Immortal Martial Emperor

"Are you... certain?"

As Hong Yu’s words fell,

the utterly pale Eldest Miss Xu suddenly convulsed, then coughed up a mouthful of black blood with a "BLECH." The blood reeked of rotting fish.

At that moment, Hu Jun was standing right in front of Eldest Miss Xu, pointing an accusing finger at Hong Yu.

Caught completely off guard, he took the full spray of black blood to his face.

His face was covered in the filth, and the stench was unbearable.

Hu Jun was completely stunned. He numbly raised a hand to wipe the grime from his face, then looked down at his palm, now stained with black blood.

Suddenly...

Hu Jun let out a piercing shriek. "Blood? It’s blood!"

He violently jabbed a finger at Hong Yu and roared hysterically, "You murderer! You actually injured Eldest Miss Xu! You made her spit up blood! You murderer..." He quickly turned to Xu Rongchang and Xu Wudi. "Patriarch Xu, Second Miss Xu, hurry up and seize this killer!"

But he quickly realized something was wrong.

Everyone in the room was staring at him with a strange expression.

It felt as if a crowd of tourists had stopped to watch a street performer with a dancing monkey, and he was the monkey, jumping up and down!

"Ma-Master?"

Hu Jun looked blankly at Master Hu.

Master Hu was furious. He shot him a harsh glare and snapped, "Get back here, you disgraceful thing."

"Huh?"

Hu Jun grew even more confused.

"Cough! Cough, cough..."

A fit of sharp coughing cut through Hu Jun’s confusion. He turned in astonishment to look at the bedside, and what he saw left him thunderstruck and completely dumbfounded. "Th-th-this... How is this possible?"

At that moment, Xu Wudi’s sister had opened her eyes. Although she was still incredibly weak, it was the first time in three years she had awoken with a clear and conscious mind.

Hu Jun trembled. He knew he was done for. He had lost this gamble.

Master Hu’s expression was stormy and uncertain.

He had toiled for three years without being able to wake Eldest Miss Xu, yet Hong Yu had done it with a simple tap of his finger, even restoring some of her clarity. This completely overturned Master Hu’s understanding of the world.

More importantly, Master Hu knew that if word of this got out, the prestige he had worked so hard to build would be destroyed in an instant.

Besides, there was still the matter of the bet between him and Hong Yu!

The thought of having his hands and feet cut off and his tongue dug out sent a chill down Master Hu’s spine.

As his gaze flickered, Master Hu gritted his teeth and made a ruthless decision. ’I absolutely cannot let Hong Yu take the credit for this.’

With that thought, Master Hu’s eyes glinted. His expression returned to one of profound inscrutability as he said coolly, "Hmph. Indeed, this is just as I expected."

"Hm?"

Xu Rongchang and the others, their faces alight with joy, looked at Master Hu in confusion.

Even Hong Yu watched with an amused expression, curious to see what else Master Hu would come up with.

Master Hu truly lived up to his reputation as a wily old fox. He maintained a look of profound indifference, as if everything was truly under his control. "My Fourth Grade Life-extending Pill was created from an Ancient Pill Recipe. It even contains a precious Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine, Rebirth Grass. It can cure any difficult and complicated illness. Seeing Eldest Miss Xu’s recovery now, it’s clear the Life-extending Pill has taken effect!"

"Er, Master Hu, are you saying my daughter woke up because of your Life-extending Pill?" Xu Rongchang asked hesitantly.

Master Hu nodded. "If not for my Life-extending Pill, surely Patriarch Xu doesn’t believe it was because of this brat’s little finger tap, does he?"

"Well..."

Xu Rongchang hesitated, unsure whether Master Hu was telling the truth. He looked at Hong Yu. "Young friend Hong Yu, what do you think?"

Before Hong Yu could speak, Hu Jun jumped in. "Is there even a need to ask? This is definitely the miraculous effect of the Life-extending Pill! How could a guy even younger than me possibly cure Eldest Miss Xu?"

But no one paid him any mind; they all looked at Hong Yu.

Xu Wudi also looked at Hong Yu with confusion. "Hong Yu, why don’t you tell us what you think!"

"Haha!"

