Li Xuan sped back to Jingyang Palace, dragging Golden Pig along.
He had just climbed over the wall when he saw Yuan'an slowly finishing his cultivation, eyes closed in meditation.
Yuan'an slowly opened his eyes, saw Li Xuan return, and was surprised: "Li Xuan, is that Golden Pig on your tail?"
"Huh?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but frown. He thought that with Golden Pig's size, it should be easy to recognize.
He couldn't help but look back to confirm, only to see that Golden Pig was now rolling his eyes, and foam was continuously drooling from his mouth, a spectacular sight.
"Meow, Golden Pig, are you trying to scam me? You were fine just a moment ago, why are you suddenly on your last legs?"
Li Xuan was so startled that he loosened his tail, dropping Golden Pig directly to the ground.
When Golden Pig fell to the ground, he just landed with a weak splat, without any struggle.
"Golden Pig, oh Golden Pig!"
"What's wrong with you?"
"You absolutely cannot have anything happen to you!"
"How can I live without you—"
Yuan'an slid over with a whoosh, then hugged Golden Pig's head, shaking it back and forth, calling out mournfully without stop.
Golden Pig seemed to hear Yuan'an's concern and was so moved that even more white foam flowed from his mouth.
"Meow?"
Li Xuan couldn't help but remind him from the side. Yuan'an then remembered something and quickly threw Golden Pig to the ground and ran to fetch water.
"Li Xuan, quickly put Golden Pig back in the tank, I'll go get water."
Watching Yuan'an's rapidly receding figure, Li Xuan sighed: "Golden Pig shouldn't be that fragile, right?"
He stared at Golden Pig for a moment, then used his tail to pick up Golden Pig's tail and looked at the water tank not far away.
"At this distance, I'm still very confident."
Boys, right?
When no one is around, they always like to use elegant, lazy movements to shoot trash into the trash can, letting their imagination run wild.
As a Little Cat, Li Xuan was naturally no exception.
But he looked back at the half-dead Golden Pig and finally softened, slowly walking a few steps, lightly jumping to the edge of the water tank, and gently placing Golden Pig inside the tank.
"Oh, my meow, I'm just too kind-hearted and can't bear to see others suffer."
If Golden Pig knew what Li Xuan was thinking at this moment, he would probably be so excited he'd thank his whole family.
Before long, Yuan'an brought two buckets of water and poured them all into the water tank.
But as the two buckets of water were poured into the tank, Golden Pig did not immediately regain consciousness; instead, he immediately started backstroking.
Uh, it couldn't really be considered backstroking.
After all, the water tank was still relatively small for Golden Pig, and he couldn't swim freely at all.
Now, Golden Pig was at most lying on his belly, motionless, sunbathing.
Yuan'an tried to correct Golden Pig's swimming posture several times, but Golden Pig stubbornly chose his most comfortable position.
"What's going on?"
"Golden Pig has only been at the Internal Affairs Bureau for a few days, why is he already on his last legs?!"
Yuan'an asked Li Xuan anxiously, seemingly believing that Golden Pig's current miserable state was due to the Internal Affairs Bureau not taking good care of him.
The guilty Li Xuan immediately showed a puzzled expression, nodding repeatedly in agreement with Yuan'an's question.
But his little eyes kept glancing to the side, not daring to meet Yuan'an's gaze.
But just then, water suddenly splashed in the tank.
At some point, Golden Pig's belly had hidden back in the water.
Seeing Golden Pig regain consciousness, Yuan'an was overjoyed.
"Golden Pig, are you okay?"
"You really scared your sister just now."
"Don't be naughty and scare us casually again in the future."
Yuan'an playfully tapped Golden Pig's head, telling him not to pretend to be dead again.
Golden Pig suddenly got another tap on the head, and a bit more confusion appeared in his eyes.
But then Golden Pig saw Li Xuan by the water tank, and the confusion immediately turned into a bit of resentment.
"Heh, this guy is quite vengeful."
"Didn't they say fish have bad memories?"
Seeing Golden Pig staring at him angrily, Li Xuan gave him a dangerous smile, which immediately scared Golden Pig into hiding back at the bottom of the tank, not daring to show his head.
At this time, Yuan'an, relieved, said from the side: "Oh, it's been a few days, and Golden Pig is still so shy."
