Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Deep in the back mountains, there are several independent wooden cabins scattered about, all of which are places where the monks practice medicine. There are only five cabins in total.

The cottage is surrounded by lush bamboo, creating a tranquil environment that contrasts sharply with the bustling incense offerings on the mountain in front.

Soon, the three arrived at the easternmost side room.

The old monk in red robes stopped and said to the two, "Our senior master has some time right now. Please wait a moment while I go in to ask for instructions."

After saying that, he pushed open the door and went inside.

The moment the door closed, Chen Zhan immediately used telepathy to tell Zhao Qingtan, "If you sense danger after entering, resist directly. No one in this Putuo Temple should be able to subdue you silently. Make your own judgment and don't force yourself."

Zhao Qingtan smiled slightly and replied telepathically, "Don't worry, Brother Zhan, I'm also very curious. I want to see what kind of skills this 'miracle doctor' from Putuo Temple has."

A moment later, the red-robed monk pushed open the door and stepped aside to invite him in: "Please come in and treat this gentleman. Please wait here. With outsiders present, it is inconvenient for the physician to perform his medical skills. I hope you will understand."

Chen Zhan nodded and released his hand from hers.

Zhao Qingtan pretended to stumble and slowly walked into the bamboo house, supporting herself on the door frame.

The old monk in red robes stood guard outside the door, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

The bamboo house was quite spacious, and the candlelight illuminated the interior with every detail.

Clean cushions were laid on the ground, and several potted plants were placed in the corner. The air was filled with a rich aroma of herbs and sandalwood.

As soon as Zhao Qingtan stepped inside, a gentle, aged voice rang out: "Please sit down, benefactor. You two are officials appointed by the imperial court. Our temple is making an exception this time, and I believe the people will understand."

Zhao Qingtan rubbed her shoulder and slowly sat down on the prayer mat. Looking up, she saw an old monk wearing a yellow robe sitting on a prayer mat about ten feet away.

The old monk had a kind face, gentle eyes, and a peaceful aura. There was no trace of violence, no evil internal energy fluctuations, and not even a hint of killing intent. He looked like an enlightened monk who had never been tainted by blood.

This appearance left Zhao Qingtan somewhat puzzled.

She composed herself and asked, "What is your name, Master? How can you heal my wounds and remove the poison?"

The monk in yellow robes said, “My Dharma name is Zhizhen. Please turn around and face away from me. There is no need to take off your clothes. I can remove the poison from your body.”

"Master, don't you ask what kind of poison I've been given?"

Zhao Qingtan found it strange. Ordinary doctors would first find out the symptoms and the poison before taking action. It was rare to see someone take action without asking the reason.

Upon hearing this, Zhizhen paused slightly, seemingly a little flustered, and quickly replied:

"Oh, it's alright, it's alright. This humble monk has a special technique that allows me to extract all kinds of poisons."

"Hehe, Master, you have excellent skills. Then I will trouble you to do it."

Zhao Qingtan didn't ask any more questions. She turned around as instructed, closed her eyes, secretly circulated her internal energy, and focused intently on sensing the movements around her.

Although the Azure Phosphorus Needle on her shoulder was highly poisonous, it was merely a minor problem for a master like her at the Profound Realm. The slow-acting poison could not cause her any real harm.

Monk Zhizhen said no more, slowly raised his right hand, and pointed it into the air.

A wisp of pure and gentle true energy shot out from his fingertips and landed precisely on Zhao Qingtan's shoulder.

A warm sensation immediately spread from the shoulder, traveling along the meridians and firmly enveloping the venom on the Phosphorus Needle.

This warmth is soothing and refreshing, making the blood and energy in the body more active, similar to the state of excitement or fear.

Zhao Qingtan focused her mind and sensed that the warmth slowly broke down and melted the venom, while the true energy of Monk Zhizhen gradually dissipated.

The whole process was unremarkable, with neither complex techniques nor powerful internal energy support.

It ended so casually.

At this moment, the monk Zhizhen had finished his practice, letting out a long breath, his voice clearly showing fatigue:
"Phew~ Benefactor, the venom has been completely neutralized, and there is no residue left in your body."

Zhao Qingtan felt increasingly puzzled.

This method of extracting poison may seem magical, but it is actually no challenge for experts in the Tongxuan Realm. The amount of true energy consumed is not enough to make someone so tired.

There's something strange about this.
Without saying much, she slowly turned around, walked out of the room, and met up with Chen Zhan who was waiting outside.

Their eyes met, and though they didn't speak, they understood the doubt in each other's eyes.

Afterwards, they thanked the red-robed monk and bid him farewell, then walked down the mountain side by side.

"What's the situation inside? Is there anything unusual?" Chen Zhan asked in a low voice after taking only a few steps down.

"Something feels wrong, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is."

Zhao Qingtan frowned, recalling carefully:

"The poison of the Jade Phosphorus Needle is simple for those in the Profound Realm, and the method by which the monk Zhizhen extracts the poison is nothing special."

