Chapter 34: Divine Artifact
Led by Yang Yushan, they quickly arrived at Yang Rong's room.
Inside, besides Yang Rong's parents, Xue Tianxiang was also keeping watch.
Seeing Chen Dong arrive, Xue Tianxiang was extremely anxious. "Chen, you're finally here! Miss Yang's illness is truly bizarre. My knowledge is limited, so I had no choice but to ask you to come."
Chen Dong nodded and went to check on the patient.
Lying on the bed was clearly a woman in her seventies or eighties. Where was Miss Yang?
Xue Tianxiang explained, "When I called you, Miss Yang didn't look like this. She looked to be in her thirties. In less than an hour, she aged to this state."
Chen Dong frowned, placed his hand on her wrist to check her pulse, and simultaneously examined Yang Rong's teeth. They were perfectly intact.
He felt her shoulder. Her bone age hadn't changed. He now had an idea of what was going on.
He spoke, "This isn't an illness. Your Yang Family has been cursed!"
Everyone was shocked to hear this!
Yang Rong's mother instantly burst into tears. "My child! My Rong'er!" The woman, who had been holding onto a sliver of hope, completely broke down upon hearing the word "curse."
Yang Rong's father also clenched his fists tightly, his eyes filled with helplessness.
Yang Yushan seemed to have aged even more. He said, "Anfu, hurry and find some people who understand curses! It looks like Rong can't wait much longer!"
Chen Dong said calmly, "Why look for others? I understand them."
The three members of the Yang Family were all stunned. They had never imagined that a doctor could also understand curses, let alone one so young!
Yang Yushan asked anxiously, "Divine Doctor Chen, is there a way to break it?"
"Since it's a curse, as long as we find the source, we can break it. Moreover, this curse isn't targeting Yang Rong; it's targeting your entire Yang Family!" Chen Dong said, his gaze fixed on Yang Rong.
The members of the Yang Family looked at each other, and it was as if they could see the others aging before their very eyes.
"I'll first use Silver Needles to lock Yang Rong's life force and prevent it from draining away, but this won't hold for long. For now, think hard. Have you offended someone, been somewhere unusual, or has some strange object appeared in your home?"
As Chen Dong spoke, he took out seven Silver Needles and inserted them into seven spots on Yang Rong's body with lightning speed.
Seeing this technique, Xue Tianxiang's eyes widened in astonishment.
The members of the Yang Family fell into deep thought, racking their brains.
After a moment, Yang Yushan spoke up. "My Yang Family doesn't have many enemies, but we do have some. I just can't think of any who would know this kind of cursing technique."
Chen Dong said again, "This curse isn't necessarily man-made. It could be an object imbued with a curse, or a place that contains one. If we can't find the source, there's nothing I can do."
Yang Anfu quickly said, "I can't think of any strange places, but there is indeed a strange object. I'll go get it now." With that, he ran out.
A moment later, Yang Anfu ran back in, carrying an ancient sword. "Mr. Chen, this is it."
Everyone present looked at him and gasped!
The reason was simple: Yang Anfu, who should have been a man in his prime at around forty, now had a full head of white hair and a face full of wrinkles, yet he was completely unaware of it.
Yang Rong's mother was so tear-streaked she couldn't even speak.
Yang Yushan stammered, "Anfu... you've grown old too!"
Only then did Yang Anfu notice his hands were covered in wrinkles. Nevertheless, he said with an agitated expression, "The curse must be from this sword! When I first brought it home, it was covered in rust. Now the rust is gone, and there's even a Divine Light glowing within it."
Chen Dong picked up the ancient sword. The hilt was engraved with inscriptions, the guard was carved with strange flowers, the blade was three fingers wide and over three feet long, and it bore strange, recessed symbols.
As he held the ancient sword, a strange power tried to invade his body, only to be instantly repelled.
'The power of the curse? It seems the problem is without a doubt this ancient sword.'
Chen Dong asked, "Where did this sword come from?"
