Holding Fast to One Breath, Piecing Together a Longsword

When Chu Tianshu returned to Luoyang Prison, Huo Ming and Adjutant Yang had already bandaged him up.

The injuries inflicted on them by the Fire Ghost were mainly divided into two types: burns and fire poisoning.

The fire poison was difficult to deal with, but it had already been neutralized by Chu Tianshu. The remaining burns were actually just temporary scorches, and the affected areas were not large.

After applying the ointment and letting it rest, it should be fine.

However, the person who bandaged them up also covered their foreheads and necks.

The original seventy-seven patients in Luoyang Prison had skin ulcers caused by the plague, and they were also wrapped in many bandages.

Chu Tianshu was busy diagnosing and dispensing medicine, and witnessed the entire process of the patient being bandaged, but he didn't find it strange.

Now that he's gone out and returned, he finds people everywhere covered in bandages.

No wonder the sorcerers who were summoned to help with the discussion all had such peculiar expressions.

Chu Tianshu initially thought they were simply wary of the aura of the Plague God.

"Move aside a bit, don't block the way into the yard."

Chu Tianshu tapped the shoulder of a bandaged man next to him.

The man turned his face blankly, only his eyes and nostrils visible.

"Oh!"

Judging from her voice, the person was probably a female student. After responding, she swayed and walked to the side.

As soon as she started moving, about half of the patients standing in the sun on the field started moving along with her.

This scene is like a field full of poplar trees, half of which are still standing, while the other half are moving.

Seeing this, Huo Ming couldn't help but ask, "Haven't they... recovered their minds yet?"

"How could it be so fast?"

Chu Tianshu shook his head, "The plague is still lingering; they certainly haven't recovered yet."

These 77 people were lucky; of those who were arbitrarily labeled and imprisoned back then, they were the only ones who survived.

However, under the torment of the plague and evil, they also faced even more suffering.

Over time, they all lost their minds.

Even though their physical condition has improved somewhat, they still can't remember who they are, which leads to their strange behavior.

Some people will imitate any action their companions take, while others are oblivious to everything around them.

When Adjutant Yang first arrived at the prison, he was somewhat intimidated by these people, but after learning the inside story, he felt a deep sense of pity.

"Mr. Chu."

"When will they be able to regain their ability to take care of themselves?" Adjutant Yang asked.

Chu Tianshu said, "We'll have to wait until at least tomorrow."

Adjutant Yang was taken aback.

Huo Ming understood and exclaimed happily, "Doctor Chu will be confident of slaying the Plague God tomorrow?"

"Give it a try."

Chu Tianshu estimated, "Even if we kill the Plague God, not many people will immediately regain consciousness, but at least everyone will have hope of recovery."

"To be precise, they will be in better physical condition than before."

"A body completely transformed by the aura of Ghost God, if possessing the perseverance to practice martial arts and with a little development, has the potential to become a minor master."

As they spoke, Chu Tianshu handed the reins to Huo Ming.

"The prisoner on horseback is a real prisoner. If I were to interrogate him, I might not be able to conduct a comprehensive questioning."

"You're in espionage, you should have experience in this area, so I'll leave it to you."

Huo Ming said happily, "Don't worry, Old Yang knows a lot of clues about them. With Old Yang by my side, we'll dig deeper and definitely reveal all the information that the old Daoist priest has."

Adjutant Yang nodded in agreement.

Chu Tianshu looked at the temple keeper and said, "The damage to Guanlin wasn't too bad, just some broken bricks and the like."

"Luoyang's finances are currently undergoing a restructuring, with surplus funds primarily allocated to medicine. It seems there won't be enough time to maintain these ancient buildings in recent years..."

The temple keeper, who had fewer bandages and was still holding the palm-leaf fan he had used to help brew the medicine, laughed upon hearing this and said, "A few damaged bricks and stones are nothing. Even if we tear down the screen wall and the high wall, it won't matter."

"It's a miracle that none of those scoundrels are entrenched inside!"

Chu Tianshu nodded, walked through the side door empty-handed, and arrived at the western half of the prison.

This western half was originally a workshop, and later it became a prison.

