"Nothing can be done."
Xue Butong gave a bitter smile, shaking his head with a sigh.
Hearing those four words, Hong Yu's body and soul trembled. He stumbled back three steps, his face instantly turning deathly pale, drained of all color.
His once bright and piercing eyes were now shrouded in gloom. He stared at Xue Butong in disbelief. "Master Xue, not even you have a way?"
A final shred of hope remained in Hong Yu's heart.
He hoped he had just misheard, or that Master Xue had misspoken. He hoped Master Xue would laugh and tell him it was all just a joke, that his sister's illness was already cured!
But alas...
The words that ca from Xue Butong's mouth were not what he had hoped for, but a sigh filled with helplessness and apology. "I'm very sorry. I've done everything I can, but I truly have no way to cure your sister's illness."
"How... how can this be?"
Hong Yu clutched his chest, feeling his entire world turn gray in an instant.
For five years, the dream of curing Yun ngyao and giving her a healthy body had been the one thing that drove Hong Yu, the foundation of all his efforts.
For the sake of curing Yun ngyao, Hong Yu had not slacked off for a single mont in five years, never once allowing himself to relax.
For five straight years, through bitter winters and scorching sumrs, he had done nothing but cultivate diligently.
He had even joined the Underground Alliance, becoming a Hunter and taking on life-and-death missions, all so he could gain enough power to hire a Spiritual Craftsman to treat his sister.
And now, he finally had enough power. He had even managed to hire Master Xue.
Just half an hour ago, he and his sister had been filled with anticipation and excitent, waiting for Master Xue to cure Yun ngyao. Then, the two of them would leave this cold and indifferent family to search for their long-lost father and mother, to be a complete family again, living together in peace and harmony.
Everything was going according to plan.
But right at the mont his dream was about to be realized, reality had dealt him another rciless blow.
In his mind's eye...
Yun ngyao's excited voice as she asked, "Brother, can I really get better?"
Yun ngyao, using her own frail body to carry him, shielding him from the tainted well water to save his life...
Yun ngyao, staying by his side through thick and thin, never abandoning him when he was at his most helpless and lost!
These mories from the past, each one a steel needle, pricked at his body and soul, the pain so intense he could barely breathe.
"How could this be? Why did it have to be like this?" Hong Yu muttered blankly.
Looking at the dazed and helpless young man, Xue Butong frowned, a hint of pity in his eyes. Indecision flickered across his round, cheerful face. Truthfully, if Hong Yu had only completed the Restoring Yin Grass mission to ask for his help, Xue Butong would have already fulfilled his promise and been free to leave.
But the profound understanding of pharmacology Hong Yu had shown earlier, especially his modifications to the Breaking Forbidden Spirit Pill recipe, had been a significant favor to him.
Furthermore, based on the pharmacological knowledge Hong Yu had displayed, Xue Butong could foresee that once Hong Yu beca a Spiritual Craftsman, his achievents would be beyond imagination. At this thought, Xue Butong seed to have made a decision. He spoke up, "Actually, there is one other thod we could try!"
"What?"
Hong Yu looked at Xue Butong with burning eyes, as if clutching at a lifeline.
Xue Butong pondered for a mont before saying, "The previous physicians who diagnosed her probably didn't investigate carefully and just gave a random conclusion to be done with it. In fact, what's inside your sister's body isn't cold poison. It seems to be caused by a unique constitution. Since it's a matter of her constitution, the conventional treatnt of using Primordial Fire to expel cold poison is naturally ineffective."
"So that's how it is."
Hong Yu nodded.
He had actually heard of special constitutions before; they were even recorded in the *Divine dicine Scripture*. However, the Profound Celestial Tower lacked sufficient energy, so Little One could only reveal a third of the first volu. Hong Yu only had ti to morize the knowledge related to basic pharmacology.
He was completely ignorant when it ca to diagnosing clinical conditions.
