Chapter 170: Healing the Eye

The journey from Qingzhou City to Guangming Temple took a total of six days. Afterward, Gu Mo stayed at Guangming Temple for three days, only leaving after Master Dingchan's burial.

During his stay at Guangming Temple, many martial artists came to pay their respects, and Gu Mo made several public appearances. He didn't say much intentionally, simply attending as a mourner, but this was enough to protect Guangming Temple from further martial arts world disturbances.

Although Guangming Temple had some connection to the Great Guangming Temple in Chu, their natures were fundamentally different. The Great Guangming Temple was both a monastery and a Buddhist ancestral temple, a sacred site in the martial arts world, whereas Guangming Temple was merely a well-known temple in Qingzhou. What set it apart from ordinary temples was that it once had an abbot who was ranked first on Qingzhou's Heavenly Ranking.

Gu Mo had a resounding reputation in the martial arts world; it was widely rumored that he was exceptionally righteous and detested evil. His public appearance at Guangming Temple, and his journey from Qingzhou City to escort Master Dingchan's funeral procession, with no attempt to hide his presence along the way, conveyed a clear message.

Therefore, Gu Mo's presence, combined with the influence of the Medicine Sage Qi Miaoxuan, ensured that Guangming Temple could continue to exist outside worldly affairs.

As for what would happen in the future, that was no longer Gu Mo's concern.

After leaving Guangming Temple, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong followed Qi Miaoxuan to a place called Spring God Valley in Pingyang County, Qingzhou. This was an inconspicuous valley, yet few knew that it was the reclusive abode of the Medicine Sage Qi Miaoxuan.

Upon entering the valley, one saw a lush, secluded expanse, adorned with varying shades of green, from deep to shallow, rich to faint. The valley faced north, with steep ridges blocking the southern winds. Perhaps due to subterranean rivers or springs, a cool mist permeated the air, keeping it free from summer heat and naturally refreshing.

Further in, the valley walls pressed closely on both sides, with several stalks of emerald bamboo rising from the ground, spanning between the walls like natural screens. Along a small stream within the valley sat over a dozen houses, each surrounded by various precious flowers and rare medicinal herbs planted by hand.

The valley was home to over a dozen servants, each skilled in martial arts, with several among them being no weaker than first-rate experts in the martial world. They each performed their duties: some tended vegetable gardens, some prepared medicinal herbs, others refined pills, and so on.

Leading Gu Mo and Gu Chudong through the valley, Qi Miaoxuan said, "These people are all those who have grown tired of the martial arts world's disputes. Each of them has their own story. But they all share one commonality: their lives were saved by me, and they voluntarily chose to live in reclusion here with me. I usually need help with chores while studying pharmacology and refining elixirs, so I'm happy to have them follow and assist."

Gu Chudong looked around and remarked, "It truly is an excellent place for reclusion."

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled, saying, "If Miss Chudong is interested, I can have someone build a house for you here."

"I'll pass on that," Gu Chudong said with a laugh. "I'm still young. Although I'm thinking of returning to our hometown with my brother to start a small business, I have no desire to withdraw from the world and live in seclusion."

Qi Miaoxuan asked in surprise, "You two want to retire from the martial arts world? Surely not! Everyone in the martial arts world knows that Hero Gu is a contender for the title of 'Number One Under Heaven,' and Miss Chudong, you are also a rising young prodigy. You're both so young; why would you want to leave the martial world?"

Gu Chudong looked at Gu Mo and said, "I follow my brother wherever he goes."

Gu Mo smiled and said, "Retiring from the martial arts world isn't something I plan on doing just yet. I quite enjoy being an enforcer."

Gu Chudong chuckled, saying, "Wherever my brother goes, I go!"

"That's good," Qi Miaoxuan said. "I truly look forward to the day I see Hero Gu achieve the title of 'Number One Under Heaven'!"

Gu Mo laughed, "Senior Qi, you're flattering me to death!"

