The Domineering Cultivator Farmer

Chapter 3: Treating Gao Lian

Half an hour later, Fang Yun learned from Gao Qian that Gao Lian’s mother had been in a car accident when she was seven months pregnant. She wasn’t seriously injured, but the accident caused Gao Lian to be born prematurely. Gao Lian had been frail and sickly since birth, and she would faint from time to time. Her parents had taken her to see countless doctors, but nothing had helped. Later, an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor told them that because Gao Lian’s premature birth was caused by the car accident, she was congenitally deficient in vital energy. The only option was to slowly replenish her energy with tonifying herbs. If they could find ginseng over a hundred years old, although she might not be completely cured, her condition could improve significantly. However, the Gao family searched for many years without success. Her parents felt deeply guilty toward Lianlian, so the whole family doted on the little girl. Besides, Lianlian herself was incredibly cute and very well-behaved. Who would have thought that simply taking Lianlian out for a walk to take her mind off things would lead to this? It seems good deeds really do bring good rewards. With that thought, Gao Qian glanced at Fang Yun. Actually, Gao Qian hadn’t intended to bring Fang Yun back to the hotel with her at first—after all, they were complete strangers, and Fang Yun looked like a total wild man at the time. If it hadn’t been for Lianlian’s kind-hearted plea, she wouldn’t have agreed. “Actually, I know a little about medicine. Why don’t I take a look at Lianlian?” Fang Yun suddenly said to Gao Qian. “You? …All right.” Gao Qian had initially been reluctant to agree, since Fang Yun looked to be only twenty-three or twenty-four—after all, most skilled doctors tend to be quite elderly. But she’d just accepted some ginseng from him, and besides, it couldn’t hurt to have him take a look. Ever since he began his cultivation, Fang Yun’s appearance had remained unchanged, always looking as if he were twenty-three years old. Fang Yun stepped forward and took Lianlian’s hand; a stream of spiritual awareness flowed along her arm and throughout her body. Sure enough, he discovered that Lianlian’s meridians were much weaker than those of an average person, and her body was extremely frail. Fang Yun carefully channeled his true qi to help Lianlian widen her meridians and slowly expel the gray energy. However, he first immobilized her entire body so she couldn’t speak or move. After all, widening the meridians is extremely painful—it feels as if someone were forcefully poking steel needles into them. At first, Gao Qian watched with curiosity as Fang Yun treated Lian Lian, but after about ten minutes, she sensed something was wrong. Lian Lian’s face had turned crimson, her features contorted in obvious agony, and Fang Yun was drenched in sweat. Occasionally, a few practitioners of ancient martial arts would visit Gao Qian’s home, so she knew a thing or two about them. It looked as though Fang Yun was using his inner energy to treat Lianlian. “Could Fang Yun actually be an ancient martial arts practitioner? Does that mean he lied to me when he said he got lost in Shennongjia after being chased by a wild wolf, and that it took him over a month to find his way out? There’s no reason for an ancient martial arts practitioner to be afraid of a wild wolf—unless, of course, it was a pack of wolves.” Gao Qian looked at Fang Yun with mixed feelings. Fortunately, Gao Qian knew that ancient martial artists must not be disturbed while using inner energy to heal others. Although she was anxious, she didn’t go over to interrupt Fang Yun. Fang Yun had no idea that Gao Qian had already begun to doubt his story; he simply concentrated on channeling his Yuan energy to treat Lianlian. An hour later, Fang Yun finally let go of Lianlian’s hand and said to Gao Qian with a weary expression, “Help Lianlian inside to wash up.” Only then did Gao Qian notice that Lianlian was covered in a layer of black, oily substance that gave off a nauseating stench. “Okay, okay,” Gao Qian replied hurriedly, helping Lianlian—who was slumped limply on the floor—into the bathroom. By this point, Lianlian didn’t even have the strength to move a single finger. Taking advantage of the sisters’ absence in the bathroom, Fang Yun hurriedly grabbed a cup from the table, filled it with spring water from the ring, and drank it all in one gulp. Fang Yun discovered that this spring water could rapidly replenish vital energy, restore physical strength, and greatly enhance the growth and development of plants and animals. It was thanks to this spring water that the medicinal herbs in the ring had grown so quickly—though the supply was far too limited. In fact, Fang Yun didn’t realize that this spring water could also gradually enhance an animal’s intelligence; the spring water had played an indispensable role in his rapid cultivation progress. “Phew…” Fang Yun let out a long breath. He hadn’t expected that helping someone expand their meridians