An Long loosened his grip, beginning to press for details about the heavenly tribulation.
Song Qing Shi was also vexed, "I don't know; the lightning just appeared suddenly."
"Did you conduct research that defies the heavens, or concoct a forbidden elixir? Or is this a trap laid by enemies?" An Long had countless hypotheses but could never fathom something as unheard-of as Yue Wu Huan experiencing heavenly tribulation during the foundation-building stage—especially one that was as intense as the tribulation faced by a Core Formation cultivator. So, this could only be Song Qing Shi's doing. "Could you have been trying to ascend to the Spirit Severing stage?"
Song Qing Shi firmly denied, "None of those! It's the heavens that are flawed!"
As a meticulous scientist, he also did not believe this had anything to do with Yue Wu Huan. If trash like Jin Fei Lun and Xie Que didn't face divine retribution, why would Yue Wu Huan, a mere mortal who is kind and gentle, be punished by the heavens? This lightning tribulation was purely coincidental!
He speculated, "Maybe a demonic cultivator failed in their tribulation and used the Art of Life Borrowing to transfer the lightning to me."
The Art of Life Borrowing is a long-lost forbidden technique in demonic cultivation. It's said that it can transfer fatal injuries from oneself to someone else. But the requirements to activate it are strict; it not only needs a person with a similar fate but also the right time and conditions.
Yue Wu Huan had been sold to Jin Feng Mountain Villa for many years, with no status to speak of. Obtaining his life pattern wouldn't be difficult.
Both of them kept guessing, but no conclusion was reached, so they temporarily set the matter aside.
Song Qing Shi tried to reason with the unreasonable An Long again, "Everything happened so suddenly; I didn't have time to leave any instructions. Yue Wu Huan isn't familiar with you, and even harbors some grudges. How could he dare ask for your help? If he didn't seal off Medicine King Valley, and this matter got out, I wouldn't be able to survive."
An Long sneered, "You don't know how crafty that kid is. I initially thought that after you were gravely injured, you ended up under his control."
Song Qing Shi was perplexed, "If he wanted to seize Medicine King Valley, he could just kill me. Why go through the trouble of saving and then controlling me?"
An Long wished he could dunk Song Qing Shi's head into water to clear his mind, "You don't understand men!"
Song Qing Shi felt as though he was being insulted, "I am a man; how could I not understand men?"
An Long retorted angrily, "Haven't you ever considered that he might be lusting after you?"
Song Qing Shi fell silent, staring into An Long's eyes for a long time. He wondered if something might be wrong with An Long's vision, as it was obvious that Yue Wu Huan's beauty outshined his own by at least tenfold. Moreover, Yue Wu Huan was the protagonist of the story—graceful, charming, and irresistible. If anyone were lusting, it would be after Yue Wu Huan!
Realizing his slip of the tongue, An Long turned his head away in annoyance, saying nothing more.
Song Qing Shi pondered over the words and found a new point of confusion, "Why would you think Yue Wu Huan would want to harm me?"
Ever since suspecting that something had happened to Medicine King Valley, An Long had been closely monitoring Yue Wu Huan. His actions, whether in hidden realms or on the Life-and-Death stage, were far beyond the scope of what a Foundation Establishment cultivator could achieve. He was ruthless to others and even more ruthless to himself, displaying abnormal behavior at every turn.
In the celestial realm, he was no longer referred to as "Young Master Wu Huan." People called him 'that madman' instead.
"Listen to me," An Long prepared himself to thoroughly badmouth Yue Wu Huan to Song Qing Shi, "that guy in the hidden realms..."
Suddenly, someone intruded into their mental guard radius, interrupting him.
Carrying a tray of new tea snacks, Yue Wu Huan appeared before them, grinning ear-to-ear. He personally poured a cup of tea for An Long, "What interesting things is Lord An discussing?"
