A wave of warmth welled up from his stomach and coursed through his limbs and bones, making Li Fan feel considerably better in an instant.
The injury on his chest in particular eased by a wide margin in the blink of an eye under the effect of this warm flow.
"Senior Sister, what medicine is this? It's so effective..."
Li Fan asked instinctively.
At the same time, fragmented memories of the past surfaced in his mind.
He and this Senior Sister Zhao were both from Changfeng Village at Mount Daqing, having known each other since childhood.
Half a year ago, a band of bandits raided Changfeng Village, and the vast majority of the villagers were brutally slaughtered. Only he and Senior Sister Zhao escaped the disaster because they had gone out to play together.
By the time he and his senior sister saw the flames rising from the village and rushed back, they ran headlong into the bandits, who were fully loaded with plunder and preparing to retreat.
Though Senior Sister Zhao was young, her breathtaking beauty still drew the attention of every bandit.
At the critical moment, an immortal master happened to pass by. Seeing the towering bloody light below and the two children trembling before the bandits, he grasped what had happened in an instant, slew all the bandits on the spot, and rescued Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan.
Discerning Senior Sister Zhao's remarkable talent, he intended to take her back to his sect.
Li Fan, however, possessed only mediocre aptitude and failed to catch the immortal master's eye. Only after Senior Sister Zhao pleaded did the immortal master reluctantly agree to bring him along as well.
After a flight of over ten days, the immortal master brought them back to his mountain gate. Before them lay swirling mists and towering peaks. From time to time, immortals could be seen streaking between the cloudy mountains, trailing brilliant ribbons of morning glow. Amid the sea of clouds, numerous majestic, awe-inspiring buildings stood vaguely visible like a celestial divine court, radiating a sacred aura.
Such a wondrous immortal spectacle stunned both Senior Sister Zhao and Li Fan. From the mouths of the immortal masters who brought them back, Li Fan learned the sect's name: the Dadao Sect.
The Dadao Sect comprised nine lineages and seventy-two peaks.
Except for the main lineage, which was passed down directly by successive sect masters, the other eight lineages were each held by various elders.
And the one they had thought was a grand immortal master was merely a fourth-generation disciple of the Dadao Sect's Yuehua Lineage. His surname was Zhang and his given name was Rong, possessed of a Nascent Soul cultivation.
Under Zhang Rong's guidance, they naturally joined the Yuehua Lineage, became outer disciples of the Dadao Sect, and took up residence on Qingning Peak.
They were also granted a cultivation technique called the Taiyuan Yiqi Art.
Zhang Rong instructed that once one achieved success in cultivating this technique, one could successfully advance to become an inner disciple. From then on, one would no longer have to toil over miscellaneous chores and could concentrate on cultivation. One's status within the sect and the resources granted each month would also become worlds apart.
Thus, during their spare time, the two studied and cultivated the technique together.
Senior Sister Zhao was slightly older, and her comprehension and aptitude were leagues beyond what Li Fan could match.
Half a year had passed, and she had long since mastered the Taiyuan Yiqi Art, passed the trial, and caught the eye of Soul Formation Immortal Lord Zhang Wangshuang of the Yuehua Lineage. Taken into Zhang Wangshuang's tutelage, she soared to become a fourth-generation disciple of the Dadao Sect, now addressing the former immortal master Zhang Rong as a fellow martial brother.
Li Fan, in contrast, progressed at an agonizingly slow pace despite Senior Sister Zhao secretly imparting her insights and gifting him pills from time to time, unable to make a breakthrough for the longest time.
Moreover, Senior Sister Zhao's frequent visits stirred up the jealousy of the surrounding sect members. Though they showed Li Fan utmost deference on the surface and even heaped flattery upon him, behind his back they held him in utter contempt and constantly slandered him, regarding him as nothing more than a useless parasite living off a woman.
Not long ago, Li Fan happened to overhear their conversation. Overcome with mixed shame and rage, he couldn't help trading blows with them.
