Old Lao

"Perhaps, his body is trying its best to resist the threats within his body." He added hopefully.

Ji Fang and Ji Wang on the other hand, simply sighed; if it was that easy for anyone to resist the effects of the tranquil poisoning, then it wouldn't have been one of the most terrifying diseases on the continent.

"Master Li should be arriving anytime soon; is there any progress on the final material on the list?" He asked still looking pitifully at his grandson.

"Yes there is good news; we have found the Wood Slug Berry, and it is being retrieved as we speak." Ji Fang replied;

"Good. I truly hope they can truly cure him." Ji Tang sighed as he made to leave the room.

"Ling'er."

"Yes, father." The teenage girl answered.

"Stay with Little Mei this time. We will be heading to the town wall to welcome Master Li and his fellow physician. If anything happens, send someone to come find us." Ji Fang added as he left with his sworn brothers.

About five hours later, Ji Min woke up.

Then he realized that he was not alone within the room and could sense that he was being monitored by the little girl; Ji Mei and what seemed to be a pretty teenage girl sitting cross-legged, cultivating.

Then he shut his eyes and returned to his mindscape [mental space] where he saw the old monk looking at him with a slight smile;

[Do you understand now?]

[~Hu~ I underestimated the potency of the venoms. I can't believe such a potent venom exists anywhere; that kid sure had it rough.] Ji Min answered with a defeated sigh;

[Good. The earlier you understand that everything in this world far exceeds the level of your previous life the better and safer it is for you.] The old monk advised as Ji Min nodded.

[So, what should we do now; you said the disease is a blessing in disguise, but you haven't told me how to tap into it yet.]

[You will need to be a bit patient; the final pieces of the puzzle are just about to arrive.] The old monk replied as Ji Min felt several presences enter into the room.

[Remember, you are still chronically sick; do not show any signs of waking until the treatment has begun.] The old monk added as Ji Min nodded.

Five men entered the room and surrounded the bed where Ji Min laid.

"Little Ling, you leave with Little Mei for now; once we are done, we will summon you to continue watching over him."

Ji Tang said as the teenage girl nodded and dragged away the reluctant Little Mei who wanted to witness what was about to happen.

Ji Fang then stood by Ji Min's feet, whilst Ji Wang stood just beside his head-post; Ji Tang and Master Li stood to his right as they watched the reclusive old physician examine Ji Min.

Then after about half an hour of examining every inch of Ji Min's body, the old physician sighed and shook his head;

"How is he?" Master Li asked;

"The poison has truly invaded every cell in his body, I'm afraid our initial method won't work."

The old physician sighed as the bodies of the three sworn brothers trembled slightly. Master Li noticed this and asked;

"Old Lao, if our initial method won't work, then you must have another method to save him, right?"

"Hmph, if I didn't, wouldn't my daughter's death and my efforts researching the disease be in vain?" Old Lao retorted.

"The only problem left is that I don't know if the aftermath of this method would be worth it." The old physician said before gazing towards the trembling Ji Tang;

"Li said he has a 2 Star Commander and Qi Gathering cultivation, right?"

"That's correct Master Lao." Ji Tang clasped his hands with a slight bow;

"Hmm, truly remarkable; it would be a waste to allow such a bright talent to waste away. Don't worry; I will do my best to save him." The Old Physician's statement restored hope to the faces of everyone within the room.

"But I must warn you; the method I'm about to use might cause damage to his Qi foundation; are you sure you want me to go on with it?" He asked as Ji Tang bowed once again;

"As long as he can be saved, then you can rest easy and carry on with the treatment; and should he survive, then the Southern Ji Family shall owe you an unconditional favor." Ji Tang replied as the entire room gasped in shock.

Unconditional favors as their name hinted, are favors that must be paid even if the person involved were to die.

The Old Physician was also stunned as he looked into Ji Tang's eyes and sensed a kind of resolve that was backed by his desire to have his beloved grandson saved at any cost, and he was touched.

His own eyes had similarly held that kind of resolve once, and seeing it again really motivated him to save Ji Min.

Furthermore, Ji Fang's story was also very similar to the one that caused his daughter's death, and that was the only reason why he had decided to accompany Master Li who narrated everything to him to come to take a look.

Apparently, his granddaughter had almost been forced into an arranged marriage due to the greed of the patriarch of their clan; but he adamantly rejected the proposition.

This led to an internal scuffle within their clan, and it even got to a level where he had to resort to threats, because of his reputation as a master physician; the ruling royal family in their city was forced to step in.

They declared that his granddaughter would duel her arranged husband; who was the heir of the wealthiest merchant in the empire; if she lost, then they would have to accept the arrangement, but if she won, then the arrangement would be nullified.

But due to his daughter's talent in cultivation, it was already evident that she would grow strong enough to defeat the heir by that time.

The patriarch then got news about a kind of poison whose symptoms could only be held at bay by using one's cultivation to purge its constituents out of one's body.

But though the greedy clan patriarch had the intention of healing the little girl afterward, he never knew that the poison had no cure at that point in time.