Chapter 964: Purple Frost Divine Milk

Gao Ying added from the side, "Moreover, Golden Token Embroidered Uniform Envoys aren't known for their martial prowess. What's more terrifying is their intellect and strategic planning."

Pei You laughed heartily, "If we have Golden Token Eleven accompanying us, won't our trip to Cloud County be a smooth ride all the way?"

Hearing the group praise him more and more extravagantly, Zu'an really wanted to jump out and say, "I'm not actually as amazing as you all make me out to be."

After much effort, he managed to suppress the urge to boast. Just then, Sang Hong looked a little surprised, "A'Zu, why have you been so quiet?"

Even Gao Ying and Pei You turned to look at him; it wasn't like him to be so quiet.

Zu'an coughed and quickly explained, "I think we shouldn't rely too much on Golden Token Eleven. The Embroidered Uniform Envoys have always been mysterious, and they are only accountable to the Emperor. Perhaps they have another mission this time that might not entirely align with ours. So, we should try our best to solve problems ourselves whenever possible."

What a joke! His pressure was already immense. If he had to take on the responsibilities of Golden Token Eleven, the pressure would simply double. So, it was better to give them a heads-up in advance.

Sang Hong nodded, "You have a point. The fact that Golden Token Eleven hasn't shown up to accompany us might be an implicit message. From now on, we must rely on ourselves. Golden Token Eleven can be an external aid, but we absolutely cannot place all our hopes on him."

Gao Ying and Pei You's expressions turned serious. They also sensed the gravity in Sang Hong's tone. This trip to Cloud County might not be as easy as they thought. "Understood!" they responded.

Exiting Sang Hong's room, Zu'an gazed at the vast river. The silhouette of the capital was already fading from view, and he was surprised that the ship's speed seemed faster than he had imagined.

He looked up and saw faint blue stripes flowing on the sails on the mast, and some magical arrays were carved into the hull. He surmised that these were wind-element runes assisting the operation, not only reducing the ship's weight but also greatly increasing the sails' efficiency. No wonder the speed was so remarkable.

Of course, this speed was only slightly faster than a typical sailboat or oar-powered vessel; it was still a bit slower compared to the steamboats from his previous life.

Initially, the scenery along the banks was somewhat novel, but after a long while, it became dull.

After chatting idly with Gao Ying and Pei You for a while, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

Although the room was smaller than Sang Hong's, it was exquisitely arranged, and he could directly admire the scenery outside the window. Overall, it was comparable to staying in an executive suite at a hotel in his previous life. Considering the limited space on the ship, having such a room was already quite good.

"The lives of nobles in this world are indeed comfortable," Zu'an mused, criticizing the decadent and luxurious lives of the aristocracy. He quickly composed himself and began meditating to cultivate his power.

In this world, cultivation was king; everything else was fleeting.

This trip to Cloud County, whether it was the matter of Lord Yunzhong's younger brother conspiring against his elder brother (as revealed by Chitu) or Kong Nanwu's suggestive words during their farewell, revealed extreme danger at every turn.

If his cultivation could advance further, he would be better prepared to handle any situation.

He circulated his vital energy for several cycles within his body, finally opening his eyes with a sigh.

Despite making a breakthrough in the Western Hound Mound Secret Realm, his cultivation had been stuck at Grade Nine, Eighth Rank for a long time, and he felt no sign of impending advancement.

Anyway, at his current level, the vital energy fruits needed for subsequent upgrades were an astronomical number, so he didn't even need to think about that.

Did he still need to rely on getting injured and beaten? But at this level, even if he were beaten to death, he probably wouldn't be able to upgrade.

Moreover, he had previously heard Mi Li mention that the breakthrough from Grade Nine to Grandmaster was a huge hurdle, one that many people might never overcome in their lifetime.

"Empress Sister?" Remembering that Mi Li had been absent for a long time since the secret realm, Zu'an wondered how she was doing.

Unfortunately, after calling for a while, there was no response.

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he tentatively called out, "Master?"

Not long after he called "Master," a lazy voice responded, "What is it?"

Zu'an: "..."

"I just called you so many times, why didn't you answer?"

Mi Li's voice replied again, "Because you don't respect your teacher."

"I don't think we need to be so formal with each other, do we?" Zu'an couldn't help but say.

Silence was his only reply.

"Ignored..." Zu'an had no choice but to change his approach. "Master, why aren't you showing yourself? How are your injuries from the Western Hound Mound Secret Realm doing?"

Even just a glance at a great beauty like Mi Li could lift his spirits. Now that they were alone, she would have appeared by now as she didn't like being hidden in the Taia Sword.

Who knew, a sigh echoed in his ear: "My soul is unstable now, so I can't manifest myself."

