Chapter 20
"Zhao Dan, what's wrong?" little Cui exclaimed.
I had a sense of deja vu. Hadn't this exact scene happened just a short while ago? Another wave of cold burst forth. Unlike the first, this was soothing.
Oh! The healing pill. I'd completely forgotten I'd taken it after Captain Kang commented on my baldness.
I guess with nothing to heal, it would have little effect. However, I wasn't sure the pill was supposed to be painful while it was taking effect. I didn't know enough.
I certainly wouldn't let Xiao Cui have one of these until I was sure. Though I hadn't actually requested them for her in the first place, it was good for her to have a way of healing when I wasn't by her side.
Just then, I felt a shiver in my chest and my lungs absorbed all of the medicinal energy and cold pain from my stomach. It didn't have much effect, but I could see noticeable gains towards refining them.
Soon I might complete the first stage of the first layer of my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. And that wasn't all.
After my lungs had absorbed the energy, I felt a small burst of knowledge entering my mind. The composition of the mortal-grade healing pill.
I knew what ingredients had been used to refine the pill, their age, and their quality. And there was something else.
"Scheming snake-like bastards!" I suddenly exclaimed, scaring Xiao Cui.
Alongside the information about the pill, there was information about one other substance.
Mortal-grade iceflower poison.
Honestly, I'd not expected my white lie to the captain to actually contain a grain of truth. Someone had truly attempted to poison Xiao Cui via the healing pills.
Was it Captain Kang acting on his own, outside of the city lord's command? Was the city lord not quite as amicable as he was pretending?
Or perhaps it was neither of the two men and someone else had managed to intercept the pills before they found their way to the captain. There were too many possibilities and I had little to no information to work with.
It was a good thing it was me who had consumed the poisoned pills. Other than that brief spike of pain, all the toxin did was allow me to further refine my lungs through my physique.
I had also discovered that both medicinal and poisonous ingredients could be used. Obtaining the recipes for both the healing pill and the iceflower poison pill were a boon.
I'd even learnt what the iceflower poison did—it blocked one's meridians and interfered with the flow of blood essence. To a cultivator, that meant being crippled until they could purge the poison. To a mortal, it could mean death, depending on the dosage.
They also made me wonder if there was even more to my physique than I'd first believed. Deconstructing recipes would be unnecessary if the ingredients were simply fuel for refining the five layers. I would need to delve into alchemy sooner than I'd thought, if only to find the answers I sought.
For now, I would have to make sure to tread carefully until I figured out exactly who was after mine and Xiao Cui's lives. Other than the obvious suspects, of course…
The city lord wanted us dead, but was willing to offer freedom in exchange for his son's health. I doubted he would stoop this low. If he wanted to kill me he would simply wait for the given execution date.
He could betray me, but doing so before I healed his son's sickness would be pure foolishness on his part. I didn't believe this was Teng Shi's doing.
Which left Captain Kang, that suspicious second-in-command of his, and the oddly antagonistic Councillor Gao as my prime suspects. Or some hidden fourth party I was yet to become aware of.
The latter was the worst possible answer, but there was no way of knowing right now so I discarded it as an option. Captain Kang was too loyal to the city lord to go against his wishes—despite the man's hatred for me, I didn't think he'd poisoned the pills either.
Honestly my money would be on Councillor Gao doing this. I wasn't sure why as I'd never met the man before my arrest, but he seemed to have it out for me.
I'd need to learn more about him. And why he looked so damn familiar. I felt like I was missing something obvious.
"Xiao Cui, make sure to take care of yourself while I'm treating the city lord's son. Don't eat or drink anything if you can help it," I warned her with a stern expression. "I shouldn't be gone too long."
"I'm a little thirsty now though," she moaned.
There was a jug on the table beside her bed. I poured some of the water into my mouth and swallowed, waiting a while.
There was no reaction from my body, so I assumed it was safe to drink. "Here," I said, passing the jug to her.
She drank deeply, taking gulps as some spilled down her neck.
"Relax, you aren't going to die of dehydration in a couple of hours," I chuckled.
"Easy for you to say, Mr. Cultivator," she shot back with a cheeky grin. "Us mortals lead difficult lives."
"Pah, you literally just saw my body tearing itself apart and then rebuilding itself and you think my life is easy?" I exclaimed, gently shoving her.
"Well, how much stronger are you now than before that? How much longer are you going to live because of that one moment of agony? I would give anything to have enough spirit roots to cultivate," she said, a sadness appearing on her face as the tone grew heavy.
"Sorry. If it makes you feel better, I…" I stopped, unsure if I should share one of my biggest secrets with her.
We'd been together for a while now, but I didn't know how unusual my situation was and what kind of reaction it would get. Then again, the heavens seemed to work in mysterious ways. They'd brought us together and it seemed like I was stuck with little Cui for the time being.
I trusted her, so why shouldn't I share my secrets? I didn't have to tell her everything, but maybe there was hope for her after all. If I could cultivate without spirit roots, why couldn't someone with only a few do the same thing?
Perhaps after some more experimenting with my physique and my cultivation I could find a way to allow her to follow in my footsteps.
"My spirit roots are shattered," I eventually said. She didn't register what I'd told her at first, a single teardrop glistening in her eye. "And I am still a cultivator. Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do. Not even the damn heavens," I said with more intensity.
She froze for a breath's time, then wiped away the teardrop. "You don't have to lie to make me feel better," she said.
"I'm not. I'm telling the truth, little Cui. I've always been talentless and recently even my few spirit roots shattered. And yet not only am I still a cultivator, but I'm almost in the Qi Gathering realm," I said, with more vigour now that I had her attention.
Her eyes widened in surprise. Perhaps she hadn't realised my exact strength until now.
"In all of Three River City, how many can claim the same? Only the city lord and Captain Kang that we know of. Perhaps a few others hidden in the shadows. You can accomplish anything with enough effort. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," I was raring with passion now.
