Chapter 716 - 716: Blessing in Disguise
The old man carried Ye Qing on his back and then turned around to grab the girl's arm, heading straight for the mountain behind them.
Carrying one person and dragging another, the old man's speed was still incredibly fast, as if he turned into a streak of blue smoke that reached the mountain top. Those with less sharp eyes would probably not be able to see clearly that there were three people.
Leading the two, the old man reached the middle of the mountain, went around two small woods, and finally found a pitch-black cave. The old man entered the cave, which was quite spacious inside, but it was completely dark, and one could not see clearly what was inside the cave.
The old man put Ye Qing on the ground and had the girl sit beside him. He then took out a bag and sprinkled some sulfur to form a circle, enclosing the three of them inside.
"Ling Wei, you sit here and don't move no matter what you hear!" the old man instructed the girl.
"Yes, Grandpa!" the girl replied obediently, as this concerned Ye's life and death, she had no extra words to say.
The old man didn't dare to delay, placed Ye Qing on the ground, sat down cross-legged, took hold of Ye Qing's shoulders, and arranged him into a sitting position as well.
Holding onto Ye Qing's shoulders, the old man said in a deep voice, "Grandpa is now going to help him clear the Inner Strength within his body, and dissolve the effects of the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill entirely, to ensure that he stays alive. However, his Inner Strength is very strong, and this process might take some time. Ling Wei, just sit there and don't run around!"
"Grandpa, will it be dangerous?" the girl asked anxiously.
"There won't be any problems," the old man replied with a smile. "With my cultivation power of over seventy years, if I can't suppress the Inner Strength in his body, then what have I lived this life for? Just wait, your Ye will definitely come through this safely!"
Only then did the girl breathe a sigh of relief, but she quickly became anxious again and said, "Grandpa, you have to be safe too!"
"Hahahaha..." The old man laughed heartily, without saying any more words. He stretched his hand and tapped Ye Qing several times, then placed one hand on Ye's head and the other on his shoulder, beginning to channel his Inner Strength.
The Inner Strength within Ye Qing was completely in chaos, running wildly and crashing within his meridians. This was doing great damage to his body, and most crucially, because the Ziyu Chenxiang Pill had dissolved into Inner Strength, it kept getting stronger and more complicated, something Ye himself could not control.
However, as soon as the old man's Inner Strength entered his body, the situation improved significantly. The old man's Inner Strength was extremely powerful, and as soon as it entered Ye Qing's body, it started driving his Inner Strength along the correct pathways. While circulating his Inner Strength, it also continuously repaired the damage Ye's meridians had suffered from the Inner Strength collisions.
Initially, the old man managed quite easily, but as he progressed, the inborn blockages in Ye Qing's meridians made each segment's Inner Strength independent. Thus, as he moved further, the Inner Strength he needed to control became more and more substantial and stronger, increasing the pressure on him considerably. In the end, the old man had to exert all his power to suppress the Inner Strength in Ye Qing's body. However, he was exhausted, soaked in sweat, no less taxing than facing a formidable opponent in a duel!
This situation lasted for more than three hours, and the girl waited anxiously by the side. She wanted to ask about the current situation, but afraid of disturbing the old man, she did not dare to speak. Only when the sky began to lighten did the old man let out a long sigh and released his hands, collapsing nearly drained on the ground.
"Grandpa, Grandpa, how are you?" the girl hurriedly asked.
"I... I'm okay," the old man's voice was very weary. In this short time, he seemed to have aged decades, and even his back was no longer so straight.
Hearing the old man's voice, the girl felt a pang of distress and urgently said, "Grandpa, please... please be all right..."
The old man chuckled softly, took out a porcelain bottle from his clothes, and popped a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill into his mouth. He sat down cross-legged on the ground, slowly regulating his breath for a while before taking a long, relieved breath.
The old man stood up, regaining his previous strength and confidence, his fatigue swept away. However, he now had a few more white hairs at his temples. Helping Ye Qing with all his might had taken a toll on his body. Fortunately, he carried Ziyu Chenxiang Pills with him to recover his strength quickly, but he too had not escaped without injury.
"He must have swallowed at least fifty Ziyu Chenxiang Pills!" the old man frowned as he looked at Ye Qing and said, "When did the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills become so cheap? He swallowed so many alone, where did he get them from?"
"Fifty Ziyu Chenxiang Pills?" the girl was also startled, and said, "Is Ye treating Ziyu Chenxiang Pills as his staple food?"
"Who knows," the old man bent over to look at Ye Qing, who was still unconscious, but his body had returned to normal, and his breathing had become much smoother.
"Is Ye out of danger now?" the girl was even more concerned about this matter.
