If this conclusion held true, a new question immediately arose. If they possessed such formidable guardians, why would they seek supposed 'protection' within the military camp? No matter how powerful their protectors, one must remember this was a military barracks. If two frail women entered, their guardians would have to remain concealed. Should malice arise, there was no guarantee their protectors could intervene in time. Guan Qinghan let out a long, slow breath.

"Therefore, I surmise they must possess some considerable self-preservation capability of their own!" Guan Qinghan furrowed her delicate brow. "And yet, both you and Elder Ying Bokong failed to discern where that capability lies—that is another oddity!"

Jun Moxie continued to nod.

"I seriously suspect that the mysterious protective force might originate from the two women themselves?" Guan Qinghan finally voiced the deepest suspicion in her heart.

"Only then can all these puzzles be neatly solved," Guan Qinghan grew increasingly astonished as she spoke. "By this logic, these two women might even be peerless experts surpassing Elder Ying Bokong?"

"While these analyses are sound, they seem highly improbable," Jun Moxie nodded heavily. "Regardless, they have shown no malice toward us so far. Their only request is merely to be escorted back to Tianxiang City. That is all. I believe all questions will be answered once we reach Tianxiang City. For now, we just need to be secretly prepared and cautious."

"That is all I have to say. If you are already prepared, then that is best."

"I will live alongside them and remain secretly vigilant. They cannot possibly maintain absolute flawlessness in every word and deed," Guan Qinghan let out a breath and gracefully rose to her feet.

Jun Moxie rolled his eyes. The conversation was over. Beauty Guan was clearly preparing to depart, proving his evening had been a wash. Damn it, I might as well not have bothered showering, Jun Moxie felt frustrated internally.

Guan Qinghan walked away without looking back. Jun Moxie, dispirited, was preparing to slink away into the Hongjun Pagoda to cultivate when he looked up and noticed Dugu Xiaoyi was still there, watching him with wide, round eyes.

"Why haven't you left? Is something the matter?" Jun Moxie, feeling wholly out of sorts, asked as he flicked his eyelids.

"Brother Moxie," Dugu Xiaoyi pouted, drawing near, "Can I discuss something with you?"

Jun Moxie shuddered, a tremor running through him. Dugu Xiaoyi’s voice was so saccharine it made the hairs on his arms stand erect. "Stop, great mistress! If you have something to say, please say it. If I can do it, I will absolutely agree, without question!"

"It’s nothing big. I just want to know when you’ll let me 'cook' again," Dugu Xiaoyi’s pretty face flushed crimson, overwhelmed by shyness, yet she sounded firm, resolute, and utterly unyielding.

"What? Cook again! How do you plan to cook?" Jun Moxie’s eyes widened. He did crave being 'cooked' at the moment, but the method of cooking mattered! His starved desire didn't mean he was so indiscriminate as to welcome being tormented again!

"Great Mistress, please spare me! With my little arms and legs, I simply can’t handle the strain anymore."

"No! This matter is not up for negotiation!" The young girl tilted her chin up. "What if you two sneak off and get married when I go back? Then what? Am I supposed to be your concubine? If you dare refuse, I’ll resort to brute force! Cooking or nothing!"

A concubine, brute force... this girl is not just fierce, her thinking is incredibly progressive.

Young Master Jun was utterly defeated by her.

"But," Jun Moxie began, "you are still young. You can’t handle that sort of thing. Besides, our two families would need to discuss such matters first." Jun Moxie’s words weren't a mere evasion; they were the straightforward truth. Although he was only seventeen, the deep-seated mentality from his previous life lingered, giving him a sense of guilt about laying a hand on a sixteen-year-old girl.

She's still just a child.

"You call me small? How much older are you than me? At most, a year and a half! I am nowhere near small!" Dugu Xiaoyi thrust out her chest, causing a sudden, magnificent swell. Jun Moxie, already in a state of heightened arousal, nearly spurted blood from his nose.

Good heavens, she’s going to kill me!

"As for the families, I suspect there won't be much difficulty. But today, Sister Mei Qianqian gave me an idea," Dugu Xiaoyi bit her lip, her face burning red. "If we do this, there definitely won't be any obstacles from either family."

"Huh? What idea?" Jun Moxie scratched his head.

"She told me that as long as I go back pregnant, nothing will be an issue. It will just be a bit tiring, but I can manage," Dugu Xiaoyi whispered, tracing the ground with her toes and twisting her body shyly.

"What? Go back pregnant?!" That wasn't about being 'a bit tiring'; that was risking a life! Young Master Jun broke out in a cold sweat. The massive uproar caused by Guan Qinghan had barely subsided, and the brewing storm hadn't settled. If he were to get her belly big now...

Without another word, Jun Moxie vanished from the tent with a swoosh.

"If you won't stay, I’ll leave! I can avoid you if I can't face you!" Young Master Jun simply willed it, instantly transporting himself into the Hongjun Pagoda.

