Chapter 79

Su Yi didn’t dare to go too far from Bao Xiruo and the others. Although Yang Tiexin’s martial arts were not weak, unfortunately, there were too many people in this mansion who could easily overpower him. If he wasn’t nearby and they were captured by someone, it wouldn’t matter if he got hurt, but Bao Xiruo, being delicate and precious, couldn’t endure such hardship!

Therefore, Su Yi just found a secluded corner near the house where Bao Xiruo was staying and sat down cross-legged.

He took out the still warm snake blood and snake gall, especially the snake gall, which was as big as a fist. The possibility of swallowing it whole was extremely slim…

Frowning, he bit into the snake gall, then raised it high above his head. A foul and fishy liquid flowed directly into Su Yi’s mouth, and he swallowed it down his throat…

“Ugh…”

By the time all the liquid had flowed into his stomach, Su Yi’s face had turned completely green!

“It’s still the same formula, still the same taste! So intoxicating~~~”

Frowning, he muttered to himself sarcastically. Su Yi quickly raised the wine gourd and gulped down the snake blood in large mouthfuls, trying to use its taste to mask the bitterness of the snake gall. Before long, a whole jar of snake blood had been completely drunk…

Su Yi smacked his lips; the taste was actually quite good. The strong medicinal aroma masked most of the fishy smell, making it not as hard to swallow as he had imagined… at least better than the snake blood outside Xiangyang City.

[Obtained precious snake blood, current fortune plundering degree 42%.]

The Overlord’s monotonous voice sounded again, but Su Yi already knew this was just a routine procedure, not the Overlord speaking, so he didn’t take it to heart.

“Burp…” After drinking the whole gourd of snake blood, Su Yi couldn’t help but burp. The precious snake was quite large, and its blood volume was substantial, making him feel a bit full…

He quickly sat down cross-legged and began to silently practice the *Nine Yang Manual* within his body. At first, he didn’t feel much, but after a while, a burning sensation slowly rose in his lower abdomen. His whole body felt hot, as if he were sitting by a fire.

However… this was too close to the fire!

The heat grew more intense, and before long, Su Yi’s entire body had turned red, feeling as if his blood was about to boil, making him extremely uncomfortable!

Su Yi knew this was due to the strong medicinal properties. He endured the discomfort and continued to circulate the Nine Yang True Qi, one cycle after another. Each cycle made his True Qi stronger, and the intense heat gradually diminished. He focused all his attention on his dantian.

After a long time, the content of the fourth volume of the *Nine Yang Manual* suddenly appeared in Su Yi’s mind. As if everything was falling into place, his Nine Yang True Qi began to circulate according to the fourth volume. Unfortunately, the fourth volume was a summary of the first three volumes, and its profundity was even more obscure than the sum of the first three volumes. After a short while, his True Qi ran out of steam and retreated back to the third volume!

An hour later, Su Yi slowly calmed his Nine Yang True Qi. He didn’t expect the third volume of the *Nine Yang Manual* to be so difficult to break through. Even after consuming the precious snake that had been raised for twenty years, he had only advanced to the peak of the third volume, still one step away from breaking through to the fourth volume…

However, although he had only advanced from the middle stage of the third volume to the peak, the total amount of True Qi in his body had doubled. One precious snake had increased his internal strength by nearly a fold, and he was already quite satisfied.

Well, it’s probably because my internal strength isn’t enough. When the accumulation of True Qi reaches the standard of the fourth volume, it will naturally fall into place…

Su Yi slowly finished his practice. He did a quick calculation in his mind. After Zhang Wuji completed all four volumes of the *Nine Yang Manual*, his True Qi was no less powerful than the Five Greats in the later stages of *The Return of the Condor Heroes*. Now it was still the early stages of *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, and there was at least a forty-year gap between the two. This meant that the Five Greats would need to practice for another forty years to match the completion of the fourth volume of the *Nine Yang Manual*. If he could reach the fourth volume, even just the initial stage, he would likely be on par with the Five Greats, or even surpass them!

Even if he was still at the third volume, his internal strength was probably not much weaker than the Five Greats, right?

“Alright, the precious snake is finished, and it’s time to see what’s going on with Yang Tiexin and the others.”

Su Yi straightened his body and darted toward Bao Xiruo’s house like a bolt of lightning.

His internal strength had greatly increased, and his lightness skill had also improved. Although the *Spiral Nine Shadows* was not suitable for long-distance travel, with his formidable internal strength, it was no less impressive than the most advanced lightness skills in the world!

In the blink of an eye, Su Yi was already at the door of Bao Xiruo’s room. He took off his mask and knocked on the door.

“Who is it~?!”

A slightly panicked voice came from inside.

“Mother~ it’s me.”

“Kang’er? Mother has already rested. Can we talk about it tomorrow?”

Su Yi smiled inwardly. His senses were sharp, and he clearly heard a second person’s breathing inside, which was much heavier than Bao Xiruo’s, indicating extreme tension.

He decided to be straightforward: “Mother, I don’t know what you and the person I brought over just now talked about, but if you want to leave the mansion, it’s best to open the door quickly!”

“What?! Kang’er, what are you saying? The person you brought over?”

The wooden door creaked open, and Bao Xiruo’s shocked face appeared. Behind her, Yang Tiexin stood helplessly, recognizing the unmasked Su Yi and calling out, “Benefactor?”

Bao Xiruo glanced at Yang Tiexin with a hint of surprise and then forced a smile at Su Yi. “Kang’er, what are you talking about? What do you mean by leaving the mansion? Why are you saying this suddenly?”

Su Yi glanced at Yang Tiexin, then pulled Bao Xiruo to one side and whispered, “Does he despise you for marrying my father?”

Bao Xiruo’s face turned pale, and her eyes were filled with fear as she looked at Su Yi.

Su Yi said softly, “I’ve known about everything you’ve been hiding from me all along. I just didn’t want to worry you, so I pretended not to know.”

“You… you actually… know?”

Su Yi nodded gently. “In fact, I was the one who personally brought him into the mansion and found an opportunity to bring him over. I just wanted you two to have a good talk… Mother! Now I’m asking you, does he despise you?”

Bao Xiruo shook her head sadly.

“Do you want to leave the mansion with him?”

Bao Xiruo’s face showed a hint of hesitation, but then she shook her head again, her face turning pale.

Su Yi instantly understood her meaning. She must be feeling unworthy of Yang Tiexin, thinking that as someone who had remarried, she didn’t deserve him.

Really, Su Yi scratched his head in frustration, not knowing how to start. After some thought, he said, “Since you know he’s still alive, you must not want to stay in the mansion, right?”

“No!” Bao Xiruo answered firmly.

Initially, believing Yang Tiexin was dead, Bao Xiruo had married Wanyan Honglie for the sake of Yang Kang’s future. Now that she knew her former husband was still alive, how could she bear to continue living here as someone else’s wife? That would be a great disloyalty to Yang Tiexin.

Bao Xiruo held Yang Kang’s hand and said sadly, “Kang’er! Since you know everything, secretly take your father out first, then find your master and ask him to help your mother leave the mansion. Your mother is already unclean and dares not have any more delusions. Once we leave the mansion, I will find a nunnery and become a nun… I will spend the rest of my life praying for you and your father, living by the light of the Buddha.”

As she spoke, her face turned pale, and she almost fell to the ground, clearly in a state of extreme distress.