As for raising his cultivation to power up the Profound Celestial Tower and search for a cure for Yun ngyao in the later sections of the *Divine dicine Scripture*, that was a last resort.
After all, no one knew in which chapter or section of the *Divine dicine Scripture* the information on constitutions and Yun ngyao's cure might be, or even what level of strength was required to unlock the relevant parts. Hong Yu could wait, but Yun ngyao couldn't wait that long.
The thod Xue Butong ntioned had beco his lifeline, his only hope!
Hong Yu asked, "Master Xue, what was the thod you just ntioned?"
Xue Butong's eyes glead. "I know of a certain senior expert, a Tier Two Spiritual Craftsman. She is one of the most preeminent figures in the field of spiritual craftsmanship within our Fengyue Kingdom. Moreover, her greatest specialty is the study of special constitutions. If you can persuade her to help, she should be able to cure your sister!"
"Who is this senior? And where can I find her?" Hong Yu asked.
Xue Butong replied, "Her na is Zhu Linna, and she's actually not far from our Shishui City. However, persuading her will not be easy."
"I don't care how hard it is. For Yaoyao, I have to try!" Hong Yu's gaze was firm as he spoke in a low, determined voice.
"You should hear out about her background and what it takes to get her help before you make a decision."
Xue Butong continued, "Master Zhu Linna is one of the seven Elders of the Fengyue Kingdom's National Guardian Sect, the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. Because of her status as a Tier Two Spiritual Craftsman, her position is second only to the Sect Leader and the Grand Elder. If you want to ask her to save your sister, the first thing you must do is join the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. Beyond that, you must beco at least a True Disciple to even have a chance of eting her. As for whether you can persuade her to help, that will depend on your own fortune."
"The Cyan Nether Sword Sect? A True Disciple?"
Even though Hong Yu had braced himself, he couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
There wasn't a single person in the Fengyue Kingdom who didn't know of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. It was the National Guardian Sect of the Fengyue Dynasty, the most powerful sect in the land.
The Cyan Nether Sword Sect was divided into the Outer Sect and Inner Sect. Outer Disciples were considered ordinary disciples. Only by entering the Inner Sect could one be considered a basic Core Disciple, and above the Core Disciples were the True Disciples.
Among the younger generation of the Hong Family, with the exception of the fifth young master, Hong Feng, who had been training away from ho for many years and hadn't returned, all the others had succeeded.
The fourth, third, second, and first young masters had all successfully entered the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. All four of them had condensed their Primordial Spirit and advanced to the Earth Soul Realm before the age of twenty, making them even more outstanding than Hong Luàn. The strongest among them, the legendary genius said to be the most exceptional in the Hong Family in a thousand years, the Patriarch's son Hong Longtao, had broken through to the Peak of the Earth Soul Realm at the age of twenty-five, becoming one of the Ten Great True Disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.
One had to understand that the Cyan Nether Sword Sect had over three hundred thousand disciples in its inner and outer sects combined, yet there were only ten True Disciples. One could only imagine how intense the competition was.
How could it possibly be easy for him to beco a True Disciple?
But Hong Yu had no other choice.
Even though the *Divine dicine Scripture* might contain the thod to cure his sister, he didn't dare bet everything on it, given its many uncertainties. Naturally, joining the Cyan Nether Sword Sect and striving to beco a True Disciple to ask Master Zhu Linna for help beca another path he had to take.
Hong Yu took a deep breath and looked at Xue Butong. "Master Xue, do you know how one can enter the Cyan Nether Sword Sect?"
"You've decided?"
Xue Butong asked.
Hong Yu nodded, a self-deprecating and helpless look on his face. "Besides this, I can't think of any better way."
Xue Butong was taken aback for a mont, a look of resignation on his face. He said slowly, "If you've really decided to go to the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, you don't have to be in too much of a hurry. I heard soone ntion a few days ago that in the middle of next month, an expert from the Cyan Nether Sword Sect will be coming to Shishui City to hold an inter-clan martial tournant and select suitable candidates to join the Sect."
