Free Web NovelChapter 29: Chapter 29: Healing
Although his eldest son hadn’t offered many details, Chen Li felt a sense of sudden clarity after listening, as if the clouds had parted to reveal the sun.
’The True Intent Map must be the key to honing something as intangible as the spirit.’
’It seems the value of the True Intent Map for the Qiankun Qi Wandering Dragon Staff is far beyond my expectations.’
Chen Shouheng’s eyes narrowed slightly. He rubbed his hands together and chuckled, "Dad, you have the True Intent Map for this Staff Technique of yours, don’t you?"
"What do you think?" Chen Li shot his eldest son a glance.
’This little rascal... his talent for the Martial Dao might not be anything special, but his mind is exceptionally sharp. Cunning little devil. I barely mentioned it and he’s already figured it out.’
"It might sound a bit like a fairy tale, but I think it’s highly possible."
Chen Shouheng looked thoughtful, his young face turning serious. "Dad, I heard my master say that only the Tiger Subduing Temple has the True Intent Map for the Tiger Subduing Fist. Once I develop Fist Intent with my Tiger Subduing Fist, I’ll have hit a wall. Unless I go to the Tiger Subduing Temple and become a monk. Why not teach me this Staff Technique early and pave the way for me!"
Chen Li smacked him on the head, laughing as he scolded, "Let’s talk about it after you reach the Qi Realm."
’Compared to Shouye, Shouheng has a much more active mind. He’s liable to learn a little of everything but master nothing, and end up mediocre. Of course, the main reason was that he himself didn’t know how to extract the True Intent Map.’
"Then it’s a deal!"
Seeing that his father was unwilling to teach him, Shouheng’s little face revealed a trace of disappointment, but he quickly adjusted his attitude.
’It’ll be mine sooner or later, anyway.’
...
As the year drew to a close, every household was filled with festive cheer.
In the Chen Family’s courtyard, large red lanterns were hung high.
The maid, Gin go, directed the hired hands as they cleaned the entire courtyard.
Mrs. Chen and Song Ying were in the kitchen preparing a lavish New Year’s Eve feast.
His little daughter, Shouyue, ran about the courtyard in a brand-new, little red jacket.
Chen Li sat in the main hall, watching the bustling scene before him, his heart filled with peace and serenity.
As his gaze swept over his family, his heart swelled with emotion.
’It was a difficult struggle just to survive when I first transmigrated. Now, more than ten years later, the family is on solid footing, and I’ve even made some small achievements in the Martial Dao. My wife, Song Ying, and Mrs. Chen have grown much stronger after taking the medicine, no longer frail and frequently ill. Once Shouyue turns ten, I’ll teach her the Five Grains Qi Storage Technique. My children are all on the right path. What more could a man ask for!’
The New Year’s Eve dinner table was laden with an abundance of dishes.
The sporadic pop of firecrackers began to ring out, quietly ushering in the new year.
...
「The 19th year of Yuan Jia.」
After the Lantern Festival, Chen Li took his two sons to the martial arts academy.
He then went to the Liu Family to keep an appointment, once again helping to suppress the condition of Liu Wende’s son.
The small courtyard was as simple and quiet as ever. freёwebnoѵel.com
When Liu Wende saw Chen Li, excitement washed over his haggard face. He said repeatedly, "Worthy nephew, you’ve finally come! Please, come in, come in!"
Once they entered the side room, Chen Li saw that although Liu Wende’s son had more color in his face than last time, his eyes were still dull, occasionally flashing with an indescribable agitation. He would also unconsciously mumble the name "Ban Xia" from time to time.
"After you helped treat him last time, worthy nephew, the boy was calm for a while. But his episodes started acting up again around the last month of the year, sigh..." Liu Wende explained his son’s condition.
Chen Li nodded. He had only used his Inner Qi to manage the symptoms, not cure the root cause, so a relapse was to be expected.
He placed his fingers on the young man’s wrist to take his pulse.
Now that he had just entered the Spirit Realm, his Divine Sense was several times sharper, allowing him to "see" much deeper and in finer detail.
Deep within the young man’s meridians, wisps of an extremely stubborn, sinister qi still lingered, clinging like maggots to bone. It constantly eroded his consciousness, like a deep-seated poison that was nearly impossible to eradicate.
