15. Who dares steal my sword seed?

A cat's meow?

Chen Ji fell into deep thought. It turned out that when Wu Yun spoke, nobody else could hear it.

It wasn't that Wu Yun had learned to speak the language of humans, but rather, he could understand the language of cats!

He changed the subject, "Why is Senior Brother Liu not asleep in the middle of the night?"

Liu Quxing, looking at the Medical Skills Summary spread open on the counter, said weakly, "How can I sleep when you're studying so hard..."

Chen Ji silently closed the Medical Skills Summary: "..."

He wasn't studying hard to become an Imperial Physician, but rather to conceal his identity; however, Liu Quxing wouldn't see it that way.

At this moment, Liu Quxing leaned in and lowered his voice, "Today, someone from the Liu Family came to invite our master to see a patient, and casually asked if the master currently has a Direct Disciple."

"What did master say?"

"Master said that he will decide who the Direct Disciple is soon," Liu Quxing said.

Chen Ji picked up a bamboo stick to adjust the wick of the lamp, making the light a bit brighter, "What do you mean by that, Senior Brother?"

Liu Quxing arranged the robe on his shoulders, choosing his words carefully, "Chen Ji, although being an Imperial Physician is leisurely, it's still within the official circles. Surviving in the official circles is not easy; one could very easily be utterly decimated with a single misstep."

Chen Ji was puzzled, "What exactly are you trying to say, Senior Brother Liu?"

Liu Quxing sincerely said, "You and She Dengke really aren't suited to muddle through officialdom. Your knowledge, worldly wisdom, and connections all mean that even if you enter officialdom, you won't have a future. It just so happens that your family is unwilling to pay your tuition fee, so I will offer you some money. You can leave the Medical Hall and start a small business; thereafter, you won't need to rely on your family to support you, how about it?"

Chen Ji remained noncommittal.

In the end, Liu Quxing said, "Chen Ji, ever since you came to the Medical Hall, you learned to read slower than She Dengke, and you can't take a pulse accurately. You don't have the talent to inherit master's mantle. Give up."

Chen Ji responded with a smile, "Senior Brother has given me much to consider, but may I take some time to think it over?"

"Sure," Liu Quxing nodded, "Then take your time to think about it."

With that, he turned and went back to the rear courtyard.

But Chen Ji saw a shadow darting under the counter following Liu Quxing and swiftly jumped out.

Luckily, he was quick and grabbed Wu Yun by the neck and pulled it back, "What are you doing?"

Wu Yun flailed in midair with indignation, "He looks down on you!"

Chen Ji couldn't help but laugh and cry, "You're not very polite to me either."

Wu Yun, "That's different!"

"Alright, alright, I understand him," Chen Ji sighed, "In this era, it's hard for everyone to fight for a chance at success, and when an opportunity arises, one must seize it..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Ji's expression suddenly changed; 1 AM, as expected, Ice Flow arrived, like ice and sand flowing through his veins.

This time, Ice Flow was more fierce than ever, and it seemed to have a millennia-old enmity with Molten Flow, inherently incompatible.

Ice Flow penetrated his body bit by bit, as if a tree of ice had grown within him, ceaselessly branching out. Even Chen Ji's breath turned to white frost.

In just a brief moment, Ice Flow didn't even give him the chance to stand and perform the carrying stone while hugging a stake technique, before gradually encasing him like a sculpture.

What to do?

Chen Ji turned his stiff head slowly towards the medicine cabinet. He wanted to struggle to get the ginseng but realized his legs had lost sensation and were frozen in place!

Wu Yun, seeing the frosty breath Chen Ji exhaled, was stunned, "You... what's happening?"

Chen Ji wanted to ask Wu Yun to help him find the ginseng, but found his lips were already stuck together, and he could only watch as life slowly drained from him...

No, there was still a chance!

At this moment, seeing Chen Ji's dire situation, Wu Yun became frantically distressed, circling him incessantly.

It wanted to save Chen Ji, but had no idea how to do so, "You need to speak up, what should I do?"

The next moment, Wu Yun noticed that Chen Ji's gaze was fixed in one direction... Following his gaze, it landed on the medicine cabinet of the Medical Hall.

Wu Yun leaped to the cabinet, pulling open drawers with its paws. It didn't know what was inside, but since Chen Ji was staring intently here, there had to be a reason!

The medicine cabinet was packed. Not knowing which one to pick, it quickly opened all the drawers, trying each of the herbs one by one!

Female Ginseng, not right.

Dried Tangerine, not right.

Desert hyacinths, also not right.

Wu Yun failed repeatedly and almost wanted to go mad.

When it turned to look again, it saw that the light in Chen Ji's eyes had faded.

...

...

Chen Ji seemed to return to that long night.

The sound of the wind, rain, and oars slicing through the water—someone was ferrying him through a dark sea of clouds in a small boat.

In that dark night, he heard a sound he often heard in his dreams as a child—the shouts and clamor of battle!

The sound seemed to thunder across ancient battlefields, with seas flipping upside down, mountains crumbling, and the sky itself splitting open with numerous cracks.

In the endless void, a grand voice resounded like the Hong Bell, questioning:

"Who dares to steal my divine path?"

"Who dares to steal my sword seed?"

"Who dares to steal my Qingshan?"

Chen Ji didn't answer, nor did he know how to.

Who was the other party? What did "Shendao," "sword seed," and "Qingshan" mean? He had no clue at all.

