"Are you out of cultivation herbs?"
Inside Weilong Martial Arts School,
Wang Xiaoshi, who had come to deliver the invitation, had already been ushered inside the school.
School Master Zhou Weilong sat in the seat of honor. His left hand was injured, and a disciple was wrapping it in white gauze.
After asking about Wang Xiaoshi's purpose and the hidden circumstances behind it,
Zhou Weilong exclaimed in surprise,
"Brother Yang's consumption of medicinal herbs is that great?"
Upon hearing that Yang Qingyun had already used up the first batch of medicinal herbs he had sent over, Zhou Weilong could not help muttering.
Back then, Yang Qingyun had come to Huangshi Town at his invitation. After Yang Qingyun mentioned needing a batch of medicinal herbs, Zhou Weilong had personally arranged for the martial arts school to procure a large quantity.
Zhou Weilong knew the exact amount better than anyone.
By his estimate,
that large batch of qi-nourishing herbs—including ginseng, cordyceps, and angelica root—even if Yang Qingyun had a secret medicinal-bath formula, should have lasted him at least a year!
Yet now, after only half a month, he had already used them all?
Wasn't that a little too fast?
Zhou Weilong clicked his tongue in amazement.
However, although he was astonished, Zhou Weilong thought for a moment before speaking:
"This time, my Weilong Martial Arts School was most likely what brought Brother Yang this undeserved trouble. I'm truly sorry."
"Tell Brother Yang that if he needs medicinal herbs, he can come and take them directly. Why be so polite?"
"However, things are somewhat chaotic on the streets right now. If we send out a large batch of herbs, they'll very likely be intercepted by those bastards from the Black Tiger Gang. Once my injuries have recovered somewhat in three days, I'll personally deliver them. As it happens, I also have some cultivation questions I haven't figured out during this time, and I was planning to ask Brother Yang for his guidance."
After receiving Zhou Weilong's reply, Wang Xiaoshi bowed and took his leave.
At that moment,
a disciple stepped forward and whispered into Zhou Weilong's ear:
"Master, quite a few disciples have been injured these past few days, and the medicinal herbs have been consumed at a tremendous rate as well. I'm afraid there aren't any extra herbs to spare for outsiders—"
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Before the disciple could finish, Zhou Weilong cut him off. His expression turned stern as he rebuked him:
"What do you know? A heaven-blessed talent like Brother Yang, who can defeat a Body Tempering cultivator while only at the Entry Realm, can he be compared with ordinary people?"
"When any faction encounters a genius like that, which one wouldn't compete to win him over?"
"Leaving everything else aside, with Brother Yang's combat strength allowing him to kill a Body Tempering cultivator, even I am no match for him. If he could join our Weilong Martial Arts School's side, how much trouble could we avoid?"
"If there aren't enough medicinal herbs, then squeeze some out!"
Under Zhou Weilong's reprimand,
the martial arts school disciples did not dare speak again and could only carry out his orders.
Three days later,
carrying a large batch of collected medicinal herbs, Zhou Weilong hurried to the courtyard where Yang Qingyun lived and paid him a visit.
However, after knocking on the door,
only Wang Xiaoshi came running out, drenched in sweat. He repeatedly apologized to Zhou Weilong:
"School Master, I'm truly sorry. Something happened to my master, and he can't come out to receive you personally. Please forgive him."
"What do you mean by that?! Our School Master is at least a powerful figure in town. He personally brought the things you asked for to your door, yet your master can't even come out to see him? This is far too rude!"
Upon hearing this, one of the martial arts school disciples escorting the supplies immediately became displeased and shouted.
To scrape together these supplies as a favor, quite a few of their fellow disciples had been injured and could only endure without medicine.
Yet now that they had delivered the supplies to the door, the other side still refused to appreciate it, and the master of the household could not even come out to welcome them?!
What was this supposed to be?
Offering a warm face only to have it pressed against someone else's cold backside?
Quite a few of the martial arts school disciples glared angrily.
The scene became noisy for a time,
"Shut up!"
"Brother Yang is the man who saved my life. No matter what he does, it isn't your place to criticize him!"
