Longevity Begins With Zongmen Handyman

Chapter 37: Getting Along

The people from Xuan Yang Sect rushed into the Spirit Medicine Shop with two severely injured individuals.

The shop owner, Zhao Gang, who was already in his eighties, hurriedly came out upon hearing the commotion.

"What is this, what is this..."

"Quickly, save them!"

The leader, a peak Qi Refining cultivator, spoke up.

Zhao Gang quickly checked the condition of Tan Qingxue and Wang Song, his face changing drastically. He immediately instructed the disciples of the Spirit Medicine Shop, "Take them to the back hall, have them take a pill of Bao Yuan Dan, and prepare the 'Life-saving Technique'!"

Li An followed along and although he couldn't see the injuries of Tan Qingxue and Wang Song clearly, he felt a chill upon hearing the words.

To be able to use the Life-saving Technique, it seemed that Tan Qingxue and Wang Song were in critical condition.

The Life-saving Technique is only used when one's life is hanging by a thread and there is no hope of recovery. It includes stimulating blood and qi, using medicinal pills to replenish yuan, and if necessary, using poison to save a life or performing surgery.

It's quite complicated!

In the entire market, only Zhao Gang has the ability to perform the Life-saving Technique.

The peak Qi Refining cultivator had already grabbed hold of Zhao Gang and spoke in a low voice, "The Bao Yuan Dan has already been taken, I have only one request for you."

"Save Tan Qingxue first!"

Li An, with his keen hearing, heard this even from outside the door.

Zhao Gang frowned, "But Wang Song has a stronger vitality... saving him has a greater chance of success. If we save Tan Qingxue first, it's possible that we won't be able to save both of them."

"You don't need to worry about that."

The peak Qi Refining cultivator coldly said, "Someone from the inner sect wants Tan Qingxue dead, you just do as I say."

After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Gang nodded.

In matters of life and death, there is inequality. Having connections or not having connections makes a world of difference!

Li An's heart stirred, the so-called inner sect... was most likely Xu Qiuhui, right?

These two sisters indeed have a deep bond.

Li An waited outside the shop.

"Who are you?" The middle-aged peak Qi Refining cultivator noticed Li An and immediately asked.

"I am Li An, I work at the Spirit Talisman Shop with Senior Sister Qingxue."

Li An replied.

"So you are Li An?"

The middle-aged cultivator was somewhat surprised.

"The infamous Black-hearted Talisman Master."

He couldn't help but laugh, and his attitude towards Li An improved a bit. "Come in and have a seat."

Li An immediately entered the Spirit Medicine Shop.

Through their conversation, he roughly understood the situation.

Li Yang Valley was originally a secret realm, but it was occupied by remnants of the Yin Yang Demon Sect.

Later on, the Yin Yang Demon Sect used this secret realm to disguise themselves and set up a large killing formation.

The Yin Yang Demon Sect's goal was to hunt down the cultivators who entered Li Yang Valley, as well as the Qingyang Market.

In order to attract people from the market, the Yin Yang Demon Sect spared no expense, even the Foundation Building Pills were genuine.

After luring the people in the city, the Yin-Yang Demon Sect activated the killing formation that had already been set up, and almost everyone who went to the Liyang Valley was wiped out.

Fortunately, Zhang Shouye from the Formation Shop unexpectedly activated a damaged second-order formation, tearing open a corner and allowing disciples from the Xunyang Sect to escape.

Under the pursuit of the Demon Sect, almost all the disciples of the Xunyang Sect died. Wang Song from the Weapon Arsenal used a spiritual treasure flying boat to escape, while Tan Qingxue survived by relying on a second-order spiritual talisman.

Luckily, the Xunyang Sect's rescue came in time, otherwise the two of them would have had no chance of survival.

"Thank you, Senior Jing'ao! Otherwise, Sister Tan would be in danger..." Li An gratefully spoke.

This peak Qi Refining stage cultivator was named Jing'ao.

