Chapter 25, Ten Years

"With the meridians severed and the inner sea completely lost, there is truly no other way."

Fang Yanzhou placed two fingers on Lin Chengye's pulse and shook his head. The pulse under the skin was extremely weak; if one wasn't careful, the pulse would almost disappear.

"Sigh, Xiao Zhou, you know Bian Yi. He disappeared for twenty years without a trace, and the first thing he asked me for was the Life Bone Two-Headed Serpent. He must have no other choice."

Guan Yue watched Fang Yanzhou sigh, not forgetting to glare hatefully at Bian Yi who was standing to the side.

"I'll give you some face in front of the kids, but Xiaozhou and I have plenty of time to settle accounts with you."

Bian Yi was about to take a sip of tea when these words startled her, and she waved her hands repeatedly.

Suddenly, Fang Yanzhou frowned again and pulled Lin Chengye's wrist out of his sleeve.

The consultation lasted a very long time. Lin Chengye felt a thin layer of sweat on the man's fingertips, and they trembled slightly, as if he was confirming the result again and again.

"Bian Yi, stick out your wrist."

Fang Yanzhou's sharp gaze swept over Bian Yi, his face unusually darkening.

"Why are you taking my pulse? I'm perfectly fine, I'm a doctor myself..."

He smiled pleadingly, waving his hands as he backed away until his waist hit the window sill, realizing he had nowhere to escape.

"Don't look like that. I'm not trying to say anything, I'm just worried about you."

Fang Yanzhou's eyes suddenly reddened again.

She couldn't stand seeing Bian Yi like this. In the past, although Bian Yi was gentle, she always carried the traces of being cherished and treated by her sect. She could be happy or angry at the drop of a hat, and her apologies were always awkward. How could she be like this now, always putting herself in such a lowly position, as if she owed the world a lot?

Guan Yue was also a little at a loss for words, and quickly hugged Fang Yanzhou's shoulder.

Why would you react this way?

The problem isn't with her, but rather with Bian Yi.

"Where does that powerful internal energy in your body come from?"

No wonder I always felt like I'd overlooked something. Bian Yi had always given the impression of having superb medical skills, which made her subconsciously think that it was possible for her life to be saved, but she forgot to ask whether there was any price to pay.

And how can one afford such an exorbitant price to snatch someone from the Book of Life and Death?

Lin Chengye's pupils contracted slightly, and his hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly. He quickly sighed, looked at the person who seemed to want to jump out the window, and waved to her.

"Bian Yi, come sit here."

"Sigh...can I say no?"

Bian Yi was truly at a loss, and dejectedly took a step inward.

"Then I'll be angry."

Lin Chengye smiled.

Bian Yi suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. In the end, she reluctantly moved over and sat down, placing her hands on the table as if facing certain death.

Fang Yanzhou pressed her fingertips together, and tears welled up in her eyes instantly. Bian Yi's skin on the inside of her wrist felt as hot as flames, so hot that she dared not touch it a second time.

The pulse was not actually abnormal. An ordinary doctor would feel that Bian Yi's pulse was full of qi and blood and indicated a long life. However, if a martial artist used his internal energy to probe his inner sea, he would find something was wrong.

Although it remains vast, it is not abundant, and some areas show signs of drying up.

"Ten years of skill... truly ten years of skill."

Fang Yanzhou murmured, tears still falling.

Ten years of hard work.

Lin Chengye's mind went blank for a moment, her lips moved but she didn't know what to say. After a long silence, she gradually regained her senses. Bian Yi had started rambling on and on, her voice drifting in her ears like a gentle breeze, and she had to strain to hear it.

"...Will you feel guilty, Cheng Ye? Actually, you don't need to. It's not like your internal energy can't be recovered. Besides, it won't hurt or itch. It's just a little less."

For this world, ten years is a very long time.

They're not ghosts, monsters, or gods who can just scatter ten years of cultivation whenever they want. In folk tales, people often lose hundreds or even thousands of years of cultivation.

