Chapter 191

Half an hour later, the Tiger-Headed Cobra regained two-tenths of its vital energy and prepared to set out again; Su Jing, weak and breathless, said: "Wait..."

He pried open his toes and squeezed hard over the bloody, mangled wound; pus and blood spattered everywhere, and a wax pill the size of a fingernail was forced out, which he weakly shoved into Liu Liu Xiaolou's hand.

"Brother-in-law, the Dragon Gall... Yin-Yang Pill... you and Fifth Sister... can now consummate your marriage..."

After saying this, Su Jing's heart eased, and he slipped back into unconsciousness.

The Tiger-Headed Cobra was astonished: "Younger brother, so you really can't? This kind of ailment doesn't require pills—come to my Jiao family, I'll teach you the secret body-refining arts."

Liu Liu Xiaolou cursed: "Get lost! You're the one who can't! Shi San is an idiot—the biggest fool on earth!"

He carefully tucked the wax pill away.

The Tiger-Headed Cobra shook his head: "Still denying it..."

Having saved the man alive, Liu Liu Xiaolou felt greatly relieved, and set down the satchel and bone flute he'd been clutching: "Spoils—according to the rules, divide..."

The Tiger-Headed Cobra opened the satchel: "Not bad, this fellow had some wealth—twenty-seven spirit stones... Hadaan pills..." He uncorked several vials of elixirs, sniffed them, and exclaimed joyfully: "Nourishing Heart Pills! Younger brother, take one first..."

"Mmm... follow the rules—split evenly..."

"Haha, fine then—feeling good about earning spirit stones myself... Ah, there's actually Tiger Bone Pills... Do you have any external wounds? None? Then let me and Shi San take the Tiger Bone Pills first..."

"Mmm..."

"What kind of pill is this? I've never seen it..."

"Huh..."

"There's a plaque here—this Bandong bandit's surname is Suo? Have you heard of him? We teamed up to kill a Qi Refining tenth-layer cultivator—if word gets out, we'll become famous across the land..."

"Huh..."

"Forget it, better burn it. This isn't something to spread around—Bandong bandits will keep coming to avenge him. I'm not afraid, but it's a nuisance. What do you think, younger brother? Younger brother... younger brother..."

Seeing Liu Liu Xiaolou lapse into unconsciousness again, he quickly checked his meridians, then Su Jing's, and realized they were both poisoned too deeply. He dared not delay further, packed everything away, slung one man over each shoulder, and resumed his journey home.

After walking about half an hour, he suddenly heard commotion behind him—Bandong cultivators were shouting and chasing after them. The Tiger-Headed Cobra panicked, unsure what to do, when suddenly a figure appeared ahead. He stared blankly for a moment, thinking he'd imagined it, then burst into joy: "Su Jiuniang!"

Liu Liu Xiaolou had indeed been poisoned, but this poison wasn't ordinary—it was Bandong cultivator's toxic qi, transformed from true qi. Now, this toxic qi surged back and forth through the Foot Hand Jueyin Meridian, nearly destroying the entire channel.

That was why he had slipped back into unconsciousness.

After shattering the Foot Hand Jueyin Meridian, it surged into the Hand Hand Shaoyang Meridian, destroying that too, then rushed into the Hand Hand Jueyin Meridian, smashing through Zhongchong and Laogong, and advancing toward Dalin Point.

Just as it prepared to smash Dalin Point, for some unknown reason, the incoming toxic qi was stained with a faint green hue—this green halted the subsequent waves of toxic qi, making them hesitate, vacillate, and lose their momentum.

More toxic qi was tainted by the green, its toxins digested and annihilated, leaving only pure true qi.

After an unknown length of time, enough true qi had accumulated in Dalin Point to launch a counterattack—reclaiming Zhongchong and Laogong, repairing damaged meridians and acupoints, and converting more toxic qi into true qi.

After repairing the Hand Hand Jueyin Meridian, it repaired the Hand Hand Shaoyang Meridian, then returned to the Foot Hand Jueyin Meridian, reclaiming each acupoint like a siege, each one seized and occupied by the green hue, restoring all damage.

Liu Liu Xiaolou was at Qi Refining fifth layer, having reached Zu Zu Wuli—but the transformed true qi was extremely abundant. After reclaiming Zu Zu Wuli, it surged toward Yinlian, smashing through the acupoint, then flowed onward to Jimei and Sect Master, breaking those two points before converging toward the final barrier of the Foot Hand Jueyin Meridian—Qimen.

