Chapter 7

Xiao Fan smiled and asked calmly, "Brother Deng, where did you get this box?"

"It was something my old man obtained in his later years and passed it down to me," Deng Tongtian replied simply.

"That makes sense. Although the Zhengyang wood does have the effect of gathering yang energy, it is not the same as Wuyang wood and cannot be compared. If Zhengyang wood and Wuyang wood are placed together, the result will be the same as with your piece of fire rock warm jade. Within a year, all the yang energy will be completely absorbed by the Wuyang wood."

"But, but I've had this thing with me for many years, and I haven't seen it absorb my yang energy..."

Deng Tongtian even started to stutter, especially when talking about the absorption of yang energy, which made him shiver involuntarily. Growing up in the mountains where the Miao and Yao people lived, he had heard many strange legends from a young age and believed in them.

Is this thing, is it a demon?

Xiao Fan smiled and said, "You don't need to worry about that. Humans are the most intelligent of all beings... Brother Deng, you have this extremely yang object with you, and you have practiced the Red Sand Palm for decades, which has made your internal yang energy extremely strong. Too much yang energy can harm your soul. Now the illness has deeply penetrated your bones, and simply taking the Dragon Head Phoenix Tail Grass won't have a significant effect; it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. If you trust me, Brother Deng, I can prescribe a formula for you. It might help to resolve the harm caused by the Wuyang wood."

"Alright."

Deng Tongtian nodded without hesitation, his tone no longer as rigid as before, but rather very respectful.

As the saying goes, laymen see the excitement, while experts see the essence. Most of the onlookers didn't understand martial arts and couldn't see the subtleties, but he was crystal clear. Just now, he had actually exchanged a move with Xiao Fan.

With just that one move, he had taken a big fall.

If it had been a real life-or-death battle, Deng Tongtian estimated he wouldn't have lasted long.

This young man was actually a top expert.

Deng Tongtian was not angry but rather delighted.

Over the years, relying on the yang energy of the Wuyang wood, Deng Tongtian had practiced the Red Sand Palm to a very high level, even surpassing his father who had taught him the Red Sand Palm. However, his body had also developed problems. Although he had always suppressed them, outsiders couldn't tell. But the illness was inside his body, and just because others couldn't see it didn't mean he didn't know.

Deng Tongtian was not only a martial arts expert but also proficient in pharmacology and was a herbalist. He had prescribed medicine for himself, but it hadn't shown much improvement.

Deng Tongtian was very troubled.

Now, hearing Xiao Fan's words, Deng Tongtian confirmed that the problem was with the "Zhengyang wood." He vaguely remembered his father mentioning that "Zhengyang wood" was an extremely yang and nourishing substance, a rare treasure for martial artists practicing yang techniques, which could greatly enhance their cultivation. However, his father hadn't told him that too much yang energy could backfire.

It's not surprising. The Wuyang wood is like a teapot, and Deng Tongtian is like a teacup. If the teacup is larger than the teapot, it can easily hold all the water from the teapot. Conversely, if the teacup is smaller, the water will overflow. Deng Tongtian's mistake was that he didn't know how to control the degree, always carrying the Wuyang wood with him, causing the water from the teapot to continuously pour into the teacup, regardless of whether he could handle it or not.

If someone else had told him this, Deng Tongtian wouldn't have believed it.

But Xiao Fan was different.

This young man, who looked pale, gentle, and even slightly thin, had easily broken his decades of Red Sand Palm practice with just a flick of his little finger. There was no way Deng Tongtian could not be convinced.

Xiao Fan's demeanor was extremely gentle, without any hint of violence, and he had a regal air. Deng Tongtian was greatly impressed without even realizing it.

There were paper and pen on the coffee table. This was provided for guests who were particularly cautious and preferred not to communicate verbally, allowing them to "write" their conversations.

Xiao Fan picked up the pen and quickly wrote a prescription, handing it to Deng Tongtian, saying, "Brother Deng, take this medicine according to the prescription for a year without interruption, and it can resolve the damage caused by the extreme yang energy. Additionally, I have written a method for guiding the qi. Follow this method to guide the yang energy in your body to the dantian, and spend three to five years to slowly convert it. It should be possible to make it your own. Brother Deng, the Red Sand Palm is extremely yang and domineering. To reach the pinnacle, you need to balance yin and yang and cultivate both internally and externally. Relying solely on external assistance and advancing aggressively can sometimes be counterproductive, and haste makes waste."

