Showcasing Strength Through Dedicated Healing

“Heavenly Kui… Damn, so the rumors about that kid having powerful backing were true. How could an ordinary disciple ever qualify to live in this building?” Hua Youdie couldn’t help but grumble as he stared at the ‘building sign’ before him.

From Hua Youdie’s inquiries over the past while, this building had always been reserved specifically for ‘disciples’ from renowned clans across the continent when they visited Saint Water Palace. Without explicit permission from the ‘Elders,’ the inner disciples wouldn’t dare assign these dormitories to anyone else.

“Oh, you’ve arrived at just the right time. Had you been a minute later, I would have already left the quarter.”

Hua Youdie glanced towards the staircase. It was none other than that kid, Wugou.

“You…” Hua Youdie’s eyes darted around, utterly at a loss for words. His mouth opened and closed, and one foot nearly stepped forward. Yet, his self-control proved strong enough for him to force himself to remain still.

Wugou waved at Hua Youdie, then turned and headed back upstairs without a backward glance.

Hua Youdie found Wugou’s nonchalant ‘hospitality’ somewhat perplexing.

However, recalling Elder Zhu’s earlier scolding, his expression subtly shifted, and he quickly followed suit.

‘Could this boy, with his ‘extraordinary’ spirit root, truly bring about a miracle for him?’

Once Wugou returned to his dormitory, he casually gestured and said, “This is quite spacious. Feel free to sit wherever you like.”

Hua Youdie curiously surveyed the room. Seeing how bright and almost spotless it was, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Junior Brother Wugou, I thought that given your nature, this room would be far dustier. I never expected…”

“Ah? Cough…”

Wugou cleared his throat into a clenched fist, appearing a little embarrassed. He quickly interjected, “I do indeed have a way to treat your meridians.”

Hua Youdie’s face instantly changed. He immediately stepped before Wugou, grasping his shoulders with excitement. “Junior Brother, you’re really not lying to me?”

“You believe me, don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have come. However, be clear: my ‘method’ isn’t a guaranteed success. If you still have doubts, it would be better to seek out Elder Zhu as soon as possible.”

Wugou subtly moved Hua Youdie’s hands away. Hua Youdie had exerted considerable force, and while Wugou felt no significant pain thanks to his Body Tempering Art, it was still somewhat uncomfortable.

Wugou retreated to the bed, propped himself up, and hopped onto it. He then stood the pillow upright, leaned back against it, and patted the edge of the bed, saying blandly, “Quickly, take off your clothes and get up here.”

Hua Youdie: “…”

Hua Youdie, bare-chested, sat upright with his back to Wugou as instructed.

Aside from his own father, this was the first time Hua Youdie had ever allowed himself to be so completely at another’s mercy.

However, Elder Zhu’s furious expression from earlier remained vivid in his memory. Everyone knew Elder Zhu’s temperament: if a disciple encountered a bottleneck in their cultivation, Elder Zhu would patiently explain the crucial points and experiences for a breakthrough.

However, should a disciple intentionally deceive, disregard instruction, or cause trouble, Elder Zhu had never been known for his ‘benevolence.’

Considering this, it was better to take a gamble with Wugou.

“Your injury is to the Ren Meridian. This primary meridian is incredibly important during the Qi Refining stage for cultivators. No matter what cultivation technique you practice, you cannot bypass this meridian. No wonder Elder Zhu was so furious.” Wugou explained patiently.

Hua Youdie pressed his lips together, remaining silent, only nodding slightly.

Though he still couldn’t pinpoint exactly how he’d injured himself, the sight of Elder Zhu’s profound disappointment suggested he must have made an incredibly basic error.

Thinking of this, Hua Youdie gritted his teeth, his muscles tightening slightly.

“Hey, relax a little. I’m about to begin, so sit up straight.”

As soon as the words fell, Wugou’s small hand landed firmly on Hua Youdie’s back.

‘This… this true qi, it’s so incredibly pure and fierce!’

Hua Youdie was inwardly startled. He had been immensely interested in Wugou ever since the selection process.

Back then, in the ‘Candidate Hall’ of the Skill Transmission Pavilion, he had secretly used a spirit-testing stone ‘brought from home’ to measure Wugou’s spirit root.

‘All Five Elements Spirit Roots!’

Initially, he thought there was something wrong with the spirit-testing stone.

That was until Wugou personally ‘lit up’ the water stone.

‘An Innate Full Water Spirit Root!’

Martial Uncle Zhu Youji’s declaration still echoed in his ears.

From that moment on, Hua Youdie had been secretly observing Wugou.

Yet, Wugou’s behavior, in his eyes, was utterly bizarre.

He possessed a rare spirit root, one that all cultivators yearned for, yet he seemed utterly indifferent to it.

This left Hua Youdie somewhat bewildered.

Hua Youdie’s own spirit root was a high-grade, superior Water-element spirit root.

Though it was only one rank below a full spirit root, the effects of the two types of spirit roots were as different as heaven and earth.

He was intensely jealous.

But what angered him even more was Wugou’s casual attitude towards his own talent!

This was the reason for Hua Youdie’s disappointment after observing Wugou for a full month.

Who would have thought that Wugou, of all people, would inexplicably break through to the second stage of Qi Refining?

And it had been so simple, so casual.

Indeed, that day, had Elder Zhu not discovered him, the boy would likely have remained lying on the yellow meditation mat in the hall.

