Governor

Shi Xuan questioned the three of them in turn about the origins of their Daoist magic. Unfortunately, all of it had been passed down through their ancestors, with no information left regarding the Daoist Sect. From their expressions and demeanor, he could not detect any signs that they were concealing something.

The second steward stepped forward and respectfully invited Shi Xuan and the three cultivators to the rear courtyard to treat the Governor. The three cultivators repeatedly shook their heads. "With such an Immortal Master present, we will not make fools of ourselves."

The second steward saw that Shi Xuan remained calm and showed no displeasure. Gritting his teeth, he said to the three cultivators, "My lord's illness is most peculiar. Though Immortal Master's magic power is boundless, having more accomplished masters examine him would not be a bad thing. It may even provide Immortal Master with some reference for his treatment. Whether it succeeds or fails, our residence will certainly reward you handsomely." With a clap of his hands, three attendants behind him stepped forward, each carrying a large tray piled with gold ingots—twenty ingots apiece.

Zen Master Zhiguang, Daoist Zhang Xixian who had used Palm Thunder, and Lei Xun, who had frozen the tea, all swallowed involuntarily at the sight of those glittering trays. Such large gold ingots weighed a full ten taels each. One tray contained two hundred taels of gold, and in the current realm, one tael of gold could be exchanged for sixteen taels of silver.

In other words, they merely had to take a look. Whether they could cure him or not, they would receive more than three thousand taels. What a temptation! Even Zen Master Zhiguang, who possessed the greatest estate among them, only received around ten thousand taels a year in incense money and land rent.

Yet the three had not been blinded by greed. If they offended the Immortal Master over this, whether they could live past tonight would be a question. They all turned their eyes toward Shi Xuan.

Shi Xuan thought that letting them examine the Governor first while he observed from the side would be beneficial as well. He nodded slightly, and the three were overjoyed, immediately agreeing to the second steward's request.

The second steward led the way, with Shi Xuan following close behind. The three cultivators left their disciples and servants in the main hall and walked slightly behind Shi Xuan, making them appear to be his attendants. The servants and retainers of the Governor's Residence spread out along both sides and behind them.

After passing through several gardens, they arrived at a secluded, chilly small courtyard. The second steward had all the attendants remain outside and personally led Shi Xuan and the other three inside. At the same time, he explained, "Ever since my lord contracted this strange illness, he has feared heat and enjoyed cold. His whole body aches and itches, and recently there have even been signs of ulceration. I must trouble Immortal Master Shi and the esteemed masters."

Upon entering the main room, they saw an opulent bed in the center. At its side, a beautiful woman was carefully tending to the patient lying upon it.

The man on the bed had five strands of long beard, thick brows, large eyes, and a solemn countenance. His face looked vigorous and ruddy, yet pain could faintly be seen beneath it. When he saw the second steward bring people in, he said to the beautiful woman beside him, "Madam, go rest in West Maple Courtyard first. These Immortal Masters today all possess genuine abilities. You need not worry."

The beautiful woman opened her mouth as if to speak, but forcibly held herself back. She gave Shi Xuan and the others a curtsey, then left with the maidservants.

The moment Shi Xuan entered, he activated Qi Gazing Technique. Yet the aura above the Governor's head was concealed. As expected, he had deep ties with the Divine Lord. Shi Xuan merely did not know whether the Divine Lord had cast a spell or whether the Governor had cultivated it himself.

The Governor looked toward Shi Xuan and the others. When he saw the three cultivators, his expression remained as calm as before. But when his gaze fell upon Shi Xuan, he could not help narrowing his eyes.

Shi Xuan signaled for the other three to step forward and examine the Governor. They immediately understood and all bowed to him. "Let us first examine you, my lord. It will also make it easier for Immortal Master Shi to draw upon the strengths of every school afterward."

The Governor neither agreed nor disagreed, merely nodding to the second steward. The second steward hurried forward to guide them. "Three masters, please come forward."

"Please extend your hand, Governor." Zen Master Zhiguang had not expected that he would actually be taking a pulse. Yet after feeling it, he remained silent for a long while, then said to the other two, "You two should examine him as well."

After Zhang Xixian and Lei Xun each took his pulse, their expressions also turned grave. They pulled Zen Master Zhiguang aside and whispered privately for a few moments. Then Zen Master Zhiguang replied to the Governor, "My lord's pulse is so robust that this humble monk has never seen its like in his life. It should be the sign of a dragon alive and tiger vigorous. What illness could there be?"

The Governor slowly answered, "Then I ask the three masters to look more closely." As he spoke, he pulled aside his white undergarment, exposing his bare skin beneath. Ulcerated sores covered it everywhere; in the deeper places, white bone could even be seen. The sight was both nauseating and terrifying.

The three had not expected such a scene. After examining him carefully, all wore puzzled expressions. After pondering for a moment and exchanging glances, they together apologized to the Governor. "My lord's illness is truly too strange, beyond our ability to treat. Immortal Master Shi should give it a try instead."

As though he had long expected this outcome, the Governor merely revealed a faint bitter smile and instructed the second steward, "Steward Bai, lead the three masters away. Do not be stingy with their consultation fees."

The second steward's eyes reddened slightly. "Master..." But the Governor stopped him with a wave of his hand. He had no choice but to turn toward Shi Xuan with hopeful eyes. "I ask Immortal Master to do his utmost." He then led the three cultivators out of the small courtyard before returning.

Shi Xuan had already fortified himself with spells outside the main hall, such as the Righteousness and Evil Resistance Incantation and the Disaster Aversion and Blessing Incantation. Only the Golden Dragon Armor Charm had not been applied because its appearance was too conspicuous. Still, it was one of his own minor divine powers and could be used far more conveniently and swiftly. If anything happened, he would have time to use it.

