Chapter 79

After seeing off the group from Songshan, Yue Buqun began to assess the damage. The night had been filled with one encounter after another, truly a time of great peril. Fortunately, the Huashan Sect had regained its strength over the years and managed to get through safely.

Yue Buqun examined the injuries of his disciples and found that, apart from Liang Fa, who had lost a lot of blood and was seriously injured, the other disciples were not in serious condition. Linghuchong was merely exhausted. He arranged for Lu Dayou to help Linghuchong rest, while the other disciples started fires to cook food, and some dug pits outside the temple to bury the bodies.

Seeing everyone busy, Yue Buqun called over Yue Fangxing and asked, "What's the deal with Mu Gaofeng? Even if he learned the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual,' it shouldn't have been possible for him to improve so much in such a short time, right?" He had also cultivated the yang-just true qi of the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual' during this period, and although he noticed rapid progress, it was not a significant increase. Mu Gaofeng had only obtained a fragment, and logically, his improvement should have been even less. However, according to the Songshan Sect, his strength had clearly increased significantly.

Yue Fangxing was also puzzled. He had already burned the first eight characters, so how could Mu Gaofeng have found another way to cultivate the 'Evil-Dispelling Sword Manual'? Or did he try to cultivate it and, unable to resist, cut off his own thing, becoming self-taught? This was a difficult matter to guess.

Yue Fangxing really couldn't figure out how Mu Gaofeng had improved so much. When Yue Buqun asked, he could only say he didn't know.

Just then, a loud shout of "Who's there?" came from nearby, followed by the sound of someone falling to the ground.

Everyone looked over and saw a masked figure flying away, causing a moment of panic. Was someone attacking again? The events of the night had already shocked the Huashan Sect.

"It's Sixth Senior Brother! Sixth Senior Brother, what happened?" Ying Bailuo shouted in alarm. He was near the source of the sound and, upon approaching, saw Lu Dayou lying on the ground, unconscious.

Yue Fangxing was about to chase the figure but, hearing Ying Bailuo's voice, rushed over. Seeing Lu Dayou lying on the ground, unconscious, he was alarmed.

Yue Fangxing was startled and hurried inside. Lu Dayou was with Linghuchong, and now that he was unconscious, what about Linghuchong?

Entering the side hall, Yue Fangxing saw Linghuchong lying on the ground, holding a short dagger, and a finger on the floor. He quickly stepped forward, lifted Linghuchong, and said, "Senior Brother?"

Linghuchong opened his eyes and said weakly, "Go see how Sixth Junior Brother is."

Yue Fangxing felt that Linghuchong was seriously injured and, without listening, checked his pulse.

As soon as he touched it, Yue Fangxing felt a burst of true qi, which surprised him. Linghuchong's true qi and the foreign true qi had been in balance, making it impossible for him to use it. Now, his true qi was running wild, indicating that the balance had been broken.

Upon further examination, Yue Fangxing found that the foreign true qi was running rampant in Linghuchong's body, and he was not using the Purple Mist True Qi to protect himself. The situation was dire, and his pulse was scattered, lacking the vigor it had shown in recent days.

At this moment, Yue Buqun entered and asked, "How is Chong'er?" He had just chased the figure but was too late, as the person had hidden. In the rain, it was impossible to see clearly. Worried about the safety of the Huashan Sect disciples, he did not pursue further. Outside the hall, he saw Lu Dayou lying on the ground and passed him a strand of Purple Mist True Qi to revive him.

Lu Dayou had been struck by a palm, but for some reason, the attacker did not strike hard, only knocking him unconscious. After Yue Buqun massaged him, he regained some consciousness and pointed to the hall. Yue Buqun, recalling that Linghuchong was inside, was alarmed and handed Lu Dayou to a disciple to look after before entering the hall. He saw Yue Fangxing examining Linghuchong's injuries and asked.

Yue Fangxing shook his head, as the situation inside Linghuchong's body was chaotic, and he couldn't figure it out.

Yue Buqun scanned the hall, saw a severed finger, and noticed blood on Linghuchong's lower abdomen. He was alarmed: Had Chong'er been hit in the dantian? This was serious! The dantian is a vital point in the body, especially for those who practice internal martial arts. If hit, it could not only cause damage but also render one's skills useless. Linghuchong was already injured internally, and if he was hit in the dantian again, it would be a major problem!

Without waiting to ask, Yue Buqun grabbed Linghuchong's wrist and passed a strand of true qi, immediately sensing the foreign true qi running rampant in his body, with no sign of the Purple Mist True Qi. He was alarmed, his face turning purple, and passed another strand of true qi, directly probing the dantian. He found that the dantian was not severely damaged but was completely occupied by the foreign true qi, with no sign of the Purple Mist True Qi.

Yue Buqun did not give up and probed several times but found no trace of the Purple Mist True Qi. The meridians still had some residual true qi, but it was being consumed by the six strands of foreign true qi.

Yue Fangxing, whose true qi was different from Linghuchong's, did not rashly probe. Seeing his father's expression, he asked, "How is it?"

