Yao Zhi took out a jar of wound ointment and handed it to him while adding, "Fortunately, it only injured your fingers. If it had been your neck, I wouldn’t have been able to explain myself to the General even if I jumped into the Great River."
Hearing this, Bai Yunxiao felt a chill crawl down his spine. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, but she wasn’t wrong. If it had struck his neck, he would have died instantly.
Accepting the ointment with trembling hands, he replied, "T-thank you for your reminder, Young Master Lei."
Yao Zhi nodded and dropped the matter.
After applying the ointment, Bai Yunxiao returned it to her and resumed working. This time, he no longer dared to act recklessly.
They dug a total of eighteen pits spanning an area of 10 li. By the time they finished, five hours had already passed.
Yao Zhi checked the Taiji Diagram before heading toward the center of the formation. It was time to establish the formation core.
"Both of you, don’t e too close to me. Go over there," she said while pointing toward a location 100 meters away.
She waited until they reached the designated area before taking out a superior-quality spiritual stone from her system storage.
Holding it in her palm, she drew another Protection Talisman on it before placing it onto the ground. Afterward, she formed a series of hand seals according to the instructions recorded in the Qimen Dunjia records.
The next moment, she felt a powerful force draining the spiritual energy from her body. Spiritual energy seeped from the soles of her feet into the ground.
Slowly, faint golden light emerged beneath the earth, forming interconnected lines that rapidly spread outward, creating a massive formation.
However, the formation was only one-third plete when Yao Zhi began feeling dizzy. A tearing pain erupted from her dantian, a sign of her dantian being drained of spiritual energy.
If she stopped now, she would have to restart everything, wasting all her spiritual energy. But if she forced herself to continue, she might die from spiritual exhaustion or permanently damage her dantian.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she suddenly remembered the immortal dew and spiritual spring water she possessed.
Internally cursing herself for being foolish, she used her mind to retrieve the jade bottle containing immortal dew from the system storage.
Maintaining the hand seal with one hand, she opened the jade bottle with the other and drank a small sip.
Immediately, a terrifying surge of spiritual energy exploded inside her body and rushed into her dantian. The amount was far beyond what her current physique could handle.
Blood seeped from the corners of her lips, and her skin began to crack. She gritted her teeth and accelerated the formation process.
The spiritual energy from the immortal dew surged through her meridians like a broken floodgate. After entering her dantian, it was instantly drawn out by the formation.
The process was painful beyond words. Yao Zhi silently swore that she would never again do something this reckless.
Soon, the golden light reached the outermost ring of the formation. With a loud bang, the formation was finally pleted.
Golden light burst from the ground and shot toward the sky for a brief instant before vanishing.
As the formation stabilized, the draining force disappeared as well.
Yao Zhi collapsed onto the ground and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
"Master!" Ling Ershi rushed over in panic.
Although she had nearly lost her life, the ordeal wasn’t without benefits.
The spiritual energy had washed away impurities blocking her meridians and expanded them. Her dantian had also undergone a baptism; it became larger and more stable. The spiritual energy inside her dantian was purer than before.
The black blood she spat out was merely the impurities expelled from her body. Yao Zhi smiled weakly at Ling Ershi and said, "I’m fine. Don’t worry."
Ling Ershi’s eyes were bloodshot as he helped her sit.
Just now, he had wanted to rush over and save her, but an invisible force had restrained him pletely. He couldn’t even move a finger, much less approach her.
Looking at her pale face, he said hoarsely, "Master, I will carry you back. Let’s find a physician to check your condition."
Yao Zhi shook her head. "No need. I will recover after resting for a while."
After saying that, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes to meditate. Her dantian was overflowing with spiritual energy, and she needed to regulate it before it damaged her foundation.
She meditated for forty-five minutes before finally opening her eyes. The injuries on her body had healed pletely, and the pain had disappeared.
Bai Yunxiao stared at her with widened eyes after seeing her stand up as if nothing had happened. "Young Master Lei, are you alright?" he asked.
"I’m fine," Yao Zhi nodded. Looking at the darkening sky, she added, "Let’s return first. We can continue tomorrow."
Hearing this, Bai Yunxiao could only nod and follow her back to the city.
As soon as he escorted Yao Zhi back to the General’s temporary residence, Bai Yunxiao immediately rode toward the military camp and reported everything to Lu Qianxuan without leaving out a single detail.
Meanwhile, the civilians had been waiting in the city center for their meal.
Unlike before, the ones cooking were no longer the soldiers, but women and elderly people who couldn’t do heavy labor. The children were tasked with washing the ingredients, while the chopping, slicing, and cooking were left to the adults.
Everyone originally thought they would receive another bowl of thin porridge and a piece of black steamed cake today.
Unexpectedly, when it was finally time to distribute the food, each person was given a bowl of thick porridge and two large steamed buns.
The porridge even carried a faint sweetness, while the buns had a subtle milky flavor. It was obvious that sugar and milk had been added.
When the civilians realized this, countless people thanked the White Tiger Army with tears in their eyes.
User Comments
0 comments from readers