Chapter 22: Yinfeng Cave
Chapter 22: Yinfeng Cave
“Great!”
Looking at the four characters that seemed perfectly natural, Sky Splitting Tiger and his sister were extremely excited.
The straightforward Sky Splitting Tiger loudly praised, while Jing Wushuang had tears welling up in her eyes. After her excitement faded, she quickly remembered her father who died in melancholy. Stroking every stroke on the horizontal plaque, her father’s every action when he was alive came to her mind. So many years had passed, and now, they had finally fulfilled their father’s greatest wish before he died.
“Shuang’er, stop crying. Pour some wine. Let your elder brother and Second Brother happily drink a few cups!” Sky Splitting Tiger understood his sister’s sadness and asked her to pour wine to prevent her from crying more sorrowfully.
“Yes!”
Jing Wushuang replied softly, wiped away her tears, and turned to leave. Soon, she came out from the cellar carrying a jar of wine.
“Brother Mu Feng, this is our homemade mountain wine, brewed with medicinal herbs, wild fruits, and morning dew. Come, have a good taste.” Sky Splitting Tiger personally poured a large cup of wine for Mu Feng. After a few cups, he then continued, “By the way, brother, your Shaoyin and Lesser Yang Meridians are severely blocked, and it doesn’t seem to be natural. What exactly happened?”
“When I was a child, I had a serious illness. I was lucky to survive, but all the meridians in my body became blocked and were severely damaged.”
Mu Feng put down his wine cup, sighed softly, and slowly added, “Because of this, I was weak and sickly since childhood and couldn’t cultivate at all. I had to focus on academics from a young age, hoping to pass the imperial examination one day. It wasn’t until recently that my meridians gradually recovered. But no matter what I tried, the Shaoyin and Lesser Yang Meridians still couldn’t be unblocked. The Spiritual Power inside me couldn’t complete a full cycle, so I couldn’t officially step into the cultivation threshold.”
“Oh, there’s such a thing? Brother Mu Feng, let me take a look at your hand.”
Jing Wushuang, who was pouring wine and serving nearby, was surprised. After practicing medicine in the mountains for so many years, she had never heard of such a strange illness. It was normal for diseases like madness or common colds to affect one or two meridians, but every single meridian in the body being severely injured sounded unbelievable.
As she spoke, she extended three slender, pale fingers and gently pressed them on Mu Feng’s wrist, carefully sensing his pulse and blood flow. She concentrated intently, like an experienced old doctor. Sky Splitting Tiger beside her seemed to have expected this and watched their actions with a smile.
So that’s it!
Seeing his smile, Mu Feng suddenly had a realization.
The sun was about to set. He had been a bit puzzled earlier about why Sky Splitting Tiger insisted on inviting him here at this time. Now, looking at the focused Jing Wushuang, he finally understood. Inviting him was just a pretext. Sky Splitting Tiger’s real intention was to have his sister treat him! Perhaps he was worried that Mu Feng would be too polite or proud to come, so he deliberately said it that way.
Good brother!
A wave of warmth rose in Mu Feng’s heart.
Good brother, truly sincere!
Those who genuinely care for you don’t boast; they find ways to help you solve your problems. To judge a person, don’t look at what they say, but at what they do!
“Shuang’er, how is it? Is there hope for treatment?”
Looking at the focused Jing Wushuang, Mu Feng’s heart, which had been like stagnant water, stirred with a ripple of hope again.
Tomorrow was the last day to pay the Tribute Payment. If they couldn’t pay, they would be expelled from Mu Manor, facing the unrestrained bullying and even lawless pursuit of that scoundrel Mu Qingyuan.
If it were just him alone, he wouldn’t be afraid. He would face whatever came. But thinking of his weak and sickly mother, as long as there was a sliver of hope, he couldn’t give up. If he could unblock the Shaoyin and Lesser Yang Meridians and break through to the Mortal Realm in one go, everything would be resolved!
“It’s really strange. Every meridian in the body is injured. Strange…”
Jing Wushuang didn’t directly answer Mu Feng’s question. She muttered to herself, her brows tightly furrowed.
After swallowing the Blood Pearl, most of Mu Feng’s meridians had been repaired and unblocked, but traces of past injuries remained. Ordinary people couldn’t see it, and even Mu Feng himself didn’t know, but it couldn’t escape her notice as a skilled pharmacist. After a pause, she continued, “Brother Mu Feng, are you sure this was caused by a serious illness in childhood, or did you accidentally get poisoned? For example, eating something wrong or being bitten by a poisonous snake?”
