Chapter 456: Chapter 457: The Withering Stone Flower!
If Shangguan Yunlian had nothing to do, she, as his servant,
would not possibly have gone out to see him personally and invited him into the room!
If there were no issues, why would Zhou Ruxian, given her status, send someone to invite him aboard the ship?
One must know there was no connection between the two of them.
They hadn’t even met before, so there was no reason she would recognize him or see who he was to invite him onboard!
Much less when Yang Yan entered the room and saw Zhou Ruxian.
He immediately noticed that although Zhou Ruxian’s aura was calm, it was much weaker than the average person,
*a kind of beauty frail yet appealing, marked with a hint of illness.*
Upon hearing Yang Yan’s words, Zhou Ruxian couldn’t help but glance at Shangguan Yunlian.
“Young Master Yang indeed has eyes as sharp as Sister Yun Lian said, with vast Divine Skills,
just upon our first encounter, he could see that I had a matter to discuss.” She spoke softly.
Yang Yan picked up the teacup and took a sip.
He sat there, able to see the outside scene through a mirror embedded in the wall of the platform.
From the outside, they couldn’t see in.
This point was proven when Yang Yan walked under the ship and hadn’t noticed this mirror-like object, proving this fact.
After all, if even the mirror couldn’t be seen, how could one see the scene inside?
He looked out the window, seeing figures standing on the water of the Inner Sea in the distance,
and it wasn’t just one person!
Once Zhou Ruxian finished speaking, silence filled the room.
For a while, Yang Yan did not respond to her, leading her to believe that Yang Yan didn’t hear.
“Young Master Yang?” Zhou Ruxian called softly.
Yang Yan’s gaze remained still, not responding to Zhou Ruxian.
This forced Zhou Ruxian to look up, signaling to Shangguan Yunlian, wanting to know the reason.
“The master is ignoring you, probably because he wants you to get straight to the point!” Shangguan Yunlian thoughtfully reminded.
Zhou Ruxian suddenly understood, it was her first time seeing a man who, upon seeing her and conversing with her, was so precious with words.
Meanwhile, she praised him, yet he showed no reaction!
*This was a state of mind, so steady!*
“The master is different from ordinary people!” Shangguan Yunlian continued.
She knew of Yang Yan’s prowess, as well as his status!
Against him, anyone would pale in comparison.
If Zhou Ruxian weren’t her friend, she wouldn’t talk about Yang Yan with Zhou Ruxian.
Nor would she wait on the ship, inviting Yang Yan aboard.
“Yes, I realized that.” Zhou Ruxian calmed her mood before speaking.
“Young Master Yang, did you notice my issue?”
Yang Yan set down the teacup.
“Are you sick?” he said, tilting his head slightly.
Zhou Ruxian’s face flushed bright red!
If she hadn’t remembered her own condition, she would have thought Yang Yan was scolding her!
“I… I am sick!” she replied.
Inwardly she thought, *How peculiar Yun Lian Sister’s friend is!*
“Young Master Yang, it is impressive that you can tell!”
Although she thought this, her words spoke a different tone.
Yang Yan raised an eyebrow.
“I saw as soon as I entered, else why would I say you had something you needed from me?”
He noticed Zhou Ruxian about to speak, already guessing what she might say.
“Alright, stop trying to butter me up.
Let’s get to the point, what exactly is your ailment?
Let me remind you, no matter how much you flatter me, I won’t treat you for free!”
Zhou Ruxian pressed her lips; even before she spoke, he had guessed her intentions.
Moreover, he was already asking for compensation!
“Am I the kind of person who sees a doctor for free?
Asking for money so early!” she thought.
But these thoughts, she could only keep to herself, never to reveal explicitly.
“Well, can you tell what my ailment is, or find any anomalies?” she considered and asked.
Yang Yan’s eyes stirred.
“Are you testing me? Insisting I must see with my own eyes?
Fine!
Remember, this observation will cost you extra!”
Using the True Profound Immortal Pupil consumed his Chaotic Qi Flow from his eyes.
He would never waste it for free on someone he did not know!
Extra cost…
“As long as you can diagnose my problem, I assure you, I’ll pay extra, not scrimping on the price!” Zhou Ruxian agreed.
“Good, it’s a deal.”
Yang Yan directly observed through Zhou Ruxian’s physique, seeing into her body.
From top to bottom, he observed, finally focusing on her head.
“Do you often have headaches?”
He saw in Zhou Ruxian’s head, a stone flower growing.
The stone flower with lines of cracks, nearing collapse.
Zhou Ruxian nodded emphatically.
“Yes!”
“Inside your head is a stone flower, which connects to your Eight Extraordinary Meridians, linking to your soul!
It’s currently withering!
If it fully withers, you will surely die!” Yang Yan said solemnly.
“Yes, many doctors have seen it.
Even the doctors from Medicine Immortal Valley have checked, but they, too, do not know how to save me!
Young Master Yang, do you know how to save me?” Zhou Ruxian eagerly inquired upon seeing Yang Yan’s insight.
“Can it be removed?”
She added another question.
“No, removing it would also result in your death.
This stone flower is your Root Bone, connecting your soul.
Without this stone flower, you would not be able to cultivate.” Yang Yan stated.
“Can you accept this?”
Zhou Ruxian shook her head.
“No, I still need this Root Bone to help me earn money!
Earn enough to buy my own freedom.
Young Master Yang, please find a way to save me!” she pleaded.
“Being so famous, admired by many, is there no one willing to buy your freedom?
After redeeming yourself, if you don’t frequently use your Root Bone, you can live for a century without issue; it’s not so easy to die!”
“There are people who wish to buy my freedom, but upon hearing the price set by Dongfang Pavilion, they withdrew.
That price is a thousand jin of Divine Origin!
Even the Central Continent’s Heir is unwilling and unable to pay so much!” Zhou Ruxian lowered her eyebrows and said.
“And when I perform to earn money, I have to use my Root Bone.
Without it, I wouldn’t be as famous, nor could I earn money to buy my own freedom.
But once I use it, my life will slowly fade away.”
At this point, she suddenly remembered.
“Right, this illness is unknown to me.
But there was a master from Dongfang Pavilion who used Yi Dao to calculate for me and told me, if a strong figure could pluck stars and fetch the moon for me outside the heavens!
I might then survive!
I’ve traveled many places, yet never encountered anyone.”
Zhou Ruxian’s melancholy gaze, like a sickly beauty, invoking compassion.
If Yang Yan’s heart realm wasn’t as firm as a rock, he might have been swayed.
“*Is this why so many admire her?*” Yang Yan pondered.
Besides her mesmerizing performance, Zhou Ruxian was indeed beautiful.
He retracted the True Profound Immortal Pupil, returning to calmness.
“Master, is there a way to save her?” Shangguan Yunlian asked.
She did not want her friend to perish.
Especially not before turning twenty.
“Let me think about it!” Yang Yan said.
Knock knock knock!
A knock sounded from outside.
“Ruxian, I’ve heard that a man entered your room?” A raspy woman’s voice came.
This voice was very much like a duck’s quack!
“It’s Nanny Chen!” Zhou Ruxian said, then replied, “Nanny Chen, it’s a doctor that my friend invited for me.”
“A doctor? A man?
Ruxian, open the door, let me inside to have a look!”
“Hmm… okay.” Zhou Ruxian hesitated for a moment, then agreed.
She walked over and opened the door.
Nanny Chen, a flamboyantly dressed woman, burst in with several others once the door opened.
Upon entering, they immediately saw Yang Yan.
“Are you the doctor here to treat Ruxian?”