"It's fortunate that the city is still intact, and we can still seek help from Zhao Gang. If the city is breached and plundered by the Demon Sect, we would have no choice but to return to the sect... There would be no chance of survival for the two of us." Jing'ao spoke, smiling as he looked at Li An. "I have to thank your black-hearted spiritual talisman for that, hahaha."

Li An awkwardly smiled. "It's nothing, nothing..."

The life-or-death struggle continued until the early morning.

Zhao Gang, sweating profusely, walked out of the inner hall, looking exhausted. He said, "I did my best... but Miss Tan not only suffered damage to her internal organs, she was also poisoned. Her injuries are currently stable, but still very dangerous."

"The future depends on her own fate."

Jing'ao nodded and handed over a bag of spirit stones. Li An glanced at it and estimated there were about two hundred pieces.

Although physicians were not as powerful as alchemists, refiners, or talisman masters, they were still highly sought after!

Zhao Gang did not refuse and accepted the spirit stones. After resting for a while, he turned to save Wang Song.

...

There was someone in charge of taking care of Tan Qingxue at the Spirit Medicine Shop, so Li An returned to the Talisman Shop.

"Zhang Shouye actually died..." Li An felt even more relieved.

With the person involved dead, apart from Tan Qingxue, no one else knew about his purchase of the formation, reducing a lot of risk.

Back in his room, Li An once again opened his storage ring.

Entering the storage ring, Gu Hong was sitting on the bed, cultivating using spirit stones. The food and spirit wine beside her had already been consumed.

She opened her eyes and said, "Fellow Daoist Li."

Her guard and vigilance towards Li An had lessened significantly.

After all, Li An dared to give her so many spirit stones to restore her cultivation, which showed his sincerity.

If Li An had ill intentions, he would definitely control her like the previous demonic cultivator.

"Sorry, I didn't find any Clear Qi Pills today." Li An felt somewhat guilty and then took out some food, placing it beside Gu Hong. He said, "Please be patient, Miss. Li An will continue to search."

He had already bought the Clear Qi Pills today, but he didn't plan to give them to Gu Hong immediately.

Firstly, if it was too easy to obtain, the other party might not cherish or value it as much.

Secondly, Li An still didn't know Gu Hong well enough. Although he had the intention to make friends with her, this kind of friendship was not about blindly pleasing the other person. He still needed to observe whether Gu Hong was worth saving.

People's hearts are hard to predict. If Gu Hong had a problematic character, releasing her would not only bring no benefits to Li An, but it might also pose a great risk.

In that case, it would be better to eliminate her here.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Li!"

Gu Hong expressed her gratitude and said, "Fellow Daoist, may I ask about the situation outside? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Is it possible to contact other people?"

Clearly, she was eager to leave.

Li An sighed and said, "To be honest, Miss, I have been targeted by the Executioner Ma Mian. He has put a bounty on my head, offering a Foundation Building Pill for my life. Currently, I am in a very difficult situation."

"Currently, the Demon Cult is running rampant within the Da Li Dynasty. The place where I am currently located was even attacked by the Demon Cult a few days ago. It is extremely dangerous. If you were to leave the Na Jie, you would likely be easily discovered by the Demon Cult."

"Moreover, the Demon Cult is cunning and capable of changing their appearance, making it impossible to guard against. Currently, I don't have anyone I can trust by my side."

He looked worried and anxious.

Upon hearing this, Gu Hong was somewhat surprised. How could Li An, who was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, attract the attention of a Foundation Building expert like Ma Mian?!

However, considering that Li An was able to kill the demonic cultivator who had trapped her, he must have extraordinary abilities, which was normal.

She was also a clever person. Upon hearing Li An's words, she immediately understood that it was indeed the safest for her to continue staying in the Na Jie. If she were to go out, it could put both of them in danger.

Especially since she had the Yin-Yang demonic energy within her, it would be easily sensed by other demonic cultivators.

- Her water attribute Huang-ranked medium spiritual root was considered a treasure for demonic cultivators who practiced the Yin-Yang Demon Furnace technique.

Thinking about the possibility of being captured by other demonic cultivators and used as a furnace, she felt a wave of fear.

