Way of the Devil

“This way please, honorable guests.”

In the Ling Family’s Serene Billow Garden, two servants and a maid led Tu Jin’s group slowly toward the compound of the manor.

The paths of the courtyard were dim and winding. Fluorescent rock columns with strange runes could be seen erected at fixed intervals.

“The family is regarded as a great clan in this Loop Mountain City. When the second elder fell sick, we have invited many doctors over. However, they couldn’t do anything. Hence, we have no choice but to travel far and invite you, Doctor Tu. The journey was long; you must be tired,” the maid said maturely. She was called Yun Rui, and seemed to be ranked quite highly in these parts.

“Don’t worry about it, miss Yun Rui. Elder Ling Chengche is an old friend of mine. His old illness is at it again. I’ve always been the one who treated him before this,” Tu Jin said with a smile. “Come to think of it, the last time he was having a problem with this illness was three years ago. I’ve given him some Guxin Pills then, and he should’ve gotten better…”

“It’s because things have been rough lately…” Yun Rui sighed out of helplessness. “I’m just a maid, and it’s not my place to comment. Doctor Tu, you can ask the elder himself when you see him. You’ll understand.”

Tu Jin retracted his smile. It seemed as if the situation with the Ling Family was slightly complicated. He said no more.

De Yun looked all around him. This was his first time visiting the residence of such a powerful clan. He was curious about everything.

Lu Sheng, on the other hand, followed behind them with a calm expression. He walked along silently.

His spirit had grown recently. However, he gauged that he would have to improve two to three times more before he would reach his own limits.

Fortunately, he’d had Li Shunxi and the others help him protect his family back in Great Yin on Yellow Springs Planet. He did not have to worry about the safety of his family and his sect for now.

The only thing he had to do now was to earn money, quickly carry out some Arrivals, improve his strength, and return to Yellow Springs Planet.

Naturally, joining the great force of Libra City and using it to rescue his people was also a way.

“We’re here.” Yun Rui’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Lu Sheng looked up. Tu Jin was already conversing with a young girl in a green blouse.

“Chouhua pays her respects to you, Doctor Tu. I’ll leave the master in your able hands.” The tall young girl wore a green blouse and white skirt. Her long black hair hung low until her waistline. Her beautiful looks were complemented by her skin, which was as fair as snow.

“Lady Ling, you make it sound too serious. I will do my best,” Tu Jin said with a straight face.

Tu Jin asked the young girl a few more questions in a soft voice. They conversed for a while, and Lu Sheng learned about this young girl’s identity.

Ling Chouhua was Second Elder Ling Chengche’s granddaughter. She had average qualities and did not stand out in any aspect of the family’s affairs.

After talking about the elder’s condition for a while, Tu Jin brought his two disciples into the manor. Under the escort of the guards, they entered a single bedroom, which was pure white—even the furniture was completely white.

In the bedroom, a buff old man with white hair and whiskers was carving on the round table with his black chisel flying across its surface.

“Old Tu, you’ve finally come! How many years has it been? You don’t even look old. I am truly envious of you.” When the old man heard the footsteps, he put his chisel down and walked toward Tu Jin with a broad grin.

The two of them embraced and patted each other’s back.

“I can say the same to you. You’re only slightly older than I am, yet you appear to be more than 10 years older! Hahahaha!” Tu Jin laughed loudly, which was a rare sight.

“My old illness is acting up again. I’ve turned to many doctors, and they couldn’t do anything. Also, the Guxin Pills you’ve given me the other day have lost their effectiveness. Hence, I had no choice but to invite you over.” Second Elder Ling Chengche waved his arm to signal his guards to leave them. Only Tu Jin, his disciples, and his granddaughter Ling Chouhua were left in the room.

“These two are my disciples. I’ve brought them here to widen their horizons.” Tu Jin gave a simple introduction.

Then, it was the standard checkup with spirit-prompting threads.