Zu'an was startled. "Why is it so serious?"

Being unable to manifest was not far from having her soul scatter. Given Mi Li's cultivation, it shouldn't be this bad.

Mi Li's voice spoke, "I was too severely injured in the Western Hound Mound last time. I've been in a deep sleep trying to repair my soul power, but unfortunately, the injury was too unique. I can't restore my soul with my own strength. It took a lot of effort just to stabilize it temporarily and avoid my soul scattering completely."

Zu'an secretly felt ashamed. He had been enjoying himself all this time and had forgotten to check on her condition.

Ultimately, in the past, after Mi Li's soul was damaged, she would sleep for a period and gradually heal herself. He had been too stuck in his habitual thinking and forgotten that the enemy they encountered in Western Hound Mound was so unique and powerful that it could specifically injure the soul.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?" Zu'an quickly asked.

"Yes," Mi Li didn't stand on ceremony with him. "I need spiritual treasures that can nourish the soul to stabilize my injuries and gradually recover."

Zu'an's heart stirred. He took out a medicinal herb from the Lapis Lazuli Pearl. It faintly shimmered with light, and the room was filled with its medicinal fragrance, indicating it was no ordinary item. "I happen to have some Sky Crane Ganoderma here, which is highly nourishing for the soul."

Sky Crane Ganoderma was the main ingredient for Spirit Gathering Pills. The last time he played a political game with the Emperor, the Emperor, to appease him, had the Imperial Hospital give him many spirit medicines to nourish the soul, and Sky Crane Ganoderma was among the most precious.

"Although Sky Crane Ganoderma can nourish the soul, its grade isn't high enough. For my current injuries, it's not very useful," Mi Li replied.

Zu'an's mind raced. "What about the Five Whispers Mystic Ganoderma?"

Last time, when Yun Jianyue was severely injured and her soul was damaged, it was the Five Whispers Mystic Ganoderma he obtained from the Imperial Hospital that helped her recover.

Although they had already set sail, they weren't too far from the capital. For Mi Li's sake, he would have to make a trip back to the capital no matter what.

"If I had a physical body right now, the Five Whispers Mystic Ganoderma might help me repair my soul. Unfortunately, I don't have a physical body, and my soul injury is too severe, so the Five Whispers Mystic Ganoderma can't help me," Mi Li replied.

Zu'an's heart sank. With the Great Zhou Dynasty unifying the world, the Imperial Hospital naturally had countless rare treasures. The Five Whispers Mystic Ganoderma was already among the top-tier medicinal ingredients in the Imperial Hospital. If even that was useless, what else could be done?

"Then what do you need?" He thought that Mi Li, having read countless books in her time, should know the relevant information.

Sure enough, Mi Li said, "Although I know of a spiritual medicine that can repair my soul injuries, that kind of medicine was extremely precious and rare even in my time. I don't know if it can be found in this world now, and its name might have changed."

Zu'an urged, "At a time like this, don't be so hesitant. Just tell me, even if it's a long shot, it's better than nothing."

Mi Li's voice suddenly rose, "Did you call me a horse?"

"You know I didn't mean that," Zu'an thought to himself how quickly a woman's mind changed; at a time like this, she was still concerned about such things. "Just tell me, and we can discuss it together. You know I'm a Golden Token Embroidered Uniform Envoy now, and I can mobilize many intelligence resources."

"Back then, this medicine was called Purple Frost Divine Milk. I don't know what it's called now," Mi Li said, her voice filled with worry.

Zu'an was startled. "Is Purple Frost a woman?"

Mi Li: "???"

The next second, she immediately reacted and angrily said, "What kind of nonsense fills your mind!"

Rage points from Mi Li +222222222...

Zu'an quickly apologized, "Please don't be angry. In your current state, you can't endure this kind of emotional turmoil."

He had previously heard Zu'an explain that the rage points he collected were essentially soul power generated by intense soul fluctuations. Now that Mi Li's soul was damaged, she couldn't afford to have her soul energy drawn away.

Sure enough, Mi Li immediately felt a wave of weakness. It took a lot of effort for her to calm down, and her voice unconsciously softened. "Purple Frost Divine Milk is formed when a ten-thousand-year-old Purple Frost Crystal absorbs the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, eventually seeping out only three drops. The reason this medicine is so rare is that Purple Frost Crystals themselves are uncommon, and a ten-thousand-year-old one is even harder to find. Furthermore, the collection time must be absolutely precise, because once the Purple Frost Divine Milk forms, it quickly drips. If it falls into the soil, it will be contaminated by mundane impurities, and its spiritual properties will be ruined."

Hearing this long list of restrictive conditions, Zu'an felt numb. How could he possibly find something like that?