Chen Li motioned for Liu Wende and his wife to step back, then sat down on the edge of the bed.
He extended his right hand, brought his index and middle fingers together, and gently touched the point between the young man’s eyebrows.
This time, he was not as cautious as he had been on the previous two occasions. He no longer simply used his Inner Qi to clear the meridians. Instead, he condensed his Inner Qi into something like a precision probe and directly engaged the sinister qi coiled within the man’s body.
Wherever it passed, the stubborn, sinister qi was like ice melting under the sun. It let out faint hisses as it was dissolved and purified, wisp by wisp, leaving not a single trace behind.
Liu Wende’s son began to tremble nonstop, his limbs twitching involuntarily. In just a few moments, his entire body was drenched in sweat.
An hour later.
When the last wisp of stubborn, sinister qi was utterly purified and annihilated from deep within the young man’s heart meridians, Chen Li slowly withdrew his fingers.
The young man’s eyes shot open. He first looked around in a daze. When his gaze fell upon his parents, who were watching him anxiously, his lips trembled a few times. His voice, though hoarse, was unbelievably clear as he called out, "Dad...? Mom...?"
"Yuejin!"
"My son!"
Liu Wende and his wife were ecstatic.
It was the first time in three years they had heard their son call them "Dad" and "Mom." Unable to control themselves any longer, tears streamed down their faces. They rushed to the bed, clutched their son’s hand, and sobbed uncontrollably. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Madam Liu went even further, dropping to her knees and kowtowing repeatedly to Chen Li. "Young Master Chen, you are a living Bodhisattva! My Liu Family will never forget this kindness for as long as we live!"
"Madam, please, get up." Chen Li hurriedly pulled her to her feet.
"Thank you... Thank you, benefactor, for saving my life."
The young man looked at his emotional parents. Though he didn’t know exactly what had happened, he could roughly guess and struggled to get up.
But having been gravely ill for so long, the moment he sat up, he started to fall back down. Liu Wende quickly steadied his son.
"Uncle, the root of his illness has been removed, but he will still need some time to recuperate if he is to recover fully. He shouldn’t move around too much," Chen Li instructed.
The effectiveness of the treatment was, admittedly, beyond his own expectations.
He had originally only intended to see if he could force the sinister qi out of the man’s body. He never expected that when the sinister qi encountered his Inner Qi, it wouldn’t retreat as it had last time, but would instead dissipate completely.
This made the treatment much simpler.
Before Chen Li left, Liu Wende, his eyes full of gratitude, grabbed him excitedly. "Worthy nephew, great kindness cannot be repaid with words. Tomorrow, I will host a banquet to thank you. I hope you will grace us with your presence."
"Uncle, there’s no need to go to such trouble..." Chen Li began to refuse.
But Liu Wende lowered his voice. "Worthy nephew, you may not know this, but in a few days, the County Magistrate intends to sell off some idle land, including three hundred mu of fertile fields that belonged to the Lingxi Wang Family. If you’re interested, I can invite the Head of the Revenue Division to the banquet to mediate for you."
Chen Li’s eyes lit up. Land was exactly what he wanted. He stopped refusing at once and nodded in agreement. "Then I will have to trouble you, Uncle."
...
The next day.
When Chen Li arrived at the private room in the Drunken Immortal Inn, he saw Liu Wende sitting at a table with a middle-aged man. The man was dressed in informal dark cyan silk clothes, his face fair and his eyes shrewd.
Seeing Chen Li, Liu Wende enthusiastically made the introduction. "Worthy nephew, this is the Head of the Revenue Division, Qian Yiqian. Steward Qian.
Brother Qian, this is the great benefactor of my family I was just telling you about—Chen Li, the son-in-law of Song Zijian."
"Steward Qian," Chen Li said, cupping his hands in greeting.
He had only dealt with a clerk when he previously went to the Household Department at the County Magistrate’s Office to handle paperwork, so he had never met this man.
Qian Yiqian had already heard the full story from Liu Wende, and the smile on his face never faltered. "You’re too polite, nephew. Wende has already told me all about you. Seeing you today, you are indeed young and promising."
"Steward Qian, you praise me too highly. I am unworthy, truly unworthy."
