On the way back to the inn, Old Man Ji sealed the major acupoints throughout Dongfang Hongyu's body with his primordial energy and fed him medicine. Only then did Dongfang Hongyu's pain ease for the time being.
As soon as they returned to the room, treatment began.
Inside the room, Old Man Ji said gravely to Shen Zhou, "The little fatty took a Bloodburst Pill. His bones and tendons are now misaligned, his qi and blood are severely depleted, and his meridians are extremely fragile, at risk of snapping at any moment. If we don't treat him properly, then even if he recovers from his injuries, he'll never achieve anything in martial arts."
Shen Zhou said seriously, "You don't need to tell me all that. Just tell me what I have to do to save him."
To be honest, after hearing what had happened from A Dai, Shen Zhou had been surprised and deeply moved. He hadn't expected the usually irreverent Dongfang Pangpang to go to such lengths for A Dai and the others.
So whatever they needed him to do now, he would do without hesitation.
Old Man Ji nodded and said, "Next, I need you to unleash the power of the Celestial Firmament Realm. Use your innate astral energy to protect the little fatty's heart meridians while helping him reshape his bones and tendons, strengthen his sinews, and replace his blood. Only then can we wash away the hidden dangers caused by the Bloodburst Pill. It might even make his future path in martial arts smoother.
"But this process is difficult and dangerous. You'll have to carefully control your strength. You mustn't rush it.
"Can you do it?"
Shen Zhou understood.
Strengthen the sinews and cleanse the marrow.
Reshape the bones and tendons.
Earlier, when he had overactivated an Entry at the Qin Family, he had indirectly strengthened his sinews and cleansed his marrow, so he was fairly familiar with the process.
He nodded. "I can, but I need your help."
"How can we help you?"
"First, slash me with all your strength!"
"???"
Old Man Ji and Li Taohua froze.
They had lived this long and never heard such an outrageous request.
How could that possibly help?
As it turned out, it could!
The power of Entries was classified as "unknown in strength; it grew stronger when faced with a stronger opponent."
So without an external stimulus, Shen Zhou couldn't simply take out the Taixuan Sword and unleash the power of the Celestial Firmament Realm.
Naturally, he couldn't explain the real reason to outsiders.
While Shen Zhou and the others treated Dongfang Pangpang inside the room, A Dai and San Mazi stood guard outside despite their injuries.
Dongfang Pangpang had been hurt so badly for their sake. Until they heard that he was all right, they couldn't put their minds at ease.
Xi Mei kept crying outside the door, blaming herself. "I'm sorry, A Dai-ge and San Mazi-ge. It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been hurt, and Hongyu-ge wouldn't have been injured so badly."
A Dai had already taken a pill, but moving too much still tugged at his wounds, making him grimace in pain. Still, to put Xi Mei at ease, he managed to force a smile. "Silly girl, how can you blame yourself? It was that Wu fellow's fault. This has nothing to do with you, understand?"
San Mazi chimed in, "Exactly. It was that Wu fellow, Wu Jiuyan, right? Damn it, just you wait. One of these days, your Grandpa Ma will beat you so badly your own mother won't recognize you!"
Tan Tong and Qin Mingyue were also waiting outside.
After hearing what had happened at the marketplace, they had both been shocked.
The difference was that Tan Tong was furious that his junior brothers had gone through something so serious while he hadn't been there.
Qin Mingyue was surprised that A Dai and the others had run into Wu Jiuyan.
Hearing San Mazi talk about revenge, she replied, "Wu Jiuyan is one of the Wu Clan's three greatest young talents of this generation. He's at the peak of the Transformation Yuan Fifth Realm and has cultivated the Wu Clan's foundational technique, Thunder Flash. He once fought across realms and defeated a Transformation Yuan Sixth Realm expert. He even fought a Transformation Yuan Seventh Realm expert without losing.
"With your talent, you'd need at least ten years of cultivation to reach his current level.
"You're dreaming if you think you can beat him."
Qin Mingyue's words doused San Mazi's burning enthusiasm, but he stubbornly retorted, "Who says I have to be the one to beat him? I'll have Boss Shen beat that guy half to death first, then I can go up and give him another beating. What's wrong with that?"
Qin Mingyue was taken aback, then fell silent.
So that's what you meant by beating him. In that case, pretend I never said anything.
San Mazi was rather pleased with himself, secretly praising his own cleverness. I really am a little genius!
The treatment continued until late at night.
When the door opened again, Shen Zhou walked out looking somewhat exhausted. Old Man Ji and Li Taohua followed behind him.
Hearing the commotion, everyone who had been waiting outside hurried to their feet and asked how things were going.
Old Man Ji nodded to them. "He's fine now. The little fatty could even say he's turned misfortune into fortune. After Shen boy strengthened his sinews and cleansed his marrow, his constitution is now comparable to that of a prodigy. You'll all have to work hard from now on, or the little fatty will soon leave you in the dust."
A Dai, San Mazi, and Xi Mei all nodded.
After what had happened, they had once again realized just how important strength was.
Old Man Ji then reminded Shen Zhou, "Shen boy, though I know you won't let this go, I still have to warn you: tomorrow's negotiations between the Xu and Qin families are the top priority. The Yang Family is also watching you like a tiger watches its prey. If possible, don't rush to get revenge. You can look for an opportunity after tomorrow's business is over."
