Chapter 193

Chapter 193

Qiao Leshui is a disciple of a third-rate family on the Flying Star Continent.

Originally, the Qiao family was an insignificant clan on the Flying Star Continent, with no particular renown. However, due to Qiao Leshui having an elder brother who joined Feixian Island, the status of the Qiao family soared, elevating them to the ranks of third-rate families on the Flying Star Continent.

Feixian Island is one of the oldest powers on the Flying Star Continent.

Feixian Island has deep roots and is guarded by an ancestor at the Yuan Saint realm, making it one of the top-tier forces on the Flying Star Continent.

It is said that Feixian Island is very strict in selecting disciples. Each time they venture into the world to recruit, they choose only a few disciples, and sometimes, if they cannot find anyone who meets their standards, they would rather take none than lower their requirements and accept mediocre candidates.

Due to Feixian Island's stringent criteria, every disciple they accept is exceptionally talented. Anyone admitted to Feixian Island is recognized as a prodigy on the Flying Star Continent.

If a family has a disciple chosen by Feixian Island and admitted there, the family’s reputation and status also rise significantly.

The Qiao family, where Qiao Leshui comes from, is a prime example of this.

Qiao Leshui’s elder brother, Qiao Leshan, was chosen by an ancestor at the Yuan Emperor realm from Feixian Island a hundred years ago during their recruitment drive and was taken in as a personal disciple.

After Qiao Leshan joined Feixian Island, not only did the Qiao family's status soar, but as his younger brother, Qiao Leshui's own status also rose.

Having an elder brother who joined Feixian Island, coupled with Qiao Leshui's decent talent, he relied on the cultivation resources his brother sent back from Feixian Island each year. After a century, he finally reached the late stage of the Yuan Spirit realm, just one step away from the Yuanzong realm.

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou listened quietly, their faces calm.

They knew little about the situation on the Flying Star Continent; all they knew came from what Lan Jinshang had told them. But even Lan Jinshang knew very little, as demon cultivators rarely ventured onto land and thus did not bother to learn much about the human cultivator continent. The information she could provide was limited.

Neither Feixian Island nor the Qiao family were familiar to them.

However, Ning Yuzhou maintained a composed demeanor, exuding a gentle calmness that made it clear he was listening attentively and showing great respect, prompting the other party to speak more.

As for Wen Qiao, she habitually showed no expression when facing strangers.

At least, Qiao Leshui could not discern anything from her cold and composed face.

Because of their demeanor, Qiao Leshui did not realize that these two were not from the Flying Star Continent.

After finishing his story, Ning Yuzhou feigned seriousness and said, "So you are the brother of Senior Qiao. I have heard of Senior Qiao; he is said to be very powerful. How could you..."

With such a powerful elder brother, logically, Qiao Leshui should not have ended up in such a sorry state.

Yet yesterday, he suddenly emerged from a cave beneath the rocks, looking as if he had lost control, leaving a strong impression on the two. If not for his evident pride in his brother, they might have doubted his words.

Qiao Leshui's face stiffened slightly, and he pursed his lips. "Actually, I was betrayed."

"I wonder who betrayed you, so viciously that it left you in such a state," Ning Yuzhou asked.

Qiao Leshui's face darkened.

As Ning Yuzhou said, whenever the condition flared up, it left him in a state of madness, akin to losing control. However, those who lose control still retain some strength to protect themselves, whereas he could only hide in a cave beneath the rocks, risking discovery and death by other cultivators.

Thinking about it, Qiao Leshui felt fortunate to have encountered these two. Although he did not know their origins, at least they had not harmed him beyond tying him up and had even used many spirit pills to save him.

Unconsciously, he began to regard them as kind-hearted people.

There are plenty of bad people in the world, but good ones too. One should not judge everyone based on one's misfortunes.

"Actually, the person who betrayed me is from my own family," Qiao Leshui said, his face turning red with embarrassment.

As the saying goes, family scandals should not be publicized. However, this scandal involved his life, and to get Ning Yuzhou to treat him and save his life, he had to reveal the family secret.

"Half a year ago, I went out to train with other family disciples. I never expected to be betrayed by the grandson of the family's Great Elder, Qiao Daxun. At the time, I thought I was going to die, but I managed to escape. Later, I returned to the Qiao family injured, only to hear that the fifth young master had died on a mission..."

Speaking of this, Qiao Leshui clenched his teeth, his eyes moistening as if he were about to cry.