All along, Yuan'an had thought that Golden Pig always hid under the water tank because of his introverted personality.
Little did he know, even a big fat fish could be bullied by a Little Cat.
After a while, Golden Pig was safely home.
Then, Li Xuan greeted Yuan'an, saying that his cat brothers would be coming to Jingyang Palace later for dinner.
Yuan'an had no objection to this, but immediately asked the Flower-Clothed Eunuchs at the gate to continue getting fresh meat from the Internal Affairs Bureau daily.
Although Jingyang Palace also had an Ice Cellar, it had been abandoned for many years and there was no ice inside at all.
Ice was considered a special commodity, so when Emperor Yongyuan bestowed gifts earlier, he did not include it.
But the hot summer had long passed, and autumn had quietly arrived, so ice was no longer needed.
As a Cold Palace, Jingyang Palace had always feared cold more than heat.
Of course, this also had a lot to do with Princess Ankang's physique.
After these matters were handled, life in Jingyang Palace returned to its usual routine.
Li Xuan continued to cultivate, striving to break through to the next realm as soon as possible.
However, the process of Yin and Yang dual cultivation was too difficult, and even with his extraordinary talent, progress was very slow.
In terms of cultivation, Li Xuan could only hope that some suitable heavenly treasures would appear soon to accelerate his current cultivation speed.
As for Princess Ankang...
Since she hadn't read much during these seven days, she now had to catch up, aiming to finish all the books she had borrowed by the time she returned them next month.
But given Princess Ankang's reading speed, this should not be a problem.
Yuan'an continued to cultivate with Zhao Feng, striving to complete the Fish Dragon Three Transformations as soon as possible.
Everyone was steadily and firmly moving towards their goals... The next day.
The gate of Jingyang Palace was knocked on again.
Chief Steward Shang arrived with an imperial edict and rewards.
It turned out that these were all the prizes Princess Ankang had received from this month's Imperial Garden trial.
The prizes bestowed by Emperor Yongyuan were surprisingly simple and direct.
One hundred taels of gold and ten thousand taels of silver.
All the gold was glittering gold ingots, filling an entire tray.
The silver was symbolically placed on one tray, and the rest was converted into silver notes.
Given Princess Ankang's performance, these prizes were already quite good.
Moreover, after this trip out of the palace, the Three Little Ones felt a bit short on money.
Although Princess Yuan'an was wealthy, Princess Ankang couldn't always freeload off her sister, could she?
As an older sister, she did have the intention to treat, but because Jingyang Palace did not have a stable and continuous income, Princess Ankang had to carefully consider every expense, which made her lose a bit of the extravagance a princess should have.
Now it was good; with these gold and silver ingots, at least next time they went out of the palace, Princess Ankang wouldn't have to feel so pained when treating others.
Ultimately, it was because their monthly allowance for Jingyang Palace was too small.
Twice in a row, Emperor Yongyuan had only bestowed some materials and money as a one-time gift, without adjusting Jingyang Palace's monthly allowance.
It seemed that the issue of the monthly allowance was indeed not easy to resolve.
Or perhaps, Emperor Yongyuan was deliberately keeping the Three Little Ones in suspense.
Otherwise, if he gave all the rewards at once, making them worry-free about food and clothing, Emperor Yongyuan would probably not know what to bestow in the future.
After Chief Steward Shang delivered Emperor Yongyuan's rewards, he was kept by the Three Little Ones for a cup of tea.
Chief Steward Shang was also not polite and stayed in Jingyang Palace to chat with the Three Little Ones for a while.
"Chief Steward Shang, I wonder who won first place this month?"
Princess Ankang asked curiously.
Her current points were far ahead, and she hoped that a strong competitor would appear soon.
Otherwise, if she won for a few more months, the remaining people would probably gang up on her.
With Princess Ankang and Jingyang Palace's current strength, it was not enough to support her continued dominance.
Princess Ankang was also very clear about this point.
In her opinion, even if she won, it would be best if it was a narrow victory in the end.
Otherwise, gaining an absolute advantage too early would definitely make others band together against her.
At that time, it would probably become even more difficult for her to hold on to the final victory.
Chief Steward Shang naturally saw through Princess Ankang's thoughts clearly.
