Heart Ailment

Pill Workshop backyard.

Chen Sheng lay in a bamboo chair.

He held a thick, ancient book in his hands.

"Banmen Grandmaster Mechanism Arts"

This was the ultimate secret knowledge of a renowned mechanism school in the mortal world, considered a peerless art of the Jianghu among mortals.

Not long ago, Chen Sheng had picked it out of a junk pile in the Market Town for half a Spirit Stone.

Once cultivators awakened their spiritual sense, their comprehension greatly increased.

Even memorizing everything at a glance became effortless.

At this moment, Chen Sheng flipped through this mechanism art that was considered "extremely difficult to learn" in the mortal world.

His gaze passed over line after line of text, and he found it all immediately clear, countless pieces of knowledge unfolding in his mind one by one.

After reading through it once, every word was firmly etched into his mind, and he understood seven or eight tenths of its mysteries. Learning it had gone smoothly.

Chen Sheng nodded lightly and thought to himself:

"Compared to formations, these mortal mechanism arts are far simpler."

With that thought.

He took a jade slip from his Storage Bag.

He had purchased it at an auction last year.

Pressing it to his brow, he swept it with his spiritual sense.

"Introduction to Formations"

This was the most basic knowledge of formations.

Yet Chen Sheng found comprehending it exceedingly difficult.

Even now, he had yet to get started.

After only one glance at the obscure knowledge within, Chen Sheng felt a headache coming on and could only press his temples.

"Of the hundred arts of the Immortal Path, formations rank first. It truly isn't false!"

"Without a master to guide one's studies, one might not even get started after decades."

Chen Sheng thought this to himself.

Just then.

A sudden heat came from his sleeve.

"What is this?"

Chen Sheng pulled a yellowed talisman paper from his sleeve.

A Message Talisman!

Not long ago.

Manager Li of the Qingmu Merchant Association had given him this Message Talisman, saying that once the caravan began its return journey and passed through Thousand Mechanisms Workshop, he would send him word.

At this moment, the corners of the talisman paper glowed red, while the Spirit Patterns drawn in cinnabar faintly lit up.

This was a sign that the other party had sent him a message and invited him over.

Chen Sheng's heart immediately stirred.

He hurried to the Merchant Association.

Not long after.

Qingmu Merchant Association.

An inner hall.

Manager Li led Chen Sheng before a yellow-robed cultivator with thick brows.

This man was the person in charge of this caravan, Zhou Chun, a Qi Condensation Perfection cultivator known as Old Zhou.

Zhou Chun slowly took out a jade slip from his robes.

"Tang Master, this is the information regarding your daughter that I purchased from the most famous Wind Rain Tower in Linglong City."

"It cost a total of one hundred Spirit Stones."

Chen Sheng clasped his hands and took two hundred Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, handing them over.

"Many thanks, Brother Zhou."

Zhou Chun accepted the Spirit Stones. His expression was somewhat somber as he nodded lightly.

"Please accept my condolences, Tang Master."

Upon hearing this.

Chen Sheng's heart immediately skipped a beat.

He hurriedly pressed the jade slip to his brow.

He scanned the information within.

Chen Sheng's body suddenly stiffened. He stared blankly into the air for a long while.

The joints of the hand gripping the jade slip turned white. The jade rubbed his fingertips raw, yet he felt nothing.

Only after a long time did Chen Sheng finally recover.

He cupped his hands slightly toward the two of them.

"Thank you. I'll take my leave first."

"Take care, Tang Master."

Pill Workshop.

Chen Sheng returned with a grave expression.

Huang Wangyou hurried over. Seeing his appearance, she anxiously asked:

"Is there news of Chen'er?"

Chen Sheng sighed softly.

This news could not be concealed.

He slowly handed over a jade slip.

Huang Wangyou swiftly took it and scanned it with her spiritual sense.

The words within immediately appeared.

At the beginning of July, Tang Xichen of the Cloud-Covering Sword was suspected of obtaining a stalk of Profound Origin Treasure Ginseng, the main ingredient for the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Upon learning the news, Lin Tunan, a Foundation Establishment cultivator of the Chongyun Lin Clan, personally acted and pursued her for a thousand li into the depths of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range.

In August, Lin Tunan returned and used the treasure ginseng to ask Alchemy Master Song He to refine several Foundation Establishment Pills. The whereabouts of the Cloud-Covering Sword were unknown.

Smack!

The jade slip fell from her hand at once.

Huang Wangyou felt a sharp pain in her chest, and sweetness rose in her throat.

