Chapter 356: Old Friend's Situation

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the room. "You're not even seventy yet. How have you ruined your body to this extent?"

"Who's there!"

"Guards..."

A stranger's sudden appearance in the room caused Lady Wu's expression to change dramatically. She was about to shout for her guards, but Wu Chuanzong stopped her.

She looked at her husband in surprise, only to find that this man, who held immense power and had long mastered concealing his emotions, was now incredibly excited, with tears even shimmering in his eyes!

"Teacher!"

Wu Chuanzong abruptly rose and, to Lady Wu's astonishment, knelt down with a thud. "Teacher! Is it truly you? Chuanzong can finally see you before he dies!"

Then, Lady Wu felt a blur before her eyes, and suddenly another figure appeared before them.

Upon closer inspection, the person was incredibly young, appearing to be in his early twenties. However, his demeanor was so striking that one dared not treat him as a mere youth.

Lady Wu gasped, her mouth agape, falling into a daze.

She suddenly remembered that the person in the portrait looked exactly like this!

When they parted, he was twenty-one and Wu Chuanzong was nineteen, both full of youthful vigor.

Upon his return, he was still young, while Wu Chuanzong's hair had turned completely white.

Qin Sang felt a warmth in his heart upon seeing Wu Chuanzong's heartfelt gesture. He gently helped Wu Chuanzong, who was on his knees and weeping, to his feet.

"Get up quickly!"

Qin Sang was also moved by Wu Chuanzong's emotions. He gently patted his shoulder, a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind, unsure where to begin.

"I hear you're now the Grand Tutor of the court, allowed to wear swords and shoes in the imperial presence, and exempted from bowing even to the Emperor. Why would you kneel to a recluse like me?"

"Teacher!"

Wu Chuanzong firmly gripped Qin Sang's arms and declared, "Without you, Teacher, Chuanzong would not be where he is today! Your kindness is as great as a new beginning; you are Chuanzong's true parents. Of course, I should kneel!"

It took Qin Sang considerable effort to soothe the extremely agitated Wu Chuanzong.

The two sat facing each other, and Wu Chuanzong sent his wife to fetch tea.

Wu Chuanzong gazed at Qin Sang's youthful face, genuinely happy for him. "Teacher, have you become an immortal?"

Qin Sang gave a self-deprecating smile and shook his head. "At most, I can only be considered a cultivator. Only after entering the cultivation world did I realize it's no paradise. It's not as wonderful as imagined; there's deceit and hidden dangers. Cultivators are still human, dreamers chasing an elusive dream..."

Given Wu Chuanzong's understanding, he wasn't too surprised to hear Qin Sang speak of the cultivation world. He merely sighed, "Indeed, the world is the same everywhere. However, good fortune favors you, Teacher; you will surely transcend!"

"I hope so," Qin Sang sighed softly. He scanned Wu Chuanzong with his divine sense and frowned. "You are covered in injuries. Are these from years of battling across the land? You've exhausted your body; no matter how high your martial arts, it's useless. Your True Qi has become a burden, depleting your dwindling potential. Give me your arm..."

Qin Sang was also surprised that Wu Chuanzong was a peak Houtian master, just a step away from Xiantian cultivation.

Given his high status and the constant demands on his time, his ability to cultivate such martial arts showed remarkable diligence.

Wu Chuanzong complied, understanding. "No wonder my spirit would feel better for a while after practicing, but my body kept deteriorating day by day. I thought it was just old age..."

Qin Sang pondered for a moment, then cautiously channeled a wisp of spiritual energy into Wu Chuanzong's meridians.

He was advanced in years and riddled with old injuries.

It was no exaggeration to say that Wu Chuanzong's body was nearing its end. Without treatment, he likely wouldn't have two years left to live, and even with treatment, it had to be done with extreme care, otherwise, it could harm him.

At this moment, Lady Wu personally brought in the tea. Seeing the scene, her face was filled with anticipation and excitement. She quickly slowed her steps, fearing to disturb Qin Sang, and approached cautiously.

Qin Sang controlled the spiritual energy, slowly and carefully helping Wu Chuanzong's meridians along. Unfortunately, Wu Chuanzong's age and physical condition didn't allow for more; otherwise, he might have been able to break through to Xiantian.

A full hour passed before Qin Sang finished.

The tea had already gone cold.

Lady Wu tightly clasped her hands, ignoring her husband's urging glances, and anxiously watched Qin Sang, awaiting his verdict.

"Please be seated, Lady Wu."

Qin Sang noticed something familiar about Lady Wu's eyebrows and suddenly remembered that she was the girl who had almost been harmed by Wang Liu. Wu Chuanzong's act of kindness had unexpectedly led to a good marriage.

"Take this bottle of pills. Each pill should be divided into three doses. After taking three pills consecutively, most of your old injuries should heal. However, some deficiencies are hard to completely mend, and you are no longer young. In the future, avoid recklessly using your True Qi. Lady Wu can also take one pill to regulate her body and extend her lifespan..."

Qin Sang produced a bottle of healing elixirs, similar in effect to Water Dew Pills. The Han family would bestow some health-preserving pills, but to avoid disrupting the mortal realm's order, their quality was far inferior to Water Dew Pills.

These elixirs were now useless to him. He had obtained them from the man in the bamboo hat in the Eight Trigrams forbidden area, and there were some left. It was fortunate he had these; otherwise, Wu Chuanzong's mortal body might not have been able to withstand the potency of better elixirs.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Wu Chuanzong and his wife rose and bowed.

After the treatment, Wu Chuanzong already felt much lighter, and he was greatly surprised and delighted.

"Sit down and talk!"

Qin Sang pressed down on Wu Chuanzong and said, "Tell me, how are the others? Old Man Yue, Bai Jianglan, Shui Houzi, and the rest..."

Wu Chuanzong handed the jade bottle containing the elixirs to Lady Wu, who immediately clutched it like a treasure.

"Old Man Yue was severely wounded by assassins while saving the former Emperor during the military coup that night, and he subsequently retired.

"General Bai rose to the rank of Imperial Guard Commander. He retired due to illness at fifty-eight and lived in the auxiliary capital, passing away at sixty-seven. The former Emperor, grateful for his meritorious service in protection, greatly looked after his descendants. However, Commander Bai strictly forbade his descendants from joining the military; most became merchants or officials, and the Bai family became quite prosperous.

"Shui Houzi achieved great merit after you left, Teacher. He was enfeoffed as the Prince of Ning and guarded your hometown, the former Ning Kingdom, now renamed Jiangzhou Dao by the former Emperor.

"Zhang Wenhui and others also achieved success and were greatly esteemed by the former Emperor, thanks to your legacy, Teacher.

"And the Qin family..."

Qin Sang paused, surprised by Wu Chuanzong's sudden mention of his family, but did not stop him.

"Your parents and your elder brother and sister-in-law lived long and peaceful lives, passing away naturally. I never revealed your whereabouts to them, but they likely guessed some things.

"Your eldest and second brothers each had a son. They rose through the ranks as generals and ministers and now hold high positions, sure to bring prosperity to the Qin family.

"The Qin family's descendants are also producing outstanding talents, with promising futures."

Upon hearing this, Qin Sang sighed with emotion. "You've gone to great trouble!"

Having lived in the mortal world, he understood how difficult it was for a family with no prior foundation like the Qin family to develop to such an extent in just a few decades.

Without Wu Chuanzong's dedicated care, the Qin family would never have reached such prominence.