East China Sea Eye

Outside the quiet room of the medicine hut, Ao Ming waited anxiously.

The scent of herbs in the courtyard seemed to have caught his anxious aura. How much time had passed—perhaps several hours, perhaps just a moment—before the bamboo door finally creaked open from the inside.

The old man walked out slowly, wiping the water stains from his hands with a clean, fine cotton cloth. There was a lingering weariness between his brows, but his originally furrowed brows had relaxed, and his expression had softened considerably.

Ao Ming rushed forward almost instantly, his throat dry and tight, and he was speechless for a moment. He could only stare at the old man with burning and anxious eyes.

"Stay calm, stay calm," the old man waved his hand, his tone calm after weathering many storms. "Now that I've made my move, how could I let this little girl perish in my humble abode? The lingering, demonic dragon's death energy in her heart meridian has finally been completely eradicated. The abundant life force of Elder Shen's precious beard has also been guided back on track, nourishing her damaged meridians. Her life is no longer in danger."

Upon hearing this, Ao Ming's heart, which had been hanging in his throat, suddenly settled back down. A huge wave of bitterness surged to his eyes. He took a deep breath to force back the tears and was about to bow deeply in thanks when he heard the old man change the subject.

“However,” the old man stroked his slightly disheveled white beard, his brows furrowing habitually, “the power of that demonic dragon was extremely insidious and domineering, far exceeding expectations. Although the deathly aura was driven away, its lingering malevolent intent shook the very essence of her soul. This injury to the soul is the most subtle and unpredictable. As for when she will awaken…” He shook his head, “That’s hard to say. Perhaps in three to five days, things will fall into place naturally; perhaps in ten days or so, she will still need nurturing; or even longer, it’s not impossible. It depends on her own willpower and recovery ability.”

Ao Ming's heart, which had just settled, tightened again: "Senior, is there really no other way? Any spiritual medicine or elixir, as long as it's available in the East Sea..."

"Alright, kid, stop being so hasty." The old man interrupted him, a hint of curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Speaking of which, what kind of terrible mess have you two gotten yourself into? How could you possibly provoke such an ancient and ferocious creature? The root of these injuries is definitely not something that ordinary demonic power could cause!"

Ao Ming dared not conceal anything and briefly recounted the events that had led to their peril. With each additional sentence he spoke, his self-reproach and lingering fear deepened.

The old man's expression grew increasingly solemn as he listened. After a long while, he clicked his tongue and said in a complicated tone, "You two's luck... I really don't know whether to call it good or extremely bad. That black demonic dragon, if I'm not mistaken, is probably one of the few ferocious dragons that Nuwa herself sealed away in ancient times! After countless millennia, it actually managed to break free of the seal and escape, and... you two just happened to run into it!"

He looked Ao Ming up and down, his tone carrying a hint of admonition: "Not that I'm criticizing you, but with your cultivation levels, you dare to wander around the Three Realms with a treasure-hunting compass? Do you really think those ancient forbidden areas and peerless ferocious beasts are just for show? This time you were lucky to have ginseng roots to save your lives and to be not too far from my medicine hut! What about next time? It's simply ridiculous!"

Ao Ming blushed deeply, feeling extremely ashamed, yet he had no way to refute it. It was indeed his oversight that he had failed to protect her.

At this moment, he only cared about one thing: "Senior is right. If she can wake up, does that mean she's completely out of danger?"

"Theoretically, that's true." The old man nodded, then shook his head, displaying the meticulousness of a physician. "However, injuries to the soul are unpredictable. Later, I will use the ginseng rootlets of the old ginseng master as the main ingredient, supplemented with several spiritual herbs such as 'Soul-Stabilizing Flower' and 'Soul-Calming Wood', to refine a batch of 'Soul-Stabilizing Pills' for you to take. Once she wakes up, she can take them regularly, which will greatly benefit her."

Upon hearing this, Ao Ming was overwhelmed with gratitude and bowed deeply once more: "Senior, I will never forget your life-saving grace and your kindness in giving me a second chance! I..." He suddenly remembered Elder Shen and asked with concern, "I wonder how Elder Shen is doing now? Since we parted in the mountains that day, I have never heard from him again, and I have been thinking of him constantly."

The old man smiled broadly, as if recalling something amusing: "That old fellow, a few days ago, wandered over to my place and refused to leave. He dragged me into playing cards for three days and three nights, almost losing all the treasures I had in my herb garden! Before leaving, he even drank several jars of my treasured 'Monkey's Drunkenness' that I'd kept for years! He said he was traveling the world to experience life, but I think he was just using that as a pretext to mooch off old friends and freeload! Right now, he's probably in someone's cave, ruining their good wine and tea!"

As he spoke, the old man seemed to be suddenly awakened, and he slapped his forehead: "Oh dear! Look at my memory! I was so busy chatting! Since you are such important friends of Elder Shen, I must give him face! This consultation fee is absolutely not acceptable! Take it back, take it back!" He made a move to turn around and move the bag of spirit stones on the table.