After a prolonged silence, that grand voice finally spoke again, "Enough, your body will do, to re-enter the world!"

Chen Ji had a premonition that the moment he was completely encased in ice would be the time the other took his body for their own resurrection!

Could it be that Li Qingniao sent him to this world just to help this unknown being awaken?

Was he going to die? But he had only just gotten a cat.

Lost in wild thoughts, Chen Ji was at death's door.

However, at that moment, Wu Yun ran back with a ginseng root missing one of its thin roots in its mouth and nudged it to Chen Ji's lips!

The moment the old ginseng touched Chen Ji, it sucked away most of the Ice Flow like a whale taking in water, transforming into six crystal-clear beads that fell onto the counter and rolled towards the edge.

Salvation at last!

Just before being completely frozen, Chen Ji used his last ounce of strength to move his eyes, hoping Wu Yun would understand his intention.

And indeed, Wu Yun grasped that slim chance of hope amid the despair.

The next moment, Wu Yun chased after the beads rolling across the counter, swallowing them one by one.

A vast Molten Flow surged back from Wu Yun's body, penetrating Chen Ji's forehead, pushing back all the remaining Ice Flow into the Dantian, flushing his body and pulling Chen Ji from the darkness!

Once he regained consciousness and mobility, he immediately closed his eyes, sank his legs, and bowed his knees, using the "carrying stone while hugging a stake" technique to resist the Ice Flow.

As soon as he assumed the stance, the Molten Flow surged vehemently, full of vigor!

It was as if an army that had no leader suddenly found their General. The General rode a warhorse in armor, wielding the Royal Banner!

Chen Ji wondered why the "carrying stone while hugging a stake" technique, which Old Yao taught him offhandedly, fitted him so well.

Wait!

After the Molten Flow suppressed the Ice Flow back to the Dantian, it was drawn to the Tianshu acupoint on the left side of the Dantian like a whirlpool, almost entirely consuming the flow!

Instantly, a roaring stove lit up within the Tianshu acupoint, and the Ice Flow in the Dantian shrank further into the depths, as if fearing the flame.

"With the Tianshu acupoint's stove keeping guard, I could completely suppress this Ice Flow? No, one acupoint is not enough."

Among the Twelve Main Meridians' "Dantian Gates," there are four total, the left and right Tianshu acupoints and the left and right Daju acupoints. Just lighting one Tianshu acupoint is not enough to seal the Ice Flow.

Sadly, after lighting the left Tianshu acupoint, the Molten Flow was nearly depleted...

While pondering, Wu Yun gently lifted its paw and touched Chen Ji's fingertip with its furry paw.

Boom!

Even the Molten Flow inside Wu Yun's body rushed into Chen Ji, lighting the second stove at the right Tianshu acupoint!

The two stoves continually nourished Chen Ji's body, brimming with surging power, banishing his fatigue and amplifying his strength!

He suddenly recalled Old Yao's words: "Heaven has three treasures, the sun, the moon, and the stars; man has three treasures, essence! qi! spirit!"

Being replete with essence, one does not crave carnal pleasures; full of qi, one does not crave food; and with ample spirit, one does not crave sleep. This was what it felt like to be completely spirited!

Chen Ji opened his eyes, which sparkled vividly, burning like flames.

This, then, was the path of cultivation!

He smiled at Wu Yun, reached out to stroke its head, and said softly, "Thank you."

"It wasn't that much trouble," Wu Yun replied, tilting its head as if it had done a small favor.

"Still, thank you. Without you, I'd be dead... Wu Yun, you're the most incredible cat in this world!"

"Yeah, I guess this is just the beginning!" Wu Yun's head tilted even higher with pride.

The oil residue lamp on the counter had been burning for a while, its light gradually dimming. Chen Ji stood in the main hall, his gaze fiery as he surveyed his new world.

But his fire was quickly doused by a bucket of cold water: the ginseng was gone!

Chen Ji: "It's over!"

Wu Yun, puzzled: "What's over?"

"I'm finished."

Chen Ji sprang up, pulled out the accounts from the Medical Hall, and started searching: "Let's see how much that piece of ginseng is worth... What's this, thirty silver taels?!"

"A bun costs two cents, carrying a vat of water is two cents, nowadays about 900 cents could buy one tael of silver, and this fifty-year-old ginseng costs thirty silver taels, is this ginseng made of gold?!"

Even if they sold him, it wouldn't be enough!

He already had a debt of 240 cents for tuition fees and 320 cents owed to the Zhou Mansion for medicine; now, an additional thirty taels of silver piled onto his already impoverished family.

"I'm so poor; why am I this broke? If the ginseng isn't compensated for, will Old Yao kill me?"

Wu Yun listened to Chen Ji's muttering for a while, falling silent.

Finally, after a long struggle, it seemed to make a sorrowful decision: "Why don't you take me to Heavenly Street to perform tricks? I can do a backflip!"

Chen Ji's respect deepened: "…That's quite a sacrifice."

As they were speaking, a knock sounded from outside the Medical Hall.

Thud, thud, thud.

Thud, thud, thud.

The visitor knocked twice, unrushed and steady. The dull sound was especially jarring at midnight, as if knocking directly on the heart.

Chen Ji signaled Wu Yun with his eyes to sneak back into the Prince Jing Mansion through the back yard, while he slowly approached, asking cautiously, "Who's there?"

The visitor responded with a light chuckle, "Yun Yang."

This time, Chen Ji had no master by his side.