Han Li's outburst gave Wen Siyue and her Dao Companion a massive fright. Before they had a chance to inquire about the situation, a burst of light suddenly flashed from Han Li's fingertip as he tapped it toward the red birthmark on the young woman's palm.
A small ball of azure light then immediately disappeared into her palm.
Wen Siyue and her Dao Companion had no idea what was going on, but they didn't dare to disrupt what Han Li was doing.
An incredible scene then ensued.
After the azure light disappeared, the red birthmark became even more vibrant in color before beginning to elongate. Gradually, it transformed into a crimson dragon pattern that surfaced on the center of her palm. The dragon was extremely vivid and life-like, as if it were an actual living creature.
"I knew it!" Han Li murmured to himself. He turned to appraise Tian Qin'er again, and his expression became even more peculiar.
Wen Siyue's heart immediately clenched up with concern upon seeing this, and she asked, "Senior Han, is my daughter…"
Han Li exhaled, and asked, "It's alright, I've discovered why your daughter's condition is so strange. I heard from your conversation earlier than she was bitten by an unknown venomous insect before falling ill, right?"
Wen Siyue's heart stirred, and she hurriedly replied, "That's right, our daughter was indeed afflicted by a venomous insect. However, we managed to get the insect to bite us as well, and its venom was indeed rather difficult to eradicate, but definitely not as difficult as in our daughter's case."
Han Li pointed at the red dragon pattern on the center of the young woman's palm, and said, "Hehe, that's only natural. The venom is only a red herring, leading you to believe that it's the root cause for your daughter's condition when in reality, the thing that's actually posing a threat to her life is her Dragon Cry Physique! She's a female cultivator with a special physique unique to men. Furthermore, the insect most likely possessed extremely potent Yang-type venom as well, and the combination of those two factors culminated in her current condition! The venom is merely a catalyst; even without it, her vitality will gradually fade and she won't live past 40."
"Dragon Cry Physique? That's impossible! My Dao Companion and I checked our daughter thoroughly after she was born, and we didn't discover any abnormalities within her body." Wen Siyue's face immediately turned extremely pale.
"Her Dragon Cry Physique is very rare, and it's a type of recessive physique. Unless an external catalyst is introduced or it begins to take effect on its own, it's very difficult to detect. Those with such a physique would be able to progress quickly in their cultivation, but as their rate of progression increases, the Yin and Yang energies within their bodies will be thrown into imbalance. In the end, they'll inevitably perish before reaching the Foundation Establishment Stage," Han Li replied calmly.
"So that means even if this poison is eradicated, our daughter still won't be able to continue cultivating!" A panicked look appeared on Wen Siyue's face and her Dao Companion's expression had also become quite grave.
"We'll talk about those things later. Let me get rid of the poison within her body first. You two, leave this cabin for now, I'll call you two back in when I'm ready," Han Li instructed.
"Yes!" The couple naturally didn't dare to object and could only exit the room.
Upon seeing this, a hint of unease appeared on the young woman's face for the first time. Han Li turned toward her and abruptly swept a sleeve through the air.
Azure light flashed and Tian Qin'er felt her vision blur before she slumped onto the bed, completely unconscious.
Han Li began to carefully examine her again, as if he wanted to find out something by assessing her.
After a while, Han Li sighed and murmured to himself, "She has the same aura, she's also a woman with the Dragon Cry Physique, and she's well-versed in formation spells… Is this really just a coincidence or does reincarnation actually exist?"
He then brought his hands together before separating them again, upon which a dozen or so shiny silver needles as thin as threads of silk appeared between his fingers.
Han Li waved his hands through the air and the silver needles shot forth, piercing into certain spots on the young woman's body with unerring accuracy, before disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Han Li then made a series of hand seals as his fingers danced in an erratic manner. Bursts of light of all different colors flew forth from between his fingers, instantly transforming into a five-colored net of light that encompassed the young woman beneath it…
Outside the wooden cabin was a small courtyard, within which Wen Siyue and her Dao Companion were standing. They were constantly staring at the door of the wooden cabin with concern flashing through their eyes.
It appeared that the two of them really were extremely loving of their only daughter.
The four Foundation Establishment disciples stood off to the sides, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
The wooden cabin was completely silent and this silence was only further fueling the graceful man's anxiety.
However, despite his concerns, he didn't dare to transmit his voice to Wen Siyue. He knew just how powerful a late-Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual sense was, and he was well aware that there was no way his voice transmission would escape Han Li's notice. If he said something to irk Han Li, then the consequences could prove to be disastrous.
Just as his concern and anxiety were reaching a boiling point, Han Li's voice suddenly sounded in his ears.
"Alright, you can come in now."
The graceful man immediately rushed toward the cabin's door upon hearing this. As he did so, he took a glance at Wen Siyue.
She was also wearing a delighted expression, thereby indicating that she must have received the voice transmission as well. Thus, the man immediately pushed open the door and walked in without any hesitation.
Wen Siyue followed closely behind him.
