Feng Xiunian's coaxing immediately made Xia Toutan lose his senses. He decisively untied the bandages on his body and, forcing himself to take a breath, walked in front of Feng Xiunian.
"Very good, that's more like it!"
Seeing that Xia Toutan's left index finger was swollen like a radish, Feng Xiunian couldn't help but let out a strange laugh.
He was, after all, a young master from a wealthy family, fresh out of the gate and utterly unaware of the dangers of this world.
"Are you ready?"
"Here I come!"
Bang!
As soon as the words left his mouth, Feng Xiunian's punch, like a ferocious tiger, landed directly on Xia Toutan's face.
Xia Toutan was immediately like a kite with a broken string, slamming heavily into the stone pillar.
Before his brain could even process what happened, Feng Xiunian took a swift step and delivered a powerful knee strike to his abdomen.
The next moment, Xia Toutan took off, singing a song of "Freedom Like the Wind."
As he landed, Feng Xiunian grabbed his swollen middle finger.
"Ah~ Ouch, ouch, ouch~~"
Xia Toutan, who had been on the verge of unconsciousness, instantly regained his senses, his screams piercing through the entire street.
"Ah hahaha~"
At this moment, Feng Xiunian, that sly old fox, was grinning with a twisted excitement. He pinned Xia Toutan to the stone pillar, swung his forty-year-honed arm left and right, unleashing the Wild Wave Thirteen Strikes, and gave him a savage beating, turning Xia Toutan into a living meme.
"Pfft~"
After a series of attacks, in just a minute or two, Xia Toutan was sprawled in front of the stone pillar like a dead dog, completely motionless.
This trip to Qingyang City was destined to become an indelible shadow in his future life.
"Alright, Young Master Xia, the score between us is settled."
After dealing with Xia Toutan, Feng Xiunian was in a great mood. He cracked his neck and strode away from the street.
Those who saw Feng Xiunian on the way immediately cleared a path, watching him leave alone.
When Xia Toutan woke up, it was already noon the next day. He was lying in the hotel room he had booked before.
"Young Master, you're finally awake!"
Seeing Xia Toutan awake, the few attendants beside him finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Xia Toutan, feeling that he was still alive for the first time, realized how precious life was, and was so moved that he almost burst into tears.
"Young Master, don't move. Your injuries are severe. You've just taken a Restorative Pill. You need to rest for a while."
Seeing Xia Toutan trying to get up, the attendant quickly stopped him.
Xia Toutan felt as if his whole body was falling apart; any movement caused a piercing pain. He could only temporarily give up struggling and lay on the bed with a bewildered expression.
Recalling his experiences over the past two days, Xia Toutan was filled with grievances, resentment, and fear, all mixed together.
"I, Xia Toutan, am a proud son of the Xia family! How have I ever suffered such grievances before!"
Just as he was sighing to himself, a waiter nervously entered the room, holding a piece of paper. "Young Master Xia, someone is looking for you outside."
"Who is it? Is it Miss Lu?"
Xia Toutan, upon hearing the voice, struggled to sit up.
No matter how disheveled he was, he absolutely couldn't lose face in front of his goddess.
However, the shopkeeper said, "It's not Miss Lu. It's Headmaster He from the Yangwei Dojo, asking to see you."
Hearing it was He Yishou, a look of fear instinctively flashed across Xia Toutan's face.
"What does he want this time? I don't want to see him!"
Xia Toutan roared.
Yet the next moment, He Yishou's voice sounded from outside the door: "Why does Young Master Xia shut me out? This old man has important matters to inform you of."
Seeing Headmaster He appear with a smile, Xia Toutan suddenly found strength he didn't know he had, sitting up and saying, "What exactly do you want?"
The attendant beside him immediately rushed at Headmaster He, shouting, "Who do you think you are? How dare you speak to my young master like that?"
Headmaster He, however, smiled and produced a challenge letter, saying, "This is our alliance leader's challenge, inviting you to a fair fight at the boxing club."
Xia Toutan was furious upon hearing this. "He Yishou, you're a man of your word! Didn't we agree to settle everything?"
Headmaster He shrugged. "Don't misunderstand, Young Master Xia. The grievances between you and me are naturally settled, but the matter between you and the Sinister Alliance isn't. Our alliance leader heard that you were showing off and acting arrogantly in Qingyang City, daring to bully his allies in public. He's very unhappy about this and wants to have a fair match with you."