Chief Steward Shang also agreed with such a strategy.
Jingyang Palace going against the other Imperial Princes and Princesses would have no benefits.
At that time, even with the support of their Internal Affairs Bureau, they would probably not have an easy time.
"The one who won the competition this month was His Royal Highness, the First Imperial Prince."
"His Royal Highness, the First Imperial Prince, therefore received the most generous prize this month."
The Three Little Ones immediately turned their curious gazes to Chief Steward Shang, awaiting his next words.
They were really curious about what prize they had missed this month.
Even the Three Little Ones themselves hadn't noticed that they now regarded each month's prizes as their own.
Indeed, after winning a few times smoothly, both humans and cats inevitably became a bit conceited.
In this month's competition, even if the Three Little Ones had shown their true abilities from the start and seriously investigated the case, it would have been difficult to win against the First Imperial Prince.
After all, the First Imperial Prince had utilized the entire Zhang family's connections, which allowed him to solve the case in just one day.
Moreover, the standard for evaluation this month was based on the recorded process of solving the case.
This showed that Emperor Yongyuan acknowledged the First Imperial Prince's method of solving cases.
And this was something that Princess Ankang, who had no foundation in the capital, could not replicate at all.
Even with Li Xuan and Yuan'an helping, some things simply couldn't be done.
Chief Steward Shang deliberately kept them in suspense, slowly took a sip of tea, and only continued when he felt it was appropriate: "His Majesty bestowed upon His Royal Highness, the First Imperial Prince, a princely mansion located in Changlefang."
Hearing this answer, the Three Little Ones were stunned, then couldn't help but look at each other.
"This is a bit too much, isn't it?"
As the saying goes, don't hit someone in the face, and don't expose their shortcomings when scolding them.
Was Emperor Yongyuan's gesture a reward, or... Seeing the Three Little Ones' reactions, Chief Steward Shang knew what they were thinking.
Chief Steward Shang continued: "I heard that Consort Zhang was exceptionally excited about this reward, and Qingshu Hall celebrated for an entire day."
"When I passed by just now, it was still lively inside."
Li Xuan couldn't hold back any longer when he heard this and started to giggle.
Chief Steward Shang was indeed a Grand Eunuch; when he was sarcastic, he was even more infuriating than others.
If Consort Zhang heard these words, she would probably try to fight Chief Steward Shang to the death.
Consort Zhang had gone to great lengths, endlessly scheming, wasn't it precisely to keep the First Imperial Prince, who was about to come of age, in the palace and prevent him from leaving the palace to establish his own mansion?
But now, Emperor Yongyuan had actually bestowed a princely mansion directly upon the First Imperial Prince.
No matter how luxurious this princely mansion was, even if Xingqing Palace were given to the First Imperial Prince as his mansion, Consort Zhang couldn't be happy about it.
He didn't want to leave, yet his residence outside the palace had already been arranged.
Emperor Yongyuan's intention was clearly very obvious.
Coupled with the previous few times, comparing the rewards when Princess Ankang won the competition, this was already undisguised targeting.
Chief Steward Shang saw Li Xuan giggling without restraint, and Princess Ankang and Yuan'an also had red faces, struggling to suppress their laughter. He immediately smiled and comforted them: "Your Highness doesn't need to be too sad."
"If you didn't perform well this time, you can try harder next month."
"This Imperial Garden competition was delayed for a few days, so the next month's competition will be in just a few days. You absolutely cannot slack off."
Listening to Chief Steward Shang, it was indeed true.
This month's Imperial Garden competition was already postponed for a few days, and coupled with their seven days of investigating cases outside the palace, it was now almost the end of the month.
In a few more days, it would be the Imperial Garden competition for the next month.
Perhaps this competition lasted for a relatively long time, which gave them the illusion that another competition was about to take place.
"The intensity of these monthly competitions is not small," Li Xuan couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.
Initially, they thought the Imperial Garden competition would be very easy.
After all, it only required one day each month, and the competition items were relatively simple mini-games.
But as the Imperial Garden competition continued, their competition items gradually became more hardcore.
It was unclear when, but the content of the competition began to involve murder cases.
Li Xuan then realized that Emperor Yongyuan had been guiding the Imperial Princes and Princesses to investigate cases ever since the Ju Han Palace incident.