"I bought it on a whim at an auction. Who knew it was so malevolent? If I had, I would have died before bidding on it," Yang Anfu said with a frown.
Chen Dong slowly ran his hand over the blade, his brow furrowing slightly. "No, that's not right. It should have had a seal on it."
Yang Anfu's eyes widened in sudden realization. "It did have a Sword Box! I thought the box was so rotten it had no collection value, so I burned it."
Yang Yushan analyzed, "It seems the Sword Box was its seal. With the seal broken, the curse on it activated. But why is it only targeting the Yang Family?"
Chen Dong smiled faintly. "You were the ones who burned its Sword Box. Who else would it target?"
Yang Yushan shot Yang Anfu an angry glare.
'This disgrace, bringing disaster upon the Yang Family!'
He then asked, "If that's the case, why wasn't this unfilial son cursed first? Why was Rong cursed first?"
"A matter of strength. If I'm not mistaken, both Mr. Yang and Elder Yang are Grandmasters, and Elder Yang's strength is even greater. Miss Yang, on the other hand, has only just managed to cultivate True Qi!"
The Yang Family was startled. Their power levels had been seen through completely by this young Mr. Chen.
Yang Anfu shook off his astonishment and quickly asked, "Mr. Chen, now that we've found the source, is there a way to break the curse?"
Chen Dong smiled. "Nothing could be simpler. This sword is a Divine Artifact. If you make it acknowledge a master, its cursing power can be controlled at will, and the curse will be perfectly resolved."
The Yang father and son exchanged a glance.
Yang Anfu's face flushed with excitement. 'A Divine Artifact! To think the ancient sword I bought on a whim is actually a Divine Artifact! Heaven is truly blessing my Yang Family. Such terrifying cursing power, able to steal a person's life force... If I could wield this Divine Artifact, the Yang Family would no longer be confined to this small corner of the world.'
He then turned to Chen Dong and asked eagerly, "Mr. Chen, please tell us the method to make it acknowledge a master. My Yang Family will reward you handsomely!"
Chen Dong raised an eyebrow. 'A handsome reward? How handsome could it be?'
'It concerns a Divine Artifact and the very survival of the entire Yang Family. It surely won't be less than what Elder Zhao gave me!'
So, Chen Dong said with a beaming smile, "I know of three methods for a Divine Artifact to acknowledge a master. The first is to conquer it with force, subduing the Divine Artifact with overwhelming cultivation or by breaking its original master's mark. I've examined this ancient sword; it's masterless. The original owner's mark has likely shattered over the long river of time."
"The second is the Heart-Blood Forging method. You feed it with your heart's blood to brand it with your mark. The advantage of this method is that the Divine Artifact becomes one with you, the sword moving like an extension of your arm, making it effortless to use. The drawback is that it takes a very long time."
"The third is the Soul Casting Technique. You find a direct blood relative and use their flesh, blood, and soul to reforge the Divine Artifact, which will also make it acknowledge a master. This method requires a masterless Divine Artifact, and even after it acknowledges a master, the effect is not as good as the Heart-Blood Forging method."
A sharp glint flashed in the eyes of the Yang father and son, their faces filled with joy. "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Chen."
Yang Anfu took the ancient sword and channeled his True Qi into it. The sword, with its internal Divine Light, didn't react at all. Instead, the white-haired Yang Anfu aged even more rapidly. The skin on his face sagged, and large age spots appeared on his body.
The more True Qi he used, the faster his life force was absorbed.
Yang Anfu quickly let go of the ancient sword, feeling that if he used any more strength, he'd forfeit his old life.
Helpless, he had no choice but to hand the sword to Yang Yushan.
Yang Yushan took the ancient sword and observed it for a long while before asking Chen Dong, "Sir, how exactly is the Soul Casting Technique performed?"
Hearing this, Chen Dong frowned and said with displeasure, "Elder Yang, there's no need to use that method right now, is there?"