"Forget it, I'll leave these matters for Little Deng to worry about."
"I'll just be an observer."
Li Xuan swayed his head and made his way to Deng Weixian's window, preparing to sneak in and dote on his little darlings after Deng Weixian fell asleep.
An hour later.
Li Xuan, full and satisfied, stumbled out of Deng Weixian's window, his face beaming with contentment.
Drinking while awake, singing while drunk.
Unlimited Linhu Essence Blood to drink—it was simply exhilarating!
It made Li Xuan incredibly happy.
He hadn't overindulged at all today; sticking to yesterday's amount, he only took five sips before stopping.
Yet, drinking just the right amount made him even more excited than if he had drunk too much.
Li Xuan felt increasingly light-footed as he walked, and couldn't help but bounce along the wall, meowing and singing.
Who can hate being drunk in song? When the singing stops, the wine's effect remains.
Li Xuan meowed all the way back to Jingyang Palace, utterly ecstatic.
Thinking about such good days continuing in the future made him feel even more indescribably sweet.
It was simply overflowing with sweetness.
However, Li Xuan did not completely succumb to enjoyment.
Today, because Deng Weixians Godfather was present, he couldn't practice with his darlings.
He hadn't overindulged tonight precisely so he could practice before sleeping.
Li Xuan closed his mouth when he meowed to his doorstep.
Otherwise, if he woke Princess Ankang and Yu'er, they would again assume he was being bullied and come looking for him.
Li Xuan arrived in the spacious courtyard of Jingyang Palace and looked up at the large silver disc overhead.
A layer of silver light was cast on the ground, illuminating it brightly.
Clear breeze and bright moon, like being bathed in compassion.
Li Xuan comfortably took a deep breath, then began his cultivation for the night.
Perhaps due to his excellent mood, the more he practiced, the more energetic and comfortable he felt.
The Linhu Essence Blood he had just absorbed was rapidly digested, transforming into streams of ice-cold energy circulating throughout his body.
Driven by the moves of Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, these forces gradually converged, transforming into pure Ice-Cold Breath.
With a swipe of Li Xuan's claw, several faint wisps of white mist scattered into the air.
The white mist lingered for a long time, eventually turning into dust that fell to the ground, making a barely perceptible soft sound.
After completing one round of Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw, he did not stop but continued in a cycle.
Li Xuan had entered a state of self-forgetfulness, unable to perceive changes in the outside world, merely following his body's reactions, instinctively unleashing one sharp move after another.
His aura grew stronger and stronger, and a special pressure gradually spread out.
The Ice-Cold Breath within him rapidly grew, slowly converging into a solidified power inside his body.
Li Xuan could no longer suppress the restlessness of the power within him, and he lunged forward, fiercely digging his claws into the ground.
"Screech—"
Stones flew, and with a soft sound, Li Xuan's claws tore through the floor tiles as if cutting tofu.
The force contained in his claws did not diminish at all, continuing to penetrate deep into the ground, leaving behind several crisscrossing, deep fissures.
And then, a layer of frost visibly crept over those fissures, instantly turning to ice.
After this outburst, Li Xuan finally came back to his senses.
Looking at the exaggerated marks before him, and then at his own small cat paws, he couldn't help but feel a bit bewildered.
Moreover, he noticed that the bloodlines within his claws were now a deep blue, and his claws shimmered with a frosty, cold light.
"Did I mutate??? "
As the saying goes, 'poor cats rely on mutation,' and Li Xuan was very self-aware.
But the next moment, a prompt flashed in his mind.
[Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw: 100% (Perfected)]
"How can this be? It was still quite a bit short of progress just now?"
Li Xuan remembered clearly that it was only a little over 90% progress just now, and at his original speed, it would have taken him another day or two to perfect Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw.
He hadn't expected that, getting into the swing of practice today, he would actually break through in one go.
Li Xuan was overjoyed, but then his body suddenly stiffened.
He felt a sudden chill surge through him, spreading throughout his entire body, making him as stiff as if frozen, unable to move.
This sensation came quickly and left just as quickly.
Immediately after, the chill melted away like spring snow, and Li Xuan's entire body felt warm and comfortable, as if soaking in a hot spring.
He couldn't help but let out a moan, his body limp as he collapsed to the ground, not wanting to move at all.
The entire world seemed much clearer, and even breathing was a pleasure.
"Is this the Ningxue Realm?"
"No wonder those martial artists risk their lives to keep breaking through."
At this moment, Li Xuan seemed to understand those legendary ascetics.
He rolled over, lying on the ground, gazing up at the night sky.
High pavilions in the sky hold a solitary moon, the quiet night's river lanterns scatter myriad stars.
"Tonight, the moon is truly beautiful!"
... Yan Qu Hall.
Deng Weixian woke up early, carrying a broom, and ambushed himself under a tree by the palace gate.
His chore today was not sweeping, but to complete his Godfather's task, this was a necessary evil.
Soon it would be time for the Royal Concubines to go out for training, and he would be able to see them leave from here.
His Godfather had told him to pay close attention to Wang Suyue, so he naturally had to be diligent.
To be fair, Deng Weixian had seen Wang Suyue herself a few times before.
But those were all chance encounters in Yan Qu Hall, and he had only seen her from a distance.
Deng Weixian was one of the most disciplined eunuchs and never let his eyes wander.
Unlike that other person from before.
Not long after, Deng Weixian waited for his target.
A group of Royal Concubines, yawning, emerged from the palace gate, and Deng Weixian immediately noticed his target.
It wasn't that his eyesight was particularly good, but rather that Wang Suyue's attributes were indeed outstanding enough.
Wang Suyue, just walking side-by-side with her sisters, could still be a full step ahead; how could she not be outstanding?
It wasn't that the other Royal Concubines weren't excellent enough; it was just that she herself was too exceptionally gifted.
This was the first time Deng Weixian had observed the marvels of nature with such meticulousness, and it couldn't help but bring a tremendous impact to his young mind.
"What did this Consort Wang eat to grow up so well? The nutrition is too abundant, isn't it?"
Children from poor families always have such simple thoughts.
His first thought went to the issue he cared about most.
But just as Deng Weixian was pondering such profound questions as whether the wealth gap in the Great Xing Dynasty was too wide, a faint voice sounded beside him.
"Little Deng, sweeping is my job."
"You're scrubbing chamber pots today; I'm not switching with you."
Deng Weixian was startled for a moment and turned to look.
A shorter young eunuch, who looked a few years younger than him, came up to him. He was wearing loose yellow robe and carrying a smaller broom.
Deng Weixian recognized the person and replied, "Xiao Pingzi, don't worry."
"I'm not taking your job; I woke up early and thought I'd help you."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Pingzi couldn't help but smile happily.
"Really?"
Xiao Pingzi was young, and usually, everyone bullied him; no one ever helped him with his work.
"I'm sweeping the entire front courtyard today. Can you help me sweep over there too? My broom is too small, and it'll take forever to finish."
Xiao Pingzi excitedly pointed into the distance, outlining his work area.
Deng Weixian looked at the receding figures of the Royal Concubines, who were already out of sight in the distance, then thought for a moment before handing his broom to Xiao Pingzi.
"This one is bigger; use this."
With that, Deng Weixian turned and left.
Xiao Pingzi stood there somewhat disoriented, holding a small broom in one hand and propping up a large broom with the other, watching Deng Weixian's gradually disappearing back.
After a long while, he finally reacted, furiously flung the broom in his hand, and cursed indignantly:
"Damn it, there's not a single good person in this Yan Qu Hall!"