Chapter 116: The Arrival of the Elegant Female General

Page 1/3

Great Yellow and the True Enlightened Master Xuanwu sat properly. Great Yellow opened his mouth, took the right hand of Master Xuanwu into his mouth, and slowly transmitted his internal true energy through his mouth into the right palm of Master Xuanwu. Given Great Yellow’s strength, he could have transmitted his true energy rapidly, but to prevent any conflict between his true energy and that of Master Xuanwu, he chose to proceed slowly. This way, if any antagonism arose, it could be quickly withdrawn.

Master Xuanwu circulated his own energy, attempting to hold the true energy Great Yellow was transmitting, while slowly moving backward, observing the sensations in his body where Great Yellow’s energy arrived. When the true energy reached the right half of his body, Master Xuanwu felt no adverse side effects; instead, a warm flow surged through his right side, and the strength of his right arm increased instantly.

He thought to himself, “Great Yellow’s true energy is indeed powerful—not only does it not conflict with human true energy, but upon entering the body, it immediately produces an effect. Earlier, when I transmitted a tenth of my true essence to Xiao Ping, it would typically take one or two hours of rest to recover to my original state. Yet, just this brief trial from Great Yellow has restored my vitality!”

Master Xuanwu withdrew his hand from Great Yellow’s mouth and said, “Great Yellow, no need to test further. Transmit your energy directly to Xiao Ping. Your true energy not only doesn’t conflict with mine, but the effect comes quickly! If only I had known your true energy wouldn’t clash with ours, it would have been much better for you to have transmitted it to Xiao Ping on the way back!”

Upon hearing this, Great Yellow immediately approached Xiao Ping’s bedside, knelt on all fours, took Xiao Ping’s right hand into his mouth, and tightly clasped it with his lips. Then, he circulated his own true essence, channeling it into Xiao Ping’s body through his neck.

After a short while, a slender, faintly red line, about the thickness of a finger, emerged from Great Yellow’s lips. It slithered like a serpent along Xiao Ping’s arm all the way to his shoulder. From the tip of this glowing thread, more than a dozen branches sprouted, crawling toward various parts of Xiao Ping’s body—the neck, chest, head, and so forth. In no time, these branches formed a network covering Xiao Ping’s entire body.

Standing nearby, Master Xuanwu was stunned by this extraordinary method of transmitting true essence. Having practiced cultivation and Daoism under his master Shangheng for nearly a millennium, he was accustomed to perceiving true energy as nothing more than a warm current flowing in and out, invisible to the naked eye. Even his master Shangheng, nearly two thousand years into his cultivation, transmitted true energy in this usual manner. Seeing Great Yellow transfer true energy so vividly was a first.

“How remarkable!” Master Xuanwu thought.

He continued watching Great Yellow’s transmission to Xiao Ping carefully, observing Xiao Ping’s changes while recalling what his senior brother Xuan Zhe had told him about Xiao Ping’s acceptance of Great Yellow.

He had learned from his brother that the beast Xiao Ping had taken in was one of the four legendary mystical ferocious beasts known as the Qiongqi. According to ancient lore, these four beasts were eccentric, acting outside normal conventions, vastly different from other creatures and impossible to predict. Typically, wild beasts become friendlier the better they are treated, sometimes even becoming human companions. The four mystical ferocious beasts, however, were the opposite—they championed good and opposed evil in a twisted way. For example, when other animals fought, these beasts would watch and favor the fiercest combatant, even feeding them. Yet, if the fed beast showed gratitude, the mystical beast felt uncomfortable and might kill it. In short, whether human or beast, the kinder you were to these four ferocious creatures, the more they disliked you, sometimes even killing those who treated them well. Conversely, the harsher you were to them, the more they liked you.

After hearing this legend from his brother, Master Xuanwu found the four mystical ferocious beasts puzzling. Facing the creature Xiao Ping brought back, he was even more amazed. According to the legend, these beasts supposedly champion good and punish evil, disliking kindness directed at them. So why was Great Yellow so friendly to Xiao Ping, even following him back? Was the legend unreliable? Or was this particular Qiongqi unusual?

Master Xuanwu later consulted other sources and his master Shangheng, all of which confirmed the legend. This only deepened the mystery surrounding the Qiongqi Xiao Ping had brought back.

Over the following decade or so, the Qiongqi showed no disrespect to Xiao Ping; instead, it followed him obediently.

