“Third Master, please give me your wrist so I can take your pulse.”
Ye Qiu said respectfully.
Dragon Three extended his left hand to Ye Qiu, who noticed that Dragon Three’s right hand was clenched into a fist, ready to strike at any moment.
This old man is quite cautious.
Ye Qiu placed his fingers on Dragon Three’s pulse, closed his eyes, and carefully felt the rhythm.
Soon, Ye Qiu’s heart jolted.
Dragon Three had cultivated nine strands of true qi!
But immediately after, Ye Qiu was overjoyed.
He discovered that not only was Dragon Three severely injured, but his qi and blood were in turmoil, with the nine strands of true qi flowing backward through his meridians, a clear sign of qi deviation.
Moments later, Ye Qiu released Dragon Three’s pulse.
“Young man, what did you find?” Dragon Three’s tone carried a hint of testing.
Ye Qiu asked, “Third Master, do you want the truth or a lie?”
Dragon Three replied, “I only ever want the truth.”
“Then I’ll speak plainly,” Ye Qiu said, “If I’m not mistaken, Third Master, you were wounded by a sharp weapon years ago, severely injuring your lungs, which is why you’ve never fully recovered.”
A flicker of surprise passed through Dragon Three’s eyes as he asked, “Do you know what kind of weapon?”
Ye Qiu blurted out, “A sword!”
“Well done, young man, you’ve got some skill,” Dragon Three praised, then said, “Indeed, I was wounded by a sword years ago.”
Ye Qiu, curious, asked, “I’ve heard that the people of the Forbidden City are peerless masters, and with your unparalleled cultivation, Third Master, who could have injured you?”
Dragon Three countered, “Have you heard of Ye Wushuang?”
Ye Qiu nodded slightly, “I have. It’s said Ye Wushuang was the greatest master of his time, incredibly skilled.”
Dragon Three said, “The sword wound on me was inflicted by Ye Wushuang.”
“During the upheaval in the capital, Ye Wushuang tried to flee the city.”
“My elder brother and I ambushed him on his way out, and he struck me with a sword.”
As expected, during the capital’s upheaval, the Forbidden City had made their move.
Killing intent surged in Ye Qiu’s heart, but his face remained impassive as he asked, “Third Master, did you kill Ye Wushuang?”
“No,” Dragon Three said, “After being besieged by many in the capital, Ye Wushuang was already at his limit. When he met us, he was as good as dead.”
“We thought Ye Wushuang would be killed by us.”
“But at the last moment, to our surprise, a mysterious figure saved him.”
Ye Qiu was both shocked and elated.
From Dragon Three’s tone, his father hadn’t died.
But if his father was alive after all these years, why had he never come to find him and his mother?
Dragon Three continued, “Though Ye Wushuang was saved, he couldn’t have survived.”
Ye Qiu quickly asked, “What do you mean, Third Master?”
Dragon Three explained, “When that mysterious figure saved Ye Wushuang, he was on the brink of death, gravely injured, and poisoned with several rare toxins.”
“Each of those toxins was deadly. Even one would send an ordinary person to the afterlife.”
“Despite Ye Wushuang’s skill, with such severe injuries and multiple deadly poisons, not even a god could save him. He’s surely dead!”
Hearing this, Ye Qiu wanted nothing more than to kill Dragon Three on the spot to avenge his father, but reason held him back from acting rashly.
Though Dragon Three was injured and suffering from qi deviation, he still possessed nine strands of true qi. If it came to a life-or-death fight, even if Ye Qiu could kill him, it would come at a heavy cost.
More crucially, Tang Fei and Uncle Mountain Guard were here.
Their skills were too weak, and this tomb chamber was small. If a fight broke out, they would be in the greatest danger.
“Young man, can you treat my old injury?” Dragon Three asked.
“Yes,” Ye Qiu said, “Your injury, Third Master, is a trivial matter to me.”
Dragon Three’s face lit up, “Is that true?”
Ye Qiu nodded, “Absolutely.”
“Then treat me at once,” Dragon Three said eagerly. If his old injury could be healed, he wouldn’t need anyone’s help and could return to the Forbidden City on his own.
Ye Qiu asked, “Third Master, now?”
“Treat me immediately,” Dragon Three’s tone left no room for debate.
Ye Qiu pulled out a needle case from his pocket, flicked it open, and a golden gleam appeared.
Golden needles!
Dragon Three’s expression brightened. Though he wasn’t versed in medicine, he knew only those with exceptional medical skill could use golden needles.
Ye Qiu held a seven-inch golden needle and said, “Third Master, I’ll need to insert two needles into your head. One is the Taiyi Divine Needle’s Burning Mountain Fire, and the other is the Taiyi Divine Needle’s Piercing Heart Cool. It’ll hurt a bit, so please bear it.”
Dragon Three asked, “My injury is in my lungs. Why are you needling my head?”
Ye Qiu knew Dragon Three didn’t fully trust him and explained, “The head is the origin of the six yang meridians, where all the body’s channels converge. Needling the head calms the spirit, aiding the treatment to follow.”
“After using the Taiyi Divine Needle, I’ll apply the Seven Star Needle Technique and the Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles to your lungs.”
“With these three techniques working together, your old injury will heal within an hour.”
Dragon Three nodded, “I see. Go ahead and treat me!”
Ye Qiu stood behind Dragon Three and gently inserted a golden needle into his Baihui acupoint.
“Third Master, how does it feel?”
“It feels a bit warm on my head, but comfortable.”
“Good, that’s the Burning Mountain Fire of the Taiyi Divine Needle,” Ye Qiu said, giving Master Long Eyebrows a subtle glance.
Master Long Eyebrows understood and said, “Third Master, you’ve been here so long, you probably don’t know something happened in the Forbidden City, do you?”
Dragon Three quickly asked, “What happened in the Forbidden City?”
“Dragon Nine is dead.”
At Master Long Eyebrows’ words, Dragon Three was shocked and furious, “Who killed my ninth brother?”
Master Long Eyebrows replied, “Ye Wushuang’s brother, Ye Wudi.”
“That Ye Wudi dared to kill my ninth brother? When I get out, I’ll tear him to pieces…”
Before Dragon Three could finish, Master Long Eyebrows added, “It’s not just Dragon Nine. Dragon Eight, Dragon Seven, and Dragon Six are dead too.”
What?
Pfft!
Dragon Three spat out a mouthful of blood and asked, “Who killed them?”
“I don’t know who killed them,” Master Long Eyebrows continued, “Oh, and Dragon Five and Dragon Four are dead too.”
Pfft!
Dragon Three, overcome with rage, spat blood again.
Master Long Eyebrows went on, “Third Master, you don’t know, but I heard Dragon Four, Seven, and Eight died horribly, their throats crushed, heads severed, and eyes left unclosed in death.”
Pfft!
Dragon Three spat blood once more.
He hadn’t imagined that, after staying here for over a decade, so many of his brothers had died.
Master Long Eyebrows continued, “The killer was brazen. After killing Dragon Four and the others, he left a message saying he’d kill you, Third Master, grind your bones to dust, cast you into the eighteen levels of hell, never to be reborn…”
Pfft!
Dragon Three spat blood, roaring, “No matter who it is, I’ll kill him, aaah…”
“Third Master, please don’t grieve. I’m inserting the second needle,” Ye Qiu said, plunging the second golden needle in.
As the needle pierced the acupoint, Ye Qiu suddenly pressed down with his palm, driving the entire needle into Dragon Three’s skull.
