Chapter 177 - 175: The Forbearing Father and Son
On the western slope of Mount Yangshan, within the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
After returning to the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion, Du Xiaochen sat in his study. He picked up his teacup, then set it down again, grabbing the teapot directly and starting to guzzle from the spout.
Setting down the teapot, Du Xiaochen exhaled a puff of white air.
"Guangnian, don’t use such hot water for the tea next time. Our Yangshan Cloud Mist Spirit Tea is best steeped in warm water. Water that’s too hot will just make the aroma dissipate."
To one side of the study, a thin, pale young man holding a book chuckled. "The way you chug it down like that, Father, you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the aroma of even the finest tea.
By the way, what was the meeting the Thunder Shock Sect called you all for today?"
Du Xiaochen said, "It was about the new Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture."
With that, Du Xiaochen briefly recounted what had happened at the meeting.
"He’s also in his twenties, yet this Lord Chen has already made a name for himself in the Jianghu and commands an entire prefecture. Such a peerless talent is truly enviable."
Du Guangnian’s tone was filled with envy.
If he hadn’t been afflicted by this strange poison, perhaps he too would be roaming the Jianghu with a sword in hand.
Getting on the Hidden Dragon Rankings would have been a fantasy, of course, but it would have been better than being a cripple like he was now.
A flicker of sorrow appeared in Du Xiaochen’s eyes.
His son had been a young prodigy, stepping into the Qi Casting Realm at eighteen. Although he couldn’t compare to the geniuses on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, he had still stood head and shoulders above the Yangshan Four Sects.
Du Xiaochen even believed that as long as his son cultivated step-by-step, he could have become the second Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster to emerge from the Yangshan Four Sects after Wen Cangyuan.
But who would have thought that a single incident would reduce his son to this state?
Seeing the son who was once so full of life now afraid to even leave the house, how could he, as a father, not feel his heart ache?
Just then, a middle-aged man suddenly burst into the study and said excitedly, "Senior Brother! I heard a Divine Doctor from the Jianghu has come to Yangshan Prefecture! He specializes in detoxification. You have to take Guangnian to see him, or it’ll be too late when he leaves!"
This middle-aged man was Du Xiaochen’s junior brother, Yang Xian, the other Condensing Truth Realm expert of the Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion.
He was very close to Du Xiaochen and also treated Du Guangnian like his own nephew, caring for him deeply.
"Forget it. It’s probably just another charlatan from the Jianghu."
Du Xiaochen gave a bitter smile. "How much money have we wasted over the years? How many so-called Divine Doctors have we sought out? Has a single one of them been able to cure Guangnian?"
"How will we know if we don’t try?"
Yang Xian was extremely insistent. "If we go, there’s at least a sliver of a chance. If we don’t, there’s no chance at all."
"Senior Brother, just take Guangnian and give it another try. If he really is a charlatan, then just kill him with one strike of your sword. It’ll save him from harming anyone else."
Yang Xian meant well, and there was indeed some truth to what he said.
Although the chances were slim, Du Xiaochen sighed and nodded in agreement.
The Flying Shadow Sword Pavilion followed an elite path. It didn’t have many disciples, nor did it have any division between an Inner Sect and an outer sect. With a total of fewer than a hundred disciples, the Sect’s affairs were not particularly numerous.
So, Du Xiaochen temporarily entrusted the Sect’s management to Yang Xian, while he took Du Guangnian down the mountain to Yangshan Prefecture to find the "Divine Doctor" at the address Yang Xian had provided.
The address Yang Xian gave was for a residence in Yangshan Prefecture.
Du Xiaochen knocked on the door, and a voice came from inside. "Please, come in."
Pushing the door open and entering, he didn’t find a Divine Doctor with a sage-like bearing. Instead, he saw a handsome young man with somewhat cold, sharp features.
Du Xiaochen immediately felt that something was wrong. Just as he was about to speak, the door behind him suddenly swung shut.