"His internal energy was balanced and peaceful, nothing strange about it, but I always felt something was off, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it."

Seeing this, Chen Zhan stopped asking questions.

He reached out and gently placed his hand on Zhao Qingtan's shoulder. A wisp of pure blood and energy silently entered her body, traveling along her meridians to carefully examine her condition before withdrawing his hand after a moment.

Zhao Qingtan was completely unprepared for him. Once her energy returned to normal, she asked anxiously, "How are you? Is there anything wrong with my body?"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Zhan's eyes, and he let out a cold snort.

Instead of answering directly, he asked, "Qingtan, how old are you this year?"

"Forehead"

Zhao Qingtan was stunned for a moment, her face full of doubt, not understanding why Chen Zhan suddenly asked this:

"I'm thirty-one now. Time flies so fast; more than a decade has passed in the blink of an eye."

Although she found the question inappropriate, she answered honestly, as she never refused Chen Zhan.

"It's nothing, there are still some things I need to confirm."

Chen Zhan gave a curt reply, offering no further explanation, and continued walking down the mountain.

Although Zhao Qingtan was full of doubts, she knew he had his reasons, so she stopped asking and silently followed behind him.

After walking for a while, Chen Mengniang's figure suddenly appeared ahead.

She was walking briskly down the mountain, a stark contrast to her previous sickly appearance.

Chen Zhan quickened his pace, stepped forward to stop her, and said with a smile, "Meng Niang, judging from your complexion, you've fully recovered?"

When Chen Mengniang looked up and saw Chen Zhan and the other person, she was overjoyed:

"It's you two, sirs! How nice to meet you again! Yes, yes, my illness is completely cured!"

As she spoke, she took a few deep breaths. Previously, she had suffered from lung disease, and each breath was as difficult as pulling a bellows. But now, she was breathing smoothly without any feeling of obstruction.

Chen Zhan nodded, his gaze sweeping across her face. A wisp of qi and blood quietly gathered at his fingertips, and taking advantage of the pause in their conversation, it secretly entered Meng Niang's body to carefully examine her physical condition.

As the blood and qi circulated through Meng Niang's body, Chen Zhan's expression gradually darkened.

The lesions in Meng Niang's body have indeed disappeared.
"Meng Niang, how old are you this year?"

Chen Zhan's voice suddenly turned cold, his tone completely different from his previous gentleness.

Meng Niang was still immersed in the joy of recovery when she was startled by the sudden chill and fell silent instantly.

Asking someone's age so soon after meeting them is generally considered impolite, but Chen Zhan's tone made her inexplicably uneasy, and she vaguely realized that something was not a simple matter.

Upon seeing this, her two servants immediately stepped forward, blocking Meng Niang's path and watching Chen Zhan warily.

Chen Zhan glanced at the two servants and gave Zhao Qingtan a look.

Zhao Qingtan understood immediately. She moved swiftly, approaching like a ghost, and tapped her fingertips repeatedly, making two soft "snap snap" sounds.

The two servants collapsed stiffly without uttering a sound.

Then, Zhao Qingtan grabbed the two of them by the back of their collars and carried them down the mountain as if they were chicks. Chen Zhan withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice to Meng Niang, whose face had turned pale, "Meng Niang, this matter is of great importance. It not only concerns your life, but also the lives of tens of thousands of people."

Meng Niang's face grew paler and paler, but she also realized that she could not resist the two people in front of her.

She composed herself, bit her lip, and said, "No need for you to do anything, Mengniang is willing to cooperate."

After saying that, he obediently followed Chen Zhan down the mountain.

Putuo Island is not small, and there are many open spaces in the mountains.

Chen Zhan chose a clearing surrounded by dense forest, where he would not be disturbed.

As soon as the two stopped, Chen Zhan asked, "How are you feeling now? Besides feeling comfortable, is there anything else unusual?"

Meng Niang was still breathing heavily, and a fine layer of sweat quickly appeared on her forehead: "Huff...huff...I don't feel anything else, just a little tired."

She didn't feel anything was wrong at first, just thinking that Chen Zhan was highly skilled in martial arts and that it was normal for her to be tired after following him all this way.

"Ah."

Chen Zhan did not refute, but simply stood quietly to the side, watching her gasp for breath.

Time passed slowly, and after a full half-incense stick's time, Meng Niang's breathing finally calmed down a little.

"Just after coming down the mountain, you have to go through a set of 130 steps, and then walk from the back of the mountain to here. The whole journey is no more than 100 meters."

“You had lung disease before, but you could still walk normally. Now that you're cured, it's not surprising that you get so tired after walking such a short distance.”

Chen Zhan's gaze grew increasingly serious as he stared intently at Meng Niang, speaking each word clearly.

Meng Niang was a little confused. She thought back carefully and realized that it was indeed as Chen Zhan said. Even when she coughed badly before, she wouldn't feel so tired after walking a few hundred meters.

