“Ah?” Jitianqing was greatly surprised. All the items she had brought out were top-notch, and though this battle knife was just a spare weapon, it was still at an eighth-level standard. How could such a powerful strike not even dent this tree?
Jitianqing took a deep breath, her body faintly rumbling with the sound of thunder as she used the Mountain-Cleaving Strength. She stepped forward, the battle knife slicing through the air with the force of wind and thunder, and struck the tree trunk with all her might.
There was another loud clank, and the battle knife rebounded so fiercely that it nearly hit Jitianqing’s forehead. She managed to control the blade with all her strength, but her tiger mouth was torn open, blood flowing freely. Though Jitianqing could use the Mountain-Cleaving Strength, she couldn’t endure its counter-force.
The Star Sakura Tree, under the blow, shook violently, and one Star Sakura Fruit fell off, hurtling towards her. Jitianqing didn’t notice until it was too late to dodge. Her face changed, and she could only slap at the fruit, reasoning that even if she was poisoned, it would be in her hand, better than on her body.
At that moment, Qian Ye pressed down on Jitianqing’s hand, catching the Star Sakura Fruit in mid-air and throwing it far away.
As soon as the Star Sakura Fruit touched his hand, Qian Ye felt a wave of numbness. He looked down and saw that his palm was pitch black, with specks of gold that matched the spots on the Star Sakura Fruit.
Qian Ye didn’t dare hesitate and quickly used his dark golden blood to block the poison. However, he had underestimated the toxicity of the Star Sakura Fruit. The dark golden blood and the poison fought fiercely, and the blood was barely holding its own. The blackness on his palm began to spread toward his wrist.
In this critical moment, Qianoney did not panic. He set up multiple barriers with his dark golden blood, temporarily blocking the poison, and then activated the Dawn Awakening. The original force at the peak of dawn surged out, charging into his palm. A rose-gold flame flared up, turning the Star Sakura Fruit and the superficial flesh into ashes.
Even though he had burned off a layer of his flesh, Qian Ye didn’t flinch. The dark golden blood immediately activated, promoting the growth of new tissue. In a short while, his palm was restored, though the skin still looked a bit pink. This new flesh had not been repeatedly refined by the Burning Gold Blood or the Dawn Awakening, and was far from the quality of Qian Ye’s original flesh. It would take some time to fully recover.
After this dangerous encounter, Qian Ye had a direct understanding of the Star Sakura Fruit’s toxicity.
He extended his left hand, the Eastern Peak sword in his grip, his body slightly bent, and stared at the old man, speaking slowly, “What do you mean by this?”
The old man, unbothered, chuckled and stroked his beard, saying, “What do I mean? It was just a mishap on your part, can’t blame anyone else. But this sword in your hand, it’s quite… hmm?”
His expression suddenly changed, and he took a step back, as if to put some distance between himself and Qian Ye. But after taking that step, he realized something, and his face showed even more surprise as he looked at Qian Ye, saying, “Young man, you are not simple. Even I, an old timer, was fooled. Do you really have a way to harm me?”
Qian Ye remained silent, slowly raising his right hand, pointing at the old man like a gun.
As his hand rose, the old man’s expression changed several times, finally becoming serious, his gaze fixed on the tip of Qian Ye’s finger.
This time, he no longer acted overconfident, and a circle of golden-red original force light surrounded him, protecting his vital points. After securing himself, the old man coughed, looking a bit embarrassed, and said, “Young man, why so fiery? That little girl is the descendant of the Ji elder, and you and I have some connection. Why would I harm you?”
Qian Ye did not answer, keeping his finger pointed at the old man’s brow.
A bit irritated, the old man said, “Young man, don’t be disrespectful! If you anger me, I’ll have to kick you out!”
His outburst received no response. Jitianqing and Li Kuanglan also moved, standing behind the old man, ready to act at any moment.
The old man sighed, saying, “Nowadays, young people don’t know how to respect their elders, do they? Alright, to be honest, the Star Sakura Fruit is toxic, but not lethal. Once you survive the initial effects, it can actually have some benefits. It’s just that the process is not pleasant.”
Jitianqing and Li Kuanglan were skeptical, looking at Qian Ye. Only Qian Ye, who had experienced the Star Sakura Fruit’s toxicity, could tell if the old man was telling the truth.
Qian Ye pondered for a long time, realizing that although the Star Sakura Fruit’s toxicity was fierce, it was not lethal. It could spread rapidly, paralyzing most of the body, but it only killed a small, weak portion of the flesh. If the toxin spread throughout the body, it would be like a special form of physical tempering. Given Jitianqing’s physical constitution, she should be able to withstand it. But as the old man said, the process would indeed be painful.
