Chương 152: The Golden Bone Fruit Matures

The Black Iron Stronghold. Holding Brother Hong's letter, Song Que couldn't help but feel uneasy. He wondered if there was another emergency; after all, he had completely lost hope in his transmigrator's luck by now. Fortunately. There was nothing particularly special in Zhong Hong's letter, just a few updates on the situation in the city. The land he had requested to be purchased in the west of the city to build the new Shunfeng Escort Agency headquarters had been cleared.

The nearly twenty acres of land would officially begin laying its foundation tomorrow. Thanks to the poverty of the residents and the cheap prices in that area, Song Que had been able to acquire the land so easily. Furthermore, Wu Yi would officially return to Qinghe in a few days. The letter asked if he wanted to organize a welcome banquet. To this, Boss Song didn't hesitate at all and immediately wrote a reply declining the offer.

After all, there would be plenty of opportunities for brothers to meet, but his little life was the most important! Until he consumed the Golden Bone Fruit, Boss Song absolutely would not step foot down the mountain! After finishing his reply to Brother Hong, Old Nie had also finished reading the Martial World Chronicles and handed it over. He eagerly took it to study and see how the newspapers of this era differed from those of the future.

Small groups of horse bandits have frequently appeared and been active on the grasslands of the Heavenly Wolf Nation, bordering the Qingzang Circuit... The Heavenly Poison Sect has newly appointed a Holy Maiden, Ruan Tianxiang. The orthodox martial world worries that a poison grandmaster will emerge in the future... The longevity banquet of a certain martial world titan... A certain young hero drew his sword in the Hedong Circuit, and senior, renowned experts were successively defeated...

Reading carefully page by page, Song Que roughly gained a clear understanding of this monthly publication. The news within was truly comprehensive, covering everything from major national events to rising young martial artists, and even touching upon side-line entertainment news. Of course, given the limited pages, every single person mentioned here had a resounding reputation and incredibly high fame. Reading on, one piece of news piqued Boss Song's interest.

Outshining all other beauties, the Princess of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, Zhao Mingyue, not yet of marriageable age, has been crowned the number one beauty of the Yangnan Circuit, and a future 'One of the Ten Beauties of the World', with the title 'Blood Moon Demoness'. Before her, the 'Twin Flowers of Yangnan' pale in comparison. Tsk, tsk... This was happening right next door! Song Que was also extremely curious about these beauties.

"Old Nie, have you seen these beauties before?" Looking at the names the Young Master pointed to, Nie Feng couldn't help but ponder and reminisce for a long while.

"I haven't seen that little Princess of the Heavenly River Sword Sect, the Blood Moon Demoness Zhao Mingyue. However, I have had the fortune to see the 'Twin Flowers of Yangnan', Jing Tian and Zheng Shuang, once. They truly live up to the descriptions of 'making fish sink and birds fall, making the moon hide and flowers blush'."

"Hehe, to make you, Old Nie, remember them so fondly even now—it really makes me even more curious! If there's a chance in the future, I must definitely see them once." Being teased by him, Nie Feng didn't feel embarrassed, merely replying with a smile:"Haha, Young Master, your talent is exceptional! In the future, as long as you successfully challenge a few senior experts of the martial world and make a name for yourself, it shouldn't be hard for you to be invited to the Yaochi Tea Party.

Then, you will have plenty of opportunities to see them."

"Yaochi Tea Party? What's that?" Boss Song felt that his decision to take in Old Nie was simply brilliant! This guy was practically a living dictionary, broadening the horizons of a country bumpkin like him with so much knowledge! Regarding his Young Master's ignorance, Nie Feng didn't feel surprised at all. After all, his Young Master came from an unorthodox background. It was normal not to have heard of these things before.

He patiently explained with a smile:"Young Master, the Yaochi Tea Party is a traditional social gathering for the outstanding youths of the Yangnan Circuit. It is held twice a year, in early spring and mid-autumn. Anyone under the age of twenty-five with strength no less than the Fourth Grade and a certain level of prestige will receive an invitation. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

With this invitation, upon arriving at Yaochi Lake, someone will receive you and take you to the island to attend the tea party. I only had the fortune to attend once last year. With your abilities, Young Master, obtaining an invitation would truly be as easy as flipping your hand!"

"Haha, no rush for now. There will naturally be an opportunity in the future." Hearing Old Nie's honest words, Boss Song smiled, fully enjoying the praise and gladly accepting it.

"Old Nie, what's the deal with martial world titles? How does one get a title? Who gives them out?" Boss Song was still brooding over his dream of the title 'Heavenly Saber'. Seeing the people in the newspaper with a string of resounding titles before their names, he naturally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Young Master, only First-Tier experts or exceptionally talented, highly renowned young heroes have the qualifications to bear a title. For ordinary people, their titles are mostly given by the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. Only for the top experts do the two sides discuss and agree upon a title. After all, if you give them a title they don't like and people shout it out in the streets, you might very well invite an unexpected disaster. This matter requires careful consideration."