At first, Li Xuan thought the cases were very simple.
But later, through Zhao Bugao being dug out, he discovered that behind it was a huge dispute within the Internal Affairs Bureau.
Zhao Bugao, the adopted son of the current Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau, secretly plotted to rise to power, thus causing many incidents in the palace, even involving Great Xing's enemy nations.
Li Xuan now thought about it, he still wasn't clear who Zhao Bugao was trying to harm by secretly raising that Ice Crystal Frozen Blood Snake in the palace at that time.
Zhao Feng and Chief Steward Shang only told Li Xuan a general idea about this matter; he was still unaware of the details behind it.
Thus, it seemed Emperor Yongyuan had been guiding his offspring from the very beginning, slowly drawing them into an invisible, massive vortex.
"So, what was Emperor Yongyuan's purpose for the out-of-palace investigation this month?" Li Xuan couldn't help but start thinking.
He felt that only by understanding Emperor Yongyuan's purpose could he distinguish the pros and cons.
But as he thought, Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a headache.
The information he currently knew was still too little; even though Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng had a good attitude towards him, they were ultimately Emperor Yongyuan's people.
As long as it was something unfavorable to Emperor Yongyuan, the Two Chief Eunuchs would absolutely not do it.
Therefore, it would certainly not be easy to learn Emperor Yongyuan's true purpose from the mouths of the Two Chief Eunuchs.
"I must find a way to tie our interests together."
"That way, Ankang will at least have Emperor Yongyuan as a big tree to rely on."
As Li Xuan thought these things, his eyes began to roll around.
After chatting for a while longer, the Three Little Ones saw Chief Steward Shang out of Jingyang Palace.
After Chief Steward Shang left, the Three Little Ones began to count the two full trays of gold and silver.
They had never seen so much gold and silver before.
When Chief Steward Shang was present, the Three Little Ones could maintain their composure.
But now that there were no outsiders, they immediately let loose.
Princess Ankang looked at the astronomical figures on the banknotes, suspecting she was dreaming.
This was a full ten thousand taels of silver!
Enough for them to drink rock sugar honey dew for a lifetime at Cuihua Tower.
And Yu'er, holding a silver ingot in one hand and a gold ingot in the other, felt the incredibly solid weight, suppressing her urge to bite it and leave a tooth mark.
Yu'er hadn't picked up money in a long time, but the joy of picking up money was reawakened in her at this moment.
"So the feeling of being rewarded is almost the same as the pleasure of picking up money."
"No wonder everyone else in the palace hopes to receive His Majesty's rewards."
Yu'er seemed to understand something.
Li Xuan, completely without restraint, buried his body directly in the gold and silver ingots, slowly stretching his limbs and swimming within them.
"Although it's a bit lumpy, it's quite comfortable."
Li Xuan squinted his eyes, enjoying the thrill of swimming in gold and silver.
At this moment, Princess Ankang and Yu'er picked up gold and silver ingots and began rubbing them on Li Xuan's body.
"Li Xuan, Li Xuan."
"We'll use this gold and silver to scrub you, see if it feels good?"
Li Xuan, having his sensitive little head gently rubbed by a gold ingot, immediately let out an uncontrollable moan of pleasure:
"Meow~~~"
After playing with the gold and silver bestowed by Emperor Yongyuan for a good while, the Three Little Ones finally stopped.
Princess Ankang told Li Xuan to properly store all the gold and silver in the di hong bone ring so they wouldn't get lost.
Princess Ankang and Yu'er both carried small amounts of silver for emergencies.
There was no need to carry these large sums of money on them.
Firstly, they were heavy, and secondly, they were afraid of losing them.
Princess Ankang stroked Li Xuan's chin and then said kindly:
"Li Xuan, you can't run around carelessly anymore."
"Your worth is different now. If you get lost, Yu'er sister and I will be bankrupt."
Li Xuan now had the added identity of a mobile small treasury, making Princess Ankang even more attentive.
Upon hearing Princess Ankang's words, Li Xuan became even more smug, turning his small head, not even looking at Princess Ankang, appearing very arrogant.
"You naughty Li Xuan, you turn your back on people as soon as you have some money!"
