Chapter 15: Miscalculation

The next day.

Gu Yi, who was tinkering with the Willow Leaf Flying Knives[1], saw Ma Hongjun approaching in anger. He had quite the momentum, but with his chubby face and plump figure, he lacked any intimidation.

Ma Hongjun looked at Gu Yi, very dissatisfied. Yesterday, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't understand. Did he really need to learn his techniques if he could resist the invasion of the evil fire? If Gu Yi were the one troubled by the evil fire, he might not have performed better than himself.

"What's the matter?" Gu Yi put away the throwing knives and looked at Ma Hongjun who stood in front of him with his head down.

"I'm not convinced," Ma Hongjun shouted angrily.

"Oh," Gu Yi ignored him. So what if he was unconvinced? This attitude thoroughly angered Ma Hongjun. He directly said, "The power of the evil fire, you haven't experienced it. This assessment is unfair."

Ma Hongjun wanted to scold some more, but when he thought of Gu Yi's strength displayed yesterday when he defied common sense by standing on the cliff, he withheld his words. The commotion here made Oscar, who was earnestly cultivating inside the house, come out. He saw the newcomer yelling at Gu Yi and felt a slight tremor in his heart. Recalling Gu Yi's punches and kicks on himself before, Oscar was now a bit afraid.

"Unfair? You think it's unfair?" Gu Yi smiled and said, "The timing is just right now. I'll give you another chance." Although Ma Hongjun didn't understand Gu Yi's words, hearing that he would be given another chance made him happy.

"Are you ready?" Gu Yi kindly asked.

Ready for what? Ma Hongjun was puzzled. There were no cliffs or women here. What did Gu Yi want to do?

"Speak up, how will you test me?" Ma Hongjun summoned his Martial Spirit, looking valiant. Gu Yi didn't say anything. He just looked up at the sky, then placed his hand on Ma Hongjun's shoulder as he had done before. Naively, Ma Hongjun thought Gu Yi wanted to test him again with the evil fire. Just as he was about to say something, he felt a scorching energy pass from Gu Yi's hand into his body. This scorching energy was different from the evil fire; it seemed to burn everything, rapidly evaporating the blood in his body, causing his flesh to wither, and his body to turn fiery red.

"If you can subdue this energy, you'll pass," Gu Yi said. Ma Hongjun couldn't even hear Gu Yi's words clearly now. His consciousness was being burned as if in a raging fire. Yet this was just an energy released by a Spirit Grandmaster.

At the same time, the evil fire within Ma Hongjun seemed to be stimulated by this. Originally suppressed by the Yin Spirit Power, it now rebelled more and more vigorously. Finally, it broke through the suppression and began to struggle with the scorching energy inside Ma Hongjun's body. Directly fighting within Ma Hongjun's body.

"Save me... save me... I don't want to die," Ma Hongjun knelt on the ground, trembling and grabbing Gu Yi's legs. He knew he couldn't subdue this energy. It was too strong!

Gu Yi didn't say anything in response. He squatted down, guiding the energy in Ma Hongjun's body. At this moment, he also groaned, no longer paying attention to Ma Hongjun's condition, sitting cross-legged on the ground, digesting this energy. After half an incense stick's worth of time, Gu Yi stood up, looked at Ma Hongjun who was suffering greatly from the torment of the evil fire, and slapped him on the back. The raging evil fire was once again suppressed. But Ma Hongjun didn't get up. He had been tortured to the point of losing consciousness, trembling instinctively.

"Miscalculation. He was too anxious. How much willpower could a 6-year-old child have?" Gu Yi didn't expect solar energy to actually provoke the ferocity of the evil fire, causing it to autonomously resist his suppression. This time, although Ma Hongjun's injuries were not severe, he still needed about ten days or half a month to recover.

"Oscar, go to the top shelf in my room's cabinet and get a medicine kit," Gu Yi shouted to Oscar, who was watching the commotion from the side, as he picked up the fainted Ma Hongjun from the ground. This was his fault, so he naturally had to take responsibility. Oscar naturally knew what the medicine kit Gu Yi mentioned was for and felt a bit envious.

"Brother Yi, the things are here," Oscar said, handing the medicine kit to Gu Yi and then looking at Ma Hongjun, who had been stripped and placed in a tub of medicine, with some pity.

"Brother Yi, actually, this medicine kit isn't necessary. Just let him eat my sausages, or if that doesn't work, let Teacher Shao Xin make some sweet pea. That should help him recover," Oscar suggested.

Gu Yi could understand what his thoughts were. As he placed the medicine packet in the tub, he replied, "He has been injured by two scorching energies. Your sausages and Teacher Shao's sweet pea can indeed heal his injuries, but it will take some time to fully recover the damage to his meridians."

After speaking, Gu Yi placed his hand on the tub, and the water, which was originally at room temperature, began to rapidly cool down within a short time, but it did not freeze. The painful expression on Ma Hongjun's face eased as he felt the dispersion of the fiery energy within him. Gu Yi then changed his hand position on the tub. At this moment, the temperature of the water began to rise rapidly, and soon wisps of smoke rose. Until it reached a suitable temperature, Gu Yi withdrew his hand.

"Let's go. There's still room for improvement in your Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound," Gu Yi said to Oscar, who was still somewhat envious.

"No need, Brother Yi. I think it's fine," Oscar's envy faded, replaced by a bitter expression, but he still followed. Although it was uncomfortable, the improvement to his body was really great, and he might even enjoy the pleasure brought by the medicinal bath.

Before long, Ma Hongjun woke up, hearing pleas for mercy in his daze.

"Brother Yi...gentle...gentle," a voice immediately woke Ma Hongjun up, a voice he would probably never forget for the rest of his life.

"If you still have the strength to speak, it seems like you need a few more slaps," followed by a series of striking sounds.

Ma Hongjun also realized the environment he was in now, feeling his body. He was still intact, not burned. Apart from feeling a bit sore, everything was normal. He had thought he was dead at one point, even more agonizing than death itself.

"What are these things?" Ma Hongjun picked up some herbs from the tub, unfamiliar to him.

A beam of light shone in, and his fearful voice resurfaced. "If you awake, then get up," Ma Hongjun didn't dare to delay, afraid that Gu Yi would strike him again. After experiencing that ordeal, he was even more terrified.

"Go back. You failed," Gu Yi issued the eviction order because Ma Hongjun's matter had already delayed him considerably. Ma Hongjun didn't even think about learning Gu Yi's techniques anymore. He put on his clothes and ran out. He was even faster than when he came, as if he had lost a bit of weight. But he was still a little chubby.

(End of this chapter)

Glossary:

[1] Willow Leaf Flying Knives- Also known as Liu Ye Flying Knives (刘叶飞刀) it is a famous Chinese martial arts technique that originated from the novel "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" ("射雕英雄传") by Jin Yong. The technique is associated with the character Yang Guo, who learns it from his teacher, Liu Ye.

The technique involves the use of small, lightweight throwing knives that are thrown with great precision and accuracy. It is renowned for its precision, speed, and deadly accuracy. The technique emphasizes speed, agility, and the ability to strike multiple targets rapidly. Practitioners of this technique are often portrayed as highly skilled and deadly fighters.