But life is only a few decades long. No matter how high your official position or how skilled you are in martial arts, no elixir or magic medicine can make anyone live an extra ten years.

"...What's there to be sad about? Such things happen in the martial world. Didn't you also suffer from the cold poison of a villain's hidden weapon and lose half of your strength? I saved Chengye voluntarily, with all my wishes, so there's nothing wrong with it. After all, life can't be too smooth."

Seeing that the most beautiful peach blossom eyes in the world were flowing with more and more tears, Bian Yi quickly offered words of comfort.

Upon hearing this, even Guan Yuenan, who was standing nearby, turned red in the eyes.

"...Ten years."

Lin Chengye murmured a sentence.

Bian Yi was startled, fearing that Lin Chengye might overthink things, and quickly spoke.

"No, there's no need for that. I've already said you're like blood relatives to me..."

Lin Chengye couldn't help but reach out and pat Bian Yi's head, whispering.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Bian Yi suddenly froze.

...

"Tell Aunt Fang, what's your name?"

More than a cup of tea's time passed before Fang Yanzhou managed to stop her tears, forced a smile, and took Lin Chengye's fingertips.

Bian Yi silently retreated to a corner for some reason. She rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window, lost in thought.

Time has been too kind to this most beautiful woman in the martial arts world. Two moles are placed directly below her peach blossom eyes, and a closer look at her black hair reveals some white hair, yet it does not diminish her beauty in the slightest. On the contrary, it makes her seem even more ethereal.

"My surname is Lin, and my given name is Chengye."

Lin Chengye, feeling a little embarrassed, added.

"You look so young, I'll call you Sister Fang."

"Actually, the title of 'the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world' is just something people say randomly, it's not anything serious. The only ranking in the martial arts world that is Yun Ya Yi Tian Pu is earned through hard work and skill, and no one dares to question it."

Fang Yanzhou immediately saw what Lin Chengye was thinking, his smile deepened, and he tacitly agreed with the child's words, then said...

"In the midst of all this back and forth, we forgot to get down to business. We've come to Vietnam. Let's talk about this bone-growing two-headed snake."

When Guan Yuenan heard Fang Yanzhou suddenly call his name, he remembered the real reason he had called them here.

"Sigh, actually I wanted to talk about the two-headed serpent that grows bones, but..."

Guan Yue was speechless for a while. He was angry, but he also felt sorry for his old friend. In the end, he could only glare at Bian Yi's back of the head and then give up.

He then said seriously.

"This two-headed serpent with its bone structure is indeed within the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect. This creature is a living being, one black and purple, the other gray and white, with both heads sharing a single black scale tail. Its bones are potent in medicine, but when combined with milder medicines to neutralize them, they can not only reshape the meridians, but also greatly increase the power of normal martial arts practitioners. Over the years, countless people have sought it, but there are only two in the world, and the successive sect leaders of the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect would never give it to someone else."

"...Since Senior Guan has invited us here, it seems that Sect Master Guan's attitude has softened?"

Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow.

"It's more of a joke than a loosening of the grip."

Guan Vietnam's expression turned somewhat strange.

...

When Bian Yi's letter reached Guan Yue, he and Fang Yanzhou were enjoying a scenic and blessed place in Southern Qi.

He looked at the paper in disbelief several times; there wasn't even a signature. He wanted to stare a hole through it.

But he knew it must be that person.

After so many years apart, who knew that his first words would be about the two-headed serpent! Guan Yuenan gritted his teeth and burned the letter, rushing back to the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate overnight.

Coincidentally, his mother, Guan Xiaoxian, also received a letter, but it was sent by Jiang Jinmeng.

"Although the Jiangjin Alliance has a good reputation, what use does it have for the Bone-Body Two-Headed Serpent?"

Guan Yue has never been very perceptive about matters of the martial arts world, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and ask Master Guan.

"Don't worry about it. Which sect in the world doesn't want something that can increase their power? Although the Jiangjin Alliance has a good reputation, we still don't know who their leader is. They're probably hiding their true identity!"

Guan Xiaoxian glanced at the letter and then burned it.

"Actually... I have a friend who also wants these two-headed living bones..."

Before he finished speaking, several semi-transparent threads suddenly stretched out in the room, instantly piercing through the spot where Guan Nan had been standing.

Fortunately, Yunya Yitian's second place in the rankings was well-deserved. Guan Yuenan instantly drew his sword and leaped into the air, severing the sharp silk thread and his mother's three vases.

"Mother! Even if you don't agree, you can't use the same methods you use on the enemy on your son! If I'm not fast enough, I'll be torn to pieces by this entanglement mechanism!"

Guan, a Vietnamese official, was dumbfounded.

"Your swordsmanship is passable. If you had put even a fraction of the effort you put into making friends and practicing swordsmanship into learning mechanical arts, your mother wouldn't have to manage such a large sect now."

Guan Xiaoxian sneered. She was too lazy to say anything to her son anymore; he was simply too stupid. He could only study a little bit of mechanical theory and then wanted to sleep.

"I'm stupid, Mother! But, but my friend... is incredibly strong. He was able to single-handedly break through the Nine Heavenly Mysteries Formation left behind by our ancestor! That formation is the only one you can't decipher in your life. Maybe you'll be able to see its full form when it's activated..."

Guan Yue carefully considered his words before uttering the excuse he had already prepared. In truth, he had no confidence whatsoever in moving his mother, and could only try anything as a last resort.

"...Oh? What did you say? You can... single-handedly break through the Nine Heavenly Mysteries Formation?"

Guan Xiaoxian suddenly looked up and finally glanced at her son.

She is over fifty years old and has very few regrets; she can only count two.

First, the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Sect has no successor; second, although she is also exceptionally intelligent, she still cannot decipher the formation left by that ancestor, which is more painful than death.

If I could witness this grand formation activating with my own eyes... perhaps...

Guan Xiaoxian rolled her eyes and sneered again.

"This Heavenly Ninefold Array is a protective array completed by our sect's once-in-a-century genius ancestor, using his life's work and taking a full thirty years. Legend has it that even a demigod can be trapped for an hour. Is your friend perhaps a demigod in the present day?"

"That's not it... However, I assure you, if she can't make it, then there will only be those three immortals left in this world. You will be able to put your mind at ease."

"Ha... You're just spouting nonsense. Let's talk about other things after your friend gets through the Nine Heavenly Mysteries Formation!"

...

"That's how it is," Guan Yuenan sighed wistfully.

"This doesn't sound like an agreement; it sounds more like they want Bian Yi to do all the work for the gatekeeper for free."

Lin Chengye rubbed his forehead and tapped his finger on the table.

"However, we can deal with whatever comes our way. We can first enter the Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate and then try to win it over."

"Yes! That's exactly what I meant!"

Guan Vietnam's eyes lit up.

"The Divine Pivot Heavenly Mystery Gate isn't so easy to enter. We might as well try it first, and if it really doesn't work..."

Bian Yi, who hadn't moved an inch, suddenly turned his head and glanced at Guan Yuenan with a subtle look in his eyes.

Lin Chengye suddenly remembered Bian Yi's words about arresting the sect leader's son and daughter-in-law, and couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose guiltily.

"I used to think of you as a child, but now it seems you are... quite reliable."

Fang Yanzhou patted Lin Chengye's hand and sighed.

"It's not bad that you're watching over Bianyi this way."

Suddenly, a dazzling burst of fire exploded on the horizon, startling Lin Chengye.

"The banquet is about to begin." Bian Yi stood up.

Sparks rained down, igniting the petals in the air and leaving behind gray dust.

The sky darkened at some point, and it was unclear who was shouting loudly.

"Light up!"

Author's Note: Quietly requesting comments!