Chapter 411: Great Favor
"She's fainted," Yun Che said.
Hua Minghai's entire body trembled, his teeth clenched tightly as he desperately held back the tears threatening to burst forth. He turned his face away, grabbing his head with both hands, and said painfully, "I know how much she has suffered all these years. Dying would be a release for her... but... how could I bear to watch her leave me forever..."
"This is a cruel and helpless choice. No matter which one you pick, it's both right and wrong... This feeling, those who haven't experienced it personally will never understand." Yun Che sighed, then changed his tone: "However, because you met me, your choice and persistence were correct."
"Ah!?" Hua Minghai immediately looked up at him.
Yun Che turned around, looking directly into his eyes, and said, "I've taken a few glances at your wife's condition and roughly understand it now. Go keep watch outside. Don't let anyone come in here. Unless I call for you, you absolutely must not enter either. You should also know, the more dangerous the illness, the more crucial it is to avoid any disturbance during treatment."
Seeing Yun Che's undisguised gaze, Hua Minghai said excitedly, "Could it be... could it be that you have a way... to save Xiaoya... you really have a way to save Xiaoya?!"
"It's not an absolute certainty either." Yun Che shot him a glare. "If you could vanish from my sight immediately, the chances of success might rise to about ninety-nine percent."
Whoosh! Slam!
A gust of wind whipped past Yun Che's eyes as Hua Minghai vanished from before him, followed by the sound of a door hurriedly closing.
That speed was absolutely earth-shattering and ghost-weeping, leaving Yun Che stunned for a good while before he recovered.
What kind of movement technique is this guy training in!?
His profound strength was roughly at the late stage of Heavenly Xuan, yet his movement technique could be terrifying to such a degree!
Yun Che had told Hua Minghai to wait outside not because he feared disturbance, but because he didn't want him to see how he treated Ru Xiaoya. After all, to expel the poison as quickly as possible, he would need to use the Heavenly Poison Pearl. Without it, removing her cold poison would take tens of millions times more effort—because the poison had been in her body for five years, fusing with her blood and meridians. Completely eliminating it would not only be extremely troublesome but also carry high risks.
In addition to the poison, she also had severe internal injuries. Because of the cold poison, these injuries had not healed over the five years but instead worsened day by day. To Yun Che, her life's decline was even more troublesome than the cold poison.
Yun Che stood by Ru Xiaoya's bed, extended his left hand, and placed it over her heart. The green light of the Heavenly Poison Pearl slowly appeared, then spread bit by bit throughout her body. The cold poison that had ravaged her for five full years was swiftly neutralized without any resistance under the power of the Heavenly Poison Pearl.
Hua Minghai paced back and forth outside like an ant on a hot pan, afraid to make even a single footstep sound.
A cool night breeze blew, clearing Hua Minghai's mind slightly. He was usually extremely cautious in his actions—otherwise he wouldn't have been able to keep Ru Xiaoya safe all this time. Yet today, he had brought a complete stranger to their current hiding place and let him alone approach Ru Xiaoya. Thinking back, he found it deeply unbelievable. Perhaps it was the mysterious and unfathomable aura of Yun Che that had stirred an inexplicable hope in his heart.
A full half hour passed with no sound from inside the house. This made Hua Minghai extremely uncertain. Several times he wanted to pull open the door, but each time he forced himself to hold back. Then, Yun Che's voice came from inside, neither loud nor soft: "Come in."
Like an electric shock, Hua Minghai threw open the door and rushed in. He saw that the herbs in the room were untouched, and Ru Xiaoya still lay in the same position, not even moved. He hurried forward and asked excitedly, "How is Xiaoya..."
Before he could finish, his pupils sharply dilated. Because he saw clearly that the blue-black patch on Ru Xiaoya's forehead had completely disappeared.
Hua Minghai trembled all over with excitement. He reached out and placed his hand on Ru Xiaoya's heart, carefully probing with his profound energy. Inside her body, he could no longer feel any trace of the cold poison—not even a single remnant.
"The cold poison in her body has been completely removed," Yun Che said. It wouldn't have taken the Heavenly Poison Pearl half an hour to eliminate Ru Xiaoya's cold poison, but if it were too fast, it would be too astonishing. So Yun Che had casually sat in meditation to drag the time out to half an hour.
Hua Minghai was already too excited to contain himself. They had been tormented by that cold poison for five full years. It was their most terrifying nightmare. They knew better than anyone how fearsome that poison was. They had long since despaired of it, without even the luxury of hoping for a cure. When Hua Minghai brought Yun Che here, he hadn't dared to hope for a miracle either—he just couldn't bear to give up on that sliver of possibility. Yet now, the miracle was truly presented before his eyes.
"Xiaoya... Xiaoya..." Hua Minghai grabbed Ru Xiaoya's hand, his voice trembling with incoherent excitement. "Did you hear that? Your poison is gone... completely gone... Xiaoya... did you hear me..."
"Alright, don't disturb her. Let's go outside," Yun Che said. "Although the cold poison is removed, her body has been corroded by it for five years. Her profound energy has completely scattered, and her internal organs are severely failing. If not for the nourishment of all those Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals over the years, she would definitely have died once the poison was lifted. She's still not out of immediate danger yet. Full recovery will take a very long time. What she needs most right now is a good rest."
