~~~

A day passes by.

It does not do so quickly. It lingers. It overstays its welcome like a very annoying guest, making every second a test in patience. Liu Jin expects to be called back to Branch Master Ruan’s throne room at any moment, yet that does not happen. Throughout the entire day, he remains undisturbed.

Why? Liu Jin can only speculate. Perhaps, Branch Master Ruan wants to make sure Ren He—the disciple he wounded yesterday—is fully healed. If that is the case, Liu Jin may have to wait for a full week, perhaps even a month. It is not a pleasant thought, yet there is not much, if anything, Liu Jin can do about it.

Thus, Liu Jin sits down and cultivates for the entire second day.

It is not the worst place to do so. While the Dragon Veins in the area are inferior to those in Eastern Port City, the mansion is located right above one. The land must have been quite expensive to buy, though it is unlikely that was an issue for the Eternal Raging Valley.

On the fourth day, Liu Jin reaches the Second Level of the Nascent Realm. It is a small breakthrough, one that was long overdue. Had Liu Jin’s mind not been so preoccupied with other things during the previous months, he’d have reached it a long time ago. Compared to repairing Ren He’s broken Dantian, bringing his new power under control proves remarkably easy.

On the fifth day, a disciple knocks on his door. It is the same one who brought him here. He brings with him food and news.

“Branch Master Ruan will see you in a week.”

“Is that so?” Liu Jin bites down on the bread the disciple has brought for him. The gesture is unneeded, yet appreciated. “I don’t suppose I can trouble you for your insight?”

The disciple’s lips form a thin line. For a moment, Liu Jin is sure he is about to close the door on him.

“I do not know what Branch Master Ruan will ask of you. I do not know what he will tell you. I only know that you will be alone with him. There will be guards outside, but no one else will be in the room with you.”

Liu Jin blinks.

Could it… Could it be that not even his own Sect knows what is wrong with Branch Master Ruan?

The answer comes to Liu Jin the instant the thought finishes forming in his head. Of course, they don’t. Certainly, they might suspect something is wrong with him (they’d have to be fools not to), but a man who’d use his own disciples as a way to test a doctor’s skill would never trust them with such sensitive information.

That is why Ruan Goutin has behaved in such a boorish way with the Five Blessings Group. He uses the Eternal Raging Valley’s name as a blunt instrument because anything less would mean exposing his vulnerability. It is why he has taken the doctors by force and why none have survived.

Branch Master Ruan trusts no one and has no one.

Branch Master Ruan is… alone.

“I recommend that you be careful with what you say. Should you displease him…”

The disciple does not finish. He does not need to. That not a single doctor has come back from meeting Branch Master Ruan says it all.

“What of my servant? Is he being shown the same courtesy as me?”

The disciple raises an eyebrow.

“Do you truly care?”

“As you told me the other day, my servant is exactly that, mine. Of course, I care. I will not have him harmed by the petty whims of others.”

The disciple stares at him for a long while. “He is being treated fairly.”

Fairly. A word that can mean many things.

“And should Branch Master Ruan dispose of me?”

The disciple stares at him for a while. “You… you truly do care, don’t you?”

“It is due to my actions that he and I are here. If I die due to it, that is one thing. However, there is no reason for him to do so.”

It is not that he particularly cares for Lei Kong as a person. It is just simple basic decency. It was he who dragged Lei Kong into this. If his lack of foresight were to lead Lei Kong to his death, well, Liu Jin would feel at least a little guilty.

That is just normal.

“I doubt Branch Master Ruan will care much for what happens to a servant,” the disciple replies after a while. “Should something unfortunate happen to you, I will make sure to throw all your possessions out like trash.”

In other words, he’ll ensure Lei Kong is thrown out instead of killed.

“Thank you.”

The disciple snorts.

“This Yan Chao has done nothing worth being thanked over. This is the minimum the Eternal Raging Valley should do for you. If I didn’t do at least this much after you saved Ren He, I would not be able to show my face to anyone.”

“All the same, I thank you. I have recently learned that those who bother to do at least this much are rarer than I expected.”

Yan Chao sighs and looks away. “I doubt I will be able to visit again. Branch Master Ruan’s gaze is no longer focused on Ren He’s recovery. Gather your strength and organize your mind. For what it is worth, I hope you’ll survive.”

“What a coincidence. I hope I survive as well.”

~~~

Just as Yan Chao says, Liu Jin is called to Ruan Goutin’s throne room once a week has passed.

This time no one accompanies him inside. The disciples take him to the throne room, but they do not step in. When the doors close, Liu Jin is left alone with Ruan Goutin.

Liu Jin’s steps barely make any noise, yet he feels them echo loudly in his ears. Once he is within thirty steps of the throne, Ruan Goutin speaks.

“Kneel.”

Liu Jin does so. Gracefully. His eyes are fixed on the floor, not daring to meet Ruan Goutin’s gaze.

