The Flame Serpent Bull

With all these conditions in place, Master Li concluded that accepting a title within the uprising Ji Clan wouldn't be counted as a crime to his name.

Furthermore, he could also serve as a source of firsthand information for the Imperial Clan.

But whilst these thoughts were running through his mind, little did he know that the intelligent Ji Tang also had a plan that involved using his influence.

After about half an hour of flying, Old Lao and Ji Min finally arrived at the outskirts of the Yun Empire.

Then with further maneuvering, Ji Min found himself looking at a small wooden carriage being pulled by a scary-looking bull with one horn jutting out of its forehead and a tail blazing with bright red flames that seemed to have a life of its own.

"Cui, did you miss me?" Old Lao asked as he patted the bull on the neck.

The bull responded with a flaming snort whilst Ji Min simply watched the scene with a stunned expression.

Old Lao saw the look on Ji Min's face and gave a light chuckle;

"Cui, meet Ji Min, he will be staying with us for a while, try to get along with him." The bull once again gave another flaming snort before staring at Ji Min with a curious gaze.

"Alright, we should leave now; it will take about two days before we arrive at my place." Old Lao added as he opened the carriage door for Ji Min to step in.

Upon entering the carriage, Ji Min froze in confusion.

'Am I seeing things or is the interior much wider than the exterior?' He thought to himself before leaving the entrance for Old Lao to come in.

'No; it's not only much larger; it also looks like a mini home.' Ji Min thought as he gazed at the sleeping area that was veiled by a cluster of vines hanging down from the bedposts.

Turning his gaze to another side, Ji Min saw a cauldron that could contain him if he crouched inside it, and he could currently smell a soothing smell wafting out of it.

With the sleeping area on one end of the carriage and the cauldron on the other end, Ji Min then saw a massive couch layered with thick white fur and a small wooden table right in front of it.

Just as he thought everything so far was stunning, an invigorating scent descended from above and washed over him causing Ji Min to sigh in relief.

It felt like a huge burden had just been lifted off his shoulders, and when he looked up, he realized that there was a long cubic wooden vase that went all around the carriage roof.

Within these vases, were precious herbs of unique variations, and they were all giving off soothing and invigorating fragrances of different palpability.

"Cui is a centennial physical beast of about 800 years, called the 'Flame Serpent Bull' due to its lifelike tail." Old Lao explained.

"The carriage is also twice as large as it looks because of the runes etched onto its body." Old Lao revealed as he sat on the opposite end of the couch looking at the curious Ji Min.

Tap! Tap!

Old Lao tapped the body of the carriage twice as Cui responded with a snort before the carriage began to move.

"Come; let me take another look at your condition." Old Lao beckoned as Ji Min moved over.

Old Lao took Ji Min's palm in his hands and then shut his eyes for a few seconds. His white hair and sensei-beard then began to gently float and wave about as Ji Min felt a gentle energy try to invade his body.

Ji Min's newly acquired reflexes automatically stiffened every inch of his body causing Old Lao's Qi to find a hard time entering his body.

"Relax, I simply want to use my Qi to get a clearer picture of the extent to which the tranquil poison has invaded your cells." Old Lao said as Ji Min finally managed to relax his tensed-up muscles and joints.

"Your grandfather didn't trust of me enough at first, thus, I could only do a superficial check and use a potion to temporarily keep the effects of the venoms at bay." Old Lao continued as his Qi washed over Ji Min's muscles, bones, marrows and even organs.

"It seems the Venom Mimic Potion will be able to hold on long enough for us to arrive." Old Lao finally opened his eyes as he released Ji Min's hand.

Ji Min retrieved his hand and began to rub off the itchy sensation he was feeling. He had never experienced such method before and his body kept tingling al through the diagnostics; a part of him even felt exposed; like the old physician had taken a peek into all of his secrets.

"You can go rest now; you will need all the strength and willpower you can muster once your treatment begins." Old Lao said pointing towards the bed ahead.

"Don't worry; as long as I'm here and Cui is alive, we will be safe." Ji Min nodded and sat on the small bed whilst Old Lao approached the cauldron instead.

"I will be concocting several anesthetic potions for you using the herbs your grandfather provided; so unless it is extremely important or dangerous, try not to disturb me." Old Lao added, but Ji Min was already fast asleep by the time he ended his sentence.

"It seems you haven't had a normal rest in the last three days, unh?" Old Lao muttered as he waved his hand, causing a gentle breeze to flow past the herbs around the roof of the carriage.

The flowers then released a thicker soothing scent which Old Lao guided toward Ji Min.

A subconscious but pleasurable sigh left Ji Min's lips followed by light snores.

After ensuring Ji Min was now resting as best as he could, Old Lao then began to concoct the potions Ji Min would need for his treatments.

Just like water streaming down a rock surface, time flowed by and two days passed away.