Cheng Xiaofan walked ahead, with Ye Shisan following closely behind.
The person in front walked faster and faster, and the one behind followed without a single step out of sync.
As they walked, Cheng Xiaofan simply used his Qinggong, leaping forward; Ye Shisan, following closely, also used his Qinggong, his feet treading on air, moving forward like lightning.
Although Ye Shisan was out of breath after only a short while of flying and the distance between him and Cheng Xiaofan widened, he was never left behind.
Upon reaching the back of the mountain, Cheng Xiaofan stood on the slope and looked back. In the moonlight, Ye Shisan appeared as a black dot, rushing towards them.
Before long, Ye Shisan arrived at the top of the slope.
*Thump!*
He collapsed onto the ground, exhausted, gasping for breath, and said, "Mr. Cheng, your Qinggong is truly incredible. If this continues, I'll be completely lost from sight!"
Hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "Old Ye, you have a serious internal injury. To have kept pace with me and not been left behind is already remarkable!"
"Ah, Mr. Cheng, you can tell I have internal injuries?" Ye Shisan asked, looking shocked.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "When I first saw you today, my first glance told me you were an earth-element cultivator; my second glance revealed that you suffered a severe injury seven years ago."
"Old Ye, when your internal injury flares up, the torment that makes you wish for death – there are probably few people in this world who could endure it and survive to this day!"
"Mr. Cheng, I never expected you could see even that!" This topic touched a raw nerve for Ye Shisan, and his eyes welled up, his voice choked with emotion.
Cheng Xiaofan said, "Old Ye, don't be sad. I called you to the back of the mountain tonight precisely to help you get rid of your internal injury for good, so it will never recur!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Shisan looked bewildered and said, "Mr. Cheng, can… can you really do that?"
Cheng Xiaofan chuckled and said, "Old Ye, you still don't know me well enough. Many people around here call me 'Little Divine Doctor'!"
"I'm not bragging. With my medical skills, if I can diagnose your severe injury, I can certainly cure it."
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng. I offer you my respects!" Ye Shisan bent his knee, about to kneel before Cheng Xiaofan.
Cheng Xiaofan was quick and pulled him up, saying, "Come with me to the bamboo pavilion. I'll treat you right away!"
The two immediately went up to the bamboo pavilion.
Before the treatment, Cheng Xiaofan said with a serious expression, "Old Ye, I must inform you beforehand, this treatment might involve inhuman torment. That is to say, the process will bring you great pain."
"You must be mentally prepared for this!"
Hearing this, Ye Shisan smiled bitterly and said, "Mr. Cheng, since I came into this world, I don't know how much inhuman torment I've endured. I've long been numb to what pain is!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "I was worried you wouldn't be able to withstand the purgatorial treatment process and would destroy my bamboo pavilion, so I was thinking about what kind of rope would be strong enough to bind you securely, so you couldn't thrash about!"
"So, you're saying I won't need to do that?"
Ye Shisan said, "Please rest assured, I will endure it!"
"Good, then I'll do as you say!"
Cheng Xiaofan had Ye Shisan sit cross-legged in the center of the living room, then took twelve bowls and poured half a bowl of strong alcohol into each.
This strong alcohol was something he had bought when he first moved into the pavilion, intending to use it for barbecues. He hadn't used it before, but now it came in handy.
Next, Cheng Xiaofan took out a bottle, tore off the tape, and removed the cap. Instantly, a peculiar and intoxicating fragrance wafted out from the bottle.
"It smells so good!"
Ye Shisan twitched his nose, his eyes shining, and said excitedly, "Wow, this is amazing! Just smelling this fragrance makes me feel much more relaxed!"
Cheng Xiaofan took out the withered-wood-spring-again pill from the bottle. As he handed it to Ye Shisan, he said, "This is a pill I specially refined for you this afternoon using snake saliva fruit and thousand-year-old ginseng. It will have a significant effect on treating your internal injury."
"While the fragrance of the medicine is still strong, swallow it as soon as possible to avoid affecting its efficacy!"
"Alright, I'll listen to you entirely, Mr. Cheng!" At this moment, Ye Shisan was like a very obedient child; he would not refuse anything Cheng Xiaofan asked him to do.
He took the withered-wood-spring-again pill, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it immediately.
At this point, Cheng Xiaofan lit the alcohol in all twelve bowls.
The flames surrounded Ye Shisan, and the temperature in the room suddenly rose.
The pill swallowed by Ye Shisan quickly melted within his body, transforming into a warm current that spread throughout him.
The medicinal power within his body seemed to sense the scorching flames outside, and the two rapidly merged.
At that very moment, Ye Shisan felt as if he were being engulfed in flames, enduring unbearable pain from the inside out. His skin felt as though it were being torn apart inch by inch.
"Ah—"
He couldn't help but let out a pained cry.
Cheng Xiaofan sat opposite Ye Shisan.
As Ye Shisan cried out in pain, the surge of energy that appeared on his body suddenly changed.
What was originally pure white energy transformed into a cloud of mist that was similar to blood-red.
This blood-red mist enveloped Ye Shisan entirely and surged like waves, one after another.
In that instant, Cheng Xiaofan's sharp gaze penetrated the blood-red mist.
Within the hazy mist, it was as if an illusion, he saw Ye Shisan completely naked, tied to a stone pillar in a cave.
Around Ye Shisan were several people dressed in black robes, holding knives. From time to time, they would slash at Ye Shisan, opening wounds on him.
Each of them also held a bottle and poured a white liquid onto Ye Shisan's wounds.
As soon as the liquid touched the wounds, a blood-red smoke billowed up with a hiss.
"Ah—"
Ye Shisan, unable to bear the pain, cried out like a wolf being dismembered.
"Hahaha, interesting!"
"Torturing this two-headed monster is so much fun!"
"I love hearing him scream, his two mouths make it so ceremonial!"
"Come on, cut him a few more times, let him scream to his heart's content!"
In the scene that unfolded before Cheng Xiaofan's eyes, Ye Shisan was tortured by the black-robed men, making him feel as if he died and came back to life repeatedly, unable to live and unable to die.
The white liquid from the bottles seeped into Ye Shisan's wounds and instantly turned black, entering his body.
This white liquid was a mixture of salt and a poisonous liquid.
Who could withstand such cruel torture under normal circumstances?
During the treatment of Ye Shisan, Cheng Xiaofan had him relive the experience of being tortured by the black-robed men seven years ago…