Hong Yu laughed, rubbing his nose as he swept a wry, smiling gaze over Master Hu and his apprentice. He then shrugged. "As for who is responsible for curing Eldest Miss Xu, it’s not up to me to say, and it’s not up to Master Hu either!"

"Then who is it up to?"

Xu Wudi frowned.

She had a fiery and impetuous personality.

She hated it most when people dawdled.

Hong Yu pointed a finger at Eldest Miss Xu, who was lying in Xu Wudi’s arms. "This is something Eldest Miss Xu must decide for herself!"

"Huh?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Master Hu sneered. "Hmph, you wet-behind-the-ears brat, what do you know? Eldest Miss Xu has been in a coma. How could she possibly know?"

Hong Yu didn’t argue. Instead, he looked at Eldest Miss Xu. "Eldest Miss Xu, may I ask, how exactly did you awaken from your deep sleep?"

"SWISH!"

Every head swiveled in unison to look at the frail Eldest Miss Xu.

Her pale, pretty face was tinged with a sickly weakness. Her lips trembled as she looked at Hong Yu, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz. "It... it was Hong Yu!"

"What? That’s impossible..."

Master Hu shot to his feet, furious. "You were clearly in a coma, with no Perception of the outside world! How could you know who woke you? Ah, so the Xu Family has colluded with this boy to humiliate this old man, is that it?"

"Master Hu, watch your words!" Xu Rongchang flared with anger, his immense aura pressing down on him.

Master Hu shuddered, a trace of fear now in his eyes as he looked at Xu Rongchang.

He sat back down in a huff.

But Eldest Miss Xu just stared intently at Hong Yu. "You... you know him?"

This out-of-the-blue question confused many, but then they instantly realized who "he" was and all turned to look at Hong Yu.

Hong Yu gave a wry smile. "I do know him, but his identity is quite special. It’s not convenient for me to tell you."

"Th-then can you tell me, is... is he doing well?" Eldest Miss Xu’s weak eyes shone with a hopeful light.

Hong Yu sighed softly. ’What a devoted woman.’ He nodded. "He is doing very well." After a moment’s hesitation, Hong Yu continued, "He asked me to come find you and to tell you that he hopes you will take good care of yourself. Once he has finished his business, he will come back for you."

"R-Really?"

Eldest Miss Xu asked, biting her lip gently.

Hong Yu felt a pang of pity. ’I have to have a talk with Xiahuang Shang the next time I see him,’ he decided, then nodded firmly. "Absolutely."

"He really hasn’t forgotten me! Cough, cough... Wudi, did you hear that? He... he really hasn’t forgotten me... He really hasn’t..."

Eldest Miss Xu smiled happily, her face streaked with tears. She was laughing and crying at the same time, until she fell back into a deep sleep.

"Sister?"

Xu Wudi cried out in alarm.

Hong Yu smiled. "Don’t worry. She’s just overwhelmed, and she’s had too little nourishment over the years. I have a Pill Recipe here. Go gather the medicinal ingredients on it, and I will personally handle the Refining of a Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder for her. After three days, she will naturally recover her health!"

"Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder?"

Xu Rongchang repeated the name, then took the Pill Recipe and ordered his servants to gather the ingredients.

His gaze toward Hong Yu was no longer as indifferent as it had been at the start; it now held a trace of gratitude and admiration.

But when he thought of the bet between Hong Yu and Master Hu, Xu Rongchang felt a headache coming on. Master Hu’s status was extraordinary, and he had indeed kept his daughter alive for the past three years. If he really made the man cut off his own hands and feet, he would easily earn a reputation for being ungrateful.

Just as he was wondering how to persuade Hong Yu to give up on the bet,

he was stunned to see Master Hu flash over and snatch the Pill Recipe for the Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder. Master Hu looked it up and down, then stared at Hong Yu with a complicated expression. "Young man, can you truly refine this Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder?"

The corners of Hong Yu’s lips tilted up slightly. "Although it’s somewhat difficult, I’m still about seventy percent confident I can successfully refine it!"

"HISS!"

Master Hu staggered back three consecutive steps, dazed and lost in thought.

