"Dad!"
Yu Qingfei cried out mournfully and ran into the villa.
Chen Xiao followed closely behind, accompanying Yu Qingfei to the outside of a room.
At the bedroom door, many people stood, most dressed in black. Among them, two individuals were particularly eye-catching!
These two stood at the doorway, neither adorned in red nor green.
However, both were clad in ancient-style robes and wore their hair in topknots.
They looked like characters who had stepped out of a historical drama.
Yet, such attire in this setting seemed a tad ostentatious.
Chen Xiao had no recollection of these two; he had never seen them before.
One was old, the other young. The younger appeared to be around forty.
The elder's face was covered in age spots, and he was gaunt, looking at least eighty or older.
He wondered what relationship these two had with Qi Tianhu.
Seeing Yu Qingfei rush over, the old man quickly stepped aside, clearing the doorway.
He sighed, "My apologies, niece Qingfei. This old man did his best, but I couldn't save my brother Qi. You should go in quickly and see him one last time."
Yu Qingfei was already sobbing uncontrollably, unable to utter a word. She nodded at the old man and stumbled into the room.
Chen Xiao followed her in.
The room was empty except for Qi Tianhu's body lying peacefully on the bed.
Qi Tianhu had a difficult life. Orphaned in his youth, after marrying and having a child, his wife passed away the year after Yu Qingfei was born.
Thus, despite appearing influential and commanding respect in public, he was, in reality, a solitary figure apart from his daughter, Yu Qingfei.
"Dad..."
Yu Qingfei collapsed by the bedside, her cries rendering her speechless.
Qi Tianhu's face was pale, his lips tinged blue; he was thoroughly dead.
In such a state, even a celestial being might not be able to revive him.
"I'm sorry, Dad. I invited Master, but unfortunately, it was too late. If only I had been faster..."
Yu Qingfei clutched her hair in self-reproach.
Chen Xiao patted Yu Qingfei's back and whispered, "Qingfei, let me try again. Perhaps there's still hope."
Yu Qingfei's eyes flashed, "Really? Master, are you serious? Can my dad still be saved?"
"Let me try first. I'll do my utmost!"
Chen Xiao dared not guarantee he could bring Qi Tianhu back to life.
He had indeed experienced a few instances of reviving the dead, but those were cases where the deceased had only recently passed and were not entirely beyond saving.
Judging by Qi Tianhu's current condition, he had been dead for at least half an hour, his body completely devoid of life force.
If Chen Xiao had arrived twenty minutes earlier, he would have had a hundred percent certainty of reviving Qi Tianhu.
However, now, his confidence had dropped to less than thirty percent.
Chen Xiao placed his hands on Qi Tianhu's chest, slowly channeling spiritual energy into his body.
There was no other recourse. He could only use spiritual energy to activate Qi Tianhu's bodily vitality. Whether it would succeed depended on Qi Tianhu's own fortune.
Just then, a furious roar came from behind.
"Brat, what are you doing?"
Accompanying this roar, the middle-aged man in ancient attire strode over, his face contorted with anger.
The old man in ancient attire followed closely. Though he remained silent, his expression was grim.
Yu Qingfei quickly turned to the elder and explained, "Uncle Sun, this is Chen Xiao, whom I told you about. He's saving my father!"
"He's that divine doctor you mentioned? I didn't expect him to be so young!"
Elder Sun narrowed his eyes, filled with doubt.
Yu Qingfei nodded, "That's right, Uncle Sun. Don't let his youth fool you; his medical skills are truly remarkable. He cured my father when he was critically ill last time!"
"Nonsense!"
The middle-aged man in ancient attire directly cursed.
"Miss Qi, I advise you to open your eyes and be careful not to be deceived. Furthermore, your father's current poisoning is related to his previous forced overexertion!"
Although he didn't state it directly, his words clearly targeted Chen Xiao.
"Senior Brother Luo, I won't allow you to speak about Chen Xiao like that!"
Yu Qingfei would not tolerate anyone slandering her Master in her presence!
The middle-aged man addressed as Senior Brother Luo was named Luo Shu, Elder Sun's first disciple.
Luo Shu offered a wry smile, "Miss Qi, I am only speaking for your own good!"
Yu Qingfei was about to argue, but at that moment, Chen Xiao suddenly said, "Qingfei, you don't need to argue with him. Your father, he's alive!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingfei immediately looked towards the bed. Although Qi Tianhu had not yet woken up, there was a noticeable flush of color returning to his face.
Most importantly, he was breathing, and his heart was beating. Though faint, it was undeniably present!
Witnessing this, Luo Shu's face was filled with horror, "This... How is this possible!"
Chen Xiao let out a long sigh of relief. Although he had appeared calm moments ago, in reality, he had exerted himself to the fullest to activate Qi Tianhu's bodily vitality.
More than half of his spiritual energy was depleted, and his back was soaked with sweat.
But the outcome was ultimately positive; Qi Tianhu had finally regained a trace of life.
Yu Qingfei was overwhelmed with emotion, unable to adequately describe her feelings at that moment.
Luo Shu, however, wore a grim expression, as if he wasn't particularly pleased that Qi Tianhu had been revived.
He asked Elder Sun, "Master, what is going on?"
Elder Sun ignored him. After taking a few steps forward, he suddenly spoke, "Young man, you indeed possess some skill. If I'm not mistaken, you must be a cultivator of considerable power, aren't you?"
Chen Xiao did not deny it.
Elder Sun's eyes suddenly widened, and he roared, "But do you think you can do as you please just because you've mastered some peculiar techniques? Do you know what you are doing?"
Elder Sun's outburst left Yu Qingfei bewildered.
She then angrily questioned, "Uncle Sun, what is wrong with you? My father has clearly been saved by him. Why are you speaking to him like this?"
"Hmph! Saved?"
Elder Sun snorted coldly.
"Niece Qingfei, you are being foolish! This小子 (kid) merely used his internal energy to forcefully activate your father's bodily vitality, creating the illusion of his revival!"
"And his actions are ultimately futile. The poison within your father is still acting up. If this poison is not neutralized, your father will still die!"
"This means that everything he has done is merely to make your father experience the pain of death all over again!"
"How is this saving someone? This小子 (kid) is clearly desecrating a corpse! And showing off his own abilities!"
The old man spoke with such conviction, as if he had seen through everything.
Chen Xiao, far from being angered, even applauded Elder Sun.
"Well done, well done. It seems you have some skill, old man, and you are quite perceptive. I admit, your analysis is spot on!"
After a sarcastic remark, Chen Xiao's tone shifted abruptly.
"However, you've made one mistake. On what grounds do you assume I cannot neutralize the poison?"