But after removing the prison door and water trough, and installing wooden doors, the space became much more spacious.

Each workspace is surrounded by a small courtyard.

The air here is thick with the smell of medicine. Dozens of earthenware pots are simmering, the bubbling and churning, the white steam rising into the sky like smoke.

Several sorcerers dressed in various styles, along with a dozen or so staff members from the city's pharmacies, were helping out here.

Those whose conditions are worst are still lying in their workrooms during the day, unwilling to bask in the sun.

The reason for placing all the earthenware pots used for decocting medicine here is to use the medicinal vapors for fumigation, allowing those with the worst conditions to receive more care.

"Mr. Chu!" "Doctor Chu."

As soon as Chu Tianshu entered, he heard a cacophony of greetings.

The people in these pharmacies knew that Chu Tianshu was of extraordinary status and had excellent medical skills, so they naturally treated him with great respect.

Those sorcerers, having witnessed Chu Tianshu's cultivation here, felt a far more genuine respect for him than the people at the apothecary.

The flower-selling Miss Mei, was also in the courtyard, carrying a flower basket. She took out a candied orange and handed it to Chu Tianshu.

The medicinal aroma in this courtyard is beneficial not only to patients but also to ordinary people.

But the extremely strong bitter and sour taste in this aroma is really quite intoxicating.

The people at the pharmacy were all wearing multiple layers of gauze masks.

The sorcerers felt that opportunities to gather so many good medicinal herbs were rare, and while they wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to cultivate, they found it difficult to concentrate.

Miss Mei then took out the candied fruit and distributed it to everyone.

After tasting it, Chu Tianshu praised it highly and often wanted to buy one to chew on.

While others were suppressing the smell of medicine, he was genuinely eating it like a snack.

The sweet, cool floral scent spread in his mouth, making his steps lighter as he sat cross-legged on the bamboo mat beside him.

The sorcerers summoned from Luoyang were not just these few; they usually hid in all walks of life.

But only these few people have unique knowledge of pharmacology, and they usually pretend to be flower girls, mosquito coil vendors, snake catchers, chefs at a meat restaurant, and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners specializing in treating injuries.

None of them were legitimate heirs of traditional medicine, but each possessed a unique method for warding off poison and evil spirits.

After selecting these individuals, Chu Tianshu gifted them cultivation methods and guided them to explore the possibility of joint spellcasting. He primarily tasked them with only one thing.

It involves collecting the toxins and impurities released from the pores of patients after they take their medicine each day, once the medicine has softened slightly.

The half-bowl of sesame oil, a bottle of honey, snakeskin, mosquito coils, and medicinal wine on the ground were all murky and black, exuding an ominous feeling, and that was the reason.

Chu Tianshu sat cross-legged for a while, and after his breathing stabilized, he pressed his tongue against the candied fruit and then against his palate to begin his cultivation.

An invisible internal force enveloped the magical objects that had absorbed the evil poison.

The snakeskin began to curl up and smoke, the mosquito coil spontaneously combusted without a flame, and several other items also showed signs of boiling.

The rising gray-black smoke was intermittent and not continuous.

Chu Tianshu's eyelids tightened, his eyes focused intently, and his hands suddenly began to move.

The hand, imbued with immense force, pressed down, creating a palpable sense of oppression in the courtyard.

When the palm actually approached the poisonous smoke, it suddenly became as gentle as if picking up a flower, or as if using the index and middle fingers to pick up a chess piece.

A fist-sized cloud of poisonous smoke was compressed into a polygonal fragment the size of a copper coin by pressing and pinching.

The fragments were pressed into the air by a finger, but remained suspended.

"19...39...59..."

Chu Tianshu uttered extremely low counting sounds, his hands moving erratically, with varying degrees of lightness, hesitancy, and speed.

Whether pressing or closing, pulling or flicking, the intermittent toxic smoke was all restrained into pieces by him.

There seemed to be a mold in the air ahead that no one else could see.

Chu Tianshu pieced the fragments together, gradually forming the shape of a long sword.

Within the cracked black longsword, an invisible, sharp intent seemed to flow.

