Huang Rong from The Return of the Condor Heroes: Brother Jing, let's get a divorce.

The red array on the bluestone slab shone brightly. The surrounding air distorted from the heat.

A withered hand emerged from the center of the array and pressed down on the ground. Immediately afterwards, an old Taoist priest wearing a faded gray robe stepped out of the array and stood steadily in the courtyard.

He leaned on a wooden cane, his hair and beard were all white, and his eyes were sunken. He was the old man in the Sutra Pavilion who had instructed Yang Guo in the "Kan Li Jue" (a martial arts manual).

The old Taoist priest didn't look at the bloodstains on the ground, nor at the half-collapsed courtyard wall. He walked straight to the bed, his steps extremely slow, yet he covered the distance of more than ten meters in just a few strides.

Little Dragon Girl gripped the broken Lady's Sword, stepping forward to block the bed. Her white robes were stained with blood, and the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was being forcefully circulated within her body, the blade aimed directly at the old Taoist's throat.

"Get out of the way," the old Taoist priest said calmly, leaning on his cane.

Little Dragon Girl didn't answer. With a flick of her wrist, she thrust the broken sword towards the old Taoist priest's chest. The sword moved with incredible speed.

The old Taoist priest didn't even lift his eyelids; he bent his left index finger and gently flicked the side of the broken sword.

"Zheng".

The broken sword flew out of her hand and embedded itself in a nearby wooden pillar. Little Dragon Girl felt an extremely powerful force slam into her wrist along the hilt of the sword, causing her right arm to go numb and tingle. She uncontrollably staggered back two steps and leaned against the wall.

Huang Rong attacked from the side, wielding her dog-beating stick, and aimed the bamboo staff at the old Taoist's acupoints on his waist. She knew the old Taoist's origins were unknown, and Yang Guo couldn't withstand any more trouble.

The old Taoist priest slammed his cane on the ground.

The bluestone slab cracked. An invisible wall of energy appeared out of nowhere, blocking Huang Rong's path. Huang Rong's Dog-Beating Stick struck the wall of energy, unable to advance even an inch further. The wall of energy rebounded, and Huang Rong lost her grip on the bamboo staff, which fell to the ground. Her chest heaved with blood and qi, and the wound on her left shoulder reopened.

"You ignorant brat." The old Taoist priest didn't even look at the two of them before walking to the bedside.

Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu were stunned by the old Taoist's methods. Both were top-tier martial arts masters, yet they couldn't withstand a single move from him. His skill was far beyond what the Five Greats could match.

The old Taoist priest looked down at Yang Guo on the bed.

Yang Guo's face was deathly pale, and blood was flowing from his seven orifices. His chest had stopped rising and falling completely, and his heart was beating extremely weakly with very long intervals.

The old Taoist priest extended two fingers and placed them on Yang Guo's left wrist pulse point.

He closed his eyes to examine Yang Guo's internal condition.

The meridians were severed, and the internal organs were severely displaced. The most fatal area was the dantian, where the dantian was originally located, which was now a ruin. The combined forces of the Nine Yin Manual and Hong Qigong's Dragon Subduing Palm exploded in the dantian, completely destroying the dantian.

"You madman!" The old Taoist priest opened his eyes and cursed, "I told you to use a waterwheel to regulate the water flow, but you went and blew up the dam instead."

As Yang Guo lay dying, his senses became extremely dulled. He barely managed to open his eyelids and, through his blurred vision, recognized the old Taoist priest.

He cursed inwardly: "Old man, couldn't you have shown up sooner? I'd already picked out the wood for the coffin. Now you're coming to collect the body? Are you going to ask me for funeral expenses?"

The old Taoist priest withdrew his finger, took out a porcelain bottle from his robes, and removed the cork. An extremely rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.

He poured out a dark red pill, pried open Yang Guo's mouth, and stuffed it into his mouth.

The elixir melted upon entering his mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed down his throat, protecting Yang Guo's last remaining heart meridian.

The old Taoist priest turned around and looked at the iron ring on the ground.

He bent down to pick up the ring, wiped the dust off it with his sleeve, and examined it closely in his hand.

"You actually used that broken ring left behind by that brat Wang Chongyang as a hidden weapon." The old Taoist shook his head and put the ring on the index finger of his left hand.

He walked to the bedside and placed his left index finger on Yang Guo's forehead.

The red array on the ground receded, turning into several red lines that climbed up from the old Taoist's feet and converged on his left index finger.

