Chapter 39 Part 1

The next morning, Li Jiangying had planned to fulfill her agreement and find Tao Buluo. However, just as she stepped out the door, she saw him riding a tall horse, followed by over a dozen household servants. They were carrying a palanquin so luxurious it looked like a small house, arriving right in front of the Gu Residence.

“Daoist Ying!” Tao Buluo spotted Li Jiangying from a distance and cheerfully jumped off his horse to greet her. “The road is too long, and this young master feared you’d get tired. So, I’ve specially brought a senior from my family here for treatment!”

Li Jiangying couldn’t help but laugh. “But this isn’t my home.”

Tao Buluo was not polite at all, waving his servants to carry the palanquin inside. He said, “I know this is Doctor Gu’s place. Doctor Gu has always been on good terms with my family. Don’t worry, Daoist Ying.”

Speak of Cao Cao and Cao Cao arrives. Just as his words fell, Gu Qinglin strode over with her sleeves rolled up and brows furrowed. “Who is it, barging in without even a word of greeting? What do you take this place for?!”

“Doctor Gu!” Tao Buluo went to meet her with a brilliant smile, bowing with a junior’s respect. “I had absolutely no choice but to come and disturb you. I beg your magnanimity, Doctor Gu!”

“Magnanimity my foot!” Gu Qinglin cursed with an unfriendly expression. “I’ve already told you, I can’t cure your family’s illness. What are you still doing here, joining the fun?!”

“If you want my father, that’s not impossible. My father is right in the palanquin.” With a snap, Tao Buluo closed his folding fan, spun it halfway, and pointed it swiftly toward the exquisite palanquin.

A muffled cough came from inside the palanquin. “Buluo, show Doctor Gu proper respect.”

Gu Qinglin said, “Any more nonsense and you can get the hell out.”

Tao Buluo looked innocently at Li Jiangying, then back at Gu Qinglin. “Oh dear, I assumed Daoist Ying lived here and was your apprentice or colleague. It seems she isn’t. Didn’t Daoist Ying tell you? I came to request her assistance.”

Gu Qinglin raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking at Li Jiangying with a questioning expression that clearly asked, What mischief have you been up to behind my back?

Li Jiangying quickly explained her deal with Tao Buluo. After hearing it, Gu Qinglin’s face darkened. “What reckless nonsense.”

Tao Buluo smiled. “This junior also knows it’s somewhat reckless, which is why I specifically came to your territory, isn’t it? I believe that with the Green Hand Devil Doctor at my side, no accidents will be a problem.”

So that was his plan. Li Jiangying looked at Gu Qinglin and added with a placating smile, “Young Master Tao has a point. Doctor Gu, you see…”

Gu Qinglin looked coldly at the two of them and flicked her sleeve. “Remember to pay.”

Once the negotiation was settled, Gu Qinglin arranged a secluded courtyard for the Tao Clan. It was then that Li Jiangying finally saw the face of the patient she would be treating today.

He was a handsome man who looked very similar to Tao Buluo, appearing only seven or eight years older. The two of them standing together looked less like father and son, and more like brothers.

Tao Buluo’s father wore a snow-white robe that emanated a chilling aura. After stepping out of the palanquin, he looked at Li Jiangying and smiled. “This must be Doctor Ying?”

Li Jiangying quickly shook her head. “I absolutely cannot be called a doctor. You flatter me too much.”

The man said, “Anyone who can cure the chronic illness of my Tao Clan is a great doctor whom my Tao Clan treats as an honored guest. But since Doctor Ying says so, I won’t press the issue. I am Tao Sanyu. How about I make friends with Little Friend Ying?”

You and your son really are cut from the same cloth when it comes to making friends. Li Jiangying smiled helplessly. “Whatever makes you happy. Why don’t we start the treatment first?”

The Tao Clan servants scattered around the courtyard to stand guard. Tao Buluo, Tao Sanyu, and Li Jiangying entered the room to begin the treatment. She had found it somewhat taxing when treating Tao Buluo previously. Now, facing the higher cultivation of Tao Sanyu, Li Jiangying was even more cautious and careful.

Fortunately, the other party trusted her and held no guard, allowing Li Jiangying to do as she pleased with Tao Sanyu’s cultivation. As soon as she started, she perceived that Tao Sanyu also had a constitution leaning towards the Fire Element.

Therefore, compared to other members of the Tao Clan, he suffered even more severely from the backlash of Fire Affliction. He refined artifacts year-round, making the Fire Affliction within him pure and stubborn. Combined with his own vast cultivation, after three hours, Li Jiangying wearily let go of his wrist and said, “Let’s stop here for today.”

The Devil Qi within Tao Sanyu was too vast and mighty. Li Jiangying couldn’t just absorb it all in one go like she did with Li Xiangshui; she had to split her focus, detour, and channel it back to him. This made the speed incredibly slow.

She hadn’t been able to fully absorb the Fire Affliction. It seemed she would need several more days to complete this task.

Tao Sanyu felt the portion of Fire Affliction that had vanished within him with amazement. “My son indeed spoke the truth.”

“Hm?” Li Jiangying looked over in confusion as she absorbed the Fire Affliction within herself.

Tao Sanyu sighed. “Little Friend Ying, you also have a Fire Element Body, don’t you? It seems even purer than my own.”

This kind of thing was known to both sides the moment they made contact; there was no need for concealment. Li Jiangying nodded and admitted it.

Tao Sanyu said, “I roughly understand your method now. But using a Fire Element Body to retain the Fire Affliction within yourself… Little Friend Ying, this Fire Affliction is no ordinary Fire Element Devil Qi. You must be cautious.”