An Long had never counted on his restraining talismans to hold Yue Wu Huan for long. Seeing him appear brazenly, An Long was about to speak his disdain.
Yue Wu Huan inquired with a smile, "Could it be that you're concerned about my health?"
An Long was suddenly at a loss for words. He looked at the bewildered Song Qing Shi and then at the madman before him, realizing he absolutely couldn't disclose any of Yue Wu Huan's irrational actions; otherwise, wouldn't that imply that he hadn't recovered from his illness?
Song Qing Shi highly valued treating his mental condition. If he knew the illness had not been cured, he would only be more affectionate and caring...
Gritting his teeth, An Long decided to rephrase his accusation, claiming that Yue Wu Huan was not mad but conniving and malevolent.
Yue Wu Huan turned and poured more tea for Song Qing Shi. He glanced at the bite marks on his arm and smilingly proposed, "My Lord, you've just recovered from a serious illness. Shall I prepare some medicinal dishes for you? I found a Purple Cloud Ginseng in the hidden realms the other day; it's excellent for nourishment."
Again, An Long was speechless. He recalled most of what Yue Wu Huan had done, and it now seemed all his actions had been aimed at finding medicine for Song Qing Shi. He couldn't possibly lie about it. After all, Song Qing Shi was sitting right there, clearly benefiting from Yue Wu Huan's efforts. Was he supposed to complain or to praise him?
As for the minor matters like killing people, such deeds were trivial in the celestial realm.
He had killed far more people himself...
Regarding the issue of forcibly entering Medicine King Valley and getting injured by traps, it was not something a mighty Core Formation expert like himself could fuss over...
Tasting the bitterness of his own medicine as he saw Song Qing Shi puffed up like a pufferfish, unable to vent his grievances, An Long ground his teeth and said, "This guy didn't do anything special in the hidden realms, just some common treasure snatching. Quite good, actually."
Yue Wu Huan sat down with an innocent expression on his face and nodded, "I appreciate the compliment, Lord An."
"You're welcome," An Long picked up the teacup, unable to resist a jab, "This tea isn't poisoned, is it?"
Yue Wu Huan responded seriously, "Lord An has quite the sense of humor. I gave up such crude methods years ago."
...
Song Qing Shi, cradling his obedient pet dragon Hao Long, glanced at An Long on his left and then at Yue Wu Huan on his right. Even he, generally slow to catch on, could sense the hostility between the two, making the atmosphere uncomfortably tense. He wasn't sure how to mediate the situation; after all, An Long had been injured by one of Yue Wu Huan's traps, and An Long was unlikely to forgive or forget.
The best way to handle a fight is to separate the parties.
Song Qing Shi was about to call for a servant to escort An Long back to the Tranquil Heart Annex, while he himself would accompany Yue Wu Huan to the Fu Ling Palace.
Suddenly, he noticed something off about An Long's leather armor. Having studied medicine for many years, Song Qing Shi was a bit of a clean freak. He typically wore white clothes and hated getting dirty. An Long knew this and always made sure to arrive at Medicine King Valley well-groomed. Even if he were to play pranks or get physical, he would never bother Song Qing Shi in this regard.
But now An Long was covered in foul-smelling mud, which had stained several parts of Song Qing Shi's robe as well.
The spell of cleansing was a basic technique that every cultivator in the celestial realm would know, capable of instantly removing dirt.
Why hadn't An Long used it?
After pondering for a moment, Song Qing Shi extended his spiritual sense for a quick check. His expression changed slightly. Supporting himself on Hao Long, he limped towards An Long, took hold of him, and said gravely, "Hao Long has some minor injuries; I'll take you both to rest and apply some medicine."
Seeing Song Qing Shi in this state, An Long's heart softened instantly. He extended his hand, "Hey, need me to carry you?"
Song Qing Shi shook his head and stepped onto the red lotus, "I am not disabled. I'd rather not be carried around like an object; it's beneath my dignity."
He preferred to do what he could by himself...