Tu Jin had the second elder sit beside the table. Then, he burned a special antiseptic incense. He mixed the medicinal powder he’d brought with some water and cleaned his own hands.

Lu Sheng and De Yun stood behind him and took notes. The process of the inspection was simple. The second elder’s problem was with his heart. With his unique technique, Tu Jin’s spirit-prompting threads could help him manage his condition.

On the outside, Tu Jin placed his hand on the second elder Ling Chengche’s chest and softly released some white spirit-prompting threads.

Without much flair, the first treatment was completed.

“Alright, Old Tu. You should bring your disciples down and have some rest. It’s getting late today. I’m sure the journey has been rough, and all of you deserve some rest. When this is over, I’ll take you sightseeing in Loop Mountain City.” The second elder was a cordial and outspoken man.

“I’ll thank you in advance, Chengche,” Tu Jin replied with a smile.

The entire treatment only took slightly more than two hours.

Tu Jin’s technique allowed Lu Sheng to glimpse some of the little techniques which he was so secretive about. Other than that, there was nothing worth learning for Lu Sheng.

The first treatment ended uneventfully. Tu Jin inspected the second elder’s condition again. After making sure that he was table, they went to their respective rooms under the guidance of the Ling Family’s maid.

Everything went smooth and there were no hiccups. Ling Chengche’s condition was not a new one. Tu Jin managed to stabilize it in no time.

If everything went well, the treatment would be settled in a few days. Then, they could go sightseeing in Loop Mountain City.

That night, Lu Sheng enjoyed some rest, which he seldom had the chance to do.

“Bam, bam, bam… Bam, bam, bam…”

In the evening, a sudden series of hurried knocks on his door woke him up from his sleep.

Lu Sheng quickly opened his eyes while still in bed. He got up and looked toward the door. The sentinel Devil Qi which he’d placed on the door was untouched. The windows and other places of the room were also covered with the Devil Qi Sentinel Formation which he’d set up.

‘And here I was thinking of having a few days of nice sleep like an ordinary person.’ He frowned slightly and got off the bed.

“Who is it?”

He looked at the time. The skies were only starting to brighten. He could hear faint and anxious barks of dogs and crows of roosters.

“Something’s happened, Junior Brother! The second elder’s condition deteriorated suddenly. He’s now in a critical condition. Master has already gone to carry out emergency treatment!” It was De Yun. His tone was anxious and his breath was in shambles. He seemed to have run for quite a distance.

“His condition deteriorated suddenly?” Lu Sheng was stunned. He swiftly went over and opened the door. De Yun stood there drenched in sweat.

“I was also awakened up by Master in the morning. We don’t know what’s wrong with the second elder’s condition, it just got worse all of a sudden. The Ling Family is gathered there, and Master is already there to diagnose him!” De Yun explained quickly. “Master sent me to bring you over as soon as possible.”

“In any case, let’s head there first!” Lu Sheng nodded. He noticed that two young men in white leather armor armed with blades followed beside De Yun. It was clear that the Ling Family had started to suspect them.

The situation was critical, and Lu Sheng did not say much. With De Yun, they quickly followed the maid who guided them and went quickly to the bedroom they had been in before during the day.

A few people with worried and anxious expressions were already waiting outside the room. Among them was the girl they had seen before, Ling Chouhua.

There was another young man there. When he saw Lu Sheng and De Yun, his gaze went cold, and he stepped forward to stop them. However, Ling Chouhua pulled him from the side.

Ling Chouhua walked up to De Yun. In a low voice, she said, “Please go in, young doctors. Doctor Tu is already inside, he might need your help. I leave my grandfather in your hands.”

“We… We won’t let you down!” De Yun managed to calm his nerves enough to make a response. Then, he pulled on Lu Sheng, whose expression remained unchanged, and entered through the door quickly.

The bedroom was filled with a pleasant aroma. With a single glance, Lu Sheng noticed three different-colored incenses were burning on the table.