"How can you say I'm flattering you to death? News from Qingzhou City has spread. Although the Six Gates intentionally suppressed information about the Qilin Holy Blood, the fact that Lu Canyang re-emerged after forty years in hiding was not concealed."

Qi Miaoxuan led Gu Mo and Gu Chudong into a small wooden house, continuing to speak as they walked: "Ye Jinglan and Chu Tianqing are still recovering from their injuries in Qingzhou City. Both have openly admitted their martial arts are inferior to yours and have conceded defeat. Riding on the momentum of the Battle of Soul-Severing Cliff, Hero Gu, you are now ranked tenth on the Heavenly Ranking of the Gan Kingdom. Ye Jinglan, having just entered the list, has already dropped off."

"Originally, among the Ten Grandmasters of the Gan Kingdom, Ye Jinglan was the youngest to make the list, yet you are more than a decade younger than him. In over three hundred years since the founding of the Gan Kingdom, there has never been a Grandmaster as young as you. It's not just me who thinks you can become 'Number One Under Heaven'; it's likely the entire martial arts world of the Gan Kingdom believes you can become 'Number One Under Heaven' — the supreme master, not just the best in Gan!"

Gu Mo slowly sat down on a chair, waving his hand, and said, "Senior Qi, whether it's being one of the Ten Grandmasters or 'Number One Under Heaven,' none of that is truly important. Right now, what matters most is for you to heal my eyes!"

"Yes, Senior Qi!"

Gu Chudong took off the large book-box from her back, placed it on the table, and pulled out a stack of silver notes and a copper jar from inside.

"Senior Qi, here are ten thousand taels in silver notes," Gu Chudong said, pointing to the copper jar. "This contains the Nether Epiphyllum. Please examine it."

"No need to verify," Qi Miaoxuan said. "I can smell the Nether Epiphyllum from a distance; there's no mistake. As for the ten thousand taels of silver, I hardly believe the esteemed Hero Gu of Yunzhou would shortchange me on my consultation fee!"

Immediately, Qi Miaoxuan gestured, and a servant came to take the copper jar and the silver notes.

Gu Mo asked, "Senior Qi, how will you treat my eyes?"

Qi Miaoxuan replied, "You'll need to stay in this valley for some time. Your eyeballs have necrotized. I need to prepare some medicine and then use a special acupuncture technique to stimulate their regeneration. This step is the most difficult. Once it's successful, even my disciple Wu'an could handle the rest of the treatment."

Gu Chudong exclaimed in delight, "So, my brother will be able to see again soon?"

Qi Miaoxuan shook his head. "It won't be that fast. I can only make your eyes regenerate. As for how long it will take to regain sight, that depends on how quickly your brother's eyes regenerate. I will give you a prescription; you must take the medicine as directed and apply the external remedies regularly. It could take anywhere from two or three years to eight or ten years."

"Ah?" Gu Chudong said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Will it really take that long?"

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled lightly. "You can understand it this way: eyes also have meridians, and all the meridians in your brother's eyes have necrotized. Now, I'm using a method to regenerate those meridians. How could that be a matter of just one or two days?"

Gu Mo cupped his hands and said, "As long as it can be cured, the time doesn't matter."

Qi Miaoxuan nodded slightly. "However, Hero Gu, your internal energy cultivation is profound, like that of an immortal or a Buddha, and you are different from ordinary people. Therefore, you cannot be measured by conventional standards. So, I cannot say exactly how long it will take for you to recover, but it will definitely not exceed three years. However, when the time comes, you must be careful not to let your eyes be irritated or exposed to strong light."

"Understood. I will be careful. Thank you for your trouble, Senior."

"We'll start tomorrow."

Gu Mo stayed in Spring God Valley for over a month.

The eye treatment itself didn't take that long; it was completed in just half a month.

However, Gu Mo's eyes required long-term consumption of elixirs and regular external application of a special medicinal liquid.

