80: Chapter 80 Doctor Wei

The small courtyard that Xue Ying prepared for Li Qing was not large, but it was kept spotlessly clean. The walls were low, and the location was secluded, yet the environment was quite beautiful.

"Fellow Daoist Xue, you are very thoughtful." Li Qing thanked her.

"Fellow Daoist Li, please bear with staying here for a while. Once my Master returns, I will notify him immediately." Xue Ying promised again.

After Xue Ying left, Li Qing had to admire the prestige of Fairy Luoshui; a single token could cause someone's attitude to do a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

Li Qing did a simple check of the small courtyard, then his heart turned to thoughts of Zhou Yao, who was still in his Portable Cave Abode.

He knew that he absolutely could not bring Zhou Yao out directly in this courtyard. If someone bumped into them and saw a living person appear out of thin air, it would surely invite gossip and trouble. After all, this place was arranged by Xue Ying, and there might be people from the Wei Family Medical Hall moving about nearby, so he had to be careful in everything.

He pretended to have just settled in and was going out to buy some things, walking slowly out of the courtyard. After confirming there was no one around, he immediately quickened his pace, choosing to walk through secluded alleys. After circling around several times and confirming that no one was following him, he found an empty, dilapidated corner and slipped into his Portable Cave Abode.

The Immortal Cave was quiet. Zhou Yao was still lying on the stone bed, unconscious just as before. Her complexion was as white as paper, her lips had no color at all, and her brows were tightly knitted; she looked extremely uncomfortable.

Li Qing walked quickly to the side of the stone bed and gently touched her forehead. It was ice-cold, and her breathing was very weak; one had to feel carefully to notice it. The injury from the Soul-Devouring Needle was constantly torturing her, her Divine Soul was being gnawed away bit by bit, and dragging it out like this meant something could go wrong at any moment.

Li Qing felt both pained and anxious. Not daring to delay any longer, he carefully picked up Zhou Yao and wrapped her tightly in a thick cloak he had prepared in advance, leaving only half of her small face exposed, fearing she might catch a draft and also fearing she would be seen by outsiders.

Carrying Zhou Yao, he left the Immortal Cave. He took a long detour, sticking to deserted paths, remaining vigilant the entire way, and finally returned safely to the small courtyard. He gently placed Zhou Yao on the bed in the inner room, tucked her in, and only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

Just as he had everything settled, a soft knocking sound came from outside the courtyard gate. He didn't need to think to know it was Xue Ying.

Xue Ying had been thinking about him, and knowing he had returned, she would surely come to see him, and incidentally, she also wanted to check on Zhou Yao's injuries.

Li Qing walked over and opened the door. Xue Ying was carrying a food box containing freshly prepared meals. As soon as she entered, she peeked into the room and asked, "Fellow Daoist Li, you're back. Where is that young lady? I've come to check on her condition."

Li Qing did not hide anything and led Xue Ying into the inner room. Xue Ying walked to the bedside, carefully observing Zhou Yao's appearance, then reached out to take Zhou Yao's wrist, taking her pulse earnestly, her brows knitting tighter and tighter.

She first felt the pulse, then checked Zhou Yao's eyelids, and even leaned in to look at the black Qi faintly emerging from Zhou Yao's body, her expression becoming increasingly grim.

After a long while, Xue Ying withdrew her hand and shook her head at Li Qing, her tone full of guilt and helplessness: "Fellow Daoist Li, I am truly sorry, I... I am really powerless. This Soul-Devouring Needle specifically injures a person's Divine Soul, and our medical spiritual power cannot repair the Divine Soul."

Li Qing had already prepared himself, but hearing Xue Ying say with her own mouth that there was no way made his heart sink. However, he did not blame Xue Ying, just said softly, "I don't blame you. This injury is inherently evil; thank you for your trouble."

Xue Ying looked at the unconscious Zhou Yao, feeling uncomfortable herself, and advised, "I will head back first. You take good care of her. My Master, Divine Doctor Wei, will return in two days. My Master is the most formidable divine doctor in this area; he has seen all kinds of difficult and strange illnesses. Perhaps he has a way. Let's just wait until my Master returns."

Li Qing nodded. For now, this was all he could do; besides waiting for Divine Doctor Wei, there was no other way.

From then on, Li Qing lived steadily in this small courtyard, effectively relying on the Wei Family Medical Hall to stay for the time being.

He did not dare to leave even for a step, guarding by Zhou Yao's side all day, taking care of her while seizing every moment to Cultivate.