But those short hundred meters felt like running dozens of miles of mountain roads, leaving her completely drained of energy.

and……

She raised her hand and touched her cheek. Her skin seemed a little looser than before, and her eyes were a little blurry. She really looked like she had aged a few years in an instant.

"Now that you mention it, it's true... it's definitely not quite right."

Meng Niang became increasingly frightened as she thought about it, and she couldn't help but gasp for breath as she spoke.

Hearing this, Zhao Qingtan's heart skipped a beat.

He immediately circulated his internal energy, letting his true qi travel through his meridians to carefully examine his body.

After examining him for a long time, he found that his internal energy was still abundant and his meridians were normal. He did not feel anything was wrong.

"You are different from her."

"They didn't dare to do anything too obvious to you, but..."

"But what?" Zhao Qingtan asked eagerly.

"But the old monk didn't use his true energy to expel the poison from you."

"He used some kind of evil technique to draw upon your own vital energy and essence, forcibly extinguishing the toxicity of the Jade Phosphorus Needle," Chen Zhan said coldly.

"Hmph, that old monk traded three years of his lifespan for the poison to dissipate!"

"what?!"

Zhao Qingtan shuddered, and her killing intent erupted instantly, no longer concealed in the slightest.

The sharp aura soared straight to the heavens, causing the surrounding trees to rustle and leaves to flutter down.

Having commanded the Dragon God Guard for many years and witnessed countless sinister methods, she was still extremely shocked.

"Heh, they've got some nerve!"

Zhao Qingtan's voice was filled with suppressed anger, and her eyes were so cold they seemed to drip frost.

Meng Niang, standing to the side, was so frightened by the terrifying killing intent that she trembled all over, her blood surging, and she was almost shaken to her core.

Seeing this, Chen Zhan casually waved his hand, and a gentle stream of true energy blocked Zhao Qingtan's killing intent.

Meng Niang finally steadied herself, panting heavily, her eyes filled with fear as she looked at Zhao Qingtan.

Upon hearing this, she fully realized that her so-called "recovery" was nothing but a scam.

No wonder my health has deteriorated.

"My lord, you just said you didn't dare to tamper with this official's person, so what about me?"

Zhao Qingtan was radiating murderous intent, and the air around her was turbulent due to this anger. Seeing this, Chen Zhan raised his hand and pressed down on her shoulder, saying in a deep voice:

"Wait a moment, Guyu is back."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a swift figure appeared in the distance, rushing towards them like an arrow released from a bow, sweeping through the forest and creating a gust of wind.

In the past, Gu Yu always had a smiling face and a cheerful personality.

At this moment, however, his face was so gloomy it could drip water, his eyes were full of coldness, and the killing intent around him was almost tangible.

"Master!"

"It's all cleared up! I used your Dragon God Guardian Jade Token to get the Zhoushan government to cooperate fully, and we found out who sought medical treatment at Putuo Temple as early as four years ago. They're all dead!"

Gu Yu rushed over and spoke urgently, her voice tinged with anger and a hint of fear.

She took a deep breath, but still gritted her teeth and said:

"None of those who sought medical help three years ago survived!"

"Two years ago, a few of them were still clinging to life, but now they're all exhausted and on the verge of death!"

"A person who had just recovered from medical treatment a year ago is now... also aged terribly, and is completely unrecognizable!"

As Gu Yu spoke, her hands unconsciously clenched into fists, her knuckles turning white.

She then described the appearance of those people who were about to die.

There were several young men in their early twenties who were originally strong and robust, but now their skin and flesh were wrinkled like old tree bark, and their bodies were covered with dark, dead skin.

His face and the back of his hands were covered with dense age spots. He could barely walk steadily and his speech was slurred. He looked exactly like an old ghost who was about to die!

The bizarre scene was beyond Gu Yu's comprehension.

She had witnessed feuds and life-and-death separations in the martial arts world, but she had never seen such insidious methods.

It can force a vibrant person to grow old and frail, eventually exhausting their energy and causing them to die.

Her murderous aura intensified, and her gaze toward Putuo Temple was filled with ruthlessness.

If Gu Yu only felt a slight fear and anger, Meng Niang, standing beside her, seemed to have all her strength drained away by these words, instantly falling into immense terror.

She was trembling all over, her face as pale as paper, and the scene Gu Yu described kept flashing through her mind, which then led her to think about herself.

In a year or two, I will become like that, with wrinkled skin and age spots all over my body, slowly dying in pain and old age.

"no, do not want…"

Meng Niang murmured to herself, her voice barely audible, her eyes filled with despair.

But Gu Yu's words were so specific that she couldn't help but believe them.

"My lord! Please save Meng Niang!!"

"I don't want to become like that, I don't want to die... Sir, you are highly skilled in martial arts, you must have a way to save me!"

She whirled around and knelt down in front of Chen Zhan with a thud, her forehead hitting the ground hard as she cried out. (End of Chapter)