Chapter 15: The Antidote

"What is this?" Yang Zhan looked at the antidote that had been taken out, his mind stirring, "Could it be... the antidote! Where did you get it from?"

His qi gong was so sensitive that he immediately smelled the faint fragrance in the snuff bottle, which seemed to be able to suppress the poison in his two sons' bodies.

"It's the antidote, but we need to test it first to see if it can cure the poison in your elder brother and second brother's bodies. I obtained this antidote from a seventh-stage qi gong expert of the Shadow Poison Sect. I killed him and got these things..." As he spoke, Yang Qi took out the bronze bell and the silver ticket for ten thousand Qi Gathering Pills and handed them to Yang Zhan. "This treasure is very valuable, and these silver tickets can help with household expenses. Now that our Yang family's main line is almost bankrupt, this is a timely rain."

As he spoke, he also recounted how he had saved Yan Feixia and killed the Shadow Poison Sect members, making Yang Zhan repeatedly exclaim in surprise.

"Good, very good. Because of you, our Yang family's main line has now formed a grudge with the City Lord's Mansion. But since you saved Yan Gufeng's daughter, this grudge can be resolved. I've heard of Yan Feixia; she is Yan Gufeng's most beloved youngest daughter, sent to the True Dragon Academy for cultivation from a young age. She has returned to visit her family and holds a very high status in the Yan family."

Yang Zhan, while speaking, took the silver ticket for the Qi Gathering Pills and the bronze bell, playing with them continuously. "The Great Qi Gong of the Golden Bell Shield, very good! A superior qi gong. If an ordinary civilian obtained it and cultivated it successfully, they could establish a powerful family. This is worth at least six or seventy thousand Spirit Gathering Pills, equivalent to our Yang family's annual net profit. It indeed helps to alleviate our urgent needs."

"Father, the antidote?"

Yang Qi was most concerned about the antidote.

"This antidote can basically help your elder brother and second brother expel the poison..." Yang Zhan had already permeated his qi gong into the snuff bottle, transforming the poison, and saw the poison gas dissolve in the antidote.

Whoosh.

Under Yang Zhan's powerful qi gong, the antidote in the snuff bottle turned into two smoke arrows and shot into the bodies of his elder brother and second brother.

The two bodies trembled violently.

Seeing this, Yang Qi immediately approached, sending a true qi into his elder brother and second brother's bodies to replenish their vital energy. He knew that the two had been deeply poisoned, and their vital energy had been greatly depleted, needing nourishment.

"Third brother, your qi gong is so powerful." Elder brother's face was full of surprise. He felt through his meridians that his third brother's qi gong was like a mighty river, rolling and unceasing. Although it was not as pure and refined as his father's, it seemed to have a quality that made all things submit, deep and unfathomable.

In no time, the poison in his body was completely eliminated, and his depleted true qi was replenished. He stood up and roared in the secret room: "I have finally recovered."

"Me too." Second brother also leaped up, his body filled with true qi, breaking through with a pop, his qi gong breaking through the "Explosive Qi" realm, reaching the fifth stage: "Third brother, it's all thanks to your help that I could break through. Being struck by lightning turned out to be a blessing in disguise, transforming your qi gong to such an incredible realm, which is truly a blessing for our Yang family."

"Elder brother, second brother, both of you have recovered and even improved. I think no one will look down on our Yang family's main line in the future." Yang Qi was also very happy. "Even if we are now bankrupt, as long as we are still alive, we can earn it back."

"Right, third brother, let's work together to help father revitalize the family!" The three brothers put their hands together.

Yang Zhan looked at his three sons with a smile, his face showing satisfaction, but then his expression gradually became serious: "Now, I have already found out who is against our Yang family. The Shadow Poison Sect has allied with various major families in Yan Capital, especially the Chen family. They had no way to act before, but this incident with Qi'er gave them the opportunity, and they immediately began their sinister plots."

"Father? I have a question. Although our Yang family is one of the largest families in Yan Capital and has had friction with other major families, it hasn't reached the point of open conflict. Why are they trying to exterminate us? Don't they fear our retaliation?" Elder brother Yang Yunchong raised a question.

Yang Qi's lips moved; he also wanted to ask this question.

"It's because of your aunt." Yang Zhan was silent for a moment and then said, "Your aunt entered the first sect of the Fertile Continent, the Heaven Rank Academy, at a young age. She became famous and was considered a genius, so the sect has been grooming her as an important seed. Therefore, she has been targeted. Those people cannot attack your aunt directly in the Heaven Rank Academy, so they turned to us, the Yang family. This way, your aunt will surely receive the news and come to help, and they will set up an ambush to kill her."

"Is that so..." The three brothers were enlightened.

Yang Qi's mind recalled the little girl who had fed him mouthful by mouthful.

"Yang Qi, if you don't eat, your aunt will beat you." A little girl with pigtails held a spoon, carefully blowing on the hot soup, afraid of scalding a little boy.

