Had a Seizure

Kong Bin had only just barely managed to control his Inner Breath. That slender wisp of Inner Breath had circulated through his meridians for only a few breaths before dispersing.

Kong Bin withdrew his power and stared at the ground, his face flushed with shame and indignation.

As the saying went, comparing yourself to others could make you mad.

Xiao Zongting watched Duan Rong standing there after withdrawing his power and thought, This kid is even more monstrous than I was back then!

Xiao Zongting looked at Duan Rong, who stood with his blade in hand, and snorted through his nose. Instead, he turned to Kong Bin and said, "Kid! If you dropped money on the ground, pick it up. Stop staring at the floor!"

"No... no..." Kong Bin's face reddened as he stammered and lifted his head.

Ever since he had accidentally witnessed Duan Rong use Inner Breath Power last time, Kong Bin's confidence had been utterly crushed. He understood that he could never catch up to Duan Rong. This bitter helplessness was something he had tasted for the first time in his life.

"You don't need to look at him! He's livestock, and you're human! How can a human compare with livestock?" Xiao Zongting looked at Kong Bin. "Your progress is normal. Inner Breath cultivation is work that wears through stone with water; practice makes perfect. Come here. I'll teach you some details on how to handle the circulation of Inner Breath."

Kong Bin glanced at Duan Rong, and some color returned to his face. He walked over to Xiao Zongting, who began instructing him on specific details and insights.

Meanwhile, Duan Rong stood some distance away, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart. He had no intention of crowding over there. Xiao Zongting had just called him livestock, after all. There was no need to go looking for trouble now.

Still, Duan Rong felt deeply dissatisfied. I cultivated well. Is that somehow wrong?

Xiao Zongting instructed Kong Bin for the time it took half an incense stick to burn before finally nodding. "Go back and practice diligently."

"Old Xiao, don't worry. I'll definitely train hard." Kong Bin gritted his teeth, his cheeks puffing in and out.

"Go on."

Kong Bin cupped his fists and left. Before going, he gave Duan Rong a complicated look. Old Xiao had sent him away first so he could give Duan Rong special instruction. How could he not know that?

Duan Rong, however, did not care in the least. He grinned and rolled his eyes at Kong Bin's retreating back. He knew perfectly well that the two of them were not at the same stage, so there was no way they could be taught together.

Only after Kong Bin had left did Xiao Zongting look at Duan Rong and say, "Your Inner Breath is about as thick as a dick hair now, isn't it?"

Xiao Zongting's crude words made Duan Rong's breath catch, and he nearly choked on his own saliva.

Duan Rong gave a dry cough and nodded. Still, crude as the words were, the reasoning was not crude. It was quite an accurate description.

Xiao Zongting had already judged the strength of Duan Rong's Inner Breath from the force in his moves, but seeing Duan Rong admit it himself still left him greatly astonished.

The circulation of Inner Breath was so complex. How had this kid reached such a level so quickly?

"Have you been training nonstop these past three days?" Xiao Zongting asked.

It was the only answer he could think of.

On the day he had given Duan Rong instruction, the boy had started circulating Inner Breath at some point. That showed he possessed an exceptional natural comprehension of Inner Breath circulation.

In other words, he could swiftly grasp the complicated methods of circulating Inner Breath.

For ordinary people, that might have been harder than climbing to heaven, but for certain freakish geniuses, it was not impossible.

Yet even if he had mastered the method of Inner Breath circulation, to attain the force he had shown just now, he must have trained diligently every day without pause over these three days.

"Yes," Duan Rong replied calmly. "With deer antler slices, I can keep training without stopping."

Xiao Zongting's expression changed slightly!

Talent was one thing; temperament was another.

Cultivation was unbearably dull!

How many people could truly endure sitting on a cold bench?

The words "keep training without stopping" sounded calm, but beneath them lay a heart for the Dao as hard as iron!

"All five deer antler slices are used up?"

If someone could quickly grasp the complex methods of Inner Breath circulation and train efficiently, five deer antler slices might truly not last three days!

"Mm, they're used up," Duan Rong answered. "I went to the Crude Drug Store and bought another ten slices myself."

Xiao Zongting's eyes flickered.

