As the pill entered his mouth, Qi Songlin, who had been burning hot as if immersed in lava, immediately felt a wave of comfort, like drinking a large gulp of ice water.
However, the heat in his dantian continued to surge, and it seemed the coolness brought by the pill was about to be swallowed.
This feeling was like trying to extinguish a fire with water.
When the water is abundant, it can indeed put out the fire.
But if the water is scarce or insufficient, it might not only fail to extinguish the fire but also make it burn even more fiercely.
At this moment, Qi Songlin felt as if he was about to lose consciousness.
If his body had always been burning hot, he might have just felt uncomfortable.
But the sudden arrival of that touch of coolness, which had provided a brief respite, only made it worse.
After the coolness was about to be consumed by the internal heat, Qi Songlin felt a discomfort far worse than death.
Just then, a surge of vital energy flowed into Qi Songlin's body.
"Old man, hold onto your mind, don't give up on cultivating."
Du Fei's voice, along with the influx of vital energy, reached Qi Songlin, who was on the verge of losing consciousness.
Qi Yuntian and Qi Lianshan, standing beside them, were already trembling with fear, their fists clenched so tightly that their knuckles turned white.
At first, when they saw Du Fei applying needles to Qi Songlin after he began cultivating, they thought it was quite effortless.
However, as the heat surged within Qi Songlin's dantian, his entire body turned red, which immediately terrified Qi Lianshan and his son.
Qi Lianshan instinctively wanted to step forward, but fortunately, Qi Yuntian reacted quickly and pulled his father back.
Then, Qi Yuntian shook his head at his father, and Qi Lianshan took a deep breath, suppressing the worry in his heart.
He looked at his son with a hint of admiration.
He never expected that at his age, he would be less composed than his son in a crisis.
If Qi Yuntian hadn't held him back just now, Qi Lianshan might have caused trouble for Du Fei, who was in the middle of treating the patient.
However, Du Fei was completely unaware of the actions of Qi Lianshan and his son.
Because at this moment, Du Fei's entire focus was on helping Qi Songlin combat the heat within his body.
The extremely pure and yang vital energy in Qi Songlin's body, after all these years, had not only weakened but had actually used his body as nourishment, growing even stronger.
The pill Du Fei gave Qi Songlin was a special medicine refined from Yin Ning Grass.
Du Fei was now channeling all his vital energy into Qi Songlin's body, helping the pill circulate within him along his cultivation path.
Qi Songlin's vital energy was like a traveler trekking through a desert under the scorching sun, moving forward step by arduous step.
After an unknown amount of time, Qi Songlin's sweat dried and reappeared countless times, now carrying a foul odor.
And his vital energy, with Du Fei's help, was only a tiny bit away from entering his dantian.
Almost there, just a sliver away.
But that final stretch felt like an impassable chasm.
Qi Songlin was suddenly filled with despair.
He knew Du Fei had done his best, but seeing that success was so close, yet that final step was impossible to cross, the despair in Qi Songlin's heart was something no one could comprehend.
"Open your mouth."
Du Fei's voice sounded again.
This time, as Qi Songlin opened his mouth, he immediately felt three pills being placed inside.
The three pills transformed into a wave of cold, bringing Qi Songlin, who was being roasted in lava, immense relief.
At this moment, Qi Songlin couldn't help but want to shout out loud to express the comfort he felt.
The coolness that was about to be overwhelmed was now bolstered by the three pills that had just entered his mouth, along with the continuous flow of Wan Xiang Jue vital energy from Du Fei.
Boom.
Qi Songlin felt a violent tremor in his dantian, almost causing him to lose all his cultivation and die.
But in the end, he held on.
In the following period, with Du Fei's assistance, Qi Songlin finally managed to complete a full cycle of his cultivation technique.
"Old Master Qi, you can't stop now, continue."
So, Qi Songlin began to circulate the vital energy in his body again.
The second time, the circulation of the technique was still somewhat hindered, but it was much better than the first time.
It was still very difficult to retract it into the dantian at the end, requiring Du Fei's help.
The third time, the fourth time...
The circulation of the technique became smoother with each attempt.
Eventually, he could complete it smoothly without any assistance from Du Fei.
Half an hour later, Qi Songlin opened his eyes.
"Dad!"
"Grandfather!"
Qi Lianshan and Qi Yuntian, who had been waiting anxiously, rushed to Qi Songlin's side immediately.
However, Qi Songlin did not look at them.
"Du Fei, I am greatly indebted to you for your help this time. From now on, if you ever need anything, our Qi family will spare no effort!"
Qi Songlin said to Du Fei with a serious expression.
Just moments ago, after opening his eyes, Qi Songlin discovered that after his recovery, he had received an unexpected bonus.
He could vaguely feel that the vital energy in his dantian had increased.
This was significant because since Qi Songlin turned sixty, his vital energy had not grown at all.
This was partly due to his advanced age, making growth extremely difficult.
Secondly, the numerous affairs of the Qi family required his attention, consuming a great deal of his energy and time.
But there was no help for it; gain comes with loss, and one must make choices, as it's impossible to excel at everything.
Between cultivation and family, Qi Songlin had chosen the latter.
However, this near-death experience had stimulated Qi Songlin, leading to an increase in his vital energy, a true case of being reborn from the brink of death.
It was because of this that Qi Songlin felt immense gratitude towards Du Fei.
At this moment, Du Fei was drenched in sweat, his face pale and weak.
During the treatment of Qi Songlin, he had almost exhausted all his vital energy, and now his spirit and energy were greatly depleted.
With his remaining strength, he managed a faint smile, "Old Master Qi, you are too kind. I came to treat you mainly for the medicinal ingredients your son possesses."
Perhaps for anyone else, receiving such a promise from the patriarch of a martial arts family, especially one that held its ground in the capital, would have led to ecstatic joy and immediate acceptance.
But Du Fei not only refused but also stated his reasons very directly.
Qi Lianshan and his son both frowned slightly, looking at Du Fei, feeling he shouldn't have spoken that way.
"Hahaha, good, I like your straightforward personality, Du Fei. I, Qi Songlin, have never gone back on my word. Regardless of what you think, I owe you my life today. If you ever need anything from the Qi family, just say the word."
With his ailment cured and his vital energy increased, Qi Songlin's cultivation could also advance further, so he was in a very good mood.
When someone has gone this far, Du Fei naturally wouldn't refuse again, as that would be ungrateful.
He smiled and nodded.