Chapter 127: Healing Wounds

"Oil Lao Liu" chuckled and said, "Heh heh, so you finally figured it out."

Xu Miao’s brows were furrowed tightly, his eyes cold as a winter night, glinting with faint starlight. His entire face was as frigid as the depths of midwinter, devoid of any expression. After watching Oil Lao Liu for a moment, Xu Miao lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought. A while later, he asked, "What is your name?"

"Oil Lao Liu."

"Your real name."

"Xue Fei," Oil Lao Liu replied calmly.

"Oh?" Xu Miao was slightly taken aback, seemingly surprised. He paused, then murmured to himself in a low, faint voice, "No wonder that ice-attribute spiritual energy felt so familiar. So, he is a descendant of that fellow, the Snow Emperor."

"Hmm? What did you say?" Oil Lao Liu hadn't caught the words and asked, puzzled.

Releasing his grip on Oil Lao Liu, Xu Miao walked over to the side of the Old Doctor. After glancing at him, he asked, "You are an alchemist, aren't you?"

The Old Doctor nodded. "Yes, I am."

"How many cauldrons?"

"I've forgotten."

"Forgotten?" Xu Miao seemed surprised, then chuckled, indifferent. "Very well." His tone shifted, becoming grave. "The interior of Lu Zhe’s body has been severely damaged by the 'Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower.' I must trouble you to refine some medicinal pills to treat his injuries."

The Old Doctor nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed Xu Miao’s body sway and collapse into his arms. The Old Doctor hurriedly caught him, looking down to see that Lu Zhe’s long, snow-white hair was gradually shortening and turning black. Before long, he had reverted to his original appearance.

"Zhe'er, Zhe'er!" the Old Doctor cried out repeatedly, looking at Lu Zhe in his arms.

Oil Lao Liu stepped forward and bent down to examine Lu Zhe, only to be horrified to find his face deathly pale, devoid of any color. Sensing an immediate crisis, he urged, "Doctor, Zhe'er’s condition is dire!"

The Old Doctor nodded and placed his fingers on Lu Zhe’s pulse. Upon checking, his expression turned grim. "This is bad. His pulse is extremely faint; it must be the medicinal power of the 'Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower.' Quickly, lift him up; I must channel my spiritual energy to protect his heart meridian."

Oil Lao Liu complied, steadying Lu Zhe’s body so his back faced the Old Doctor. The Old Doctor swiftly pulled a rolled-up cloth pouch from his robes, unfurling it to reveal a row of steel needles of varying lengths. His hand brushed over them, and he deftly pulled out seven, plunging them into the acupuncture points on Lu Zhe’s back. As the last needle pierced the skin, Lu Zhe gave a faint groan.

Once the needles were set, the Old Doctor formed a sword-finger gesture with his right hand and tapped three times on Lu Zhe’s back. He then swept his hands before him, and a vibrant green spiritual energy coated his palms. With a sharp shout, the Old Doctor slammed his palms firmly against Lu Zhe’s back.

The wood-attribute spiritual energy flowed steadily from the Old Doctor’s arms into Lu Zhe’s body. Wood-attribute energy was renowned for its defensive and healing properties; while perhaps not as potent as water-attribute energy for direct healing, it was capable of sustaining life in critical moments—especially when wielded by an alchemist.

As the energy flowed, Lu Zhe’s complexion began to improve. However, just as the two men were about to let out a sigh of relief, a sudden, violent change occurred.

Not long after the Old Doctor’s massive influx of energy entered Lu Zhe, the young man spasmed. A soft sound erupted from the point where the Old Doctor’s palms met Lu Zhe’s back. The Old Doctor’s face changed, and he was thrown backward.

"What happened?" Oil Lao Liu asked urgently, watching the Old Doctor fall.

The Old Doctor clutched his chest, coughing, and looked toward Lu Zhe’s back. Two clusters of blood-red flames were burning silently where his palms had just been.

***

The flames vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

"What is going on?" Oil Lao Liu asked, supporting Lu Zhe, completely bewildered.

The Old Doctor rose from the ground, approached Lu Zhe, and studied his back for a moment. "It is the 'Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower' he absorbed earlier."

"What?" Oil Lao Liu was stunned, then added bitterly, "That damned exotic herb. I didn't expect it to pull a trick like this now."

"No," the Old Doctor said, holding up a hand to stop him. Seeing Oil Lao Liu’s confusion, the Old Doctor explained calmly, "It isn't the herb's fault; if anything, we should be grateful. The flames only appear once the exotic herb has been refined; it is an automatic defensive mechanism. This means that Lu Zhe has completely refined the 'Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower,' and it has acknowledged him as its master."

"Automatic defense?" Oil Lao Liu asked, still lost.

"Yes," the Old Doctor nodded. "This function only triggers when the wielder is unconscious or in danger. However, this is problematic for us; as long as it is active, I cannot channel my spiritual energy into him."

"Then what should we do?" Oil Lao Liu asked anxiously.

The Old Doctor pondered for a while. "We can only see if my 'Three-Marvel Green Spirit Flower' has any effect on him."