"Those were all bestowed upon me by Imperial Father. Now spit them all out; I want to keep them myself."
Princess Ankang said playfully, reaching out to grab Li Xuan's tail.
Li Xuan opened his mouth as if to bite, and Princess Ankang quickly pulled back her small hand, then used her other hand to attack from the opposite direction.
But facing Li Xuan's speed, what use was Princess Ankang's sneak attack?
Li Xuan turned his head, meeting Princess Ankang's other hand preparing to sneak attack, defending himself perfectly.
But Princess Ankang wouldn't give up, her two hands alternating in sneak attacks, getting faster and faster.
Li Xuan, not to be outdone, retaliated with speed, shaking his round little head into a blur.
One person and one cat, cooperating seamlessly, actually used the legendary Japanese ninja technique, Meow Tongya!
Finally, Li Xuan played with Princess Ankang until she was panting, watching helplessly as one of her hands was firmly held in Li Xuan's mouth.
Li Xuan could have bitten Princess Ankang long ago if he wanted to.
But he deliberately pretended to be evenly matched, dragging it out until Princess Ankang was exhausted before ending the game.
"Hoo-hoo—"
"Li Xuan, I can't go on."
"Spare me, I'll never dare again."
Princess Ankang panted heavily, unceremoniously pulling Li Xuan into her arms and using his bottom as a pillow, resting her head directly on him.
Seeing Princess Ankang obediently surrender, Li Xuan triumphantly released her hand.
He hadn't bitten hard before, not even leaving a single tooth mark.
For Li Xuan, Princess Ankang's head was not heavy, and he also relaxed the muscles in his bottom, allowing Princess Ankang to rest more comfortably.
Yu'er, who had been resting her chin and watching for a long time, saw Li Xuan and Princess Ankang finally settle down and immediately stood up happily, saying:
"Your Highness and Li Xuan must be tired, right?"
"I'll go prepare some snacks and fruits for you."
After speaking, Yu'er skipped off to the kitchen.
Leaving Li Xuan and Princess Ankang lying on the stone table, enjoying the warm early autumn sun.
It was now July, and the chill of autumn hadn't yet appeared, but the autumn tiger had arrived as expected.
The weather these days was cool in the mornings and evenings, with scorching heat in the afternoons, so the warmth of the sunlight was no less intense than in summer.
But both Li Xuan and Princess Ankang had always loved basking in the sun.
So, not only did they not feel too hot at all, but they felt very comfortable, wanting to embrace each other like this, forever basking in the sun so comfortably, enjoying a peaceful life.
But as Yu'er brought a full tray of snacks and fruits, Li Xuan and Princess Ankang, as if smelling a scent, instantly sprang from the table, not forgetting to flatter ingratiatingly:
"Yu'er sister is the best~"
"Meow meow~"
One person and one cat rubbed against Yu'er non-stop, acting spoiled, but their eyes were fixed on the food on the tray.
Princess Ankang had played with Li Xuan for so long that she was now becoming more and more like him.
Yu'er couldn't help but smile broadly at their amusing antics.
She gently placed the tray on the table and then said with a smile:
"Hmph, now you remember I'm good."
Yu'er dramatically crossed her arms over her chest and said haughtily:
"When you two were having fun earlier, you didn't include me."
Princess Ankang immediately blinked her eyes and then said mischievously:
"Oh, so Yu'er sister wanted to play with Li Xuan."
"You should have said so earlier; this disobedient Little Cat is all yours."
"As for these delicious treats, I'll handle them myself."
Saying this, Princess Ankang was about to hand over Li Xuan, who was in her arms.
Li Xuan, of course, refused, kicking Princess Ankang in the face, then after successfully escaping, he landed on the table and immediately started eating.
"Stinky Li Xuan, how rude!" Princess Ankang said unhappily, covering a small, reddened cat paw print on her forehead.
But Li Xuan paid no attention, continuing to munch away, one delicate pastry after another disappearing into his belly.
"Oh dear, Yu'er sister, look at Li Xuan, he's like a starving ghost every day!"
"Leave some of this pastry for me~"
Princess Ankang, seeing that if she didn't eat now, there would be nothing left, didn't bother to complain to Yu'er and hurriedly snatched food from the cat's mouth.