Deng Tongtian took the prescription with both hands and read it carefully twice. Being proficient in pharmacology, he could distinguish the authenticity of the prescription. Although there were some subtle details he couldn't fully understand, he was sure that someone of Xiao Fan's caliber wouldn't harm him without reason.

Xiao Fan's aura of righteousness, as a martial arts expert, he could fully sense.

Martial artists not only need to be physically strong but also have excellent judgment and a keen sixth sense. It's hard to imagine someone with a dull sixth sense achieving great heights in martial arts.

When he tried the qi guidance method written by Xiao Fan, which was just a few simple lines, he secretly practiced it for two cycles, and the heat in his body was immediately greatly relieved, showing that it was highly effective.

The extremely yang and domineering external techniques, if supplemented with advanced internal techniques, can achieve the balance of yin and yang and internal and external cultivation, ultimately reaching the pinnacle, as Xiao Fan had said.

At this point, Deng Tongtian had no more doubts and bowed deeply to Xiao Fan.

"Thank you! My name is Deng Tongtian. If you need anything in the future, just say the word."

"Brother Deng, you're too kind."

Xiao Fan still spoke politely.

Deng Tongtian nodded, picked up the five-grade wild mountain ginseng, and turned to leave, passing through the crowd and quickly exiting the trading hall.

Deng Tongtian's sudden appearance and departure left the onlookers staring at each other, feeling quite puzzled.

This was too "legendary."

Something that even 500 grams of top-grade wild Dragon Head Phoenix Tail Grass might not be able to exchange for was now obtained with just a so-called "prescription"?

Did Deng Tongtian suddenly lose his mind!

Xiao Fan slowly put the warm jade into the light brown small box. This high-grade fire rock warm jade, despite having only one or two-tenths of its original energy, should still be able to "warm" the Wuyang wood for about a month.

The "Wuji Art Collection" records: The Wuyang wood draws the essence of the earth's fire, being the second most yang substance in the world, second only to the Fire麟角 (Fire麟角 is a term that doesn't have a direct English translation, but it refers to a mythical object). It can "nourish" people, and the creator is truly wondrous.

"Mr. Xiao, please wait!"

Just as Xiao Fan and Xin Lin were about to leave the trading hall, Yin Zhengzhong walked over from the side, very politely.

Xiao Fan stopped, smiling at Yin Zhengzhong.

"Mr. Xiao, can I see that... that thing?"

Yin Zhengzhong looked at the small handbag Xin Lin was carrying, his eyes filled with obvious surprise and confusion.

"Sure."

Xiao Fan smiled and nodded.

He wasn't a talkative person, and the "long speech" with Deng Tongtian was an exception. When treating someone, it's necessary to explain the situation clearly; otherwise, it would be misleading.

Xin Lin took out the light brown藤制 (藤制 means "made of rattan") small box from her handbag and handed it to Yin Zhengzhong.

Yin Zhengzhong took it with both hands, his eyes shining brightly. He gently touched the black rattan border, his fingers even trembling slightly, muttering, "This is the Wuyang wood? Could it be that the legend is true, and there really is such an extremely yang spiritual substance in the world?"

The black rattan border looked dull and unremarkable.

"Mr. Xiao, I would like to ask, how did you know this is genuine Wuyang wood and not Zhengyang wood?"

After touching it for a moment, Yin Zhengzhong handed the small box back with both hands, looking up at Xiao Fan and asking seriously.

"Wuyang wood, Wuyang wood... Right, isn't this what Old Master Chen was asking us about?"

After hearing the name "Wuyang wood" several times, one of the onlookers finally remembered and exclaimed in surprise. A few years ago, Chen Guo and Lao Liu had asked them, the major herbal merchants, about the so-called "Wuyang wood," but since no one had ever seen or heard of it, they could only shake their heads in confusion.

After so long, everyone had long forgotten about this matter.

Unexpectedly,