would drain his vital energy so much; he’d nearly failed at the very last moment. To be honest, Fang Yun had been too reckless. After all, the human body’s meridians are extremely fragile; if they couldn’t withstand his spiritual energy, they would have snapped instantly, leaving Lian Lian completely paralyzed. Moreover, the amount of Yuan Energy required to expand a person’s meridians is astronomical—it was only just enough because Fang Yun had reached the Yuan Infant Stage. If his Yuan Energy had run out halfway through, the meridians would have reverted to their original state—or even become worse than before. That’s why, from ancient times to the present, no one has dared to casually attempt expanding another person’s meridians. Only a fool like Fang Yun—who had no mentor, practiced alone, and knew nothing—would dare to do such a thing. This is what they mean by “ignorance is bliss.” After thinking it over, Fang Yun found another bottle of mineral water, poured out the contents, and refilled it with spring water so that Lianlian could recover her strength later. A moment later, Lianlian ran out first, with Gao Qian calling after her, “Slow down, slow down!” “Big brother, you’re so amazing! Lianlian feels so strong right now. When Lianlian grows up, can I marry you?” As soon as Lianlian ran out and saw Fang Yun, she threw herself at him—but what she said left Fang Yun completely flabbergasted. “Lianlian, don’t be so mischievous,” Gao Qian said sheepishly to Fang Yun. “This girl has been frail since she was little, so she rarely interacts with outsiders. She’s still acting like a little kid.” Fang Yun chuckled, “It’s no big deal. I actually think Lianlian is quite lovely.” Lianlian, holding onto Fang Yun’s arm, heard his words and happily stuck out her tongue at Gao Qian. “Fang Yun, how’s Lianlian’s illness? Is she better now?” Gao Qian asked Fang Yun, sounding a bit anxious. “She’s completely recovered. She’s just been physically weak for too long—she’ll be fine with some rest. Lianlian, come on, drink this water.” After answering Gao Qian, Fang Yun handed the spring water to Lianlian. “In time, Lianlian will even be able to compete in the World Women’s Weightlifting Championships without any problems.” Fang Yun wasn’t exaggerating. He had expanded Lianlian’s meridians to be much wider than those of an average person. If Lianlian were to start practicing martial arts now, her progress would be truly astonishing. Even without martial arts training, she’d be far healthier than the average person. “Really? Lianlian, how do you feel now?” Gao Qian turned to ask Lianlian. “Lianlian feels warm all over—it’s so comfortable,” Lianlian replied after taking a moment to sense it. “Thank you, Fang Yun. Thank you so much.” Gao Qian was so moved that she kept repeating her thanks. “By the way, Fang Yun, are you an ancient martial artist?” Gao Qian couldn’t help but ask. “An ancient martial artist? What’s that?” Fang Yun asked, puzzled. “An ancient martial artist is someone who practices ancient martial arts—they’re incredibly skilled. Didn’t you just use your inner energy to heal Lianlian just now?” “Oh, I suppose I could be considered an ancient martial artist.” Gao Qian glanced at Fang Yun, thinking perhaps he didn’t want to talk about it—maybe there was something he wasn’t comfortable sharing with her. After all, they’d only known each other for a day; it wasn’t realistic to expect him to reveal everything. Still, Gao Qian didn’t feel it was appropriate to press the matter further. “Sit down for a bit. I’m going to call my parents to tell them the good news.” Gao Qian took out her phone and dialed her family’s number. “Mom, I’ve got some good news. Lianlian is all better. Yeah, we ran into an ancient martial artist while we were traveling in Shennongjia, and he cured Lianlian. Really, no—he didn’t ask for anything in return. We just happened to do him a small favor. Right, right, right. Yeah, okay, okay. Alright, I’ll tell him.” Fang Yun could clearly hear the excitement and surprise in her mother’s voice on the other end of the line. After a long pause, Gao Qian hung up and said to Fang Yun, “My mom would like to invite you over to our house. She wants to thank you properly.” “No need to go to all that trouble. I’ve been away for so long; I’d like to go home first. I’ll come visit you in Beijing later,” Fang Yun quickly declined. He hadn’t been home in six years, and he couldn’t wait to fly back. Fang Yun decided to head home first thing tomorrow morning. “But my parents really want to thank you in person. Please just come with us,” Gao Qian still wanted to invite Fang Yun to Beijing. Fang Yun quickly declined, but only managed to put Gao Qian’s mind at ease after promising she would definitely find time to visit them in Beijing. Although Gao Qian was a little disappointed, she understood how Fang Yun was feeling at the moment and had no choice but to let it go. Still, she insisted that Fang Yun visit Beijing as soon as she had time, and Lianlian tugged at Fang Yun’s arm, pleading sweetly. Fang Yun, of course, readily agreed.