Chapter Forty-Two: Treatment

Chapter Forty-Two: The Cure

The moment Wu Hong activated his inner energy, his expression changed drastically—he knew something was wrong. He hurriedly sat down cross-legged, but it was already too late. A layer of solid ice, not too thick but unyielding, had already formed over his body, encasing him within.

Witnessing this, Wu Songran’s heart threatened to burst with terror. She tried to move, but her body felt as stiff as dead wood; she couldn’t budge an inch and could only stand by, wringing her hands in helpless anxiety.

All around Wu Hong, the cold was piercing. Wu Songran’s blood flow had never been smooth—even before, but now, with the rush of frigid air, she felt her entire body turn numb and cold. In an instant, she lost consciousness.

Wu Hong felt as if the blood in his veins was about to freeze. He desperately tried to circulate his inner energy to resist, but the cold, triggered by his own energy, grew even more violent, chilling him to the core. The more he tried to resist with his own energy, the fiercer the cold became.

“I cannot die; I still have so much left unfinished!” Yet, no matter how strong his will, Wu Hong could not withstand the beastly cold ravaging his body. In a heartbeat, he was frozen into a solid block of ice.

His energy was all but immobilized, save for a single current struggling desperately within his Heart Center acupoint. His mind, though, remained untouched by the chill.

This fierce cold seemed almost alive, freezing eighty percent of Wu Hong’s body and now launching a ferocious assault on the energy concentrated in his Heart Center.

What Wu Hong did not know was that the Mysterious Yin Fruit was a rare treasure of heaven and earth. Consumed correctly, it could strengthen one’s spirit and heal the gravely wounded, but only with the aid of gentle medicinal fire. Otherwise, eaten as he had, it was more lethal than any potent poison.

If the frigid force of the Mysterious Yin Fruit did not encounter martial energy, it would slowly digest in the body, and after a few days of gentle nurturing, could even bring great benefit. But if martial energy was activated immediately after swallowing, death was certain.

Fortunately, Wu Hong’s Great Sun Tathagata energy was of the purest Yang, so he was not instantly shattered by the cold like those before him.

Still, the crisis was dire. Only a single, indomitable mass of Great Sun Tathagata energy remained in his Heart Center. Though small, it was tenacious in the extreme, holding the cold at bay.

The cold within Wu Hong’s body, like a savage beast, attacked the energy at his Heart Center with relentless fury, yet the energy at Wu Hong’s chest was like a leaf upon a raging river—no matter how the waters roared, threatening to inundate all, the leaf would not be overturned.

When the energy of the Mysterious Yin Fruit found itself deadlocked with the force at Wu Hong’s Heart Center, it changed tactics and began attacking his brain.

This alarmed Wu Hong greatly. No matter how powerful one’s martial arts, the brain is the command center, the wellspring of a martial artist’s marrow.

When a practitioner achieves the Bone Refinement stage, their brain is subtly tempered along with their body. At this realm, not only can one project energy to harm opponents without weapons, but also unlocks latent, mysterious abilities. Memory, bodily agility, and more undergo earthshaking change.

Wu Hong was unlike ordinary martial artists. The Great Sun Tathagata Sutra was unfathomable in its marvels—this was why he had so casually gifted the precious innate manual to Fatty Li Yunda.

Now, the icy energy rushed straight for Wu Hong’s cerebral cortex. He felt as if he had fallen into the eighteenth layer of hell, beyond all hope of salvation. Despair filled his heart—this was the end.

But just as the cold reached his brain, something miraculous occurred. He felt a sudden heat radiate from the formless Great Sun Tathagata Sutra in his chest.

All of a sudden, the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra, which he had always treasured, appeared vividly in his mind, radiating ten thousand beams of golden light.

The frigid current seemed to meet its nemesis, like ice before the blazing sun, desperate to flee his body, but it was too late.

The golden light enveloped the cold but did not destroy it; rather, it wrapped it in layers of radiance. The wild cold, like an untamed horse, struggled, but the golden light was a furnace of heaven and earth.

Each surge of cold was wrapped and refined by the golden light; gradually, Wu Hong felt the chill leave him, replaced by a strange, gentle warmth that spread through his whole body, bringing unspeakable comfort.

Though the process seemed complex, in truth it all happened in an instant—a moment of crisis. The purified cold was no longer wild, but gentle, coursing throughout Wu Hong’s body.

This refined cold felt different from the usual Great Sun Tathagata energy. Wu Hong’s body now emitted a faint chill, but not enough to freeze him. The current flowed through every inch of his body, finally sheathing itself around his bones.

