Jiang Kuai got down from the boat. He did not go for horse-riding after that, but instead levitated away with lightning speed.
He knew that the situation was urgent. A person’s life was at stake! He levitated without stopping, mustering all his strength. When his inner strength was waning, he consumed the Pill of Energy and kept on going, all the way until he reached the Town of Clouds. He finally made his stop at Liu Bi’s old house.
Although Liu had sent numerous taels to his parents back home, they did not spend any of those money. Her parents had instead saved up all the taels and chose to remain at their old house.
It was one of the oldest and smallest houses in town.
Their small lawn was flat, neat and vacant in the middle. There was only a small rack of military weapons at the side, which acted as their miniature training ground.
The house was generally in a bad shape. An old man sat there in front of the doorstep, his head lowered. He was smoking his pipe, and tiny puffs of smoke billowed out from his mouth. His face looked glum, the furrows on his face squeezing against each other.
From inside the house, intermittent sounds of sobbing were heard.
Jiang Kuai landed onto the lawn as lightly as a piece of leaf. The old man did not notice his presence at all, as he continued smoking his pipe.
Jiang Kuai let out a gentle cough. “Is this Old Sun’s house?”
The old man quickly lifted his head and looked at him. When he saw Jiang Kuai, he showed a wary look on his face. The old man stood up and asked, “Who are you?”
Jiang Kuai gave him a fist salute and answered him, “My name is Jiang Kuai. Miss Liu Bi sent me here to check on her younger brother.”
“Liu Bi?” The old man frowned, then turned gloomy. “I don’t know anyone named Liu Bi, please leave now!”
Jiang Kuai replied, “Miss Liu knew that her brother sustained severe injuries, so she sent me here to deliver some spirit medicine.”
“No spirit medicine would help us now!” The old man loosened his nerves and shook his head.
Jiang Kuai smiled, “So it seems that the brother is not dead yet.”
The old man’s face turned glum again, and he gave him a fierce stare. He then let out a hopeless sigh, “But it won’t be long!”
Jiang Kuai said, “As long as he’s still breathing, the spirit medicine would be able to help. I plead you to quickly decide, whether to save his life or not. If we delay for much longer, I’m afraid that he would really die!”
“You…. You really can save him?”
“How can we know if we don’t try?”
“…fine then. Please come in.” Old Sun hurriedly invited him into the house.
That useless Liu Bi might have tainted the family name and wrought disaster upon their household, but she knew quite a few honorable people. Chances were, that she really possessed spirit medicine which could save his son’s life.
Jiang Kuai stepped into the dark house.
Inside one of the rooms, a handsome young man laid on top of a bed. His face was as red as a drunk man, and he had already lost consciousness. His breathing was rapid and intermittent, as if it would seize at any moment.
Beside the bed sat an old lady, her hand holding the young man’s right hand tightly. Her eyes were already swollen red, as she continued to sob.
Jiang Kuai took out a small white jade bottle from his robe, carefully pouring out a Spirit Blessing Pill. He inserted the pill into the young man’s mouth and lifted his torso up from the lying down position. He sat behind him with his legs crossed, slowly channeling his own inner strength into the sick man’s body, helping the medicine to disperse inside his body.
The old couple watched him with their eyes staring widely. They were quiet, afraid of making any noise and interrupting the process.
Suddenly, the young man exhaled a long breath, the redness on his face slowly fading away. His face started becoming pale, and he began to recover the rhythm of his breath.
The old couple knew nothing about medical treatments, so they were delighted when they see that their son looked to be getting better.
Through his palms, Jiang Kuai slowly injected his inner strength into the young man’s body, which helped accelerate his recovery.
After a short while, a puff of mist appeared above Jiang Kuai and the young man’s head. It looked like it came from burning joss sticks.
As time passed, the mist became more and more condensed. It now looked like the steam emitted from a piping hot Chinese steam bun.
The old couple felt that it had been quite a long while, so they stared at the two men curiously.
The billowing mist became more and more concentrated, until one final moment where it suddenly dissipated, seeping into the two men’s heads.
Jiang Kuai opened his eyes abruptly. His eyes shone brightly like an electric surge, illuminating the interior of the room.
The handsome young man too slowly opened his eyes.
Jiang Kuai released both his palms from the young man’s back, then got down from the bed. He smiled, “He should be fine now.”
The young man turned his head towards him and asked hesitantly, “Brother, you are…?”
