing his request, Third Lady nodded but did not approach to carry him. Instead, she waved toward the old locust tree in the yard.

Several vines and branches descended from the tree, moving with the dexterity of human hands.

First, they gently lifted the cloth bandages wrapped around Shang Lu’s body, then carefully removed his blood-soaked clothes and pants, and finally lifted his bare body, placing him into the bathing tub.

Throughout the process, both the vines and branches moved delicately.

Even though the bloodied garments clung tightly to Shang Lu’s wounds, removing them caused no pain nor inflicted any secondary injuries.

Despite the careful attention from the locust tree’s tendrils, Shang Lu was not happy.

What he wanted was Third Lady’s embrace; what was all this fuss about…

Immersed in the tub, Shang Lu’s first sensation was the chilling cold.

Fortunately, he was already accustomed to such conditions. Even weak and injured, he could still endure it.

What surprised Shang Lu even more was the remarkable healing effect of the cold liquid enhanced with flood dragon’s blood.

Soaking in the tub not only accelerated the healing of his external injuries but also rapidly improved the conditions of his internal organs, meridians, and bones.

Sensing this, Shang Lu immediately activated his internal meridian refinement technique to maximize the healing effect of the cold liquid and flood dragon’s blood.

During this process, he was astonished to discover that although his internal organs, meridians, and bones had suffered significant damage, they had also made considerable gains.

His viscera became stronger and more robust, his meridians expanded and reinforced, and though many bones were fractured, once healed, they would undoubtedly become tougher and more resilient.

Undoubtedly, these changes were the result of borrowing divine power.

His body, subjected to immense divine force, was not only damaged but also tempered and nourished, undergoing transformation.

These bodily changes might not immediately boost Shang Lu’s strength, but they would surely play a vital role in his future cultivation and growth.

They would help consolidate his foundation, accelerate his progress, and make breakthroughs in realms easier.

Shang Lu had never expected that borrowing divine power would not only have side effects but also such benefits. He couldn’t help but wonder, “Could it really be as the Wind Witch Officer said—that I am destined to be connected with the Mountain-Breaking General?”

This realization also prompted Shang Lu to conduct a thorough examination of his body, hoping to uncover any other unnoticed changes.

And indeed, he found something.

Inside the Liver Spirit Statue, he discovered a trace of divine power.

Yes, divine power.

Shang Lu had recently borrowed the strength of the Mountain-Breaking General and was well acquainted with the aura of divine power—there was no mistaking it.

“So, this trace of divine power was secretly intercepted by the Liver Spirit Statue when I was channeling the Mountain-Breaking General’s power into my viscera to suppress Qiu Hai Mountain?”

Could the Liver Spirit Statue be so cunning as to steal without leaving empty-handed?

While marveling at this, Shang Lu recalled the thunderous roar that had sounded in his ear when the Mountain-Breaking General reclaimed his divine power.

Could it be that the general had noticed the missing trace and was reconciling the accounts with him?

“Probably not,” Shang Lu reassured himself. “If the Mountain-Breaking General were really demanding an explanation, he wouldn’t have just let it go after I shouted once. Moreover, it’s only a trace of divine power. Even if he noticed, he probably wouldn’t care. Otherwise, I’d be doomed by now…”

Absorbing a trace of divine power into his body was definitely beneficial, but he didn’t yet know how to use it.

Perhaps only after successfully refining his qi, progressing from postnatal to innate cultivation, would he discover how to harness such spiritual and divine energies.

After fruitless attempts to study the divine power, Shang Lu concluded his bodily examination.

Opening his eyes, he saw Third Lady approaching with a bright red, fleshy pill.

It was a meat pellet she had just refined using flood dragon’s blood and flesh.

Seeing her about to pinch it with her fingers, Shang Lu hastily said, “No need to pinch it. I have enough strength to open my mouth and swallow it. You don’t have to place it directly into my stomach.”

With that, he opened his mouth so Third Lady could feed him the pellet.

Though she couldn’t place it directly into his stomach, Third Lady looked a bit disappointed.

Upon swallowing the pellet, Shang Lu’s Spleen Spirit immediately began to refine it.

The blood energy extracted from it, combined with that of the flood dragon’s liver, repaired Shang Lu’s damaged internal organs, meridians, and bones.

At this stage, Shang Lu’s main task was healing, and he was in no hurry to refine the bead shaped like a Tai Chi symbol.

He planned to wait until his internal and external injuries fully healed, then use the surging blood energy within the bead to open his acupoints and meridians, thereby enhancing his cultivation.

He aimed to clear all his meridians and glimpse new heights and realms.

While cultivating and healing, Shang Lu voiced a question that had been on his mind: “Third Lady, how do you know so much about the secret realm in Yunhua Mountain?”

“Following behind Qiu Hai Mountain and watching,” she whispered.

She stood by the bathing tub, holding a towel and gently wiping the wounds on Shang Lu’s back.

Primarily, she was cleaning away the blood to help the cold liquid and flood dragon’s blood work better for his healing.

“Has Qiu Hai Mountain been nurturing flood dragons in Yunhua Mountain for a long time?”

“Yes. Soon after the secret realm appeared, he brought that strange snake there.”

Shang Lu thought to himself, just as he suspected.

The peculiar mist on Yunhua Mountain had been present for some time.

It seemed that when the new secret realm emerged within Yunhua Mountain, Qiu Hai Mountain discovered it but concealed the information, quietly raising the snake to transform it into a flood dragon as preparation for his breakthrough.

Only due to changes in international affairs and the early secret realm survey by the Ba Kingdom did Qiu Hai Mountain, fearing exposure, reluctantly release the news to attract monsters, ghosts, and spies, hoping to use their blood, flesh, and souls to accelerate the snake’s transformation.

Unfortunately, Qiu Hai Mountain never expected that his plan and efforts would be ruined by a mere low-level meridian-stage captain.

“Qiu Hai Mountain’s case is a lesson: never underestimate anyone,” Shang Lu cautioned himself.

Then, curious, he asked, “Third Lady, where did you learn your abilities?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head. “After death, you just know.”

“After death, you just know? That’s even more absurd than me.”

Shang Lu was quite astonished.

Seeing his interest in her powers, Third Lady extended an invitation: “Do you want to die once more and see for yourself?”

“Thanks, but no,” Shang Lu quickly shook his head and politely declined.

He wasn’t ready to die again just yet.

Moreover, he couldn’t guarantee that dying would awaken past-life powers as it did for Third Lady.

What if he died and his soul was scattered? That would be a huge loss.