A crackling and snapping resounded from Wu Hong’s skeleton, like thunder clashing in the heavens.

When Wu Hong and Wu Songran fell from the sky, the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra had bathed Wu Hong’s damaged body in radiant light, forcibly elevating him to the Bone Refinement stage. Though his progress seemed rapid, there remained many hidden dangers—his bone refinement was incomplete.

The Mysterious Yin Fruit, a treasure of nature, though not consumed properly by Wu Hong, was transformed by the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra into something wondrous.

The opposing energies of ice and fire washed through Wu Hong’s muscles and bones, stabilizing his Bone Refinement realm.

Suddenly, Wu Hong’s eyes snapped open, and the motion of his eyelids sounded like a blade being drawn, followed by a piercing gleam from his gaze.

The Great Sun Tathagata Sutra was indeed miraculous, Wu Hong thought in awe.

Then, noticing Wu Songran unconscious, he hurried to her side, pressed his palms to her back, and gently guided his energy to stimulate her circulation.

To his surprise, the healing properties of the Mysterious Yin Fruit, mixed into his energy, broke through several of Wu Songran’s blocked meridians at once.

Delighted, Wu Hong concentrated even harder, infusing his energy slowly into Wu Songran.

As her health improved, Wu Songran gradually regained consciousness. Feeling strong hands pressed against her back, she realized Wu Hong was helping her and finally let out a sigh of relief, “Brother, are you alright?”

“Don’t speak—quickly, circulate your energy through your body!” Wu Hong, worried she would lose focus, immediately reminded her.

Sensing that many of her blocked meridians were now open, Wu Songran, though unsure why, dared not ask. She followed Wu Hong’s instructions and began to circulate her energy.

No one knew how long passed, but Wu Songran felt all the blockages in her meridians had been cleared by Wu Hong’s energy. She even sensed the faint signs of a breakthrough.

After a while, Wu Hong, seeing that her energy now flowed smoothly, stood up and smiled, “Ran, all your blocked meridians are open. Try walking now!”

Hearing this, Wu Songran was overjoyed. She leapt to her feet, but her footing was unsteady and she cried out, “Oh!”

Wu Hong quickly caught her and said, “Don’t rush. Take your time. You haven’t moved for a long while. Even though your meridians are clear, you mustn’t be hasty.”

Wu Songran blushed as Wu Hong steadied her; she slowly flexed her limbs, and soon felt as good as new.

Their fall from the sky had shredded their clothes; now, both recovered, they exchanged a glance, and an awkwardness hung between them.

Those who had died to the power of the Mysterious Yin Fruit also had their garments torn to rags by the violent energies. There was no clothing to be found.

But the forest was full of sturdy vines and broad leaves. Wu Hong found some large leaves to wrap around themselves, cut a few old vines, and fashioned two crude outfits—enough to save face between brother and sister.

Though their clothes were little more than woven leaves and vines, Wu Songran, once a refined young lady from the capital, now exuded a wild, untamed beauty. Wu Hong could not help but stare in a daze.

Seeing Wu Hong’s gaze, Wu Songran’s cheeks flushed. Am I truly falling for my brother? she wondered. But is this right? Though we are half-siblings, and there are precedents, is this really allowed?

Wu Hong’s mind was equally tangled. He wanted to ask what had happened after he fainted at the desert inn, but couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Glancing at the corpses and the untouched Mysterious Yin Fruit, Wu Hong gathered the remaining fruit and placed them all into his Universe Ring.

“Brother—where did those fruits go?” Wu Songran was startled to see the fruit in Wu Hong’s hand vanish.

“Heh—all put away in here. This is called a Universe Ring!” Wu Hong explained to Wu Songran how he’d obtained the ring.

Wu Songran listened with fascination. Who would have thought that such treasures existed in this small world, or that her brother would find an innate manual and simply give it away? She hardly knew what to say.

That innate manual was unspeakably precious—if not unique, then vanishingly rare. How could he just give it to someone?

“Ran, it’s nothing. In my heart, the only thing that truly matters is the legendary Rebirth realm of this world. Everything else is of no importance to me.”

While they spoke, neither noticed the subtle rustling in the nearby woods. The old Medicine King, by some secret method, had unblocked his own meridians and was eavesdropping on their conversation.

“Hmph—the power of the Mysterious Yin Fruit failed to claim the Demon Wu’s life. It seems I have no fate with this treasure. But Wu Hong, remember this: we are not done yet.”