So, Qi Miaoxuan taught Gu Chudong the methods for preparing pills and refining medicinal liquids. This instruction lasted half a month before Gu Chudong was deemed to have "graduated."

However, just as she finished her apprenticeship and they were preparing to leave, Ye Jinglan arrived at Spring God Valley, seeking Qi Miaoxuan for his injuries. Chu Tianqing did not come because the Heavenly Blade Sect and the Nine Rivers Alliance had merged, renaming themselves the Qingzhou Martial Arts Alliance, and Ye Jinglan had nominated Chu Tianqing as its leader.

Therefore, Chu Tianqing couldn't free himself for a while, while Ye Jinglan, being unburdened, came to Qi Miaoxuan for faster recovery from his injuries.

After Ye Jinglan arrived, he immediately engaged Gu Mo in a discussion about martial arts.

Gu Mo strongly suspected that Ye Jinglan's claim of seeking treatment was a pretext, and that his true intention was to discuss martial arts with him. Nevertheless, Gu Mo was quite interested. Ye Jinglan was a rare master in the world, and conversing with him about martial arts was always beneficial.

Gu Mo and Gu Chudong finally departed only after Zhuo Qingfeng sent someone with a message.

Qi Miaoxuan and Ye Jinglan escorted Gu Mo and Gu Chudong out of the valley together.

Gu Chudong was still carrying the large book-box, but in addition to the Thousand Mechanism Box and the Gouchen Demonic Blade, it now contained many medicines.

As for Gu Mo, he wore a black band over his eyes again, just as he did when he first lost his sight, because his eyes now could not be exposed to strong light.

Watching Gu Mo and Chudong mount their horses, Qi Miaoxuan reminded them, "Hero Gu, you must remember to take one elixir every seven days and apply the medicinal liquid every three days. And remember, absolutely do not expose your eyes to strong light, remember this well!"

Gu Mo cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, Senior, I will remember."

Gu Chudong also said with a smile, "Senior Qi, please rest assured, I won't forget."

Qi Miaoxuan nodded and said, "In that case, you two should hurry. Commissioner Zhuo still needs your help, so I won't delay you further."

Gu Chudong suddenly chuckled and said, "Oh, Senior Qi, you once said your reclusive abode was very secluded, and few in the martial arts world knew about it. But as it turns out, Ye Jinglan knows, and the Six Gates also know. It's not secluded at all!"

Qi Miaoxuan smiled helplessly. "While I live in seclusion, I don't completely disengage from worldly affairs. If I could hide my whereabouts from Sect Master Ye and the Qingzhou Six Gates within Qingzhou, that would truly be unusual."

"That's true," Gu Chudong said with a smile, cupping her hands. "We're leaving now, Senior Qi. I'll come visit you when I have time in the future."

"Senior Qi, farewell!"

Gu Mo cupped his hands to Qi Miaoxuan, then to Ye Jinglan, saying, "Brother Ye, farewell!"

Ye Jinglan cupped his hands and said, "Brother Gu, whenever you come to Qingzhou, you must come find me."

"Certainly."

Immediately, Gu Mo and Gu Chudong rode away on their horses.

Watching Gu Mo and Gu Chudong disappear into the distance, Ye Jinglan suddenly turned to Qi Miaoxuan and asked, "Senior Qi, you haven't left any hidden contingencies when treating Gu Mo's eyes, have you?"

Qi Miaoxuan shook his head. "I neither possess such methods nor the audacity."

Ye Jinglan chuckled lightly. "Your methods are quite formidable, Senior. Even someone as powerful as Lu Canyang was brought under your control, wasn't he?"

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled. "It was merely a coincidence. If you hadn't been caught and I hadn't detected traces of the Qilin Holy Blood within you, I wouldn't have discovered that Lu Canyang was still alive."

As he spoke, Qi Miaoxuan surveyed Ye Jinglan from head to toe and chuckled, "See? I told you to cooperate with me back then, but you wouldn't believe me, and you almost lost your life to Lu Canyang, didn't you? Do you believe me now? Do you believe in the Qilin Holy Blood now?"