Perhaps I was jaded from my own experiences, but too many times in my life I'd been told to give up; that I wasn't talented or skilled enough to achieve my goals. I wouldn't let her believe the same, even if her goals seemed impossible.
Borrowing a saying from Zhao Dan's memory, I finished my speech. "You and I, we're frogs in a well, little Cui. We've only seen a tiny corner of this vast world. Who knows what wonders exist out there? Perhaps there is a way that you, too, can cultivate. Even with just a few spirit roots."
At some point, Xiao Cui had started to cry once more. However, there was only happiness in her eyes. She leaned forward and hugged me tightly, her tears staining my clean robe.
I didn't mind.
"Big Brother Zhao—no, Saviour Zhao—I have a selfish request," she announced, pulling away from my embrace. Her eyes were blazing with confidence and passion.
I nodded.
"Take me as your disciple! I wish to follow you to the ends of the Celestial Jade Empire. You aren't like other cultivators. I've seen them. Teach me how to be like you," she said, kneeling before me and clasping her hands together, eyes full of expectation and… reverence.
Sighing, I lifted her to her feet. I didn't need to be worshipped. That wasn't why I ever pursued this path. "I'm not sure there's much I can teach you. My path of cultivation is… unique. I doubt anyone else can tread the same path to reach the peak. I'm not very talented, little Cui."
"If you're not talented, then what does that make me? Or anyone else for that matter!" she cried. "I may not know much, but I know that the number of breakthroughs you've had since I met you is a ridiculous amount. If you won't take me as your disciple, then I'll…" she paused, looking around the room. She raced past me and grabbed the knife I'd dropped. "I'll take my own-"
I grabbed her wrist before she could do something stupid. "Don't tempt fate," I scolded her with cold eyes. "And don't try to threaten me."
The knife clattered to the ground. She looked defeated and upset. "Are you refusing to take me as a disciple because I'm not talented enough?" she sobbed.
"Don't be ridiculous," I replied, exasperated. "Were you listening to me earlier? I would be happy to take you as a disciple, but," I held up a hand to stop her before she could explode with excitement. "I won't do it for the wrong reasons."
"Understand that until now, everything we've been through is barely a drop of water in the ocean compared to how harsh the world can be. There are people beyond people and heavens beyond the heavens. This world is cruel and vicious, filled with many evildoers. Even those who believe themselves righteous often leave mountains of corpses in their wake as they climb to the peak of cultivation; the summit of this world," I declared, not holding anything back from the girl.
She was still young enough to turn away from her misguided ambitions. I wouldn't tell her she couldn't accomplish her dreams and become a cultivator, but neither would I sugarcoat the truth.
"I…" she mumbled, then paused. Her expression was conflicted. "I don't care! I want to follow you wherever it takes me, Master Zhao," she replied, gaze firm.
There was nothing more to say. I knew there was a procedure to follow. In this world, one had to respect the deep bond between a master and disciple.
It felt a little rigid to me, archaic and ancient. However, it also felt important. In the same way my oath had resonated deep within my soul.
"Kowtow three times and accept me as your master. You shall be my first disciple, Xiao Cui," I said, standing tall in front of her.
She hopped from one foot to the other, her face rapidly switching between serious and giddy. She went down to her knees once more, settling on the serious expression.
Once, twice.
She kowtowed three times, then lifted her head to face me.
"Good," I said, holding out my hand. She took it and I lifted her to her feet. "Now, my first act as your master is to order you to do ten thousand pushups as punishment for being a foolish brat."
"Wha-"
"No complaints. Next time, don't dare to do something so stupid in front of me as try to take your own life. Dumb disciple," I scolded her. "And make sure to keep an ear out for information like I told you!"
Right on cue, there was a knock at the door. Captain Kang had returned.
****
"Councillor Gao seems to believe I am a fool for trusting you to treat my son," Teng Shi said, watching my reaction from his throne atop the dais.
The man in question stared at me with hatred. It finally clicked. The administrator from the village! They were both called Gao… brothers?
No wonder he hated me so much. He thought it was my fault his brother was dead. I doubted either of them would let me off the hook if I explained the spirit bear had acted on its own…
That realisation was actually refreshing. I was now certain that Councillor Gao was the one who'd attempted to poison Xiao Cui.
It made perfect sense. We would obtain freedom if I was able to cure the city lord's son and he wouldn't be able to have his vengeance.
No wonder he was furious. I imagined he was trying to dissuade the city lord just so my execution would go on.
"And what do you believe, Lord Teng?" I asked, ignoring the raging councillor.
"I think you are not lying about your abilities. After consulting over a hundred physicians, alchemists, and so-called healers, none were able to diagnose my son's ailment. All wasted days of my time and the money in my coffers. You took a few minutes to figure it out."
He stood up, staring directly into my eyes as he took steady steps down from the dais. He stopped just a few paces from me, standing a little taller. "Unless of course, you were lying," he added, observing my face.
"I wouldn't dare."
"Of course not. You aren't a fool. Impudent perhaps, but not foolish. No. I trust you to treat Sheng'er. If you succeed, I will keep my word and the pair of you shall be free to go. Come," he declared, clapping his hands twice and striding out of the throne room.
The councillor did not follow after us.
****
I sat in the same wooden room as the last time. Teng Sheng sat opposite me. His father was pacing nervously behind us.
"Lord Teng, I appreciate your concern for your son, but this would be far easier if we could have some privacy. I will not harm any patient under my care, rest assured," I said, a little nervous about his reaction.
He clenched his fist and stared at me for a long while. Eventually he exhaled and his shoulders dropped. "As you say, Prisoner Zhao. I will be outside, along with Captain Kang," he said, opening the door and leaving with a flick of his sleeve.
