Ch142 – Chronic Poisoning
Duan Yuyang exhaled a faint, foul breath, “Yes. The poison in my body has already acc.u.mulated for more than ten years, and it has seeped into my internal organs, muscles and bones. It wouldn’t kill me, but I’m afraid that my cultivation would at most be able to reach the Foundation Stage ba!”
Yan Tianhen was stunned. He muttered, “How could that be?”
“Breaking Yang Gra.s.s…she’s really vicious.” Strong aversion flashed through Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes, “That kind of herb is a poisonous Yin item for taking away one’s ability to produce heirs. If taken for too long, it’ll affect future generations.”
“You’re pretty knowledgeable about that.” Duan Yuyang laughed, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to have any children of my own in this life. The Duan family will belong to Duan Yuhao from now on.”
Just by listening to the name ‘Breaking Yang Gra.s.s’, one can know what its effect is.
This kind of spiritual herb is very powerful, and not common. It is extremely difficult to refine it into pills because of its special attributes, so most alchemists will refine it into medicinal liquid. But even if that’s the case, to an alchemist, it would require great effort to refine Breaking Yang Gra.s.s.
After consuming Breaking Yang Gra.s.s and having it acc.u.mulate in the body over a long period of time, it will disperse the internal Yang Qi of the one who consumes it, and gradually increase their Yin Qi. In fact, if he had taken it for a few more years, Duan Yuyang may even start exhibiting female characteristics.
But he did not dare show it. He was afraid that the malicious person would sense something and kill him to prevent him from divulging the secret.
When Lin Xuanzhi saw Duan Yuyang’s despondent look, he couldn’t help but feel sympathetic.
“What do you plan to do now?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
“What can I do?” Duan Yuyang laughed at himself and leaned against a tree as he looked at the sky. “I don’t want to care about the Duan family’s affairs anymore. Since they want the Duan family, then let them take it ba. I only have about a hundred more years left to live. There are so many places in this world I haven’t seen or walked through yet. I have to start planning for myself now too.”
Yan Tianhen looked worried as well, and comforted, “There may be other ways to get rid of the poison. Yuyang Gege, don’t feel too depressed.”
Duan Yuyang smiled and shrugged, “There’s nothing for me to feel depressed about. I just feel that fate is impermanent. Why care about other people’s gazes? I suddenly realise that I don’t really like Yuan Tianwen that much anymore.”
Yan Tianhen was stunned. “Yuyang Gege, I didn’t know that you had always liked him so much.”
Duan Yuyang said in a bad mood, “At the very least, we’ve slept together so many times, so even if there aren’t any feelings, some must have sprouted from all that sleeping.”
Yan Tianhen was flabbergasted. “You slept with him? And the two of you slept together many times??”
Lin Xuanzhi pulled Yan Tianhen to his side and cast a dissatisfied glance at Duan Yuyang, “There are children around, pay attention to what you say.”
“Yeah, I don’t understand anything.” Yan Tianhen blinked with an innocent face.
Duan Yuyang narrowed his eyes as he scrutinised Yan Tianhen. After a short moment, the corners of his lips suddenly curved up and he smiled evilly, “Henhen ah, you’ve even followed Gege to brothels before. Have you forgotten all about that?”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
Yan Tianhen looked at Duan Yuyang with sympathetic eyes.
Duan Yuyang realised something and shut his mouth up, then his gaze started wandering elsewhere.
Lin Xuanzhi squinted and stared at Duan Yuyang, “You took Ah Hen to brothels?”
“How could I? Who would dare take him to brothels? I was just spouting nonsense.” Duan Yuyang swore to the heavens and guaranteed repeatedly, “I didn’t lead your younger brother astray. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Henhen.”
“Have you ever been to one?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
“No.” Yan Tianhen answered without hesitation.
“Have you ever been to one?” Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes turned slightly cold.
Yan Tianhen shut his mouth, then lowered his head and didn’t dare speak.
Lin Xuanzhi pinched Yan Tianhen’s cheeks, “Go back to the carriage to rest.”
Yan Tianhen tossed a gaze at Duan Yuyang to say ‘all the best’ before jumping and limping as he ran away.
Duan Yuyang, “…”
d.a.m.n it, why do I have such a loose mouth!
“Let me explain that to you a little.” Duan Yuyang laughed twice and cleared his throat. “Um, you should know about Ah Hen’s body too. He has a natural Yin body, so there will probably be a lot of people who will have designs on him. You need to let him understand that way of the world in advance, otherwise, he may not even know when he’s being taken advantage of in the future.”
Lin Xuanzhi stared at Duan Yuyang furtively, and his gaze made the hairs on Duan Yuyang stand on their end.
“Hey, say something ah, why are you staring at honourable me like that? It’s not my fault for being handsome.” Duan Yuyang muttered, “Don’t suspect me ah. Even though I’m not that good a person, I definitely won’t harm him.”
“Thank you.” Lin Xuanzhi said, “I’ve seen how you treat Ah Hen, and I naturally believe what you said.”
Duan Yuyang breathed a sigh of relief and patted Lin Xuanzhi’s shoulder. “I’m glad you understand.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “Ah Hen’s body has secrets that you can’t even imagine. In the future, you may learn of them one by one, but I hope that if his secrets start getting revealed one day, you won’t be the one to expose them.”