Now, seeing the creature transmit its internal true essence to its severely injured master—and even thinking to test it on Master Xuanwu first to ensure no harm came to Xiao Ping—Master Xuanwu looked on with deep affection. Great Yellow and Xiao Ping were truly bonded by fate.

Page 2/3

Master Xuanwu glanced at Xiao Ping. Under Master Xuanwu’s own transmitted true energy, Xiao Ping’s face had already shown a slight flush. Now, with Great Yellow’s true essence added, the flush deepened, making him look healthier—almost like a well person—though he still had not moved.

After about fifteen minutes, Great Yellow withdrew from Xiao Ping’s hand and stood beside the bed, gazing at him.

“Great Yellow, it seems your internal true energy’s healing effect on Xiao Ping is far superior to mine. Why did you stop? Why not continue transmitting your true essence to him?” Master Xuanwu asked.

Great Yellow extended his right wing, making a sweeping gesture around Xiao Ping, then waved his wing dismissively toward Master Xuanwu.

“You mean you can’t transmit so much true energy to Xiao Ping all at once?” Master Xuanwu inquired.

Great Yellow nodded.

Master Xuanwu thought to himself that it made sense; flooding Xiao Ping with too much energy at once might not only fail to speed recovery but could even cause adverse effects. It was better to proceed gradually.

So, Master Xuanwu and Great Yellow stood nearby, carefully observing Xiao Ping for further changes.

Just then, the clear voice of a young woman outside the door, speaking arrogantly to two soldiers, caught Master Xuanwu’s attention.

He listened closely as the woman said disdainfully, “General Wei Xiaoping and I have served together as generals for three to four years. We’ve fought side by side countless times on the battlefield. I know him well. Now that he’s injured, why can’t I see him?”

A soldier guarding the door replied, “General Zhang, this is the king’s order. General Wei’s master, Xuan Zhe, also instructed that, to ensure General Wei’s safety, no one but the court physician sent by the king and those inside are allowed to enter.”

The woman, addressed as General Zhang, snapped back sharply, “Even a colleague of General Wei isn’t allowed in?”

The soldier pleaded, “General Zhang, please don’t make things difficult for us! If the king blames us, we only have one head to lose!”

“You two are unreasonable. I just want to go in. What’s wrong with that?” she retorted.

“Please, General Zhang, don’t trouble us,” the soldiers begged.

“Then who is inside now?” she demanded.

“General Wei’s master, Uncle Xuanwu, and General Wei’s mount, Great Yellow,” the soldier answered.

“Has the king sent a court physician? What did they say about General Wei’s condition?” she pressed. (In Qingfeng Kingdom, the royal palace was called the King’s Court, and doctors attending to the king and officials were called court physicians.)

“The king did send court physicians, but General Wei’s master, Xuan Zhe, only allowed them to see him briefly before sending them away. We didn’t ask about the condition, nor dared to,” the soldier replied.

“And where is Xuan Zhe? Why isn’t he inside treating General Wei?” the woman demanded.

“He left one or two hours ago. We don’t know why, and it’s not our place to ask. Before he left, he ordered us not to let anyone in except the king and those already inside,” the soldier explained.

The woman said, “If Xuan Zhe came and left without staying to treat General Wei, it means General Wei’s injuries are severe. Xuan Zhe must have gone to find a higher-level healer. Since General Wei is so gravely injured, and I am his colleague, why can’t I at least see him? Step aside!”

“General Zhang, please don’t make things difficult for us!” the two soldiers pleaded together.

“Will you move or not? If you don’t, don’t blame me for being rude!” the woman threatened arrogantly.

“General Zhang, please don’t trouble us further!” The soldiers’ previously pleading tone suddenly hardened.

“Oh! Your tone just got tougher! So you really intend to bar me from entering? Bullying me because I’m a woman? Draw your swords! I’m going in no matter what!” the woman shouted in anger.

At that moment, the woman named General Zhang gave a sharp command, and the sound of weapons being drawn rang out.

Master Xuanwu immediately instructed Great Yellow to stay with Xiao Ping and stepped outside to see what was happening.

Upon stepping out, he saw a young woman about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, dressed in lotus-blue attire, with a graceful figure and handsome features. She wielded a sword, deftly engaging two soldiers in combat, parrying and striking with agility.

Page 3/3