She knew at a glance that Li Xuan was being mischievous again, specifically targeting her favorite pastries and wreaking havoc without end.
Because she was afraid Princess Ankang would get cavities, Yu'er was quite strict about daily snacks.
Now that the conditions in Jingyang Palace had improved, in addition to three meals a day, there were snacks and fruits to eat.
Li Xuan had eaten all of Princess Ankang's favorite pastries; if she wanted more, she would have to wait until tomorrow.
Princess Ankang was not willing to suffer this loss.
Seeing Princess Ankang start to snatch food from Li Xuan, Yu'er couldn't help but sigh, holding her forehead.
What kind of princess would snatch food from a cat?
But then, Yu'er joined the fray, helping Princess Ankang snatch her favorite pastries from Li Xuan's mouth.
The Three Little Ones didn't stop even while eating snacks and fruits, but they were enjoying themselves, soon laughing and meowing happily, full of joy.
What seemed foolish in the eyes of others was, for those immersed in it, a joy that no one could understand... Life passed by so peacefully and happily.
This day, Cat Overlord and the other two had just finished eating in the cat dining hall.
At Li Xuan's request, they each practiced the Tiger Form Ten Styles.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange were already very proficient in this cultivation method, performing it impressively, without any stiffness, as smooth as instinct.
Li Xuan checked the Qi and Blood Power within Cat Overlord and Fat Orange; it was already nearing the critical point, about to break through to the Ningxue Realm.
After breaking through to the Ningxue Realm, one could undergo a marrow cleansing and vein tempering, expelling excess impurities from the body and significantly strengthening the physique.
According to Li Xuan's previous progress, merely cultivating the Tiger Form Ten Styles would not have been enough to support them to the Ningxue Realm; it would have required the cooperation of the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw.
But because Cat Overlord and the other two had previously eaten some Dream Abyss Dragon Fish meat, it accelerated their cultivation progress.
Therefore, this is why Cat Overlord and Fat Orange were able to cultivate to this level relying solely on the Tiger Form Ten Styles.
Therefore, Li Xuan thought that since Cat Overlord and Fat Orange's Tiger Form Ten Styles had reached a proficient level, continuing to cultivate the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw would likely allow them to easily reach the Ningxue Realm.
Originally, Li Xuan only wanted to test the potential of Cat Overlord and the Three Little Ones, which was why he taught them the Tiger Form Ten Styles.
But now it seemed that, through various opportunities, Cat Overlord and the others had displayed sufficient potential.
So, Li Xuan planned to further cultivate them and see how far Cat Overlord and Fat Orange could go.
As for Niu Niu...
From the beginning, Li Xuan hadn't held much hope for him.
Today, when he had him demonstrate his recent progress, Niu Niu, as expected, did not disappoint Li Xuan.
For a set of Tiger Form Ten Styles with only ten moves, Niu Niu stumbled three or four times; if it weren't for Fat Orange's prompts, Li Xuan estimated he wouldn't have been able to complete the entire set of moves on his own.
"This guy's talent, in a certain sense, is also quite powerful," Li Xuan said.
Li Xuan looked at Niu Niu, who was grinning foolishly at the side because he had successfully completed a round of the Tiger Form Ten Styles, and couldn't help but shake his head.
"Forget it, it's already good enough that Niu Niu can live well."
"My expectations for him can't be set too high."
After making his decision, Li Xuan told Cat Overlord and the Three Little Ones to wait in Jingyang Palace, then he went out for a trip.
Li Xuan headed straight for the Internal Affairs Bureau and arrived at Chief Steward Shang's courtyard.
Chief Steward Shang was quite leisurely today, pruning the garden in his courtyard, looking very content.
"Retired big shots sure have it good," Li Xuan remarked, looking at Chief Steward Shang's relaxed life, feeling a bit envious.
But then he remembered he was already a carefree Little Cat, and he immediately felt proud of himself.
"Whoever works is miserable, it's certainly not me."
Thinking this, Li Xuan's mood immediately brightened.
As soon as he climbed over the wall, Chief Steward Shang immediately sensed Li Xuan's arrival.
"Li Xuan, it's rare for you to have the leisure to come and play with me today."
Chief Steward Shang waved to Li Xuan, put down the pruning shears in his hand, and stroked his head.