He had been protected by his elder brother since childhood. Even after his brother joined Feixian Island, he still sent someone back each year to bring him cultivation resources. He had always believed his family was united and trustworthy, never imagining the truth would be so ugly.

No one in the family suspected his "death"; they claimed he had died during training.

Although Qiao Leshui was naive, he was not stupid. Realizing the entire family was in agreement about his death, he disguised himself and entered the cultivation city where the Qiao family resided to gather information from fellow disciples.

"...It turns out they coveted the cultivation resources my brother sends back each year and wanted to keep them for themselves. Despite Qiao Daxun's betrayal, the elders did not pursue it but instead agreed to keep it hidden from my brother."

As long as they temporarily hid it from Qiao Leshan, he would continue sending resources each year. The abundance of cultivation resources available to Feixian Island disciples was unimaginable to small clans, so it was understandable why they were tempted.

Even if Qiao Leshan discovered something later, they could tell him that after Qiao Leshui died, they could not go to Feixian Island to inform him and had to wait for his return.

Feixian Island forbids outsiders from entering, even relatives of its disciples.

*

Hearing this, Wen Qiao looked at him with a touch of sympathy.

In the cultivation world, such incidents are not uncommon. Many cultivators abandon their moral principles for cultivation resources, leading to unthinkable acts—couples turning against each other, fathers and sons becoming enemies, masters and disciples severing ties...

Though Wen Qiao had not experienced such things herself, she was not ignorant. Over the years, traveling from Dongling, she had seen much. Even in the moving desert, she witnessed many cultivators doing evil deeds for survival and resources. Ning Yuzhou did not want her to remain naive and often enlightened her.

Compared to this, the Wen family's indifference and occasional withholding of resources seemed minor.

"How can they do this without fearing your brother will discover the truth and investigate your death?" Wen Qiao couldn't help but ask.

Ning Yuzhou glanced at her, smiling gently.

Qiao Leshui smiled bitterly. "That day, they thought I was dead. Those who were on the mission with me either died or were injured before reaching the Qiao family. If my brother asks, wouldn't Qiao Daxun have the final say? Besides, Qiao Daxun is meticulous. From this betrayal, it's clear he is quite capable."

In fact, Qiao Leshui and Qiao Daxun were of similar age and from the same clan, and their relationship was quite good. Qiao Leshan trusted him deeply.

And it was because of this trust that he almost died.

"In the midst of our training, we encountered a ninth-rank Azure-Eyed Winged Tiger. None of us could match its strength, and I was injured in the initial battle. Later, everyone fled, leaving me alone to face the Azure-Eyed Winged Tiger, hoping I could delay it. I don't know what Qiao Daxun did to me at the time, but I was completely powerless and couldn't escape. If my brother hadn't given me a teleportation talisman, I might have become the tiger's meal."

Qiao Leshan couldn't explain how that ninth-rank Azure-Eyed Winged Tiger appeared. Was it a true accident or deliberately brought there? As for his injuries, he now suspected that Qiao Daxun had planned them from the start.

What infuriated him was that even now, he still didn't understand how Qiao Daxun had managed to sabotage him.

Hearing "teleportation talisman," Ning Yuzhou's heart stirred slightly.

Indeed, the Flying Star Continent is a place where the art of talismans thrives; even teleportation talismans are commonplace.

Wen Qiao didn't think much about it and asked, "Do you always experience such episodes like yesterday?"

Qiao Leshan nodded. "For the past six months, every month, I've had an episode. Each time, my mind becomes chaotic, causing unbearable pain, and my cultivation disappears until three days later when it returns."

Speaking of this, Qiao Leshan's eyes showed signs of distress.

As a cultivator who had reached the late stage of the Primordial Spirit Realm, it was unimaginable to be without cultivation. But over the past six months, he experienced this every month, nearly driving him mad.

During each episode, he would find a desolate place to hide and endure those three days.

Upon hearing this, Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou finally understood why Qiao Leshan had hidden in the cave beneath the reef during his last episode.

This area of the sea rarely saw visitors, so he could go crazy here without bothering anyone. However, they hadn't expected Wen Qiao and the others to come here and disturb Qiao Leshan, causing him to attack them in his confused state.

Wen Qiao said with relief, "Fortunately, you had no cultivation at the time; otherwise, I might have beaten you up."

She never hesitated when faced with someone attacking her.

Qiao Leshan's face stiffened slightly. He didn't really believe Wen Qiao's words. How could a late-stage Primordial Void Realm cultivator defeat a Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator? If they had fought, who would have won was uncertain.

