5 A Ray of Hope

Jun Xie had spoken in a soft voice. However, his words felt like thunderclaps resounding through the skies to Jun Wu Yi’s ears.

Jun Wu Yi’s eyes were wide open. A layer of brilliant yellow glow emitted out of his body; so much so that no one could dare to look at him. He grabbed Jun Xie’s arm with an unusual strength, and asked in an eager manner, "Mo Xie, are you saying that you have the means to cure me?"

Jun Wu Yi hadn’t stopped practicing his Xuan Qi cultivation while he had recuperated. The layer of yellow light emitting out of his body symbolized the strength of an Earth Xuan ranked expert. Jun Wu Yi’s achievements were quite rare in correspondence to his age; even though he was only at the early stages.

One could rarely find an Earth Xuan ranked expert in the Tian Xiang Kingdom. Jun Wu Yi had climbed to the Earth Xuan rank in only thirty years; this feat was similar to that of a sky-shaking genius. His strength would’ve entered a higher stage if the meridians of his lower body weren’t severely defective.

Cracking sounds issued out of Jun Xie’s arm due to Jun Wu Yi’s powerful grip. However, his face didn’t show even the slightest trace of pain. He remained calm and indifferent. He smiled and replied, "I can’t guarantee it… but I can try."

Suddenly, Jun Wu Yi became aware of his surroundings, and retracted his arm. A trace of doubt crept up in his mind as he looked at his own hands. He turned towards Jun Xie and asked, "Weren’t you in pain? Why aren’t you crying?"

"It did pain. But, would the pain stop if I cried? If so… then I would’ve definitely cried out loud. But… unfortunately… it isn’t so," Jun Xie replied.

Jun Wu Yi was startled to see the indifferent look on Jun Xie’s face. Suddenly, he laughed out loudly and said, "Haha! Now you have at least managed to convince me that you can cure me."

[This nephew of mine seems different from before], Jun Wu Yi thought.

"For now… your body needs to be massaged thrice a day – in the morning, afternoon, and evening. If possible… get servants with a background in martial arts to massage along your meridians. Moreover, you must soak your body in hot water every night… for an hour. No breaks are allowed in this routine. We can start your treatment when the preparations on my side are done. Is that alright?" Jun Xie smiled.

Jun Wu Yi controlled his emotions and said, "Very well, Mo Xie! Third Uncle is willing to trust you this time." His hands slowly balled-up into a fist as he said, "I’ll accept it… even if it fails." However, he didn’t say something else that he felt, [I’ll accept it… even if you’re just messing around with me.]

A strand of hope is better than none at all.

However, Jun Xie sensed something wasn’t right. "Third Uncle would surely have consulted many doctors during these years of being restricted to the wheelchair." Jun Xie checked Jun Wu Yi’s body again, and realized that he wasn’t in a positive state. The meridians at his waist had been completely blocked-off. Moreover, a heretical drug was slowly eroding his meridians. In fact, his muscles would’ve started to suffer from atrophy if it not for the high level of care and maintenance. That would’ve made him a cripple in the true sense, and would’ve left no scope for recovery. How could the high level doctors not detect that?

"The well-known doctors from all over the kingdom have been invited to cure me. But, none of them have been successful. I was attacked with an insidious skill, and it sealed off my meridians. Moreover, I was inflicted with a highly peculiar and toxic poison which left me with a life worse than death. We didn’t find any drugs that could fight off against this poison," Jun Wu Yi replied with a face full of hate. "Father had tried to break the insidious seal on my meridians several times. But, it hasn’t yielded any results. It seems that the only possible way to force out the poison is to utilize an extremely powerful Xuan Qi."

"If that’s the case… then why…" Jun Xie asked, but stopped midway.

"I was attacked by Sky Xuan ranked experts. We would need the help of a Spirit Xuan ranked expert in order to unlock their seal and force out the poison. But, Spirit Xuan experts are near mythical existences… who would only meet with the heads of organizations… and not the tails. Moreover, a Spirit Xuan expert would lose half of his strength to cure me… due to severe exposure to the poison… with no chance of ever recovering."

Jun Wu Yi smiled bitterly and said, "Which Spirit Xuan ranked expert would make such a big sacrifice for me? Mo Xie, achieving such high level of cultivation is as hard as ascending to the Heavens. Who in his right mind will throw away half of his life’s worth of cultivation for my sake?"

"What a fate! This person has thrown you into a state where you know the way to treat yourself… and yet that method is unattainable…" Jun Xie shook his head. "It seems that this guy’s hatred for you is beyond ordinary. He has used such a sinister method to torment you. His intention must’ve been to neither leave a path of life for you… nor the will to die." Jun Xie paused. Then, he asked unexpectedly, "Were these people our family’s blood enemies?"

"Mo Xie, you…. where did you find a way to treat me?" Jun Wu Yi’s eyes flickered with pain as he heard Jun Xie’s question. But, he didn’t answer him. Instead, he looked at Jun Xie with an evaluating expression. "You seem to be an entirely different person today."

"Third Uncle, your ailment has always been in my mind… day and night," Jun Xie broke out into a sweat. "I found this method by accident. It seems promising. So, I thought that I should try it out. We are related by blood, Third Uncle. It’s natural that I wish for you to get better. But, it’s also for my sake. I wish to be protected… and live a stable life as a second generation ancestor. That’s the kind of person I am. It can’t be helped… hahaha!"

"You stinking brat!" Jun Wu Yi scoffed. But then, he resumed his solemn expression and said, "Mo Xie, your Third Uncle accepts this act of kindness from you… regardless of whether you succeed or fail," his voice rang out loud and clear.

"Third Uncle, wait for the day when you can offer me shelter. Then, I’ll become a second generation ancestor… hahaha!" Jun Xie checked his state again before he made his mind up. He thought that he could use a three pronged treatment to cure Jun Wu Yi by increasing his own internal energy and with his knowledge of acupuncture and medicinal drugs.

Jun Xie had asked Jun Wu Yi to undergo the massages only to buy time. At present, he didn’t have the slightest bit of internal energy. However, the acupuncture treatment required a huge amount of energy in order to work.

Jun Wu Yi’s eyes lit-up as he heard Jun Xie’s confident words. He smiled and spoke, "Mo Xie, your level of Xuan Qi cultivation is only at the Third Level. It isn’t stronger than an average commoner. But, you still withstood my powerful grip without even batting an eyelid. You won’t be an ordinary second generation ancestor… with such a character and endurance."

Jun Wu Yi hadn’t gripped Jun Xie’s arm with his full strength. But, how can an ordinary laymen endure the grasp of an Earth Xuan ranked expert? Even a Gold Xuan ranked expert would’ve wrinkled his eyebrows in reaction. However, Jun Mo Xie had the negligible cultivation of a Third level Xuan Qi. And yet, he had been able to endure it. Moreover, he hadn’t even utilized his own Xuan Qi to resist.

Jun Wu Yi knew the level of pain that Jun Xie must’ve had to endure. Moreover, the pain was inflicted on him when he was the least prepared. But still, he hadn’t even flinched. This level of mind…

[What a pity…] Jun Wu Yi sighed as he looked at Jun Xie. [… What a pity that Jun Mo Xie’s age is too advanced. There’s no hope even if he’s capable of enduring painful hardships… and is to devote his entire life in cultivating Xuan Qi. Otherwise… the Jun family would’ve been able to produce another terrifying expert with his level of unyielding tolerance…]