Li Xuan also rubbed against Chief Steward Shang's palm a couple of times, greeting him.
Chief Steward Shang first put down his work, then led Li Xuan to the stone table in the courtyard, poured two cups of tea, and sat down to rest.
The man and the cat each took a sip of tea before getting straight to the point.
Li Xuan didn't beat around the bush and immediately stated his needs.
"Oh?"
"Li Xuan, you want some Linhu Essence Blood?"
"This thing isn't useful to you anymore, is it?"
Li Xuan wagged his tail and explained, "I want to do some experiments to verify my hypothesis."
Li Xuan didn't directly reveal the matter of Cat Overlord and the others.
It was best to keep this a secret if possible.
After all, these cat brothers were beings Li Xuan could fully trust, and the fewer people who knew, the better.
Moreover, he couldn't even be sure if what he wanted to do would succeed.
"I see."
Chief Steward Shang said, taking another sip of tea, clearly deep in thought.
But by the time Chief Steward Shang set his teacup down again, he had made a decision.
"While Linhu Essence Blood is precious, it doesn't have many other uses apart from cultivating the Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw."
"Since Li Xuan, you want to use it, I can give you one jar."
"But if it's not enough, you might have to wait a while."
"This item is very important to our lineage; it's excellent for nurturing future generations."
"By late autumn, a new batch of Linhu Essence Blood will be delivered, and then I can spare you a few more jars."
Hearing this, Li Xuan quickly nodded in thanks.
Getting one jar was already very good.
Although Cat Overlord and the Three Little Ones were three cats, they absolutely couldn't absorb as much Linhu Essence Blood as Li Xuan.
One jar should be enough, and there might even be some left over.
After all, there was still Niu Niu, who was far behind in progress; Li Xuan thought that this jar of Linhu Essence Blood would probably last a very long time.
After Li Xuan discussed the Linhu Essence Blood with Chief Steward Shang, Chief Steward Shang went directly to retrieve it.
Chief Steward Shang asked Li Xuan to wait there, then he went into the house for a moment and came out with a clay pot, identical to the one Zhao Bugao had brought to Deng Weixian.
Looking at the familiar clay pot before him, Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness.
Li Xuan hadn't forgotten the days when he happily drank from these clay pots at Deng Weixian's place.
Now, seeing these clay pots again, Li Xuan had already broken through the Lower Three Ranks and begun cultivating the Middle Three Ranks; it truly felt like ages had passed.
Chief Steward Shang placed the clay pot containing the Linhu Essence Blood on the table.
"Here, this is it."
"If it's not enough, tell me again, and I'll ask Zhao Feng if he has any extra."
Li Xuan grinned, nodded happily, and then immediately put the clay pot into the di hong bone ring.
After chatting for a while longer, Li Xuan then learned that the Eunuchs in the palace were divided into many factions.
Some factions had even been passed down for many years.
Originally, those in the palace were childless, but relying on the tradition of adopting god-sons, they could still ensure the continuation of their collateral lines.
And each faction that had survived until now had its own unique skills.
For example, Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng's lineage, possessing the Tiger Form Ten Styles and Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw cultivation techniques, coupled with their access to Linhu Essence Blood, became the most militarily powerful faction in the palace.
Not only did they have the strongest masters, but their number of basic martial artists also far exceeded other factions.
This was also why the Internal Affairs Bureau could continuously cultivate excellent Flower-Clothed Eunuchs.
Li Xuan had experienced the benefits of these two cultivation methods; the speed from an ordinary person to becoming a Ninth-Rank martial artist was indeed quite fast.
And apart from the pain of absorbing Linhu Essence Blood, there were almost no side effects.
As long as one had cultivation talent, mass-producing Ninth-Rank martial artists was completely achievable.
It's important to know that in this palace, having Ninth-Rank strength was enough to live quite well.
Even just doing ordinary chores would be much easier than for ordinary people.
Going further, becoming a Black-Clothed Eunuch, or even a Flower-Clothed Eunuch, was not just a dream.
In this palace, it was very realistic; it was as difficult as ascending to heaven for unsupported young eunuchs and palace maids to rise in status.
Those with martial arts aptitude were selected by the Eunuchs as soon as they entered the palace.