Shen Zhou fell silent for a moment, then said nothing, only nodding. After that, he called the Three Little Ones to go back to their rooms and rest.
After Shen Zhou, Qin Mingyue, and the others had left, Li Taohua finally spoke up. "Do you think he'll listen to you?"
Old Man Ji gave a bitter laugh. "Who knows?"
The next day, golden sunlight spilled across the earth, bathing the entire mine in gold.
At the inn.
Early in the morning, Qin Mingshu came to see them. He waited outside Shen Zhou's door, and as soon as Shen Zhou came out, he bowed. "Patriarch, Grand-aunt and the clan head sent me to escort you to the mine."
After a night of circulating his energy and resting, Shen Zhou had recovered his strength. When he saw Qin Mingshu, he even smiled, as though yesterday's events were already behind him. "All right, let's go."
Old Man Ji, who had just come out, frowned at the sight and muttered, "That boy—did he really take what I said yesterday to heart?"
Tan Tong asked from beside him, "Teacher, wouldn't that be a good thing?"
Old Man Ji shook his head. "Hard to say. The Shen boy I know wouldn't let it go so quickly."
Li Taohua came out just then, and after they met up, they all set off for the mine together.
Before they left, Old Man Ji asked why the Three Little Ones hadn't come. Tan Tong explained that A Dai and San Mazi had been badly injured the day before, so Xi Mei was staying with them while they recovered. None of them were coming.
Old Man Ji nodded. Though he vaguely felt that something was off, he didn't pay it much attention.
The Mine Enclosure was surrounded by mountains on three sides. It was vast enough to accommodate tens of thousands of miners working there.
In previous years, the Xu and Qin families had held their negotiations here, and today was no different.
But unlike previous years, when few people had attended, this year the five great families had gathered alongside the Qin Family. Plenty of independent cultivators had also come to watch the spectacle. The vast Mine Enclosure was packed to the brim, and people even had to queue to enter the mountain valley.
This time, the Chu Family had a clan elder leading them.
The elder's hair and beard were gray, and his withered face made him look like an ordinary old man. Yet the occasional glint in his eyes revealed that he was no ordinary person.
Beside him stood Chu Tianqi, dressed in blue. Watching the surging crowd around them, he couldn't help smiling. "I didn't expect the negotiations between the Xu and Qin families to draw such a crowd this time. It's a rare sight."
The Chu Family Elder replied slowly, "Young master, before we left, the family head instructed us to observe only and not get involved in anything."
Chu Tianqi nodded in understanding. "I know. What I tell you is nothing compared to seeing for yourselves what kind of strength the Qin Family Divine Weapon can bring out. I'm sure you'll witness it with your own eyes soon."
On the other side, the Yang Family had also arrived.
The Yang Family Head had come in person, accompanied by a young man and woman.
The man was Yang Feipeng.
The woman was Yang Feiniao.
Neither of them was very old, and they were the two most outstanding members of the Yang Family's current generation.
Given the occasion, he had naturally brought them along to broaden their horizons and to see for themselves just how miraculous the Qin Family Divine Weapon was.
The Qin Family and the Xu Family had also entered the mine and were resting at their respective stations.
Among the groups entering the mountain, the Wu Family Head had come in person this time. Like the other families, he was here to see the Qin Family Divine Weapon.
A young man accompanied him. He rode atop a huge, striped tiger. The tiger was ferocious, making many people look on in awe and keep their distance.
The young man, however, paid it no mind, seeming to enjoy the attention.
The Wu Family Head noticed and glanced at him. "Keep a low profile. Today's negotiations have nothing to do with us. We're only here to watch the spectacle. Don't show off and get us into trouble."
Wu Jiuyan smiled faintly. "Don't worry, Father. I've been on my best behavior lately. How could I cause you trouble?"
The Wu Family Head said, "Do you think I don't know what you did at the marketplace yesterday?"
Wu Jiuyan shrugged indifferently. "I only dealt with a few nobodies. They hardly count as trouble."
The Wu Family Head snorted but said nothing more.
It seemed he, too, considered what had happened at the marketplace yesterday no trouble for the Wu Clan.
The group continued into the mountain.
In a spot unnoticed by either the Wu Family Head or Wu Jiuyan, there were three figures... No, to be precise, four.
One of them was on the plump side and wrapped in bandages. He could barely walk.
They were none other than A Dai, San Mazi, Xi Mei, and Dongfang Pangpang.
As the saying went, a gentleman could wait ten years to exact revenge.
But when Shen Zhou wanted revenge, even waiting one night felt unbearable.
So after returning to his room the previous night, Shen Zhou had discussed a plan for revenge with the Three Little Ones.
Their plan was simple: today the three of them would keep an eye on their target, then lure him out. The rest would be up to Shen Zhou.
Dongfang Hongyu only learned that morning, when the Three Little Ones went to visit him, that Shen Zhou planned to help him get revenge. He insisted on coming along no matter what.
As he put it, "I have to be part of getting revenge! This master has to make that guy understand that I'm not someone to mess with!"
And so, the four of them were here now.
From the moment Wu Jiuyan appeared, the four of them never took their eyes off him. Then A Dai said to the others, "Let's follow Boss Shen's plan from last night and split up now."
San Mazi, Xi Mei, and Dongfang Hongyu all grew solemn and nodded in unison.
The revenge operation had begun!
Before you continue