The Marrow Transformation Pill melted the moment it entered his mouth.
Lu Changsheng immediately channeled the Li Clan Marrow Transformation Secret Method, setting his bone marrow vibrating.
Yes, vibrating his bone marrow.
At the perfection realm, the Li Clan Marrow Transformation Secret Method was capable of doing just that.
Had he vibrated his marrow without swallowing the pill first, it would have yielded no benefit at all and might even have injured it.
Now that he had consumed the Marrow Transformation Pill, however, the sensation upon vibrating his marrow was entirely different.
Deep within his bones, a gentle warmth seemed to stir.
As he continued circulating the secret method, this warmth grew progressively hotter, eventually turning into a searing burn.
Yet the more intense it became, the less Lu Changsheng could afford to stop.
It was proof that the Marrow Transformation Pill was taking effect.
Even so, the process was far from pleasant; in fact, it was excruciating.
It felt as though a ball of fire were blazing relentlessly in the depths of his bones.
With an unyielding will, Lu Changsheng gritted his teeth and endured in absolute silence.
This agonizing sensation dragged on for a long time.
For more than a dozen shichen, Lu Changsheng weathered the searing agony.
Only after a full day had passed did the pain finally begin to subside, gradually fading until it vanished entirely.
Swish.
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.
Exhaustion hung heavy in his gaze.
"Did the marrow transformation succeed?" he murmured under his breath.
Truth be told, he was not entirely certain.
At the very least, the burning torment was gone.
Lu Changsheng gently pressed a hand to his chest.
He could hear his heart thumping with vigor.
Thump, thump, thump.
His heartbeat seemed stronger, and through the blood vessels in his body came a faint, rushing murmur.
It was like a surging torrent of blood.
At the same time, the qi and blood within him began to swell rapidly once again.
"My qi and blood are growing again?"
Lu Changsheng was astonished.
His qi and blood had long reached their limit, though after taking the Blood Exchange Pill to undergo a blood exchange previously, his qi and blood had continued to climb for a brief period.
Now, his qi and blood were surging yet again.
What was more, the pace of its increase was remarkably fast.
Lu Changsheng closed his eyes, examining his body's internal condition with care.
His blood rushed swiftly, and his heart pounded with force. Amid that surging flow, waves of fresh blood seemed to emerge anew.
This fresh blood coursed through his vessels, swiftly fortifying his qi and blood.
"Wait, this newly added blood... its source is the bone marrow?"
A thought struck Lu Changsheng.
The bone marrow was, after all, a blood-producing organ.
Once the marrow was transformed, its capacity to generate blood would naturally become much stronger!
Through ceaseless circulation, the blood coursing through the body grew more potent.
And a person's blood was vital, directly tied to their overall physical constitution.
Lu Changsheng had already undergone one blood exchange, making his blood exceptionally strong to begin with.
Now that his marrow was transforming and his blood-producing capacity had grown, it formed a virtuous cycle.
"The Marrow Transformation Pill has been consumed and fully integrated into my bone marrow through the Li Clan Marrow Transformation Secret Method.
"Now the marrow is beginning to change bit by bit. Still, completing the marrow transformation in full will take time.
"For now, all I can do is wait!"
Lu Changsheng had a fair grasp of his current state.
Marrow transformation was a gradual process that required time.
It might take several days, or perhaps even longer.
Yet once the marrow transformation had begun, there was no real danger left; he simply needed to wait patiently.
***
Lu Changsheng went to Miaoren Hall as usual.
As the weather grew warmer, patients seemed to dwindle in number.
"Hm? Doctor Wang, who is this?"
Lu Changsheng paused in surprise.
Beside Wang Ruhai stood a little girl of seven or eight.
Her clothes were ragged, and she was barefoot. She looked timid and frightened, shrinking behind Wang Ruhai the moment she saw Lu Changsheng.
Wang Ruhai let out a long sigh. "Nannan, come out. This is Doctor Lu."
Yet the little girl refused to step forward, fear lingering in her eyes.
Wang Ruhai explained, "Doctor Lu, I bought her off the street. She cost only one qian of silver..."
A complicated look crossed Wang Ruhai's face.
"One qian of silver?"
Lu Changsheng could hardly believe his ears.
He knew the imperial court forbade keeping slaves.
Yet with the world in chaos and societal morals in decay, few people paid any heed to that law anymore.
The practice of keeping slaves was flourishing among commoners.
Even so, no person should have gone for a mere qian of silver.
"Doctor Lu, you've heard that the prefect summoned the wealthy merchants and gentry of Nanyang Prefecture, hoping they would donate silver and grain so the official army could be deployed to wipe out the Thirteen Desert Riders, haven't you?
"Do you know how much was raised in the end? Three thousand taels! A pitiful three thousand taels! Nanyang Prefecture may not be prosperous, but it certainly isn't so destitute as to scrape together only three thousand taels. Those wealthy merchants and gentry simply refused to part with their wealth.
"With funds and grain falling short, what could the prefect do? He had no choice but to raise taxes! This time, they invented an assessment called 'bandit suppression silver' and levied it on the common people, making their lives utterly miserable.
"In truth, the ones suffering the most from the Thirteen Desert Riders cutting off the trade routes are those very merchants and gentry. Yet they refused to spare a single coin, pushing the burden onto the common folk through the authorities instead.
"Nannan's parents truly couldn't afford the 'bandit suppression silver,' so they had no choice but to sell her. I took pity on their plight, and seeing how sensible Nannan was, I bought her. After all, it's just setting out an extra pair of chopsticks."
Wang Ruhai was kindhearted; he had bought the girl solely to save her life. Yet faced with this chaotic world, he too was utterly helpless.
Only now did Lu Changsheng truly understand what it meant for tyranny to be fiercer than a tiger.
The officials concocted pretexts under every guise, coming up with things like "bandit suppression silver."
Exorbitant levies and miscellaneous taxes were as numerous as ox hairs. It would be a wonder if the realm did not fall into chaos.
"Still, no matter what, once the official army marches, the Thirteen Desert Riders outside the city will be eliminated. That should at least curb the bandit menace in Nanyang Prefecture, which is a good thing after all," Lu Changsheng said quietly.
He was merely a physician. Even as a Refining Organs martial artist, there was little he could do to alter the grand scheme of things.
"Let us hope so."
Wang Ruhai shook his head and said no more.
***
In the blink of an eye, several more days passed.
With each passing day, Lu Changsheng could feel his marrow being replaced bit by bit.
Or rather, fresh bone marrow was regenerating within him.
This new marrow undoubtedly possessed far greater blood-producing capacity, steadily improving Lu Changsheng's physical constitution day after day.
This was precisely why reaching the Divine Strength Realm was somewhat easier for those who had undergone marrow transformation and blood exchange beforehand.
Once both processes were underway, one's physical constitution would passively elevate.
However, it would still take time before Lu Changsheng's marrow transformation was fully complete.
On this day, Lu Changsheng was resting with his eyes closed in Miaoren Hall.
Suddenly, Zhang Huan came rushing inside.
"Disaster! They've lost—the official army suffered a crushing defeat!
"The Thirteen Desert Riders led a band of ruthless outlaws and routed the official army completely, sending them fleeing back into Nanyang City after discarding their armor and weapons!
"Riding the momentum of their victory, the Thirteen Desert Riders also slaughtered five neighboring villages, butchering hundreds of people just to intimidate the Nanyang prefectural yamen!"
Lu Changsheng's eyes narrowed slightly.
How could the official army have lost?
However weakened they might be, they were still soldiers of the imperial court.
How could a mere band of mountain bandits overcome them?
Wang Ruhai asked hurriedly, "Zhang Huan, what on earth happened?
"Is Nanyang City still safe?"
Zhang Huan glanced around. Seeing no patients nearby, he lowered his voice. "I heard the Thirteen Desert Riders colluded with the White Demons. It was with their aid that the bandits crushed the army.
"Still, Nanyang City should be safe enough. After all, the Thirteen Desert Riders wouldn't dare lay siege to the city itself."
Wang Ruhai breathed a sigh of relief.
So long as Nanyang City remained safe, all was well.
Had the city fallen, it would have brought utter devastation to every soul within.
"The White Demons?"
Understanding dawned on Lu Changsheng.
"White Demons" was the moniker used in the jianghu and among the common people for the White Lotus Sect.
The White Lotus Sect made a profession of rebellion—not just against the current dynasty, but against the previous one, and even stretching back a thousand years.
There was a saying in the jianghu: dynasties flow like water, but the White Demons are forged in iron.
Across a millennium, no matter who held the throne, the White Lotus Sect would rise in revolt.
"Those White Demons wish for nothing but chaos in the world.
"Now that the Thirteen Desert Riders have allied with them, they've truly grown into a menace. The common folk of Nanyang Prefecture will only suffer more..."
Wang Ruhai could only sigh again and again.
Chapter 63