‘He’s used three kinds of emergency medicinal incense at the same time… This is bad…’

The inference flashed across his mind.

De Yun practically bounded toward the bed. He was asking Tu Jin some questions in a soft voice.

Currently, Tu Jin was drenched in sweat. The faint yellow lights of the room shone on his forehead, and the densely packed beads of sweat could be seen.

He had one hand on Ling Chengche’s chest and another on his left shoulder. A huge amount of white spirit-prompting threads was surging continuously into the elder’s body.

When Lu Sheng saw this, he was initially shocked. Then, he seemed to have realized something. His expression changed, and he rushed up to the bed and swatted Tu Jin’s hand, which was placed on the second elder’s shoulder, away.

“Smack.”

The spirit-prompting threads snapped.

Tu Jin staggered and reeled. He nearly fell to the floor.

Tu Jin managed to regain his balance, and quickly shouted, “What’re you doing, Little Yue?! Move away! If we dally any longer, Chengche’s life will be in danger!”

“Master, are you out of your mind?! You’re burning away your own life to treat him! You’re not related to him by blood. Even if you managed to save him with this, how long do you think you can live?” Lu Sheng retorted with the same level of fury.

“I know what I’m doing!” Tu Jin was pale, but his emotions were unusually agitated. The roots of his sideburns were turning white already. In this short period of time, it seemed as if he had aged a dozen years. He looked extremely exhausted.

De Yun had reacted as well. He wanted to dissuade his master, but he was frightened by his teacher’s anger.

“Chengche is my old friend, I can’t stand by and do nothing while he wastes away before my very eyes!” Tu Jin shouted back with the same volume. His eyes bulged, and fine blood vessels were visible at the edges. “Move away!”

At this moment, Ling Chouhua and another middle-aged man rushed into the room.

Seeing the abnormal actions of the three of them, the middle-aged man’s expression darkened considerably. Before Ling Chouhua could say anything, the middle-aged man spoke first.

“A thousand taels!” the middle-aged man shouted; his eyes were fixed on Tu Jin. “If you can heal my father, you can take it and leave. If you can’t, all of you will die alongside my father.”

“This isn’t our fault. This is no longer an illness, it’s poison!” De Yun coughed as he tried to explain.

“I don’t care about anything else. Right now, the only thing I want is for my father to be alright.” The middle-aged man’s expression was ice-cold. “Heal him, and you leave. If you can’t heal him, you’ll die. It’s that simple.”

“But…” De Yun wanted to explain again when he was stopped by Tu Jin’s harsh shout.

“Even if you’re not here, I will never see Chengche dying and do nothing about it!” Beads of sweat kept forming on Tu Jin’s face. It was obvious that he had overused his spirit-prompting threads until his own origin was affected.

“Teacher, I…” Lu Sheng was slightly angered as well. He was finally having a good time, yet this person barged into the room and threatened him.

“It’s alright, Little Yue. This is my own decision. It’s not related to anyone else.” Tu Jin cut him short again. “Now, move away,” he spoke with a wave of his arm.

Lu Sheng’s brows were tightly knitted together. Tu Jin was using his own life force to slow the progress of the poison. In the slight window, he did his own inspection of Ling Chengche’s condition.

It was extremely bad.

Ling Chengche was not only affected by some potent poison, it was a cocktail of at least 100 different kinds of toxins. On top of that, his Spiritual Essence went haywire, his internal organs were heavily damaged, and his body’s immune system has shut down.

This was not a simple case of poisoning. He was completely put in a near-death condition by some elite. Then, he was poisoned by the cocktail.

If left unchecked, they could be arranging his funeral in an hour.

He’d clearly been alright during the day.

Under these circumstances, even Lu Sheng’s medical skills could not do anything, let alone Tu Jin’s.

This was clearly a half-corpse that was about to complete its departure to the afterworld.