Hua Minghai immediately fell silent. He helped cover Ru Xiaoya with the bedding, then walked out quietly with Yun Che.
Yun Che took out a small bottle and handed it to Hua Minghai. Inside was a small amount of crimson liquid. "This is the blood of a fire-attributed King Xuan True Dragon. It can effectively drive out the cold air that has accumulated in her body over the years and restore her vitality. There are ten drops of dragon blood in total. Dissolve one drop into three liters of water. Starting tomorrow, feed her three drops of that solution each day. After a full month, increase it by one drop per day... Remember, absolutely do not exceed that, or her body won't be able to withstand it."
The pure aura of a dragon, even through the jade bottle, was clearly sensed by Hua Minghai's powerful perception. He knew that true dragon blood—especially that of a fire-attributed King Xuan dragon—was no less than a heavenly pill for Ru Xiaoya, who was frail and filled with cold energy.
Hua Minghai took the dragon blood, too overwhelmed to speak.
"You've taken care of her for five years. You should know very well how to gradually heal her internal injuries and restore her vitality. I don't need to tell you more. But one thing I must remind you: within three months, do not remove the Purple Vein Heavenly Crystals. Her life force is too fragile right now. If she were separated from the crystals, even the slightest mishap could cost her life." Yun Che said solemnly. Healing the sick and saving the dying—he had done much of that in the past and took pleasure in it. But now, he no longer felt that way. Because the number of people he had saved was far, far less than the number he had killed.
"Thank you... benefactor!" Hua Minghai choked, then fell to his knees heavily. This time, he knelt with even greater force. The first time, his heart was full of reluctance, but this time, he knelt willingly. "Your great kindness, I, Hua Minghai, will remember for the rest of my life. Please tell me your name, so that I, Hua Minghai, can devote my entire life to repaying you."
"No need. I was just fulfilling a healer's duty." Yun Che said with some emotion. "As for my name... I already said it before. My name is Ling Yun."
Hua Minghai was unmoved by this name. Instead, he said, "Benefactor's real name, is it... Yun Che?"
"..." The corner of Yun Che's eye twitched violently. What the hell? I've only said my name twice in Shenhuang City, and both times I used "Ling Yun," yet both times the other party called out my real name. Is my reputation in the Shenhuang Empire so widespread that everyone knows it?
Seeing Yun Che silent for a long time, Hua Minghai knew he had guessed correctly. He quickly said, "When I infiltrated the Fenghuang God Sect before, I happened to hear the name 'Yun Che.' They mentioned that Yun Che was from the Cang Feng Kingdom, not of the Fenghuang God Sect, yet possessed a Phoenix bloodline. The benefactor comes from the Cang Feng Kingdom and can use Phoenix Flame... So I suspected that the benefactor was that 'Yun Che' all along."
I see... Yun Che finally relaxed. Obviously, the name "Yun Che" wasn't the key, but "a person outside the Fenghuang God Sect with a Phoenix bloodline" was enough to draw high attention.
"I am indeed the Yun Che you speak of. My visit to Shenhuang City this time is also to settle matters with the Fenghuang God Sect, which is why I wouldn't give you the Fenghuang Kui." Glancing at the night sky, Yun Che helped Hua Minghai up and said, "Alright, go back and take care of your wife. You don't need to think about thanking me. Once she has regained her strength, you should take her away from Shenhuang City to a more peaceful place."
Hua Minghai said resolutely, "Though I am a thief, I never forget to repay kindness. I said before, if you could save my wife, my life would be yours. From now on, if the benefactor has any use for me, just say the word. I won't hesitate even if it means walking through fire and treading on blades. Especially if the benefactor wants to obtain something—even if it's in the sacred grounds, I am willing to brave them for you."
Hua Minghai's last sentence stirred something in Yun Che. He opened his mouth, but swallowed the words before they could come out. In Shenhuang City, what he wanted most was undoubtedly the Fenghuang God Sect's *Phoenix Ode Scripture*. If he could obtain the general principles and the first four levels of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture*, his Phoenix profound arts would become fully integrated.
However, the *Phoenix Ode Scripture* was the core technique of the Fenghuang God Sect, and it was this scripture that had made the Fenghuang God Sect the number one sect in Tian Xuan. Their protection of the *Phoenix Ode Scripture* was sure to be extremely tight. If Hua Minghai truly went to steal it, he would very likely risk his life. After all, this was the Fenghuang God Sect, and the *Phoenix Ode Scripture* was nothing ordinary.
Having just removed the cold poison from Ru Xiaoya, if Hua Minghai were to fall at the Fenghuang God Sect because of him, it would mean destroying two lives.
Seeing Yun Che's face clearly show hesitation before he withdrew his unspoken words, Hua Minghai promptly said, "Benefactor, is there something you want? Speak it out, and I will definitely get it for you. If I don't repay this kindness, I will never have peace."
Yun Che thought for a moment, then said, "Can you tell me what movement technique you use?"
Hua Minghai was slightly surprised, hesitated briefly, and said, "It is my Hua family's ancestral movement technique—'Phantom Lightning Extreme.'"