0124 Saving a Life

As soon as Fan Gensheng announced the figure, the pavilion fell completely silent.

After a long moment, Gan Fuxing gasped sharply, “This is impossible! How could so many be made in just ten days?!”

Fan Gensheng replied, “I personally tallied the numbers; there are only more, never fewer.”

Gan Fuxing, a treasured artifact craftsman from Danya Prefecture, had known Fan Gensheng for many years. He knew better than anyone that the old man wasn’t joking. He stared intently at the exorcism incense burner, and with a sound like a sharp intake through clenched teeth, he said, “Honestly, the structure isn’t difficult. If it were me, making one in ten minutes would be no problem. But…”

He gave a bitter smile. “Ten minutes for one, and seven hundred in ten days? That’s an entirely different matter. This kid is incredible…”

Looking up, he asked, “Where is this child? There’s no better assistant than him!”

Unintentionally, their conversation carried beyond the pavilion and was overheard by more people.

The city defense soldiers, hearing the topic being discussed, each glanced at the incense burner at their waists before casting their eyes in this direction.

The battle had lasted sixteen days straight, and the supplies of medicine had long run out. Fortunately, these exorcism incense burners were available. Now, the burners made by Jiang Feng had spread across all twelve war zones, and more and more hundred-household leaders kept inquiring if new ones had arrived. Although Jiang Feng was not yet a true master craftsman of treasured artifacts, his reputation had already spread throughout Taicang City.

A person like him was being accused of colluding with the demon clans and imprisoned?!

Under countless gazes, Hua Su looked down sternly at Wan Qi Yu and demanded, “So many witnesses, yet you still cannot clear this baseless accusation?!”

...

In the dungeon, a brutal interrogation was underway.

Shangguan Qing had not shackled Jiang Feng, but the two men behind him gripped him like iron shackles, holding him tightly so he could not move.

Jiang Feng gritted his teeth and remained silent. Shangguan Qing was patient and did not hurry. Each question was asked three times; whether Jiang Feng answered or not, he would change the question or rephrase it and ask again.

He seemed uninterested in the answers; what fascinated him more was the hidden power within Jiang Feng’s body.

Inside the cloth pouch at his waist were various small tools, now being used one by one on Jiang Feng. Knives, saws, pliers… He repeatedly experimented, adjusting the injected bright energy, trying to discern the limits of Jiang Feng’s healing ability.

Blood soon soaked Jiang Feng’s body, flowing down his clothes to the floor, seeping into the straw mat, staining it from red to black.

Shangguan Qing slowly drove a dull spike, about as thick as a finger, into Jiang Feng’s chest, piercing through to his back, close to the heart. His pupils dilated, and his eyes shone with an excited light. Licking his lips, he asked, “Guess—under these circumstances, will this spike grow inside your body?” He laughed oddly, “If I insert a little more, will I turn you into a porcupine?”

Blackness swirled before Jiang Feng’s eyes.

Before Shangguan Qing’s arrival, the Heavenly Machine Cube had been operating continuously. It absorbed large amounts of bright energy from Jiang Feng’s body, compiling and processing vast data.

Even after Shangguan Qing arrived, this process did not stop.

Shangguan Qing tested Jiang Feng’s healing ability repeatedly by various means. Each test and procedure was converted into data and fed into the cube.

Blood flowed endlessly, golden blood energy dissipated, and Jiang Feng was gradually pushed to his limit.

Inside the Heavenly Machine Cube, the data accumulated rapidly, and its operation accelerated. Suddenly, beneath the core of the Heavenly Heart Seed, the once dormant golden bloodline stirred and began to flow slowly.

The Heavenly Heart Seed responded immediately, extracting vast amounts of bright energy from within the primordial branch and injecting it back into the golden bloodline. With its aid, the golden bloodline’s vitality strengthened and became more active.

All this happened within Jiang Feng’s body. At this moment, the physical healing of his wounds actually slowed. Shangguan Qing, silently calculating, noticed this and raised an eyebrow: “At the limit? Hmm, for a descendant of the medicine people, this ability is not top-tier—not as good as ‘that one’—but still quite good.”

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist. Jiang Feng looked up and asked, “Who do you mean by ‘that one’? You intend to do the same experiments on me as you did on her?!”

A fire blazed in Jiang Feng’s eyes, burning fiercely from within, causing Shangguan Qing to shudder. He paused, then chuckled softly, “If you refuse to tell me anything, how can you expect me to share anything with you? Why don’t you guess how she is now? Though, it’s surprising—you’re livelier than I thought…”

He seized Jiang Feng’s hand and suddenly twisted, breaking his thumb. Jiang Feng’s suppressed groan filled Shangguan Qing with uncontrollable excitement. Lowering his voice, he said, “Answer me a question, and I’ll tell you something about her. If you answer well, I’ll even send you to see her!”

Jiang Feng’s body trembled, and his breathing grew rapid. Just as he was about to speak, a thunderous crash echoed—the dungeon’s door was shattered by a tremendous force!