The remaining ordinary people could only rely on their own opportunism and flattery to gain more benefits.
And those who were even more unlucky, neither skilled in martial arts nor cunning, could truly only resign themselves to fate.
Of course, martial arts aptitude couldn't be discerned at a glance.
Although basic physique could be seen, it wasn't always accurate.
Some who were born tall and strong couldn't learn a basic martial art, no matter how they were taught.
But some who seemed frail were like natural prodigies, learning anything they were taught and making rapid progress.
Yu'er and Deng Weixian were the most typical examples of this.
Therefore, one always had to try to know about martial arts aptitude.
But trying came with a cost.
Even the Internal Affairs Bureau, which controlled the most cultivation resources, would not casually pass down the Tiger Form Ten Styles and Bloodthirsty Tiger Claw.
Because just teaching them would take a lot of time and effort.
Moreover, these two cultivation methods concerned the foundation of Chief Steward Shang and Zhao Feng's lineage, so they had to be even more cautious when passing them down.
Although the most important Linhu Essence Blood was held in the hands of the Internal Affairs Bureau, precautions still had to be taken.
After Li Xuan obtained the Linhu Essence Blood, he took his leave, eager to return and conduct his experiments.
When he returned to Jingyang Palace, he found Princess Ankang and Yu'er playing with Cat Overlord and the Three Little Ones.
After meeting a few times before, Cat Overlord and the others frequently came to the Cat Cafeteria to eat, and gradually, both sides became more and more familiar.
Except for Cat Overlord, who was relatively aloof, Fat Orange and Niu Niu had long since become close with Princess Ankang and Yu'er.
Especially Niu Niu, who, being always silly, always made the two girls giggle.
And Fat Orange was plump and felt exceptionally good to the touch.
If it were the Princess Ankang of old, she might not have been able to pick up Fat Orange.
Now, Princess Ankang was healthy, and while picking up Fat Orange was no problem, she still couldn't help but exclaim each time, incredibly surprised by Fat Orange's size.
Seeing Li Xuan return, the five little ones in the courtyard all greeted him.
"Li Xuan, you left the Three Little Ones here, where did you go to play?" Princess Ankang asked curiously.
Li Xuan gave Princess Ankang a sidelong glance.
But just a glance was enough for Princess Ankang to understand his meaning.
"Do you think everyone is like you, always messing around with nothing to do?"
Although this was true, Princess Ankang was still very angry, smacking Li Xuan's bottom hard and saying indignantly, "Smelly Li Xuan, aren't you always messing around?"
Li Xuan scratched his itchy bottom, then extended a paw and firmly shook it at Princess Ankang.
The next moment, he took out the clay pot containing Linhu Essence Blood from the di hong bone ring.
"What is this?" Princess Ankang curiously opened the lid, then immediately covered her nose and moved aside: "Ugh, it smells so bad."
Princess Ankang frowned prettily.
Linhu Essence Blood was, after all, blood, and it had its characteristic fishy smell (fishy/bloody smell).
This smell was actually very faint, but Princess Ankang still detected it.
Yu'er also came over to sniff, but she didn't find it unpleasant: "It smells cool and has a fragrance."
Yu'er couldn't help but sniff a few more times.
Li Xuan looked at Yu'er's reaction and nodded, thinking this was the typical reaction of an ordinary person smelling Linhu Essence Blood for the first time.
Linhu Essence Blood did have a faint bloody smell, but it was so subtle that humans generally couldn't detect it.
Because Li Xuan was a cat, with a sense of smell far superior to humans, he could detect this scent.
He just hadn't expected Princess Ankang to smell the bloody scent of Linhu Essence Blood as soon as she opened the clay pot.
"Why didn't I notice Ankang's nose was so keen before?" Li Xuan couldn't help but feel a bit strange.
But he still had serious business to attend to, so he immediately called Cat Overlord and the others over and told them what was inside the clay pot.
Cat Overlord and Fat Orange's eyes lit up when they heard this was a heavenly treasure that could help them cultivate.
And Niu Niu's eyes naturally brightened as well, though he only heard Li Xuan say that the contents of the clay pot were edible and tasted very good.
Li Xuan had no idea what Niu Niu was thinking, he was just inexplicably surprised that Niu Niu was so attentive.
"This guy..."