Chapter 48

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However, Old Ancestor Longyan had lived for over a hundred years and had experienced many ups and downs.

In just a few breaths, she had adjusted her emotions and her gaze became calm: "Shouzhe, I admit you are very capable, able to take advantage of the insect disaster and make a substantial profit. But this amount of money is like a drop in the bucket for treating my injuries."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhe was not disappointed but rather pleasantly surprised: "From the tone of your words, Old Ancestor, your injuries can still be treated?"

"Difficult, as difficult as ascending to the heavens," Old Ancestor Longyan said calmly. "Even if the Wang family were to go bankrupt, it would still be far from enough. Therefore, Shouzhe, don't entertain any delusions. Your money would be better spent on accelerating your cultivation to the peak of the Qi Condensation Realm."

Of course, there was difficulty; otherwise, the Wang family wouldn't have ignored her injuries. The cost would be something the Wang family couldn't afford even if they sold all their land and assets.

Wang Shouzhe's expression was solemn as he said, "Then, Old Ancestor, could you explain in detail the difficulties involved, so that Shouzhe can completely give up on this idea?"

"Very well, if I don't explain clearly, you won't give up," Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes softened. She could see that Shouzhe truly cared about her. She continued, "The Spirit Platform Realm cultivator who conspired with the Zhao and Liu families was no ordinary person. He possessed pure Yin Sha power, likely connected to the Yin Sha Sect in the far west. I suspect he was on the run from some trouble, which is why he disguised himself as a wandering cultivator and infiltrated the Liu and Zhao families."

"The Yin Sha Sect?" Wang Shouzhe, with his knowledge, had never heard of this name.

"It's an evil sect, with overall strength not inferior to the Purple Mansion Academy," Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes became slightly more serious. "Others only knew of the Zhao and Liu families' ambitions, but when I engaged in battle with him, I realized he was likely the mastermind. During the intense battle, I took a great risk, relying on my higher cultivation and two spirit treasures to kill him on the spot. However, the Yin Sha Sect disciple was indeed formidable, and his final counterattack cost me dearly."

Even though this life-and-death battle took place fifty years ago, Old Ancestor Longyan still vividly remembered it.

Wang Shouzhe was secretly shocked. This fantastical world was much larger and more complex than he had imagined. He had every reason to believe that what Old Ancestor Longyan revealed was just a corner of this world.

"At the time, the Turtle Scale Shield's protective mark was broken, and I was hit by his full-strength Yin Sha palm," Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes turned cold. "This palm was extremely venomous, not only causing me severe internal injuries but also allowing the Yin Sha power to erode my organs. No matter how I tried to expel it, it clung to me like a bone-deep parasite, making my injuries extremely difficult to heal."

Wang Shouzhe was deeply shaken. He had previously underestimated this fantastical world, but in reality, it was so perilous. The battles were not like those in the fantasy novels he had read in his previous life, where the protagonist had various secret manuals and dozens of lives to squander, and would engage in "life-or-death battles" over trivial disputes, treating such battles as "daily occurrences."

It was truly absurd.

Every battle had the potential for unexpected events. Fifty years ago, that life-or-death battle cost the mysterious Yin Sha Sect a life. For Old Ancestor Longyan, it cost her half a lifetime of pain and torment.

At the same time, it left a deep psychological shadow on the two old ancestors of the Liu and Zhao families. To this day, they dare not overly pressure the Wang family, fearing that Old Ancestor Longyan might, in a fit of rage, take one of them with her to the grave!

Every decision involving battle must be made with caution, considering the possibility of unexpected events and whether one can bear the consequences!

Old Ancestor Longyan had no choice but to fight; if she didn't, the Wang family would be destroyed.

"Old Ancestor," Wang Shouzhe took a deep breath and said, "Let's talk about the treatment." After hearing about that battle, Wang Shouzhe was even more determined to help Old Ancestor Longyan, even if the cost was enormous.