"Ha…" Xia Toutan sneered. "What? You want me to go and have a fair match like this? Can't you see how injured I am?"
Hearing this, Headmaster He smiled and took out a pill wrapped in silk cloth from his sleeve, placing it in front of the bed. "Rest assured, our alliance leader said that since it's a fair match, he naturally wouldn't take advantage of your condition,
"This Bodhi Pill needs to be melted over a low flame and then absorbed onto a silver needle. Inserting it into your body will not only restore all your injuries within half a day, but also boost your cultivation. How's that? Fair enough, right?"
"A Bodhi Pill?"
Everyone gasped at the words.
This was a legendary Grade 5 sacred medicine. As long as you had a breath left, it could restore you even if your bones were completely shattered. It could also provide varying degrees of cultivation boosts to those below the Profound Void Realm peak. Even those major sects and large families didn't have many, and what they did have was treasured as a family heirloom.
And now, the leader of this Sinister Alliance was actually offering one? What was the motive?
"Open it and let's take a look."
Xia Toutan naturally knew what a Bodhi Pill looked like from ancient records. He would know if it was real or not at a glance.
When a transparent pill, the size of a cherry, appeared before him, emitting a clear, ringing sound of spiritual energy, Xia Toutan immediately recognized it as the legendary Bodhi Pill.
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However, Xia Toutan wasn't a fool. He asked, "Your alliance leader sends such a precious medicine just to get revenge?"
"Sends?" He Yishou chuckled upon hearing this. "Young Master Xia, do you think your relationship with the Sinister Alliance is so good that the alliance leader would gift such a valuable, sacred pill? You're overthinking it."
"Then what do you mean?"
"Our alliance leader's meaning is simple. With this Bodhi Pill as the wager, if you defeat our alliance leader in three days, this Bodhi Pill is yours, free of charge. But if you fail, you must buy this Bodhi Pill at ten times the market price. You should know the value of this fifth-grade sacred pill."
Xia Toutan felt this might be a trap, but the pill to enhance his strength was right before him. He couldn't bear to give it up and immediately agreed, "Alright, I accept. I will personally meet your alliance leader in three days."
"Words alone are not enough."
"I'm willing to sign a contract!"
"Alright!"
Headmaster He was overjoyed at the words, a look of triumph flashing across his face.
"Then I'll await your esteemed presence at the Fighting Club."
With that, Headmaster He put away the contract and turned to leave.
"Oh, right."
Reaching the door, Headmaster He added a reminder.
"I advise Young Master Xia not to attempt to escape Qingyang City before the duel with our alliance leader, or the consequences will be dire."
Then, he vanished.
As soon as He Yishou left, Xia Toutan struggled to his feet and immediately barked at the attendants around him, "Hurry and give me the medicine."
An attendant hastily said, "Young Master, are you really going to take this pill of unknown origin?"
"Nonsense! You're a useless piece of trash with no cultivation, what do you know? Quickly give me the needles. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to increase my strength, I can't miss it."
"Yes, Young Master."
In Chang'an, the imperial capital of the Yin Tian Dynasty, inside the Imperial Palace.
Relying on her past life's memory of using Shen Zhao, not long after Yu Xiyan ascended the throne, she immediately appointed a group of capable officials, replacing those parasites of the state. She confiscated the assets and executed the corrupt officials who embezzled funds and abused their power. With her decisive attitude, she drastically rectified the hidden troubles left over from the previous dynasty, and a revival atmosphere emerged in the court.
After dealing with the day's official business, Yu Xiyan felt a slight pain in her forehead. Immediately, accompanied by Shangguan Qiuyue, she got up and walked towards the imperial garden in the back palace to relax.
Looking at the vibrant display of flowers in the imperial garden, Yu Xiyan instinctively felt that something was missing.
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It wasn't until she reached a long corridor outside the Heart-Building Lake courtyard that she paused for a long time. Suddenly, she asked, "Where's the Azure Night Begonia? Why isn't it here!?"
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Shangguan Qiuyue asked, "Your Majesty, what Azure Night Begonia are you talking about? This subordinate doesn't understand what that is."
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"It's the one with the leaves made of colorful crystal and glass, the one that..."
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Yu Xiyan stopped mid-sentence, her eyes staring blankly at the empty space where a towering Azure Night Begonia tree should have been.