Chapter 128 - 11: Returning to the Sect

Zhang Deming asked, "You can’t do anything about it either?"

Feng Mingyou shook his head. "I might have been able to handle it before, though it would have taken time. Now, all I can do is barely keep it at bay."

"If we want to cure him, we’ll have to return to the Sect and get a specialized Poison Master or an Alchemist to help."

Zhang Deming breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. "As long as he doesn’t die, that’s what matters."

Feng Mingyou shook his head. "It’s not that simple. The longer this drags on for him, the more severe the consequences will be."

"Hek Tuan is already sixty-eight. A Peak Apprentice has a lifespan of a hundred and twenty years, so he should have had several decades of his prime left."

"But with this delay, not only might he not live to his full lifespan of one hundred and twenty, but his chances of reaching the Tai Chi Stage are now even slimmer."

"After all, he follows a Bloodline path, the transformation type."

"It’s extremely dependent on one’s physical body. You could say his very foundation has been damaged this time."

Zhang Deming fell silent for a moment before saying, "Let’s give him half of the Contribution from this mission. We can split the rest. I don’t think anyone will object."

Feng Mingyou nodded, agreeing with Zhang Deming’s decision. He said no more and immediately began to meditate, hoping to recover sooner so he could help stabilize Hek Tuan’s condition.

Zhang Deming looked at Hek Tuan, whose body was turning purple, and shook his head.

’This is how it is for Outer Disciples with little Talent.’

’They can’t get into the Inner Sect, so they either leave to become a Stallion for some family or just waste away their years like a salted fish.’

’If they want to reach the Tai Chi Stage, they either have to be masters of scheming and networking, or they have to risk their lives fighting for it.’

’If they make it, their whole world changes. If they don’t, they probably won’t even have the chance to live out their days or become a Stallion.’

’Take this mission, for instance. The six of us would get fifty Contribution points at most. Even if everyone gives half to Hek Tuan, that’s only twenty-five points.’

’And those twenty-five points are what he gets for sacrificing most of his hope for advancement.’

’Even if we hadn’t run into trouble and had spent another three to five days on the mission, his equal share of Contribution points likely wouldn’t have exceeded twenty-five anyway.’

’In other words, if you want to advance without Talent and without a knack for scheming...’

’...you either have to gamble your life on high-risk missions like this ten to fifteen times...’

’...or you do what Feng Mingyou did: find a place to lay low for decades, living an extremely frugal life, tightening your belt every single day.’

’Even after laying low for nearly twenty years, someone like Feng Mingyou is still short and has to come out and risk it all a few times.’

’It just goes to show how difficult it is for a Disciple without Talent to get ahead in the Celestial Spirit Sect.’

’After all, with hundreds of thousands of people, it’s not easy to stand out.’

’But once they do, people like that often go further than those with slightly better Talent.’

’That’s one of the reasons the Sect favors this method of cultivation.’

His thoughts drifted for a moment. Zhang Deming walked over to Hua Wei’s side and checked on him. The man hadn’t run into any trouble and was still unconscious, which was to be expected.

Zhang Deming placed a hand on his forehead and sent a light pulse of Spiritual Power into him.

Jolted by the Spiritual Power, Hua Wei’s eyes snapped open. His hands moved in a blur of instinct, and in an instant, his entire body vanished into thin air.

The movements were fluid and seamless, completely instinctual. He wasn’t even fully awake by the time he disappeared.

Zhang Deming: "..."

Zhang Deming stared, dumbfounded, as Hua Wei vanished from right in front of him.

’Holy hell... How much do you have to practice a Technique to have that kind of instinctual reaction before you’re even fully awake?’

’You really didn’t pick the wrong path. Assassination Techniques are a perfect match for you.’

’Of course, it would be an even better match if you stopped pretending to be a kind, honest peacemaker and went with the cold, aloof, ice-prince route.’

"So, are you awake now?" Zhang Deming asked, looking at the empty air in front of him.

Hua Wei’s figure gradually reappeared. "What’s going on? Were we ambushed?"

His expression showed no hint of embarrassment, as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Deming was surprised. "Your Spiritual Power...?"

"What about it?" Hua Wei asked, confused.

’Do Concealment-type Techniques grant some immunity to quantum pulses while they’re active?’ The thought flashed through Zhang Deming’s mind.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "It’s nothing. We ran into a bit of trouble, but it’s all been taken care of."

"You should focus on recovering your Spiritual Power. We need to travel through the night to get back, just in case anything else happens."

Hua Wei was still confused, but seeing that Zhang Deming didn’t want to elaborate, he didn’t press the issue.

Then he turned his head and froze, staring at Hek Tuan’s purple-tinged body. "What happened to Hek Tuan?"

Zhang Deming replied, "Feng Mingyou could have treated his original injuries, but because of another incident, he can now only barely keep it under control. We have to get him back to the Sect to be cured."

"Then his future..." Hua Wei trailed off.

Zhang Deming shook his head. "He’ll probably have to find an idle post somewhere, or just leave the mountain, get married, have children, and live as a wealthy patriarch or the founding ancestor of a new family."

Hua Wei’s voice was heavy. "Is there no other way? He’s on a Physique-focused Bloodline path. His body should be incredibly strong and resilient."

Zhang Deming shook his head. "If it weren’t for that, he’d already be dead."

With that, the two of them fell silent. Hua Wei quietly sat down and began to meditate.

Nearby, Yuling and Panx Juan’er also began meditating. The atmosphere was oppressive and heavy.

Zhang Deming didn’t sit down. He just silently circulated his Cultivation Technique, recovering his Spiritual Power while keeping watch.

Once he had recovered most of his Magical Power, he walked over to the corpse of the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion and manipulated some Vines, attempting to harvest its materials.

But the Hundred Poisonous Scorpion’s corpse had been cold long before now; it was already cold when Zhang Deming first returned.

As a result, its exoskeleton had hardened. The defensive materials of a Tai Chi Stage Demon Beast were not so easily stripped away.