Or rather, what restrained all the poisonous smoke and formed it into fragments was originally Chu Tianshu's Sword Qi Sword Intent.

This process of grasping, compressing, and piecing together is already a way of honing Sword Intent using different techniques.

Just as the evil poison was about to be pieced together into a complete longsword, some fragments were already being destroyed and disappeared in the process of being honed by the Sword Intent.

Another nick appeared on the sword.

Chu Tianshu showed no signs of discouragement and continued to strike with precision and speed.

The faster he exerted his power, the faster the fragments condensed, but the faster the fragments were destroyed by the impact.

This sword seems like it can never be pieced back together.

The sorcerers in the courtyard only glanced at it a few times before quickly averting their gaze.

When Chu Tianshu first started practicing, they watched along and were captivated by his gestures and the aura he exuded.

When they saw that the sword could not be pieced together, they were even more anxious than Chu Tianshu.

As time went by, their impatience gradually turned into a sense of despondency.

The frustration of trying so hard to accomplish something is so overwhelming that it makes them feel like they've wasted the first half of their lives and that the second half will be equally meaningless.

If Chu Tianshu hadn't spoken the truth and awakened them, some of them might have already contemplated suicide.

After that, they understood.

The evil poison they collected was actually just a catalyst.

While using these evil poisons, Chu Tianshu also continuously drew out more evil poisons from the patients' bodies.

But there's one thing they still don't know the answer to.

Does this shift from impatience to utter dejection only affect outsiders, or does it also affect Chu Tianshu himself?

If even the cultivators themselves are affected, then this cultivation method is far too demanding.

Of course, it will have an impact, and it will be even stronger.

The Nine-Nine Tribulation Ash Sword Manual requires one to use external evil poison to Sword Intent and internal decadence to cultivate sword heart.

The sun was setting in the west, and dusk was falling, obscuring its light.

As darkness fell, lights were lit in the courtyard, and the people from the pharmacy went home.

The sorcerers still habitually stay here, breathing in the medicinal properties and meditating to cultivate themselves.

By this point in his training, Chu Tianshu had used up all the toxins he had accumulated that day.

The broken black sword in mid-air disappeared piece by piece, shattering into nothingness.

Even Chu Tianshu couldn't help but feel a hint of sadness and resentment in his eyes.

He closed his eyes briefly. "Miss Mei, give me another preserved plum."

Miss Mei found a preserved plum and handed it to him, saying with concern, "Mr. Chu, you should go and rest too."

I'm in a really good mood today!

Chu Tianshu bit off a small half of the preserved plum, opened his eyes, and regained his composure.

"Please be careful tonight. Set up defenses around the prison. Notify the other sorcerers you've invited to join the attack. They don't need to know medicine; just prevent the evil energy from leaking out."

"At three-quarters past midnight, I will eradicate this plague."

He popped half a preserved plum into his mouth, bit off the flesh, and left the sweet pit, which crunched between his teeth.

He kills and captures thieves in broad daylight, vanquishing evil and destroying wickedness.

He must carry on this murderous spirit.

Let's finish them off in one fell swoop!

In the capital city.

Cao Ying received Yuanzai Zai in the study of the Presidential Palace.

The middle-aged Daoist priest, with thin eyebrows, a long beard, and a pale complexion, held a whisk in his right hand and a golden lotus oil lamp in his left.

There wasn't a breath of wind in the study, yet the oil lamp flickered rapidly, its flame changing color from green to red.

"The life lamp indicates a calamity. Yuanli's journey to Guanlin was halfway through when his spell was abruptly halted; it must be an unexpected disaster."

Yuanzai's voice was calm, "Junior Brother is traveling with the Young Marshal, and the Young Marshal's safety is now uncertain."

"Tonight, when the Yin energy is at its most manifest, I will perform a great ritual to observe the situation in Guanlin. I request that you, Commander, join me on the altar to gather the men, open the treasure vault, and arrange the ritual implements according to the list."

Cao Ying had high brow bones and cheekbones, but her cheeks were thin. Upon hearing this, she immediately stood up, and the shadows on her face became even more stern.

"How could there be such a change? Very well, I will certainly do my utmost to help!"

(End of this chapter)