"He is out of danger for the time being," the elder smiled and said, "He has even turned misfortune into a blessing, having cleared the meridians in his left arm as well. From now on, both his left and right hands can achieve Internal Energy Release, making his strength much greater than before. Moreover, the most crucial thing is, the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills have transformed his Inner Strength, taking his cultivation of Inner Strength to a higher level. Although only his hands can achieve Internal Energy Release, their Inner Strength is now not much less than that of an average expert!"
"Really?" The girl was overjoyed, but then quickly came back to her senses and asked, "You just said he is temporarily out of danger, what do you mean by temporarily?"
"He has ingested too many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills. If all of their effects were to manifest, even if there were another me, I couldn't suppress the effects within his body!" the elder said, "In the end, I sealed most of the medicine's power temporarily inside his body, preserving his life for now. But once this power is unsealed again, it will be up to his fate."
"Is there really no way to neutralize this medicinal power?" the girl asked anxiously.
The elder replied, "Just being able to save his life is good enough. Neutralize? Unless you meet Sai Hua Tuo or King Yan of Sorrow!"
"What?" The girl was shocked and said, "But Sai Hua Tuo and King Yan of Sorrow have been missing for so many years. Doesn't that mean Ye... Ye is beyond help?"
"That's not necessarily the case. I've sealed the medicinal power within the meridians in his body. However, his meridians are blocked. As long as the meridians remain unopened, the medicinal power will not be released," the elder explained. "But in this world, only Sai Hua Tuo and King Yan of Sorrow can open his meridians. So, you don't have to worry so much. He won't be in danger!"
Upon hearing this, the girl finally felt relieved and said, "That's a relief."
"What's there to be relieved about? In order to save his life, we have delayed our own business!" The elder sighed and said, "Alright, let's leave now. We shouldn't wait here. If he wakes up and sees us, we'll probably be entangled with him again for a while."
The girl felt somewhat reluctant, but she still got up and followed the elder. After a few steps, she suddenly stopped and said, "Grandpa, should we set up some protection for Ye? There are many poisonous creatures in this cave. What if Ye gets bitten by a venomous snake or something?"
"You don't need to worry about that!" the elder replied. "He's ingested so many Ziyu Chenxiang Pills, do you think it was in vain? Although the Ziyu Chenxiang Pills could take his life at any moment, with so much of their medicinal power stored in his body, there's no poison in this world that can harm him. He has turned a disaster into a blessing and became immune to all poisons. If a venomous snake bites him, he'll be fine, but the snake will be the one to die first!"
"Really?" The girl was even happier. She was glad for Ye Qing's fortune.
"Would I lie to you?" The elder glanced at Ye Qing and muttered with some puzzlement, "This young man's luck is getting better and better. What's going on here?"
The two didn't linger in the cave for long. Taking advantage of the faint daylight, they slowly left the cave. Inside, Ye Qing was still sleeping soundly until after ten o'clock in the morning when sunlight touched his face and he finally woke up.
Upon opening his eyes, Ye Qing felt an unprecedented clarity and vigor, as if his body was filled with endless energy. He stood up, looked around, and couldn't help but be full of astonishment.
Ye Qing vaguely remembered severe stomach pain and a burning sensation throughout his body last night, utterly unbearable. At that time, he was resting beside a tree, but how did he wake up in a cave?
Walking deeper into the cave, Ye Qing wanted to see if there was anything inside. However, not long after, he found that the cave had come to an end, with nothing inside but some snakes, insects, rats, and ants.
"What happened here?" Ye Qing scratched his head, turned around and walked out of the cave, only to realize he was on the side of the mountain. Looking down the slope, he could faintly see Shen Family Manor!
Seeing Shen Family Manor, Ye Qing's expression immediately changed, and he furrowed his brows. The events that took place at Shen Family Manor the day before were unforgettable to him. The way the people of the Shen Family acted unreasonably and their ruthlessness when they attacked him were all too clear in his memory. And Du Tianyi was still being held there, which infuriated him the most.
Ye Qing walked down the mountain, heading straight for Shen Family Manor. Halfway there, he unexpectedly found their car still parked on the side of the road outside the small forest. Since Shen Family Manor was quite remote and rarely had passersby, it was relatively safe for the car to stay parked there.
Ye Qing immediately went to the car, opened the door, and took out the Seven-Star Ancient Sword hidden inside. As soon as he grasped the Seven-Star Ancient Sword, he felt an overwhelming power that greatly boosted his confidence.
When entering Shen Family Manor yesterday, they had gone empty-handed for the sake of politeness. But this time, Ye Qing felt there was no need to be polite to the Shen Family anymore!