Before long, Nalan Sheng and the others had bought their bird tickets. After spending another ten-odd minutes lining up for ticket inspection, they finally boarded the Thick-Winged Bird.
A three-story wooden house had been built on the Thick-Winged Bird's back, its interior divided into more than a dozen small rooms.
Nalan Sheng and Xiao Yi Xian chose two neighboring rooms. After chatting briefly, they returned to their respective rooms to cultivate in seclusion.
Several days later.
Jia Ma Holy City, flight plaza.
Whoosh-
With a rush of wind, a Thick-Winged Bird with a wingspan of dozens of yards descended like a dark cloud onto the Aerial Transport Fleet's plaza.
Only after the Thick-Winged Bird had landed and settled did Nalan Sheng, dressed in a fitted black outfit, and Xiao Yi Xian, wearing a long white dress, emerge from the wooden house.
"Finally back."
Nalan Sheng first looked around, a trace of nostalgia flashing through his eyes. Then he called to Xiao Yi Xian, "Xian'er, let's go!"
With Nalan Sheng leading the way, the two left the Aerial Transport Fleet's plaza and headed straight for the Nalan Family.
After passing through dozens of wide, bustling streets, they reached the central district of Jia Ma Holy City and finally stopped before a sprawling mansion.
Four fully armed guards stood at the mansion's entrance. Judging by the badges on their chests, every one of them was a Dou Shi expert.
"Greetings, young master!"
The moment the guards saw Nalan Sheng, they bowed to him with respectful expressions.
"Mm."
Nalan Sheng nodded expressionlessly, then strode into the Nalan Mansion with a somewhat nervous Xiao Yi Xian.
"Why's the young master back so soon?"
"Exactly! The old marshal still hasn't cooled down. Isn't he just asking for a beating by coming back now?"
"Who do you think that young girl beside him is? Could she be a concubine he took while he was away...?"
Once Nalan Sheng and Xiao Yi Xian had gone, the guards at the entrance could not help whispering among themselves.
Meanwhile, Xiao Yi Xian followed Nalan Sheng through more than a dozen corridors before they finally arrived at a building that looked like a study.
Two tall, pretty maidservants in green stood at its entrance.
"Greetings, young master~"
At the sight of Nalan Sheng, the two maidservants hurriedly bowed to him.
"Yu Die, is my father here?"
"Young master, the clan leader..."
Before the maidservant in front could finish, an angry roar came from the study. "You little bastard, you actually dared to come back? Get your ass in here!"
The two maidservants instinctively shrank back, gave Nalan Sheng a look that said he was on his own, and stepped aside.
"Father, I'm back!"
Nalan Sheng took a deep breath and straightened his collar before leading Xiao Yi Xian into the study.
Seated inside was a middle-aged man who bore a considerable resemblance to Nalan Sheng, radiating an imposing air even without a trace of anger on his face. This was the Nalan Family's current clan leader-Nalan Su!
"You unfilial son, do you have any idea..."
Just as Nalan Su was about to launch into a tirade, he noticed Xiao Yi Xian beside Nalan Sheng. Suppressing his anger, he asked, "May I ask your name, young lady?"
"Father, her name is Xiao Yi Xian. She's your future daughter-in-law, and she can also cure the brand poison in Grandfather's body."
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At Nalan Sheng's words, Xiao Yi Xian's pretty face instantly flushed crimson, and she could not help shooting him a furtive glare.
"Is that true?!"
Nalan Su's pupils abruptly contracted, and his expression changed drastically. "Sheng'er, you're not joking with your father, are you? Can she really cure your grandfather's brand poison? Even Gu He can't completely remove that stuff."
"Father, if I weren't absolutely certain, do you think I'd dare come back?"
"Good!"
Seeing how confidently Nalan Sheng spoke, Nalan Su finally smiled. "If your grandfather's brand poison really can be completely removed, you'll have rendered a great service to our Nalan Family. All your past mistakes can be forgiven."
Although Nalan Yanran had already become Yun Yun's direct disciple, she had yet to come into her own.
The pillar supporting the Nalan Family was still Nalan Jie, their Dou Wang expert.
If Nalan Jie were to die, the Nalan Family would have a hard time holding its place among the Jia Ma Empire's Three Major Clans without a Dou Wang expert to anchor it.
Nalan Sheng taking Nalan Yanran to the Xiao Clan to break off her engagement without permission had certainly infuriated Nalan Su, but compared with saving Nalan Jie, it amounted to little.
Nalan Su turned to Xiao Yi Xian and said with utmost solemnity, "Young lady, if you truly can cure the old man's brand poison, you'll be the wife of our Nalan Family's young clan leader from now on. I'll treat you as my own daughter, too."
"Thank you for your kindness, Clan Leader Nalan. I'll do my best."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded firmly.
"All right, Father, hurry up and take us to see Grandfather!"
Seeing this, Nalan Sheng could not help urging him, "The sooner we clear the brand poison from his body, the sooner we can spare him another day of suffering."
"At least you've still got a shred of conscience, brat. Follow me!"
Under Nalan Su's guidance, Nalan Sheng and Xiao Yi Xian soon reached the separate courtyard where Nalan Jie lived and saw the emaciated old man.
Nalan Jie had once been a powerfully built elder, but several years ago, he had fought an extremely venomous fifth-rank magical beast, a Branding-Iron Poison-Mark Python, and accidentally fallen victim to the dreaded brand poison.
Brand poison was an exceptionally tenacious toxin. It penetrated its victim's bone marrow and could continually grow stronger by absorbing the vitality of their flesh and blood, as well as their Dou Qi.
Ever since being afflicted with brand poison, Nalan Jie had suffered its torment, his body wasting away day by day.
Even the sixth-tier antidote pill refined by Pill King Gu He could not completely eradicate the brand poison in Nalan Jie's body. It could only remove some of the toxin, treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.
According to Gu He, only an alchemist who possessed heavenly flames had any chance of eradicating the brand poison in Nalan Jie's body.
"You little bastard! You actually dared to come back! It's one thing for Yanran to be too young to know better, but you're her older brother, and you dared join in her nonsense! If I don't break your legs today, I'll take your surname!"
Nalan Jie, who had been resting in bed, caught sight of Nalan Sheng beside Nalan Su
and immediately sprang from the bed, snatched up the lion-headed cane beside it, and swung it at his grandson's shins.
"Father, Father, calm down first! Sheng'er knows he was wrong."
At the sight, Nalan Su hurried forward to stop Nalan Jie, placating him with a smile. "Sheng'er hasn't spent these past few months away just to hide from you. He went looking for a miraculous physician who could remove your brand poison, and he's already found one."
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