Zhou Weilong shouted furiously.
His voice, brimming with authority, instantly silenced the disciples behind him.
But every one of them remained resentful inside,
and glared angrily at Wang Xiaoshi.
They looked furious yet afraid to speak.
Wang Xiaoshi was so anxious that his head was covered in sweat, and he could only apologize repeatedly:
"School Master, I'm truly sorry. Ah, once you come inside, you'll understand."
Left with no choice,
Wang Xiaoshi could only take Zhou Weilong by the hand and lead him inside.
Zhou Weilong was somewhat stunned.
At first,
when Yang Qingyun treated him with such discourtesy and neglect, it was impossible for him not to feel even the slightest anger.
He had enthusiastically helped Yang Qingyun, only to be treated with such contempt and indifference. Anyone would have been unhappy in his place.
However, as the master of a martial arts school, he had held a position of authority for over a year at the very least, and had developed some restraint in keeping his emotions from showing. That was why he had not displayed his displeasure.
But now,
seeing Wang Xiaoshi's anxious, flustered state, a wave of doubt rose in his heart.
What had happened?
As Wang Xiaoshi pulled him through the main entrance, Zhou Weilong did not forget to instruct the martial arts school disciples behind him:
"Stay here and don't cause trouble. I'll be back shortly."
Under Wang Xiaoshi's hurried guidance,
Zhou Weilong crossed the broad front courtyard, passed through an archway, and walked through two corridors. At last, the arched gate in the wall deep within the inner courtyard came into view.
Once they crossed that arched gate in the inner courtyard wall, they should reach where Yang Qingyun was!
However, all along the way, Wang Xiaoshi had been hurrying forward so anxiously that he could not speak.
This made Zhou Weilong's expression strange.
By now, not even the slightest trace of anger remained in his heart over having been slighted. What filled him instead was deep confusion.
What was going on?
Could it be that Brother Yang Qingyun had used too many medicinal herbs, causing something to go wrong during his training and making him suffer cultivation deviation?
All of a sudden,
a wild thought sprang into his mind,
and it startled him so badly that even he was frightened by his own idea!
But after thinking it over,
this possibility
was very likely!
After all, the quantity of medicinal herbs he had helped purchase last time should, by Zhou Weilong's estimate, have lasted at least a year. Yet they had been consumed in just over half a month, which was why he had made this trip.
The rate at which the herbs were being consumed was abnormal to begin with.
Moreover, given Wang Xiaoshi's hurried appearance, something had most likely happened!
"Ah! Brother Yang, your natural talent already far surpasses that of ordinary people. Why take such a path of grasping at quick success and immediate gains?!"
Zhou Weilong gritted his teeth and thought inwardly.
His heart sank,
and his footsteps unconsciously quickened. In just a few strides, he reached the arched gate in the inner courtyard wall. He stepped across it, raised his head, and was about to say something.
But at the instant he raised his head,
all the words that had been about to burst forth transformed directly into a terrified scream!
"Ah!"
Zhou Weilong cried out.
It was as though he had encountered something horrifying. His face was filled with fear and shock!
His entire body involuntarily staggered backward several steps, only to trip over the threshold and fall heavily onto his backside!
He had no time to care about the dignity of a school master. His eyes widened as he stared ahead in terror.
His back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
When the wind blew,
it was as though an entire bucket of icy water had been poured over his head. The cold pierced straight to his bones!
At that moment,
Yang Qingyun was sitting cross-legged on a huge stone in the inner courtyard, quietly meditating. He seemed perfectly merged with the tranquil surroundings, and nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
But what Zhou Weilong saw
was clearly a blade—
a razor-sharp blade that could cleave and destroy all things!
The instant he entered the gate,
he suddenly seemed to see a terrifying blade of light erupt from Yang Qingyun, soaring from heaven to earth and surging forward without restraint. Wrapped in the terrifying might of annihilating all things, it swept across several yards of space and slashed down at him head-on!
At that moment,
he felt a terrifying sensation that death had suddenly descended upon him!
So much so that his entire body fell to the ground,
and he broke out in a cold sweat!
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