第48章 理论补漏,打消疑虑

"This is a shed shell from detoxification."

Yu Xiaogang placed the fragment of skin in his palm, his tone much steadier than when he had first entered.

Zhu Zhuqing immediately asked, "Blue Silver Grass can expel something like this?"

Yu Xiaogang glanced at her. "Ordinary Blue Silver Grass cannot. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass should not be able to either, but he is no ordinary soul master."

Xiao Wu wiped away her tears. "Master, what exactly is wrong with my brother?"

Yu Xiaogang pressed down on Tang San's wrist and continued examining his meridians. "The Datura Snake's venom was not completely expelled."

Tang San's chest still ached, but he could still take in his teacher's words.

"But Teacher said before that the soul ring absorption had succeeded."

"Success does not mean there are no remnants."

Yu Xiaogang turned over his left hand and stared at the sinking black light beneath his palm. "You possess Twin Martial Souls, and you cultivate a special method like the Mysterious Heaven Skill. After the Datura Snake's venom entered the Blue Silver Grass, it should have been assimilated by the soul ring. But your second martial soul is too domineering. It forced part of the venom back into your meridians."

Zhao Wuji frowned. "That explains the black blood he vomited?"

Yu Xiaogang looked up. "It does."

Zhao Wuji did not like the way he was looking at him. "You say it does, and that makes it so?"

Flender reached out to stop him. "Let him finish."

Yu Xiaogang pointed at the dark red sprout on the fragment of skin. "Look here. The charred marks are traces left by old venom scorching it. The dark red sprout is mutated tissue left behind when the Blue Silver Grass instinctively tried to force the venom out of the body."

Zhu Zhuqing was not convinced. "But it appeared beside Tang San's shoe."

Yu Xiaogang said, "The Blue Silver Grass martial soul is released through the hands, but Soul Power travels through the meridians of the entire body. If the venom sank through the leg meridians and was expelled from the soles of his feet, that is not strange."

Xiao Wu hurriedly nodded. "Exactly. My brother kept getting forced backward by you during sparring today. The venom must have been forced out then."

Zhu Zhuqing looked toward Tang San.

Tang San's face was deathly pale, and there was still black blood at the corner of his mouth that had not been wiped clean. No matter how she looked at him, he did not seem to be pretending.

She had seen no living creature beneath his shoe during the day, and she had personally checked it again that night.

Now that Tang San's venom had acted up, the smell of the black blood he had vomited was close to the fishy stench on the shed skin.

Her suspicions began to waver.

Dai Mubai said quietly, "Zhuqing, if something had truly parasitized Tang San, Master would not have found nothing when he examined him just now."

Zhu Zhuqing said nothing.

Ji Yuan continued putting on an act inside Tang San's meridians.

He divided the residual venom into several streams. One remained near the heart meridians to cause pain, one traveled along the leg meridians, and the last was pushed toward the left hand, making the origin of the Clear Sky Hammer tremble faintly.

Tang San clenched his teeth against the pain, sweat beading at his temples.

Yu Xiaogang immediately said, "Do not circulate your power. Breathe along with my Soul Power."

Tang San nodded.

Xiao Wu supported him. "Brother, listen to Master."

Yu Xiaogang took out a medicine bottle and poured out two antidote pills. "Take these."

Tang San had only just swallowed them when the medicinal power entered his stomach.

Ji Yuan had long since spread fine tendrils through his stomach. The moment the medicine dispersed, he intercepted most of it.

The cool medicinal properties entered the core of the Demon Vine, and he wrapped up the remaining venom again and stored it in a venom sac.

All he left Tang San was enough medicinal effect to stop the vomiting of blood.

Tang San's breathing gradually steadied.

Xiao Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you feel better?"

Tang San nodded. "My chest does not hurt as much."

Leaning against the doorframe, Oscar finally dared to breathe again. "That scared me to death. I thought something huge was going to happen tonight."

Ma Hongjun rubbed his arm. "My legs went weak from running just now."

Zhao Wuji glared at him. "Your legs went weak because you were scared, did they not?"

Ma Hongjun protested, "Teacher Zhao, I was the first one to go get help, at least."

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang. "Is this troublesome?"

Yu Xiaogang fell silent for a moment. "Troublesome, but not a bad thing."

Tang San looked up. "Teacher?"