The red light flowed continuously into Yang Guo's brow through the broken ring.

Yang Guo's body trembled violently. The red light was extremely penetrating, directly piercing into his damaged meridians.

The old Taoist priest held his cane in his right hand and tapped it rhythmically on the ground. With each tap, the red light within Yang Guo's body would flicker.

Huang Rong straightened up, leaning against the wall, her eyes fixed on the old Taoist's movements. She was well-versed in medicine and could tell that the old Taoist was using extremely profound internal energy to forcibly reconnect Yang Guo's severed meridians.

Little Dragon Girl leaned against the wall, her hands clenching the hem of her clothes, her gaze never leaving Yang Guo's face.

Time passed little by little.

Yang Guo's chest, which had stopped rising and falling, began to move slightly. Each breath was accompanied by a heavy, rattling sound.

Under the nourishment of the red light, his damaged internal organs barely regained their vitality. His broken ribs were forcibly realigned.

Sweat beaded on the old Taoist priest's forehead. He withdrew his left hand, took off the tattered ring, and tossed it beside Yang Guo's pillow.

The array on the ground completely dimmed and disappeared.

The old Taoist priest leaned on his cane and exhaled a long breath of stale air.

"Your life has been saved," the old Taoist priest said in a hoarse voice.

Huang Rong hurried to the bedside and reached out to check Yang Guo's pulse. Although the pulse was weak and erratic, it was indeed life-threatening. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to collapse by the bedside.

Xiaolongnu also came over and took Yang Guo's right hand. She dared not let her extremely cold internal energy penetrate him, for fear of disrupting the fragile balance that Yang Guo had just established within his body.

"I will never forget your life-saving grace, senior." Huang Rong turned around and bowed deeply to the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest waved his hand.

"Don't thank me. This kid is lucky. He took the Nine-Turn Life-Reversing Pill, and its medicinal effects have long since seeped into his bones and blood. In addition, he forcibly fused with the Nine Yin Manual and detonated the Dragon Subduing Palm power. These forces clashed with each other, completely destroying his dantian. But it was precisely because his dantian was shattered that those violent forces had an outlet, preventing them from directly shattering his skull."

Looking at Yang Guo on the bed, the old Taoist priest continued, "I simply used the array diagram left by Wang Chongyang to gather the scattered essence in his limbs and bones and protect his heart meridian."

Yang Guo listened to the old Taoist priest's words, his mind racing. His life was saved, but what about his martial arts? He couldn't possibly be a cripple, lying in bed every day being waited on hand and foot by these two beauties, could he? Although it sounded appealing, in this martial arts world, without martial arts skills, one didn't even have the right to protect women.

"Senior," Huang Rong quickly grasped the key point, "Guo'er's dantian is shattered, can it be restored?"

The old Taoist priest found a good chair, sat down, and placed his cane on his lap.

"The dantian is where qi is stored; if it's broken, it's broken. All martial arts in the world are based on the dantian. If the foundation is gone, how can it be restored?" the old Taoist priest countered.

Xiaolongnu's eyes reddened. She didn't care whether Yang Guo had martial arts skills or not; at worst, she would return to the Ancient Tomb and protect him for the rest of her life.

Huang Rong, however, knew Yang Guo's temperament. This little rascal was arrogant and proud; if he knew he had become a cripple, he would be more distressed than if he were killed.

"The world is vast, and there are bound to be extraordinary techniques." Huang Rong refused to give up. "Since you were able to bring the dead back to life, you must have a method to rebuild your dantian. If you are willing to teach me, the Beggars' Clan will do everything in its power to help you."

The old Taoist priest looked at Huang Rong, tapping his cane with his fingers.

"Reshaping the dantian is beyond my capabilities," the old Taoist priest said, dashing Huang Rong's hopes.

Yang Guo cursed inwardly. "Old man, are you talking in such a dramatic way? If you can't do it, what are you doing sitting here pretending to be all high and mighty?"

The old Taoist priest continued talking: "However, who says that martial arts training necessarily requires an dantian?"

Upon hearing this, both Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu were stunned.

Yang Guo also stopped complaining and started listening attentively.

"Taoism emphasizes following the natural way. The human body has three dantian: the lower dantian is in the Qihai, the middle dantian is in the Jianggong, and the upper dantian is in the Niwan." The old Taoist pointed to his abdomen, chest, and brow.

"When people practice martial arts, they all store their energy in the lower dantian. This kid's lower dantian is shattered, but his middle and upper dantian are intact."

