285: Comparing Hua Tuo and Ouyang Mingri

Inside a secluded valley and thatched cottage, the candlelight flickered faintly.

A young Young Master with a handsome face and an extraordinary, ethereal demeanor sat in a wheelchair. He was dressed in pristine white, not a speck of dust on him – it was Ouyang Mingri, known as ‘The Second Hua Tuo’.

He wasn't asleep; instead, he gazed at the night sky outside the window, his brow slightly furrowed.

In the night sky, the Milky Way flowed, but in the eyes of someone like Ouyang Mingri, who was skilled in the art of celestial divination, the star constellations presented an unprecedented confusion and oppression.

The Polaris was surrounded by Evil Qi, its light dim, as if shrouded by an invisible black curtain, teetering on the brink.

The trajectories of the scattered General Stars and Auxiliary Stars had undergone bizarre deflections, as if forcibly pulled by an immensely powerful force, converging towards the core of the Central Plains.

And at the center of that convergence was not the Imperial Star, but a… malevolent star emitting a chaotic light of crimson and dark black!

The malevolent star’s light was so brilliant it overshadowed the Polaris, its power overbearing and absolute, carrying a will to devour and control everything, stirring the Luck of the entire world.

“The celestial phenomena have abruptly changed, the ‘Killing Breaking Wolf’ alignment has reversed, and the stars are converging… yet not towards a benevolent ruler? Is this… the descent of a Demonic Star, or a hegemon ascending to power?”

Ouyang Mingri murmured to himself, his clear eyes filled with solemnity and confusion: “The Dao of destiny is in Chaos, the future is shrouded in uncertainty, a sign of great misfortune, yet there is also a glimmer of hope… Where does this hope lie?”

He calculated with his fingers, only to find the celestial secrets obscure and difficult to decipher, as if obscured by an even greater power. The backlash made his chest feel tight.

“Cough, cough…” He coughed softly a few times, a faint, unnatural blush appearing on his pale face.

“Young Master, your body…” Yi Shan, who was guarding nearby, quickly stepped forward with concern upon seeing this.

Ouyang Mingri waved his hand, indicating that he was fine.

He turned his wheelchair and approached a jade platform inside the room. On the platform rested a peculiar stone, about the size of a bowl, perfectly round, with patterns, and emitting a warm, soft glow.

It was precisely the legendary Dragon’s placenta, the Nine Dragon Stone, a rare treasure of heaven and earth!

Holding the Nine Dragon Stone in his palm and feeling its rhythm, Ouyang Mingri sighed, “The world is about to fall into Chaos, and tribulation has already begun. I fear I cannot remain aloof.”

He recalled some scattered rumors he had heard recently: the drastic changes within the Supreme Alliance, Guan Yutian and Helian Ba submitting to a mysterious powerful individual; the Sea Shark Palace merging into the Supreme Alliance; the Martial Forest of the Central Plains being overturned overnight… These reports initially seemed like Jianghu rumors, but now, combined with the celestial phenomena, they were likely true!

That mysterious Alliance Leader who stirred up the winds and clouds must be the malevolent star that abruptly appeared in the celestial phenomena!

With this treasure in his hands, it was a case of ‘a man is innocent, but his possession of a treasure makes him guilty’.

This place was no longer safe to stay!

“Yi Shan,” Ouyang Mingri said decisively.

“Young Master, what are your orders?”

“Pack our belongings. We are leaving the Central Plains immediately and heading to Sifang City.”

Yi Shan was stunned: “Young Master, so suddenly? Where are we going?”

Ouyang Mingri’s gaze turned towards the boundless darkness outside the window, his eyes firm: “Though the world is vast, there are not many places where I can temporarily avoid the vortex, observe the changes, and seize an opportunity… We will head northwest first, and act when the time is right!”

He carefully placed the Nine Dragon Stone into his package.

“The Nine Dragon Stone is of great importance and must never fall into the hands of those with ill intentions, who seek to disrupt destiny with force!”

A moment later, a carriage quietly drove out of the valley and thatched cottage, merging into the deep night, heading towards the northwest.

Almost the very next day after Ouyang Mingri’s departure, Ren Qianxing, sent by Guan Yutian, found the now empty valley and thatched cottage.

Looking at the lingering scent of medicine and the few traces of life inside the house, Ren Qianxing’s face was grim.

“Search! Search carefully! See if any clues were left behind!”

“Damn it, he actually dared to run!”

Ren Qianxing angrily punched the doorframe, wood splinters flying.

He had intended to perform a great meritorious deed in front of his Master and the unfathomable new Alliance Leader, to regain the face he had lost in his previous crushing defeat, but he had come up empty-handed.

The news quickly reached the Supreme Alliance’s main headquarters.

Guan Yutian stood in the main hall, bowing to Lu Jiuyuan on the throne, a fine cold sweat beading on his forehead,

“Alliance Leader, this subordinate is incompetent! The ‘Second Hua Tuo’ Ouyang Mingri seemed to have foreseen our arrival and had already fled the thatched cottage before our people got there.

The scene was cleaned, and not many clues were left.

But from the remaining traces, he should have headed northwest.”

“Northwest direction! Then send more people, spread out our informants, and focus on the northwest direction, especially the Sifang City area.”

Meanwhile, on the official road leading northwest.

A carriage, driven by Yi Shan, proceeded at a steady pace.

Inside the carriage, Ouyang Mingri closed his eyes in contemplation, his fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on his knee.

The closer he got to the northwest, the more his unease, instead of diminishing, grew heavier.

The sense of oppression from the direction of the Central Plains followed him like a shadow, as if an invisible net was slowly tightening.

“Cough, cough…” Another violent fit of coughing. Ouyang Mingri covered his mouth with a silk handkerchief; when he unfolded it, there was a trace of crimson.

“Young Master!” Yi Shan heard the commotion and looked back worriedly.

“It’s nothing, just mental exhaustion.”

Ouyang Mingri waved his hand, his face a bit paler, “Yi Shan, faster. I always feel… something isn’t right.”

“Yes, Young Master!” Yi Shan cracked the whip, speeding up.

However, just as the carriage was about to enter a dense forest, Ouyang Mingri suddenly opened his eyes and low-growled: “Stop!”

Yi Shan hastily reined in the horses.

Ouyang Mingri lifted the carriage curtain, looking at the deep woods on both sides of the road, his brow tightly furrowed: “There’s Killing Intent… We might have been targeted.”

Upon hearing this, Yi Shan immediately tightened his grip on the whip, vigilantly looking around.

The official road was silent all around, only the rustling of the wind through the trees, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Ouyang Mingri’s fingertips were encircled with golden threads as he gently brushed a strand of hair from his temple:

“They’re coming for us, and… they mean us no good, their strength is considerable.”

Before he finished speaking, dozens of figures surged out of the dense forest in unison, instantly surrounding the carriage.

These individuals were dressed in unified black and red uniforms, moving in perfect synchronization – they were the elite Disciples of the Supreme Alliance.

The leader slowly emerged from the shadows, a cold smile on his face. It was Ren Qianxing.

“Ouyang Mingri, ‘The Second Hua Tuo’… truly lives up to his reputation. You certainly gave me quite the chase!”

Ren Qianxing stroked the scabbard of his newly acquired longsword, “Eight hundred li, a full eight hundred li! Do you know how I chased you for these eight hundred li?”

Ouyang Mingri sat inside the carriage, his voice, still calm, came through the curtain: “Ren Qianxing, your Supreme Alliance is powerful now. I have already retreated a great distance, why must you be so aggressive?”

“It’s fine if you ran yourself! But you shouldn’t have taken the Nine Dragon Stone!”