Li Jiangying hadn’t expected him to advise her against doing something so dangerous. All he needed to do was accept the treatment and recover his health. With this, Li Jiangying’s favorable impression of the Tao Clan rose sharply.

She smiled and nodded, saying, “Thank you for the warning. My cultivation is low and my strength limited, so let us end here for today. We can proceed further tomorrow. I believe that continuing this way, Senior Tao will soon be completely cleansed of this Fire Affliction.”

“Borrowing Little Friend’s auspicious words.”

Li Jiangying didn’t linger, standing up to walk outside. Tao Buluo followed to see her off. As he fanned himself, he asked curiously, “Daoist Ying, which element’s mental method do you cultivate?”

The world’s mental methods are divided into the five elements, but not limited to just the five elements. Based on metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, all sorts of cultivation mental methods have extended: there are those who control wind, those who command beasts, those who draw heavenly thunder to transform into swords, and those who attack from divine sense.

For example, the Tao Clan – most in their family cultivated metal and wind techniques, beneficial for artifact refinement. A few with Fire Element constitutions, like his father, practiced both body and magic dual cultivation. Fire could be drawn from Flame Mountain for use without needing specialized personal cultivation.

Li Jiangying answered truthfully, “I cultivate the Fire Element Art.”

Tao Buluo was astonished, the speed of his fanning involuntarily increasing. “Using a Fire Element Body to cultivate Fire Techniques… Daoist Ying, my admiration, my admiration.”

The two of them chatted politely as they walked out. A few steps later, a snake demon suddenly leaped out.

“Yingying!” She held a bamboo basket covered with white cloth high with both hands, looking at Tao Buluo with suspicion.

Li Jiangying immediately sensed trouble. Damn, Tao Buluo had come too suddenly, and she had completely forgotten to warn the little madwoman not to come looking for her.

She quickly strode forward a few steps to meet her, pressing the little madwoman’s head into her arms. While stroking the snake’s head, she smiled. “Good A’Yue, have you been waiting long? Let’s go back now.”

But the snake demon in her arms stubbornly pulled her head out. She stretched her head forward, sniffing all over Li Jiangying with a serious expression, then followed the scent down her arm to Li Jiangying’s hand.

Li Jiangying glared at her subtly. “What are you doing?”

Li Yueying twisted her head away angrily. “It’s you, the male fox spirit!”

Li Jiangying: “Shut up!!”

Tao Buluo: “???”

Li Yueying felt utterly wronged. Hugging her small basket, she looked like she was enduring humiliation. “Yingying doesn’t want the male fox spirit, okay?” She suddenly remembered something and said urgently, “Or else the bad woman will be sad!”

Li Jiangying looked at her in surprise.

Li Yueying looked back at her innocently.

Li Jiangying said, “So you’ve gotten smarter, huh. You’ve even learned to deflect trouble, kill with a borrowed knife, and act like a little white lotus!”

Li Yueying’s pretty face flushed red. She raised the basket in front of her face and twisted her tail in embarrassment. “I’ve always been very smart.”

Li Jiangying expressionlessly raised her hand and knocked her on the head. “Shut up!”

Li Yueying’s mouth drooped into a pout as she squeezed into Li Jiangying’s arms to sulk. “Yingying…”

Humiliation was unavoidable at this point. Li Jiangying turned back helplessly to look at Tao Buluo. “Young Master Tao, you don’t need to see me off further. Let’s stop here.”

Tao Buluo was very perceptive. He covered his face with his fan, holding back laughter. “Very well, I shan’t disturb you two then. Speaking of which, Daoist Ying, is that seriously injured friend of yours this one?”

Li Jiangying nodded and very straightforwardly extended a hand. “As you’ve seen, when will you give me the medicine?”

Tao Buluo leisurely pulled out a small jade bottle and tossed it to Li Jiangying. “This is the deposit. The rest will be given to you together when my father is completely cured.”

After catching it, Li Jiangying opened it and glanced inside. Two round, dark-green pills. She nodded. “Alright.”

After that, the two returned to their respective domains. Only then did Li Jiangying have the time to look at the bamboo basket Li Yueying was holding. “What’s this?”

Li Yueying happily stuffed the basket into her arms. “Yingying, eat quickly! They’re sweet buns!”

So the basket contained a batch of red bean paste buns. Li Jiangying picked one up and took a bite. It was indeed very sweet. Just as she was about to thank Li Yueying, she saw Li Yueying poking the remaining buns with the tip of her claw, looking dejected.

“How did they get cold… I was clearly… clearly holding them against my body the whole time.”

The ignorant snake demon hadn’t considered her own body temperature. She had waited outside full of hope, hugging the sweet buns. She hadn’t come closer because Jiangying would get angry. But she still wanted to wait, because Jiangying was very frail and would break if she didn’t eat.

Li Jiangying quickly stuffed the rest of the bun into her mouth, clapped the crumbs off her palms. “Red bean buns are actually better when they’re cold.”

“Really?”

“Really, I’m not lying to you.”

“Mm!” So the snake demon became happy again.

As soon as she got the Yin Wood Water Essence Pills, Li Jiangying immediately dragged Li Yueying to find Gu Qinglin. When they reached the Alchemy Valley, a muffled, thunderous boom suddenly erupted from inside, startling Li Jiangying.

She looked over and saw thick black smoke billowing up into the sky. The source of the smoke was Gu Qinglin’s precious pill furnace.