Fang Ling had no desire to listen to their useless talk. He had only come because he was interested in the Bodhi Fruit.
He immediately rose and left the hall, asking the maidservant waiting outside to take him to examine the White Family's young lady.
Apart from the beautiful woman who had arrived last, no one paid any attention to whether Fang Ling stayed or left.
Following the White Family's maidservant, Fang Ling soon arrived outside the young lady's bedchamber.
"May I ask where you hail from?" a finely dressed middle-aged man asked at the door.
The man appeared refined and courteous, but Fang Ling sensed a powerful killing intent emanating from him.
He was certainly not as amiable as he appeared, but a ruthless man hardened by years of slaughter.
His cultivation was also considerable. He was one of the White Family's four Heavenly Balance Realm experts.
"Just a rogue cultivator," Fang Ling replied calmly.
Bai Jiang was somewhat surprised, for he found that he could not quite see through the young man before him.
Yet the complete absence of any medicinal fragrance on Fang Ling made him hesitate.
"You do not strike me as a seasoned physician, so allow me to offer a frank warning," he continued.
"The poison afflicting my daughter is extraordinarily potent. If your abilities are insufficient, I fear you may..."
"Several physicians have already died of poisoning while attempting to treat her."
Fang Ling said, "Since I dared to come, naturally, I have some confidence."
"But once I succeed, will your White Family truly be willing to give me the Bodhi Fruit?"
Bai Jiang laughed heartily. "Our White Family is the foremost clan in Dragon City, and one of the Southern Sun Kingdom's seven great cultivation clans."
"Since we have posted the offer publicly, we certainly will not go back on our word. Rest assured."
"Good, then." Fang Ling nodded. "I will go in and remove your daughter's poison."
"Please!" Bai Jiang stepped aside and personally opened the door for him.
Fang Ling entered the room, but Bai Jiang followed him inside.
He stayed beside every physician while they examined his daughter.
"Wait outside," Fang Ling said, stopping and turning toward him.
Bai Jiang was taken aback, then gently shook his head. "It is not that I distrust you, young master."
"I am simply afraid my daughter's condition may suddenly deteriorate during treatment."
"If I stay nearby, I can at least help stabilize her..."
"Are you certain you want to follow me?" Fang Ling asked again, his expression serious. "This is important."
To remove the poison, he would inevitably have to use the Heavenly Pestilence Cauldron his fat master had lent him.
He could not allow outsiders to learn of such a treasure. If Bai Jiang insisted on staying, he would simply abandon the matter.
Seeing his expression, Bai Jiang pondered for a moment.
Then he silently turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.
"Brother, where did this boy come from? Why is he so arrogant?"
"From the way he carries himself, you would think curing Ying'er was a sure thing."
"And his tone and manner showed you not the slightest respect. Either he is deliberately putting on a mysterious air, or he has an extraordinarily powerful background."
A man suddenly appeared outside the door. He was Bai Jiang's younger brother, Bai Bo.
Bai Jiang looked at his brother and gave a bitter smile. "I don't know. Let him try for now."
"At least he is more unusual than those who came before."
"I spoke briefly with Physician Dou just now. Ying'er's condition does not look promising..."
Bai Bo sighed softly, unsure how to comfort his elder brother.
Though Bai Jiang had swept through life with power and glory, he had only this one daughter.
Who could have imagined that misfortune would befall his only daughter?
Inside the bedchamber, Fang Ling walked straight to the White Family's young lady's bedside and lifted the curtain.
She was around twenty-three or twenty-four, with a face that seemed to promise peace to the nation and prosperity to its people.
But at that moment, she seemed to be having a nightmare, her brows tightly knitted.
Her complexion kept changing, turning red one moment and orange the next...
Fang Ling observed her for a while. There were seven colors in all, alternating without any discernible pattern.
"Could this be the poison of a Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly?" He raised a brow, looking somewhat surprised.
"Surely not? Didn't my fat master say these venomous insects had long since vanished from the outside world?"
He raised his hand and turned his palm upward, summoning the Heavenly Pestilence Cauldron.
Then he immediately poured spiritual power into it, activating the supreme treasure.
The Heavenly Pestilence Cauldron began flashing with azure light and floated above the young lady's head on its own.
It hovered in midair, rotating continuously and releasing a wondrous power.
A moment later, a multicolored pupa emerged from the young lady's body and was drawn into the cauldron.
Fang Ling recalled the treasured cauldron, opened its lid, and peered inside.
He carefully examined the wriggling, multicolored pupa and confirmed its identity.
"It really is a Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly, though it is still in its pupal stage."
"It was using the young lady's body as an incubator, preparing to transform."
It seems this young lady's constitution is far from ordinary, he thought.
An adult Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly was among the most potent venomous creatures in the world.
His fat master had told him about this venomous insect in detail. Its poison could easily kill a Dawn Light Realm expert.
Even peerless experts who had lit all seven stars and transcended the Seven Martial Realms would struggle to withstand it.
But in its current pupal stage, it was still very weak.
Even after transforming, it would have to undergo several cycles of rebirth and cultivate anew before it truly reached adulthood.
"Refining you now would be a waste. I'll raise you for the time being."
"I'll show you to my fat master the next time I return to Cold Mountain Temple. He'll surely go mad with delight."
He fitted the lid back on and withdrew both insect and cauldron into his body.
The Heavenly Pestilence Cauldron could not only be used to cultivate poison techniques; it was also the finest insect-rearing vessel in the world.
The Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly's pupa would fare much better inside it than inside the young lady's body.
From the young lady's condition, he had already seen that she would not last much longer. She simply could not sustain its transformation.
When that happened, it would have to abandon this host and seek another.
"I only came for a Bodhi Fruit. Who knew I would gain an unexpected bonus?" Fang Ling smiled.
This pupa was worth hundreds or thousands of Bodhi Fruits. It was a tremendous stroke of fortune.
Returning his attention to the present, he looked at the young lady on the bed.
When the Seven-Colored Heavenly Butterfly's pupa had separated from her body, it had taken all the poison with it.
Her face no longer flickered between red and green. Its color had returned to normal.
But after hosting the pupa for so long, her body was depleted, leaving her face utterly bloodless.
Outside the door, Bai Jiang could neither sit nor stand at ease. The wait was even more agonizing than before.
When the previous physicians examined her, he could at least remain beside them. Now he could only wait helplessly outside.
"Brother, I'll go check on Physician Dou and the others."
"Perhaps their discussion has yielded something." Waiting here was too excruciating for Bai Bo, so he decided to go take a look.
"Go ahead," Bai Jiang said, waving his hand.
Just then, however, the door opened, and Fang Ling walked out calmly.
"How did it go?" Bai Jiang hurried forward to ask.
Fang Ling said, "The poison has been removed. Her body is simply a little weak."
"She will need careful recuperation for a while before she makes a full recovery."
"Truly?!" Overjoyed, Bai Jiang hurried into the room to check.
"Good, wonderful! Thank you for saving her life, Young Master Fang!" Bai Jiang's trembling voice soon sounded from inside.
Outside, Bai Bo stared at Fang Ling in astonishment. He had never expected him to actually succeed.
Before you continue