Ou Yangming's cry was earth-shattering.

Previously, he was attacked halfway during his journey to the prefecture, but he ended up advancing to Yin Grade in the dense forest. Everything he experienced was a huge misfortune for a teen of his age, but the fact that Ou Yangming persevered until the end and killed Zhang Yinli proved how tough his psychological quality was.

However, he found out after he returned to the military camp that Old Craftsman had passed out.

Ou Yangming really grew at that moment.

Before this, although he looked like he made unnecessary fuss all the time after being adopted by Old Craftsman, the old man had actually always been his psychological support. Ou Yangming was at ease as long as Old Craftsman was around because he knew no matter how much he overdid things, the old man would protect him at all costs.

That said, his biggest support collapsed that day.

Therefore, Ou Yangming immediately matured. When he went to the Ni residence, entered the Chaos Cave, and was even attacked by a nest of Black Magic Crawlers, he never wanted to give up. On top of that, he broke through during a moment of life or death, and he stepped into the thoroughly meticulous state.

It was all because he knew that his support had fallen down.

Ou Yangming could only depend on himself in the future, and the old man, whom he had treated as a support in the past, was waiting for him to save his life.

Hence, Ou Yangming was able to be as steady as a rock throughout his experiences after receiving the bad news. No matter what happened and how difficult things were, he never flinched and was steadfast.

Unless one experienced the mental journey oneself, one could never imagine what it was like.

After finally seeing the old man nagging at him again, Ou Yangming could not hold in his emotions anymore. The string that had been tightened in his heart was finally let go, and he broke down right away.

Old Craftsman was confused as he looked at Ou Yangming dumbfoundedly.

'I didn't hit him, why is he crying like his parents are dead? But he doesn't even know where his parents' ashes are, so why is he crying like he's at a funeral…'

Feeling furious, the old man shouted with energy that he had gathered out of nowhere, "B*stard, shut up, I'm not dead yet!"

Ou Yangming was struck dumb, and his cry was instantly stuck in his throat as he could not wail anymore.

He recalled Ni Yinghong's warning again, where he was told not to make Old Craftsman experience extreme emotions. 'Have I just violated the taboo by crying like I'm attending a funeral?'

As such, he immediately stopped and looked at Old Craftsman, who was glowing in health but looked exasperated. Even though the old man's face was still so thin that the bone structure on his face could be seen, he did not seem like he had just recovered for a brief moment before death.

Ou Yangming turned to look at Ni Xuehai.

Ni Xuehai stepped forward right away, then checked Old Craftsman's pulse and congratulated him with a smile, "Congratulations, old man."

Being a Ni family's elder, his hair was already white, and he looked a few years older than Old Craftsman.

Old Craftsman regained his composure and asked, "Ah, this brother is…"

"I'm Ni Xuehai. You've fallen sick due to worry, so Brother Lil' Ou Yangming invited me over to treat you. Hehe, a kind man is always rewarded, you've fully recovered," Ni Xuehai said with a smile and sent Ou Yangming a signal with his eyes.

Ou Yangming quickly understood that Ni Xuehai was warning him.

His face turned red as he suggested, "Old man, you've recovered, but your body's weak after laying in bed for many days, so it's best for you to rest more."

"Do I not know my body condition?" Old Craftsman scoffed and pulled a long face. "I'm hungry, go make some food for me, b*stard."

Ou Yangming responded to him and left the room.

Nonetheless, before he headed to the kitchen, someone had brought meal boxes over. Ni Xuehai's voice was heard at the same time. "I've made arrangements for the old man's meals. He'll have to take some medicinal porridge and slowly take in other types of food. Send him the meal boxes and stay with him these next few days. Don't make him angry, but don't make him too happy as well. He has to recuperate for some time, but he'll be fine in roughly half a month's time."

Ou Yangming's eyes lit up as he asked, "Senior, how's the golden pill's drug efficacy?"

Ni Xuehai fell silent, but just as Ou Yangming's cheerful heart was slowly sinking into an icehouse due to the disappointment, he sighed. "Ah, the Life-prolonging Golden Pill is indeed so mysterious that it is unpredictable. It's not something that I can imagine…"

"Senior, has the old man's body actually recovered?" Ou Yangming was startled.

"Didn't I tell you? Did you not hear me?" Ni Xuehai turned around to cast an exaggerated look at him.

Ou Yangming mumbled, "Senior, when did you tell me?"

Ni Xuehai was slightly mad. "Didn't I say that he has fully recovered? He just has to be taken good care of according to the medicinal meals I've prepared, and he'll be full of vigor in no time."

"You… You were actually telling the truth in the room…" Ou Yangming had a strange expression on his face.

"Hmph, when have I ever lied?" Ni Xuehai was displeased.

Ou Yangming quickly apologized, but he silently cursed.

