When Wang Yujie heard the middle-aged man's provocation, her heart tightened, and she instinctively grabbed the sleeve of Lěng Yè's shirt. A hint of coldness flashed in Lěng Yè's eyes, and a cold smile curved the corner of his lips. His voice revealed unquestionable firmness: "It is still too far to tell who will win and who will lose."
Seeing this, the middle-aged man wore a sneering smile, as if looking at an overreaching clown: "Oh? You certainly are confident. I heard you were good for nothing, but you actually have some nerve. However, today I will let you witness what true strength is!"
Before his voice had even faded, the middle-aged man charged at Lěng Yè like a fierce tiger coming down a mountain. Seeing this, Lěng Yè quickly pulled Wang Yujie behind him and engaged in a fierce clash with the middle-aged man. Their figures crossed under the moonlight, and every collision produced a deafening sound.
After dozens of rounds of combat, the middle-aged man's expression gradually grew grave. He thought to himself in astonishment: "This kid has extraordinary strength and can actually fight me to a standstill. It seems the information I received earlier was wrong; he is no good-for-nothing."
Although Lěng Yè appeared calm and composed on the surface, he could not help feeling somewhat nervous inside. He had originally thought that with his own cultivation power, he could easily defeat this Internal Energy master, but at this moment he discovered that his opponent possessed extraordinary strength, and he himself could not easily prevail. He secretly warned himself: "A cultivator's strength is undoubtedly formidable, but one must not be blindly arrogant. If I hadn't been careful today, I would probably have been defeated long ago."
Seeing that his prolonged attacks were failing to break through, the middle-aged man grew increasingly anxious. He took a deep breath, gathered all his Internal Energy into his palm, and struck out with a fierce blow: "Take my 'Mountain-Breaking Palm'!"
Feeling the terrifying power contained within that palm strike, Lěng Yè did not dare to be the least bit careless. He rapidly mobilized the Spiritual Power within his body and likewise struck out with a palm: "Heart-Shattering Palm!"
The two palms collided with a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering loud crash. A powerful force dispersed in all directions, shaking the surrounding trees so violently they appeared ready to collapse. The middle-aged man was sent flying backward by this force, crashing into a large tree and spitting a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this, Lěng Yè breathed a sigh of relief. He knew he had gained the upper hand, but he did not lower his guard. With a flash of his figure, he rushed toward the middle-aged man. A look of panic flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes, but it immediately returned to calm. He quickly pulled a round bead from his robes and fiercely hurled it at Lěng Yè.
Startled, Lěng Yè hurriedly stopped in his tracks. The round bead traced an arc through the air and ultimately landed on the ground, producing a deafening "bang." Lěng Yè silently considered himself lucky; if not for his prompt reaction, he probably would have been hit. He cast a cold glance at the middle-aged man and turned to leave. Under the cover of the night, Lěng Yè quietly retreated backward. Suddenly, a round bead fell to the ground like a shooting star, instantly erupting in a deafening roar. Thick smoke immediately billowed out, completely obscuring Lěng Yè's vision. When the smoke gradually cleared, Lěng Yè turned and looked, only to find that the middle-aged man had vanished without a trace. He knew well that he no longer had the strength to pursue; the fierce battle just now had completely exhausted his Spiritual Power, and continuing the chase would only plunge him into danger.
Lěng Yè hurried to Wang Yujie's side, his tone filled with concern: "Sister-in-law, it's not safe here; we must leave right away." The two returned home in a rush. Wang Yujie was still immersed in that heart-stopping battle, having never imagined that such a thrilling scene could exist in reality—it felt like something that only appeared in movies or television shows.
"Xiao Ye, what on earth was going on with that person just now?" Wang Yujie finally couldn't help asking.
Lěng Yè gave a wry smile and explained, "It must be revenge sent by Zhang Yali and Chang Jun."
Hearing this, Wang Yujie was deeply shocked. "How could they be so cruel? That person clearly wanted to take your life."
Lěng Yè sighed. "I didn't expect them to be so extreme either."
A self-reproachful look appeared on Wang Yujie's face. "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been targeted for revenge."
Lěng Yè smiled and comforted her: "Sister-in-law, how can you blame yourself? This is Zhang Yali and Chang Jun's fault, and aren't I standing here safe and sound? Don't worry, my current strength is not something they can easily deal with."
Hearing Lěng Yè's words, the worry in Wang Yujie's heart eased slightly. She looked at Lěng Yè, a flicker of adoration in her eyes: "Xiao Ye, it's really great to have you around."
