The Invincible Supreme Medical God

Chapter 739 - 430: Dragon Scale Deer_2

"I need to return now to check if anything happened while I was away," Yan Xiaobao said warmly to the young lady. "I’ll return soon to discuss what your support means to me. I don’t expect you to support me without receiving anything in return, but I need to talk to the Ma family first."

Hearing this, Ke Ling nodded slightly without saying anything. She gazed at the young man, who turned around before leaving the Blacksmith Shop, not sparing another glance back.

As the young man’s figure disappeared, the woman let out a sigh amid the whirlwind of emotions within her chest. On one hand, she was relieved that he had left since his presence made it impossible for her to control her feelings, but even if she was glad he had gone, the sight of him leaving her had a painful tug at her heart—no matter how contradictory it felt.

Fang Wei noticed the complicated emotions on Ke Ling’s face and simply smiled softly before silently exiting the shop and diving into his work in the Blacksmith Shop. With deliberate effort, he breathed life into his creations—a process that required considerable time and focus. He knew that whenever Ke Ling found herself distracted by her thoughts and emotions, her way of avoiding them was to throw herself completely into forging.

While Ke Ling and Fang Wei fully immersed themselves in their tasks, Hui Yue happily returned to his estate to find out whether he’d missed anything after being away for several days.

He felt these past few days had been immensely productive for him. He had managed to restore his sword to better-than-original condition. He had successfully faced off against the arrogant young master Jing and his henchmen. Not only that, but he had also secured the alliance of the town’s finest spiritual blacksmith. No one could argue that these were unproductive days.

When Yan Xiaobao entered, the guards greeted him courteously with bows but chose not to speak. Slowly, he walked into the house, which now stood eerily quiet. The only soul in sight was a maid descending the staircase with her arms full of laundry.

Yan Xiaobao sighed, wondering where everyone was, but he concluded that they were likely cultivating in their rooms, handling their personal issues, or perhaps busy elsewhere.

The first thing Yan Xiaobao did was rush to Cai Jie’s room. Though he doubted the young man would be home, he still wanted confirmation. Upon reaching the room, his suspicions proved true.

Seeing this, Yan Xiaobao could only shrug and then proceed to Xu Biao’s room, where he found the older man inside. As soon as Xu Biao saw Yan Xiaobao, a soft smile appeared on his lips, and he immediately ceased his cultivation. Xu Biao deeply appreciated how Yan Xiaobao had once again infused his life with a sense of purpose, granting him a goal that enabled him to reunite with his loved ones. Because of this, he had sworn to assist Yan Xiaobao whenever his help might be needed.

"Do you need help?" Xu Biao asked the moment he saw Yan Xiaobao. Although he had spent all his time cultivating, he understood that his newfound hope had been sparked by Yan Xiaobao, making him willing to do anything for his friend—even if it meant venturing into Hell and back.

"I’m looking for someone who can inform me about what happened over the past few days while I was gone," Yan Xiaobao sighed at the question, but Xu Biao could only shake his head after hearing his request.

"I’ve been confined to my room for a week. I’m afraid my understanding of the situation is even less than yours."

"It’s alright, don’t worry," Yan Xiaobao waved dismissively at Xu Biao. "But be cautious," he continued to advise, "you need to ensure you can perfectly balance your Yin Yang Energy. If you have too much Yang Energy, you won’t be able to ascend to the next level. Ultimately, it will halt your cultivation progress and force you to remain at your current level."

This was the reason Yueyue had refrained from spending all his time on training. If he did, his energies would fall out of balance, making advancement even harder. He absolutely refused such an outcome, so during the day, his body naturally absorbed and refined Yang Energy—albeit at a slower rate than when actively cultivating—and at night, he wholly focused on absorbing as much Yin Energy as possible. Although he was already a prodigy who had reached King-level, Yan Xiaobao wasn’t satisfied. Having faced creatures like Wan Qiao and the Frozen General, he understood just how frail he still was and knew how much training he needed. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a light creak as the door slowly opened. It revealed a stunningly beautiful Snake Woman. Her body, as alluring as always, and her bright, captivating eyes immediately caught his attention. Even someone like Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but swallow in surprise upon seeing her.

His moment of dazed surprise didn’t last long before his face broke into a broad smile. "Sha Yun!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you. Are you alright? Have you made new friends? Was it because of me?" Faced with the barrage of questions, the Snake Woman seemed almost overwhelmed, not knowing which to address first. But as she gazed at the young man in front of her and saw his ecstatic expression, a warmth emanated from her being, and her lips curved into a gentle smile.

"Come in," she offered as she stepped to the side. Yan Xiaobao quickly slipped past her into the room, curious about all his friend had been up to in recent weeks. After Sha Yun entered her room, Yan Xiaobao seated himself on a chair, intently observing the woman before him. She looked exactly as he remembered, her silver eyes shining with the same pride as always.

Yan Xiaobao smiled at the woman, waiting for her to sit beside him, but instead, she placed herself on the bed, far from him, causing a light crease to form on his handsome face.

"I’ve been worried about you lately," Yan Xiaobao repeated softly. "I know you’re fully capable of taking care of yourself, and I’m not worried that you’ll do something wrong. It’s just so strange not having you near me," he said, his apologetic smile directed at her. "Is it my emotions that bother you? You should know, although I don’t romantically love you, I still consider you one of my closest friends. I really don’t want to hurt you, but at the same time, I understand that being near me might hurt you."

As Yan Xiaobao gazed at the Snake Woman, he paused briefly. She remained silent, though a faint sadness shimmered in her deep eyes. "I don’t know what you expect from me," he sighed, "I don’t know if you want me to stay away from you for a while, or if you want me to come look for you. I need you to tell me what you need from me," he continued. "As long as it’s in my power to help you, I’ll do whatever you ask. I don’t want to break our connection or cause you pain. I only want to see you happy," he said with another sigh.

Seeing the complex emotions on Yan Xiaobao’s face, Sha Yun’s gaze softened further, and a warm smile spread across her face. "I need some time for myself," she murmured. "My feelings are so overwhelming, they’ll never change, but I need to accept reality. I’ve happened upon a group of mixed-blood cultivators that I fit in with completely. We cultivate together, and sometimes, like mercenaries, we hunt magical creatures. It’s thrilling," she said softly. "When I’m with them, I can enjoy myself in a way I haven’t in a long time. They’re good friends, but you’ll always be the person I care about most," she said, her gentle eyes locking onto the icy blue hues gazing at her from across the room.

"I’m glad to hear you’re doing well. But you must know I’ll always be here for you," he replied. "If you feel you need a hug or simply someone to talk to, then I’m here for you. Even if I can’t give you exactly what you want, I can still offer you an eternal friendship," Yan Xiaobao said with a tender smile as he looked at Sha Yun, glimpsing the rich emotions in her heart, and he could only let out a soft sigh.

"I know," she whispered as she nodded. "I know you’ll always be here for me, and one day, I’ll find peace with that. But right now, I still need to focus on other things and try to center myself. Tonight, I’ll be going out with my group of friends, and we’ll return in about a week. Don’t worry about me; I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong," she said with an excited smile. It was clear she was making every effort to distract herself, and somehow, it seemed to be working.

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