Time slipped by quietly.
One minute, two minutes, three minutes…
In the blink of an eye.
Half an hour had passed.
The blood from the Witch God Sect disciple flowed steadily through the IV tube into Qinglong’s body.
Qinglong’s complexion gradually improved.
As Qinglong received the disciple’s blood, the blood originally in his body was rapidly drained through his wrist.
Soon, the Witch God Sect disciple’s face turned deathly pale, looking as though he would die any moment.
The military doctor stood nearby, watching in shock and anger, silently cursing Ye Qiu in his heart.
“What kind of blood transfusion is this? It’s utterly reckless.”
“If Qinglong doesn’t survive, this Witch God Sect member will die too. What will you do then?”
“Some Medical Saint, more like nonsense!”
Time continued to pass.
An hour later.
The Witch God Sect disciple’s blood was completely drained, and he died.
Ye Qiu checked Qinglong’s pulse and found that the poison that had invaded Qinglong’s heart had been expelled with the blood.
Ye Qiu drew a hemostatic talisman to stop the bleeding from Qinglong’s wrist.
After completing this.
Ye Qiu retrieved the golden needles from Qinglong’s heart. The hand that had been pressing on Qinglong’s head swiftly moved to his back, channeling a wisp of innate true qi into him.
Moments later.
Qinglong slowly opened his eyes.
“It worked?” The military doctor stood dumbfounded.
Ye Qiu paid no attention to the doctor and asked Qinglong, “How do you feel?”
“Ye Qiu, why did you take so long to get here? You’re too late, Jiuqiansui is gone…” Qinglong said, tears sliding from the corners of his eyes.
A man doesn’t shed tears lightly, only when his heart is truly broken!
Qinglong was a tough man, usually willing to bleed rather than cry, but now he wept, revealing the depth of his grief.
Ye Qiu’s eyes also welled up as he asked, “Qinglong, tell me, what exactly happened after you arrived in Miaojiang?”
Suppressing his sorrow, Qinglong said, “Jiuqiansui’s plan to attack the Witch God Sect was meticulously prepared and thoroughly considered, virtually foolproof.”
“Kylin and I followed Jiuqiansui, leading ten thousand Dragon Gate disciples on a thousand-mile raid from the capital into Miaojiang.”
“We took down dozens of Witch God Sect branches in one fell swoop, crushing them completely, and with lightning speed, we closed in on their headquarters.”
“Last night, in the early hours, we were less than five miles from the Witch God Sect headquarters.”
“Because it was dark and we weren’t familiar with Miaojiang’s terrain, plus the Witch God Sect’s ruthless tactics and some members’ expertise in gu poison, which was hard to guard against, Kylin and I discussed with Jiuqiansui, suggesting we wait until dawn to act.”
“But Jiuqiansui didn’t take our advice.”
“He decided to take down the Witch God Sect headquarters under the cover of night, aiming to end the battle before dawn.”
“We followed Jiuqiansui’s orders and quickly approached the headquarters.”
“But unexpectedly, when we were very close to the headquarters, a man in black appeared, saying he wanted to talk to Jiuqiansui. Jiuqiansui agreed.”
“Their conversation was hushed. I don’t know what they said, but when Jiuqiansui returned, he looked excited, as if something joyful had happened.”
“Then, Jiuqiansui ordered a halt to the attack on the Witch God Sect headquarters.”
“He called Kylin and me aside and gave us some instructions.”
“Kylin and I felt Jiuqiansui’s behaviour was unusual, so we asked what he was planning.”
“Jiuqiansui said he would go to the Witch God Sect headquarters alone to verify something.”
“Of course, Kylin and I objected. Jiuqiansui doesn’t know martial arts, and the Witch God Sect headquarters is a dangerous place—he’d likely face grave peril. But Jiuqiansui was resolute, insisting on going.”
“When Kylin and I couldn’t dissuade him, we offered to escort him to the headquarters, but he refused, saying that if he encountered danger, we wouldn’t be able to help and would only become a burden.”
“Kylin and I didn’t understand what he meant and continued to persuade him. In frustration, Jiuqiansui revealed his strength to us.”
At this, a look of admiration appeared on Qinglong’s face.
“Ye Qiu, did you know? All these years, Jiuqiansui has been hiding his true strength.”
“Back then, he and the Witch God Sect’s Saintess were in love, but they were both captured by the sect. The Saintess was burned to death, and Jiuqiansui had his cultivation destroyed and was tortured, becoming a eunuch.”
“But he didn’t lose heart. Instead, fueled by vengeance, he endured humiliation.”
“All these years, he’s been secretly training in martial arts.”
“And for decades, even through life-threatening crises, he never revealed it.”
“Only last night, when Kylin and I pressed him too much, did he show us his true power.”
“It turns out, Jiuqiansui was a supreme master who had cultivated five streams of true qi.”
What?
Ye Qiu was stunned. Cao Yuan was a supreme master with five streams of true qi?
“You didn’t expect that, did you?”
Qinglong glanced at Ye Qiu and said, “Not just you, Kylin and I were shocked too.”
“We’ve been by Jiuqiansui’s side for years, practically inseparable, and never noticed how strong he was.”
“After Jiuqiansui revealed his strength, Kylin and I stopped trying to dissuade him.”
“We figured with his skills, unless he faced one of the top few on the God List, he’d be hard to threaten.”
“Before leaving, Jiuqiansui instructed that if he didn’t return by dawn, Kylin and I should lead the attack on the Witch God Sect headquarters.”
“We waited until dawn, but Jiuqiansui didn’t come back.”
“So, we followed his orders and attacked the headquarters. When we stormed in, we found it deserted, with only bloodstains and hundreds of corpses left behind.”
“Kylin and I had a bad feeling then.”
“Sure enough, when we counted the bodies, we found Jiuqiansui.”
“But he was no longer a living person, just a corpse.”
Ye Qiu’s heart turned cold.
Though he had already heard of Jiuqiansui’s death, coming to Miaojiang, he’d held a faint hope that the news was false.
Now, hearing Qinglong confirm it, he could no longer hold back, tears falling on the spot.
“Did Jiuqiansui suffer when he died?” Ye Qiu asked.
Qinglong wiped his tears and said, “When we found him, he was already dead, with dozens of wounds on his body and a long sword piercing his heart.”
“Jiuqiansui’s death crushed the morale of the Dragon Gate disciples. As Kylin and I were leaving the Witch God Sect headquarters with his body, we were ambushed by many of their experts. I was injured and passed out during the fight, so I don’t know what happened after.”
“Oh, right…”
Qinglong suddenly remembered something and pulled a token from his pocket.
Ye Qiu recognised it immediately—it was the Dragon Gate Master Token.
Qinglong handed the token to Ye Qiu and said, “Jiuqiansui instructed that if anything happened to him, you are to take over as Master and lead Dragon Gate!”
