Chapter 170: The Method to Break the Seven-Star Nail

After leaving Mount Zihui, Xie Jinhuan released the Wild Boar King, first made a trip to Danyang City to pick out a small gift for Wanyi and Mo Mo, who were sure to be furious, then rushed back to Jingcheng at top speed.

He had left in such a hurry last night that he hadn't noticed the changes in Jingcheng at all. Now, traveling through the inner-city market early in the morning, he discovered that among the patrolling experts there were quite a few more monks, and that he himself had become the universally admired Marquis of Danyang County.

At three years old, Xie Jinhuan vowed to out-hustle the local natives; his highest dream was to be a hegemon like Shang Lianbi, monopolizing the entire Dragon Bone Shoal—though he only held the title of City Lord, in reality he had crowned himself king of a nation.

Standing above ten thousand, he could still attend to his cultivation, indulging in every pleasure in his wine pools and meat forests; even if he bullied the Yellow Weasel Spirit and the Octopus Lady night after night, no one would dare say a word against it...

But to reach that level, he first needed the hard power to look down on all the sects and schools, and he was clearly still a long way from that.

However, the big sister who had saved him and his father three years ago had told him to head south and had promised him a royal title.

If she kept her word and enfeoffed both sides, wanting it all would probably be a bit difficult...

Moreover, having witnessed the big sister Jin Jia soaring through the sky and vanishing into the earth, and recalling the hardship of his three-thousand-li ascetic journey, his interest in the path of cultivation had only grown.

When he had been pierced through the chest by a spear, his only thought had been "I hate that I couldn't do better"—why had he wasted his precious years, hustling at everything, only to end up hustling himself into the Duck King, without a single real skill to his name.

And afterward, heading south, the belief that kept him going was:

I will climb step by step, one step at a time, to the very top...

What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger...

He was already sixteen or seventeen; if he gave up halfway and turned back, he'd be nothing but a good-for-nothing. Yesterday he couldn't protect his parents; in the future, he wouldn't be able to protect his wife and children either. If he couldn't make something of his studies, he might as well have died on the road.

Although he couldn't clearly recall where he had ended up after sinking into the sea, Xie Jinhuan was not at all surprised by his martial skills—they were something he had trained himself.

What he sought was, first, to repay a kindness, and second, to avenge a grudge; of course, in the end, Jinhuan's original heart could not change.

Recalling the scene of the ambush now, the big sister Jin Jia had stepped in a second time to save him, golden-red qi and blood surging from her five fingers—sure enough, she had mobilized her life essence blood.

His qi and blood were tinged with gold; perhaps she had gained a divine opportunity at the War Saint Mountain of the Western Rong. The Jianbing Shenjun presides over slaughter and battle, so she might be a Bai Hu sister...

And the loss required to heal his surely fatal wound certainly couldn't be repaid by a single stalk of Sixty-Year Lotus.

The big sister Jin Jia hadn't taken a single coin, and had even helped him care for his closest kin; yet after his return he had broken his word and indulged himself in the Great Qian—that was inhuman!

But he truly hadn't done it on purpose; he still needed to find a chance to contact the big sister Jin Jia and explain...

Also, his father had said He Man and He Hai had left with someone, and he didn't know if it was the Crown Prince—this matter had to be investigated thoroughly.

But with such a huge incident, even the Imperial Astronomical Bureau hadn't detected any problem; so either the Crown Prince was fine, or this was a very big problem. Getting to the bottom of it probably wouldn't be easy...

Xie Jinhuan held up an oil-paper umbrella, with Meiqiu—who had traveled the whole journey with him—perched on his shoulder, walking along the familiar inner-city streets. After thinking for a long while, he suddenly took out the Tiangang Mace and examined it.

Three years ago, he had survived because he had met the big sister Jin Jia; his martial skills had come from his ascetic trek to the South Sea, where he might have encountered a master beyond the world; but why had the Tiangang Mace ended up in his hands?