At Qimen, the green-stained true qi clashed violently with the Bandong cultivator's toxic qi. In repeated struggles, Qimen was battered into ruin; the remaining toxic qi fled in panic, retreating into the Foot Hand Shaoyang Meridian.

The opening of Qimen meant Liu Liu Xiaolou had entered Qi Refining sixth layer!

The green-stained true qi, having repaired Qimen, pressed forward, invading the Foot Hand Shaoyang Meridian.

The Foot Hand Shaoyang Meridian is a major channel, with forty-four acupoints on each side, beginning at Tongzi Liao near the eye and ending at Zú Zu Yin Qiao Yin.

The transformed true qi and toxic qi continued their battle, fighting from Tongzi Liao through Tinghui, Shangguan, Heyan, Xuanlu, Xuanli, Qubin, Shugu, Tianchong, Fubai, Touqiaoyin, Wangu, and twelve other points—only halting before Benshen. At last, all residual toxic qi remaining in his meridians was utterly annihilated and transformed.

The faint green hue swiftly retreated, reassembling back into Dalin Point, hiding in the shadows, fading from sight.

This battle within Liu Liu Xiaolou's meridians lasted over a month; he remained unconscious for a month. When he awoke, he felt his cultivation had surged forward—he vaguely recalled it was the true qi's counterattack merging with the Bandong cultivator's residual toxic qi.

Is this what they mean by great opportunity arising between life and death? I've experienced it once too...

Thinking this, he opened his eyes and saw a window, a door.

Familiar window patterns, familiar curtain—this was the bedroom of Yilingtang.

He rolled over and sat up, suddenly feeling dizzy, collapsing back onto the bed—it was from lying too long.

After a moment's rest, he rose again, and a maid drew back the curtain—she was not Susu, but Miss Xiao Qin, Su Jiuniang's personal maid.

Miss Xiao Qin entered with a basin of water, said nothing, placed it on the stand beside the bed, and withdrew.

He stared blankly for a moment, washed up, and realized his clothes had already been changed; he pulled on a long robe and stepped out.

The long-absent Da Bai was paddling its webbed feet in the dripping pool, chasing two golden dragon-whisker carp. It looked up at Liu Liu Xiaolou, squawked twice, and tilted its head to study him.

Xiao Hei on the eaves mewed, leapt onto the upper roof, and vanished.

The Qingyu Furong Garden was unusually quiet, leaving Liu Liu Xiaolou slightly disoriented.

After a while, Su Jiuniang arrived, entering Yilingtang directly, looking at Liu Liu Xiaolou with complex expression, and softly said: "Glad you're awake."

Liu Liu Xiaolou asked: "Brother Brother Hutou... Jiao Hu?"

Su Jiuniang said: "He was badly wounded. After returning, we sent him back to the Jiao family. Don't worry—his injuries are healed, but he's been confined for a year."

Liu Liu Xiaolou smiled slightly: "He saw this coming... What about Shi San?"

Su Jiuniang said: "Don't worry about his poison—he's been cured. He left half a month ago with Bai Yang Jian Shi for the Southern Seas. Before he left, he said that once you're healed, you should visit the Southern Seas Sword Sect—he's been thinking about your illusion array."

Liu Liu Xiaolou laughed heartily: "Now he can enter the array."

Su Jiuniang rolled her eyes: "You can still laugh! Do you know how badly all three of you were injured? You nearly died! And now you're in deep trouble—Father and Second Uncle are furious, and you don't know what they'll do to you!"

What could they possibly do? Liu Liu Xiaolou brushed it off, uninterested, and simply asked: "Did Shi San say anything?"

Su Jiuniang snapped: "He claimed he went to Zhuoshui on his own, seeking to test himself in life-and-death trials, and had nothing to do with anyone else. He took over a dozen lashes from Second Uncle and refused to budge. Second Uncle wanted to lock him up for six months, but Bai Yang Jian Shi intervened and took him away..."

Liu Liu Xiaolou sighed: "Your Su family—only Shi San is like us from Wulong Mountain. By the way, Brother Brother Hutou also has a bit of Wulong Mountain in him."

Su Jiuniang said: "Nonsense... Jiao Hu's a fool—he refused to speak, even to me. Later, I asked him privately—he said it concerned your reputation, and even I couldn't be told. But how could such a thing be hidden? I found out from a friend in Tianmu Mountain—Shi San went there first to beg for pills for you. Tianmu had none, so he went to Zhuoshui... Anyway, think of how you'll explain this. Oh, here's what Brother Brother Hutou left for you."

He opened the bundle—it was exactly the Bandong dead man's satchel and the bone flute, containing thirteen spirit stones and several small elixir vials.