Feng Feiyun still ate the fifth-ranked spirit pill so the Yama’s Decay Blood was temporarily suppressed. The Yama seal on his chest was still there. His expression was sickly without any glow. He often would even cough out blood.
It looked like an ongoing case of tuberculosis.
“Young friend, rest peacefully at the pagoda for the next two years. Don’t worry about the pagoda’s list. Remember, be tolerant and let go of anger. That’s the only way to live for another two years, otherwise… sigh.” Grand Pill Master Bai Guo chattered away but couldn’t finish the rest.
Feiyun remained calm. He began to channel spirit energy without wanting to stop. Death was better than to lose his fighting spirit.
“Why is my cultivation receding constantly?” Feiyun asked.
The pill master replied: “The decay blood will not only corrode your body but also your cultivation. You will become weaker and weaker over the next two years. When all of your cultivation is gone, so will your life.”
“Zhang Badao, take your Junior Brother back to the Martial Tower.” The Divine King heaved a sigh and stared at Feiyun one last time before leaving with a gloomy look.
Feiyun was quite moved. This Divine King was a good master. It wasn’t a bad deal to call him a master at all.
Even the greatest genius would turn into a cripple because of this poison and lose all value. Nevertheless, the Divine King still treated him as a disciple and tried to cure him as well as wasting a favor in order to let him live two years longer.
Someone else would have run away and let Feiyun fence for himself. This was when he could see who was truly cared for him versus the pretenders.
People come and go; their mind and ties were quick to change.
“He must be so disappointed!” Feiyun stared emotionally at the dejected king’s back.
Zhang Badao said: “Junior Brother, come back with me! The Martial Tower has me and master there, no one will dare to do anything to you.”
Feiyun has offended many people. Now, he was injured with no recovery in sight. The others were no longer scared of him. He would be humiliated or even killed without the protection of the Divine King.
Feiyun shook his head in response: “Thank you for your kind wish, Brother but I have many things to do and can’t be a coward hiding in the Martial Tower. That will be an indignant death.”
Zhang Badao was a strange character. He valued friendship and family so after hearing this, he didn’t become sad at all but slammed his thigh approvingly: “That’s my Junior Brother. Even if you die, you must go in a blaze of glory like a real man.”
Feiyun smiled back. This caused blood to ooze out of his mouth so he had to wipe them clean: “Brother, are you not afraid of the poison? If you stay too close to me, you’ll be infected too.”
Badao became a bit sad and said: “I’m your only Senior Brother so of course, I don’t give a damn. If it comes, I’ll punch it running! But… many of your friends, they might… Junior Brother, you need to see through relationships after this and care a bit less. Otherwise, you’ll find that living in this world isn’t that fun at all.”
Feiyun nodded. One could only find out those who truly care for them during their lowest moment.
Feiyun took out the insignia and gave it back to Badao so he could return it to the king. This insignia has lost its value, no need to keep it around.
This news spread quickly across the pagoda, the southern prefecture, then all of the Jin Dynasty. Everyone knew that Feiyun has become a cripple after being inflicted by the poison.
“I thought that the number one genius of the dynasty would soar like a hawk instead of falling down like this.”
“Even Grand Pill Master can only let him live two years longer. Looks like the demon’s son is really done for.”
“That’s only living a borrowed life. I heard his cultivation will scatter and become weaker until death.”
“A cripple… what a waste of the fifth-ranked pill. If I had it, I could reach half-step Giant.”
Everyone debated about Feiyun. Some felt sorry while other gloatingly clapped.
“The demon’s son committed too many sins, this is karma!” The demonesses from the Senluo Temple shouted at the same time. Just the words “demon’s son” once made them lose sleep and unable to eat.
The five eunuchs didn’t open the imperial decree and simply returned to the capital. Feiyun has lost his value, no longer worthy of even seeing the decree.
People began to laugh at him. The guy was truly unlucky; this disaster made it impossible for him to rise again.
On the next day, the Divine King sent out a message to the rest of the world: “Though Feng Feiyun has been poisoned, he is still the next Divine King. Those who dare to oppose him shall be killed!”
