Chapter 813: [Wish] (Part 2)

Behind him, Huo Shengnan's joyful cheer rang out: "A shooting star!"

Hu Xiaotian turned around and only then noticed Huo Shengnan standing before the tent; she too had seen the shooting star and was gazing at the night sky just like him. Although her view wasn't as clear as his, the scenery in her field of vision must have included his presence—was she admiring him?

Huo Shengnan clasped her hands before her chin, closed her beautiful eyes, and silently prayed; legend says that making a wish upon a shooting star will make one's heartfelt desire come true.

Hu Xiaotian chuckled, turned back again, and saw that the meteor's light had vanished from the night sky. He spoke loudly: "What did you wish for? Is it something to do with me?"

Huo Shengnan glared at him and said, "Indeed it is related—I wish you would never spout nonsense in front of me again!"

Hu Xiaotian smiled, "We have no grudge against each other, do you really need to curse me like that?"

Huo Shengnan secretly thought, "What kind of wish would keep me from telling you?" She waved her hand: "Get some rest early!"

Hu Xiaotian's injury was no trivial matter—the wound stabbed into his back by the Black-hearted Child Xiejue was deep; although the toxin had no effect on him, such a deep wound would still need time to heal completely. The heavy punch of the One-eyed Giant Zhao Jueding had also shaken his viscera, and he indeed needed to cultivate to heal his injuries. Hu Xiaotian now had a profound understanding of the subtleties of the Formless Divine Skill; using it not only could neutralize the alien true qi within his body, but it could also greatly accelerate his own recovery.

Sitting cross-legged on the rock, he gathered his scattered thoughts—no one knows what tomorrow will bring, just as he had never imagined he would end up in this era. As long as he has a breath, he must strive to live on; each extra day lived is a day gained.

After absorbing the power of the Black Corpse, the inner force stored in Hu Xiaotian's Dantian Qi Sea had grown far stronger than before. Each use of the Formless Divine Skill is akin to an internal self‑filtration process: it purifies the inner force coming from the outside, subdues it for his own use, and ultimately makes it part of his own true qi.

The inner breath flows out from the Dantian Qi Sea; Hu Xiaotian has gained considerable insight into the method of cultivation and must learn to control the flow of inner breath within his body. He must set up invisible sluices between each meridian, treating the Dantian Qi Sea like a water reservoir—each cultivation session is like releasing floodwater, and he must regulate the outflow so the channels are not washed away. Cultivating inner energy is thus akin to undertaking a massive hydraulic project inside the body; any mistake in any link can cause deviation, and a moment's carelessness risks a breach.

The inner breath trickles like a slender stream along Hu Xiaotian's Eight Extraordinary Meridians, permeating his whole body. If one can achieve effective control of the inner breath, his internal cultivation has reached a first‑rate level—but saying it is easy and doing it is extremely difficult. With Hu Xiaotian's perceptiveness, he has still not managed to release sword qi at will.

Inner breath is likewise a double‑edged sword; used properly it strengthens the body, but used improperly it brings no benefit and can harm. Lightly, it causes martial arts to regress; heavily, it leads to deviation into demonic possession, turning one into a cripple or even costing one's life. This is why cultivation is usually undertaken in a quiet, secluded room, where the process must avoid any disturbance.

Starlight quietly bathed Hu Xiaotian's body; within his meridians, a slender stream of gathered inner breath circulated endlessly, passing over his flesh like a spring breeze—an indescribable comfort—and the pain of his wounds lessened considerably.

He felt as if his inner body had been thoroughly cleansed; every part of him was bathed in the purifying inner breath—perhaps this is what marrow‑washing feels like. Hu Xiaotian again sensed the feeling he had that night by the river; the muscles around his wound twitched faintly, and he could even hear the sound of them knitting together. Closing his eyes, he envisioned in his mind a rapid growth of muscle tissue.

Hu Xiaotian tried to gradually increase the flow of inner breath; when it reached the meridians of his back, the healing speed of his wound seemed to quicken. He felt both surprised and delighted—it appeared he had found a way to heal his injuries. If he continued this method, perhaps by tomorrow morning his wounds would be fully healed. The inner breath circulated through his body; with each practice he grew more confident, his mind and body felt ever more refreshed. After the inner breath had cycled five times through his meridians, his shoulder wound felt completely normal, as if fully healed. Hu Xiaotian secretly felt relieved, decided to perform one more round of cultivation to finish today's training, and let the flow of inner breath in his Dantian Qi Sea run uncontrolled, just as usual.

The inner breath flowed smoothly through the shoulder meridians without any blockage—just when Hu Xiaotian believed his meridians were fully repaired, a sudden sharp pain shot through his shoulder. The sealed meridians seemed to have opened a tiny window, and the inner breath spurted outward. Hu Xiaotian was greatly alarmed; he hurriedly withdrew the inner breath and tried to guide it back into his Dantian Qi Sea, but something went wrong: the connection between the Dantian Qi Sea and the meridians abruptly severed, and the inner breath circulating in the meridians could no longer return. Hu Xiaotian panicked, opened his mouth to call for help, but though his jaws gaped wide, no sound came out. He barely managed to stand, took a step forward, and his right side went numb; losing balance, he rolled off the rock with a gurgling thud, his back slamming hard onto the ground. The pain was so intense it felt as if his bones would split, his vision darkened, and he fainted.

