Chapter 650 - 650 Visit Chen Si
Li Lianshan's surgery lasted nearly two hours, and Ye Qing had been waiting here for two hours as well.
Finally, the surgery was completed, and Li Lianshan was wheeled out. Mao Mao and the elderly woman were both at the door of the operating room, and as soon as the door opened, they immediately crowded around, followed by Li Lianshan's subordinates.
Ye Qing walked over to Lin Tianyou's side and asked in a low voice, "How did it go?"
Lin Tianyou sighed, shook his head, and replied, "His arm was completely severed. We managed to reattach it, but it has lost most of its functionality. From now on, this left arm will only have about thirty percent of its usual strength and flexibility, essentially making it half-crippled!"
Ye Qing's heart lurched as he looked at the still unconscious Li Lianshan, unable to help clenching his fists. Half-crippled—what did that mean? It meant that for the rest of his life, his left arm might not be of much use at all!
Knowing the relationship between Ye Qing and Li Lianshan, Lin Tianyou added, "Don't be too upset. If you hadn't brought him here in time, he probably would have bled to death long ago. Alright, don't crowd around here anymore. Take the patient to the ward; he needs rest now!"
It was only then that Li Lianshan's subordinates dispersed, and several nurses took Li Lianshan to the ward. Naturally, not too many people were allowed in the ward, only Mao Mao, the elderly woman, and Ye Qing and Zhao Chengshuang were inside, accompanied by two nurses ready to take care of Li Lianshan at any moment.
Mao Mao's eyes were swollen from crying, and the elderly woman had fainted several times from grief. Although they had no blood relation to Li Lianshan, their previous affection for each other was thicker than blood. To them, Li Lianshan was their only family, and they were Li Lianshan's only family!
Ye Qing sat by the bed, his mood exceedingly heavy. He couldn't help but recall something Li Lianshan had said before: every action comes with a price. The more you gain, the more you must give up.
This time, he and Li Lianshan had gained control over the whole of Shenchuan City, and the cost was just as great. He had suffered over a dozen cuts, and Li Lianshan had paid with an entire left arm—is this the price?
Meanwhile, at the same time, three sedans slowly drove into a scenic villa in the suburbs of Xikou City.
The owner of the villa was none other than the Xikou Fire Butterfly, Chen Si. This villa was not open to the public and could be seen as Chen Si's headquarters; unless she was out on business, Chen Si was usually there.
Of course, the individuals who could visit Chen Si at this villa were certainly not ordinary. In Xikou City, only her close confidants could enter and exit freely; others simply didn't have the right.
However, those in the three sedans were also not ordinary people. In the front car sat Cui Yu and a man who looked rather sinister. In the middle car were Cui Yulong and the Netherworld Scholar. In the last car sat the Ghost King Li Ruoyuan and the Demon Queen He Qinghua.
This seating arrangement was the result of Cui Yu's careful consideration. He was well aware of the conflicts between everyone: Li Ruoyuan and He Qinghua could not possibly sit with the Netherworld Scholar, as it would likely lead to conflict. Yet, Cui Yu still didn't trust the Netherworld Scholar and had therefore paired him with Cui Yulong. With Cui Yulong present, the Netherworld Scholar, despite his formidable strength, would definitely not dare to act foolishly.
As for Li Ruoyuan and He Qinghua, although they spent most of their time bickering, they truly couldn't come to blows, which Cui Yu was very clear about.
Stepping out of the cars, they were immediately greeted by two women. These were Chen Si's personal attendants, whom Ye Qing had met when he was in Shenchuan City.
"This must be Judge Cui!" The leading woman bowed to Cui Yu and said, "My miss has been waiting for a long time, please follow me, everyone."
The Netherworld Scholar and the others also got out of the cars; the Scholar's eyes mostly lingered on the women.
"We're about to meet Miss Chen Si. Netherworld Scholar, I bet you can't win her over!" Demon Queen He Qinghua said with a sneer.
"Why should I bet with you?" replied the Netherworld Scholar coldly. "For me, a woman's beauty is not just about looks, but also the right combination of figure, voice, and skin. This Chen Si, with a pair of hands that don't pass muster, is not within my considerations at all. There's no bet!"
He Qinghua sneered, "Is she not within your considerations, or do you know your limits, aware that you can't win her over?"
"Hee hee hee..." Ghost King Li Ruoyuan also let out a series of strange laughs, saying, "Isn't the answer obvious? We're just betting with him to win her over, not that he has to do something with her. His excuses clearly show he doesn't have confidence in himself!"
The Netherworld Scholar was furious and about to speak when Cui Yu hurriedly turned his head and said, "Alright, stop arguing. No matter what, Miss Chen Si is the orphaned heiress of the Chen Family. The Chen Family once had some connections with our Sha Men, and we should respect the descendants of the Chen Family regardless."
