Another feeling of shock spread in the hall. This time, even Xu Rushan and Yan Zhongze’s faces changed. Both of them stood up and cupped their fists to this old man clad in taoist robes as a courtesy.
"So it’s the reputable Master Yang Gu from the Internal Endless Sea. Please forgive us for not recognizing you!"
The seven renowned forces owned by the Venerated Seven of the Internal Endless Sea were the Divine Space Island, Bu Zhou’s Zhou Family, Giant Devil Sect, Sword Island, Heavenly Abode Island, Demon Sealing Sect, and the last one was the Pill Island respectively.
The status of the Pill Island could be said to be higher than the rest as they conducted intensive research and study in pill refinement technique and they sold high-grade pills to the experts in the Internal Endless Sea.
Moreover, this Yang Gu was one of the top ten pill masters in the Pill Island. He had an Early Divine Transformation Realm cultivation base and he has been devoting himself to the Dao of Alchemy for thousands of years. Currently, he was halfway in achieving the Fifth Revolution Pill Technique!
Even if a Mid Divine Transformation Realm expert meets a pill master of this rank, he or she needs to treat him with politeness. Thus, both Xu Rushan and Yan Zhongze did not dare to slight him.
As for Yang Gu, his words definitely had more weight than Wang Wei’s who was just a Third Revolution pill master.
"T-This junior was being rude. Senior Yang, please forgive me for my lack of manners!" Wang Wei started to panic, fearing that his previous impolite remarks would offend Yang Gu.
"It doesn’t matter. Anyway, offending me is not a big deal. However, you must remember that the matter about the Dao of Medicine must not be treated lightly like child’s play. A single wrong step can harm one’s life, and a wrong medicine can result in one’s death.
Yang Gu’s tone sounded relaxed and unflustered, emanating an air of a wise elder. His remarks made Wang Wei reveal a look of embarrassment and a majority of the Third Revolution pill masters felt ashamed of themselves at the same time.
Most of them came with the intention to seize an opportunity to benefit themselves. None of them actually had the confidence of curing Xu Qiuling. They were just trying their luck by randomly prescribing medicines.
In the Dao of Medicine, harboring this kind of intention was the most intolerable quality for a pill master.
"Master Yang, if I may be so bold as to ask, does my daughter still have any chances of being cured?" Xu Rushan rubbed his palms together as he asked nervously.
"I’m sorry. I can only say that with my current pill refinement skills, I can’t save your beloved daughter. The main reason for your daughter’s illness is the lack of gold element inside her life force. As for the reason why she would be lacking that element, I believe Fellow Daoist Xu should be able to surmise that answer. It’s because of your ’Primordial Magnetic Force Cultivation Method’ which is too powerful that had completely drawn out the gold qi from your daughter’s body when she was still a fetus... Yin and Yang and the five elements are the principles of nature. None of them can be missing. Supposedly, your daughter should have been dead long ago because of the lack of gold element in her. However, her gold qi was temporarily replenished because of a remnant piece of an ancient sword that had been implanted inside her body. Unfortunately, that is just a temporary solution to treat her condition but not something that can solve the root of the problem..."
Yang Gu sighed helplessly and his face was filled with shame.
"I suppose even a Fifth Revolution Pill Master would also be unable to cure your daughter. There would only be a trace of hope if only the Revered Pill of my island can lend a hand. Revered Pill is a Sixth Revolution pill master! Other than him, I’m afraid there is no one else in this Endless Sea who can save your daughter. Sadly, Revered Pill has already gone out to travel around the world for a long time and has yet to return... while your daughter’s lifespan is now less than ten years..."
Yang Gu’s words were like a bolt from the blue that struck heavily at Xu Rushan’s heart.
If it were the other pill masters who claimed that Xu Qiuling’s illness was incurable, perhaps Xu Rushan will still be doubtful about it. However, it was now personally said by Yang Gu himself. How could Xu Rushan refuse to believe it...
Even Old Ancestor Dong Xu could only sigh and remained silent.
There were only two people who could save Xu Qiuling inside Old Ancestor Dong Xu’s mind. Just like what Yang Gu said, one of them was Revered Pill. Unfortunately, this person had gone for a tour around the world for hundreds of years without returning. Otherwise, Dong Xu would have already requested Revered Pill to save Xu Qiuling.
The other person who could cure Xu Qiuling was Ning Fan. However, Ning Fan had also gone missing...
As for Xu Qiuling, she seemed like she didn’t hear Yang Gu’s words as she was still immersing herself inside the melody of her qin.
She had already let go of the matter of her life and death and accepted her fate. Besides, she had already prepared her own Grave of Flowers so that her body could be buried underneath flowers after she died.
If she had never met Ning Fan before, perhaps Xu Qiuling would not have any regrets before her death. Now, however, she was worried that she might not be able to see Ning Fan for the last time before she died.