Ao Ming hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, his attitude exceptionally firm: "Senior, you absolutely mustn't! One thing is one thing! Gratitude is gratitude, but rules are rules. If it weren't for your miraculous healing skills, even countless spirit stones wouldn't have brought her back to life. Although I can't recognize all the spiritual herbs you used to heal her, I know they are no ordinary items, each one incredibly precious. How can I let you go through all that trouble, exhausting your mind and spirit, and even damaging your own treasured collection to replenish the medicinal materials? You must accept these spirit stones! Otherwise, I won't be able to rest easy!"

"How can that be! Otherwise, the next time we meet, that old man will definitely say bad things about me!" The old man puffed up his beard and glared, but there was already a softening in his eyes.

“Then how about this, senior, let’s compromise,” Ao Ming said, his words becoming more sincere. “I was unable to raise the full amount of the agreed-upon 10,000 high-grade spirit stones for the consultation fee. I will not make up the difference, but consider it a discount you are giving me out of pity for this junior. As for the amount already paid, if there is any surplus after settling the medical expenses, consider it our way of offering you a drink as a token of our respect. Please accept it!”

Seeing his earnest words, sincere feelings, and resolute attitude, the old man Qihuang couldn't help but think even more highly of this noble-born prince, secretly praising the old man's sharp eye.

He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment before finally laughing and saying, "Very well! You are an honest and kind gentleman, and if I were to hesitate and refuse any longer, it would only make me seem pretentious and hypocritical. In that case, you can wait a little longer."

He turned and went back into the inner room. After a short while, he came out with several small, antique-looking jade bottles that felt warm to the touch, and handed them to Ao Ming: "These are 'Mind-Clearing and Spirit-Concentrating Powder' and 'Vein-Nourishing Ointment' that I personally prepared. After she wakes up, use them together with 'Soul-Stabilizing Pill' for both internal and external use. The effect will be even better. Consider this an extra gift from me, so you must not refuse!"

Ao Ming accepted the jade bottle, feeling its weight in his hands, filled with the old man's kindness and care. He thanked him again solemnly, "Thank you for your generous gift, senior!"

However, for the next three days, Qian Jin remained sound asleep on the couch in the quiet room, showing no signs of waking up.

Ao Ming's anxiety grew wildly like weeds, keeping him awake at night and keeping vigil by her bedside day and night.

On the evening of the third day, after carefully examining Qian Jin's pulse again, the old man with white eyebrows furrowed tightly and muttered to himself, "Strange... The damage to the body and meridians has been mostly repaired, and the shock to the soul should have subsided by now... Why is the mind still as still as a deep pool? It seems... that something is missing to completely awaken the dormant soul."

He raised his head, looked at the nervous Ao Ming, sighed and explained, "This kind of opportunity is extremely mysterious. It could be some rare treasure containing the purest life force of heaven and earth, or finding a place with extremely abundant and pure spiritual energy, where its gentle yet powerful spiritual energy can slowly nourish and irrigate her, perhaps acting as a 'catalyst' to activate her dormant spiritual consciousness. However... such treasures are rare and hard to come by, and although my medicine hut is full of spiritual energy, it is far from being 'the ultimate'."

"A place imbued with the ultimate spiritual energy?" Ao Ming's eyes suddenly shone brightly, as if a drowning man had grabbed a piece of driftwood. He exclaimed urgently, "Senior! The East Sea Eye is the source of all waters, the ancestral vein of the primordial world. Its spiritual energy is vast and boundless, and incomparably pure! Beside the sea eye, due to the overflow of the earth's spiritual energy, a hot spring has naturally formed. Its water is all transformed from the purest liquid spiritual energy, gentle and abundant, best able to nourish all things and repair their origin! If I take her to soak in that hot spring, will it be effective?"

The old man was taken aback for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed: "Hahaha! Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! It's good to have a strong financial foundation!"

After laughing, he nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining: "That hot spring is indeed a rare healing sanctuary! Its spiritual energy is pure and gentle, making it the perfect place to treat this kind of spiritual stagnation! There's no time to lose, take her there immediately! The sooner the better!"

His expression turned serious, and he carefully gave many instructions on precautions... going on and on, leaving no detail overlooked.

Ao Ming imprinted every word firmly in his mind and once again deeply thanked this cold-faced but kind-hearted "eccentric doctor".

After bidding farewell to the old man, Ao Ming carefully picked up Qian Jin, who was still unconscious.

He took one last look at the tranquil Medicine Hut Valley, then transformed into a streak of azure light, soaring through the clouds and accelerating to its maximum speed, heading towards the vast and boundless sea of ​​his homeland in the east.

He looked down at the sleeping face of the person in his arms, his arms tightening slightly, his mind filled with only one unwavering thought, even tinged with a hint of pleading:

Qian Jin, you'll be alright.

At the entrance of the medicine hut, the old doctor stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the streak of light that vanished into the horizon in an instant, his white beard fluttering gently in the wind.

“Old Shen, Old Shen,” he murmured to himself, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, “You certainly know how to pick your friends… This young couple, each one more interesting than the last.”

He suddenly raised his voice: "Fuling! Stop fiddling with your herbs! Quickly go and dig out that 'Joyful Encounter' jar that your teacher has buried for a hundred years and prepare it!"

Little Tong Fuling looked up from the herb garden, her face full of confusion: "Master, what are you doing?"

The old man laughed heartily, his eyes gazing into the distance: "I have a premonition that I'll soon be going on a long journey to ask for a cup of sweet wedding wine!"