svetikya 815. A significant blow.
815. A significant blow.
Seeing Wei Jiangyuan in such pain, Yao Qingyu felt a pang of heartache and instinctively wanted to step forward.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the half-finished, dazzling nail polish on the table, shimmering in the light. This nail polish, the culmination of her painstaking efforts, wasn't it all prepared for him?
An idea struck her, and she tried to distract him with this. She quickly pulled Wei Jiangyuan, who was trying to leave, pointed to the dazzling nail polish, and forced an encouraging smile.
"Look at this!"
"This is what I've been working on these past few days—colorful nails. It took me a lot of effort, so what do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
Xiao Qingqing seemed to have received her aunt's signal and immediately chimed in, nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice, emphasizing in her childish voice, "Yes, yes, it's super pretty, sparkly! Auntie said I'll have a little one too someday."
Wei Jiangyuan looked over, picked up the half-finished armor, stretched out his finger, and with the habit unique to alchemists, a faint wisp of soul power swirled around his fingertip as he carefully stroked and examined it.
He nodded, but then commented somewhat rigidly, "It's rare to achieve this level of quality; the materials used are top-notch, and the tempering process is excellent."
"Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the material itself, its defensive capabilities are only at the semi-saint level. Against top-tier Dou Sheng level geniuses of the ancient clans, its effectiveness is very limited. In the future, things like this that require professional forging..."
Wei Jiangyuan paused, his gaze unconsciously sweeping over Yao Qingyu's slightly tired face from days of weapon forging, as if making a comment and a promise at the same time: "Let's leave it to a forging master like Master Haika. You don't need to work so hard, and I won't put you in danger of facing a Dou Sheng."
Wei Jiangyuan didn't notice that because of his series of comments, Yao Qingyu's smile froze, and the expectant look in her eyes was replaced by desolation.
"Alright, that's all for now. I'm going into seclusion..."
Yao Qingyu desperately wanted to hear him ask who this was for, but Wei Jiangyuan had already strode away without looking back, and Yao Qingyu hadn't even finished saying what she wanted to say.
Only when Wei Jiangyuan's footsteps had completely faded into the distance did Yao Qingyu seem to have all her strength drained away, and she loosened her grip on Qingqing's arm slightly. Gazing at the still magnificent armor, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and glistening water droplets silently slid down her cheeks.
Xiao Qingqing sensed Yao Qingyu's sadness. She reached out her small hand and clumsily wiped Yao Qingyu's cheek, asking timidly, "Aunt Qingyu... are you crying? Shall we... are we still going out to play?"
Yao Qingyu snapped out of her reverie, forced a smile at Xiao Qingqing, but the desolation in her eyes was clearly visible: "If Qingqing wants to go, then let's go!"
……
Wei Jiangyuan did not deliberately conceal the news of his return to Xingyun Pavilion. However, due to his special status and his stated intention to go into seclusion, ordinary Xingyun Pavilion disciples naturally would not disturb him.
Wei Jiangyuan plunged into the secret chamber, forcing himself to immerse himself in it, using the tedium and pain of cultivation to numb his inner anxiety and resentment.
However, the experiences of the ancient clan continued to become clearer in his mind, disturbing his usually stable mind. The more he tried to suppress them, the more chaotic his aura became, and eventually his fighting spirit and soul power even became uncontrollable within his body.
His head felt like it was being pricked with needles, and his lower abdomen felt like it was being torn apart by fighting spirit. His face instantly turned as pale as paper.
Just as Wei Jiangyuan was about to fall into an abyss of no return, a deafening roar abruptly interrupted his cultivation. The surging blood and qi within his body caused Wei Jiangyuan to collapse, blood gushing from his mouth and nose. However, after catching his breath, the fresh air outside cleared his mind considerably.
Slowly sitting up, Wei Jiangyuan casually wiped the blood from his face with his clothes, his eyes still showing some confusion about ending his seclusion. But when he turned his head, he saw the face of his teacher, Shennong. The usually calm and collected Shennong was now eerily serene, and Wei Jiangyuan couldn't help but feel a sudden shortness of breath.
"Teacher, what are you doing?"
"Hmph, you returned from Tianmu without even informing me. You just came here to go into seclusion without a word. Do you even respect me as your teacher?"
"Teacher, what's wrong with you? I'm at a critical moment in my seclusion!" Wei Jiangyuan's voice was weak and feeble due to his physical weakness.
"At this crucial time, do you really think I'm senile?"
The old man Shennong's tone grew increasingly stern: "Look at you, so restless and distracted. Forget about breaking through to the ninth rank; you'd be lucky to even keep your life if you continued cultivating."
The old man Shennong was clearly furious; his white beard trembled slightly. He flicked his sleeves, creating a gust of wind, and stormed out, leaving behind only an unquestionable command:
"Get out here right now! Immediately!"
Wei Jiangyuan took a few deep breaths, then took out a bottle of medicine from his storage ring, drank a few sips, and the chaotic energy in his body gradually stabilized.
Finally, he could only stand up with some difficulty. The soreness all over his body made him break out in a cold sweat, but he still forced himself to stand up and slowly followed the old man Shennong away from there.
Wei Jiangyuan followed the old man Shennong to his dwelling. Just as Wei Jiangyuan was about to sit down, he heard the old man Shennong coldly say, "Stand!"
Wei Jiangyuan also gasped, but since his fighting spirit was slowly recovering, he could only helplessly shrug and say, "Fine, if you don't like me, then I'll just stand here."
"I really don't like you. I didn't expect my disciple to be so disgraceful. Luckily, I didn't go to the Heavenly Tomb with you."
Upon hearing this, Wei Jiangyuan took a deep breath, but finally managed a smile: "I have indeed embarrassed you, but we still have our junior brother here, don't we?"
"When I took you in, it was because I valued your character and thought you were a promising talent who could carry on all my knowledge." The old man Shennong seemed to completely ignore what Wei Jiangyuan was saying.
Wei Jiangyuan replied with a tone that showed utter disbelief, "Teacher, please stop trying to fool me. Haven't you always disliked my carefree attitude?"
"Are you really not bothered?" Shennong the Elder said slowly, but it was just that simple sentence that made Wei Jiangyuan freeze in place, unable to move for a long time.
"If you really don't care, why did you rush back to seclusion after being hit hard in the Heavenly Tomb?" Shennong the Elder said earnestly, looking into his disciple's eyes.
"So what if those geniuses who are descendants of Dou Di are stronger than you? Their talent is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and you are different from them."