Finally, I was alone with the young master. I chuckled to myself. Teng Sheng was the first real 'young master' I'd encountered in this world.
He didn't really live up to the stereotypes. Though he was a cripple, in the eyes of cultivators at least. Perhaps if he'd been able to cultivate he might be as arrogant as his father or one of the spoiled young master types.
I thought it was better this way. He might be able to cultivate after I healed him, but I hoped his years as a mortal might temper his arrogance. Who knows.
He wouldn't be my problem after this.
But that didn't mean I wouldn't do my utmost to cure him. Once I'd accepted a patient they didn't leave my side unless they died or were healed. Preferably the latter.
"How are you feeling?" I asked him, sitting down opposite the boy.
He fidgeted with the hem of his robe. "I'm not sure. I've been through this same scene too many times to hold much hope," he sighed, then his eyes widened as he looked at my raised eyebrow. "Not that I doubt your skills of course," he hastily added, holding his hands up.
I chuckled. "Relax. I don't blame you. I am pretty confident though, so it's okay to be a little hopeful. I can tell how much it would mean to you and your father if you were healthy once more."
What I left unsaid was the expectation that he might be able to cultivate. That would be dangling too much in front of the sick boy. And I wasn't sure if it would be possible.
He nodded. "Do you need me to lie down or…"
"No," I replied. I didn't really think there were any limitations to my technique. Perhaps I needed to test how it worked in different positions? Not now though. "Just come and sit in front of me, facing towards the door."
He did so, then began to take off his robe.
"What are you doing?" I exclaimed, a little panic creeping into my voice. The last thing I needed was the city lord to walk in on a scene like this.
"Do you not need to make contact with my skin, or insert acupuncture needles? That's what most of the other physicians did," he said, cocking his head to one side.
I sighed, relaxing immediately. That's what it was. Well, technically I did need skin contact, but I could just place a finger on his neck for that. There was no need for the boy to get undressed.
"My technique is a little… different. I need skin contact, but I can just use the back of your neck. Keep your clothes on," I told him.
He almost frowned, but did as I asked. I was sure he'd seen his fair share of strange healing methods and one that let him keep his modesty was probably better for the both of us.
Once he'd relaxed, sitting cross-legged while facing the door, I raised an arm. I wasn't sure how much of my blood essence to use.
I'd start with a trickle and inject more as needed, I eventually decided. Gathering a few sparks in my arm, I placed my finger against his neck. He shivered at my touch, but only once. A normal reaction. Instinctive.
My essence was excited, bouncing around in my hand and racing to enter his body the moment my finger made contact.
Teng Sheng shivered once more as the first spark of my essence drove into his spine. It raced downwards towards his chest, followed by a few more.
I stopped the flow after ten or so sparks. I wished I had a better way of measuring the quantity, other than the visible motes of blood essence I could see.
Since my breakthrough, each individual clump of my blood essence seemed denser and more potent, but that was just a gut feeling, rather than anything I could prove. The sparks didn't race outwards haphazardly, instead all ten settled around his centre, between his lungs and stomach.
If I wasn't mistaken, that was where his spirit roots were. I'd been onto something with my hastily invented diagnosis earlier. I should trust my gut more often.
Nothing unusual happened at first. The sparks behaved erratically, but that was how they'd always behaved once let loose inside a patient.
I soon saw a few motes of the boy's own blood essence joining mine, forming swirls of red that began blasting away. A few strands of that same purple energy I'd seen before flashed briefly into view, but faded just as fast.
My blood essence went rabid every time that happened, firing clumps at the strands until they were destroyed. It was as I'd feared.
Teng Sheng had been poisoned.
He winced occasionally, mostly when the strands of purple energy appeared. I felt bad for him, but there was little I could do.
The treatment may be uncomfortable but it was undoubtedly worth enduring, to become healthy and have a shot at cultivating. I realised the purple energy looked familiar. It was similar to the time I'd seen Wang Ren's qi as he healed that girl's arm.
I wondered how he was doing, back at the sect, then shook my head and refocused. Now was not the time for idle thoughts.
As the process continued, my blood essence started to spread outwards, expanding into more of the boy's body. That was a good sign. Clearly it was working its way through the toxin.
One of the swirls suddenly fizzled out, followed by another. I didn't panic, simply injecting more of my blood essence to replace it.
However, I didn't yet receive any multiplied essence. I would need to complete the treatment for that to happen.
That didn't always seem to be the case, making me wonder what the difference was to the times I'd received a small return part-way through the healing process. The type of injury, perhaps?
Everything was proceeding smoothly and I finally relaxed. Until now I hadn't been entirely sure the treatment would go well, it being the first time I'd attempted to cure another human of poison.
My blood essence continued to spread through Teng Sheng's body, but I noticed the purple energy appearing more frequently. Then, my essence roared in defiance, sending out dozens of blasts and quelling the toxin.
I believed I'd pushed through the worst of it, as my blood essence reached the tips of his extremities.
Suddenly, the young master cried out in pain and coughed blood.
Caches 21
I prepared to inject more blood essence when suddenly a huge swirl of purple energy burst forth from his spirit roots, crushing every spark of essence in his body.
The door was flung open and the city lord rushed inside, a mix of anger and fear on his face. Captain Kang was hot on his heels, sword in hand.
They seemed ready to slaughter me, a feeling which only intensified when they saw the blood on the ground and on the young master's chin.
"What are you doing to my son!" Teng Shi cried. "You dare attempt murder in my palace, prisoner!?"
Captain Kang stepped past the city lord and levelled his sword at my throat. He didn't kill me yet. I had to assume they believed I was holding the boy hostage.
"Please lower your sword, Captain. The young master is in no danger, I have just encountered something unexpected," I said through gritted teeth.
That was an understatement, as I was currently battling against the raging poison inside his body, but I needed them to stay calm. I couldn't exactly focus with a sword against my neck.
