Chapter 142: Entering the Manor, Healing the Wounds

The ox-drawn cart returned to the front of the Wei Manor with a grand procession of Silver Moon Guards escorting it.

"Mother, let's get down," Wei Zian said as he helped his mother down from the cart.

The mother and son gazed at the grand entrance of the Wei Manor, feeling as if they had been away for a lifetime.

Their time on the run had been filled with countless perilous encounters, with death lurking at every turn.

Now, as they finally returned safely, they couldn't help but feel a mix of relief and emotion.

"An'er, come," Lady Wei said as she gestured for Wei Zian to follow. They both knelt before Ma Gu and Lu Qing in gratitude.

"Thank you, Master Ma and Young Master Lu, for risking your lives to save us. Because of you, my son and I can return home safely," Lady Wei said with a bow.

Wei Zian, without hesitation, began to kowtow repeatedly.

"There's no need for such formality, my lady," Lu Qing and Ma Gu quickly said as they helped them up.

Wei Xinghe and Wei Datongguan, standing nearby, had a sudden realization. They now understood that it was Lu Qing and his companions who had kept mother and son safe all this time.

"Thank you, Young Master Lu, for saving my wife and son," Wei Xinghe said as he bowed deeply to Lu Qing.

"Father, and Master, if it weren't for Master's protection during the first few days, Mother and I would never have made it back to see you," Wei Zian added, ensuring that his father acknowledged Ma Gu's role as well.

Wei Xinghe was taken aback at the mention of 'Master'.

"Indeed, while hiding from those villains in the mountains, I asked An'er to accept Master Ma as his teacher. It was also Master Ma who bravely led us through the secret passage out of the city, allowing us to escape with our lives," Lady Wei nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, Wei Xinghe had no doubts and immediately bowed to Ma Gu, "Thank you, Master Ma, for risking your life to save us."

Ma Gu felt flustered by the grand salute from the head of the Wei family and quickly waved his hands, "No need for such formality. I was merely fulfilling the request of the Silver Moon Guards. In truth, it was their valiant efforts that provided us with the opportunity to escape."

"Father, have Pang Huwei and the others returned?" Lady Wei asked, her heart heavy with worry.

Wei Xinghe shook his head, "No."

Lady Wei's expression darkened as she feared the worst for that squad of Silver Moon Guards.

"Father, Mother and I owe our safe return to Pang Huwei and his squad. I beg you to treat their families well," Lady Wei pleaded.

"Of course," Wei Xinghe assured her. "Every guard and servant who remained loyal to the manor during this difficult time will receive generous rewards."

His words were not only meant for Lady Wei but also for all the Silver Moon Guards present, lifting their spirits.

"Now, let's head inside. It's impolite to keep our guests waiting," Wei Shan Hai said.

Lady Wei took little Yan's hand and said, "Little Yan, would you like to come inside with Auntie?"

Little Yan, curious about the grand manor, eagerly looked at her brother for permission. Upon receiving his nod, she happily agreed, "Okay!"

Lu Qing handed the ox's reins to a servant, "Take good care of this ox. He carried us all the way here and deserves the best care."

"Of course," the servant assured him. "Our manor has the finest feed, so please rest assured."

Once inside, they were led to a courtyard reserved for esteemed guests. After the servants withdrew, the old physician finally removed his bamboo hat.

"Old Physician Chen, it is you!" Wei Datongguan exclaimed in delight.

"It's been a while, Datongguan," the old physician smiled.

"Master Wei, this is the same Old Physician Chen who treated Young Master previously. And this is his disciple, Lu Qing, whom I mentioned before," Wei Datongguan explained to Wei Xinghe, seeing the puzzled look on his face.

Wei Xinghe was surprised to learn of their connection to the manor. However, his heart was filled with even greater shock.

According to previous information, Old Physician Chen was supposed to be an Inner Qi Realm warrior, and Lu Qing was merely a talented youth at the Muscle and Bone Realm.

But now, standing before them, they were an incredibly powerful innate realm warrior and an unparalleled genius who could defeat a peak martial arts master at the Inner Qi Realm while only at the Muscle and Bone Realm himself.

The contrast was staggering.

"So it's Old Physician Chen and his esteemed disciple. Wei is even more indebted to you both," Wei Xinghe said, his voice steady despite his inner turmoil.

"We were merely fulfilling our duty as healers. There's no need to overthink it, Master Wei," Old Physician Chen replied humbly.

Chapter: The Physician's Treatment

The elderly physician shook his head.

After some more pleasantries, Lady Wei finally found the right moment to speak up. "Old Ancestor, the main reason Old Physician Chen came to the county town this time was to see if he could treat your sword wound near your heart. How are you feeling now?"

"How did you know about the sword wound near my heart?" Wei Shanhai exclaimed in surprise.