Lěng Yè felt somewhat uneasy under Wang Yujie's gaze and quickly changed the subject: "Sister-in-law, my consumption from the fight was too great and I need to recover. You should get to rest early too." With that, he strode back to his room.
Wang Yujie didn't ask any further and turned to go take a bath. Lěng Yè sat on the bed and began to circulate his cultivation technique. Through his breathing and inhalation, his mind gradually calmed down. He knew deeply that in this Age of Dharma Decline, the Spiritual Energy in the air was exceptionally thin, making the path of cultivation extraordinarily difficult. Yet last night's battle had further solidified his determination to cultivate; he had to become even stronger in order to protect himself and those around him.
Early the next morning, Lěng Yè concluded his cultivation, stretched his limbs, and felt that his condition had returned to its peak. However, a trace of dissatisfaction flashed in his eyes. He understood that in this era, step-by-step cultivation could no longer meet his needs. He had to find more efficient cultivation methods to gain a foothold in this perilous world. Before transforming his inherited knowledge into his own power, Lěng Yè felt as though he were standing in a perilous jungle where any powerful entity could easily snuff out his life. He knew that while Internal Energy masters might not be as unfathomably mysterious as cultivators, they still represented a solid path leading to the pinnacle. He firmly believed that once Internal Energy was cultivated to its ultimate limit, he would surely catch a glimpse of the true meaning of cultivation. Even when facing Internal Energy masters of the same rank or two or three tiers higher than himself, he could easily handle them with his own strength; yet he always understood in his heart that there were always far more powerful existences in the world.
The Internal Energy masters that Zhang Yali could easily summon had already made Lěng Yè feel out of his depth, to say nothing of renowned powerhouses like Long Aotian. Therefore, he craved a rapid enhancement of his strength—not only to make up for his shortcomings regarding Gāo Yán, but even more so to protect Wang Yujie from harm.
"If I cultivate by conventional methods, it will take at least another week for me to step into the Second Layer of Qi Refining. It seems I must take an unconventional path and refine Medicinal Pills to accelerate my cultivation." As Lěng Yè pondered this, he couldn't help recalling the night he spent with Gāo Yán; that was not only an emotional blending, but also a leap in cultivation—a method of cultivation every cultivator dreamed of.
After quickly washing up and having breakfast with Wang Yujie, he hurried to the herb market. He knew very well that to refine top-quality Medicinal Pills, the age of the herbs was crucial. Relying on the knowledge within his inheritance, Lěng Yè could easily distinguish the quality of herbs, but after browsing the herb market, he found very few herbs with genuine age. Most places here dealt in bulk quantities, and true treasures were hidden deep within the antique street.
However, the antique street was not a place someone of Lěng Yè's meager financial means could frequent. Even so, he did not give up his search, and after some scouring, he finally found a few quite decent herbs, including two decades-old medicinal plants. Without hesitation, he spent fifty thousand yuan. Although his heart ached terribly, for the sake of his cultivation, he had to bite the bullet and part with the money.
"Decades-old herbs are already this expensive, wouldn't century-old herbs cost a heavenly price?" Lěng Yè sighed inwardly, realizing that this path of immortality was indeed fraught with hardship and challenge. He came to a traditional Chinese medicine shop and borrowed an apprentice's tools to begin refining medicine. After some effort, he successfully refined three Profound Origin Pills—pills capable of significantly enhancing a cultivator's power, which were especially precious for cultivators in the Qi Condensation Stage. However, the quantity of three pills was still far from enough, only capable of helping him reach the peak of the First Layer of Qi Refining; more effort would be needed to make a breakthrough.
Under the dim light, Lěng Yè gazed at the herbal dregs left over from refining the Profound Origin Pills, and a wave of reluctance surged in his heart. Knowing the preciousness of the herbs, a clever idea struck him: he skillfully added a few supplementary ingredients and, after careful brewing, ultimately obtained a pot of seemingly ordinary black ointment that emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.
Just as he was immersed in his masterpiece, the young apprentice sauntered over, his gaze full of skepticism and disdain. Pointing at the pot of ointment, he scoffed dismissively, "Is this how you boil medicine? This black lump simply looks like a pile of asphalt. Can this even be considered medicine?"
Lěng Yè remained unbothered, smiling as he explained, "This ointment is called Debridement Ointment. Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you; it has the miraculous efficacy of stopping bleeding, reducing swelling, and clearing away scars. For any kind of external trauma, just applying a small amount yields results within seconds. Moreover, it has an unknown secret function."