Li Qing knew very clearly that only by becoming stronger himself could he better protect Zhou Yao, and he would also have more confidence when searching for a cure later.

After waiting for two or three days, this afternoon, Xue Ying arrived at the small courtyard where Li Qing lived, accompanied by an old man with completely white hair and beard.

The old man wore simple cloth garments, looked vigorous, had particularly bright eyes, and the pressure belonging to a Foundation Establishment Master was faintly discernible on him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, this is my Master, Divine Doctor Wei."

Li Qing had not expected that a dignified Foundation Establishment Master would come in person.

"Greetings, Senior Wei." Li Qing's attitude was very respectful. Although he knew why Divine Doctor Wei had come, he did not become arrogant because of Luo Bing's token.

Upon seeing Li Qing, Divine Doctor Wei did not waste words and spoke directly: "You are Li Hu? Quickly, take me to see that injured young lady. Let's put the token of Fairy Luoshui aside for now; saving the person is urgent!"

Li Qing was moved in his heart and quickly invited Divine Doctor Wei and Xue Ying back into the house, walking quickly all the way, just wanting Divine Doctor Wei to diagnose and treat Zhou Yao as soon as possible.

Returning to the inner room, Divine Doctor Wei walked to the bedside and leaned down to carefully examine Zhou Yao's condition. He first looked at Zhou Yao's complexion, then took her pulse, his fingers resting on her wrist. He closed his eyes and sensed for a long while, then gently touched the center of Zhou Yao's brows, his own brows instantly knitting into a knot.

Divine Doctor Wei withdrew his hand and sighed while standing by the bed, saying to Li Qing in a heavy tone: "Young man, I will tell you the truth. This young lady was injured by a Soul-Devouring Needle. Although the Soul-Devouring Needle did not penetrate deep into the body and the damage to the Divine Soul is not great, if the evil Qi of the Soul-Devouring Needle is allowed to remain in her brain, sooner or later, her Divine Soul will be completely extinguished."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing's heart instantly turned cold. His voice trembled as he spoke: "Divine Doctor, I beg you to think of a way. Is there really no way at all?"

Seeing how anxious Li Qing was, Divine Doctor Wei could not bear it and waved his hand, saying: "My medical spiritual power is not skilled in the Dao of the Divine Soul; I am powerless to provide a complete cure."

Upon hearing this, Li Qing's face immediately turned pale.

"But don't panic. A complete cure is impossible, but I have a method for alleviation. It can temporarily suppress the evil Qi of the Soul-Devouring Needle, preventing the evil Qi from continuing to gnaw away at her Divine Soul and maintaining the current situation. It will also allow her to suffer less, but it cannot wake her up. We can only drag it out for now and slowly search for an Opportunity for a root cure."

Li Qing immediately rekindled hope and quickly asked: "What method? Divine Doctor, please tell me. No matter what items are needed, I can find them!"

Divine Doctor Wei said slowly: "Go and find a medicinal herb called 'soul-condensing herb,' and pair it with three Soul-Calming Beads. Boil them into a decoction, feed her a small bowl every day, and continue for seven days; this will stabilize her Divine Soul and suppress the spread of the evil Qi. It is just that this soul-condensing herb and the Soul-Calming Beads are very rare and hard to find, but they should be available for purchase at Luoshui Hall. Additionally, I will prescribe a few gentle nourishing medicines for you. Feed them to her once every three days to maintain her bodily functions. Make sure not to interrupt the medication."

After speaking, Divine Doctor Wei had Xue Ying bring paper and a brush, wrote down the prescription on the spot, clearly labeled the appearance of the medicinal materials, handed it to Li Qing, and repeatedly emphasized the precautions for boiling and feeding the medicine.

Li Qing clutched the prescription tightly, his heart full of gratitude, and bowed deeply to Divine Doctor Wei: "Thank you, Divine Doctor. Thank you, Divine Doctor, for your life-saving grace. I will definitely find these medicinal materials as soon as possible and take care of her according to your method."

Divine Doctor Wei waved his hand and looked at Li Qing, saying: "You young man value relationships and righteousness; it is rare. Keep the token of Fairy Luoshui safe; it might have great use in the future. I am holding consultations at the medical hall; if you have any urgent matters, or if you find the medicinal materials and don't know how to prepare them, come find me at any time."

After speaking, Divine Doctor Wei glanced at Zhou Yao once more, sighed, and then left the small courtyard with Xue Ying.