Chapter 900: Hope (Part 2)

The central area of the Yun family was quiet. Yun Qinghong, out of concern, had even erected a massive isolation barrier, making the entire Yun family appear as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

In the main hall, there were only three people: the Little Demon Empress, Yun Che, and Yun Gu.

“Medical Saint Senior, she...”

“There’s no need to speak,” Yun Gu said with a faint smile, not letting Yun Che explain the Little Demon Empress’s condition. He extended a pair of slightly pale hands. “Let this old man first examine her pulse. Little Demon Empress, please rest assured, this old man always takes the pulse of women from a distance. Just relax your breathing.”

“Thank you for your trouble,” the Little Demon Empress said faintly, glancing at Yun Che. From her demeanor, it was clear she held no hope whatsoever, for the Golden Crow’s soul had personally stated that she only had three years of life remaining.

If even the Golden Crow’s soul had deemed the consequences irreversible and incurable, how could a mere mortal interfere?

Yun Gu stopped speaking. He gently closed his aged eyes, forming a peculiar hand gesture. A gentle stream of profound energy immediately flowed into the Little Demon Empress’s meridians.

Yun Che stood by, holding his breath, his entire body motionless as if nailed to the ground, fearing he might make even the slightest sound.

Surprisingly, the pulse diagnosis was quite brief. After only about ten breaths, Yun Gu’s eyes slowly opened, and his hand also lowered.

“Senior… how is she?” Yun Che quickly asked.

Yun Gu was silent for a long time before slowly saying, “She wholeheartedly pursued a power too great for her profound veins to bear, thus forcing her life meridians to become a co-carrier. Now, her life meridians are nearly half depleted. If this continues, they will be completely exhausted within two years.”

Yun Gu’s words finally caused a ripple in the Little Demon Empress’s eyes. This was a secret known only to her and Yun Che, involving the power of the divine way, yet this elderly man, with only a mortal body, had accurately described her condition after just a brief, distant pulse diagnosis.

“Exactly, that’s it,” Yun Che quickly nodded. “During that period, due to special reasons, she forcibly endured power her profound veins couldn’t withstand in order to rapidly gain immense profound energy. The consequence is that she has only about three years of life left… Medical Saint Senior, do you have a way to save her?”

“If the life essence carried by the life meridians were likened to a red candle,” Yun Gu sighed deeply, “then a normal person’s red candle would burn slowly with its wick. But her red candle, because her life meridians were forcibly used as a power conduit, is like being thrown into a sea of fire, with her life essence rapidly consumed. It concerns both the life meridians and life essence… Difficult, very difficult indeed.”

“…Is it possible that even you, Senior, have no solution?” Yun Che asked with a heavy heart.

Yun Gu shook his head but then smiled faintly. “This old man merely said it was difficult, not incurable.”

Yun Gu’s words were undoubtedly like celestial music to Yun Che. He instantly rushed forward, kneeling before Yun Gu, and asked with extreme excitement, “Senior, you… you mean… you mean you have a way to save her?”

The Little Demon Empress, who had been sitting quietly, also slowly stood up. Although her delicate face still held an aura of majesty, something was clearly trembling in the depths of her eyes.

Yun Gu’s expression turned solemn. He stood up, slowly pacing, appearing to be deep in thought. Yun Che, who was a complete demon in front of others, now followed closely behind Yun Gu like an obedient child, listening to his explanation: “Gaining a sudden surge in profound energy at the cost of one’s life is not uncommon. Although the methods vary, their underlying principles are generally similar. Some sacrifice profound veins, others heavily damage their vital essence and blood. And some, like her, alter the qi connection between their profound veins and life meridians, rapidly depleting their life essence to allow both the life meridians and profound veins to jointly bear power that the profound veins alone cannot.”

Yun Che nodded repeatedly. The Little Demon Empress belonged to the third category. Although she knew the consequences, she had gone ahead without hesitation for revenge and to reclaim the power and dignity of the Demon Emperor lineage.

“However, the Little Demon Empress’s condition is a thousand times more extreme than any case this old man has ever encountered in his life,” Yun Gu lamented. “Although the life meridians and profound veins are inherently connected, they are only physically linked, with distinct qi mechanisms. However, the qi mechanisms of the Little Demon Empress’s life meridians and profound veins have completely merged into one. It seems the power she forcibly bore was far too immense. If they were only slightly connected, her life could be extended by discarding her profound energy. But since her life meridians and profound veins have completely become one, even if all her profound energy were abolished, she would only live for a few more months.”

Yun Che nodded again. If abolishing her profound energy could stop the Little Demon Empress’s life essence from draining, Yun Che wouldn’t have been so troubled until now. With him by her side, what did it matter if the Little Demon Empress became a cripple?

Yun Gu looked at Yun Che and said with a smile, “Little brother, it seems you already knew what this old man just said.”

Yun Che nodded and said, “This junior also has a slight understanding of medical principles. This junior has always been clearer about her condition than anyone else. In this junior’s humble opinion, the only way to save her that I could conceive was to desperately increase her lifespan. However, no matter how hard one tried, even exhausting all available resources in the Illusory Demon Realm, it would only be a drop in the ocean.”