Noticing his disbelief, Wen Qiao demonstrated her seriousness by calmly taking out a fist-sized Kōngmíng Stone from her storage bag, tossing it in front of him, and then crushing it when she caught it again.

Qiao Leshan: "…………"

Qiao Leshan obediently looked away, not daring to argue with someone who could crush the supposedly hardest Kōngmíng Stone.

Seeing Qiao Leshan suddenly become more well-behaved, Ning Yuzhou couldn't help but smile. He said to Qiao Leshan, "Young Master Qiao, curing your condition will not be possible in the short term."

Qiao Leshan looked at him expectantly. "How long do you estimate it will take?"

"I'm not sure, but it might take three to six months."

Qiao Leshan sighed in relief. This timeframe was shorter than he had imagined. Having endured the past six months, enduring another six months with someone who could cure him was nothing.

He stood up and bowed respectfully to Ning Yuzhou. "If you can save me, I will repay you handsomely in the future."

Ning Yuzhou's smile became even warmer. He said gently, "During this period, Young Master Qiao, please travel with us so we can treat you."

Qiao Leshan agreed. "That makes sense."

"Then, Young Master Qiao, please go and freshen up," Ning Yuzhou said kindly.

Qiao Leshan realized his disheveled appearance and blood-stained body were unseemly, so he quickly apologized and went to the cave where he had been hiding to clean himself up.

After Qiao Leshan left, Wen Qiao looked at Ning Yuzhou's smile. She felt something was off about her husband's overly kind demeanor.

"What are you looking at?" Ning Yuzhou smiled at her.

Wen Qiao scratched her face and leaned closer, whispering, "Husband, Qiao Leshan is quite unlucky, but he has a brother on Feixian Island. If Feixian Island is as powerful as they say, we could use his brother to gather information about the island."

Ning Yuzhou agreed. "Exactly. I was worried that the person we saved wouldn't be influential enough. Even if we had a guide, it wouldn't help much beyond familiarizing ourselves with the Flying Star Continent. Now, his brother seems capable, being a disciple of a top force, which means he likely knows many secrets."

Because of the Endless Sea, continents are far apart, leading to little contact between them. Many cultivators don't even know other continents exist within the Endless Sea.

To return to the Holy Martial Continent, they first needed to determine its location.

Since the Flying Star Continent has Primordial Saint Realm experts, its top forces likely know about the outside world. Gathering information could be useful for their journey back to the Holy Martial Continent.

To return to the Holy Martial Continent, Ning Yuzhou wouldn't miss any opportunity.

Hearing this, Wen Qiao understood. No wonder her husband was so kind to Qiao Leshan; he had ulterior motives.

Moreover, her husband had a naturally good-looking face, making people easily like him. Most people preferred to befriend someone like him rather than someone cold like her.

Wen Qiao decided to be nicer to Qiao Leshan, at least until his brother found out about his situation and came to rescue him.

***

The unfortunate Qiao Leshan soon tidied himself up.

He changed into a simple gray robe, tied up his hair, revealing a handsome face, though pale and weak, with eyes like those of a small animal, moist and evoking a strong protective instinct.

Wen Qiao glanced at him critically, then turned to Ning Yuzhou, feeling her husband was more pleasing to the eye.

Seeing Qiao Leshan, Ning Yuzhou said, "Young Master Qiao, please extend your hand so I can check your body. Don't resist."

Qiao Leshan extended his hand, feeling a gentle spiritual energy enter his meridians. Suppressing the urge to retaliate, he asked, "Is Lord Ning a pill master?"

"No," Ning Yuzhou replied calmly. "I am a Talisman Master."

Wen Qiao couldn't help but look at him, wondering if it was because the art of talismans was prevalent on the Flying Star Continent that her husband had chosen a different profession. On the Holy Martial Continent, although alchemy was popular, other arts also developed in balance, making Ning Yuzhou a genius proficient in alchemy, talismans, artifacts, and formations.

Qiao Leshan, indeed, was a naive child protected by his brother, and he said blankly, "So you're a Talisman Master and can also refine pills. You're truly remarkable."

Ning Yuzhou humbly replied, "Refining pills is just a hobby; I occasionally refine a few batches."

Wen Qiao glanced at him again, thinking to herself that he often delayed his cultivation for alchemy; this "occasionally refining a few batches" was truly speechless.

Suddenly, Wen Qiao realized that her husband turned out to be a smooth-talking liar!