Yue Wu Huan lowered his eyes and silently began to clear the teaware from the table.
Song Qing Shi led An Long to his regular residence, the Tranquil Heart Annex, ordered him to lie down, and then examined his injuries with his still-agile right hand. Seeing that Song Qing Shi had discovered the truth, An Long finally relented and removed his black leather armor.
How could anyone forcefully break through the poison mist formation of Medicine King Valley and remain unscathed?
Trapped for several days in the poison mist, the area under his armor was a mix of dried blood and dark swamp mud, adhering to his flesh. There were patches of skin on his chest and abdomen that had been corroded by poison, spreading out and slowly penetrating his bones. This particular poison, called "Bone Intoxication," was one of the most fearsome slow-acting poisons listed in the "Nie Family Book of Poisons." Initially, it would only cause numbness, but as the toxin infiltrated the bones, the pain would intensify until every bone shattered, and the body disintegrated into mush.
Song Qing Shi found this poison excessively cruel and had never used it, nor had he set it up in the poison mist formation; therefore, he had not detected it initially.
Although An Long had used special charms and detoxifying pills to delay the onset of the poison, enough time had passed that the toxin had reached the surface of his bones, causing excruciating pain. Initially, he had pressing questions but kept quiet due to his pride, especially after Yue Wu Huan's unexpected appearance.
"You're always like this," Song Qing Shi scolded as he used his spiritual energy to contain the spreading toxin, then began to draw it out with ghostly flames. "If you get a small cut, you'd roll on the floor complaining, but when you're seriously hurt, you keep it to yourself. Do you not feel pain? If you delay any longer, your bones will shatter and I won't be able to save you!"
An Long remained silent, allowing Song Qing Shi to administer the antidote and heal him.
Thanks to Song Qing Shi's unique constitution, which was impervious to all poisons, he could absorb the toxins from others and neutralize them within himself.
The dark ghostly flames continuously rotated, drawing out the toxins strand by strand.
"The poison he used in the formation was meant to kill me," An Long finally spoke, the intense pain subsiding. "I don't blame him. Battles in the celestial realm are rarely fair; it's a matter of life and death. I made it to the Medicine King Valley and saw you; he's the one who lost. Song Qing Shi, I've just thought of 28 ways to kill him, eight of which you couldn't possibly prevent."
Song Qing Shi paused, lifting his head to gaze at An Long warily.
"I know what you want to say; I'm a YuanYing cultivator," An Long cut him off. "But Yue Wu Huan is no ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator. No Foundation Establishment cultivator has a physique close to Golden Core level, possesses Blood King Vine, has a body full of potent poisons, commands such bizarre formations, utilizes unimaginable hidden weapons, or masters sword techniques that are practically inborn. He's too calculating. If he continues to grow, he will become a serious threat to me."
He had underestimated him, thinking him a mere ant, but now he was a force to be reckoned with.
Every cultivator knew that potential threats should be nipped in the bud.
"Yet, you didn't kill him," Song Qing Shi mumbled.
An Long closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "If I had killed him, would you forgive me? Would you not fight me to the death?"
"I can't," Song Qing Shi shook his head firmly, "He saved my life."
Slowly, An Long pulled Song Qing Shi's left hand toward him and lowered his head to look at the delicate skin, his voice tinged with sorrow, "If I had been the one by your side, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. I would have done everything to protect you. But you never gave me the chance."
He was strong, fierce, resilient, shameless, disobedient, and uncompromising.
He's like a malevolent wolf desperately trying to pass off as a domestic dog but failing miserably.
Song Qing Shi knew he should say something comforting, but anything he might say felt inadequate.
"I don't blame you. It's my fault for not letting go; this is the punishment I deserve," An Long pulled him into his arms, burying his face into Song Qing Shi's neck, taking in the scent he couldn't bear to part with, he finally let out a wounded whimper, "Qing Shi, it hurts..."