"You expect us to believe that while he is coughing blood?" the captain inquired, narrowing his eyes at me.
"Did you think curing poison would be painless? We are in the most vital step of the treatment. If you stop me now then there is a chance he will die," I wheezed, feeling more and more of my blood essence leaving my body.
This toxin was the most powerful I'd ever seen, in either world. Far more potent than the venom of that nine-star spirit snake. Which could only mean one thing.
It had to have been created by a Qi Gathering cultivator.
I glanced at the captain, then the city lord. No, I'd already written them off as suspects for good reason. Honestly, my money would be on Councillor Gao once again.
He didn't seem to have any animosity with the city lord, but in this world, power was king. Men would do anything to obtain another scrap.
Who knew what lengths a power-hungry councillor would go to in order to overcome the limitations of his status? Poisoning his master's heir was a drop in the bucket when I thought of some of the atrocities I'd witnessed and Zhao Dan could remember.
However, those were just suspicions. Right now, it was more important to focus on treating the poison and ensuring that the boy lived, rather than figuring out who had poisoned him in the first place.
Despite the seemingly endless torrent of essence that I was pouring into his body to fight against the virulent toxin, it seemed to have no effect. In fact, the purple energy was growing in intensity and volume, spreading outwards from his spirit roots.
My essence was draining fast and I wasn't sure if I could keep this up. Using my healing technique alone, I believed there was a chance I would fail and the boy would die.
That would be an unacceptable outcome. Not only because it would place my life—and more importantly, my newly accepted disciple's life—in danger, but because I refused to let a patient die on me.
It had happened more times than I wanted to admit, but here in this new world I had the power to change that. I didn't need to rely on technology and hope. I had power crackling at my fingertips.
Bursting from every cell in my body. I only had to use it.
This was a risk, but a calculated one. I was once again staking everything on a throw of the dice.
My healing technique wasn't the only tool I had at my disposal. Plus, if everything worked out, I might end up gaining more than just a little bit of blood essence from this.
So, before I could change my mind, I placed another hand against the boy's body, this time right against his core. Rather than injecting more blood essence, I did the opposite.
The purple energy seemed thrilled to have another target to consume, at least a third of the strands splitting off from the ranging bundle in his core to enter my body. My skin turned purple, rotting immediately as the potent toxin entered my flesh.
The pain was awful, but compared to my breakthrough I could handle it with willpower alone. The poison continued to travel down my arm and towards the rest of my body.
It exploded outwards, reaching towards my neck, stomach, and chest in a single move. I wouldn't give it the chance.
Closing my eyes, I tried to direct all of my blood essence into Teng Sheng's body while simultaneously forcing the poison to enter mine. As it reached my shoulder and tried to corrupt the rest of my body, it met a wall.
With every deep, slow breath I took, the poison was drawn into my lungs, where it was forced to battle against the devouring might of the Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique.
In a way, I was turning myself into a bellows, using the poison as fuel to power the forge that was my body. With every strand of poisonous energy that I drew out of the young master, his complexion grew less pale and his breathing became more regular.
My blood essence was no longer destroyed on contact and a few sparks were clumping together, pushing back the toxin. I'd managed to contain the outbreak for now, but I remembered how overwhelming it had been back in that swamp.
Facing an even deadlier poison, albeit in much smaller quantities, would be my greatest treatment yet. And my hardest challenge.
At first I was able to refine all the poison that was entering my body, but soon it became impossible. The excess spilled into my stomach, liver, and heart, sending icy spears of pain lancing through my body.
I could only grit my teeth through the pain. If I could endure this I would emerge stronger, one step closer to the heavens. Closer to my ambitions.
All of a sudden, footsteps from outside drew close and Councillor Gao rushed into the room, eyes wide. He pointed at me and grabbed the city lord's shoulder.
"My Lord! This bastard has dared to deceive you, claiming he can heal your son," he cried, gesticulating wildly. "I've found evidence that he plans to kill your son. He was sent by…" at that point he leaned in close to Teng Shi's ear and whispered quietly enough that I couldn't hear.
"What!?" the city lord suddenly exclaimed, anger filling his eyes as his face twisted in fury. "Insolent dog, slipping into our midst through such treacherous schemes. Captain, slaughter this lowly wretch, then make sure the girl follows him shortly after. For their misdeeds, they will surely be reborn into the realm of ghosts and devils!"
What the hell had that weaselly bastard Gao told the city lord to make him so furious all of a sudden? This was the worst possible timing.
There was no hope for the boy to survive if the treatment stopped now, but I couldn't even worry about my patient when my own life was on the line! What could I say to stop the captain ending my life here?
I could only think of a single solution, but it might place my life in even more danger. Without another option, I took the risk.
With a grunt I injected almost all of my blood essence into Teng Sheng's body and forced every single drop of poison out. With only one path of escape, the poison flooded into me and I was unable to contain it.
"Lord Teng," I wheezed, a trickle of blood leaking from the corner of my mouth. "If you stop the treatment now, your son will surely die. At least let me live a few moments longer and you will see the truth. A lion doesn't concern himself with the opinions of sheep."
I could say no more, the final strand of poison piercing my rotting arm. The skin and muscles were black, nearly eaten away entirely from the contagion.
I struggled to keep contact with the young master's body, my finger pressed against his neck as I waited for confirmation that my technique had worked. It took a few more moments, but I suddenly felt a surge of strength rushing up my other arm.
A little strength returned to me as my raging blood essence, a little more powerful from absorbing a portion of the toxin, clashed with the poison inside my body. However, it was only delaying the inevitable.
I coughed blood, spraying the furniture and the ground with purplish-red liquid.
My vision went dark and I collapsed to the ground. I didn't want to lose consciousness given how precarious the situation had been, but I had no other option.