"An inter-clan martial tournant? Are there any eligibility requirents?" Hong Yu asked.
Xue Butong said, "There aren't many requirents. The only one is that you can't be over eighteen years old. Anyone under eighteen who has reached the Seventh Layer of the Essence Realm or higher can participate. However, the Cyan Nether Sword Sect is only recruiting four disciples this ti. Given the strength of the young experts from Shishui City's major families in the last two years, the competition will be incredibly fierce."
Hong Yu nodded.
Shishui City was a prominent city in the Fengyue Kingdom. The three major families, led by the Hong Family and followed by the Lin Family and the Wang Family, were especially powerful.
Among the younger generation, Hong Yu had heard the rumors of the "Four Kings, Three Prodigies, and One Tyrant."
The so-called Four Kings were the four Celestial Pride Sons of the Hong Family who had joined the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. The Three Prodigies referred to the two genius young masters of the Lin Family, Lin Tao and Lin Hai, as well as the Wang Family's eldest young master, Wang ng. As for the One Tyrant, that was the Hong Family's fifth young master, Hong Hu, who had shown a fierce and domineering Tusk since childhood and was currently out training!
The Four Kings had all left Shishui City to join the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, so the most talked-about geniuses in this generation were naturally the "Three Prodigies and One Tyrant"!
"The Cyan Nether Sword Sect is only recruiting four disciples. If you participate, you will inevitably run into those four. They are all highly skilled young heroes. More importantly, the Lin and Wang families are mortal enemies of your Hong Family. If you encounter them, they will show you no rcy," Xue Butong said.
Hong Yu smiled faintly. "I'll be careful!"
Though he said that, Hong Yu was sighing inwardly. 'I haven't had much contact with the people from the Lin and Wang families, so if I run into them, it might not be too intense. But I've heard that Hong Hu and Hong Luàn are very close. If I run into him, that's when the real trouble will start!'
Pushing down the thoughts in his mind, Hong Yu looked at Xue Butong seriously. "Master Xue, later, could I ask you to help keep this from Yaoyao?"
"Alright."
Xue Butong said, "Although I can't cure her symptoms completely, I can still suppress them. As long as you can get Master Zhu to help within a year, and with helping to manage her condition, there shouldn't be any problems for a year!"
"One year? I understand!"
Hong Yu nodded solemnly.
The two returned to the room. After a short wait, Yun ngyao slowly woke up. The little girl's bright eyes were wide as she stared at Hong Yu without blinking, then giggled. "Brother, I want to eat the white congee with a salted duck egg that you make!" The little girl's smile was as sweet as a flower, but she didn't ask a single question about her health.
This couldn't help but make Master Xue, who was standing to the side, a little puzzled. 'Shouldn't the first thing a seriously ill person asks upon waking up after being treated be about their condition?'
But Hong Yu knew Yun ngyao's temperant all too well. Hearing her words, he imdiately understood that this girl had probably overheard his conversation with Master Xue. She just didn't want him to worry, so she was pretending that everything was fine. Yet it was precisely this almost foolishly simple act that made Hong Yu's heart ache as if it were being twisted by a knife, filling him with an overwhelming sense of love and pain for her.
Gently caressing Yun ngyao's smooth little face, Hong Yu forced a smile. "Okay, Brother will go cook it for you right now."
"I want two this ti!"
The little girl's eyes narrowed into crescents as she waggled a slender finger.
Hong Yu nodded, fighting back the sorrow in his heart.
With his sharp eyesight, how could he fail to see the tears glistening in the little girl's eyes, which she was stubbornly holding back? Hong Yu felt a lump form in his throat. A man of his stature should shed blood, not tears. But at this mont, looking at his sister who was forcing back her tears and pretending that everything was fine, he felt his own eyes betraying him...
Hong Yu clenched his fists, his expression more determined than ever before.
'Yaoyao, I swear I will cure you.'
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