Chapter Twenty-Three: Sudden Change

Nan Rongyao pushed the door open, leaving the two women outside to continue their watch. Tong Jin remained in the same posture, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Though his eyes were still tightly shut, the pallor of his face had given way to a healthy, ruddy glow. In contrast, Nan Rongzhan appeared far more disheveled; sweat dripped from his brow, his clothes were soaked through and clinging to his frame, and the exhaustion on his face was plain to see.

"Uncle Zhan, are you alright?" Nan Rongyao asked with concern.

Nan Rongzhan’s breathing was ragged. He waved a hand and said, "Look after the lad. I am going to return to my room to regulate my breath. I will return early tomorrow morning to continue his treatment."

The next morning, Nan Rongzhan, now dressed in simple gray linen, entered Tong Jin's room. Nan Rongyao was sitting on a wooden chair, lost in thought. Seeing Nan Rongzhan, she stood up and greeted him, "Uncle Zhan."

"How is it? Has the lad shown any signs of movement?"

Nan Rongyao shook her head. "There has been no movement at all. I did not dare to wake him to eat, but I have observed that his complexion has improved significantly."

Nan Rongzhan nodded. "Yao'er, you may head out now. Continue to keep watch."

As Nan Rongyao left the room, Nan Rongzhan extended a finger. A sliver of refined internal energy shot forth, drifting slowly toward Tong Jin’s pulse before gently entering his body. Nan Rongzhan closed his eyes to sense the internal state, a satisfied expression appearing on his face. "Excellent," he murmured. "He is recovering quite rapidly. At this rate, it should not take more than five days for him to be seventy or eighty percent restored." With that, Nan Rongzhan began to channel his energy, enveloping Tong Jin’s body in a shroud of Qi. The room fell into absolute silence once more.

Tong Jin was completely immersed in a sea of consciousness, his senses clouded and chaotic. Before him lay a boundless, empty world: the earth was crimson, the sky a deep azure, and on the distant horizon where the two met, the red and blue were starkly divided.

"Where is this?" Tong Jin murmured. He moved to step forward, only to find his body completely immobile. He looked down at his feet. "This is..." He recognized this familiar place—a bottomless pool of water, as dark as a void. It was the same icy pool where his consciousness had been trapped when he was bitten by the Corpse Poison Ants, triggering the eruption of his Yin-Yang constitution.

Tong Jin’s bare ankles were submerged in the pool water. He stood motionless in the center, unable to sink yet unable to move. "What is happening!" Panic welled up in him as he stared into the abyss beneath him. He recalled the last time he was here, his entire body submerged in the water; the bone-chilling cold that had seeped into his very consciousness made him shiver at the mere memory.

Suddenly, a dull clap of thunder erupted from the void. Tong Jin started in shock. The rolling thunder then transformed into a stern reprimand that echoed in his ears: "Calm your mind and center your focus on your Dantian!"

Before Tong Jin could process this, the crimson of the earth and the azure of the sky on the horizon began to intertwine, causing the space to warp. In a panic, Tong Jin instinctively tried to pull his legs back; this time, the pool no longer held his feet fast. The moment he leaped out of the water, the red and blue space collapsed, and everything went black.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Nan Rongzhan before him, drenched in sweat. Nan Rongzhan’s brows were furrowed, and a surge of deep blue energy poured from his palms, flowing around Tong Jin’s body and gathering there.

Tong Jin watched with curiosity as the energy, now emitting wisps of white vapor, wrapped around him. It felt as pure and viscous as liquid, and the cool, refreshing sensation it imparted invigorated his spirit.

Not long after, the energy slowly receded. Nan Rongzhan adjusted his breathing and opened his eyes.

"Senior Zhan, thank you for your hard work." Tong Jin’s consciousness was now fully clear. He stepped off the bed to help the weakened Nan Rongzhan into a wooden chair. Only then did Tong Jin realize that the internal injury in his chest had completely healed; his fractured ribs were as good as new. Yet, the hollow, empty feeling within his meridians remained unchanged.

Seeing the change in Tong Jin’s expression, Nan Rongzhan wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Do not be impatient, lad. If you observe your body closely, you will find that your Dantian has healed by seventy or eighty percent. As far as restoring your body to a state where you can cultivate again, you have already succeeded halfway."

Upon hearing this, Tong Jin was overcome with emotion. He bowed to kneel, but was held upright by a gentle wave of internal energy.

"There is no need for such formalities; this is simply your own destiny," Nan Rongzhan said, his face still pale as he smiled weakly.

"Senior Zhan, let me help you back to rest." Tong Jin felt a sense of gratitude so profound he knew not how to repay it. Nan Rongzhan nodded.

That evening, Nan Rongyao hosted a grand banquet to celebrate Tong Jin’s recovery. Everyone in the caravan attended, save for Nan Rongzhan, who was still resting. The air was filled with clinking glasses and laughter. Everyone in the caravan knew why Tong Jin had been injured; they respected him deeply for risking his life for a friend he had only recently met. Though, aside from Nan Rongyao and her father, no one knew the true extent of his internal healing, they were all overjoyed to see him recover. The banquet felt like a grand festival, and Tong Jin, the guest of honor, smiled continuously until he eventually drifted off to sleep at the table, intoxicated.

The next morning, Tong Jin and Nan Rongzhan returned to their seclusion. Feng Yue and Qing Lan, having lost patience, had gone off to play elsewhere, but Nan Rongyao remained steadfast, keeping a close watch outside the door.

Inside the room, the blue energy was significantly denser than the previous two days; at critical moments, the white mist even hissed. Tong Jin felt a searing pain in his meridians as the energy moved through him, as if a barbed insect were crawling beneath his skin. He bit his lip until blood trickled down his chin, his body drenched in sweat, yet he did not utter a single sound.

Nan Rongzhan lifted his eyelids and nodded to himself—the boy’s willpower was truly remarkable. He then furrowed his brows and intensified the healing energy. Enveloped in deep blue light, Tong Jin’s teeth chattered, and the tearing pain nearly caused him to lose consciousness. Yet, the more intense the pain, the more he clung to Nan Rongzhan’s instructions, keeping his mind fixed firmly on his Dantian.

Just then, Tong Jin’s eyes snapped open. He felt, with mounting terror, an indescribable, scorching vortex suddenly ignite within his Dantian. Even more shocking was the massive wave of heat that erupted from this vortex, surging violently into his meridians!