Oil Lao Liu hesitated. "But didn't you just say he has an automatic defense mechanism? Aren't you afraid it will repel your green fire?"

"We have no choice but to treat a dead horse as if it were alive. You should know that this kid has been reading the 'Ten Perfect Manual' that Ye Lao San got from somewhere. I don't know what it does exactly, but according to Ye Lao San, it can fuse all exotic herbs into one. My 'Three-Marvel Green Spirit Flower' is also an exotic herb; it should be fine." The Old Doctor looked at Oil Lao Liu, his tone showing his helplessness.

Oil Lao Liu replied, "You are the doctor. Do as you see fit."

The Old Doctor nodded, turned Lu Zhe to face him, and quickly formed a seal with his hands. He extended his right index finger, and with a soft 'pop,' a cluster of green flame ignited at the tip.

Looking at the flame, the Old Doctor turned to Oil Lao Liu. "If flames appear again, use your ice-attribute energy to suppress them temporarily."

Oil Lao Liu nodded.

The Old Doctor let out a low cry and pointed his index finger toward the center of Lu Zhe’s forehead, stopping three inches away. A small stream of green flame shot from his fingertip into Lu Zhe’s brow.

The Three-Marvel Green Spirit Flower, ranked twelfth among exotic herbs, possessed fire-attribute properties that turned flames green upon refinement. While its combat utility might be slightly inferior to other herbs, it possessed three marvelous properties—hence its name—one of which was the ability to heal oneself or others. It was precisely because of these three properties that it ranked higher than other herbs.

The green flame flowed continuously into Lu Zhe’s forehead, and as it did, his complexion gradually improved.

Heaven be praised, the green fire from the Old Doctor was not repelled by the 'Extreme Mountain Fire Sunflower' within Lu Zhe. Soon, a healthy flush returned to his pale face.

Seeing the color return, both Oil Lao Liu and the Old Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

After about a quarter of an hour, the Old Doctor withdrew his finger, performed a centering gesture, and let out a long breath.

Oil Lao Liu hurriedly wrapped Lu Zhe in a robe and held him close, looking at the Old Doctor. "Doctor, how is he now?"

The Old Doctor stood up and checked Lu Zhe’s pulse again. "His pulse is much better, but his injuries were extremely severe. A full recovery will not be simple."

Looking at Lu Zhe, who now had a faint hint of color in his cheeks, Oil Lao Liu hesitated. "Should we notify them?"

The Old Doctor’s brows shot up. "You mean..."

Oil Lao Liu nodded.

The Old Doctor fell into deep thought, his expression wavering. He looked at the unconscious Lu Zhe in Oil Lao Liu’s arms, his brows furrowed as if struggling to reach a decision. After a long while, he remained silent.

"Doctor," Oil Lao Liu pressed, his expression suggesting that time was of the essence.

The Old Doctor looked at Lu Zhe, his brow still locked in a deep frown as if he had finally made up his mind. Just as he was about to speak, his expression shifted, and he looked behind him.

Oil Lao Liu was also startled and followed his gaze.

Not far behind the Old Doctor, the space began to twist slowly, forming a clockwise vortex. Soon, the space seemed to shatter, turning pitch black, and a man dressed in white robes stepped out from the darkness.

"It’s you," Oil Lao Liu said flatly.

The man approached the Old Doctor and Oil Lao Liu. The Old Doctor studied him, and upon seeing the emblem on the man’s chest, he was struck dumb. "You are from that clan?"

The man bowed respectfully to the two men. "Junior Ling Feng pays his respects to the two seniors."

"Spare me the empty pleasantries," Oil Lao Liu interrupted irritably. He pointed at Lu Zhe. "Your young master is nearly at death's door. Are you here to take him back?"

The man shook his head. "On the contrary. My purpose is the exact opposite. Recently, our clan has been locked in large-scale battles with the Underworld Clan. While we haven't suffered a crippling blow, we are far from our peak. If I were to take the young master back now, their clan would likely exhaust all their resources to seize him, which would only endanger him further." He paused, touched his storage ring, and after a flash of light, a translucent green vial appeared in his hand. Holding it out, Ling Feng said quietly, "This is a bottle of medicinal pills for the young master’s recovery."

The Old Doctor took the vial, opened it, and sniffed the contents. His expression turned to one of utter shock. "This is an Eight-Cauldron Golden Pill—the Heavenly Origin Resurrection Pill!"

Ling Feng smiled but said nothing. He looked at Oil Lao Liu and the Old Doctor, bowed once more, and said, "I leave the young master in your care, seniors. Our clan will be eternally grateful."

After casting one last look at the unconscious Lu Zhe, Ling Feng flicked his sleeve and vanished into thin air.

The Old Doctor snapped out of his shock, hurriedly tipped the bottle, and fed the white pill to Lu Zhe.

After consuming the 'Heavenly Origin Resurrection Pill,' Lu Zhe coughed a few times, color flooded his face, and before long, he looked exactly as he had before.

Seeing Lu Zhe’s restored complexion, the Old Doctor smiled. He looked down at the green vial in his hand and chuckled bitterly.

"They certainly are generous."