“No, I was never poisoned!”
Mu Feng shook his head decisively. When he was a child, he was weak and sickly, and his mother never let him go outside. He had never encountered a snake, let alone a poisonous one.
“Strange. The pulse is strong, but every seven beats, there’s a slight disorder…” Jing Wushuang’s delicate brows furrowed tighter. “Using medicinal guides like ginseng and crab roe to slowly regulate might bring some relief after a few years. But to fully recover, I’m afraid…”
Jing Wushuang looked up at Mu Feng’s hopeful face. Her eyes suddenly reddened for no reason, and her nose felt sore. There was one thing she didn’t say aloud. According to the notes in the “Medicine Classic,” for someone in Mu Feng’s condition, even surviving to this point was a miracle. His lifespan was limited. Perhaps he didn’t have many years left.
Heaven envies talent!
Such character, such brilliance, yet such a harsh fate! Pitiful, lamentable, even heart-wrenching!
“One day is already too late, let alone one year!”
Mu Feng shook his head with a bitter smile and let out a long sigh. Tomorrow was the final deadline. Even if he could be cured years later, what use would it be? Disappointed, he didn’t carefully consider the implications in Jing Wushuang’s words.
“You need to be cured by tomorrow? How is that possible?”
Sky Splitting Tiger widened his eyes and abruptly put down his wine cup. “Brother Mu Feng, are you hiding something urgent from us?”
“It’s a long story!”
Mu Feng took a big gulp of wine and briefly explained his background, mentioning the scoundrel Mu Qingyuan. After a sigh, he said slowly, “Tomorrow is the last day. If we can’t pay the Tribute Payment, my mother and I will be expelled from Mu Manor. That scoundrel Mu Qingyuan and his gang are surely prepared. Trying to evade his persecution and pursuit while protecting my mother won’t be easy!”
“Disgusting!”
Sky Splitting Tiger threw his wine cup aside, grabbed his Overlord Spear, and stood up abruptly, radiating killing intent. “Let’s go, Brother Mu Feng. I’ll go with you to Mu Manor, chop off that scoundrel Mu Qingyuan’s head, and we’ll have it with our wine!”
Understanding the situation, the justice-loving Sky Splitting Tiger was furious, his killing intent surging like a tiger about to erupt.
“Brother, you’re drunk again! What kind of place is Mu Manor? Can just anyone barge in?” Just as Sky Splitting Tiger was about to charge out, his right hand was grabbed by his sister Jing Wushuang, who feared he might cause a disaster while drunk!
“I’m not drunk, Shuang’er. Go, bring the money bag!”
Sky Splitting Tiger ordered in a deep voice, breathing heavily. Seeing the fire in his eyes, Jing Wushuang didn’t dare delay and quickly turned to leave. Soon, she returned with a money bag, looking troubled. “Brother, yesterday Auntie next door was seriously ill, and we lent her the dozen or so taels from selling the tiger. Now, look, there’s less than one tael left…”
“What?”
Sky Splitting Tiger snatched the money bag, opened it, and his anger grew. “What kind of miserable life is this? The year before last, catching one tiger could support us for a year. Last year, one tiger could last half a year. Now, it can’t even last half a month. Each year is worse than the last. What kind of rotten dynasty is this? Are they trying to force us all to rebel?”
“Brother, keep your voice down!”
Jing Wushuang was startled and urged Sky Splitting Tiger to stop talking to avoid trouble. The laws of the Tongtian Dynasty were strict; rebels would have their entire clan executed. If someone overheard, it would be a disaster!
Sky Splitting Tiger snorted coldly, clearly growing more dissatisfied with the times. He looked at his sister Jing Wushuang and said, “Shuang’er, there’s no time. Without enough silver, Mu Feng and his mother will be expelled from Mu Manor tomorrow. The only way now is to quickly unblock his meridians so he can break through to the Mortal Realm. You can’t cure him, but that… that person definitely can!”
“Brother, you mean, take Brother Mu Feng to Yinfeng Cave to find…”
Jing Wushuang’s face turned pale, and she looked around anxiously, as if thinking of something extremely terrifying.