Yu Yousong stood guard at the door and smiled at Du Xiaochen. "Sect Leader Du, it’s been a while."
Du Xiaochen’s expression changed instantly. He whipped his head toward Chen Yuan. "You’re the new Inspector of Yangshan Prefecture, Chen Jiutian?
Are you trying to divide and conquer the Yangshan Four Sects? You’ve got some nerve!"
Chen Yuan said coolly, "Sect Leader Du, don’t be so aggressive. When did I ever say I was going to make a move against you?
Aren’t you here looking for a Divine Doctor? If I can cure the poison in your son, then naturally, I am that Divine Doctor."
Du Xiaochen sneered, "Do you take me for a three-year-old child? To think you’d want me to hand my son over to you willingly."
Chen Yuan sighed and held out his hand. A blood-red, incredibly solid Sword Aura materialized above his palm.
In an instant, an incomparably sharp Saber Intent emerged—bone-chilling and soul-shaking.
"Saber Intent!?"
Du Xiaochen’s expression changed dramatically in an instant.
He had practiced the sword since childhood, dedicating decades to the Sword Dao, yet he still hadn’t managed to comprehend Sword Intent.
Only upon reaching the Primordial Pill Realm could one comprehend Sword Intent with the aid of the Power of the Primordial Pill.
This Chen Jiutian before him was only in the Condensing Truth Realm. How could he possibly have comprehended Saber Intent? ’Did he start cultivating in his mother’s womb?’
Then, Du Xiaochen suddenly felt that something was amiss again.
’Shouldn’t this Chen Jiutian be in the Sea of Reincarnation Realm, according to the Hidden Dragon Rankings? When did he break through to the Condensing Truth Realm?’
After all, almost everyone on the Hidden Dragon Rankings who had reached the Condensing Truth Realm was ranked in the top twenty.
’Although this Chen Jiutian is currently thirtieth on the Hidden Dragon Rankings, doesn’t this mean his true strength is already comparable to the top twenty?’
"Sect Leader Du, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, if I wanted to harm you and your son, you truly wouldn’t be able to stop me. Besides, we also have Elder Yu here."
"I am not toying with you. I am genuinely confident that I can cure the poison in your son."
Chen Yuan didn’t immediately bring up the information he had investigated earlier.
Du Xiaochen valued his son above all else. Everything else would naturally have to wait until after the poison was cured.
Just then, Du Guangnian suddenly spoke up. "Father, just let Lord Chen try. I’m already in this state. How much worse could it possibly get?"
As he spoke, Du Guangnian shot a meaningful look at Du Xiaochen.
Du Xiaochen’s expression was complicated when he saw it.
The father and son had a deep understanding. With a single glance from his son, he understood what the other meant.
Du Guangnian was telling him that if anything happened to him, Du Xiaochen should abandon him and escape immediately.
Patting his father’s arm, Du Guangnian walked over to Chen Yuan and sat down, looking at him with a hint of curiosity.
Ever since his cultivation was crippled, his favorite pastime was reading the monthly updates to the Hidden Dragon Rankings from the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower.
He would look at the deeds and records of the brilliant talents of the Jianghu and imagine himself roaming the world just like them.
He could recite the achievements of every single person on the Hidden Dragon Rankings by heart, but he never expected to come into such close contact with one of its geniuses today.
Chen Yuan gripped Du Guangnian’s wrist. The Starfire Power in his body erupted, but he precisely controlled its strength as it probed into Du Guangnian’s body.
Inside Du Guangnian’s Dantian, a ball of lightning-like energy was tightly suppressing a mass of Poison Power. That must be Wen Cangyuan’s power.
True Qi of the Thunder Attribute was righteous and domineering, so it did indeed have a certain suppressive effect on Poison Power.
However, the Cultivation Technique Wen Cangyuan practiced wasn’t particularly powerful, and his Strength Attribute was quite ordinary. Thus, he could only suppress this Poison Power, not completely destroy it.