Then, a series of unexpected events unfolded.

The two wardens tried to question the intruder but were grabbed and slammed against the wall, knocked unconscious.

Before Shangguan Qing could react, the dungeon’s iron gate flew off and hurtled toward him! He scrambled to dodge, only to find a figure standing inside the dungeon.

This person’s eyes widened in disbelief as he saw Jiang Feng lying on the floor, the straw mat beneath him stained dark and purplish.

With a single reach, Shangguan Qing was thrown before him and grabbed by the throat.

His voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, each word deliberate: “Did you do this?”

His gaze fell upon the blood on Shangguan Qing’s hands and the bloodstained tools before him. No further questions were needed. He tightened his grip, and Shangguan Qing’s body crackled and popped like a brittle snake, then went limp.

An immense force coursed through his body, pulverizing every bone from the neck down!

At the same time, his Heavenly Heart Seed and primordial branch were shattered. Within the span of a breath, Shangguan Qing was reduced to a complete wreck!

Most terrifyingly, this person injected a thread of bright energy into him, sustaining his life—making it impossible for him to die even if he wished.

Striding to Jiang Feng’s side, the man looked somewhat lost. After a long moment, he bent down and whispered, “Jiang Feng, Jiang Feng, how are you?”

From his arms, a snow-white rabbit jumped out and rubbed against Jiang Feng’s cheek.

Jiang Feng forced his eyes open, seeing the man before him, and smiled faintly: “Teacher Hua, you’ve finally come…”

Hua Su took several deep breaths, struggling to contain his raging fury, then turned to Wan Qi Yu and demanded, “Wan Qi Yu, tell me—what is going on here?!”

...

Wan Qi Yu, of course, knew well what kind of man he was dealing with.

He now deeply regretted admitting that Jiang Feng was indeed in his custody. He only needed to find another excuse, deny the matter, and secretly transfer Jiang Feng away!

But he hadn’t expected Jiang Feng to win the hearts of so many, with so many speaking up for him!

Hua Su alone was formidable; Wu Qi, a commoner, was insignificant, but a master craftsman of treasured artifacts plus numerous city defense soldiers? That was a heavy weight.

Wan Qi Yu wanted to resolve the matter quickly, but Hua Su kept a close watch on him. Jiang Feng was connected to the Flow Lord, and since he had taken precautions for secrecy, even passing a message was inconvenient.

Hua Su’s fury boiled, and Wan Qi Yu feigned shock and anger, glaring at Shangguan Qing: “What are you doing? How dare you use private torture!”

He angrily slapped at Shangguan Qing, but Hua Su raised a hand to block him. His gaze was ice-cold as he spoke slowly and clearly, “I will investigate this thoroughly. No one will be allowed to silence witnesses. I demand an explanation!”

Wan Qi Yu’s face turned pale. At that moment, Fan Gensheng strode in and changed color upon seeing the scene.

Hua Su took a deep breath and handed Shangguan Qing over to Fan Gensheng: “This man is responsible for criminal affairs in Taicang City. Someone might try to harm him. Lord Fan, please protect his life!”

Fan Gensheng, shrewd and experienced, immediately understood the situation. Expressionless, he nodded and took Shangguan Qing: “Leave him to me!”

Hua Su turned, cradled Jiang Feng, cast a cold glance at Wan Qi Yu, and strode out.

Jiang Feng’s consciousness was blurred, his breathing faint. Hua Su’s heart was heavy with anxiety as he immediately infused a stream of bright energy into him.

Like with Shangguan Qing, Jiang Feng’s bright energy was blocked by a defensive barrier, rendering him insensible to it. Still, Hua Su felt both worried and slightly relieved—the defense remained intact, meaning Jiang Feng’s core was still alive.

Just as they stepped outside the prefecture office, a figure swept over like the wind, shouting, “Teacher Hua, the reinforcements from Shenyan Prefecture have all arrived!”

Ping Luan Shan was dusty and windblown but wore an excited expression. He had been away from Taicang City these days, running errands for Hua Su and contacting retired veterans.

Hua Su’s face was grave as he nodded, “Good. I will meet them shortly.”

Ping Luan Shan then noticed Jiang Feng and exclaimed in shock, “Old Jiang! What happened to you?”

Hua Su’s chest heaved violently. He freed one hand to hold Jiang Feng and suddenly swung the other sharply backward!

The entire world seemed to tremble!

The bronze doors of the prefecture office groaned loudly, shook, and crashed down heavily, scattering clouds of dust!

————————————————————————

Many thanks to fatfox911 for the constant support and to everyone for their generous rewards! Next week’s chapter will be strongly recommended—please continue to support me fiercely! Yesterday, I watched “Monkey King: Hero is Back” in the theater. It’s truly a film worth seeing, a sincere effort in Chinese animation. But it’s best to watch with an open mind—while it’s very good, it has its flaws. Overall, though, it’s a promising start!