Chapter 338: Cannot Give Up

For over forty years, Tan Hao had never given up on Tan Jie, carrying the "living dead" Tan Jie on the arduous path of immortal cultivation.

He not only had to laboriously accumulate resources for his own cultivation but also search for spiritual medicines to sustain Tan Jie's life and heal his injuries.

No wonder Tan Hao was in such a predicament!

A cultivator at the thirteenth level of the Qi Refining Stage is no longer at the very bottom of the immortal cultivation world; they wouldn't lack basic cultivation resources, at least being able to afford a common cave dwelling.

However, Tan Hao had spent most of his savings on Tan Jie.

No wonder Tan Hao had been unable to reach the Foundation Building Stage!

Given such arduous circumstances, it was already incredibly difficult for him to cultivate to the thirteenth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Unless Tan Hao encountered a miraculous opportunity, it would be impossible for him to accumulate the resources needed for Foundation Building.

Qin Sang thought of the various events at the auction and the secret market, realizing this scenario had probably happened countless times to Tan Hao.

He would pour all his resources into acquiring every spiritual medicine that might be useful to Tan Jie.

Tan Hao took out the Serenity Pill he had acquired at the secret market, opened the jade coffin, gently helped Tan Jie sit up, and used spiritual power to dissolve the pill's medicinal properties, feeding it into Tan Jie's mouth.

A single spiritual pill, painstakingly acquired by Tan Hao, only strengthened Tan Jie's soul by a small margin.

Before, it was like a lamp running out of oil, its faint flame about to extinguish at any moment; now, it was merely as if a drop of oil had been added, allowing it to burn a little longer.

That was all; it couldn't change the essence of the situation.

It offered almost no help to Tan Jie's injuries, still unable to prevent his soul from dissipating, and showed no sign of awakening, indicating the severity of Tan Jie's condition.

A question involuntarily arose in Qin Sang's heart: "Is it worth it?"

With Tan Hao's current cultivation, he might never find the spiritual medicine to cure Tan Jie in his lifetime, and even if he fortunately stumbled upon it, he wouldn't be able to afford it or snatch it.

And his own cultivation path had been delayed.

The final outcome was not hard to imagine: when Tan Hao's lifespan came to an end, Tan Jie would also die.

Tan Hao had allowed Tan Jie to live for a few more decades, but as a "living dead," without consciousness, unable to move, spending his life in a daze, knowing nothing.

Seemingly meaningless!

But judging by Tan Hao's expression, he clearly felt it was all worth it.

Perhaps out of guilt towards his brother, or out of brotherly affection...

No regrets!

Qin Sang suddenly remembered someone—Senior Sister Qing Ting.

How similar she was to Tan Hao!

Senior Sister Qing Ting was for her Dao companion, Senior Brother Jiang; Tan Hao was for his brother, Tan Jie.

One was romantic love.

The other was brotherly affection.

Both of them were like this, giving their all, never giving up!

To cure Senior Brother Jiang, Senior Sister Qing Ting tried every method, not hesitating to exhaust her savings to refine the Fire Crow Token and enter the Corpse Sect ruins to search for the Heavenly Corpse Talisman.

Yet, because she had sold all her spiritual artifacts for materials, she died at the hands of a malevolent corpse.

In her final moments, Senior Brother Jiang miraculously awoke, tightly grasping Senior Sister Qing Ting's hand, and the tear that fell was the greatest comfort to Senior Sister Qing Ting.

Senior Brother Jiang knew all her efforts had not been in vain.

The scene Qin Sang witnessed in the Heavenly Corpse Cave remained vivid in his memory, prompting much reflection, and he hadn't expected to see a similar scene today.

In the immortal cultivation world, as long as one is not dead and there's a glimmer of hope, any miracle can happen!

Tan Hao must also be holding onto this belief, which is why he has carried this heavy burden and persevered until now.

If he had chosen to give up on Tan Jie, and then by chance an opportunity to cure Tan Jie truly appeared, he would have regretted it deeply.