“He’s right, but he doesn’t have good intentions,” Qian Ye said.
Jitianqing silently took out a metal drum, staring at the old man with a menacing look.
Seeing the metal drum, the old man’s expression changed, and he exclaimed, “How do you have such a thing?”
Jitianqing raised the metal drum, saying, “Good that you recognize it. I thought you wouldn’t. Now, tell me, what are you up to? If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll throw this and we’ll all die together!”
“If you were the one poisoned, would you throw this?”
“Why not? If I’m going to die, I’ll take you with me,” Jitianqing replied matter-of-factly.
The old man wiped his sweat, shaking his head, “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous! How could the Ji elder give such a thing to someone like you?”
“I know when to use it and when not to.”
The old man sighed, “Fine, young people these days. The Star Sakura Fruit is useless to that young man, and too potent for this Li family girl, but it’s very useful to you. It can help you complete the final tempering before your profound technique reaches its pinnacle. When the poison spreads, you won’t need to recover on your own; just take the antidote. The antidote is simple—just its leaves. If the girl’s constitution is strong or she has recovery medicine, the whole process will only take half a day.”
Qian Ye said, “The time isn’t long, but doesn’t it take a while to regain combat readiness?”
“Of course. After the tempering, there will be damage all over the body. New tissues need to be hardened to function properly.”
Qian Ye nodded, reassured. It seemed the old man wasn’t lying. But Jitianqing wasn’t satisfied, showing Qian Ye’s hand to the old man, saying, “What about this?”
“Who told you to rush in and save her without waiting for my explanation? But he does care about you, daring to handle the Star Sakura Fruit.”
Jitianqing blushed slightly, saying, “Stop your nonsense!”
The old man, serious now, said, “Don’t worry, I have some connection with this young man, and I’ll give him something. As for you, go and take the Star Sakura Fruit.”
The old man waved, and a Star Sakura Fruit, carried by a force, floated to Jitianqing. She took it and swallowed it without hesitation. Qian Ye was shocked, not expecting Jitianqing to trust the old man so completely. The Star Sakura Fruit’s poison was potent, and once it entered her body, it was too late to stop.
The old man pointed to a small house, saying, “Go rest inside. The Li girl, go take care of her. After 15 minutes, feed her these leaves, not too early, not too late. Be careful, don’t touch her.”
Jitianqing’s face was already black, and she struggled to get into the room, where she lay down, unable to move. Li Kuanglan, holding the leaves, stood by her side, looking worried.
Qian Ye glanced at the old man, and though he said nothing, the old man’s eyebrows twitched. The old man shook his head, sighing, “These young people today, even threatening an old man like me.”
With that, he pointed to the Star Sakura Trees, saying, “Cut down these three, and pick seven fruits for me.”
Qian Ye lifted the Eastern Peak, approaching one of the trees. He took a deep breath, his muscles and bones vibrating, and the sound of thunder gradually rose, becoming louder and louder.
With a roar, he drove the sword with six layers of Mountain-Cleaving Strength, and with a slicing sound, the Star Sakura Tree fell.
Qian Ye put away his sword, pointing his fingers, and the seven fruits flew towards the old man. His move, from hard to soft, flowed naturally, showing he had energy to spare, making the old man’s eyebrows twitch again.
The old man put the fruits in a basket, then directed Qian Ye to trim the branches, leaving only the bare trunks. He picked up one, sealed the cut with a transparent gel, and threw it to Qian Ye, saying, “Good job, keep it.”
Qian Ye, receiving the Star Sakura Tree trunk, was troubled. The Anduaya space was almost full, and adding three more trunks would make it impossible to fit anything else. Was it worth using such precious storage space for these unknown-purpose logs?
The old man, seeing Qian Ye’s dilemma, said, “Young man, I smell some residual medicinal scent on you. Have you recently used a Recovery Medicine?”
Qian Ye was surprised, nodding, “Yes.”
“The main ingredient of the Recovery Medicine is the Star Sakura Tree. These three mature trees can make six doses of Recovery Medicine.”
Hearing this, Qian Ye quickly made room in the Anduaya space, storing the Star Sakura Trees. Having used the Recovery Medicine himself, he knew how valuable it was. Finding the Star Sakura Tree here, he realized just how precious the Recovery Medicine was. Over the past few years, the Tian Sun Grasslands had only produced enough for six doses.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage