Hearing this, everyone looked at Elder Guo with surprise.
Elder Guo's temper was notoriously bad and stubborn; even Cang Juezi, the sect master of Shennong Sect, couldn't command him.
Sometimes, even when Elder Guo was clearly in the wrong and knew it, he would remain incredibly defiant and never apologize.
As a result, the people of Shennong Sect disliked interacting with him, and he lived alone in seclusion.
Yet, such a person had, uncharacteristically, announced his surrender in advance!
Just the day before, he had adamantly believed that Ying Chen could absolutely not cure Nannan. But now, his attitude had suddenly changed.
What was going on?
Did Elder Guo believe that Ying Chen was now 100% certain to cure Nannan?
Min Ziqiong's face instantly lit up with joy, and she looked at Elder Guo with full of anticipation: "Elder Guo, what do you mean by this..."
Elder Guo sighed and explained, "The reason I didn't agree with Immortal Master Ying before wasn't because his method was unworkable, but because I thought it was impossible for Nannan to cultivate to the point of moving her qi and blood to expel foreign objects in such a short time."
"Now, Nannan has proven with her astonishing talent that she can. So, what else do I have to be stubborn about?"
"Golden Embryo Yang Shen – these four words are enough to declare the end of the competition in advance!"
"And it also means I am eliminated!"
Hoo!
Hearing Elder Guo's words, Min Ziqiong let out a long sigh of relief.
The worry that had been on her mind for two days could finally be put to rest!
Even the stubborn Elder Guo believed Nannan was a sure bet this time.
What else could she possibly worry about?
"That's great! Elder Guo's surrender is a small matter; Nannan's recovery is the big one!"
"When Nannan recovers, I'll throw a grand banquet! And I'll bring out a box of my treasured Maotai ancient liquor! That's true aged wine! It's been aged for at least thirty to forty years!"
Min Ziqing said happily as well.
Upon hearing this, Elder Guo's face instantly darkened: "Didn't you tell me you were out of wine long ago? That the box I drank was the last of its kind? Fine, you dared to lie to me, I'll break your dog legs!"
Min Ziqing trembled in fear and quickly hid behind Ying Chen: "Elder Guo, listen to me fabricate... no, listen to my explanation! I was originally planning to keep that box of wine for your sixty-sixth birthday as a surprise gift!"
"There's a saying in our region: 'Once past sixty-six, the King of Hell wants flesh.' It means sixty-six is a hurdle, and one must offer the best tribute to appease the King of Hell to safely pass this hurdle. I intended to keep that box of Maotai for then, to appease the King of Hell and help you overcome this obstacle."
Hearing Min Ziqing's words, Elder Guo's dark face finally cleared.
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience, brat."
Little did they know, Min Ziqing was completely making it up as he went, fabricating the story.
The rhetoric he used was evolved from his techniques for charming girls.
For example, when a girl discovered he had bought more than one gift on Valentine's Day, but the second gift wasn't for her.
He would feign regret and say: "The second gift was a surprise, I didn't expect you to discover it so soon."
This way, the girl would instantly turn from anger to joy and reward him with a kiss.
If Min Ziqing could easily handle the most difficult girls, let alone an old man like Elder Guo, who lived in seclusion and had zero emotional intelligence.
"Nannan!"
Ying Chen ignored the bickering between Min Ziqing and Elder Guo and looked at Nannan.
Nannan obediently opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering, as if asking, "What is it?"
"From now on, you will follow my instructions. You cannot make a mistake at any step. Although I can make timely corrections if you do and guarantee your life, your muteness might become difficult to cure."
"Do you understand?"
Nannan nodded, signaling that she understood.
"Very good." Ying Chen gently patted Nannan's head. "Don't put too much psychological pressure on yourself. With me here, everything will be fine."
Hearing Ying Chen's words, the three of them instantly quieted down, all looking at Nannan and Ying Chen with nervousness.
Even they could not hide their anxiety at this moment.
They felt pained for a child who was actually not yet five years old, only five by traditional reckoning, to bear such pressure.
However, Nannan seemed to be doing better than they expected.
Nannan quickly got into character, following Ying Chen's instructions to visualize and circulate her qi and blood.
"Gather qi at the dantian, circulate it upwards."
"Qi drives blood, like a river flowing, moving against the current."
Soon, Nannan's small face turned red.
This was because, under Ying Chen's command, her qi and blood were being transported to her head.
For anyone else, gathering qi and blood to the head impulsively would be like being upside down, causing blood congestion in the brain and risking death.
But Nannan, with her Golden Embryo Yang Shen, had no such worries.
In critical moments, the Golden Embryo Yang Shen would automatically release energy, eliminating the risk.
"Now comes the most important step."
"Slowly guide the qi and blood to the area where the foreign object is located in the brain."
"Do you still remember the method of internal observation I taught you? Visualize quietly, feel carefully, and outline the image of the area where the foreign object is. Like a stream, transport the qi and blood little by little to that location."
Ying Chen patiently guided Nannan, step by step.
This process was difficult for even Ying Chen to interfere with.
Because the method of internal observation, while outwardly called "internal observation," was actually just a virtual image constructed through imagination.
It was like a blind person touching an object and then imagining its appearance in their mind based on its shape and characteristics.
The method of internal observation was similar.
If Nannan's imagination was insufficient, or if her "touch" of the foreign object was not precise enough, it could lead to a loss of the image.
This could cause errors when transporting the qi and blood to expel the foreign object.
However, while everyone else was anxiously worried for Nannan,
Nannan herself was extremely relaxed and soon nodded gently.
She indicated that she had achieved "internal observation" and could see the scene and image of the foreign object's location!
"Very good." Ying Chen praised.
Success in this step meant that ninety percent of the entire transportation process was successful!
Next, they only needed to mobilize the qi and blood to envelop the foreign object and transport it out of the brain along the blood vessels!
If that foreign object was indeed a fragment of the Azure Moon, Ying Chen could summon it directly from Nannan's body.
This might cause some tearing of Nannan's body, but it would be insignificant and completely self-healing.
It was only because the fragment had been hiding in Nannan's brain, and any slight movement would damage brain tissue and nerves, that Ying Chen had hesitated to act.
"Next, I will activate your Golden Embryo Yang Shen. You will then gain stronger qi and blood power, and your blood vessels will temporarily expand. At that time, use your qi and blood to envelop the foreign object and transport it out of the brain along the blood vessels!"
Ying Chen said solemnly.
Then, he pointed a finger at Nannan's chest!