Chapter Seventy-One: Return to the Empire of Omega!

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Tonight, on a sudden whim, I felt compelled to write an important scene from the middle of the story. By the time I finished and came to my senses, I realized how late it was. I’m truly sorry for posting at such an hour...

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Morning in the mountains always brings a refreshing clarity. Beneath the shroud of night, the peaks seem stern and forbidding, but under daylight, they reveal their tranquil beauty. White clouds drift overhead, the wind stirs gently, and a fine mist, like gauze, weaves through the valleys, swirling ever so slightly—a scene reminiscent of a celestial paradise, imparting an indescribable sense of leisure and ease.

Lu Zhe slowly unwound the bandages from his hand. As he reached the final loop, he swallowed nervously.

With each layer removed, he revealed his own plump, unscathed hand.

“Wow,” he murmured in astonishment, gazing at his uninjured hand. He couldn’t help but admire it.

He flexed his fingers—there was no trace of injury, not even the slightest lingering effect.

“How is it?” the old physician asked calmly.

“This medicine is incredible! Not a single scar or wound remains—it’s as if I was never hurt at all.” Lu Zhe’s admiration was unfeigned; his tone brimmed with awe and respect.

“Of course. If I personally prepare a medicine, how could it fail to heal such a minor wound?” The old physician smiled with quiet pride.

With that, he pulled a few bottles from his robe and tossed them to Lu Zhe. Upon inspection, Lu Zhe realized these were the very medicines used to heal his hand. He asked, “Master, why are you giving me these?”

“Keep them. If you’re ever seriously injured again, mix these together and apply them to the wound,” the old man replied coolly.

Lu Zhe quickly tucked the bottles into his robe, then looked up and asked, “When are we returning to the Oga Empire?”

The old physician glanced at him. “We leave now.”

“Now?” Lu Zhe pointed incredulously at the ground.

“Yes,” the old man affirmed with a nod, then turned away without further explanation.

Lu Zhe watched as the old physician, clad in flowing white robes, stood before him, facing the direction of the Oga Empire. With a light tap of his foot, a sudden sonic boom erupted, sending waves of force blasting the earth, flinging dust and sand high into the air.

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Lu Zhe hastily shielded his face from the flying grit. Once the dust had settled and his eyes had adjusted, he looked down and was stunned. Where the old physician had stood, there was now a hole three feet wide and a foot deep—a crater carved by the shockwave. He looked up, but the old man was nowhere to be seen.

Lu Zhe gave a wry chuckle, then summoned his Black Wing and, after orienting himself, soared toward the Oga Empire.

He had two goals for returning to the Oga Empire: first, to take the alchemist’s examination; second, to travel from Oga to the southern region known as the “Boundless Desert” by long-distance flying beast.

By now, Lu Zhe was a first-rank spirit master. His spirit pills could sustain his Black Wing’s flight for six hours. Before leaving, the old physician, worried he might lose time restoring his spirit power mid-journey, had also given him several “Spirit Recovery Pills”—elixirs that could restore his power without meditation. For Lu Zhe, these were invaluable.

Spreading his Black Wing, Lu Zhe soared through the sky, diving through clouds and skimming treetops, occasionally hearing the distant roars of forest beast kings. The exhilaration was beyond words.

The training ground was about three hundred li from the Oga Empire. At his current speed, it would take about a day to reach the city. Setting off in the morning, he estimated he would arrive by dusk if nothing went awry.

He beat his Black Wing with vigor, racing toward the empire like a horse at full gallop.

Time ticked by. The rising sun climbed to its zenith and began to descend. As the sun hung half-set in the west, Lu Zhe finally glimpsed the distant outline of towering city walls—the ramparts of the Oga Empire!

Wiping sweat from his brow, Lu Zhe beat his wings harder, dashing toward the walls.

Whoosh—

He skimmed over the city wall, only to be startled by the sight of soldiers sprawled haphazardly along its length. Closer inspection revealed they were the city’s guards!

“What happened here?” Lu Zhe muttered in confusion, surveying the unconscious soldiers.

As he puzzled over this, a faint medicinal odor drifted by. He sniffed and was instantly alarmed—there was a numbing agent in the air. Could the city be under attack?

He held his breath, descended, and crouched beside the soldiers. After careful examination, he saw they were merely unconscious, not in mortal danger, and relaxed.

Standing, he glanced around, only to spot a figure sitting not far away.

Seated cross-legged atop the wall, a white-robed figure let his hair and gown dance in the breeze, exuding an air of effortless detachment.

Sensing Lu Zhe’s presence, the figure turned—it was the old physician!

Lu Zhe hurried over, but before he could speak, the old physician complained, “Do you know I’ve been waiting here six hours for you?”

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Lu Zhe snorted, his expression suggesting “you brought this on yourself.” Then, changing the subject, he asked seriously, “What happened to the guards on the wall?”

The old physician glanced around indifferently. “Oh, that. When I arrived, they wouldn’t let me in—called me an enemy and tried to attack. I simply used a bottle of ‘Numbing Powder,’ and down they went.”

“Knew it was your doing,” Lu Zhe said coldly.

The old physician leapt down from the wall, shook out his robe, and said, “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Lu Zhe asked, caught off guard.

“To your country’s Alchemist Guild,” the old man replied blandly.

“And what about them?” Lu Zhe gestured urgently to the soldiers lying on the ground.

The old man glanced back, rummaged in his robe, and pulled out a green jade bottle. He tossed it to the ground, scattering a puff of powder into the wind. Lu Zhe caught a whiff and immediately felt the remaining numbness leave his body.

“Don’t worry, they’ll recover in an hour or two,” the old physician said coolly.

Lu Zhe chuckled softly, caught up to the old man, and walked alongside him. As they went, he asked, “Master, is your Numbing Powder really that potent?”

The old man laughed. “My Numbing Powder drifts on the wind—anyone who inhales it, even a Spirit Lord, will be paralyzed for an hour or two.”

Lu Zhe drew a sharp breath. “That powerful?”

The old physician added, “With enough of it, I could paralyze an entire city—ha ha ha!”

Laughing, the old physician and Lu Zhe descended from the city wall, leaving the still-unconscious guards behind them.