Recalling how Old Yun had previously introduced the several experts in Lingjiang Commandery, it truly was like that. It seemed his 'Heavenly Saber Song' still had a long way to go. Having learned a basketful of new knowledge, Song Que contentedly hugged the Martial World Chronicles and began to study it with relish, occasionally sighing that if it had illustrations, it would be absolutely perfect.

But thinking of the printing technology of this era, he shook his head and banished that unrealistic thought from his mind.... Day after day passed with no unexpected events. However, as the day of the Golden Bone Fruit's maturation approached, Song Que's mood became increasingly irritable and restless. Many times, he truly wanted to accelerate its growth and immediately force the fruit to mature. But the remaining shreds of his reason helped him restrain this impulse.

In truth, with Song Que's Tesseract energy, he absolutely could force the Golden Bone Fruit to mature faster. But if he did that, the Golden Bone Tree would be crippled. It was like a plant in a pot; the amount of nutrients was limited. If you forced the fruit to mature beyond the tree's absorption limit, you would be sacrificing the entire vitality of the tree. Unless forced with no other choice, Boss Song would absolutely not commit such an idiotic act of 'killing the chicken to get the eggs'.

Fortunately, the tranquil environment on the mountain and the fresh air improved his mood slightly. He managed to endure these ten-plus days. Today, if his estimation was correct, tonight would be the time the fruit matured and could be used!... Nameless Mountain, night. The security at the Black Iron Stronghold today could be described as impregnable.

Although the Stronghold Leaders hadn't given any specific instructions, an observant person would notice that the patrols and security tonight were several levels higher than on ordinary days. Especially in the areas near the base of Nameless Mountain, even the slightest rustle of grass or gust of wind would prompt the guards to investigate thoroughly.

After instructing Li Xin to stand guard at the villa and stay alert, Song Que led Xiong Ba and Nie Feng secretly to the back of the mountain, slipping into the cave where the Golden Bone Fruit was to wait. He had already released the titmouse to fly freely outside. In recent days, he had been regularly withdrawing his soul fragment from Lightning and placing it on this small bird to enter the cave and tend to the tree. Now, it was time to let it enjoy some freedom.

Outside in the sky, Lightning continuously circled the mountain peak, its sharp eagle eyes keenly observing every slight movement below. Sitting in the cave, under the dim light of a Night-Luminous Pearl, the three men remained silent, focusing their gaze on the tree in the center. Although Xiong Ba still didn't know the purpose of this trip, he wasn't curious, simply sitting obediently and waiting for the Young Master's orders. No one knew how long had passed.

While cultivating, Song Que and the others were suddenly awakened by a breeze passing by them. The surrounding air seemed to be drawn into the center of the Golden Bone Tree by an invisible suction force. Even in the sealed cave, the clothing of the three men fluttered slightly. Boss Song stared intently at the center of the tree with a tense expression. After about half a quarter of an hour, the space finally returned to calm. At this moment, a faint, pleasant fragrance suddenly filled the cave.

The three of them couldn't help but take a few deep breaths, intoxicatingly savoring it.

"Young Master, it's done!" Looking at the three fruits on the tree that had completely turned a reddish-brown color, Nie Feng couldn't help but tremble as he spoke. Grandee Song was equally excited at this moment. Regarding this renowned rare treasure, he desperately wanted to know its effects—could it help the Tesseract advance once more? Even if it couldn't, just its ability to remodel a person's root bone to a perfect innate state was enough to satisfy anyone!

"Xiong Ba, Nie Feng! Stand guard for me!"

"Yes! Young Master!" Song Que shouted in a low voice and, without hesitation, stepped forward to pluck a Golden Bone Fruit from the tree. Carefully peeling off the hard outer shell to reveal the ivory-white core inside, roughly the size of a chicken egg, he tossed the whole thing into his mouth and hurriedly sat down to circulate his energy and digest it. The fruit melted the moment it entered his mouth.

Song Que felt as if he had eaten ice cream; a cool sensation traveled from the tip of his tongue down to his stomach. Not long after, his entire body began to heat up, growing hotter and hotter as time passed.

"Young Master, quickly close your pores!" A comfortable, numb sensation spreading from his tailbone to his entire body made Boss Song lose his focus, and he couldn't help but groan. Hearing Nie Feng's reminder, he hurriedly clamped his mouth shut and locked all the pores on his body, ensuring the medicinal efficacy wouldn't leak out and be wasted. Following the internal refinement section of the Glazed Immaculate Body, Song Que assumed the posture and began to use the Golden Bone Fruit to forge his bones.

Gradually, the sensation shifted from comfortable to itchy, and finally to intense pain. Song Que gritted his teeth and endured it all. At times when it became unbearable, he used the Tesseract's electrical current to numb his nervous system, reducing the torment he had to suffer. No one knew how long had passed. Only when he felt no further changes occurring within his body did he relax his mind and gently try moving his body.

An incredibly wondrous sensation washed over him, causing Boss Song to fall into a state of intoxication.