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "Senior, please don't be offended by my earlier disbelief. When you told me that Lu Canyang, who had been dead for forty years, was actually alive, and that my life might be manipulated by him, and then spoke of the Qilin Holy Blood—it all seemed like a complete fantasy to me. Naturally, I dared not believe it. Senior Qi, imagine if you were in my position, would you have dared to believe?"

"Honestly, if I hadn't witnessed Lu Canyang activate that terrifying Qilin Holy Blood with my own eyes at Divine Weapon Villa that day, even if Lu Canyang had killed me, I still wouldn't have believed such a thing truly existed in this world."

Qi Miaoxuan nodded slightly. "Let's not dwell on the past. Did you manage to obtain the Qilin Holy Blood that Lu Canyang left behind?"

"Of course, otherwise, I wouldn't be here," Ye Jinglan said. "Just as you predicted, Senior, the Qilin Holy Blood is indeed bizarre. It seems to possess consciousness, knowing how to seek fortune and avoid disaster, and it truly hid itself within the weapon-casting furnace at Divine Weapon Villa."

Qi Miaoxuan said, "Holy Blood has a spirit; it is immortal and indestructible. Gu Mo was too powerful, so the Holy Blood felt a sense of crisis and automatically hid itself. However, it requires the energy of fire, and there was no other suitable place in the vicinity of Divine Weapon Villa besides the weapon-casting furnace."

Ye Jinglan nodded, a hint of urgency in his voice. "Can I really merge with that Qilin Holy Blood?"

Qi Miaoxuan said, "During the time you held me captive at the Heavenly Blade Sect, didn't I refine an elixir for you? That elixir allowed you to retain a portion of the Holy Blood essence when Lu Canyang siphoned off the Holy Blood anima, ensuring your continued affinity for the Qilin Holy Blood. Now, when you merge with this complete drop of Holy Blood, it will be as natural as water flowing into a ditch, happening spontaneously."

"Furthermore, with my Spirit-Awakening Elixir, I will help stimulate the Qilin Holy Blood's anima to its peak. In fact, Gu Mo's earlier conjecture was correct: after merging with the Qilin Holy Blood, its purity can be continuously improved. The Spirit-Awakening Elixir stimulates the Qilin Holy Blood, making it circulate constantly and continually generate new Qilin blood to consume your human blood. The day your blood completely transforms into Qilin blood, you will become a god, an immortal and indestructible god!"

Ye Jinglan's pupils constricted slightly as he stared at Qi Miaoxuan, asking in a low voice, "However, Senior, I have a few points of confusion. Could you please enlighten me?"

"Speak," Qi Miaoxuan said.

Ye Jinglan said gravely, "What exactly is your purpose, Senior? Did you truly only realize Lu Canyang was alive after detecting the Qilin Holy Blood within me? Or did you know all along, from the very beginning, that Lu Canyang was still alive? Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Zhuo Qingfeng happened to guess that the Ancient Buddha's Sarira could be used against Lu Canyang? Didn't you guide him? Also, the Spirit-Awakening Elixir for stimulating the Holy Blood, and the Holy Blood hiding in the sword furnace—Senior, aren't you a little too knowledgeable about the Qilin Holy Blood?"

Qi Miaoxuan chuckled lightly and said, "You have so many doubts, yet do you still wish to merge with the Qilin Holy Blood?"

"Yes," Ye Jinglan replied decisively.

Qi Miaoxuan said, "Then why bother exploring so many doubts? Just merge with the Holy Blood and become a true god. Let those doubts remain buried."

Ye Jinglan narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Senior, aren't you afraid I might resort to force?"

Qi Miaoxuan looked at Ye Jinglan and smiled faintly, saying, "Tell me, if the Ancient Buddha's Sarira couldn't suppress Lu Canyang that day, and Gu Mo couldn't defeat Lu Canyang either, then who would have been left to kill Lu Canyang?"