Curious, the apprentice pursued, "What secret function?"
Lěng Yè smiled mysteriously and shook his head slightly. "You are still young; there's no need for you to know yet."
The apprentice curled his lip in scorn and mocked, "I think you're just boasting! How could this black stuff be as miraculous as you say? It might even poison someone!"
Lěng Yè didn't mind; he knew the true value of this Debridement Ointment. Though its appearance was poor, its effects were top-tier—an indispensable healing medicine for cultivators. He intended to sell this batch of ointment to offset the huge expenses he had incurred buying herbs today. After all, the path of cultivation was long and arduous, and the herbs required would only grow more expensive; he had to find a stable way to make money.
Thus, Lěng Yè carefully packed the Debridement Ointment into small individual bottles, thirteen in total. Just as he was preparing to leave, a flurry of hurried footsteps shattered the tranquility of the medicine shop. A group of men rushed in carrying several bloody casualties covered in knife wounds. Leading them was a middle-aged man with a stubbly beard and a gold chain around his neck, followed by a crowd of fierce-looking thugs.
Seeing this, the old traditional medicine doctor was so startled that he hurriedly stood up from his recliner.
The middle-aged man spoke indifferently: "These brothers of mine got injured while helping me fight for territory. I must ask the doctor to treat them. Money is no object."
The old doctor carefully sized up the middle-aged man for a few moments, then suddenly cried out in alarm, "Master Wàn Sān?"
The middle-aged man gave a slight nod, signaling that formalities were unnecessary.
Not daring to delay, the old doctor hurried over to the stretchers to examine the injuries. Meanwhile, Lěng Yè looked on in surprise at the legendary Master Wàn Sān. He had heard of Master Wàn Sān's reputation as a notorious gang leader in the Qiaodong District. Yet at this moment, Master Wàn Sān appeared exceptionally calm and decisive, making people view him in a new light.
A thought stirred in Lěng Yè's mind—perhaps this was an opportunity. He stepped forward and introduced his Debridement Ointment to Master Wàn Sān: "Master Wàn Sān, I have some Debridement Ointment here that has exceptional healing effects for external wounds. Perhaps we could give it a try."
Master Wàn Sān was slightly startled, then nodded. "Then let's try it."
Under everyone's gaze, Lěng Yè applied the Debridement Ointment to one of the injured men's wounds. Mere seconds later, the wound that had previously been bleeding endlessly gradually stopped. A look of astonishment appeared on the injured man's face, while Master Wàn Sān revealed a satisfied smile.
"Good medicine!" Master Wàn Sān praised. "Brother Lěng Yè, your Debridement Ointment truly lives up to its reputation. In the future, my brothers' injuries will be in your hands."
Lěng Yè smiled faintly, feeling secretly relieved. He knew he had found a stable source of income while also feeling comforted that he had found a way to survive in this chaotic world.
Behind the bustling metropolis, Master Wàn Sān's influence lingered like a shadow. The group of brothers under his command had once carved out a piece of the underworld with their bare fists and hot blood. Today, they were no longer mere street corner punks, but the behind-the-scenes bosses of several bars and KTVs, possessing substantial fortunes and towering reputations.
However, fate is always full of variables. One day, several brothers were severely injured during a turf war and rushed to the nearby old doctor's clinic. Examining their injuries, the old doctor furrowed his brow, his face written with worry. He raised his head to look at Master Wàn Sān, his voice tinged with hesitation: "Master Wàn Sān, your brothers' injuries are simply too severe. The wounds are several centimeters deep and covered in bruises. The conditions in my small clinic are limited, so I'm afraid it's difficult to treat them. You'd better take them to the hospital as soon as possible."
Hearing this, Master Wàn Sān knitted his brows in displeasure. He said in a deep voice, "In a place like a hospital, the crowds waiting to see a doctor are endless. With a status like mine, how could I cut in line? Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought them here. Please think of another way, doctor."
The old doctor helplessly shook his head and sighed, "Master Wàn Sān, my heart is willing, but my strength is lacking."
Just at that moment, Lěng Yè suddenly stepped forward with a gleaming light in his eyes. He respectfully said to Master Wàn Sān, "Master Wàn Sān, I have a specialized medicine here that can treat your brothers' injuries. I wonder if you would be interested in trying it?" His voice was full of confidence and anticipation, as if this medicine were the straw that could save his life.