As far as medicinal supplements for martial artists went, deer antler slices were already rather low-grade medicinal ingredients. Even so, among ordinary medicinal herbs, they were still considered precious.

An ordinary family could absolutely not afford them.

As far as he knew, Duan Rong's parents had both died, leaving him alone. Where had he gotten the money?

"You have silver?"

"Mm, I earned some myself," Duan Rong answered frankly.

Duan Rong had already thought it over. He lived at the escort agency day and night, so some things could not be concealed at all. Better to give an explanation sooner rather than later.

"You earned it yourself?"

Ten slices of deer antler would cost at least seven or eight taels of silver.

Xiao Zongting had just been about to question Duan Rong further, mainly because he feared the boy had strayed from the proper path and done something dishonorable.

No matter how fine the seedling was, if its roots grew crooked, it was still useless.

Duan Rong could tell that Xiao Zongting wanted to question him, and he also wanted to use this chance to settle the matter in advance. In truth, he had long prepared an explanation.

But before Duan Rong could speak, Little Seven's anxious, shrill cry suddenly rang out from the Back Courtyard: "Master, Second Miss is having a seizure!"

At those words, Xiao Zongting took off running for the Back Courtyard.

Duan Rong had never imagined that a cripple could run so fast!

Back Courtyard. Inside Xiao Baijiao's chamber.

Xiao Baijiao lay sprawled on the bed, convulsing all over and foaming at the mouth. The embroidery she had been working on had fallen by her feet.

Xiao Zongting rushed in and immediately gripped the joint between Xiao Baijiao's upper and lower jaws. Zhu Xiaoqi promptly placed a pair of Ebony Chopsticks wrapped in white cotton cloth into his hand.

With anxiety filling his eyes, Xiao Zongting wedged the Ebony Chopsticks wrapped in white cotton cloth between Xiao Baijiao's upper and lower teeth. He then checked her rolled-back eyes before wiping the foam from the corner of her mouth and barking, "Little Seven, hurry and fetch Doctor Gu!"

Zhu Xiaoqi's little face had already turned red with panic. She set the pouch of silver needles in her hand beside the bed, then flashed away in a streak of red and darted out of the room.

Xiao Zongting picked up the Needle Pouch Zhu Xiaoqi had set down and drew out a silver needle. The needle was as fine as a hair. With clumsy movements, Xiao Zongting inserted it into an Acupoint atop Xiao Baijiao's head.

Xiao Zongting inserted seven silver needles in succession!

His head was already drenched in sweat!

He had lived through life and death all his life—what kind of scene had he not seen? Yet whenever he inserted needles for Xiao Baijiao, his normally unshakable heart was swallowed by fear.

After the seven silver needles were inserted, Xiao Baijiao's condition visibly improved. Though her body was still convulsing, her eyes no longer rolled back, and her breathing had become somewhat steadier and stronger than before.

Xiao Zongting finally let out a sigh, wiped the cloudy tears from the corners of his eyes, folded the Needle Pouch, and placed it beside the bed.

Doctor Gu had taught him this emergency needling method only some time ago, because Xiao Baijiao's illness had been striking ever more suddenly and severely since the start of the year.

Now that he thought back on what Doctor Gu had meant by those words, it chilled his heart even more!

...This illness cannot be cured at its root. If these attacks continue for long, I fear she will not be able to endure them...

Seventeen years ago, Xiao Zongting had returned gravely injured, his survival uncertain!

Madam Xiao had been carrying Xiao Baijiao at the time. Worried sick over her husband's safety and crushed by anxiety, she suffered a difficult birth and died, leaving behind only a sickly baby girl.

Xiao Zongting had always raised this little daughter as though she were the flesh of his heart.

But who could have imagined that such a lovely, flower-like daughter would be born with epilepsy?

As Xiao Zongting watched Xiao Baijiao lying there with her eyes closed, she resembled Madam Xiao's image from those days by seven or eight parts.

Thinking of how deeply loving the couple had been back then, and how he now seemed unable to save the daughter she had left him, Xiao Zongting felt as though his heart were being twisted by knives.

"Meng Lian, your husband is useless!"

Xiao Zongting sat at the bedside, tears brimming in his eyes.