As it turned out, his skills were lacking, and the other side had the advantage of numbers. In the end, he was the one beaten half to death.
Fortunately, wary of Senior Sister Zhao, they had refrained from delivering a fatal blow.
...
The memories faded, returning to reality.
"This is Tianjing Powder. Not only can it help your injuries heal quickly, but it will also further enhance your Qi sensitivity."
"It wasn't easy for me to gather these ingredients. Since you haven't reached Foundation Establishment yet, taking many pills would do more harm than good, so I begged Master for this medicinal formula." Senior Sister wiped the residual medicinal broth from the corners of Li Fan's mouth and spoke with a smile.
The warm flow lingered like spiritual energy, refusing to disperse and even circulating on its own. In just a brief moment, Li Fan felt his injuries had completely healed, and his entire body seemed brimming with inexhaustible strength.
"Senior Sister, you treat me so well..." Li Fan took hold of Senior Sister Zhao's fair, jade-like little hand, looked into her eyes, and said with deep emotion.
"You..." Senior Sister Zhao's cheeks flushed slightly, and she tried to pull her hand back. Yet Li Fan held on too tightly, and she feared that using too much force might hurt him. For a moment, she had no choice but to let Li Fan hold her hand, his fingers tracing lightly across her palm, whether intentionally or not.
The warmth radiating from Li Fan's hand seemed hotter than earth-vein fire, leaving her body feeling faintly weak.
A strange sentiment began to spread throughout the room.
Right then, Li Fan suddenly spoke up: "By the way, Senior Sister, there are still many parts of the Taiyuan Yiqi Art that I don't understand. Could you explain them to me again?"
Senior Sister Zhao was taken aback for a moment.
Even as a trace of disappointment flickered in her heart, she also felt a sense of relief.
Previously, she had wanted to teach him the essentials of the Taiyuan Yiqi Art, but perhaps out of a man's pride, he had refused to listen, insisting on grasping it through his own efforts.
She had been forced to drop the matter helplessly.
Fortunately, he had finally come around.
Senior Sister then began explaining it to Li Fan with great care.
"Brilliant, truly brilliant! So this sentence could be understood like this! Senior Sister, you are simply too clever!" Li Fan praised repeatedly as he listened, his eyes glowing with brilliance.
After more than half a day, as dusk gathered, Senior Sister Zhao looked regretful and was forced to stop.
"Master instructed me that I must return before dark. So I have to leave now!" She looked at Li Fan's expression and spoke with great caution, dreading that he might feel displeased.
"Master's orders come first. You should head back right away, Senior Sister," Li Fan nodded, without the slightest unhappiness in his heart. "Whenever you have time, just come by again next time."
Senior Sister Zhao gave a soft hum of agreement and was about to leave, only to discover that while he was listening with rapt attention, he had long since let go of his grip on her hand. Instead, it was she who, for some reason, had been holding onto his tightly all along.
Her face burned red in an instant. Fearing Li Fan might notice, she called out a hasty goodbye and fled as if escaping.
Even as her heart pounded wildly, she felt immense delight, and her steps grew noticeably lighter.
At this moment, Li Fan had already cast aside the ambiguous atmosphere between them just now.
He was thoroughly immersed in the mysteries of the Taiyuan Yiqi Art, utterly captivated.
"So that's how it is! So that's how it is!" With Senior Sister Zhao's guidance, he resolved every single difficult issue he had encountered while running the technique in ordinary times.
Mastering it through and through, everything became crystal clear in his mind.
"I'm not far from Foundation Establishment!" The spiritual energy in his body circulated without the slightest obstruction, flowing as seamlessly as nature itself.
He couldn't help exclaiming in sheer joy.
"If only I had consulted Senior Sister earlier, how could I have wasted more than half a year for nothing!"
"Strange. Why on earth did I ever think it was 'embarrassing'?"
Li Fan shook his head, suddenly finding his former self quite unreasonable.
Chapter 507