Yue Buqun shook his head and said, "The dantian true qi has dissipated and cannot be easily reformed."

Yue Fangxing was shocked. He understood what his father meant. Cultivating internal martial arts relies on the dantian true qi. Once it dissipates, it is extremely difficult to recover. Years ago, Yue Fangxing had also cultivated true qi and did not dare to dissipate it, leading him to practice the Mixed Yuan Gong. More seriously, Linghuchong's body was now occupied by foreign true qi, leaving no room for re-cultivating his own true qi. Even if three people helped suppress the six strands of foreign true qi, his current injuries would prevent him from entering a cultivation state, let alone re-cultivating true qi. Moreover, if Linghuchong's injuries were not treated promptly, he might die, leaving no time for recovery.

Yue Buqun sighed and said, "It seems the only option is for me to inject true qi to suppress the six strands of foreign true qi in Chong'er's body. However, this will make his injuries even harder to treat." He never expected his senior disciple to face so many disasters, with internal injuries not yet healed and now being hit in the dantian, dispersing his true qi. The six strands of foreign true qi must have taken advantage of this weakness, completely dissipating Linghuchong's dantian true qi and repelling the attacker, protecting his dantian. This explained why Lu Dayou's injury was not severe, as he was likely hit by the foreign true qi and did not have time to gather strength.

Yue Fangxing, recalling the original story where Linghuchong was treated by Bu Jie, thought that after successfully treating Linghuchong's injuries last time, this method would not be used again. However, Linghuchong's current injuries forced him to take this old path, with Yue Buqun taking the place of Bu Jie. Although Yue Buqun's Purple Mist True Qi was better for healing and more familiar to Linghuchong, it was still foreign true qi, making future treatments more difficult.

However, Yue Fangxing had no other options. Although he had read many medical books over the years, most were for treating common illnesses, and there were few about treating internal injuries. After all, the Huashan Sect was not known for its medical skills, and such knowledge was closely guarded in the martial world.

Given the complexity of Linghuchong's condition, Yue Fangxing could only suggest that Yue Buqun divide his true qi into two streams to counterbalance the six strands of foreign true qi, reducing the strain.

The situation was urgent, and there was no time to think. Yue Fangxing and Ning Zhongze directed the Huashan Sect disciples to surround the area while Yue Buqun treated Linghuchong.

Yue Buqun activated the Purple Mist Divine Skill, his face turning purple, and after a while, white vapor began to rise from his head, indicating deep concentration.

Yue Fangxing watched, knowing that his father was using his full strength. Last time, three people working together to suppress the foreign true qi in Linghuchong's body had severely drained them in just over an hour. This time, with Yue Buqun alone suppressing six strands, the strain would be even greater.

After a long time, everyone saw Yue Buqun's face turn even more purple, and the white vapor became denser, like a thick fog surrounding him.

Everyone was worried, and suddenly, Yue Buqun slowly withdrew his hands, closed his eyes, and focused on recovering his strength.

Everyone knew the treatment was complete. Seeing Linghuchong open his eyes, no longer weak, they were relieved. Yue Lingshan, worried about Linghuchong, helped him up, seeing that he could stand, and was overjoyed, waiting for Yue Buqun to recover.

After a while, Yue Buqun recovered some strength, opened his eyes, and saw Linghuchong standing. He asked, "Chong'er, are you feeling better?"

Hearing his master's weak voice, Linghuchong knew the strain was great. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he knelt down, saying, "Master's great kindness... I cannot repay it..." and could not continue.

Ning Zhongze, seeing her husband's difficulty, helped him up and said, "This child, what are you saying!" Thinking of Linghuchong's constant misfortunes, her voice choked with emotion.

Yue Fangxing, seeing the task completed, dismissed the disciples to rest.

Yue Buqun said, "Although Chong'er's injuries are temporarily suppressed, my true qi will conflict with the six strands of true qi, requiring constant maintenance. Sigh! This will make things even more difficult in the future." He was not only concerned about Linghuchong's injuries but also about the need to constantly pass true qi to help him, which would leave him unable to fully recover, making it difficult for the Huashan Sect to face enemies.

Hearing his master's continued concern, Linghuchong's tears flowed, and he could not speak.

Yue Fangxing said, "Last time, Lin Shixiong's parents' heart meridians were healed by the famous doctor Ping Yizhi from Kaifeng. With such divine medical skills, he might be able to treat Senior Brother." He recalled that in the original story, Ping Yizhi had some confidence in treating Linghuchong and thus offered this suggestion. If Ping Yizhi made any demands, he would do his best to meet them, even if it went against his wishes.

Yue Buqun sighed, "That's the only option. Lin's parents once sought treatment from him. We will rest in Luoyang on our way and ask him properly!" Luoyang was a large city, making it difficult for enemies to act. He could safely help Linghuchong adjust to the true qi conflict and recover his own strength there. Moreover, although the Huashan Sect disciples had not died or been severely injured, many had minor injuries and needed time to recover.