He had bought it casually for two taels of silver, and several years had passed; he couldn't clearly recall the circumstances at the time.

After a moment's thought, Xie Jinhuan looked at the peerless big cart beside him:

"Good wife, is this mace a divine weapon?"

Ye Hongshang, dressed in a gorgeous red gown, walked at his side as usual; in truth, there was also a touch of bewilderment between her brows as she quietly pondered:

Why can't this soul-locking curse be broken...

Could it be that this Xie kid is an old lover I grew to hate, that I committed an unforgivable wrong, but couldn't let go, so I deliberately forgot everything...

Forget it, who knows what kind of wandering ghost I used to be. Maybe, like Xie Jinhuan, I was a tyrant who hacked my way from Weizhou all the way to Phoenix Port. Forgetting the past and starting over as a new person sounds pretty good...

Hearing Xie Jinhuan's question, Ye Hongshang came back to herself and answered casually:

"Aside from being very hard, it has no special effects."

"Oh..."

Xie Jinhuan was a bit disappointed, but as a blunt weapon like a mace or whip, being hard was enough. As long as the kinetic energy was great enough, it was an "armor-piercing discarding-sabot round"; even bigger, it was a "water droplet." Other fancy-schmancy functions, he didn't care about.

So this was a holy sword of physics—still a holy sword...

Lin Fu, in a rear-chamber boudoir.

Lin Wanyi sat beside the round table; on a face of breathtaking beauty, there was nothing but worry and grievance.

The exquisitely carved little Zisu stood beside the table with arms crossed, a hint of "hopeless elder aunt who can't make it as the main wife" in her eyes, chattering on:

"Little Aunt, you can't go on like this. Every two or three days you fall asleep keeping him company, and such a fine Mr. Xie is being worn out of existence by you. Not to mention Sister Linghu, even I can't stand watching anymore! If you keep being so useless, I'll have to dose you with a 'Spirit-Lifting Powder'—guaranteed to make you restless, unable to sit or lie down, unable to sleep..."

Lin Wanyi had spent the last ten days keeping Xie Jinhuan company, been caught sleeping two or three times, and last night had even made the man disappear; now she had no way to air her grievance:

"I don't know what's wrong either. I feel like there's something dirty in the house, um... the kind of thing you can't see or touch, but it's always watching you from the side..."

Lin Zisu blinked her big eyes and looked around:

"You mean, little Aunt, the house is haunted?"

"That's not quite what I mean either. I just feel like there's someone beside me, but I can't find them..."

Just as the two of them, big and small, were talking like this, a sound came from outside the boudoir door, and a white shadow descended from the sky.

Whoosh~

Lin Wanyi, thinking Lord Linghu had come again to ask her for her man, shrank her neck a few inches.

When she saw the cold, stern Young Master outside the door, her eyes first lit up with joy, then her willow-leaf brows shot up:

"You big trotter! How dare you come back..."

As she spoke, she rose and charged out with little fists clenched!

Thump thump thump~

Lin Zisu could tell from the swing of her lapels alone that her little aunt was plenty angry; she hurriedly grabbed her from behind:

"Hey hey~ little Aunt, little Aunt, calm down..."

Xie Jinhuan knew Wanyi was terribly aggrieved, but he truly had no choice last night. Now he stepped forward quickly and took out a small pouch he had unboxed from a blind box at the Duobao Studio on Golden Gate Street:

"When I woke up last night and saw you sleeping, I thought I'd go out for a run to test my legs, and before I knew it, I'd ended up in Danyang..."

Lin Wanyi spotted the familiar little pouch, froze for a moment, hurriedly snatched it and hid it in her sleeve; the look in her eyes seemed to say—with the child right here, how can you just take things out like that?

Lin Zisu hugged her aunt and peeked over her shoulder, her eyes filled with disbelief:

"Xie Young Master, you tried your legs—could you really run two or three hundred li back and forth?"