“I see you have more than recovered since we saw each other last. Tell me, what do you think of my hospitality?”

“I was given a bed to sleep in and a roof over my head. I have been safe and protected, my lord. What person could take issue with that? I can only thank my lord for deeming me worthy of such kindness.”

Ruan Goutin laughs.

“Well spoken. It seems the days gone by have not dulled your wit.”

Qi glows in one of Ruan Goutin’s hands as he traces a pattern in the air. The Qi of those outside suddenly cannot be sensed. The silence becomes complete. A barrier of some sort. That has to be it. Ruan Goutin activated a barrier to separate the throne room from the outside, preventing anyone from being able to overhear them.

“You are allowed to take fifteen steps.”

Liu Jin rises to his feet and walks towards Ruan Goutin. Once he has taken fifteen steps, he stops.

“You are allowed to take fifteen more steps.”

Fifteen steps more. Doing that would place him right before the throne, close enough to touch Ruan Goutin should he hold out his hand. Even so, Liu Jin does not allow hesitation to appear on his face as he complies.

“Kneel.”

Again the order is given. Again Liu Jin obeys.

“I have called you here so that you may be of service to me. Yet, there is no guarantee that you will be useful. You have passed my test, but that only tells me you are not completely incompetent.”

Liu Jin forces himself to remain still. Repairing a broken dantian in under fifty seconds is not enough to make Branch Master Ruan believe in his skills?

Just how serious is his condition for that to be the case?

“Even so, that you are still here makes you far more competent than most. It would be foolish to deny that, and even more foolish not to allow you the opportunity to prove yourself.”

“I can only thank my lord for his generosity.”

“Indeed, that is the only suitable response. I shall allow you to take in the state of my meridians.”

Liu Jin almost gasps. Letting another person take in the state of one’s meridians is usually a sign of trust. Either trust in the person or trust in their skills. However, there is no such trust here. If Branch Master Ruan is going as far as to allow Liu Jin to examine the state of his meridians instead of just explaining his ailment, then that means… This is another test.

This is another test, and Branch Master Ruan’s condition is far more grievous than Liu Jin had imagined.

“Should a single word of what you are about to learn leave your lips, you will never utter another word,” Branch Master Ruan says, holding his hand out for him. Liu Jin is so close he just needs to reach out to grab it. “You will die, and you will do so painfully.”

He speaks without an ounce of hostility. Ruan Goutin does not bother trying to sound menacing. He has no need to.

His words are not a threat. They carry the certainty of a man saying the sky is blue.

Even so, Liu Jin cannot turn back.

“I can only thank my lord for the trust being shown to me and promise to do my best.”

Liu Jin can only grasp the hand offered to him.

His master never let him take in the state of his meridians while he was alive, likely for the sake of Liu Jin’s peace of mind. That means Branch Master Ruan, who is in the Emperor Realm, is the strongest person Liu Jin has ever examined.

For the first few seconds, Liu Jin is overwhelmed. The system of meridians through which Ruan Goutin’s Qi flows is unbelievably vast. The speed of his Qi is beyond compare. There is no denying his meridians are first rate. From the tip of his feet to the crown of his head, there are very few imperfections.

That is why it is such a massive shock to Liu Jin that all three of his dantian are in such a poor state.

It is not noticeable at first. In fact, a casual glance may even fool a person into believing there is nothing wrong with Branch Master Ruan. No wonder none of the doctors brought here had been able to get out. Most probably hadn’t even realized there was anything wrong with Ruan Goutin!

After all, none of his dantian are in pieces like Ren He’s was after being struck. They look whole.

They aren’t.

Miniscule cracks crisscross all three of Ruan Goutin’s dantian. In a sense, their state is similar to that of Ren He’s dantian before Liu Jin gave him the tea made of Spring Copper Leaves, stable yet fragile. The difference is that it was Liu Jin who stabilized Ren He’s dantian. In Branch Master Ruan’s case, all three of his dantian are equally damaged, and it is he who is using his Qi to hold his three dantian together.

It makes no sense. As cultivators grow stronger, repairing physical damage becomes easy. High-level cultivators can reconstruct their physical bodies in mere moments. For an Emperor Realm cultivator like Branch Master Ruan, doing so should be a simple matter. His dantian should already be fully repaired.

They are not. In fact, the more Liu Jin watches them, the worse they seem to become.

It is a gradual change, so slight it would be exceedingly easy to miss. Branch Master Ruan’s dantian are steadily deteriorating. In the span of three breaths, one of the cracks grows by a micrometer. In the next four, it is healed. In the next five, the crack comes back and grows another micrometer.

The process repeats itself over and over in the many cracks crisscrossing Branch Master Ruan’s dantian.

It is as if the damage is still being done.

