Radiance

Chen Ye gripped the edge of the bed frame, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

Every joint in his body emitted a faint popping sound simultaneously, as if an invisible pair of giant hands were kneading his bones from head to toe.

Pain.

It was a bone-drilling, marrow-altering agony.

The pain was so intense he could barely suppress a scream.

But he knew that if he cried out, it would surely invite trouble.

He held it back, forcing the roar that had nearly escaped his throat back down, letting out only a short, muffled grunt.

Sweat beads trickled from his forehead into his eyes, stinging and salty.

Chen Ye had no choice but to close his eyes.

After lasting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the abnormal flush on his skin finally began to fade, and the swelling pain and discomfort in his body eased along with it.

Chen Ye panted, slowly loosening his grip on the bed frame, his palms still trembling slightly.

He looked down at his hands, clenching his fists and then releasing them.

His knuckles gave a faint click.

Had it succeeded?

Chen Ye stood up and took a deep breath, feeling a solid sense of power throughout his body and a lightness he had never experienced before.

He glanced at the panel still floating in his field of vision.

[Current remaining lifespan: Two years, four months, and twelve days]

He had been gritting his teeth in pain just moments ago, but seeing these numbers now, his heart calmed down.

The lifespan had been consumed, and the pain had been endured.

Now, he finally had something to show for it.

Chen Ye immediately reached under his pillow and pulled out the remaining seven taels of silver.

One tael of silver could redeem four days of lifespan.

Seven taels meant twenty-eight days could be redeemed.

Though it wasn't much, it was better than nothing.

Chen Ye focused his mind and chose to redeem; the silver vanished into thin air.

[Current remaining lifespan: Two years, five months, and nine days.]

Including the portion redeemed with silver, he had actually only consumed five months and three days of his lifespan.

His remaining lifespan had dropped to the two-year mark.

If he continued to take the Blood Ginseng Pill every day, he could only last at most another forty-three days.

What was more troublesome was that the lifespan consumed by the Blood Ginseng Pill was different from the one he had pawned; it could not be redeemed with silver.

When that time came, he would die even if he did nothing.

Fortunately, although the Blood Ginseng Pill shortened his life, it could stimulate his blood and qi, making it still usable for now.

Since Zhang Tieyi was still feeding it to him, he had no choice but to keep taking it.

The most urgent matter right now was not living a long life, but surviving long enough to walk out of here.

Chen Ye closed the panel, choosing not to continue improving his cultivation after the recent breakthrough.

Zhang Tieyi was coming to check his progress tomorrow; he had to observe the man's reaction before deciding on his next move.

Chen Ye blew out the oil lamp.

The dim room instantly plunged into darkness.

The rustling sound of clothes being removed echoed in the dark.

Chen Ye lay on the bed and touched his wrist, where a vein pulsed slightly beneath his fingertips.

Thump, thump—steady, powerful, and full of vitality.

Soon, the sound of even breathing gradually rose in the darkness.

The next day, just as the sky began to brighten, the door to the east wing was knocked upon.

Chen Ye had just broken through and was full of vigor, as if he had endless energy, so he hadn't slept deeply all night.

Hearing the commotion, he became alert, waking up abruptly and instinctively glancing out the window.

The sky was still a dull gray.

There were no weapons as he had anticipated.

He relaxed slightly, then frowned, grabbed his outer robe from the head of the bed, and pulled the door open.

Gao Qiaoniang stood at the doorway, her face still showing a hint of sleepiness. "Guard Zhang is here, waiting for you in the main hall. Hurry up and get ready."

So early?

Chen Ye secretly estimated that it was at least an hour earlier than usual today.

It was somewhat abnormal.

"Alright, I'm coming right away."

Chen Ye stirred his mind, and the breath within his body flowed accordingly, instantly clearing his groggy morning head.

After changing his clothes, Chen Ye pushed the door open and stepped out.

Arriving at the main hall, he sensed that the atmosphere today was different from the past.

Guard Zhang was actually wearing a short blade at his waist, his expression solemn.

The candlelight on the table reflected on his face, flickering between light and shadow.

The scene was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

"Guard Zhang, did you look for me?" Chen Ye withdrew his gaze and spoke first.

"Stand in a stance for me to see."

Guard Zhang lifted his chin. Unlike usual, he didn't give the medicine directly but asked him to stand in a stance first.

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

Had his breakthrough last night been discovered?

No, that shouldn't be it.

He had observed these past few days; no one else would be around at that time.

He couldn't have known so quickly.

Chen Ye forced himself to calm down. Although suspicious, he obeyed: "Yes."

Once he had steadied his stance, Guard Zhang stood silently to the side, observing without saying a word.

The silence was enough to make one feel uneasy.

Chen Ye dared not act rashly. He didn't mobilize the breath within his body too much, keeping the charcoal-like warmth in his Dantian firmly suppressed.

He had only stood for a moment when he heard Guard Zhang ask: "Any special sensations?"

"Still feeling hot," Chen Ye replied.

Guard Zhang's brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

He stepped forward and pressed a palm directly onto Chen Ye's Guanyuan Acupoint.

Chen Ye felt a cold breath invade his body along Guard Zhang's arm, rushing straight toward the Guanyuan Acupoint.

The acupoint rebounded naturally after the stimulation, rising with a surge of warmth.

Guard Zhang withdrew his hand, his expression turning complex as he muttered to himself: "The medicinal potency hasn't been fully triggered. The blood and qi are not vigorous enough."

He fished a small porcelain bottle from his bosom and poured out a pill.

It looked similar in size to a Blood Ginseng Pill, but the color was deeper, nearly dark red.

Guard Zhang commanded concisely: "Eat it."

Chen Ye glanced at him; the pressure in the other man's eyes was impossible to refuse, leaving him no room to decline.

He took the pill in silence and swallowed it.

This pill was far more overbearing than the Blood Ginseng Pill he had taken before; the moment it entered his mouth, a burning sensation exploded.

The surging medicinal power rolled back and forth in his stomach like magma, making him nearly lose his footing and collapse on the spot.

He hurriedly circulated his breathing technique, striving to dissolve this ferocious medicinal power.

Current remaining lifespan: Two years, two months, and nine days.

He stared at the notification that had suddenly popped up in his vision, his expression stunned.

It wasn't twenty days, but nearly three months.

This single pill had brought his remaining lifespan close to falling below the two-year mark.

Because this medicinal power was too immense, his flesh and blood felt like sponges fully saturated with water, with no room left to accommodate any more.

Chen Ye felt as if he were inside an oven, his entire body burning with heat.

Even though he refined it with all his might, it was still a drop in the bucket compared to the medicinal power overflowing endlessly from his stomach.

Just as Chen Ye was at his wit's end, this massive medicinal power seemed to resign itself, reluctantly squeezing into the Guanyuan Acupoint.

Along with it, the Sea of Qi Acupoint and Shimen Acupoint were also filled.

Chen Ye looked down and discovered that a golden glimmer had emerged from the skin at the location of his Guanyuan Acupoint.

Immediately following, a second golden glimmer lit up at the location of the Sea of Qi Acupoint.

Then came the third.

Three points of golden light flickered like stars at his lower Dantian, appearing exceptionally striking in the dim hall.