The sword wound near his heart had not yet healed, and even an Inner Qi Realm warrior couldn't detect it. Only Wei Xinghe and Wei Datongguan knew about it within the manor.

How did Old Physician Chen and his companions, who had been in the remote countryside and villages, come to know about it?

"It was Chancellor Zhirui who informed me. He visited Culi Village a couple of days ago, and it was from him that I learned about your severe injury, Old Master Wei," the old physician explained.

"So it was Chancellor Zhirui who secretly helped us!"

Wei Shanhai exclaimed, suddenly realizing the truth.

If it was that person, it would make sense that they could discern his condition.

After all, those who came from Tianjilou were always shrouded in mystery and possessed unusual abilities that ordinary warriors lacked.

"Old Master Wei, I have some understanding of medicine, and I wonder if you would be willing to let me treat your injury?"

"Willing? Of course, I would be delighted!" Wei Shanhai's face lit up with joy.

He had been worried about his injury.

If he didn't remove the sword energy from his body, he would only have a year left to live at most.

As a natural-born warrior, his theoretical lifespan was supposed to be three hundred years.

Having lived for just over a hundred years, he didn't want to die so soon.

However, his injury was located near his heart, and to remove the sword energy, he would need the help of another fully trusted natural-born warrior.

But where could he find a trustworthy natural-born warrior in this remote area of Cang County in a short time?

Wei Shanhai had thought that hope was lost, but now, unexpectedly, a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the tunnel.

As for Old Physician Chen's character, he trusted him implicitly.

Not only was the physician renowned in Cang County for his medical skills and compassionate reputation, but he had also just defended the Wei family against Wang Cang's subordinate, earning Wei Shanhai's complete trust.

Old Physician Chen was a dedicated healer.

Since it was about treating an injury, the sooner the better.

So, seeing Wei Shanhai's consent, he immediately offered to treat his wound.

Wei Shanhai initially wanted to be polite, as Old Physician Chen and his companions were esteemed guests. It wouldn't do to have them treat his injury without even offering them a meal first.

However, seeing the physician's insistence and his own eagerness to recover, Wei Shanhai eventually nodded in agreement.

Finally, they selected a quiet room to begin the treatment for Wei Shanhai's injury.

"Xiao Yan, would you like to go and eat some delicious food with Auntie?"

Seeing that everyone was about to get busy, Lady Wei gently asked Xiao Yan as she held her hand.

Xiao Yan's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and she looked at her brother for permission.

Lu Qing, who was about to assist his master in the quiet room, hesitated for a moment before nodding his consent.

"You may go, but don't be naughty and cause trouble for your aunt," Lady Wei quickly added.

"No, no, Xiao Yan will be well-behaved. She won't cause any trouble, right, Xiao Yan?" Lady Wei reassured them.

"Yes, yes, Brother, Xiao Yan will be good!" the little girl nodded vigorously.

"Also, take Xiao Li with you," Lu Qing said as he took out a small black figure from the bamboo basket on his back and placed it in Xiao Yan's arms.

It was Xiao Li, who had been hiding in the basket all this time.

As natural-born warriors could easily detect Xiao Li's invisibility talent, Lu Qing had specifically asked Xiao Li not to use her invisibility during this trip.

Instead, he kept her hidden in the tightly woven bamboo basket, as natural-born warriors' sensing abilities, though strong, didn't extend to seeing through objects.

Xiao Li hiding in the basket made it less likely for her to be noticed.

"Xiao Li!"

Xiao Yan hugged Xiao Li happily.

She had missed playing with Xiao Li during the past two days due to the need for secrecy, so she was thrilled to have her companion back.

"Meow~" Xiao Li rubbed her head affectionately against Xiao Yan's cheek.

"What is this?"

Lady Wei was surprised to see Xiao Li, and Wei Zian's eyes widened in astonishment.

"Her name is Xiao Li. She's Xiao Yan's playmate. Please prepare some food for her as well, Lady Wei. She likes fish, so some fresh, live fish would be perfect," Lu Qing explained with a smile.

"Xiao Li..."

Lady Wei looked thoughtful.

She suddenly recalled the words Lu Qing had spoken when he went to confront the powerful villain earlier.

Her gaze toward Xiao Li changed subtly, as she now saw the little black beast in a different light.

If Lu Qing spoke of Xiao Li in such a way, it was clear that this seemingly harmless creature was more than met the eye.

Ma Gu stared at Xiao Li in Xiao Yan's arms, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He had always imagined the mysterious creature by Lu Qing's side to be something fearsome.

Chapter: The Physician's Treatment

Now that he could see Xiao Li's true form, it was hard to associate her with the terrifying creature that would tear out people's hearts at the slightest provocation.

"What a peculiar little beast."

