This was not Cheng Xiaofan deliberately salting the old wounds of Ye Shisan, but a special procedure that had to be followed when treating him.
As he saw the series of images, Cheng Xiaofan was filled with boundless rage.
What kind of people were these figures clad in black robes? Why did they use such incredibly wicked methods to cruelly torture Ye Shisan?
Was it merely out of perversion?
No matter how Cheng Xiaofan looked at it, it didn't seem so.
The flames in the twelve bowls burned ever brighter.
Ye Shisan's two faces, contorted in agony, appeared particularly ferocious in the flickering firelight.
"Ah—"
He let out terrifying screams again and again.
Fortunately, a gust of wind picked up outside, and the roaring of the pines masked Ye Shisan's cries.
If his screams had reached the village, people would have truly suspected that Cheng Xiaofan had gone mad, torturing someone in the middle of the night.
Hearing such sounds would indeed send shivers down one's spine.
Before long, layers of grime, emitting a foul odor, seeped out from Ye Shisan's body.
This was the toxin that had invaded his body seven years ago.
As these toxins were expelled, Ye Shisan's cries gradually weakened.
Looking at his expression, he was no longer in so much pain.
*Poof!*
The alcohol in the twelve bowls had been completely burned, and the flames were suddenly extinguished.
Ye Shisan slumped to the ground, his breathing faint and shallow, appearing on the verge of death.
Cheng Xiaofan retrieved a bottle of energy water from his spatial storage and offered it to him, saying with a smile, "Old Ye, drink this bottle of energy water, and everything will be fine!"
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng!"
Ye Shisan took the energy water from Cheng Xiaofan's hand, put it to his lips, and drank it down in gulps.
After finishing the bottle of energy water, a healthy flush returned to his two faces.
It was at this moment that he noticed the layer of grime that had congealed on his body, and the air in the room had become unbearably foul.
"Heavens, how could this be?" Ye Shisan exclaimed, jumping up from the ground in shock.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled slightly and said, "Old Ye, your internal injuries have now been completely healed by me. This layer of grime you've expelled is precisely the toxins within your body."
"Come, I'll take you downstream to the pond to wash up and change into some clean clothes!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Shisan was overjoyed and said, "Mr. Cheng, thank you so much... I truly don't know how to express my gratitude!"
"Alright, enough with the pleasantries!" Cheng Xiaofan was somewhat speechless; Ye Shisan had already expressed his thanks to him countless times.
He led Ye Shisan downstairs and to a small stream downstream from the pond, saying, "You can wash up properly here."
Cheng Xiaofan dared not let him wash in the pond, fearing that the grime on his body would poison his lobsters and deep-sea fish.
Fortunately, Ye Shisan had brought a backpack with him, containing a change of clothes.
Given his height, Cheng Xiaofan genuinely couldn't find any clothes to fit him.
While Ye Shisan was washing, Cheng Xiaofan returned to the attic, opened all the windows, and let the foul odor in the room dissipate.
Ye Shisan's body had been emptied through this purgatorial treatment.
Cheng Xiaofan placed a clay pot on a small stove, added washed glutinous rice to the pot, then some lean meat, and poured in more than half a pot of energy water. He closed the lid and let it simmer slowly.
When the aroma filled the room, he lifted the lid, added a small amount of salt and chopped scallions, and stirred gently.
The lean meat congee, simmered with energy water, was not only incredibly fragrant but also exceptionally nutritious.
As soon as Cheng Xiaofan finished preparing it, Ye Shisan returned from his bath.
"Ah, it smells so good! Mr. Cheng, what delicious food have you made?" Upon entering the room, Ye Shisan sniffed the air and exclaimed in surprise.
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "This is lean meat congee I've specially made for you!"
He took a large bowl, scooped a full bowl of congee from the pot, and placed it on the table, saying, "Old Ye, eat slowly, don't burn yourself!"
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng!"
Ye Shisan sat down at the table, lifted the bowl, and after taking a sip, quickly said, "This lean meat congee is incredibly delicious. I've never tasted such exquisite lean meat congee in my entire life!"
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "As long as you like it, you'll be able to eat it often in the future!"
"Thank you, Mr. Cheng!" Ye Shisan, moved by the gesture, seemed unable to say anything else besides this.
Cheng Xiaofan knew he was a simple and honest person, not very articulate, and was accustomed to it.
"Old Ye, can you tell me why, seven years ago one night, you were bound in a cave by a group of people in black robes and subjected to their most brutal torture?" Cheng Xiaofan asked him after he had finished the bowl of lean meat congee.
Ye Shisan was stunned and asked, "Ah, Mr. Cheng, how did you know about this?"
"..." Cheng Xiaofan was momentarily speechless.
How could he explain this to Ye Shisan?
He could say that he could discern internal injuries from someone's qi.
In ancient medical practices passed down, there was the concept of "wang qi" (observing qi), which could be used as a plausible reason.
But if he claimed that from "wang qi," he could see scenes of someone being tortured seven years ago, would anyone believe him?
"Believe it or not!"
Cheng Xiaofan paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "When I was treating your internal injuries earlier, from the qi fluctuations emanating from your body, I saw the abuse you suffered seven years ago!"
Ye Shisan was utterly astonished!
What kind of person had he encountered? Not only could he discern specific illnesses from someone's qi, but he could also discover such things?
This was simply a legendary divine being!
A true divine being!
"Mr. Cheng, you are truly remarkable!"
Ye Shisan said with admiration, his two faces then turned somber, his voice tinged with hoarseness, "Everything that happened seven years ago is a nightmare of my life, and it has left an indelible shadow on my heart!"
"I only know that those people in black robes called themselves the 'Hidden World Black Ones,' but I have no idea why they captured me or treated me that way."
"..." This truly left Cheng Xiaofan speechless.
Being tied up in a cave and subjected to such inhumane torture, yet not knowing why? Wasn't that too muddled?
'Hidden World Black Ones,' what in the world was that?
Did it have any relation to the 'Hidden World Aristocratic Families'?
Cheng Xiaofan pressed on, "Old Ye, how did you escape afterward?"
Ye Shisan recalled, "At the time, they tortured me within an inch of my life, repeatedly. Later, I fainted... When I woke up, I found myself abandoned in a wild ravine."
"After escaping from the ravine, I haven't seen any of those figures in black robes again until today!"
Cheng Xiaofan's brow furrowed, dimly sensing that Ye Shisan's release was actually a plot by the Hidden World Black Ones.