Han Li was still sitting on the same chair, and his head was lowered as he examined a ball of fist-sized azure flames in his hand. Within the flames were enveloped a few wisps of twisted and erratic black threads.
Those threads seemed to possess a spiritual nature. Meanwhile, the young woman was lying completely still on the bed, seemingly sound asleep. The room was filled with an indistinct and peculiar fragrance that was extremely faint.
"Senior Han, my daughter…"
"I fed her a Dream Return Pill. You two can go and have a look at her for yourselves," Han Li cut off Wen Siyue inquiry as he rose to his feet and left the wooden cabin.
Wen Siyue was greatly relieved to hear this and after expressing her utmost gratitude, she and her Dao Companion hurried over to the bed to assess their daughter's condition.
Meanwhile, Han Li was playing with the balls of flames in his hand as he walked into the courtyard outside.
The four Foundation Establishment cultivators were stunned by Han Li's emergence, and immediately attempted to extend salutes toward this unfathomably powerful man.
However, Han Li casually waved a hand at them, indicating for them to be at ease. He then made his way over to a corner of the courtyard and glanced at the ball of azure light in his hand, before abruptly rubbing his hands together.
Golden light immediately erupted between his two hands amid the sound of rumbling thunderclaps.
The azure ball of light only shimmered several times before it was reduced to wisps of smoke by the golden light. The twisted black threads also suffered the same fate as they were reduced to nothingness.
An extremely foul and putrid odor wafted through the air, striking one with the urge to retch.
Han Li's brows furrowed as he swept his sleeve through the air, sweeping up a powerful gust of wind that blew the horrible odor away.
He then clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky with his eyes narrowed, seemingly in deep thought.
After a long while, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind him.
Han Li turned around, and said in an indifferent voice, "I've already eradicated the majority of the poison in her body, but it's best that you find the White Yang Demon Fish's demon core, then get her to consume it raw. After that, if there are any remnants of poison within her body, it'll be expelled as well."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Senior. In my next life, I'll be sure to serve you as your most loyal servant to repay this debt!" The person who was approaching Han Li was none other than Wen Siyue.
"Next life? Do you really believe in reincarnation for us cultivators?" Han Li asked in a rather peculiar voice.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Senior." Wen Siyue was rather perplexed by this random question.
"Forget about it, I was just thinking out loud. Let me issue you a warning; I injected some of my Profound Yin spiritual power into your daughter's body, which has temporarily repressed the backlash from her Dragon Cry Physique. However, that's only a temporary fix. If she gives up on cultivation, she'll be able to live as long as a normal person with the assistance of some pills. However, if she does continue to cultivate, even if the Yang-type energy in her body becomes just slightly more powerful, the spiritual power I planted in her will lose its effect and the backlash will commence again. Do you understand?" Han Li warned with a stern expression.
"Is there really no way to eradicate the effects of the Dragon Cry Physique? Please tell me if there's a way, Senior. I really wouldn't be able to bear the pain of outliving my daughter!" Wen Siyue's face was slightly pale as she sank to her knees again.
On this occasion, Han Li didn't stop her. Instead, he merely said in a calm voice, "There is a way, but it'll be very difficult for you to achieve it."
Wen Siyue gritted her teeth with a determined expression, and said, "As long as my daughter can cultivate again, I'll do anything, even if it means giving up my life!"
Han Li seemed to have been touched by Wen Siyue's maternal love, and his expression eased as he revealed, "This is not something that can be done by a mere Core Formation cultivator. However, if you had a Nascent Soul cultivator readily available to lend you their services, then this method can be achieved. It's actually quite simple; all you need is a Nascent Soul cultivator to inject some Yin-type energy into your daughter's body every once in a while. In doing so, the Yang-type energy in her body will be counteracted against and she'll be able to continue cultivating. However, the prerequisite to that is that you must have a Nascent Soul cultivator who will come and go and your behest. Otherwise, you must get your daughter to constantly stay with a Nascent Soul cultivator. Of course, pills will need to be consumed during this process as well and as her cultivation improves, the pills required will be more and more precious. If she reaches the Foundation Establishment Stage, you and your Dao Companion most likely won't be able to afford the required pills."
"I need a Nascent Soul cultivator that comes and goes at my behest?" Wen Siyue's face immediately paled.
Her heart sank as soon as Han Li described this method to her. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she knew that this was simply impossible.
At most, she and her Dao Companion would perhaps be able to beg a Nascent Soul cultivator to administer treatment to their daughter on one or two occasions, but who would be willing to essentially become a slave to two Core Formation cultivators? As for the other alternative of having a Nascent Soul cultivator constantly stay with their daughter, that was even less plausible.
After all, Nascent Soul cultivators generally only accepted Core Formation Stage disciples. Of course, if Tang Qin'er was extremely beautiful and had extraordinary aptitude, it was possible that a Nascent Soul cultivator would make an exception for her. However, with her current sickly looks and her cultivation physique, how could they expect her to catch any Nascent Soul cultivator's eye?
With that in mind, Wen Siyue was plunged into complete despair!
