Chapter 593

Chapter 593

I Can See Through Everything

"Fellow Daoist Lu, you seem rather guarded toward the Gongshu Clan?"

In the dense forest, while traversing swiftly, Daoist Wubao turned to Lu Qing and asked.

Earlier, he had already noticed that Lu Qing didn’t seem keen on getting too close to the Gongshu Clan members.

"It’s not just the Gongshu Clan—I’m wary of all the major powers," Lu Qing replied. "We’re isolated and weak here, and we can’t leave the secret realm for now. If any of them take an interest in us, even running away would be hard."

Thinking of the current situation in the secret realm, Daoist Wubao nodded.

Scattered cultivators were now looting each other due to the shortage of spirit stones and pills.

As for the elite disciples of the major sects, thanks to their deeper foundations, they might still hold back from lowering themselves—for now.

But give it time, and who knows.

"So, should we go look for Fellow Daoist Ye and the others now?"

"Yes, that ancient tower is so conspicuous. Miss Ye and the others should be somewhere nearby." Lu Qing nodded.

The two moved through the forest, and with Lu Qing’s exceptional spiritual sense and Xiao Li’s warnings, they managed to avoid the various lurking factions ahead of time.

Finally, after two quarters of an hour, Lu Qing’s expression shifted—he had sensed a few familiar threads of karmic aura.

"Found them. They’re just up ahead. Daoist, let’s go."

With a few quick flashes, they arrived at a secluded valley.

"Who goes there?"

Because they hadn't concealed their presence, someone in the valley immediately noticed and called out.

"I am Chen Qing. May I ask if this is the Qiankun Sect’s stronghold? I would like to visit Fellow Daoist Ye Qingzhu and Fellow Daoist Zixiao."

Lu Qing stood at the entrance of the valley and spoke loudly.

He could tell a powerful formation was covering the entire valley, obscuring everything within.

"Ye-shijie and Zixiao-shixiong’s friend... Chen Qing, did you say your name is Chen Qing? The same Fellow Daoist Chen Qing who saved them?"

The Qiankun Sect disciple on watch had been wary at first, but upon hearing the name, he suddenly seemed to recall something and was visibly excited.

"…That should be me."

"Please wait a moment. I will go report."

Lu Qing and Daoist Wubao waited quietly outside the valley. Soon, the barrier at the entrance shimmered as a formation activated.

A slender figure rushed out—it was Chu Xiaojing.

Only, her face was filled with urgency, leaving no time for joy at reuniting with Lu Qing.

Using her body movement technique, she appeared in front of him, immediately grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the valley.

"Big Brother Chen, hurry! Ye-shijie and Zixiao-shixiong are in critical condition!"

Lu Qing had intended to shake her off, but hearing this, he froze and let her lead him into the valley.

Naturally, Daoist Wubao followed closely behind.

Passing through the formation’s light curtain, they entered the valley.

Inside, Lu Qing saw several wooden cabins built, and more than a dozen figures approaching.

Leading them was a young man in a green Daoist robe with a square, upright face.

Seeing Chu Xiaojing dragging Lu Qing in, the young man frowned and immediately scolded her. "Xiaojing, don’t be rude. How can you treat an honored guest like this?"

"Second Senior Brother..."

Chu Xiaojing clearly feared this man. At his scolding, she instinctively stopped in her tracks.

But she quickly added with urgency, "But Ye-shijie and Zixiao-shixiong are seriously injured—"

"Yes, their injuries are severe, but a little time won’t make a difference. Fellow Daoist Chen is our honored guest from the Qiankun Sect. How could you treat him so impolitely?"

Chu Xiaojing fell silent, clutching Lu Qing’s hand and pouting with grievance.

Lu Qing gently withdrew his hand, cupped his fists, and said, "I am Chen Qing. Greetings, everyone from the Qiankun Sect. May I ask what happened to Miss Ye and the others?"

"Greetings, Fellow Daoists. I am Qin Zheng, their senior brother," said the square-faced youth, returning the salute seriously before sighing.

"It’s a long story. But Qingzhu-shimei and Zixiao-shidi are indeed gravely injured. I’m not sure they’ll survive this ordeal."

Lu Qing’s expression grew serious. "Then may I take a look? I know a bit of healing arts—perhaps I can help."

Recalling Daoist Wubao’s earlier divination, Lu Qing thought: could the calamity mentioned in the hexagram refer to Ye Qingzhu’s current situation?

"Of course," Qin Zheng quickly replied. "I’ve heard them mention your incredible medical skills, the ability to bring the dying back to life. I’m sure you can help Qingzhu-shimei."

"Miss Ye exaggerates," Lu Qing smiled faintly. "Still, time is critical. Let me examine their wounds first."

"Big Brother Chen, Ye-shijie and Zixiao-shixiong are inside. I’ll take you!" Chu Xiaojing quickly grabbed Lu Qing’s hand and led the way to one of the cabins.

Qin Zheng frowned again but said nothing this time, following behind with the other disciples.

The Qiankun Sect disciples all looked on curiously.

They weren’t strangers to the name Chen Qing.

After all, Xiaojing had talked about him non-stop these past few days.

She’d praised his swordsmanship and claimed his medical skills were just as divine—able to bring flesh back to bone.