A fierce battle was raging inside my body between a deadly toxin and my blood essence. Every breath I took drew some of the toxin away and further refined my lungs, but it was slow progress.
"Sheng'er!" the city lord cried, rushing to his son's side as I passed out.
"It's exactly as I said, Lord Teng. This black-bellied bastard has killed your son!" Councillor Gao exclaimed, waving his sleeve and pointing at me.
The city lord ignored the frantic yelling of the man, only having eyes for his son. Teng Shen coughed twice and slowly opened his eyes.
"Sheng'er, you're awake! How are you feeling?" Teng Shi frantically asked, panic evident in his expression and shaky movements.
The boy didn't reply straight away. He looked down at his hands, turning them over a few times. Then he rolled his shoulders and inhaled deeply. When he exhaled, he let out a loud, sharp laugh.
"Unbelievable!" he exclaimed, eyes shining as a massive smile crossed his face. "He really did it."
Captain Kang watched the unfolding scene with a narrowed gaze. He was confused by the events. All this time he'd been quite suspicious of Zhao Dan, believing the man to be a decently skilled healer but not at a level where he would be able to cure the young master.
He had only been looking out for Lord Teng by trying to dissuade his master from going through with this procedure. In the end he hadn't been able to stop him.
When Councillor Gao had burst in, yelling about the prisoner being a traitor sent to kill Young Master Sheng, Captain Kang had believed him for a moment. That belief was reinforced when his second-in-command, Wang Bao, had rushed in after the councillor.
Despite what had happened to the girl, he trusted every single one of his men. He'd selected a lot of them himself and overseen all of their training. He'd even directed the cultivation of the talented few who showed the potential to reach Qi Gathering one day and possibly overtake him.
And yet now, it was clear as day that the young master was fine. More than fine. He was over the moon, his sickness cured. Zhao Dan had been telling the truth about his abilities.
Captain Kang ignored the wheezing prisoner on the floor. Surely the healer would be fine. He must just be tired after using such a strenuous technique.
Stepping towards his master, he knelt down beside the pair. "Young Master Sheng, this servant offers his congratulations on your recovery," he said with a slight bow.
The moment he bowed he felt a gust of wind behind him. The young master cried out in shock and even the city lord mumbled something.
"Watch out, Captain! That bastard-" he heard Wang Bao yell out.
Instantly, Lord Teng vanished from where he was sitting. He reappeared between Wang Bao and Zhao Dan, clasping the blade of Wang Bao's jian between two fingers.
"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, glaring at the guard.
"Lord Teng, he had a weapon! He was going to-"
"Fool! Does it look like the prisoner is in any state to attack someone? You dare kill my son's saviour in front of this Lord!?"
Things had taken a strange turn and Captain Kang wasn't quite sure what to make of the events. He first looked towards Councillor Gao. He might've been imagining things, but he could've sworn he saw the man lift a finger right before Wang Bao charged.
He wouldn't act on suspicions or possibilities however. Lord Teng had intervened before anything happened, so they would leave it here before it escalated to a point that no one could turn back from.
Wang Bao dropped to his knees, releasing his grip on the jian and kowtowing before the city lord. "This lowly servant begs for your forgiveness, Lord Teng!" he cried.
"There was no harm done in the end, Guard Wang. Rise," the lord said, handing the man back his jian.
He took it and retreated, not towards the captain but instead to the doorway. He sheathed his jian and stood near the councillor. They glanced at each other briefly, but the captain had already turned his back.
Suddenly Zhao Dan coughed blood once more, the colour dark purple and rotten. His body started to convulse and the city lord and the young master's expressions darkened.
"Is he going to be okay? Did something happen during the treatment?" Teng Sheng asked with a worried look.
"I didn't see," his father replied.
The others in the room also shook their heads. Councillor Gao's interruption had come at a bad time, distracting everyone during the final moments of the young master's treatment.
"Take him to a private room to recover. Have one of the servants watch over him and inform us of any changes," the city lord ordered.
Councillor Gao nodded. He threw a final, spiteful glance at the man convulsing on the floor before rushing off to find some servants.
Wang Bao also departed, though in the opposite direction. He had his duties to attend to. All of Captain Kang's men were well disciplined.
Moments later, two servants scurried in and lifted the unconscious and shivering Zhao Dan onto a stretcher before carrying him away.
"I wish to speak with my son. You may leave us, Captain," the city lord said, glancing in his direction.
"As you wish, Lord Teng," the captain replied with a shallow bow, closing the doors behind him as he left.
****
"Killing an unconscious prisoner should be as simple as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood!" Gao Deng Luo hissed, keeping his voice low to avoid anyone hearing him, but unable to keep the venom from his voice. "How did you fail to kill that insect Zhao!?"
Wang Bao didn't flinch at the councillor's rebuke. "Do you think I'm invincible?" he snarled. "The city lord is a four-star Qi Gathering cultivator while I am just a nine-star Body Tempering practitioner. That is an insurmountable gap. I won't throw away my life for your petty vengeance."
"Do you know how much I paid you? How much we both stand to gain if our plan succeeds? Don't act like this is some petty grudge. He murdered my brother!" the councillor roared, spit flying from his mouth as he spoke.
As soon as the words left his mouth his eyes darted around the garden. He relaxed when he spotted no wandering servants, hidden or otherwise. One could never be too careful in the city lord's palace. Even the walls had ears.
The guard vice captain harrumphed. "It doesn't matter that we missed one opportunity. He is unconscious, guarded by a mortal servant. Killing Zhao Dan now is as easy as turning my hand," he said with a flick of his sleeve. Have some patience, Councillor."
"Lord Teng will be suspicious if he is discovered in bed with a knife in his chest," the councillor replied, composing himself as the pair walked through the manicured garden.
