Chapter 145: Chapter 9 Sun Chengyou
Repairing one cultivation method would net 90,000 Heavenly Mandate Vitality, which surpasses the total amount absorbed before. If I could get a few more, it wouldn’t be too difficult to break through to the Divine Soul Realm, not to mention the Dharma Form Realm!
Unaware of his thoughts, assuming that the other party was doing this for the academy, Lu Mingrong shook his head full of gratitude: “There’s no more…”
It’s nothing short of miraculous for an academy to get its hands on one cultivation method of this caliber. How could there possibly be others!
If that were the case, with their power, they surely couldn’t keep it safe.
Zhang Xuan looked slightly disappointed and turned to Sun Qiang: “Let’s go, onto the next one!”
Lu Mingrong, puzzled, asked: “Teacher Zhang, what happened? If you need my help, just say it…”
“It’s nothing, just thinking about making a little money on the side!”
Zhang Xuan waved his hand and took a few steps before stopping: “Oh, right, we’re square with the Destiny Plate you credited me with and settling the Xuanlong Palm, no debts owed…”
“Of course!” Lu Mingrong nodded.
Relieved, Zhang Xuan walked briskly towards the distance.
Although he already had more than 90,000 Heavenly Mandate Vitality, which should be enough for now, he still needed to earn money. After all, registering for the Heavenly Mandate Baptism would require 30 million Origin Currency.
Plus, he planned to have Nie Lingxi, Zhao Ya, and others come over; how else to support them without money?
Watching them leave, Lu Mingrong hesitated for a moment before turning to the vice School Head of Wu Yunzhou: “I have to deal with the Xuanlong Palm matter. You follow them and see what’s going on. Maybe you can take care of them a bit!”
The vice School Head of Wu Yunzhou nodded and quickly followed.
Only then did Lu Mingrong breathe a sigh of relief and look around: “Please keep this palm art confidential and do not leak it…”
…
“Clip-clop~~”
The two galloping horses came to a halt. Zhang Xuan dismounted and looked at the yard in front of him with a hint of puzzlement: “Is this the residence of Sun Chengyou? Can he… really afford a million in reward?”
The small yard in front of him was overgrown with weeds and looked shabby and unkempt. The thatched cottage, long unattended, had numerous holes in it. From any angle, it didn’t seem like the dwelling of someone who could offer a million Origin Currency.
“According to my investigation, Sun Chengyou was once a Musician Bai, quite wealthy, always playing music for nobles and earning many rewards. Moreover, his cultivation is not weak, at the pinnacle of the Viscera Realm, Sixfold of Source Pool. So… having a million in savings shouldn’t be too hard. It’s just unclear why he lives here…”
Sun Qiang shook his head.
With barely over two days’ time, the pressure was immense. Although they found many ways to earn money, the background checks weren’t that thorough.
“Let’s go and see. If he can pay, that’s great, if not, let it be…” Zhang Xuan nodded.
They came to the door, knocked for a while, and when nobody responded, they went in.
The yard wasn’t small but was filled with overgrown plants as if it hadn’t been lived in for many years. Before they even approached the thatched cottage, they heard the sound of men and women sobbing together.
They exchanged glances, and Zhang Xuan and Sun Qiang walked over, then saw in the center of the hall a straw mat with an old man lying on it, eyes closed tightly, already having stopped breathing. The people on both sides were probably his children and kin, lost in their loud weeping.
“Could this be Sun Chengyou? It seems we’ve arrived too late…” Sun Qiang scratched his head awkwardly.
“This isn’t about being late; it’s that he died too soon…” Zhang Xuan was speechless.
Sun Qiang had received information that Sun Chengyou had been wounded by a Primordial Beast and his life was near its end. If someone could help heal him, there would be a reward of a million… But now, before they even entered the house, the man was dead. What was there to treat?
“What brings the two of you here?”
Just as they were about to turn around and leave, a crying young man noticed them and looked up to ask. At his words, the others also turned their gazes towards them.
“This should be… the residence of Elder Sun Chengyou, right?”
Sun Qiang hurriedly clasped his fists and asked, and upon the other party’s confirmation, he spoke with an embarrassed tone: “Our gongzi is skilled in the Way of Medicine and heard that Elder Sun was ill. He wanted to come over and offer help with treatment. Now it seems we’re too late, and I am very sorry…”
“Treat illness? Another one here to treat illness. My father was killed by you quacks looking to claim the reward! Come, seize them and lock them up with the others!”
The young man clenched his teeth as he gave the command.
“Yes!”
Whoosh!
With those words, five or six people suddenly sprang from the room, surrounding Zhang Xuan and Sun Qiang in the center.
Each of these people possessed the cultivation of the Physique Realm. Although not extremely strong, they were by no means weak. Most notably, they all had the appearance of being tough veterans with the mark of battle and even blood on their hands, typically only seen on subordinates.
As expected, they were probably Iron Blood Soldiers.
“What do you mean by this? We came here just to help treat people. Is that also illegal?”
Sun Qiang looked around, frowning.