If that were true, perhaps Qingzhu and Zixiao really had a chance.

Inside the wooden cabin, Lu Qing saw Ye Qingzhu, Zixiao, and two other disciples lying on planks.

Their robes were soaked with blood, and their breathing was faint.

Ye Qingzhu had a massive wound across her waist and abdomen, almost cleaving her in half.

Zixiao had it no better—his right arm was missing, his chest caved in, his complexion pale as gold, his breath hanging by a thread.

The other two disciples, unfamiliar to Lu Qing, were also critically injured.

"How did they end up like this?" Lu Qing frowned deeply.

"They were wounded by a savage beast guarding the ancient tower," Chu Xiaojing said bitterly. "If the Gongshu Clan hadn’t fled at the last moment and broken the formation, we wouldn’t have been overwhelmed like that. Zhao-shixiong wouldn’t have died..."

"Xiaojing!" Qin Zheng barked, cutting her off.

But Lu Qing already understood. So the Gongshu Clan was involved too.

Could the "man-made calamity" in the hexagram have referred to them?

"Please forgive Xiaojing’s nonsense, Fellow Daoist Chen," Qin Zheng said. "Can they be saved?"

"I can’t promise anything. I’ll have to check their condition in detail first," Lu Qing replied prudently.

"Of course. Please, do what you can. If you can save them, our Qiankun Sect will forever owe you a great debt."

Qin Zheng’s expression brightened—Lu Qing hadn’t dismissed the possibility, which meant there was still hope.

"I’ll begin, then."

Lu Qing went to Ye Qingzhu first, placed his fingers on her wrist, and sent a stream of spiritual power into her body.

Following the energy, his mind swept through her internal condition—and his face quickly grew serious.

Her wounds were severe—her body nearly split in two, meridians shattered by brute force, her dantian and Golden Core damaged beyond recognition.

Worse than even what Li Motian had once inflicted.

Afterward, he moved to Zixiao and examined him.

His wounds were even worse—one arm gone, chest crushed by a brutal force. Heart barely beating, organs mangled beyond repair.

If not for the Golden Core Realm’s tenacity, he’d have died long ago.

Lu Qing checked the other two disciples as well, then fell into silence.

"How are they, Fellow Daoist Chen?" Qin Zheng asked, his heart sinking at the silence.

"There’s some hope," Lu Qing said carefully. "But I won’t claim I can completely cure them."

That was what his master had taught him: never make guarantees, even with full confidence.

"Hope is enough!" Qin Zheng bowed deeply. "Please, do your best to save them!"

Though he had remained calm on the surface, ever since the others had fallen, Qin Zheng had been carrying immense pressure.

As the leader of their group in the secret realm, he had to stay composed.

But seeing their condition worsen daily and being powerless to help—it was maddening.

Now that Lu Qing offered a sliver of hope, he could no longer hide his urgency.

"I’ve known Miss Ye for some time—I’ll do everything I can," Lu Qing nodded. "But this cabin is too cramped. I’ll need your help moving them outside."

"Outside?" Qin Zheng was surprised.

Normally, healing was done indoors.

"Yes," Lu Qing said seriously. "This secret realm is sparse in spiritual energy. Their injuries are worsening from the lack of nourishment. I need to set up a formation to stabilize their condition, and there’s no room in here."

"You’re absolutely right—we overlooked that," Qin Zheng immediately agreed.

The secret realm’s spiritual depletion had severely limited their spells and formations.

Though they had tried to help Ye Qingzhu and the others, it was in vain.

At once, Qin Zheng had the disciples move the injured outside and lay them on thick mats.

"Everyone, please step back a little."

Lu Qing stood before the wounded, then began using Sword Finger to carve formation lines into the ground.

The Qiankun Sect disciples watched in awe and anticipation.

This was the first time they had seen someone carve a formation before treating injuries.

Even Daoist Wubao looked on intently.

He had heard much about Lu Qing’s miraculous healing—now he’d witness it himself.

Only Xiao Li showed no reaction, lying lazily on a rock, eyes closed in a nap.

Under everyone’s gaze, Lu Qing quickly completed a profound formation.

Then he flicked his fingers, placing spirit stones and talismans into the array nodes.

Qin Zheng’s eyes twitched.

All the stones were mid-grade spirit stones—a rare extravagance in this secret realm.

"The rumors are true… this Fellow Daoist Chen is truly benevolent and righteous."

The other disciples were just as shocked.

In this realm, spirit stones were more precious than artifacts.

And yet, Chen Qing was spending them freely.

Lu Qing, unaware of their thoughts, simply used the stones to fuel the array’s power.

Otherwise, the sparse spiritual energy here would render the formation ineffective.

Once the setup was complete, he tapped the ground lightly.

The formation activated.

A light screen enveloped Lu Qing and the four wounded.

Spiritual energy erupted from the spirit stones, filling the array with a vibrant green aura—unlike ordinary spiritual energy.

That was because the talismans Lu Qing had used were ones he crafted himself, imbued with Wood Elemental Power and healing properties.

Thanks to the talisman’s influence, the spiritual energy inside the formation now brimmed with vitality.

When the energy reached its peak, Lu Qing formed hand seals, directing the aura toward the unconscious Ye Qingzhu and her companions, nourishing their broken bodies.