Chapter 262: The Old Dragon King’s Invitation
As they were talking, a dull THUD suddenly came from inside the room. Nangong Ziqing’s heart tightened. She threw the door open to see Hu Shishi collapsed on the floor.
Overwhelmed with heartache, Nangong Ziqing rushed forward, scooped Hu Shishi up in her arms, and hurried into her own room, laying her on the bed.
At that moment, Hu Shishi’s face was ashen, her breath as faint as a thread. It seemed she could breathe her last at any moment.
Nangong Ziqing placed a hand on the center of Hu Shishi’s back and poured all of her True Essence into her, trying to preserve her severely damaged heart meridians.
After a long time, Hu Shishi slowly regained consciousness.
"Shishi, how are you?" Nangong Ziqing asked nervously.
"I’m... I’m all right. I won’t die just yet. I should have about two months left."
WHOOSH!
Nangong Ziqing instantly burst into tears. "Shishi, don’t talk nonsense! You’re going to be fine! I’ll take you back to Medicine Valley! I’ll personally plead with the Old Valley Master! We will get you cured!"
Hu Shishi gently wiped away Nangong Ziqing’s tears.
"Godmother, I know my own condition. You don’t need to comfort me. It is my honor to have met you in the final moments of my life."
Nangong Ziqing hugged Hu Shishi tightly. Though they shared no blood, at this moment, they felt an incredible closeness.
"Good child. Meeting you is my good fortune."
Hu Shishi said softly, "Godmother, can you do me a favor?"
"Just ask. Not just one favor—I’d grant you a hundred, even a thousand!"
"Godmother, please, I beg you to find my father and have him call off the engagement to Cheng Yuan! Also, please don’t let Cheng Yuan know about my current condition. I don’t want my death to cause him to fall into a deep pit of self-reproach."
"Silly child! You’re such a silly child! You’ve made such a great sacrifice! How can you call off the engagement with Cheng Yuan? Why hide this from him? I won’t allow it!"
"Godmother, I don’t want to be pitied, and I don’t want Cheng Yuan to live the rest of his life in regret."
Nangong Ziqing was left speechless.
***
「Elsewhere.」
Duan Yanming and Danba were keeping a tense vigil over Cheng Yuan.
Logically, his injuries should have healed and the toxins should have been completely purged. He should have woken up by now.
But even as dawn turned to broad daylight, Cheng Yuan remained unconscious.
It wasn’t until noon that Cheng Yuan slowly opened his eyes.
Cheng Yuan felt as if he had just woken from a very, very long dream.
’In the dream, a very intimate aura seemed to surround me, giving me warmth, helping me detoxify, and tempering my body.’
’I tried many times to get a clear look at this aura, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t succeed!’
’Still, I have a faint guess as to her identity.’
’It must be that girl I saw at the herbal medicine conference, right?’
’When she passed by private room number three, I nearly lost control of my Dao Heart. I could clearly feel that her own heart was not calm either.’
’Nangong Zihan, was it you who saved me?’
’Nangong Zihan, were you the one who gave up your most precious treasure for me?’
’Nangong Zihan, rest assured. I, Cheng Yuan, will never let you down in this life!’
But his heroic resolve quickly wavered. He was already married to Ruoxi, and he had an engagement with Sister Shishi. The thought alone gave him a headache.
"Third Brother, how are you feeling now? I can sense that your True Essence has improved significantly."
Only then did Cheng Yuan realize that Duan Yanming and Danba were still there, watching him.
Cheng Yuan smiled faintly. "I feel fantastic. I believe it won’t be long before I can exchange a few moves with Big Brother and Second Brother."
"We look forward to it."
Cheng Yuan got dressed, then turned and asked, "Where is the Nangong Saintess? Big Brother, Second Brother, could you please introduce me? I need to thank her properly."
The eyes of Duan Yanming and Danba flickered. ’Looks like this little rascal still has no idea what happened,’ they thought. ’He thinks it was Miss Nangong who made the great sacrifice.’
Danba said gently, "Miss Nangong has already returned to Medicine Valley. She left at three in the morning. If you want to go thank her, I can take you."
Cheng Yuan glanced at the time. It was definitely too late to catch up to her now.
"Next time, then. I have something important to do right now. I need to go back and help my sister with her injuries."
Duan Yanming gave a wry smile. "Xiaoyuan, I’m afraid you can’t leave just yet. The Dragon Head has been waiting for a long time."
"Alright, then I’ll meet with the Dragon Head first."
Led by Duan Yanming and Danba, the three of them arrived at the door of a guest room.
The Dragon Head had received the call for help last night and had rushed over immediately. Nangong Ziqing had arranged for him to rest in this guest room.
Duan Yanming knocked gently on the door. "Brother Yang, are you awake?"
CREAK. The door opened, and Yang Qianhuan walked out, looking refreshed and full of energy. He fixed his gaze on Cheng Yuan, and sensing the significant improvement in his aura, he couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction.
"Cheng Yuan, come with me. The Old Dragon King wants to see you."
Cheng Yuan nodded calmly. "Okay."
’The Old Dragon King??’
Duan Yanming and Danba sucked in a sharp breath. ’That’s the current Celestial Venerable of the Dragon Country Ancient Martial Realm! The pillar that supports the Dragon Country!’
Duan Yanming asked, his voice trembling, "Brother Yang, is this about him taking a disciple?"
"Yes. The Old Dragon King said he wants to see Cheng Yuan. I personally feel there’s a strong affinity between them. Perhaps he’ll even bestow the title of Young Marshal Dragon Flame upon Cheng Yuan!"
’Young Marshal Dragon Flame?’
Duan Yanming and Danba were profoundly shaken. Before the Old Dragon King had taken up the mantle of Dragon King, he too had served as the Young Marshal!
The two of them warned him in a very serious tone, "Third Brother, the Old Dragon King is the current Celestial Venerable of our Ancient Martial Realm. He has kept the entire realm in check for a full sixty years! You must show him the respect he is due!"
"Big Brother, Second Brother, please don’t worry."
After bidding farewell to Duan Yanming and Danba, Yang Qianhuan led Cheng Yuan out of the Chang’an Clubhouse.
Yang Qianhuan was driving a jeep, but its engine was incredibly powerful, not at all inferior to a supercar’s.
In less than twenty minutes, the car had left Beijing, reached the suburbs, and entered a mountain forest.
The Dragon Flame Headquarters was located here, perfectly positioned to guard the Capital Region.
Yang Qianhuan’s vehicle had an extremely high security clearance and was waved through every checkpoint.
It wasn’t until they reached the deepest part of the base that Yang Qianhuan needed to personally verify his identity.
BEEP.
After passing the iris and fingerprint scans, the gates to the deepest part of the base swung open.
There were very few Warriors moving about here, but each one emanated an incomparably powerful aura.
If this had been before Cheng Yuan came to Beijing, his scalp would have tingled with fear, because the weakest Warriors here were Grandmasters, and there were even a number of Martial Kings.
The Dragon Lord, Li Baizhan, having been notified by Yang Qianhuan, personally came out of his office to welcome Cheng Yuan.
"You must be Cheng Yuan? Your name is legendary!"
Yang Qianhuan, standing nearby, made the introduction. "Cheng Yuan, this is the Dragon Lord."
Cheng Yuan quickly waved his hands. "Dragon Lord, you flatter me."
Li Baizhan spoke heartily, "Cheng Yuan, when you see my Teacher in a moment, don’t hold back. Make sure you show the flamboyance and character of a young man."