'Since Old Craftsman has recovered, why did you have to look so shocked? I was worried for nothing.'

Nevertheless, he was not a doctor, hence he could not understand Ni Xuehai's thought.

According to Ni Xuehai's medical art, he had spared no effort in helping Old Craftsman, but he was at a loss other than using the Life-prolonging Spiritual Pills to keep the old man alive. On the other hand, one Life-prolonging Golden Pill was all it took to make Old Craftsman's weak pulse strong again.

Not only that, but Old Craftsman's bearing and energy were entirely different from before.

The nearly nature-defying process was completed by a small golden pill, so how could Ni Xuehai not be moved? How could he contain his feelings?

Ou Yangming happily carried the meal boxes into the room to serve Old Craftsman.

Perhaps the golden pill's effect was too powerful, or perhaps Old Craftsman had lain in bed for too long, his body felt uneasy. Therefore, the old man insisted on getting out of bed after having his meal.

The instant his feet touched the ground, he was surprised and dubious about his own body.

'Is this thin body really mine? What exactly happened during this period of time?'

However, no matter how much he questioned, Ou Yangming assured him that he had fallen sick from being too worried, and he was temporarily unconscious as a result. That being said, he had fully recovered after the recuperation.

Ou Yangming decided not to let anyone know that Old Craftsman had been on the verge of death. He also decided to keep it a secret from the old man himself.

With that, another ten days passed, and Old Craftsman was visibly recovering quickly.

In addition, the old man's body became stronger each day as Ni Xuehai prepared medicinal food for him with different rare spiritual medicine. While Old Craftsman had not recovered his best state, which was when he was younger, due to the short span of time, he was a different person from when he first regained his consciousness.

Ni Xuehai bid his farewell after ten days and left two medicinal food recipes.

Ou Yangming tried hard to make the medical doctor stay. Not to mention that Old Craftsman had not gone back to his peak state yet, even if he did, Ou Yangming was unwilling to let the great medical doctor leave.

A human's body was made of flesh and blood, after all, so it was inevitable for one to become ill one day.

Despite that, Ni Xuehai insisted on leaving. He told Ou Yangming to send Old Craftsman to the prefecture if he was still worried, and that he would take care of the old man.

Ou Yangming remembered his words. Though he understood that he would likely have to rely on the Ni family for protection if he sent Old Craftsman to the prefecture right away, he would not hesitate if it was necessary.

Finally, Ou Yangming raised a question when he sent Ni Xuehai and Ni Wangyang away, "Senior, how long can one's life be prolonged with the Life-prolonging Golden Pill?"

Ni Xuehai answered after he pondered, "Based on Old Craftsman's body condition, as long as there aren't unforeseen events and he remains cheerful, he'll live for at least ten more years."

"Ten years!" Ou Yangming's eyes glowed. "Senior, if the ten years are up, what's the effect of consuming the golden pill for a second time?"

"For the same medicine, it's most effective during the first time, whereas it'll be unsatisfactory during the second time," Ni Xuehai answered helplessly and added to himself, 'Even if the second golden pill is effective, do you think you can attain it?'

Ou Yangming asked again, "Apart from the Life-prolonging Golden Pill, is there another spiritual medicine?"

Ni Xuehai wondered and replied to him, "There is, but it's nearly a legendary item, and it's something that you can only dream of getting."

Nonetheless, Ou Yangming unexpectedly sighed a breath of relief and expressed, "Thank you for your pointers, senior. When I visit you in the future, I hope that you'll tell me more about it."

"I told you that it's something beyond your imagination." Ni Xuehai furrowed his eyebrows.

"I didn't say that I'll look for it now. Besides, I have ten years to do that, it's more than enough time." Ou Yangming could not help but laugh.

"Wangyang, the young fella talks really big, and he truly doesn't know the immensity of Heaven and Earth," Ni Xuehai shook his head and commented after watching Ou Yangming return to the military camp. He later sneered. "Does he want to obtain a few treasures in just ten years? Heh, even the three great ancestors together dare not claim that!"

He was struck dumb when he turned to look. "Wangyang, what are you thinking about?"

Ni Wangyang pondered deeply as though he did not hear him at all.

"Uncle Xuehai, I'm thinking about an encounter before I arrived," he suddenly responded without frowning anymore, then told the medical elder about the sneak attack that took place after he left the prefecture. When Ni Wangyang finished, he added, "After what happened, I kept thinking, how did Ou Yangming do it?"

It was Ni Xuehai's first time hearing something like that, so he asked out of curiosity, "How did that young fella do it?"

"I don't know. Everything he did was plain and simple, but he managed to pull off the seemingly dull act." Ni Wangyang smiled bitterly then continued after some hesitation, "Perhaps he'll really achieve something after ten years…"

The Ni family elders exchanged glances, and they somehow looked uncertain.