“My name is Jiang Kuai. I’m sent here by your elder sister to save your life.” Jiang Kuai smiled at him.
The young man quickly gave him a fist salute, “My name is Sun Ping. I thank you greatly, brother, for saving my life!”
Jiang Kuai waved his hand, “No need to thank me, the person you should really be thanking is your sister… Are you feeling better now?”
Ping Sun happily swung his fist in the air and said, “Never been better!…Dad, Mom, sorry for letting you worry!”
He had vaguely heard his mother’s sobs when he was out cold earlier. He felt extremely guilty but could not do anything then.
Jiang Kuai said, “Brother Sun, who inflicted those injuries on you? The force of the palm strikes was incredibly strong!”
If not for the Spirit Blessing Pill, he would not have cured him of the mysterious palm force.
“Hmph, Startling Cloud Association!” Pin gritted hard on his teeth and said with hatred, “I swear I will get my revenge!”
“Startling Cloud Association?” Jiang Kuai looked surprised.
“Brother Jiang, you’ve heard of the Startling Cloud Association too?” Ping scoffed, “So their infamy had spread to Chong Ming town?”
“I have reasons to believe that it’s only a misunderstanding.” Jiang Kuai smiled bitterly, “Put revenge aside, brother… Old Sun, I personally feel that it’s best if all of you head to Chong Ming town. It will be the safest option for you, because they don’t allow people from the martial arts world to hurt civilians in town.”
Old Sun’s face turned gloomy. He remained silent.
If it was the past, he would object the idea without hesitation. He would not want to see that girl who ruined their family name. He would not want to stay in the same town as her!
But this time, his son had a close brush with death, so he hesitated.
The Startling Cloud Association was the number one association in the Town of Clouds. The had numerous top-notch masters in their association and were a force to be reckoned with. Going against their association would be an act of seeking your own death. The tricky thing was that his own son was as obstinate as a mule. He would never listen to their advice whatsoever, and he would most certainly cause more trouble if they did not leave.
Ping was instantly delighted on hearing that, “Dad, mom, let’s accept Brother Jiang’s suggestion and move into Chong Ming town. We should go stay with sister.”
“Shut up!” Old Sun gave him a stare.
Ping shortened his neck, he immediately shut his mouth.
Jiang Kuai said, “Old Sun, actually there is a benefit if your family move into Chong Ming town. Your presence might force Miss Liu out of the New Moon Brothel.”
“You think she’ll leave that place?!” Old Sun said angrily. “If she would listen to me, she would have returned home already!”
Jiang Kuai laughed, “There is a clear difference, you see. If both her parents were present there physically and disturb her every day, it would be more effective than writing her a letter occasionally.”
“Yeah, that’s true!” Ping agreed.
Ping had always wished to travel to Chong Ming town. But because of his parents, he could not abandon them and go there himself. This time, he had a chance of going to town, so he would not let it go easily. It would never be too late to take his revenge, so he was willing to put vengeance aside for the time being.
Ping added, “Dad, just think about it. You told sister you want to commit suicide in the letters, but she was not even convinced. But if you really tell her that right in front of her, do you think she won’t do anything about it?”
“That’s right. We shall force her right in front of her!” Mother Sun advised.
She stole a glance at Ping. She knew that if they stuck around, her son would seize any opportunity to take vengeance, and next time around, he would not be so lucky. If he had really died, there would be nobody left for them to care for. She could not let that happen!
“…alright, we’ll go to Chong Ming town!” Old Sun slapped on the table furiously. “I will do everything it takes to bring my daughter back on the right track!”
Jiang Kuai smiled, “If that’s the case, let’s depart right away. If we can reach there early, Miss Liu would not need to worry so much.
“Well…” Old Sun hesitated. “We’ll need to pack some stuff from home.”
Jiang Kuai waved his hand and smiled, “When we reach there, you’ll have everything you need. Plus, leaving your stuff behind is like leaving a way out for you. If you don’t feel comfortable staying there, you can come back here anytime you want, and there won’t be any hassle.”
“That’s true!” Ping was only afraid that they would change their minds if they stayed any longer. He hurriedly added, “With those taels, we can buy anything we need in Chong Ming town. Moreover, we’re heading to sister’s home, so no need to carry any of these old stuff, it would only be a burden!”
“I assume it is decided. I will go and prepare the horse carriage right away.”
This was also part of Leanne’s plan. As to why she decided to do so, he would not ask more in detail.