"Do not worry about my methods. Let me handle your grudge while you sort the rest. Soon, Three River City will belong to us," Wang Bao said with a devilish grin.
"Indeed. Teng Shi has become too selfish, forgetting favours and violating justice. He would free a prisoner simply because he claims he can treat his treasured son! Not just any prisoner, but a heinous criminal who violated his command and slaughtered his soldiers. Slaughtered my brother!"
Gao Deng Luo coughed, red in the face. "Enough is enough. I was happy to overlook his actions when he spent a little too much of the city's treasury on finding a physician to cure the boy's condition. But this is one step too far. I will lay the foundations on my side, make sure you accomplish your task tonight, Vice Captain Wang."
After that, the two men parted ways, leaving the garden separately as though nothing out of the ordinary had taken place.
****
I struggled against the raging torrent of poisonous qi inside my body. This was far worse than I'd anticipated.
Whoever created this poison had to be at least a middle stage Qi Gathering cultivator, possibly even higher. Having successfully treated Teng Sheng I was almost at the peak of the Body Tempering Realm thanks to my increased blood essence, but it was far from enough.
My physique and my blood essence were putting up a valiant effort against the poison but until now it had been a losing battle. I wasn't sure how I was going to survive this ordeal.
Perhaps it had been foolish of me to save the city lord's son instead of myself. No, that wasn't the right way to look at the situation.
Everything had been going well until that bastard Gao arrived. His words were like adding oil to a fire, turning a calm situation into a volatile mess.
If I'd decided to abandon the treatment and let Teng Sheng die, I would've survived… for a few seconds longer, until City Lord Teng cut me down in rage.
Then, Xiao Cui's life would've been in mortal danger. I had made the correct—the only possible—decision by absorbing the poison qi into my own body.
Unfortunately, it was simply the case of a mantis trying to stop a chariot. I lacked the strength to fight a poison of this calibre.
And I really was being influenced by Zhao Dan's memories… Where were all these idioms coming from?
I chuckled, regretting it immediately as another wave of agony sparked through my chest. The only positive outcome of this situation was that I was able to further refine my lungs with each breath I took.
Wait! That was it. If I could completely refine my lungs before I succumbed to the poison, then I might have a chance of surviving this ordeal.
It wasn't just a dying man clutching at straws. With my potent blood essence, resistant to toxins after all my ordeals, combined with my physique, there was some time left until my inevitable demise.
Now that I could see the light at the end of the tunnel I was no longer so demoralised. Even while convulsing, drenched in cold sweat, I steadied myself and regulated my breathing.
Long, deep inhale. Hold. Allow my lungs to absorb, refine, and purify the toxins.
Exhale. A small stream of healing energy would spread through my body and allow me to fight a little longer.
And I repeated that process, noticing the rate at which I was refining my lungs had increased by almost fifty percent! If I could emerge from this ordeal not only would I have the city lord in my debt, but I would also be far stronger.
A smile crossed my face at that thought, but then I coughed blood. The acrid taste of iron and rot was vile, but I didn't have the strength to move in order to clean myself.
I continued my steady breathing, watching as my blood essence hungrily devoured the toxin, only to be consumed and rotted in return. My focus drifted from my surroundings, wholly engaged with what was occurring inside my body.
The seconds seemed to meld together into one endless lump of time. I had no idea what was going on around me. All I cared about was focusing on the flow of poison through my lungs.
I noticed that when I inhaled, only the nearby poisonous qi was drawn in. That wasn't enough. So, I tried to take a more active approach.
My blood essence was one aspect I could control. Right now it was waging a chaotic battle against the poison, with no real goals other than devouring each other endlessly.
That wasn't ideal. Instead, I forced my blood essence to push the poisonous qi towards my lungs. It was slow progress, but I soon saw the concentration of poison in my chest increasing.
Once I'd done that, I noticed more poison was inhaled with each breath, the greenish shimmer over my lungs becoming more resplendent every time. And that wasn't all.
With that improvement, the amount of medicinal energy expelled with every exhale had grown and my body was no longer slowly succumbing to the poison, but instead had reached an equilibrium.
Even my blood essence was improving once again. As it devoured the potent qi gathering toxin, it went from a slightly green-tinted red to an almost grassy green, dark and ominous.
That also allowed it to devour the poison more effectively. Everything was going smoothly. I felt that if things continued this way I would be able to cure myself of the poison within a few hours.
However, right when I thought I'd taken control of the situation I heard a splintering crack.
Chapter 22
I gasped as my body started to convulse once more. It had stopped after I'd taken a more guiding hand in the healing process, but right after the loud cracking noise it seemed to go wild.
My worst fears had come true. Until now I'd been slowly refining my lungs while devouring the poison, but that had woken the sleeping dragon.
Toxic purple qi rampaged through my body as my lungs splintered, cracks running along their surface. I'd apparently been working them too hard and now they were destroyed.
Had all my hard work refining them been lost? I hoped not, but then again I would likely not survive much longer so it didn't really make a difference.
For the first time in a while, my focus left my own body. I'd heard a thud outside, closer than was comfortable.
I attempted to open my eyes, grimacing as they peeled apart, dried blood and mucus cracking. My first thought was that it was a little cold—more so than it should've been even for a man fighting a lethal poison.
The reason for that was one of the doors had been smashed apart. A servant lay slumped over beside it, a dagger through his heart and his robe soaked in blood.
His head was caved in on one side.
A floorboard creaked and my gaze snapped upwards. A man was standing right beside my bed, staring down at me with surprise in his eyes.
Those eyes were all I could see as he was concealed by a hooded robe and a mask. But I felt like they were familiar.
He was obviously here to kill me. If my lungs weren't shattered I might've laughed—this would be the second time I died to an assassin. The first by a silent bullet and now, a descending blade.
Another dagger was held in his hand, poised to strike before I'd opened my eyes. However, his hesitation was only momentary.