The Celestial Fire Power gently swept over, instantly extinguishing the thunder light. The Poison Power then erupted violently within the body.
In an instant, Chen Yuan was certain this was the Heaven-Devouring Poison developed by Ming Gongqiao.
To be precise, though, it was an incomplete version of the Heaven-Devouring Poison. Its Poison Power was far less potent than the one Yan Jiuyi had used during the furnace-opening ceremony.
Presumably, five years ago, Ming Gongqiao’s research had not yet reached Great Success, and he was still collecting Spiritual Medicines all over the Jianghu to refine his poisons.
The Celestial Fire Power surged, easily and completely incinerating the poison in Du Guangnian’s body, not even leaving a speck of dust behind.
Chen Yuan had been able to deal with the Heaven-Devouring Poison in Lu Chuanshan’s body before; dealing with this incomplete version in Du Guangnian was even easier.
Du Guangnian felt the True Qi in his Dantian spread through his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and to his limbs and bones. His entire body couldn’t help but tremble.
"Guangnian, what’s wrong!?"
Seeing his son’s reaction, Du Xiaochen’s expression immediately grew tense.
"Father! The poison in my body is gone! My power is completely restored!"
Du Guangnian raised his hand, and a weak stream of True Qi emanated from it.
His True Qi had been sealed in his Dantian for five years, meaning his physical body hadn’t been nourished by True Qi for that entire time.
Now, the True Qi flowed weakly through his Meridians, even stimulating them and causing a slight stinging sensation.
But Du Guangnian had no time to care about that. His heart was filled with nothing but boundless ecstasy.
’I’m finally not a cripple anymore!’
You only realize how precious some things are after you’ve lost them.
Du Xiaochen was also incredibly moved. He bowed deeply to Chen Yuan, his expression solemn. "Thank you, Lord Chen, for saving my son. I am eternally grateful!"
"Sect Leader Du, there’s no need for formalities. To be honest, I lured you here today, and curing Du Guangnian was just a matter of convenience. The main reason is that I have something to show you."
With that, Chen Yuan directly took out the file Yu Yousong had compiled and handed it to Du Xiaochen.
After Du Xiaochen finished reading, his expression was surprisingly calm. He then passed it to Du Guangnian.
After Du Guangnian finished, his reaction was the same, which came as a surprise to Chen Yuan.
’Do they trust Wen Cangyuan that much? Is this information not enough to make them suspect him?’
Yu Yousong couldn’t help but say, "Sect Leader Du, I personally investigated and collected all this information. It is absolutely true, without the slightest falsehood!
Young Master Du was ambushed and injured by a Poison Technique back then. It’s highly likely that Wen Chengze instructed Liang Yunhao of the Mystic Light Sect to find that Southern Sea Martial Artist to do the deed."
Du Xiaochen gave a bleak smile. "Of course I know this is all true. In fact, I know it even more clearly than what you’ve investigated!
Back then, Guangnian was at a restaurant with Wen Chengze and other disciples from the younger generation of the Yangshan Four Sects, watching a songstress perform.
She was a chaste courtesan. Wen Chengze wanted to force himself on her, and Guangnian, unable to stand by, said a few words. The two of them were young and hot-headed, so they came to blows.
Liang Yunhao of the Mystic Light Sect and a young disciple from the Yanxia Sect also helped Wen Chengze, but they were no match for Guangnian.
Afterward, I even scolded Guangnian and made him apologize to Wen Chengze.
Who would have thought that Liang Yunhao would give Wen Chengze the idea to trade several rare Spiritual Medicines from the Thunder Shock Sect for the services of that Southern Sea Martial Artist, who then grievously injured Guangnian with a Poison Technique!
You already know what happened after that.
The Southern Sea Martial Artist vanished without a trace after making his move. Meanwhile, Guangnian, unable to be cured of this strange poison, had his Martial Arts completely crippled and even came close to death!"