After this message, everyone became more convinced that Feiyun didn’t have much left to live. He was a cripple that couldn’t cultivate anymore.
In just one day, the Divine King murdered four Giants to show his prestige and deter the world. On the other hand, Feiyun was dead for sure and no longer a threat. The older cultivators naturally wouldn’t attack him again. It wasn’t worth offending the Divine King by killing a piece of trash.
Of course, this was a different story for the young generation. After all, the Divine King couldn’t interfere with the youthful competition. Feiyun has offended many people so his future would be quite rough in this regard.
Before leaving the pagoda, he met Ji Ninnu. She didn’t mention the Eight Arts Volume at all and only told him to stay but Feiyun tactfully refused.
Scholar Heaven Calculating went to say goodbye and checked on his injury as well. Alas, this prodigy who knew everything in the world didn’t have a method of curing Yama’s Decay Blood.
“Brother Feng, do not give up. This world is boundless with many hidden masters everywhere. I’m sure one of them can cure your poison.” He consoled.
Feiyun still smiled leisurely despite his cracked lips and pale complexion: “I haven’t given up just yet. Even if I only have two years left, I’ll make it a good one.”
The scholar said: “According to my original calculation, you and Ziyu would have been the top competitors for the list but the heaven’s will is impossible to predict. This development caught me by surprise too. Do you have any plan after leaving the pagoda?”
Feiyun smiled and said: “I’m thinking about taking back some stuff that belongs to me.”
Feiyun drove a sallow carriage with his whip hitting the bull in front. It moved across a trail of leaves and away it went.
Yellow leaves were falling with the evening mist in this bleak autumn.
The scholar stood outside of the pagoda with his fluttering white robe resembling the falling snow. He stared at the carriage disappearing in the distance and murmured: “His fate is still impossible to seer. What is his future path?”
Feiyun was heading southward with a simple robe. He wore a straw hat to block the cold win as well as avoiding showing others his sickly face.
He was feeble and would occasionally cough out blood. This didn’t stop him from humming some tunes, however.
“Time to go back to the Feng Clan now. Gotta take some stuff back and kill a few people before death.”
The carriage made it through a pine thicket and it became an open field with an old city.
He has arrived at Brilliant. This old city was the entrance to the pagoda. He entered the city and saw many cultivators inside. Among them were many disciples in white from the pagoda. They quickly rushed through to bring back the corpse palaces.
They were still fighting for the ranking while Feiyun has left the competition completely and could even leave the stage of life as well.
Feiyun heard many discussions and sighs about him. Everyone felt that his time was over. There was no way for him to return to the top.
The demon’s son was completely crippled.
Suddenly, two soldiers with the uniform of the martial army stopped the carriage. They rode bulls with the saber as their weapon of choice and a beast soul coiling around their body. Their tiger eyes flashed as they looked down at Feiyun.
One of them coldly said: “Feiyun, come with us!”
There was no need to be respectful now that Feiyun was a piece of trash.
Feiyun slightly tilted rain hat and smirked: “Didn’t think I would be spotted like this.”
“General Ling has waited for you for two years.” The other bluntly said.
“General Ling? Ling Donglai?” Feiyun looked up towards a pavilion made from ice. He saw Ling Donglai standing proudly above with a saber on his waist. He looked like a timeless god.
This person was stubborn enough. In order to capture him, the guy has actually waited for two years outside of the pagoda. It looked like he has made a military pact to capture Feiyun at all cost.
This was a man of principle.
Donglai looked down at Feiyun with a murderous glint. Earlier, he has received an order from the capital to kill Feiyun instead of bringing him back.
He must follow a direct order.
Feiyun naturally sensed this bloodlust emanating from his body. Suddenly, his spiritual sense tingled. There was a second bloodlust from a different direction. He turned and saw a beautiful woman sitting inside a teahouse. She was sipping tea with her back turned on him.
The autumn wind brought about another cold chill. The second bloodlust came from this woman.