When he awoke again, he found it was still night; the blurry scene before him gradually cleared, and there appeared Huo Shengnan's anxious, caring face as she slapped his cheeks and urged, "Hu Xiaotian, wake up!"

Hu Xiaotian looked at Huo Shengnan, wanting to speak, but when he opened his mouth no sound emerged.

Huo Shengnan said, "Don't scare me—what's wrong with you? Say something!"

Hu Xiaotian also wanted to speak, but could not produce a sound. He tried to lift his left hand—it seemed normal—then attempted to raise his right hand, and good heavens! No matter how hard he tried, his right hand wouldn't budge. He was utterly panicked; he used his left hand to lift his right, feeling no sensation at all, and when he let go, his right hand flopped limp. He then lifted his left leg—it was fine—but his right leg, like his right hand, had lost all feeling. He suddenly felt tragic, his last memory being the moment he fell from the rock. Had he struck his head in the fall, suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that compressed the left side of his brain, causing paralysis on his right? A hemiplegia? If so, he was doomed—better dead than alive!

Seeing his mouth open and close without uttering a word, Huo Shengnan grew suspicious. She had tricked him into wishing upon a shooting star that he would never again spout nonsense before her—actually, it was all a lie. Was he pretending like this just to frighten her because of that remark? Thinking this, she wore a doubtful expression and said, "You can't speak? I never imagined my wish would be so effective!"

Hu Xiaotian gazed at Huo Shengnan with a frown and bitter expression, wanting to say, "I'm really not pretending," and now he understood what it meant to be unable to speak despite having something to say. Huo Shengnan obviously lacked basic medical knowledge and failed to realize that Hu Xiaotian was in trouble.

Fortunately Hu Xiaotian still had use of his left hand; he signaled Huo Shengnan to extend her hand. Though she was initially reluctant, thinking he was feigning to take advantage of her, she eventually agreed. Hu Xiaotian wrote in her palm: "I'm sick!"

Huo Shengnan gave a dismissive snort.

Hu Xiaotian silently sighed, "This woman has no sympathy at all." He continued writing, "My right side has lost all sensation." After writing it twice, Huo Shengnan finally grasped his meaning, half‑believing, half‑doubting, she asked, "Really?"

Hu Xiaotian wrote again, "If you don't believe me, try slapping me." Huo Shengnan raised her hand and lightly slapped his left cheek. Hu Xiaotian instinctively turned his head away, but the slap was still ineffective.

Huo Shengnan triumphantly declared, "I knew you were deceiving me!"

Hu Xiaotian, feeling vexed, said, "Grandma, please use your brain," and pointed to his own right cheek.

Huo Shengnan bit her cherry lips, thinking, "Let you trick me—this time you're actually asking me to hit you." She dropped the politeness and swung another slap, which landed squarely with a sharp "pak!" The sound startled even Huo Shengnan, who apologetically said, "I didn't really mean to hit you—I didn't expect you wouldn't dodge!"

Five red, swollen fingerprints marked Hu Xiaotian's right cheek from Huo Shengnan's slap; this time she had clearly struck for real, thinking he could easily dodge again, but she hadn't expected him to fail to avoid it.

Hu Xiaotian looked at her pitifully and wrote in her palm, "My right side can't move."

Only then did Huo Shengnan believe Hu Xiaotian wasn't lying to her; she panicked, her hands and feet flustered, and cried, "Hu Xiaotian, Hu Xiaotian, don't scare me—what's wrong with you? How could you suddenly become unable to move?"

Hu Xiaotian gestured with his left hand for her to help him up; Huo Shengnan loosened her grip slightly, and he immediately lost balance, toppling backward, unable to stand. Realizing the situation was serious, she hurriedly supported his body and said, "It must be a stroke—I've seen patients like this before."

Hu Xiaotian gave a wry smile; even his mouth was twisted when he tried to laugh.

Huo Shengnan's eyes reddened with anxiety: "It's all my fault—I shouldn't have let you stay out in the wind. You were still seriously unhealed; if I had let you rest inside the tent, perhaps this wouldn't have happened."

Hu Xiaotian's heart was also heavy with frustration. Although he was a doctor and a physician cannot treat himself, his symptoms resembled hemiplegia. Yet the rock wasn't high, the ground below was soft soil; he seemed to have rolled down rather than struck his head, and recalling the earlier events, his present condition was likely caused by a mishap during his cultivation practice.

Huo Shengnan said, "Your condition can't be delayed—we must find a doctor to treat you at once. Xiaotian, I won't argue with you anymore; from now on I'll never quarrel with you again. Let's go!" (To be continued~^~)