Chapter 37

(37) The Bed of the Demon

"If it's a bed made of Qinghua Yuyu (a type of jade)..."

A subordinate who received Nan Gong Bai's gaze brought over and checked the inventory list of stored items in the warehouse that he had prepared separately.

"It's in the second warehouse to the north."

"Let's go see it."

Without a moment's delay, Nan Gong Bai headed for the warehouse with Dan Aoxian and the others.

When Chao Aoliang entered the warehouse, a hint of disappointment flashed across his face. He had expected the warehouse of the Wulin Alliance to be filled with medicinal herbs and elixirs, but instead, all sorts of miscellaneous items were scattered around, covered in dust.

Following Nan Gong Bai's instructions, the martial artist in charge of the warehouse led the group to the bed that was being stored.

"Is this the cause?"

In response to Nan Gong Bai's question, Dan Aoxian swept the dust off the bed and lay down on it, saying,

"We need to check."

He then closed his eyes and focused on something.

While Nan Gong Bai waited with a stern expression, Chao Aoliang looked around.

'Those items seem to have been brought in recently.'

Unlike the other items, they were not covered in dust.

Judging from the note with red characters that read 'confiscated items,' it seemed they had been seized from an opposing force.

Dan Aoxian opened his eyes.

"Indeed, I can feel a peculiar aura."

Dan Aoxian, who had been observing the bed carefully, suddenly began to look around.

After a moment, he nodded as if he had realized something.

"Why? Doctor Dan."

In response to Fan Jiewei's question, Dan Aoxian pointed to the bed.

"There are no spider webs near the bed."

"Huh? Now that you mention it..."

Dan Aoxian looked at Fan Jiewei with a troubled expression.

"I'd like to cut this part out."

It was a necessary step to confirm the cause more easily, but he couldn't reveal Fan Jiewei's martial arts skills in front of Nan Gong Bai.

At this moment, Nan Gong Bai stepped forward.

As Dan Aoxian got off the bed, a pale white flash of light flickered like a star.

Chao Aoliang and Fan Jiewei's gazes met.

Their eyes were filled with undeniable surprise.

—Was that a sword aura just now?

In response to Fan Jiewei's telepathic message, Chao Aoliang nodded faintly.

It was such a fleeting moment that it was hard to make a definitive judgment, but the situation clearly indicated it was a sword aura.

'This guy is really devious.'

There was no one as cunning as a thousand-year-old python, the Yellow-Necked Snake.

Until now, Nan Gong Bai's prominence in the martial world had been more focused on his political acumen and bold actions as the leader of the Wulin Alliance rather than his martial arts. But now it seemed he had hidden another sharp weapon.

The jade stone was cut silently.

The smooth cross-section warned that he was a very dangerous person.

'A single sword cut can slice through a hill, and another can sever a river.'

The title 'Severing the Ridge and Severing the Torrent' now seemed less exaggerated and more fitting.

At that moment,

"Do you see this?"

Dan Aoxian, who had been carefully examining the cross-section of the cut bed, pointed to a spot.

Chao Aoliang nodded.

Amid the jade that emitted a blue glow, grayish-white minerals were scattered.

Dan Aoxian looked up at Nan Gong Bai.

"Can you separate this part for me?"

Nan Gong Bai's sword gently cut into the jade stone.

Thud, roll.

Dan Aoxian, holding the grayish-white mineral that had fallen out, thought for a moment and then ran outside.

"I need two jars of honey and a beehive."

Although he didn't understand why, Nan Gong Bai instructed his subordinates.

A moment later, one of his subordinates brought a beehive wrapped in a net.

Dan Aoxian placed the jars of honey some distance apart.

He then put the mineral fragment into one of the jars and removed the net from the beehive.

After a while, the bees that had left the beehive flew around and headed toward the jar containing honey.

However, they didn't even approach the jar with the mineral fragment.

"Indeed..."

Dan Aoxian held the mineral fragment in his palm and extended it toward Nan Gong Bai.

"Death Qi is emanating from it."

Dan Aoxian continued his explanation.

"I found it strange. The symptoms were typical of a severed meridian, but the qi meridians were intact. I can understand why other doctors were confused."