Yang Gu’s words were too influential. It was as if he had just made a formal declaration of death for Xu Qiuling and no one dared to make a diagnosis for her anymore.
Each of the pill masters shook their heads in silence. They also had no means to cure Xu Qiuling. If any one of them still dares to thicken their faces and casually make a prescription, it was tantamount to giving themselves a slap right at their own faces.
"Ling Er! Don’t worry! If no one at the Endless Sea can heal you, your master, I, will take you to travel through all the eight hundred cultivation countries to find a Sixth Revolution Pill Master at the Rain Palace to heal you even if I have to go against the rules!"
Dong Xu suddenly rose up from his seat, as if he had just made up his mind to do something.
No one knew Dong Xu’s cultivation base. The pill masters there only knew that this dirty old man was Xu Qiuling’s master by now and understood why a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator like him could attend such an important occasion.
Dong Xu nodded to Xu Rushan. The latter seemed to understand his implied meaning and let out a sigh of despair. In such a situation, the only method was to let Old Ancestor Dong Xu take Xu Qiuling to the eight hundred cultivation countries and try his luck to see whether he could find a Sixth Revolution pill master to save his daughter...
After he made a decision, Xu Rushan stood up, cupped his fists to the pill masters and issued an order for them to leave.
"I think I have to accept the fact that my daughter is untreatable for now. Every pill master, thank you for your efforts. Since most of you came from afar, you can all take a break at Pleasure Devil Island. There are some things I need to deal with, so I am unavailable to personally give a warm hospitality to all of you."
"Wait a second! Your daughter is not necessarily incurable! As long as she marries me, I have a way to save her!"
At the moment all the pill masters were about to leave, a sharp voice suddenly resounded.
The person who made this sound was actually a wretched-looking skinny man with a short body and yellowish teeth. His presence emanated a Peak Nascent Soul Realm aura. His eyes were glued to Xiu Qiuling’s body as his lips curved into a lecherous smile.
"This pill master, there’s a saying that goes, ’One can put whatever he wants into his mouth, but one should be mindful of what comes out of it!’!" Xu Rushan was feeling annoyed and he had already issued an order for the guests to leave. But now, a man had just suddenly appeared making impertinent remarks despite his order.
What did he mean by saying that marrying him could save someone’s life? Who the hell does this person think that he can cure someone that even the pill masters from the Pill Island can’t? The Heavenly Healer?
"Little brother, the Dao of Medicine is never a child’s game!" Yang Gu was displeased. He hated to see someone trying to swindle others and rendered the patient’s death in the name of the Dao of Medicine the most.
"That’s right! Well said, Master Yang Gu! The Dao of Medicine might not be able to save Mistress Qiuling, but... what about the Dao of Worm?"
The wretched-looking skinny man threw a question back at them, immediately leaving Yang Gu speechless. In ancient times, the techniques involving poisonous worms and pill refinement techniques were equally profound as the both of them can be used to heal injuries and cure illnesses. However, when the techniques were passed down, the legitimate Poisonous Worm Techniques had branched into the Art of Worm’s Poison, the Art of Worm’s Curse, The Art of Deworming and a few others, turning into evil dao.
Yang Gu didn’t know much about the Dao of Worm and thus, he could not assert that the Poisonous Worm Techniques could not cure Xu Qiuling.
"Sir, who are you actually? Are you a master of Poisonous Worm Techniques?" Xu Rushan’s expression became slightly lower.
"I am a rogue cultivator from the Alliance of Ming Assassins... Huang Yazi! My master is one of the Divine Transformation Realm experts in the Internal Endless Sea. He obtained some kind of poisonous worm by chance in the past and its name was - Dual Cultivation Worm! After this worm was refined by me for almost one thousand years, only I can control it. Your daughter only needs to consume this worm and perform dual cultivation with me to let me completely pluck her cultivation base, then all her injuries or illnesses can be cured!"
"What?! You have the Dual Cultivation Worm!?"
When they heard the name of Dual Cultivation Worm, all of them were shocked including Xu Rushan, Yan Zhongze, Dong Xu, and even Yang Gu who didn’t know much about the Poisonous Worm Techniques.
The Dual Cultivation Worm was one of the poisonous worms that only ancient cultivators knew how to raise. Aside from that, the power of the worm which could be activated through the dual cultivation between a man and a woman could cure almost all kinds of terminal illnesses.
However, there was a special feature about this worm. If it was refined by someone else, the ownership over it could not be changed...
If this Huang Ziya really has the Dual Cultivation Worm, maybe he could really cure Xu Qiuling by letting her perform dual cultivation with him...
But when he thought of his beloved daughter being ruined by this wretched-looking man, Xu Rushan was internally conflicted. The same feeling also surfaced on Yan Zhongze and Dong Xu’s faces.
But perhaps this is the only way to save Xu Qiuling... How should I decide...