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Chapter 208: The Medicinal Bath
Inside Conan's body, the soul belonging to Kudo Shinichi was roaring.
It was the rage of territory being invaded, of a treasure being coveted. He stared deathly at Blake's hand, which was still "examining" Ran's palm, wishing he could pierce it with his gaze.
However, his roar sounded to everyone else like nothing more than a child's untimely tantrum.
"Conan!"
Mori Ran's pretty face flushed red. She tried to pull her hand back in embarrassment, but Blake held it steadily without leaving a trace. She had to use her other hand to knock Conan on the head.
"How can you be so rude to Mr. Blake! Apologize quickly!"
"That's right! You brat, what do you know about adult matters!" Mori Kogoro chimed in with a scolding. One hand on his hip, the other holding a beer mug, he put on the airs of an elder. "Don't disturb Mr. Blake checking Ran's constitution!"
The word "constitution" coming from his mouth seemed exceptionally comical.
Conan clutched his head, feeling the world spin. Not from pain, but from anger.
These two!
Why are they turning their elbows outward now?
That guy is obviously taking advantage of Ran! Can't you see that?!
Conan's anger had nowhere to vent, so it turned into a fiercer glare directed at Blake.
Blake finally released Ran's hand, as if he had just completed a sacred diagnosis. He looked up, gazing down condescendingly at Conan's fire-spitting eyes, his face still maintaining that gentle, breezy smile.
"It's okay. He's a child; being lively is a good thing."
Saying this, he bent down and reached out, seemingly wanting to rub Conan's head.
Watching the Famous Detective eat dirt is such a beautiful thing.
Conan instinctively took a step back, dodging warily.
Blake's hand paused in mid-air, then naturally withdrew. He chuckled lightly and straightened up. His gaze turned to Ran, his tone carrying a perfect amount of admiration.
"Miss Mori, your aptitude is even better than I imagined. Your bone structure is unique, your meridians are resilient. You are indeed a martial arts prodigy rarely seen in a century."
He said this without skipping a beat or blushing, as if it were the absolute truth.
Ran's eyes lit up instantly, forgetting most of her shyness.
"R... Really?"
"Of course." Blake nodded affirmatively. "However, for my school's kung fu to exert its miraculous effect of beauty and rejuvenation, relying on cultivation alone is not enough."
"What else is needed?"
The one asking this time was Kisaki Eri, who had been listening with pricked ears nearby. As the Queen of the Legal World, she had seen countless lies and scams. But at this moment, facing Blake's face—which was more convincing than any advertisement—and his god-like flying dagger skill, the scales in her heart had completely tipped.
Blake looked at her and smiled mysteriously.
"It also requires a special medicinal bath. Using rare herbs as a guide to clear Qi and blood and eliminate impurities, only then can one improve skin quality from the inside out and achieve the effect of maintaining youth."
Medicinal bath?
"Mr. Blake..." Kisaki Eri took a deep breath, trying to maintain her queenly demeanor, but her voice carried a trace of imperceptible urgency. "This medicinal bath you speak of... is it some kind of special traditional therapy?"
She had reached the age of anxiety about her age. Although she maintained herself well, some fine wrinkles had appeared at the corners of her eyes.
"You could understand it that way."
Blake picked up the black tea on the table and took a sip, his movements elegant as a medieval noble. "But the effect is more direct. The medicinal power will penetrate the whole body, tempering the body and expelling impurities and toxins deposited within. With long-term use, one can maintain their physical state at its peak moment forever."
He put down the teacup, his gaze sweeping over Eri and Ran, his voice plain but carrying a seductive magic.
"It can even reverse some traces left by fatigue and time."
Boom!
If there was interest before, now Eri and Ran's brains had completely crashed.
Maintain peak condition?
Reverse traces?
Praise the Eastern Great Country!
Let alone them, even Mori Kogoro, who had been curling his lip and pretending to be disdainful, pricked up his ears. His Adam's apple bobbed unconsciously. He instinctively looked down at his slightly protruding beer belly, then touched the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
Peak?
He remembered his peak times when he was an elite detective in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, throwing people in Judo without getting winded!
"Cough! Cough cough!"
Mori Kogoro coughed heavily twice, forcibly squeezing into the conversation, plastering a smile he thought was charming onto his face.
"Um... Mr. Blake! This medicinal bath, with such magical effects, must be very precious, right?"
He started with a polite remark, then changed the subject, rubbing his hands together and asking expectantly, "This... it's effective for us men too, right? Look at me, as a famous detective, working hard every day for various tricky cases. My body is inevitably a bit worn out... I wonder if using this medicinal bath can help patch things up?"
That desperate look made Conan roll his eyes.
Old man, have you no shame? Just now you called him a pretty boy, and now you're almost kneeling to call him Master.
"Of course it can."
Blake's answer made Mori Kogoro beam with joy.
"The fundamental function of the medicinal bath is to strengthen the body and temper the physique. It is effective for anyone."
"That's great!" Mori Kogoro slapped his thigh, as if he could already see his heroic figure returning to age twenty with shining eight-pack abs.
However, Blake's next words poured a perfectly timed bucket of cold water on his fiery heart.
"However, I must make it clear."
Blake's tone remained gentle but added a note of solemnity. "A simple medicinal bath can only strengthen the body and improve skin quality. To truly practice my school's kung fu and unleash the miraculous effects of maintaining youth or even delaying aging, one crucial step is still needed."
"What step?"
This time, the question came from Kisaki Eri. She had been completely hooked, even temporarily forgetting her sloppy ex-husband next to her.
Blake's gaze fell back on Ran, the approval in his eyes causing the girl's heart to skip a beat again.
"Opening the meridians."
He slowly spat out the words.
"Meridians?" Ran blinked. The vocabulary felt both strange and familiar. She tilted her head in thought for a moment, then suddenly her eyes lit up as if she realized something. "Ah! I know! It's like in those Chinese wuxia novels—opening the eight extraordinary meridians, and then you can practice peerless martial arts, right?"
She had watched quite a few wuxia dramas and novels translated from China and knew the settings like the back of her hand.
"Heh."
Blake chuckled and nodded approvingly. "Miss Mori is truly intelligent; you understand instantly. It is exactly so."
Receiving confirmation, Ran's small face flushed with excitement, as if she had become the heroine in a novel about to encounter a miraculous adventure.
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