No. Not if, Liu Jin realizes. That is precisely what is happening. This is not at all like Ren He’s case. The attack on Ren He’s dantian had already ended. All Liu Jin needed to do was stabilize him and repair his dantian. If Liu Jin were to try that here, the damage would just come back. It is a continuous effect, yet there is no wound in Branch Master Ruan’s body that could cause something like this.

Ah.

Insight flashes through his mind like lightning. Liu Jin swallows loudly, amazed and horrified all at once. He understands. He understands what is wrong with Branch Master Ruan.

The problem is his soul.

No wound in his body could cause this sort of on-going effect because the injury is not in his body. It is in his soul. Branch Master Ruan’s dantian keep being damaged no matter how many times he tries to reconstruct them because the damage to his soul is being reflected on his dantian.

The closest comparison Liu Jin can think of is the Soul Draining Parasite. By attacking the body, the Soul Draining Parasite absorbs a person’s Qi and so damages the dantian and so damages the soul. This is the opposite. This is an attack on the soul that is being reflected on the physical body.

No matter how many times Branch Master Ruan tries to fix himself, he cannot eliminate the underlying cause. Branch Master Ruan must have been fighting this condition for weeks. He has been watching as his dantian inch ever closer to being irrevocably damaged. Every second that passes is one in which he draws closer to losing his cultivation forever.

It is unspeakably cruel.

It is also, and Liu Jin does not really want to admit this, brilliant.

Whoever wounded Branch Master Ruan in this way did not do so by accident. Liu Jin refuses to believe something like this could happen by luck. No, this was premeditated. The one who so accurately struck Branch Master Ruan’s soul cannot be anything less than a genius.

Just by looking at Branch Master Ruan’s state, Liu Jin feels the disconnect between his soul and body diminishing. As it does, he feels his understanding grow, allowing him to better comprehend what he is looking at. Liu Jin goes past the physical realm and becomes able to look at Branch Master Ruan’s soul.

It is but a glimpse. Just a small a peek.

Liu Jin lets go of Branch Master Ruan’s hand, gasping. The only reason he does not fall to his knees is that he is already kneeling.

“My lord… who could dare do something so horrible?”

The reaction is immediate. Branch Master Ruan is suddenly on his feet, his hand taking hold of Liu Jin’s throat and lifting him off his feet.

“What did you see?” He hisses out. “What did you see?”

“My lord, I do not dare sa—” The hand holding Liu Jin squeezes, reminding him that removing his head from his body would be all too easy for Branch Master Ruan.

“I’ll not have you lie in my presence! If you think you know, then say it!”

“Your soul!” Liu Jin manages to shout. The instant he does, the hand on his neck relaxes. “Your soul is damaged, my lord! That damage is being reflected on my lord’s body!”

Branch Master Ruan glares at him before letting him go. Liu Jin falls to the floor, gasping and coughing. His hands rub his throat.

“You truly seem to be much better than the rabble I have brought here.”

“I thank my lord for his compliments.”

“Don’t. That is not what I need to hear from you right now. Right now, you only need to do one thing. Answer this question. Can you heal me?”

Can he?

“Yes, my lord!”

Regardless of whether he can or not, this is the only answer Liu Jin can give. His mind races as he seeks to consider all the possibilities before him. What he has learned in the past few minutes changes everything.

“If my lord gives me the opportunity, then this Liu Jin will completely restore him. This, I swear.”

“Is that so?” Ruan Goutin sneers at him. “And if I told you to heal me right now, what would you do?”

“I would tell my lord that his condition is nowhere near as simple as that of the disciple I healed a week ago. If my lord’s condition were so simple, he’d have no need of me. Surely, my lord is wise enough to see this. To restore my lord, I need time to prepare.”

Ruan Goutin scoffs. “Time and resources, I assume.”

“I am not without means, my lord,” Liu Jin replies, bowing his head low. “However, there is no denying that healing my lord is a daunting task that will require many things. Doubtlessly, my lord has acquired many items in preparation for this. To heal my lord, I will need access to a few of them. I will also need a proper place to work.”

“Anything else?”

“My servant, my lord. I require his aid.”

“And why should I believe you are not just trying to buy time?” Ruan Goutin looms before the kneeling Liu Jin. “Why should I believe you are telling the truth? Why should I not just make you tell me the process through which you seek to heal me and have other doctors perform it?”

“If my lord wishes to know how I plan on healing him, he needs but to ask, and this Liu Jin will outline every part of the process. My lord can even choose to kill me after I do so, but consider this: It wasn’t this city’s doctors who realized the truth of my lord’s condition. It was not any of the doctors who were already working for my lord. It was this one who has proven himself, my lord. If my lord were to kill me now, he’d be squandering away the opportunity to be restored.”

He needs to believe him. He needs to believe him!

He needs to believe him because Liu Jin now knows his situation is not completely hopeless!

When he touched Branch Master Ruan, Liu Jin did not just learn of his condition. He learned one crucial detail. This man… Branch Master Ruan of the Eternal Raging Valley…

He is no longer in the Emperor Realm.

~~~