Wei Shanhai gazed at Lady Wei as she led Xiao Yan to the backyard, a look of wonder on his face.

As a natural-born warrior, he keenly sensed the peculiar energy emanating from Xiao Li.

"Indeed, it is rather unusual. This little beast was adopted by my apprentice a few days ago in the mountains, and it possesses remarkable intelligence." The old physician smiled.

"Your apprentice is truly blessed with good fortune, even the little beast he adopted has such divine qualities."

As they chatted, they soon arrived at the quiet room.

Lu Qing, as the master's assistant, naturally stayed, and Wei Xinghe, as the head of the family, also remained to see if he could be of any assistance.

Thus, in the quiet room, the four of them were left alone.

"Old Master Wei, I need to examine the sword wound near your heart and assess its severity," the old physician said as he sat cross-legged.

"Please, go ahead," Wei Shanhai said nonchalantly, completely relaxing his defensive true qi.

The old physician nodded slightly and extended his hand to touch Wei Shanhai's heart. A gentle strand of water-attributed innate true qi seeped into his body.

This step was extremely dangerous. At this moment, Wei Shanhai had completely lowered his defenses, and if the old physician had any malicious intentions, he could easily destroy his heart pulse.

If it weren't for the fact that it was the old physician, Wei Shanhai wouldn't have dared to take such a risk with his life.

While the old physician was diagnosing Wei Shanhai's injury, Lu Qing also activated his ability, keeping a close eye on Wei Shanhai's condition.

In his vision, he could see a faint golden light emanating from Wei Shanhai's body.

Wei Shanhai: Elder of the Wei family, straightforward and unconstrained in nature, with a strong sense of family attachment.

Cultivation: Peak of the Initial Innate Realm, fire-attributed innate true qi.

Possesses several secret techniques, especially skilled in knife techniques, and once gained insight from a treasure to create the Silver Moon Battle Formation, revitalizing the family.

In his youth, he traveled with Wang Cangi, and they became close friends. However, due to conflicts over the distribution of treasures, they eventually became enemies.

He was once ambushed by Wang Cangi, who used innate sword qi to strike his heart pulse, resulting in a severe injury that has been difficult to heal.

Lu Qing nodded inwardly as he read the information that appeared about Wei Shanhai.

The young man in plain clothes had not lied; Wei Shanhai's heart pulse was indeed severely injured.

The old physician didn't take long to diagnose Wei Shanhai's condition, and soon after, he retracted his true qi.

"Old Physician, what do you think? Can my injury be treated?" Wei Shanhai asked.

Wei Xinghe, standing by, also looked on with concern.

The old physician pondered for a moment before replying, "It's not difficult to treat, but the process may be a little painful, so I ask that you bear with it, Old Master Wei."

"Haha, Wei has experienced all sorts of things in his over a hundred years of life, and nothing fazes him. Go ahead, Old Physician. I won't flinch even if a sword or knife comes my way," Wei Shanhai said, his face lighting up with joy.

"In that case, let's get started without further ado." The old physician said solemnly, "Lu Qing, you will be in charge of inserting the needles while I use my true qi to protect Old Master Wei's heart pulse, as I won't be able to do it myself. Old Master Wei, please remove your upper garment."

"Yes, Master," Lu Qing replied as he took out a needle case.

Wei Shanhai also took off his upper garment, revealing a terrifying sword scar on his heart.

Wei Xinghe's eyes widened at the sight. He knew that the Old Ancestor had a heart pulse injury, but he had no idea it was this severe.

Looking at the sword scar, it was clear that the Old Ancestor had narrowly escaped death.

He couldn't help but feel even more hatred toward Wang Cangi and his cohorts.

"Lu Qing, go ahead and insert the needles," the old physician instructed, his hand pressing against Wei Shanhai's heart.

"Yes, Master," Lu Qing replied, his expression turning solemn.

"Shenmen, Neiguan, Tanzhong..."

As the old physician recited the acupoints, Lu Qing skillfully inserted the silver needles without a single mistake.

As the needles were inserted, Wei Shanhai felt the sword qi in his heart pulse begin to stir, forced to converge under the restraint of the needles, causing his heart pulse to throb with discomfort.

However, at that moment, a gentle and cool true qi enveloped his heart pulse, bringing him instant relief.

When Lu Qing inserted the last needle, the sword qi that had been integrated into Wei Shanhai's heart pulse was completely forced out and condensed into a ball.

But as the innate sword qi condensed, it also reached its most powerful state, threatening to burst Wei Shanhai's heart pulse.

Just then, the gentle true qi that had been protecting his heart pulse suddenly surged into it, as if it had become extremely viscous.

It completely enveloped the innate true qi and forcefully pulled it out.

Wei Shanhai felt a sharp pain in his heart at first, but it was immediately followed by a sense of relief.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end