When he had previously asked Jasmine, she had told him two methods: one was to forcefully extend the Little Demon Empress’s lifespan after his Great Way of the Buddha attained a sufficient realm; the other was to find the Grandmist Life and Death Seal, allowing the Little Demon Empress to possess infinite lifespan, never to be exhausted. Both of these fell within the scope of what Yun Che had just mentioned.

Yun Gu’s steps suddenly stopped. He smiled and said, “Then have you ever considered another method? That is to first drain all of her profound energy, and then re-separate the qi mechanisms of her life meridians and profound veins.”

Yun Che was startled and said, “If the qi mechanisms of the life meridians and profound veins could be re-separated, that would, of course, be the perfect solution. But… but that’s utterly impossible. Her life meridians and profound veins are not partially connected; they are completely fused. If one were to attempt to forcibly separate their qi mechanisms strand by strand, it would not only be as difficult as ascending to heaven, but even a slight mistake would throw her qi mechanisms into chaos… leading to instant death.”

“Could it be…” Yun Che suddenly felt a jolt of realization. “Senior, do you know a method to re-separate the profound veins and life meridians?”

Yun Gu neither nodded nor shook his head. Instead, he continued: “The human body can be seen as an independent and complete small world. Since it is complete and independent, it can never escape the principles of cause and effect. What can be harmonized can certainly be reversed; what can be fused can certainly be separated. This is also a foundational principle in the medical scriptures this old man studies.”

This was also the foundational medical principle Yun Che had learned from Yun Gu. In simple terms, it meant there were no incurable diseases in the world; if one existed, it simply meant a cure had not yet been found.

“If it were a few months ago, this old man would also be utterly incapable of separating the life meridians and profound veins, whose qi mechanisms were forcibly merged by external power. It was just three months ago that this old man finally achieved an epiphany regarding a passage in the medical scriptures that had puzzled him for decades…”

Yun Gu seemed to be immersed in his medical explanation, and unconsciously began to recite: “At the genesis of life, the circulation draws emptiness, sealing the channels by their decree, defying the principles of life and death, thus yin-yin-yang-yang, yang-yang-yin-yin…”

“Jie is the beginning, Duo is the peak, the ebb and flow of human breath follows the Way of the Heavens…” Listening to Yun Gu’s low recitation, Yun Che’s consciousness gradually blurred. Scenes of his master teaching him to recite the *Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao* long ago gradually appeared before his eyes, and he unconsciously began to recite along.

Until Yun Gu stopped reciting, Yun Che, still somewhat dazed, continued to recite: “Cherry for tranquility, chaos for turbidity, yin-yin for harmonious birth, yang-yang for fierce expansion…”

When he suddenly came to his senses, the composure had completely vanished from Yun Gu’s face. He was looking at Yun Che with a look of utter astonishment: “Little brother, you… why do you know the Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao?”

Yun Che opened his mouth and could only force an explanation: “This junior… when I studied medicine back then, I practiced the Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao. Could it be that Senior also practices the Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao? That’s truly quite a coincidence; this junior and Senior indeed share a deep connection. It seems there isn’t only one Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao in this world. However, this junior’s medical cultivation is shallow; although I’ve thoroughly read the Medical Canon of the Heavenly Dao, many of its passages remain incomprehensible to me. As for the passage Senior just recited, this junior didn’t understand it at all. Could it be that Senior has already fully comprehended it?”

Not only he, but even his master Yun Gu back then had never been able to comprehend this passage of the medical scripture, failing to grasp its meaning until his passing. Could it be that in this life, he has already comprehended it?

“So that’s how it is,” Yun Gu said, although still astonished, he did not press further. He continued: “This passage of the medical scripture contains the fundamental principles of all qi in the human body. This old man studied it for half his life before realizing its key lay in ‘yin-yin-yang-yang’ and ‘yang-yang-yin-yin.’ If one understands its principles, then separating the qi mechanisms of profound veins and life meridians, though a difficult and lengthy process, is absolutely not impossible.”

Although he didn’t fully understand the true medical principles contained within that passage, since Yun Gu had said such words, it proved that the Little Demon Empress was truly savable.

Yun Che was overjoyed. He said excitedly, “Please, Senior, use your divine hands to save the Little Demon Empress.”

Yun Gu, however, shook his head slightly. “After all, this old man is a man. Even if I know the principle, I cannot perform the procedure myself. I can only teach it to someone else.”

Yun Che quickly knelt on one knee, and said each word with utmost solemnity: “This junior, Yun Che, wishes to take Senior as my master. Please grant my request.”

“Ah… heheh,” Yun Gu, however, chuckled faintly. “Little brother, please get up first. This old man said I cannot perform it, not because of gender impropriety, but for another reason. As for taking me as your master, that is absolutely not permissible. Your eyes are clear, and your heart harbors no ill will, but your body carries an extremely heavy aura of killing intent and bloodlust. In the future, you may become a hero of your generation, but you are absolutely not suited for medical cultivation.”

Yun Che stood up. His face grew dim, and he felt ashamed in his heart. Yes, he could never return to the state of mind he had when traveling the world with his master back then… he could never go back.

At that time, Yun Che was single-mindedly pursuing medical studies. His greatest wish was for his medical skills to surpass his master’s, to earn his master’s praise, and to save more people… Compared to the current Yun Che, they were completely people from two different worlds.

Indeed, the current him could not possibly hope for Yun Gu to take him as a disciple again.