"So it's not a severed meridian?"

"No, the qi meridians themselves are fine. However, the blood is murky and the balance is severely disrupted. As a result, the true qi lacks strength and cannot flow through the qi meridians. The cause is this Death Qi."

Normally, new blood should be continuously produced in the body, but in this case, the ability to produce new blood had been lost.

"The turbid qi has accumulated over time and turned toxic."

Nan Gong Bai sighed.

The bed that had become the cause of his daughter's illness was originally a gift he had given her. He had given it to her, whom he cherished and loved, but his choice had led to Nan Gong Xiang's current state.

Though unintentional, it was a clear mistake on his part.

"Is it possible to treat her?"

"I'll do my best."

"That's not enough!"

Nan Gong Bai revealed intense emotion.

The word 'best' had been used by countless doctors, and hearing it again made him involuntarily angry.

"Save her! By any means necessary!"

Dan Aoxian met Nan Gong Bai's chilling gaze without flinching.

"Are you threatening me?"

At the moment Nan Gong Bai's gaze wavered.

"Pressuring me like this won't improve the patient's condition."

Dan Aoxian spoke calmly.

"Such actions will only hinder the treatment."

Impressed by Dan Aoxian's firm resolve, Nan Gong Bai inwardly swallowed his pride.

'What a disgrace...'

As a wave of embarrassment washed over him, he suddenly felt a sharp chill run down his spine, and all his nerves were on edge.

His instinct, honed over years as a martial artist, was warning him of danger.

"!"

As Nan Gong Bai turned in surprise, he was met with a terrifying killing intent.

The scholar and the giant who had accompanied Dan Aoxian had eyes that were as cold as daggers, piercing his heart.

The hostility was so intense that he momentarily forgot he was in the Wulin Alliance. Shocked by their aura, Nan Gong Bai involuntarily released his qi.

The atmosphere was that intense.

"What are you doing?"

Dan Aoxian's question brought Nan Gong Bai back to his senses.

"Is this how you treat someone who has come to help?"

"That, that's..."

Nan Gong Bai was genuinely flustered.

He had been momentarily taken aback by the courage that didn't seem to belong to a mere doctor. He hastily dispersed the qi he had gathered.

"Perhaps you prefer obedient people who follow your orders without question."

Dan Aoxian turned and said,

"I'm sorry, but I don't seem to be that kind of person. We'll be leaving now."

Nan Gong Bai felt a sinking feeling in his chest. He had endured countless quacks to finally find a doctor who could treat his daughter, and he couldn't let this glimmer of hope slip away.

"Please wait a moment!"

Nan Gong Bai quickly stepped forward to stop Dan Aoxian.

"I apologize. In my anxiety over my daughter, I made a mistake."

Nan Gong Bai, discarding all pretense, apologized again.

"For my sake, please, for the sake of my daughter Xiang, that poor child, please set aside your anger just once."

—See, I told you medicine is the best.

Chao Aoliang chuckled at Fan Jiewei's sudden telepathic message. However, he was soon overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of awe.

Because Dan Aoxian had said to Nan Gong Bai,

"Alright. But don't treat our uncles so casually again!"

Nan Gong Bai, though bitter, had no other choice.

"I will remember that."

For now, he could only bow his head.

"Until the treatment is complete, no one related to the Wulin Alliance can approach the annex. That includes you, Lord Alliance Leader."

"Yes? But..."

Dan Aoxian frowned.

Nan Gong Bai sighed and nodded.

"I will do so."

"Also, you must not interfere with us in any way until we leave."

"I understand. I will not interfere with Doctor Dan or his companions, no matter what they do."

Nan Gong Bai accepted all of Dan Aoxian's demands.

He valued honor, but he was a pragmatist.

That's how he had risen to his current position.

His pride, once dented, could be discarded again and again for the sake of his daughter.

After reaching this agreement, Dan Aoxian left the hall.

As they moved away from the pavilion, Dan Aoxian let out a deep sigh.

"Doctor Dan, are you feeling better now?"

In response to Fan Jiewei's question, Dan Aoxian smiled.

"I wasn't angry in the first place."

"..."

"Protective guardians of patients tend to become extremely sensitive when the patient's condition is bad."