Yu Xiaogang's expression was weary, but it also held a certain certainty. "The venom being forced out means your body is adapting to the soul ring. The Blue Silver Grass is also trying to save itself. It is just that the process will be painful."

Zhu Zhuqing asked, "Will shed skin appear again, then?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "It might."

She pressed, "What if it appears again?"

Yu Xiaogang looked at her. "Collect it and give it to me. Do not test things in private."

Those words changed Zhu Zhuqing's expression slightly.

Xiao Wu immediately said, "Did you hear that? Do not risk my brother's body again."

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her eyes. "I acted impulsively tonight."

Xiao Wu wanted to say more, but Tang San spoke first. "You were worried about me too."

Xiao Wu grew anxious. "Brother!"

Tang San shook his head. "If I had discovered something abnormal about a companion, I would have investigated too."

Zhu Zhuqing looked at him in silence for a while. "I tested you during the day because the aura on that fragment of skin made me uncomfortable."

Tang San said, "I know."

Zhu Zhuqing added, "But I did not expect it to trigger your venom."

Xiao Wu said coldly, "It is good that you know now."

Dai Mubai frowned. "Xiao Wu, enough."

Xiao Wu glared at him. "You were not the one vomiting blood!"

Dai Mubai had no response to that.

Zhu Zhuqing did not argue. She merely handed the leaf-wrapped bundle back to Yu Xiaogang.

"This is for Master."

Yu Xiaogang accepted it. "I will deal with it."

Hearing this, Ji Yuan slowly withdrew the venom near Tang San's heart meridians.

The crisis had mostly passed.

Zhu Zhuqing's suspicions had already been led astray.

All that remained was to let Tang San recover in a way that fit the aftermath of detoxification. Then everyone would accept Yu Xiaogang's conclusion.

After Yu Xiaogang finished examining Tang San, he looked at the others. "What happened tonight is not to be spread outside."

Flender nodded. "It will be handled internally by the academy."

Zhao Wuji snorted. "If anyone talks, I will make them run until they cannot speak."

Oscar immediately raised a hand. "My lips are sealed."

Ma Hongjun raised his hand as well. "Mine too."

Standing in the back, Ning Rongrong suddenly said, "If it is only residual venom, why has Oscar been weak these past few days too?"

The moment Oscar heard that, he perked up. "Exactly! Headmaster, I have been weak too!"

Flender's face darkened. "You are weak from training."

Oscar pulled a long face. "I have been eating almost more than Fatty."

Ma Hongjun said unhappily, "Stop comparing yourself to me."

Yu Xiaogang looked at Oscar. "It is normal for a food-type soul master to deplete his Soul Power after continuously creating recovery-type soul skills. I will arrange a meditation schedule for you afterward."

Oscar immediately leaned closer. "Master, does that mean I will not have to be drained dry by the headmaster anymore?"

Flender sneered. "Keep dreaming."

Oscar's face fell.

That small interruption eased much of the tension in the courtyard.

Yet Zhu Zhuqing remained where she was, her gaze falling on the ground by Tang San's feet.

Ji Yuan did not move.

After Tang San put his shoes back on, the Demon Vine within the sole fused tightly with the dry, hardened inner layer. No matter how Zhu Zhuqing looked, all she could see was the worn edge of the shoe.

Tang San noticed her gaze and asked first, "Any more questions?"

Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her gaze. "Not for now."

Xiao Wu muttered softly, "There had better not be."

Yu Xiaogang helped Tang San to his feet. "You will come to my office with me tonight. I need to observe you for another night."

Xiao Wu immediately said, "I am coming too."

Yu Xiaogang did not refuse. "You may, but do not disturb him."

Tang San had only just found his footing when Ji Yuan drew away another portion of strength from his legs.

His body swayed, and Xiao Wu hurriedly caught him.

Ji Yuan then fed the medicinal power back to him, allowing Tang San to walk with difficulty.

After that exchange, Tang San became even more convinced that the venom in his body was still raging.

When they reached the office, Yu Xiaogang lit a lamp and took out paper and brush to make notes.

Tang San sat in a chair while Xiao Wu leaned over the desk, watching him closely.

"Brother, do not keep forcing yourself from now on."

Tang San gave a bitter smile. "I did not expect this either."

As he wrote, Yu Xiaogang said, "Your sparring with Zhu Zhuqing during the day stimulated your leg meridians, and your emotions fluctuated again at night. It is not surprising that it triggered the residual venom."