Xie Jinhuan had run deep into Mount Zihui, back and forth—far more than three hundred li—but he couldn't say this outright, so he just smiled:

"I just wanted to test how much it improved me, but I got carried away. This pill is truly powerful—it outclasses everyone else in every way, and seems to have no side effects…"

Lin Zisu came up close and, like a little physician, pinched Xie Jinhuan's arm, pectorals, and abdominal muscles:

"Actually, it's hard to say for sure. Xie Young Master, give yourself some time to adapt. If anything feels off, tell me right away. If we confirm there's no problem, we'll figure out how to get more Zi Zi Lotus—one pill each—and form a sect. What should we call it… hmm… Nine Dragon Hall!"

"Heh~ That's a good idea…"

Lin Wanyi stood nearby and, upon hearing "Zi Zi Lotus," remembered the matter of Master Bu.

Last time she returned, Xie Jinhuan immediately tested the bracelet on her, leaving her so flustered she forgot to ask. For the past ten days, Xie Jinhuan had been in hibernation, leaving no chance.

But Master Bu, for some reason, kept contacting her every few days to inquire about the situation—until just a few days ago, he suddenly lowered the price to "Seven Star Nail Removal Technique in exchange for Zi Zi Lotus"—no additional payment required!

This was a disastrous deal, as if whoever was struck by the Seven Star Nail had only days left to live…

After Zisu finished checking his body and took Meiqiu off to play, Lin Wanyi pulled Xie Jinhuan into the inner chamber and whispered:

"Jinhuan, do you have any way to obtain the Seven Star Nail removal technique? If you get it for the sect, they'll give you one Zi Zi Lotus…"

Xie Jinhuan sat beside Wanyi's bed, about to say that such a secret technique, reserved exclusively for the Mount Zihui sect leader, was impossible to obtain.

But the Ghost Bride suddenly appeared beside him, raising her right hand slightly—her palm produced a crystal orb.

Inside the orb floated a phantom figure, its entire meridian system visible, with seven points faintly glowing…

?

Xie Jinhuan froze, his gaze questioning—what is this?

Ye Hongshang leaned against the bed frame, looking slightly smug:

"True Person Qixia was the previous sect leader of Mount Zihui. Naturally, she knew the Seven Star Nail technique. I figured out the entire method yesterday. As long as I know the current meridian condition of the afflicted, I can produce the removal procedure."

Hearing this, Xie Jinhuan felt the grave he'd dug might actually be worth it.

Helping someone remove the Seven Star Nail without teaching the technique was like curing poison—no secret Mount Zihui cultivation method would be leaked.

It was as if he could simply open his mouth and receive a Zi Zi Lotus for free!

With the Zi Zi Lotus, he could return it to Bing Tuozi.

Seeing how faithfully and efficiently he kept his word, Bing Tuozi would surely feel tender affection…

…

Lin Wanyi had been waiting for Xie Jinhuan's reply, but noticed he was staring at the empty head of the bed, lost in thought. She turned her head, pulled her robe tighter, and looked frightened:

"What are you looking at? Is there something foul in the room?! I've felt uneasy these past few days…"

"Impossible!"

Xie Jinhuan quickly turned back, gripping Wanyi's shoulders:

"I'm thinking about the Seven Star Nail removal technique! Go ask first—which seven acupoints are sealed? Once I know, I can break it."

"Really?"

Lin Wanyi, hearing this reply, naturally felt joy.

But remembering Xie Jinhuan's habit of sneaking off, she couldn't fully rejoice. She glanced away, feigning displeasure:

"Hmph~ You big pork trotter, you ran off again last night. Do you know how I suffered? When Linghu Qingmo was asleep, why didn't you run then? Just as Zisu said—kindness invites abuse, Auntie's kindness invites…" cough…

?

Xie Jinhuan found it amusing. He pulled the glasses-wearing girl into his arms and gave her little pecks on the cheek:

"My fault. Won't happen again. Look—do you like this artifact?"