The next instant he stabbed me in the chest.
I barely had time to shift my body a fraction before the cold steel pierced my skin and slipped between my ribs. Another gasp left my body as rotten blood spurted from the wound.
The moment he stabbed me, the masked assassin released the dagger and rushed out of the room. I saw him toss a paper talisman out as he vanished into the night. I must have been out for quite some time.
I'd at least avoided instant death with my last minute movement. His dagger had been aimed at my heart, but thanks to my effort it had entered my chest just above it instead.
I choked my final breaths. The combination of broken lungs and a knife in my chest was fatal. As my vision went dark, my final hope was that the city lord would at least keep his word and release Xiao Cui.
Everything went black.
In the darkness, a metallic sound of shattering glass rang out. Two lungs inflated, now a dark green colour and shiny like polished steel.
As they inflated, every last drop of poison qi was sucked inside, like a whale swallowing the oceans. Any remnant specks that remained were set upon by the man's blood essence like a pack of ravenous wolves.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
The lungs continued to inflate, purple poison qi swirling inside them but slowly being devoured as the shimmering surface of the organs became even more lustrous. For all intents and purposes, Zhao Dan was dead.
But his body hadn't quite given up yet. A strange phenomenon caused by his Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. A forge didn't go out until the final coal went cold, after all.
The lungs reached their limit, reaching a swollen size a little larger than they'd been before.
Zhao Dan's heart was not beating, his blood still, his brain silent. But at that moment, he exhaled.
Green healing energy burst outwards from his lungs, filling every inch of his body. His bones, muscles, and organs which had been corroded by the poison were being restored at a visible rate.
First the bones, then muscles, and finally his heart. A purplish-black mist of impurities rose from his mouth and there was a thump as Zhao Dan's heart began to beat once more.
My eyes snapped open and I immediately knew three things, information flooding my mind as my brain cleared away the fog that had consumed it. But first I was overwhelmed by the shocking realisation that I was somehow still alive.
Not only alive, but even stronger than before. I could sense it. To begin with, I had reached the peak of the Body Tempering Realm.
My healing of Young Master Teng, followed by the furious clash with the potent poison, had allowed my blood essence to flourish and in turn reinforce my body to the limits of mortality. The next step was to absorb a drop of qi from my surroundings and transform my spirit roots into a dantian.
Except… I had no spirit roots. They had shattered and broken. The path ahead was unclear.
For now though, I was satisfied to have reached this level. The previous Zhao Dan would never have even dreamed of achieving such heights in his lifetime after becoming stagnant.
Reaching the peak of this realm was just the start.
The last two pieces of information had come together, at the instant I had reawoken. Earlier, the shattering noise had not been my lungs breaking or the refinement process failing, but instead a sign of it reaching completion.
The Qi Gathering poison had been enough fuel to bring the first step of the first layer of the Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique to completion. I had refined my lungs and achieving that had granted me a potent ability.
That ability was the same as before—converting medicinal and toxic materials into healing energy—but it was far more potent after refining my lungs. The proof of this was that it had quite literally brought me back from the brink of death.
And that wasn't all I'd gained. The instant I completely refined the poisonous qi I had learned the name of the poison which had been used on Young Master Teng.
Blood lotus puppet poison.
This was even more potent than the iceflower poison which someone had attempted to use on little Cui. I'd been calling it a Qi Gathering poison, but that wasn't quite accurate.
My physique gave me the knowledge. It was a martial-grade poison, a step above mortal-grade. Certainly, no one in Three River City should have the means to produce such a toxin.
So how had it ended up in the young master's body? That was yet another mystery I needed to solve, but right now I had other concerns on my mind.
Should I chase after my assassin? I could possibly catch him and take my revenge or gain the information I needed.
However, he was likely long gone. Instead of chasing after him like a rabid dog I decided to first make sure Xiao Cui was unharmed.
If they'd targeted me, it was possible they'd gone after her as well. As I stood up from the bed, I realised that instead of feeling drained after my ordeal I instead was brimming with vitality and energy.
All the wounds in my body had been healed, even some I hadn't realised were there! I gained a new level of appreciation for my physique. Along with that, I was reminded of my oath to the heavens which had allowed me to earn it in the first place.
To heal those who needed it and to protect the innocent from cruelty.
Right now, there was one innocent boy who clearly needed a lot of protection from forces far beyond him. I'd already healed Teng Sheng, but the fact he'd been poisoned with something so potent spoke to a sinister underlying plot—one that went beyond even the city lord.
But that was something way above my pay grade. I'd only barely survived this time. I had no desire to court death once more.
It didn't take me long to reach the place I'd left Xiao Cui. Finding my way through the palace was actually quite simple now that I'd roughly memorised the layout.
The door was still closed and it was dark inside. A positive sign. Sliding open the wooden door as quietly as possible, I slipped inside and shut it behind me.
Everything was peaceful. On one of the beds, there was a lump in the blankets. It rose and fell gently. Approaching, I saw Xiao Cui fast asleep and unharmed. Exactly as she'd been when I left to treat the city lord's son.
I let out a sigh of relief. My worst fear was that the assassins would have gone after both of us at the same time. While I could defend myself—or in this instance, survive through sheer luck and the will of the heavens—little Cui was just a mortal girl.
Not wanting to take any risks, I decided to spend the rest of the night watching over her. I wasn't tired. With my current cultivation I barely needed to sleep—perhaps a few hours a week at most.
While watching over her, I tried to figure out the mess that was my path of cultivation. Until now, my broken spirit roots hadn't posed an issue to my advance.
Body Tempering did typically require one to possess spirit roots, but because I'd already begun cultivating, or perhaps because of my physique, I had been able to continue until now.
However, lacking spirit roots was a true blockade when it came to breaking through to the next major realm. The difference between Body Tempering and Qi Gathering was incomparable to the difference between eight and nine-star Body Tempering.