Tang San asked, "Teacher, can I still go to the Great Soul Arena?"

Xiao Wu immediately slapped the table. "No!"

Tang San looked at her. "Xiao Wu."

Her eyes reddened. "You vomited blood, and you are still thinking about fighting?"

Tang San fell silent.

Yu Xiaogang stopped writing as well. "Tang San, what do you think?"

Tang San lowered his head to look at his left hand. "I want to know where my limits are. If this truly is detoxification and rejection, then I cannot keep hiding forever."

Xiao Wu turned her face away in anger. "You always manage to make it sound reasonable."

Yu Xiaogang did not immediately object.

His disciple's talent was astonishing, but the problems with his body were also becoming more and more complicated.

Resting inside the academy would not uncover the answer.

Actual combat could expose problems, and it could also force out more venom.

"You may go, but you must control the intensity of your soul battles."

Xiao Wu could not believe it. "Master!"

Yu Xiaogang looked at her. "I will speak with Flender. Tang San will mainly observe and engage in low-intensity sparring for now."

Tang San nodded. "Teacher, I understand."

Within the sole of the shoe, Ji Yuan listened as his dark red roots slowly stretched out.

Observe?

Low intensity?

Once they reached the soul arena, when bloodlust surged and Soul Power clashed, Tang San himself would be unable to hold back.

Not to mention that there would be groups of soul masters there.

The wounded, the frenzied, the poisoned, the fire-wielders—they would all pass before him.

After finishing his notes, Yu Xiaogang placed the shed skin inside a small box.

Ji Yuan separated out a wisp of venom and quietly kept that fragment of skin in its inanimate state.

Yu Xiaogang observed it for a long time. Finding no new changes, he finally closed the box.

"Tang San, you are not allowed to cultivate tonight."

Tang San agreed. "Yes."

Xiao Wu sat down beside him. "I will keep watch over you."

Tang San smiled helplessly.

Ji Yuan did not draw any more strength from him either.

That night, he only left a faint sense of weakness in Tang San's body, making the appearance of post-detoxification recovery more convincing.

At dawn, Flender came to the office personally.

He looked Tang San over. "Can you still walk?"

Tang San stood up. "I can."

Flender looked at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang nodded. "We are going, but I will come too."

Flender frowned. "Can your body handle it?"

Yu Xiaogang said, "I have to keep watch over Tang San's condition."

Flender said no more. "Then we will go together."

Xiao Wu supported Tang San as they headed out. Everyone had already gathered in the courtyard.

When Oscar saw Tang San, he immediately handed him a sausage. "Want one? I just made this one, and it did not make me feel drained."

Tang San accepted it. "Thank you."

Ji Yuan only intercepted a trace of the medicinal power at the edges and let most of the restorative energy pass through.

Tang San's complexion improved, and everyone else sighed in relief as well.

Zhu Zhuqing stood at the back of the group and said quietly, "I am sorry about last night."

Tang San swallowed the sausage. "I do not blame you."

Xiao Wu huffed and didn't reply.

Dai Mubai patted Tang San on the shoulder, "If you can't hold on, just say it. Don't force yourself."

Ma Hongjun leaned in too, "Third Brother, if you don't fight tonight, I'll take an extra match for you."

Oscar rolled his eyes, "Make sure you don't get beaten back first."

Ma Hongjun glared at him, "Little Ao, you're talking a lot today."

Flender walked to the front of the group, "Let's go, Suotuo City."

The group began to move.

Zhu Zhuqing trailed at the back. When she passed the spot where that scrap of skin had appeared last night, her pace slowed for a moment.

The muddy ground had already been churned up by Zhao Wuji, leaving no traces behind.

She bent down to pick up a tiny black fragment, but the moment her fingertips touched it, the speck crumbled into ordinary dirt.

Zhu Zhuqing tucked her hand into her sleeve and caught up with the group.

From inside the sole of Tang San's shoe, Ji Yuan watched her with cold eyes.

Her suspicion hadn't completely died.

It didn't matter.

As long as there was a bigger commotion, more blood, and more reasonable danger ahead, her lingering doubts would be drowned out.

The road to Suotuo City stretched out before them.

But just as Tang San stepped out of the academy gates, a dull vibration suddenly pulsed from his left palm, a low sound that shouldn't have been there, audible even to Yu Xiaogang.