"Hmph, this was bought for you. I don't want it…"

Mwah mwah mwah mwah…

…

Soon after, the Pill Chamber.

Xie Jinhuan was pushed out the door by blushing Wanyi and went ahead to inspect the Pill Chamber's exterior.

Lin Zisu knew her aunt was busy being affectionate and didn't dare disturb her; she was now feeding Big Meiqiu. Seeing Xie Jinhuan pop up at the window, she looked puzzled:

"Xie Young Master, aren't you staying with your aunt?"

"Heh, I'll be going out again soon. Just came to check in."

Xie Jinhuan approached and asked:

"I slept for over ten days. Have you made any progress on the antidote formula you mentioned last time, Miss Zisu?"

Lin Zisu had nearly forgotten the matter. She immediately jumped up, rushed to the hundred-compartment cabinet, and pulled out two vials of pills:

"Already prepared! Here—Fire-on-Oil Pill!"

"Fire… on oil?"

Hearing the name, Xie Jinhuan already understood the general direction of Miss Zisu's methods:

"This is poison counteracting poison?"

"Yes."

Lin Zisu eagerly pulled out the small red vial:

"This is my concoction of a potent yang poison, primarily brewed from Burn-Bone Grass, supplemented with fourteen other extreme yang herbs…"

Xie Jinhuan blinked: "You know how to brew poison?"

"?"

The Poison Hand Medic blinked her big eyes at Xie Jinhuan, bewildered.

Master, what do you do for a living?

"Eh..."

Xie Jinhuan had been imagining that pharmacists made antidotes and poison-makers made poisons, forgetting they were essentially one family—he hadn't connected the dots, so he quickly raised his hand:

"Poison is still medicine—it's normal. Can this medicine cure the Burnt Immortal Parasite?"

"Mm."

Lin Zisu nodded confidently, perhaps finding explanation tedious, so she pulled out a slip of paper:

"I've written down how to use this pill and its pros and cons—Young Master Xie, have the infected person follow the instructions on this paper. I'm taking Meiqiu out for something to eat—I'm off~!"

Saying this, she grabbed Meiqiu and strolled off down the street.

Xie Jinhuan unfolded the paper and examined it; Lin Zisu's handwriting was neat and elegant, nothing like the wild scribbles of a typical Physician—the dosage and effects were written in great detail:

"Oil-on-Fire Pills, though unable to cure the Burnt Immortal Parasite, do have an antidote!"

"This pill uses a man's true yang as a catalyst, igniting extreme yang fire to burn away the body's inner and outer tissues; without the antidote, the victim becomes a dried corpse within an hour or two."

"The Burnt Immortal Parasite's yang poison uses supreme yang energy as a catalyst to burn the entire body—both yang poisons will compete for resources within the body!"

"No matter how powerful the Burnt Immortal Parasite, this pill will steal part of its living space; then, taking the antidote will extinguish the extreme yang fire, allowing some of the infected qi channels to return to normal!"

"As long as the qi channels are stabilized to prevent the yang poison from spreading, repeating this poison-against-poison cycle can eradicate the Burnt Immortal Parasite entirely."

Xie Jinhuan nodded silently, thinking this poison-against-poison method indeed had merit; he continued reading and found the cost was:

"The Burnt Immortal Parasite is endless—if even a speck of fire remains, it will ignite into a raging blaze when qi is stirred; thus, when the lesion can be fully eradicated depends largely on luck—sometimes it takes two or three tries, sometimes years."

"Yet each time the antidote is taken, poison-against-poison restores most of the already infected qi channels."

"Secondly, the two yang poisons ravage the body like oil on fire—fifty percent chance of instant recovery, fifty percent chance of instant death!"

"Therefore, the cultivator must take the pill, using true yang to ignite extreme yang fire, then transmit qi to guide it..."

Xie Jinhuan thought this method had no real side effects—just a high gamble.

He glanced at the sky; time was late, so he wasted no time, leaping away from Lin Fu toward Bing Tuozi's garage...

(End of Chapter)