Hu Jun, completely at a loss, had never seen Master Hu in such a state. He asked, bewildered, "Master, what in the world is this Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder?"

The members of the Xu Family also looked at Master Hu in confusion.

Master Hu, however, took a deep breath and slowly uttered three words that made everyone gasp—"Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine!"

"A Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine? Th-that’s impossible!"

Hu Jun stared blankly at Master Hu.

One must understand that even at his Peak, Master Hu could only refine Fourth Grade Middle Level Spirit Pills. In the entire Ice Kingdom, this already made him a leader in the field, a titan of the Spiritual Craftsman’s Alchemy Dao.

No one could surpass him!

And Master Hu had been immersed in the Spiritual Craftsman’s path of Alchemy for a hundred years!

How old was this Hong Yu?

He could already refine a Fifth-Grade Spirit Medicine? Even if he had started studying Alchemy in the womb, he couldn’t have gotten this good so quickly, could he?

In contrast to Hu Jun’s chaotic thoughts, Master Hu didn’t have many doubts.

He had heard of the famous Nine-Transformation Body Moisturizing Powder before; it was a long-lost Pill Recipe.

Not only could Hong Yu list out the Pill Recipe, but he also possessed such confidence and pride. This convinced Master Hu, making him believe that Hong Yu truly had the ability to refine this pill.

His face was full of bitterness. His knees buckled, and he was about to kneel before Hong Yu.

But Hong Yu was quick. With a slight wave of his hand, a soft, continuous force flowed out and helped Master Hu back to his feet. He smiled. "Master Hu, why go this far? A junior like me cannot bear such a bow!"

"I had eyes but failed to recognize Mount Tai. Please, young friend... ah, no, please, Master Hong, forgive me!"

Master Hu just kept shaking his head. He glanced with a fond but pitying look at the dumbstruck Hu Jun, then turned back to Hong Yu. "Master Hong, this old man is aged and doesn’t have many years left. But this apprentice of mine is gifted and intelligent; he can carry on my legacy. I ask that you forgive him, Master. Let this old man fulfill the terms of our bet!"

As he spoke, Master Hu condensed a Primordial Gang Blade in his palm and was about to chop at his own hands and feet.

But Hong Yu waved his hand, shattering the condensed Primordial Gang. He smiled. "Master Hu, there’s no need for this. The bet was just a joke to begin with!"

Master Hu trembled slightly. Looking into Hong Yu’s clear and sincere eyes, he sighed softly, filled with heartfelt admiration. He bowed deeply to Hong Yu and said solemnly, "Master Hong, you are so young, yet not only is your mastery of the Alchemy Dao so profound, but your character also far surpasses that of this old man. I am truly impressed. Please, accept my bow!"

Hong Yu accepted this bow without protest.

The accomplished one is the teacher!

With his own cultivation in the Alchemy Dao, he was indeed qualified to receive such a grand gesture from Master Hu.

Nearby, Xu Wudi, Xu Rongchang, and the others watched, utterly dumbfounded.

Master Hu’s temper was known throughout the Kingdom. He had never been so respectful, not even when facing the King. Their gazes toward Hong Yu held a new level of astonishment. ’Just what kind of young man is he?!’

Afterward, the Xu Family took care of all the arrangements, and Hong Yu was led by Xu Wudi toward a guest room.

Hong Yu knew that now was not the time to bring up the Profound Ice Secret Realm. He decided to wait until Eldest Miss Xu had recovered before saying anything more, and followed Xu Wudi into the room.

Unexpectedly, Xu Wudi turned right around and shut the door tightly. She sized up Hong Yu with a peculiar look. "Alright, spill it. How did you really wake up my sister?"

Hong Yu rubbed his nose in frustration. "Second Miss Xu, a man and a woman alone in a room together, and you’ve locked the door... this doesn’t look very good, does it?"

"What’s not good about it?"

"I-It’ll affect my reputation! Hey, hey, don’t come any closer! I’m going to scream."

"You’re not leaving this room until you’ve explained everything."

The fierce Xu Wudi declared, "Go on, scream! I dare you! Even if you scream your lungs out, no one is coming to save you!"

As she finished speaking, Xu Wudi pounced on Hong Yu like a hungry tiger...