The last light of the sinking sun bled through the broken lattice windows and painted the bluestone floor Old sandalwood incense mixed with the sour stink of rotten timber and pressed down on the breath Deep in the hall a single candle shook in the draft and stretched one anxious shadow long then short then long again
Allen paced back and forth in the center like a man who lost his map and his mind at the same time His expensive hiking boots thudded in messy uneven beats through the silent space His brow stayed knotted tight
His eyes kept darting His head was nothing but escape routes and worst case timing With every step he measured the odds of slipping down the mountain without being caught
In the corner several elders watched him without moving Their faces were wet with awe not fear To them this was not panic
This was depth Grand Elder Qingsong lowered his voice and spoke with trembling reverence to the disciples beside him He said the Ancestor was using footwork to measure the broken qi flow of heaven and earth
He said the furrowed brow was grief for the sect fate falling into ruin He said such a heart was too vast for them to understand
Just as their self moved devotion reached its peak the hall outside exploded with shrill cries and running feet Two disciples soaked in blood crashed through the door and nearly fell as they carried a stretcher On the stretcher lay Ye Fan the once in a century genius of the sect
His face was purple black like bruised eggplant White foam bubbled at his lips His arms and legs twitched without control
His breath was thin like a thread ready to snap
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Qingsong lunged forward He touched two fingers to the pulse and his world collapsed He slumped to the floor and his voice broke into a hoarse wail
He said it was Five Step Soul Breaking Powder He said the poison had already reached the heart He said even a true immortal could not save him
Despair flooded the hall like black water Then every head turned at once Every pair of eyes locked onto Allen who was trying to crawl under the offering table in the confusion
The elders dropped to their knees together Foreheads struck stone again and again until the sound filled the hall They begged the Ancestor to use heaven reaching methods and save this last sprout
Allen stared at the dying kid on the stretcher Cold sweat soaked through the fabric against his spine Inside his head he screamed that he was just a backpacker and he did not know any poison cure
He saw swords at their waists He knew if he said no he might be chopped into pieces before he finished the word
Fear and the will to live drove his hands into his pack His fingers found the side pocket and touched the only liquid he had left Half a bottle of leftover mineral water
It was all he had It was the only thing on his body that even looked like it could help
He forced his face to stay calm He pulled out the clear plastic bottle In the eyes of everyone watching it became a flawless crystal treasure from legends
The liquid inside looked too pure to be mortal The air seemed to brighten around it He twisted the cap off and crouched beside Ye Fan
His hand shook so hard he could barely aim the bottle mouth He was not enlightened He was terrified
His whole arm trembled like it was running on pure panic
Qingsong saw the shaking and his pupils shrank in shock In his mind this was no common tremble This was the lost Thunder Shaking Transforming Qi Hand
The Ancestor was using high frequency vibration to break the violent medicine force into a form the mortal body could endure
Allen knew none of that He only tipped the bottle and tried to pour water into Ye Fan mouth without choking him His teeth clenched so hard his jaw ached
His breath came in broken scraps He kept praying in silence that the kid would not die right here He kept praying that this awful stupid gamble would not turn him into a murderer in front of a hall full of armed strangers
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