A look of contemplation appeared on Qin Sang's face, his gaze flickering slightly, lost in thought.

"These spiritual liquids have an ingredient called Purple Gold Ointment added. Thanks to Senior Sister Shi Hong..."

Tan Hao carefully laid Tan Jie down, placing him back into the spiritual liquid in the coffin.

Qin Sang's gaze turned to the spiritual liquid in the coffin.

In the transparent spiritual liquid, a faint purple tint shimmered. These liquids contained a life-force energy capable of preserving Tan Jie's physical body from decay, which must be the medicinal properties of the Purple Gold Ointment Tan Hao mentioned.

However, the purple tint in the spiritual liquid was very faint, meaning the Purple Gold Ointment's medicinal properties probably wouldn't last much longer and were nearly exhausted!

Qin Sang could imagine that if Tan Hao had returned successfully with the Serenity Pill this time without incident, he probably wouldn't have had time to rest before rushing out again to find spiritual medicine to sustain Tan Jie's physical body.

Tan Hao must have been living like this for years, right?

"The first time I met Senior Sister Shi Hong, after she heard about Tan Jie's situation, she unhesitatingly gave me all her savings. That's how I could afford the Purple Gold Ointment and catch a breath, cultivating diligently for a few years to break through to the thirteenth level of the Qi Refining Stage. Otherwise, Tan Jie might not have survived until now. Senior Sister Shi Hong gave my brother and me the grace of life, but I've never been able to repay her..."

Mentioning Shi Hong, Tan Hao's voice was full of gratitude, almost pleadingly looking at Qin Sang. The tough man suddenly bowed low, about to perform a grand salute.

"Brother Qin, please, you must save Senior Sister! I am already a useless person in this life, and I don't know what more I can do to repay your kindness. This kindness will surely be etched in my heart. If I cannot repay it in this life, I am willing to be your servant in the next!"

Qin Sang, quick-witted, waved his hand, sending out a spiritual force to stop Tan Hao from bowing. He said sternly, "The four of us are fellow disciples. You don't need to say it; I will do my utmost to rescue you and Senior Sister Shi Hong! As for talk of repayment, consider it a jest and do not mention it again!"

After stopping Tan Hao, Qin Sang walked to the jade coffin and extended his spiritual consciousness into Tan Jie's body.

Tan Jie's physical injuries had healed, but the most troublesome issue was his soul, which, like Senior Brother Jiang's, was slowly dissipating.

After a careful examination, he asked Tan Hao, "Have you had a master of alchemy and medicine examine him?"

"Yes," Tan Hao nodded. "Before Tan Jie's condition worsened, he didn't need many spiritual medicines, so my burden wasn't too heavy. I heard that the Spiritual Pill Pavilion at Yinshan Pass is owned by the Grand Unity Pill Pavilion and has alchemists from the Grand Unity Pill Sect, but their fees are expensive. I saved for nearly ten years, gathered enough spirit stones, and took Tan Jie to the Spiritual Pill Pavilion to consult an alchemist."

Qin Sang quickly pressed, "What did he say?"

Tan Hao's eyes darkened, and he said helplessly, "That person only took one look and declared that Tan Jie was beyond saving, even for an immortal. He told me that even if they brought out the most treasured spiritual pills from the Grand Unity Pill Sect, they couldn't save Tan Jie, at most allowing him to live a few more years in a daze. He advised me to give up quickly and not waste my effort."

"But you still persevered," Qin Sang said with deep emotion.

In the Little Cold Domain, a conclusion given by an alchemist from the Grand Unity Pill Pavilion was almost impossible to overturn unless a miracle occurred.

"How could I give up on him?"

Tan Hao clenched his fists, tears welling in his fierce eyes, and murmured, "If I had just held on a little longer back then, the one cultivating the Yama Banner would have been me! My brother... he died for me! How could I abandon him!"

"No matter what, I cannot give up on him!"