"My injuries have two major problems," Old Ancestor Longyan said. "First, the Yin Sha poison that has been eroding my body for fifty years has become increasingly vicious and difficult to control. Second, my organs are severely damaged and have not healed due to the Yin Sha poison, leading to increasingly severe damage over time."

She paused and continued, "To neutralize such a severe Yin Sha poison, a third-stage elixir, the Fire Yang Pill, is required to suppress and remove the poison."

"If it's a third-stage elixir, unless it's a particularly rare one, it should be possible to obtain, though it would be expensive," Wang Shouzhe frowned, sensing that it wouldn't be that simple.

Typically, a first-stage elixir costs several dozen to a hundred gold, a second-stage elixir costs several hundred to a thousand gold, and a third-stage elixir costs several hundred to a thousand gold.

"The Fire Yang Pill is a common third-stage elixir, produced by many alchemy masters, and is not hard to find. It costs about three hundred gold per pill," Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes flashed with a hint of helplessness. "Unfortunately, it must be taken monthly to gradually suppress and eliminate the Yin Sha poison. And it must be taken long-term, with the hope of completely eliminating the poison within ten years."

Monthly? That's 3,600 gold per year?

Even Wang Shouzhe couldn't help but draw a sharp breath. In fact, before Wang Shouzhe's穿越 (穿越 means "穿越" in Chinese, which can be translated as "穿越" in English, but in this context, it means "before he was transported to this world"), the total profit from all the family's businesses combined did not reach this amount!

Moreover, this profit could barely cover the family's expenses, leaving no room for savings.

In reality, any family's reported income was substantial, but their expenses were also enormous. Even the relatively prosperous Shan Yang Gong Sun family, in normal years, could hardly save more than a thousand gold after covering their massive expenses.

"Not only that, to combat the Yin Sha power, I must maintain good physical condition, with a steady supply of spirit rice and spirit food, and long-term consumption of the Primordial Cultivation Pill to strengthen myself," Old Ancestor Longyan said. "This expense alone is at least six hundred gold per year."

"Additionally, starting from the second year, I will need the third-stage healing elixir, the Creation Pill, to treat my damaged organs. The Creation Pill is much harder to obtain and more expensive, costing a thousand gold per pill, which amounts to twelve thousand gold per year," Old Ancestor Longyan said calmly. "In the best-case scenario, my injuries will be mostly healed in ten to eleven years. If the estimate is off, it might take another two to three years."

After explaining all this, Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes seemed somewhat relieved. She understood the feelings of her clan members; the Xiao generation had also wanted to help her, but it was simply unaffordable. If they insisted on treating her, it would bankrupt the Wang family and still not cure her. Not to mention the Wang family, even the Shan Yang Gong Sun family or the Shan Yin Liu family would find it unaffordable.

Perhaps the Chang Ning Xu family could勉强 (勉强 means "勉强" in Chinese, which can be translated as "勉强" in English, but in this context, it means "barely") afford it, but the entire treatment process would severely weaken the Chang Ning Xu family.

At the time, she had seen the despair, helplessness, and pain in her clan members' eyes. If not for Shouzhe's insistence, she truly didn't want him to go through this.

"In other words, Old Ancestor's injuries don't require a huge one-time investment but can be treated gradually over time," Wang Shouzhe's eyes lit up as he quickly calculated. "In the first year, the total cost would be about four thousand one hundred gold. From the second year onward, an additional twelve thousand gold would be needed! The total treatment cost would be around several hundred thousand gold. Good, good, good!"

"Good, good, good!?" Old Ancestor Longyan's eyes were filled with confusion. The situation was so dire, the burden so overwhelming, yet Shouzhe was calling it good?

"Old Ancestor, don't misunderstand," Wang Shouzhe calmed himself and said, "I call it good because the actual situation is simpler than I had anticipated."

However, he was also somewhat moved. No matter the world, one couldn't afford to fall ill. On Earth, many families that were relatively well-off were left in dire straits due to a serious illness.

He never imagined that the fantastical world would be the same!

"Simple?" Old Ancestor Longyan's delicate body trembled slightly. Shouldn't she be in despair?

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