This time, Chao Aoliang asked,

"If the Alliance Leader hadn't apologized, would you really have left?"

"Of course not. If I left, the patient would die. How could I do that?"

Fan Jiewei burst into laughter.

"Our Doctor Dan, you have a heart of steel. To play mind games with the leader of the Wulin Alliance..."

"I can't tolerate you two being disrespected, no matter what else happens."

For a moment, a look of gratitude appeared in both men's eyes.

"Thinking about it now, I'm still angry. Should we just kill him?"

Chao Aoliang's question was met with enthusiastic agreement from Fan Jiewei.

"Let's do it! Doctor Dan, forget the treatment! Just say the word, and I'll go and smash that guy's head and burn this place to the ground!"

"Haha. Even if it's just talk, I appreciate it."

"What? It's not just talk."

Dan Aoxian, looking up at Chao Aoliang and Fan Jiewei, replied with an innocent smile.

"I'm so grateful to have you both by my side. It's really reassuring."

With his mood completely lifted, Dan Aoxian walked briskly. At that moment, Chao Aoliang slipped back.

"Where are you going?"

Chao Aoliang gave a meaningful smile.

"I want to check if that guy keeps his promise. I'll be right back, don't worry."

* * *

After Dan Aoxian and his companions left, Nan Gong Bai remained buried in thought, recalling the recent events.

Their actions were not mere threats.

The aura was so intense that it triggered an instinctive reaction.

"A mere doctor shouldn't be able to display such a level of power..."

He wanted to investigate their backgrounds immediately.

But the agreement had been made less than an hour ago.

If they broke the agreement, the consequences could be irreversible.

They were not the type to be swayed by threats or persuasion.

"Should I just wait until Xiang's treatment is complete?"

Nan Gong Bai, suppressing his boiling anger, gave instructions to his close subordinates.

"Do not interfere in their affairs under any circumstances."

"Under any circumstances?"

"Yes, under any circumstances."

Nan Gong Bai, emphasizing his point, rubbed his tired face.

At that moment,

"Lord Alliance Leader!"

A person approached Nan Gong Bai with a perplexed expression. It was Yang Buli, the leader of the Changtian Corps, who had been secretly guarding him.

"What is it?"

Yang Buli hesitated for a moment before sighing and speaking.

"That doctor, Aogong, is urinating."

Nan Gong Bai was inwardly speechless.

Why would someone of Yang Buli's caliber report such a thing?

But his face hardened at Yang Buli's next words.

"On the pillar at the entrance of the Xianzheng Hall."

"What?"

Nan Gong Bai couldn't believe what he had just heard.

At that moment, a clear voice came from outside the hall.

"Ah! That's refreshing! Where's the toilet? This place is too big to find it!"

Nan Gong Bai's sword brow twitched.

Yang Buli, seeing this, asked,

"What should we do? If you give the order, I will..."

"Leave him be."

"!"

"Didn't I tell you not to interfere in their affairs? Do you want to make me a petty person who goes back on my word?"

At that moment, a thunderous sound echoed from outside the hall.

Crack!

Yang Buli's face turned bright red at the same time. It was due to a telepathic message from a subordinate waiting outside.

"What's that noise?"

"That, that is..."

Nan Gong Bai's question left Yang Buli unable to answer.

He found it hard to believe what he had just heard.

"Aoji, the giant..."

Nan Gong Bai recalled the giant who had been with Dan Aoxian.

"Why would he do that?"

Under Nan Gong Bai's pressure, everyone's gaze turned to Yang Buli.

"Ah..."

Yang Buli let out a long sigh and closed his eyes as if it was shameful to say.

"He defecated at the entrance of the Xianzheng Hall."

"!"

"!"

Gasps of shock erupted from all corners of the Xianzheng Hall.

"These crazy bastards?"

Someone, unable to hold back, cursed on behalf of the speechless Nan Gong Bai. But he quickly shut his mouth.

Because a telepathic message from a subordinate outside had just arrived.

"The Ice Jade Immortal is coming."

"!"

Nan Gong Bai's face turned pale.

"What?"

"Surely not?"

"Ah... It can't be, right?"