Duan Yuyang smiled, “You can rest a.s.sured that if I had ever planned on revealing his secrets, I would have already tattled to your Fourth Elder when I was attacked by that Yin corpse.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes deepened, “So you really do know of it.”
“Yin Corpse arts, a proper demonic cultivation method. If nothing else, I can still be considered well read.” After he said that, Duan Yuyang’s eyes clouded over with envy, “H e sure is lucky to have you as an older brother.”
“I’m the lucky one to have such a good younger brother.”
The corners of Duan Yuyang’s lips twitched, why is he trying to irritate himself?
Lin Xuanzhi, “It’s getting late, and you’ve chased us all this way here so you must be tired. How about you stay with us tonight?”
Duan Yuyang smiled, “Alright, then I’ll be imposing on you. But I’ll be fine with sleeping in a tent.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “It looks like you are well prepared.”
Duan Yuyang took out a palm-sized bag from his storage ring and threw it towards the ground. The bag opened up into a thick triangle-shaped tent.
“Well, I am someone who plans on traveling the world soon.” Duan Yuyang entered his tent, “Good night.”
Once Lin Xuanzhi entered the carriage, Yan Tianhen sat up from the bench he was lying on, and Ah Bai who was using him as a pillow also rolled over. He looked at Lin Xuanzhi.
“Did Yuyang gege ask about Ah Gu?” Yan Tianhen asked with some hesitance.
Lin Xuanzhi made him sit down on the couch, “He knows, but didn’t speak much of it.”
Yan Tianhen said, “Dage, do you think Yuyang Gege hates me?”
“How could he?” Lin Xuanzhi looked into Yan Tianhen’s clear eyes, “You’ve never done any bad things or hurt anyone. If he loathed you because you’re refining corpses, then you need not see him as a friend anymore. He understands what is important.”
Yan Tianhen thought for a while before lightly nodding his head.
Yan Tianhen leaned against Lin Xuanzhi’s shoulder, “Yuyang gege is probably feeling really horrible now, but I’m too dumb and don’t know how to comfort him.”
Lin Xuanzhi lightly kissed Yan Tianhen’s forehead, “What he needs right now isn’t necessarily comfort, but a way out.”
Yan Tianhen’s forehead wrinkled, “But he was harmed by that woman, doesn’t he want revenge?”
“Everyone makes their own choices and walks their own path. Perhaps he isn’t doing anything because he can’t bear to hurt people who are his family, or perhaps he was so disgusted by their actions that he doesn’t want to be involved with them anymore… this is his own path, we can’t pry.”
Yan Tianhen firmly hugged Lin Xuanzhi’s waist. “If someone does something like that to me one day, I would definitely never let them go without payback.”
Lin Xuanzhi only smiled faintly, but his heart felt stifled.
In the last life, the one who made Yan Tianhen’s life miserable was him, and Yan Tianhen’s cultivation at that time was enough to retaliate against him, yet he never did.
Lin Xuanzhi was suddenly struck by an impulse — he wanted to ask why Yan Tianhen was so devoted to him in his past life; but he ought not to, and he couldn’t.
Lin Xuanzhi could only sigh in his heart. He rubbed the head of Yan Tianhen and said, “It’s time to go to bed.”
“Un.”
The convoy set off early next morning.
Duan Yuyang had wormed his way into Lin Xuanzhi’s carriage and didn’t leave it the entire day. Other disciples of the Lin family expressed their dissatisfaction with the addition of an individual who could be considered a rival, but they couldn’t find any bone to pick with Duan Yuyang.
Coupled with the authority that Lin Xuanzhi held in his hand, no one dared to try and complain.
Ten days pa.s.sed in this manner. The convoy bypa.s.sed the border between the East and Middle Continents, and it was now possible to see part of Middle continent.
Next, they pa.s.sed through lofty mountains and the large cities along the main road.
And at last, they saw Sky Peak City. “Sky Peak City is situated at a very high place and the entire city is built on a mountain; it is difficult to attack, but easy to defend. Sky Peak Sect, the backer of the city, is located on even higher ground. The mountain in sight now that you can’t see the peak of is one of the entrances to the sect. The corner of that building over there, is one of the corners of the city lord’s mansion.” Lin Liuchun’s mood was surprisingly good as he took the time to teach the Lin family pupils.
The carriages stopped at the foot of the mountains to take a rest as they had traveled several tens of thousands of miles by now. Yan Tianhen, however, displayed his youthful energy and was interested in the words of the Fourth Elder, “Then what is the mountain in front of us called?”
Lin Liuchun said lazily, “The mountain you see now is a great place. There are many treasures on it; monsters and beasts run wild within and flock about in groups, and spiritual plants cover its land. It is a natural place for training and cultivation — you can survive off whatever’s available in the mountain. Many cultivators in Sky Peak City grew up in this Yudai Mountain, and they rely on the demonic beasts they hunt and the spiritual plants and treasures they find from the mountain to exchange for money.”
Everyone revealed a yearning look. Although there is a similar mountain in Qing City, it couldn’t be compared with this Yudai Mountain range which circled the entire city.
Lin Zezhi looked eager, “Fourth Elder, will we be able to hunt there too?”
Lin Liuchun’s lips curved up, “You can ah. But with everyone’s level right now, I’m afraid that all of you will be bitten into pieces the second you step inside!”