The second steward led Shi Xuan over. Once Shi Xuan had sat on a stool beside the bed, the steward withdrew to one side and stood behind him.

Shi Xuan looked at the Governor's nauseating, horrifying patches of rotten flesh. After thinking for a moment, he took the Governor's left hand and felt his pulse. The Governor's symptoms were strange indeed. Just as the three cultivators had said, his pulse was vigorous. If one did not look at the body before them, one would certainly think him a top martial expert with a strong physique—strong within, yet hollow without.

Combining this with the information he had gathered during this time, a thought arose in Shi Xuan's mind. The more he considered it, the more certain he became. A smile could not help appearing at the corner of his lips.

When the Governor saw Shi Xuan smiling while taking his pulse, his heart stirred slightly. He asked in a trembling voice, "Immortal Master, have you found a clue?"

Shi Xuan secretly gathered the most destructive technique currently at his disposal, Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder, while keeping his expression unchanged. "Greetings, Divine Lord Crimson Cloud!"

The Governor was stunned by that greeting. Then his expression changed drastically, and even the second steward behind Shi Xuan was deeply shocked. Seizing this opportunity, Shi Xuan unleashed Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder. A clash like ringing metal sounded from the palm holding the Governor's wrist, and a bolt of lightning raced up his arm toward his head.

Just as the lightning was about to reach the top of his head, a faint crimson halo suddenly emerged above the Governor. The halo flickered in and out of view, yet it was filled with a sacred, solemn majesty that compelled worship. It seemed to contain boundless wisdom and endless profundity.

The halo spun behind the Governor's head and released a thousand rays of light to hold back the lightning. But the lightning was, after all, ravaging the Governor's body. The searing agony made him cry out.

Having landed a blow, faint dragon scales appeared on Shi Xuan's face. Rather than advancing, he retreated, neatly evading a weak streaming-light spell from the second steward and crashing into his arms. His left hand immediately swung back, releasing two Golden Blade Divine Wind Slashes that cut the unprepared second steward into three pieces. With his right hand, he raised the Soul-Bewildering Banner and swept it once, sending black light directly into the Governor's crimson halo.

After black light struck the crimson halo, it seemed as though countless people could be heard chanting scriptures within it, and countless people crying out to the gods. The halo immediately swelled, resisting black light above and the lightning below without yielding in the slightest.

The Governor could actually still spare some concentration. Streak after streak of fiery light shot from his hands. Unfortunately, Shi Xuan had long since raised the Soul-Bewildering Banner, which cast down streams of black light to block the Governor's spells outside his body. Though the banner's defenses were no longer as strong as before, the Governor was also attacking while distracted, with most of his attention focused on resisting the lightning and black light.

After blocking the Governor's attack, Shi Xuan released two more Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunders from his left hand in succession. One continued toward the Governor's head, while the other targeted his lower body.

"You villain, how dare you!" the Governor roared. His halo expanded like a full moon, spreading over his entire body and driving away all the previous lightning and black light. It then narrowly blocked the following two Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunders.

Thunderous explosions rang out. The Governor's halo was blasted back to its original size and grew even dimmer. From his left hand to his chest, his body had been charred black by the lightning.

Before Shi Xuan's second wave of attacks could arrive, the Governor prepared to send his soul fleeing. His soul became plainly visible, crimson in color, surrounded by lotus after lotus of red, filled with a holy aura.

Before the Governor's soul could emerge halfway, Shi Xuan's Golden Blade Divine Wind Slash flew over and cut directly at his waist. The Governor wanted his soul to leave his body, yet could not bear to see his flesh destroyed. He could only stop there and send several crimson lotuses flying to meet the pale white Wind Slash.

After using Golden Blade Divine Wind Slash, Shi Xuan took out Old Daoist Xu's final Qi Induction Thunder Talisman. A thick bolt of lightning struck toward the Governor. At the same time, his left hand activated a divine power, and a Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder followed close behind the thick lightning. Though thin, it carried the piercing sensation of shattering gold and breaking iron, along with the explosive force compressed into a single point.

The Governor had just blocked the pale white Wind Slash when the thick bolt of lightning descended toward his head. He could only raise the crimson halo to block it. The following Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder immediately struck the halo as well. After two successive explosions, the crimson halo was blasted into countless tiny points of light that slowly dispersed into the air. The Governor's clearly visible crimson soul suddenly dimmed, and the crimson lotuses fell feebly.

Seeing this opportunity, Shi Xuan was already somewhat exhausted after repeatedly using divine powers and spells. Yet he still employed his strongest Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder, for what he feared was failing to kill the tiger, only to be injured by it in return.

"Ah! Ah! Ah!" the Governor roared. His crimson soul swelled and became clear once more, then collided with Shi Xuan's Shangqing Hand Pivot Thunder. The thin lightning curled around and pierced through the crimson soul before exploding. After this, the Governor's soul was so dim it seemed a gust of wind could scatter it. He had no choice but to burrow back into the crown of his head.

Shi Xuan stepped forward and spread his hand, activating a talisman he had drawn after descending Tongxuan Mountain: Body Binding Soul Sealing Technique. It bound the Governor's body and soul tightly with magic. Although this talisman could only be learned after reaching the Soul Departure realm, it was actually a tasteless trifle. Any somewhat stronger soul could break free on its own, so it was only suitable for binding severely injured people. Shi Xuan had merely drawn one or two while practicing. PS: There is still plenty of essence left, everyone, do not waste it.