Huang Rong looked puzzled: "I have never heard of anyone in the martial arts world who can accumulate internal energy using the middle or upper dantian. Those two acupoints are extremely fragile. If you are not careful, you will suffer a qi deviation and die."

The old Taoist priest gave a cold laugh.

"Don't worry about nothing. This kid dares to forcibly fuse even the orthodox and inverse Nine Yin Manuals, what's there to worry about going into qi deviation?" The old Taoist stood up, walked to the bedside, and looked down at Yang Guo.

"By breaking down, one can rise again, becoming invincible. Your shattered lower dantian has severed your path to mortal martial arts. This old Taoist has a method that can allow you to use your lower dantian as a cauldron and your dantian as a furnace to rebuild your entire body. Do you dare to try?"

Yang Guo opened his eyes and stared directly at the old Taoist priest.

Don't dare to try? I'm not even afraid of death, why would I be afraid of this? As long as I can regain my strength, I'll practice using my chest and forehead to store energy, or even my heels.

Yang Guo opened his mouth and used all his strength to utter a single word: "Practice".

The old Taoist priest nodded.

"Good. The old man was right about you."

The old Taoist priest turned to look at Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu.

"This method is extremely dangerous, and he absolutely cannot master it by himself. It requires extremely pure Yin Qi to guide and harmonize the conflict between the upper and middle Dantian."

The old Taoist priest's gaze swept over the two women.

"You two girls, one is at the mid-stage of the Innate Realm, and the other is at the peak of the early stage of the Innate Realm. Your martial arts foundation is not bad. But that's far from enough."

Huang Rong stepped forward: "What conditions are required, Senior? Please tell me directly."

The old Taoist priest, leaning on his cane, pointed towards the back of the mountain.

"This kid's body is like a leaky sieve. We need to find an extremely yin and cold place to freeze the life force draining from his body. At the same time, the two of you need to use your true energy to nourish his meridians day and night. This process will take at least forty-nine days."

Little Dragon Girl thought of the Jade Bed in the Ancient Tomb.

"There is a cold jade bed in the ancient tomb, which can freeze life force," Little Dragon Girl said.

The old Taoist priest glanced at Little Dragon Girl.

"The jade bed is barely enough. But that's not the hardest part." The old Taoist's tone became extremely serious.

"Guiding true qi into the Crimson Palace and Niwan (the upper dantian) requires two people to be in perfect harmony with him, their qi merging together. There can be no distracting thoughts. This is called the harmony of yin and yang, the cultivation of spirit and soul. If you cannot do this, he will explode and die the moment the qi is drawn into his body."

Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu exchanged a glance.

A meeting of minds, a harmonious connection. This requirement wouldn't be difficult for two women who deeply love Yang Guo. But it requires their cooperation, which means they must let go of all their reservations and completely open their hearts.

Yang Guo lay on the bed, his heart filled with joy. "Old man, you're giving me a treat! An upgraded version of dual cultivation? Three people cultivating together? I know this script inside and out."

The old Taoist priest walked to the door and stopped.

"The Quanzhen Sect has suffered a severe blow in this battle. The Mongols will not let this go easily. You only have forty-nine days. If he cannot rebuild after forty-nine days, you should take his body and bury it in a propitious place."

After the old Taoist priest finished speaking, he stepped out of the courtyard gate.

A few steps later, the old Taoist priest's figure blended into the night and disappeared without a trace.

The courtyard fell silent again.

Huang Rong walked to the door and closed the dilapidated wooden door. She turned to look at Xiaolongnu.

"Miss Lu is still unconscious. I'll go and help her into the side room first. Guo'er's injuries can't be delayed. We'll go to the Ancient Tomb tonight," Huang Rong decided decisively.

Little Dragon Girl nodded. She bent down to hug Yang Guo.

Yang Guo's body was extremely light, and Xiaolongnu held him in her arms effortlessly.

Yang Guo leaned against Xiaolongnu's soft chest, inhaling her cool, delicate fragrance, while his gaze fell upon Huang Rong's mature and voluptuous curves.

He closed his eyes and began to plan his forty-nine-day recovery. Not only did he need to rebuild his dantian, but he also needed to take the opportunity to smooth over the relationship between his two wives. An experienced driver never gives up.

Huang Rong carried the unconscious Lu Wushuang on her shoulder.

The two women, along with Yang Guo and Lu Wushuang, took advantage of the night and headed straight for the ancient tomb in the back mountain.