Dugu Xiaoyi was shyly awaiting a response. Her vision blurred, and Brother Moxie was gone!

This infuriated the young mistress to no end!

"Jun Mo-xie! Bang! Bang! Bang! Jun Moxie! Humph, I’m considered one of the two peerless beauties of the capital city, yet I can’t handle you?" She didn't know where she learned the cheeky phrase, but Dugu Xiaoyi muttered it out loud, regardless of whether it fit the situation.

Her eyes darted around twice. She walked to Jun Moxie's bed and sat down. She patted this, touched that, then suddenly gasped softly, bit her lip for a long moment, and finally steeled her heart. She flung the quilt back and crawled inside.

Thump, thump. Two pairs of tiny, quaint boots flew out from under the covers.

"See if you can run away! I'll wait right here. Let’s see what you do! Today, it’s brute force! I’m committed to this!" Dugu Xiaoyi huffed internally. She still felt a bit shy, but decided not to care anymore. Hmm, smelling the distinctly male scent in the quilt, so different from my own, makes my heart pound like a drum. This scent isn't bad at all.

Even though no one was present, she felt a guilty conscience, like a thief. She cautiously peeked her head out to check. No one. Dugu Xiaoyi bravely retracted back into the covers.

Rustling as she took off her outer robe, she lay back, resting her hands behind her head, pondering. Brute force... how exactly does one apply brute force?

She waited, and Jun Moxie didn't return. She waited longer, and still no return. Then, sleepiness overcame Dugu Xiaoyi. Her eyelids felt heavy, and after two yawns, she finally... fell asleep.

A level-one sleep state was the best way to rest; the young girl slept soundly.

Jun Moxie, having slipped into the Hongjun Pagoda, first examined the nine swords he had refined earlier, then carefully placed them back in their storage spot. Next, he selected several medicinal ingredients, preparing to refine more pills. A message from Fatty a few days ago stated that the two types of pills left in the capital were running low. These were his main source of income; they absolutely could not cease. Stockpiling a bit more was always wise.

Therefore, Jun Moxie needed to accumulate more reserves now. Beyond that, what he most coveted were pills that could boost his cultivation. However, the only type he could currently refine in that category was the Ten-Year Pill!

Yet, there was another possibility: the Marrow-Forging Pill (Yegu Dan) could be attempted once reaching the third layer of the Hongjun Pagoda. The benefit of this pill was its ability to cause the bones to undergo metamorphosis, becoming denser and more coordinated. Other than that, it offered little practical use.

But if this Marrow-Forging Pill was combined with a Marrow-Cleansing Pill (Xisui Dan), the resulting effect would be immediate! It could transform a martial artist of mediocre talent into a genius overnight! Their bones, blood vessels, meridians, and Dantian would essentially be completely remodeled!

It was truly a physical rebirth!

Regrettably, the Marrow-Cleansing Pill was a product of the fourth layer of the Hongjun Pagoda. The current Jun Moxie could only sigh with longing, helpless. Nevertheless, after refining some Lesser Yin Pills (Shaoyin Dan) and Profound Yang Pills (Xuanyang Dan), he still managed to produce a few bottles of Marrow-Forging Pills. No matter what, improving the coordination of those clumsy fellows' bones and muscles was a decent outcome, wasn't it?

This was just Jun Moxie’s internal thought. He failed to realize that the actual utility of this Marrow-Forging Pill on the Profound Continent far surpassed that of the Ten-Year Pill!

The Ten-Year Pill’s effect of directly increasing ten years of pure cultivation, ignoring existing levels, was indeed heaven-defying and powerful, but it only added ten years of strength, and it was a one-time boost; repeated consumption yielded no further effect. In contrast, the effect of the Marrow-Forging Pill was its ability to significantly alter one’s innate aptitude! It broke the inherent laws governing bone structure and reconfigured them!

This was something one dared not even imagine!

It was important to note that while increasing cultivation was something that no systematic pill in this world could achieve, there were still some heaven and earth spiritual herbs that could raise one's cultivation, such as the Heaven-Punishing Sacred Fruit found in the Thunder Punishment Forest.

However, pills that improved the body internally, detaching it from the generated laws of heaven and earth, were far rarer! Because, throughout ancient and modern times, truly no spiritual medicine had ever achieved this!

The refinement was finally successful. Tossing the small jade bottle in his hand, Jun Moxie smiled with triumph.

Jun Moxie sensed the spiritual energy of the Hongjun Pagoda instantly surge into his body, replenishing all prior losses. He smiled in satisfaction. His current progress was astonishingly fast. Over the past few days, his continuous training of the Power of Gold had drastically depleted his spiritual energy, but he was also able to replenish it drastically in turn, reaching the Intermediate Heaven Profound realm!

A stable Intermediate Heaven Profound realm!

If he continued to advance at this rate, it wasn't impossible that he could break through to the Divine Profound level in the near future.

[Ti: Dear reader, the current chapter has reached the last page of this book]