"The Xuan Yang Sect and the Hundred Beasts Sect have already joined forces to besiege the Yin-Yang Demon Cult. It won't be long before it is eradicated. Miss, you don't need to worry."

Li An gave her some hope.

Gu Hong nodded and then got up to eat. Looking at the delicious food, she was in a good mood. "Li Fellow Daoist, care to join me for a meal?"

Li An didn't refuse and said, "Sure."

Immediately, the two of them had dinner together and drank some spiritual wine. Gu Hong curiously asked Li An how a Qi Refining cultivator at the fourth level like him had offended Ma Mian, a demonic cultivator at the Foundation Building stage. Li An then gloomily recounted the incident of selling fake spirit talismans. After hearing it, Gu Hong was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

She laughed heartily, as if she hadn't laughed like this in many years.

"Li Master, you are truly interesting..."

She couldn't help but speak with a smile.

"What's so interesting... I won't be able to do this business anymore in the future."

Li An looked depressed.

"By the way, Li Master, I would like to ask for a favor..."

Gu Hong's smile faded slightly as she said, "I would like to take a hot bath. Is that possible?"

Li An said, "Alright, wait here. I will bring something in tomorrow. It might not be convenient today."

...

Li An left.

Inside the Na Jie.

"This little master is quite nice..."

Gu Hong couldn't help but smile lightly, then continued her cultivation.

...

The next morning.

Li An went out as usual. He first went to the spiritual medicine shop to inquire about Tan Qingxue's condition.

Tan Qingxue's condition was very serious and she still hadn't woken up.

As for Wang Song, he couldn't be saved and had died.

Li An didn't pay much attention and purchased some items in the market before returning to his residence.

Night fell.

Li An opened the storage ring again.

He sent the food inside, and after they finished eating together, Gu Hong couldn't help but say,

"Master Li, about what I said last night..."

Li An smiled,

"Don't worry, just wait a moment."

He went out and took out the bathing tub, dressing mirror, change of clothes, and other items from the storage bag, bringing them into the storage ring.

"This place is simple, so I bought some daily necessities."

Li An placed the items one by one and filled the bathing tub with hot water. He prepared to leave and asked,

"Miss, do you have any other requests?"

Seeing the empty storage ring now filled with daily necessities, although it still appeared simple, it made people feel unexpectedly comfortable and at ease. Gu Hong's heart couldn't help but move, and when she looked at Li An, there was a hint of gratitude in her eyes.

"No, Li Fellow Daoist, you have considered everything very thoughtfully."

"Alright, then Li An will take his leave."

Li An turned and left.

"Oh, by the way,"

Gu Hong suddenly called out to him, "Li Fellow Daoist, why have you never asked for my name?"

Li An paused and said, "If the lady doesn't say, then I won't ask."

Gu Hong's heart warmed even more. Obviously, Li An had considered the humiliation and suffering she had endured here, so he didn't ask.

—Just like a courtesan, if someone asks for her real name, it would inevitably hurt her feelings.

"I'm called Gu Hong," she took the initiative to speak.

"Alright, Li An remembers."

Li An immediately left.

...

In the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

On this day, Li An hadn't gone out yet, but Zhao Gang from the Spirit Medicine Shop and Jing Ao, who had reached the peak of Qi Refining, had already escorted a carriage over.

Several disciples carried a stretcher.

Li An's heart slightly trembled. Had Tan Qingxue finally died?

"Master Li,"

Jing Ao and Zhao Gang approached. Zhao Gang said, "I did my best, but Miss Tan's injuries were too severe. She is now in a coma and beyond the help of medicine. After much consideration, we can only ask Master Li to take care of her on behalf of the city."

Li An couldn't help but be surprised. In a coma...

She hadn't died, but she was like a person in a coma, like a living dead.

This state was quite similar to a vegetative state on Earth.

But more troublesome!

Once in a coma, most people never wake up.

...

These past few days have been too busy, so this chapter is a bit late. Apologies.

(End of this chapter)