How could I overcome that?
I'd read Zhao Dan's notes on cultivation. The standard method of breaking through once a practitioner reached the peak of Body Tempering was to learn how to sense the spiritual energy of the world, then absorb it into their body through their spirit roots, converting it into qi of their own.
The moment that first drop formed, it would trigger the formation of the dantian from the spirit roots. A simple process.
But I had no spirit roots.
So how was I going to achieve the breakthrough? There were many hints. Small bits of knowledge I could use to try and forge my own path ahead as I'd been doing until now.
However, there was a massive difference between going through the Body Tempering realm and the Qi Gathering realm outside of the standard methods.
Body Tempering was a pretty varied thing. Even a regular mortal could achieve one-star in the realm if they had a fortunate encounter, provided they had enough spirit roots.
So it wasn't that unusual for a practitioner to reach the peak of Body Tempering even when deviating from the accepted methods practiced by the larger sects. However, for all but the most ridiculous outliers, that wasn't possible once one entered the Qi Gathering realm.
Every cultivator had to first learn to sense spiritual energy. Then they had to figure out how to absorb it into their spirit roots, forming a dantian. After that it was just a matter of adhering to your sect or clan's chosen cultivation method.
Sensing spiritual energy was simple. In fact, I could already sense qi. I'd done so when Wang Ren had displayed the qi healing technique to me back in the Cloudy Falls Sect. So actually I had a headstart on most cultivators.
But that's where I came to a crashing halt. I had broken spirit roots and no way to absorb spiritual energy into them. There was that hollow shell in my core, which had appeared during my breakthrough to nine-star Body Tempering. However, I wasn't sure if it was actually my dantian or something else entirely.
Ultimately I couldn't find the answer even after a few hours of struggling. That was fine. Cultivation wasn't a sprint, it was a marathon.
I'd already been making rapid progress until now and I should be satisfied. But I wasn't.
This world was far too dangerous.
The people I'd grown to care about were constantly being put in danger. So I needed to become stronger in order to protect them. To heal the corruption in the Celestial Jade Empire.
****
I felt as though this same scene was repeating itself far too often.
I was standing at the base of a stone dais, looking up at the city lord as he lounged on his throne. Councillor Gao stood to one side and his son on the other.
When I'd entered, Xiao Cui in tow, after being summoned by Captain Kang that morning, the councillor had been shocked.
He'd quickly hidden it, but it hadn't escaped my attention. He must have had something to do with last night's failed assassination attempt.
Captain Kang had sent a few guards to scour the palace for me after finding my room empty and blood everywhere. I'd explained the situation and tried to calm him down, but learning that assassins had infiltrated the palace only made him more furious.
He'd personally escorted the pair of us while ordering his men to scour every inch of the palace grounds and search for anything out of the ordinary. Even more strangely, when Wang Bao had seen me his eyes had widened for a moment. Just like the councillor's.
Worse, the moment I locked eyes with him I instantly recognised the gaze. Those same eyes had been staring down at me from behind a mask the night before. He was the assassin.
Anger bubbled up within me and I'd wanted to strike out there and then. However, I held back my fury. Truly, Three River City was a nest of vipers.
The captain would never believe me if I accused his vice-captain of being the assassin and doing so would only draw more suspicion back onto me. For now, I would bide my time. When I was able, I would return to have my vengeance on the bastards who'd hurt Xiao Cui and tried to take my life.
Needless cruelty was not something I ever wished to indulge in, but sometimes a little violence was necessary. It was often best to fight poison with poison, as I'd recently learned.
"Zhao Dan, you have my utmost gratitude," the city lord said with genuine happiness visible on his face. "I never believed my son's sickness could be cured, but you have achieved the impossible."
I nodded, waiting for him to continue.
"You are not forgiven for your treasonous misdeeds, but I made a promise. You and the girl shall go free," he declared with a regal wave. "But make no mistake. Step one foot out of line in my city and you will be back here and facing death once more."
Captain Kang stared daggers at me along with Councillor Gao as their master said this. I suppressed my chuckle and kept a straight face.
Bowing once I replied, "Of course, Lord Teng. This humble healer will not cause any trouble in Three River City from this day onwards."
He scoffed and dismissed us. Captain Kang led little Cui and I to the palace gates. "I will be keeping a close watch on you, Zhao Dan," he said with a sour expression.
"As is your duty, Captain," I replied with a smirk.
He looked as though he'd sucked a lemon. The moment he turned back to the palace I grabbed Xiao Cui and began making our way back into the city as fast as possible.
I had no desire to stay there any longer than necessary. The first thing I wanted to do was get our belongings from the inn. Then, it was time to go shopping!
To be honest, I did think the city lord seemed a little… lenient for a man who'd been enraged at our treasonous actions, but perhaps Councillor Gao had been influencing him.
Or he simply loved his son that much. I wasn't going to delve into it, I was just glad to finally be free.
****
An ancient looking figure's eyes slowly opened. Their bones creaked and dust fell from their body as they stretched. With a wave of their hand, the huge stone rolled away from the cave entrance and sunlight streamed into the darkness.
"A strand of my will has been destroyed…" they murmured as they walked out of the cave.
A tall man cloaked in shadows was waiting outside the cave, falling to his knees as the ancient figure exited. "Disciple greets master," he said with reverence. "How was your secluded cultivation this time, master?"
"I should not have awoken this early, but one of the gifts I left with the clan has been destroyed," the figure replied, closing their eyes for a breath's time.
They opened their eyes. "Three River City. Find out what happened," they ordered.
The man cloaked in shadows stood up and waved his arm. Five more shadowy figures darted outwards, heading towards Three River City. "As you command, master. The Gao Clan celebrates the return of the Patriarch," he declared before following after the others.