"No, I won't eat..." The little boy kicked his feet continuously. "I want to go out and play."

This was Yang Qi's impression of his aunt.

Now, more than ten years have passed. He wondered what his little aunt looked like now and what level of cultivation and qi gong she had reached.

"Father, what should we do now?" Second brother Yang Hualong frowned.

"Observe and wait. Gradually restore the family's business. This matter will be handled by the two of you." Yang Zhan waved his hand. "I will focus on cultivation and try to break through to the ninth stage of qi gong, becoming a Qi Master. Qi'er, while cultivating, go to the City Lord's Mansion and try to build a relationship with Yan Feixia, changing the City Lord's perception of our Yang family."

"Yes!"

The three brothers shouted in unison, full of confidence in revitalizing the family.

"Qi'er, don't blame yourself." Yang Zhan added, "Although your rash theft of the Dragon Subduing Pill triggered a series of events, it was also a good thing. If not for this incident, they might have planned even more meticulously, and our Yang family, along with your aunt, would have been in grave danger."

Seeing that Yang Qi still felt a bit guilty, he comforted him.

"Okay." Hearing his father's words, Yang Qi's guilt disappeared. "But Yunhai City's princess, Yunhai Lan, deceived me and took the Dragon Subduing Pill, causing our Yang family to go bankrupt. I will not rest until this grudge is avenged. I even suspect that Yunhai Lan also wanted to target my aunt, so she deliberately approached me, deceived me, and allied with the Shadow Poison Sect. By the way, when I was defeated by Song Hai Shan, he said that Yunhai Lan was also entering the Heaven Rank Academy."

"There is a good possibility of that." Yang Zhan, a seasoned veteran, thought for a moment and guessed various possibilities. "So, it's very likely that there are people in the Heaven Rank Academy who are against your aunt and plotting against her."

"Father, if you reach the Qi Master realm, the ninth stage of qi gong, can you enter the Heaven Rank Academy to support your aunt?" Yang Qi asked calmly.

"The Qi Master realm is enough to rule a city and command a region on the Fertile Continent, receiving the admiration of thousands and even the enfeoffment of the Sacred Ancestor Dynasty as a vassal. However, in the Heaven Rank Sect, it is not so glorious. Only by breaking through the qi gong realm and seizing the heavens can one truly earn the admiration of countless people." Yang Zhan shook his head and waved his hand. "You three brothers should gather and discuss. I will now enter seclusion to break through my realm."

"Let's withdraw." Elder brother Yang Yunchong saw this and took the bronze bell and silver ticket from Yang Zhan. The three brothers then left.

Elder brother Yang Yunchong and second brother Yang Hualong would handle the family business, while Yang Qi would focus on cultivation, preparing for the autumn hunt in three months to compete with Yang Honglie.

Although the Yang family's main line had been bankrupt, with the treasures and wealth Yang Qi brought back, they could sustain themselves.

Late at night.

In the City Lord's Mansion, a middle-aged man stood in the study, his face showing joy. His aura was much stronger than Yang Zhan's, and a qi gong aura burned behind him, giving birth to human-shaped qi gong figures, as if deities were about to emerge from the qi gong.

This was the realm of a Qi Master, a qi gong master.

He could directly create human-shaped true qi, equivalent to his own avatar, capable of lightning strikes and long-distance pursuits, communicating with the elemental energy of heaven and earth, and moving mountains and rivers.

This was Yan Gufeng, the actual ruler of Yan Capital and the surrounding areas, with a population of millions.

Standing casually, he seemed like a towering peak piercing the sky, with an extraordinary aura.

At this moment, his face showed a fatherly smile as he listened to the sounds outside. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and a voice came from outside: "Father, I'm back."

"Is it Xia'er? Come in quickly, let father see you. You haven't been home for ten years. How has your cultivation at the True Dragon Academy been?"

Creak! Yan Gufeng's qi gong moved, and the study door opened.

Yan Feixia walked in and immediately bowed to her father, "Father, I hope you are well."

"Stand up, stand up. What's wrong? There are signs of battle on your body. Did you encounter enemies outside?" Suddenly, Yan Gufeng's face changed, as if he was about to burst into anger.

"Yes, I encountered people from the Shadow Poison Sect. They followed me for a while by the river." Yan Feixia stood up and recounted what had happened.

"Shadow Poison Sect, how dare they! To harm my daughter." Crack! A crystal cup turned to powder under Yan Gufeng's qi gong. "They dare to enter the territory of Yan Capital. Do they really think the Yan family has no one?"

"Father, the Shadow Poison Sect is a major sect, acting secretly, with a lineage from the Western Sunset Continent's Supreme Poison Sect." Yan Feixia said, "This sect is not to be underestimated. Father, please do not act rashly. I will report back to the True Dragon Academy. By the way, I received help from someone this time, which allowed me to easily kill the Shadow Poison Sect expert."

"Received help from someone, who?"

Yan Gufeng, shocked, quickly asked.