Even that would have been acceptable, as Lu Jinhan had taken the same amount of time to break through.

But then, just a day later, he heard of Wugou’s truly ‘terrifying’ accomplishments.

If the diligently hardworking Lu Jinhan had achieved such astonishing feats, it would have been understandable.

But Wugou, he knew him. Given his nature, he would never appear in the Qi Refining Hall before the sun was high in the sky.

‘He probably hadn’t even learned a single ‘martial arts move’…’

This was precisely why he had foolishly risked a breakthrough, only to injure himself.

And Wugou was only eight years old…

‘Could it be…’

Hua Youdie’s heart stirred.

‘Could it be that the boy’s other four spirit roots were all ‘full spirit roots’?’

Hua Youdie’s eyes suddenly widened. The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Once this ludicrous idea surfaced in his mind, it refused to dissipate.

“Hey! Do you want your injuries treated or not? My true qi has already entered your Ren Meridian, and you haven’t even glanced at it. Aren’t you worried I’ll cripple you? You trust me far too much!”

Wugou was somewhat speechless. He never imagined that the person he considered the most cunning and sly would trust him so completely. Just moments ago, his true qi surged into Hua Youdie’s meridians without encountering even a hint of resistance – it was truly unbelievable.

He had originally prepared to forcefully suppress any resistance, which was why his true qi output had been so fierce.

“Do as you please.” Hua Youdie casually tossed the words over his shoulder, his expression akin to a courtesan who had just received her payment.

‘Damn it.’

Wugou inwardly cursed, then shook his head, calming his mind to quickly dispel the goosebumps that had suddenly appeared on his skin.

He continued, “Immerse your mind, and whatever you do, don’t get distracted again. If anything goes wrong this time, your life will truly be ruined~”

“Mm.”

His prolonged observation had given Hua Youdie a deep understanding of Wugou; the more out of place the boy’s words seemed, the more important they usually were.

Immediately, Hua Youdie began to quickly focus his mind.

His talent was already excellent, so achieving this was effortless for him.

“Your injuries are located at the three major acupoints: Qihai, Shenque, and Zigong. The true qi vortices in all three of these acupoints are gone. You haven’t felt it because the true qi in your body has simply ‘passed through’ without the cleansing of the acupoints. If left untreated for too long, the day you break through to the third stage of Qi Refining will be the day you become crippled.”

Wugou paused, then continued, “Now, do you understand why Elder Zhu was so furious?”

After hearing Wugou’s words, Hua Youdie was too stunned to speak. Had Elder Zhu not discovered him today, he would likely still be foolishly oblivious…

After all, he hadn’t taken Wugou’s earlier warning seriously at all.

Seeing Hua Youdie remain silent, Wugou said no more. Hua Youdie was exceptionally clever; he surely knew what to do next.

“I will now begin to help you reactivate these three acupoints. However, your Ren Meridian has only just been cleared, making it incredibly fragile. You’ll have to endure some suffering!” Wugou warned.

Hua Youdie nodded slightly.

Seeing that Hua Youdie was ready, Wugou began to circulate his Qi Refining technique with full force.

For a moment, spiritual energy surged within his body. Even with Wugou’s strenuous efforts to control his true qi output, the sudden influx made Hua Youdie intensely uncomfortable.

‘Stop! It’s almost full! It’s going to overflow! I’m going to burst!’

Hua Youdie cried out in his mind, yet he couldn’t even open his mouth.

How could his second-stage Qi Refining cultivation possibly accommodate Wugou’s ‘qi capacity,’ which was comparable to the ninth stage!

“Circulate!”

Wugou roared!

Hua Youdie’s Qihai, Shenque, and Zigong acupoints all simultaneously began to reactivate. This was truly incredible.

‘This immense volume of qi, this incredibly precise and delicate control over true qi!’

‘This Wugou is truly a monstrous talent…’

“I’ll withdraw now. The moment I leave, immediately circulate your Qi Refining technique once.” Wugou instructed.

Hua Youdie nodded helplessly. After such an ordeal, he didn’t have a shred of strength left to speak.

Once Wugou withdrew, Hua Youdie followed his instructions.

Indeed, his true qi circulated far more smoothly than before, feeling at least thirty percent stronger than when Hua Youdie had first broken through.

After a short while, a profusely sweating Hua Youdie slowly opened his eyes, only to see Wugou already lying on the railing outside the dormitory.

Outside the room, Wugou also noticed Hua Youdie, turning his head to offer a kind smile.

Hua Youdie quickly stepped out, preparing to express his gratitude, but Wugou stopped him.

Seeing Hua Youdie’s puzzled expression, Wugou explained, “This is only the first step of the treatment~”

Phew—

Hearing this, Hua Youdie felt greatly relieved. He had already suspected that an injury to the meridians shouldn’t be so easily cured. Now, hearing Wugou’s words, his trust in him deepened even further.

Seeing that Hua Youdie wasn’t surprised in the slightest, Wugou nodded. ‘Aside from his eagerness for quick success, this fellow was indeed a promising talent, just like Lu Jinhan.’

“So, Brother Wugou, what should we do next?”

At this point, Hua Youdie no longer harbored any thoughts of taking advantage of Wugou. To treat him with such dedication—this was truly a friend worth having!

Wugou looked up at the sky, mimicking his aunt and Luo Bingyan by stroking his chin with his right hand.

Then, with a serious expression, he declared: “We steal medicine!”