"What bullshit respect is needed!" sneered the Ghost King Li Ruoyuan.
The two girls in front had already turned their heads away, and upon hearing the heated words between Demon Queen He Qinghua and Li Ruoyuan provoking the Netherworld Scholar, both were somewhat angered. Now, hearing this, their eyes widened with fury.
Seeing the expression on the girls' faces, Cui Yu knew things were not good and hurriedly said, "Ghost King, stop talking. No matter what, the former Family Head of the Chen family was also a hero, who even had the chance to share a cup of tea with our Sect Leader. The Sect Leader often mentioned this matter, so everyone please refrain from speaking carelessly!"
Li Ruoyuan did not speak again. As someone who was rebellious by nature, had it not been for Cui Yulong overpowering him last time, it's doubtful he would have paid any attention to Cui Yu's words.
Cui Yu silenced Li Ruoyuan and turned his head to look at the two girls, whose expressions were still very displeased. He clasped his hands towards the two girls and said, "Ladies, he merely spoke recklessly for a moment, we didn't mean any offense, please forgive us!"
Only then did the two girls nod their heads and turn to say, "Follow us!"
The group followed the girls into the villa, weaving through several circles inside before finally arriving at a more luxurious mansion in the back.
This mansion was beautifully decorated and seemed to be where Fire Butterfly Chen Si resided. Outside the door, however, there were eight large black cauldrons lined up, containing soybeans, green beans, rice grains, sand, crushed stones, iron sand, silver sand, and golden sand respectively. The first few items were one thing, but a whole cauldron of gold sand was especially eye-catching. If an ordinary person saw this, they would surely be amazed. A cauldron of gold sand is enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime, yet here it was placed outside the house—weren't they afraid of it being stolen?
Recognizing these things, Cui Yu nodded and said, "I've long heard that General Helian's Iron Sand Palm is divided into eight realms. At the beginning, one trains with heated soybeans. Afterward, small green beans are used, followed by even smaller rice grains, and then sand. After mastering these, one proceeds to crushed stones, iron sand, silver sand, and gold sand. I've only heard about the last four, never imagined they actually existed."
The Demon Queen He Qinghua looked at the eight cauldrons, puzzled, and asked, "Why divide these materials?"
"Soybeans are large and heat up slowly, suitable for junior-level practitioners. Then, the smaller green beans, which heat up more quickly, followed by even smaller rice grains, which are not just about heating anymore. Rice grains are smaller than soybeans, making them more painful to touch. Only after mastering these do students move to sand, which retains heat well and whose small grains are very painful to touch. Those who reach the sand level are usually considered experts," Cui Yu explained, "As for the last four cauldrons, to be honest, I'm not very clear about them either!"
"Isn't it obvious?" said the Netherworld Scholar with a sneer. "Crushed stones have many edges, and practicing the Iron Sand Palm within them requires a higher demand for the toughness of the skin on the hands. Iron sand, though edgeless, is metallic and heats up extremely quickly, with intense heat and fearsome power. Silver sand and gold sand are for the same reason!"
Demon Queen He Qinghua and Li Ruoyuan both looked at the Netherworld Scholar in surprise, not expecting him to understand these practices. Even Cui Yu nodded slowly, as the Netherworld Scholar's explanation helped him understand better.
However, the two girls did not say anything, only looking towards Cui Yulong, who had not shown any expression, and asked, "This gentleman has not spoken from the beginning nor shared any opinions, may I know if this gentleman has any insights on these eight cauldrons?"
The Netherworld Scholar felt annoyed, as he had already explained clearly, yet the girls still asked Cui Yulong if he had a different view, clearly not taking him seriously.
But, after last night's battle, he really did not dare act recklessly in front of Cui Yulong. Looking at the Ink Pattern Black Gold Blade in Cui Yulong's arms, he felt a sense of awe.
Cui Yulong glanced at the eight cauldrons and said, "I agree with the first six that were mentioned. However, the silver sand and golden sand are different from what I know!"
"Oh?" The two girls immediately perked up and asked, "What unique perspective does this gentleman have?"
Cui Yulong said, "I have heard that the highest realm of the Iron Sand Palm involves refining one's hands with gold sand. And the level before this is the refinement with silver sand."
The Netherworld Scholar sneered, "Isn't that obvious? Silver sand and gold sand are placed at the end; it couldn't be more apparent!"
"However, it's different from what you described. Silver sand and gold sand don't cause much harm to the hands, nor is the goal to practice within these sands," Cui Yulong explained. "Silver and gold being soft metals, will melt upon heating. The last two cauldrons of silver and gold sand are actually intended for cultivators to shape the sands into specific forms before they melt. These requirements are extremely high, one must accomplish this before the silver and gold sands melt, or else the molten metal will encase the hands. If lucky, one would only lose the use of their hands; if not, it could cost their lives!"