Her body swayed, utterly unable to stand steadily.

She spat out a mouthful of fresh blood!

Her vision went black, and she fainted stiffly to the ground.

"Wangyou!"

Chen Sheng cried out in alarm. He hurriedly supported her and carried her to the bed.

On the bed.

The color had drained from Huang Wangyou's face. Her teeth were clenched tightly, and no matter how they called to her, she gave no response.

Chen Sheng was helpless.

He hurriedly sent Qin Yuan to fetch a spirit physician.

Not long after.

A white-robed old man arrived.

He was Physician Zhang, the most famous spirit physician in the Market Town.

"Please, Physician Zhang!"

Physician Zhang nodded and placed his fingers on her wrist.

He began taking her pulse.

Then he closed his eyes and concentrated for a moment.

He also lifted Huang Wangyou's eyelids and examined them.

Chen Sheng stood guard beside the bed. His voice was somewhat hoarse as he hurriedly asked:

"Physician Zhang, how is my wife?"

Physician Zhang withdrew his hand and sighed softly.

"This was caused by raging emotions attacking the heart and excessive damage to her spirit."

"Her heart meridians are tangled like a mess of hemp, and the qi sea surges without settling."

As he spoke.

Physician Zhang had already picked up a brush and written a prescription on paper. The tip of his brush scratched across the rice paper, the sound especially clear in the deathly silent room.

"First, use a Spirit-Calming Pill to stabilize her mind. Have her take it three times daily with warmed yellow wine."

He pointed at several herbs listed on the prescription.

"Then take three qian each of Spirit-Settling Leaf and Miluo Vine. Boil them in spiritual water into a medicinal soup, and give her a bowl each morning and evening. She should awaken soon."

"However..."

Physician Zhang paused. His gaze swept over the patient on the bed, and he shook his head.

"Medicine can only treat the body. A heart ailment still requires medicine for the heart. Madam's knot lies in her thoughts. Alchemist Tang will need to comfort and counsel her more."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng presented the consultation fee.

"Thank you, Physician Zhang."

Over the next two days.

Chen Sheng remained nearly inseparable from the bedside, carefully arranging his wife's hair and giving her medicinal soup.

He held his wife's icy hand and slowly stroked the back of it. Seeing her pale face, his heart ached all the more.

Chen Sheng silently prayed:

"Wake up soon, Wangyou!"

He sighed inwardly.

His wife's life had been smooth, yet in these past two years, she had suffered blow after blow.

Not long ago, Father-in-law had passed away.

And now their Eldest Daughter had met with disaster.

No wonder her emotions had attacked her heart!

Whenever he thought of what was recorded in the jade slip.

Chen Sheng gritted his teeth in hatred as well.

"The Chongyun Lin Clan. Lin Tunan!"

Chen Sheng silently engraved those two names in his heart and swore vengeance.

"Live well for now."

"Sooner or later, I'll wipe out your entire clan!"

On the morning of the third day.

The window paper had only just begun to pale with dawn.

Huang Wangyou's fingertips suddenly twitched.

Joy immediately appeared in Chen Sheng's eyes.

"Wangyou!"

Not long after.

Huang Wangyou's eyelashes trembled as she slowly opened her eyes.

Yet at that moment, her once-lively eyes were dim and lifeless, empty as a dry well.

"You must be thirsty. Have some water."

Chen Sheng hurriedly brought over a bowl of warm water.

After Huang Wangyou finished drinking, she did not speak.

Chen Sheng hurriedly comforted her.

"Wangyou, Chen'er is only missing. Perhaps she's hiding in some corner."

"Maybe one day, she'll succeed in Foundation Establishment and come back to take revenge."

"She's so clever. She must have abandoned the treasure ginseng and put her opponent in a difficult position before escaping."

As he said this.

Chen Sheng himself did not know whether his wife had taken any of it in.

A long time passed.

At last, some light returned to Huang Wangyou's eyes. She stared steadily at the withered, disheveled white hair at Chen Sheng's temples, then suddenly raised her hand and touched it.

She spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Brother Yun, you've worked hard."

A sincere smile immediately appeared on Chen Sheng's face.

"It wasn't hard, not at all."

"As long as you're all right, I'll do anything."

Time slowly passed.

Under Chen Sheng's care, Huang Wangyou gradually recovered, and the light in her eyes slowly returned.

Only sometimes, when she sat in the courtyard, she would stare blankly toward the west, in the direction of Linglong Immortal City.