“Illegal, no, but I can’t stand you swindlers…”
The young man snorted coldly and gestured boldly: “Take them down!”
Whoosh!
The group encircling Zhang Xuan moved in unison toward them.
Just then, a crisp voice of a woman rose in the room, “Brother, what are you trying to do?”
Following that, a woman in her twenties stepped out.
Dressed in plain clothes, her appearance was extremely beautiful, with reddened eyes, and a sorrowful expression, evoking a sense of pity.
“Yuer…” the young man frowned.
“Father passed away, I know you’re upset, but that’s no reason to lose your temper and arrest people at will!”
After speaking, the woman lifted her head and gave a bow to Zhang Xuan, “I’m really sorry, this gongzi. My father was well this morning, until a physician came to treat his wounds. After taking the medicine, he couldn’t hold on and stopped breathing… My brother is worried and confused, hence the offense, I hope you can forgive us!”
“I’m not losing my temper without reason. Father was seriously ill, and as his children, who wouldn’t be anxious? But ever since the million Origin Currency reward was announced, there’s been an endless stream of people offering help, and how many of them are genuinely capable? They are all nothing but opportunists!”
The young man snorted coldly.
“Brother’s words are correct. Originally, when father was seriously ill and sought medical advice, no one could help, nobody dared to administer treatment. Once the reward of a million was offered, there were suddenly ‘famous physicians’ everywhere; every day, there are more than ten who come with their ancestral prescriptions… How can we believe them?”
Another young man kneeling by the corpse snorted in agreement.
“I understand what my brothers mean, but this gongzi has just arrived and has done nothing wrong. The dead cannot be brought back to life. Even if we feel resentful, we can’t take our anger out on those who are not involved. Let them go!”
The woman gestured with her hands.
“Indeed… let them go!”
Hearing his sister say this, the young man nodded and made a dismissive gesture.
“Yes!” Several subordinates retreated back into the room.
“The two of you may leave. My father has already passed away… we no longer require treatment,” the woman gestured.
“If nothing is done, then he’s indeed dead…”
Zhang Xuan didn’t leave, instead, he shook his head.
After hearing the conversation among the three, he had figured out what was going on.
The reward of a million Origin Currency was simply too tempting. It was unsurprising that every day, various “eminent physicians” would come to this courtyard, all able to produce some special “secret prescriptions.”
In the beginning, Sun Chengyou probably trusted them greatly. However, after taking their concoctions not only did his condition not improve, but it also worsened. He soon realized that most of these people were “scammers,” with one goal: to treat a dying horse as if it were still alive. If by chance they managed to cure him, they would make a fortune; if not, they had nothing to lose…
“What do you mean?”
The woman was startled.
“My meaning is simple. If I’m not mistaken, your father has merely stopped breathing temporarily and has not truly died. In other words, he can still be saved. If you really ignore this and bury him directly… then he truly would be dead,” Zhang Xuan gestured.
Having understood the man’s condition, he used his Eye of Insight and saw that although the older man on the grass mat was motionless and even his body was stiff, there was still a faint breath; he had not died completely.
“Not dead?” The woman was astonished.
“What nonsense are you spouting? Our father has stopped breathing, how could he possibly not be dead?” The young man was also taken aback, then he rebuked sharply.
“Correct, his pulse may have stopped, but his breathing has not ceased entirely. If we act now, he could be saved. However, if we wait even a moment longer, he could truly die, and then even the most skilled physician would be powerless to bring him back!”
Zhang Xuan insisted.
“This…”
Hearing what he said, the young man and the others looked over at the elderly man lying on the grass mat. Never mind breathing, the man’s face was utterly pale; they were being told he wasn’t dead?
“Don’t listen to his nonsense. Though we may not understand the Way of Medicine, we can still tell if someone is dead or not, can’t we?” The second young man sneered.
“The second young master is right, these people are just bluffing, babbling nonsense, and then they look for a way to swindle money…”
A middle-aged man looking like a steward within the room spoke harshly.
“Believe it or not, it’s up to you!”
Zhang Xuan, feeling no need to explain further, looked at Sun Qiang, “Let’s go.”
After all, he had said what needed to be said; whether they believed it or not was up to them.
They had just taken a few steps and hadn’t left the courtyard when the woman’s voice rang out again, “Please wait, gongzi! Since you say my father isn’t dead, do you know of a way to treat him? If you can revive him and cure the underlying issues, the million reward my father spoke of will remain, and I can decide to add another million on top of it!”
The young man frowned, “Sister, do you really believe such a swindler? Have you forgotten that father ended up like this because of such scammers?”
The woman said, “Brother, father is already in this state, can it get any worse? Since this gongzi says he can save him, I want to try…”
“Among so many men, it turns out a woman is braver!”
Feeling a sense of admiration in his heart, Zhang Xuan turned around and looked at her, “Are you sure you want to save him? And can you really decide about what you just said?”
“Of course I can!” The woman nodded.
“Well then…”
With an affirmative response, Zhang Xuan stepped toward the hall and approached Sun Chengyou, who was lying on the ground.