Chapter 60: Is It Considered High Strength?

  Xiao Nan Yue was very surprised by the arrival of Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin, especially the temperament on Zhao Yuqin's body, which didn't seem like an ordinary family's daughter at all. And in Zhou Hao's eyes, although Xiao Nan Yue was only over fifty years old, his deep wrinkles and hunched back made him look like he was sixty or seventy years old.

  "Are these two your friends?" Xiao Nan Yue asked Xiao Ji Ming.

  "Not just my friends." Xiao Jiming explained: "These two are Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin, Zhou Hao has a very deep connection with our family."

  Xiao Nanyue looked at Zhou Hao with a puzzled expression, "Origin? Young man, are you our distant relative?"

  Zhou Hao smiled and shook his head, "Before that, I encountered an earthquake in Autumn Ning Mountain and accidentally fell into a hole. Inside, I met a strange person who not only healed my injuries but also taught me martial arts and some medical skills. As for the name of this strange person, he called himself Dr. Gongsun."

  Xiao Nanyue immediately became agitated when he heard Zhou Hao mention the name "Gongsun Dafu", his two hands pressed on the armrests of the wheelchair, propping up his entire body, "You... you're talking about Gongsun Dafu? You're talking about Gongsun Dafu?"

  His two legs were unable to move, and he was afraid of falling down if he tried to prop himself up. Zhou Hao hurriedly supported him, "Uncle Xiao, you'd better sit down first, don't get excited, just calm down for now."

  Xiao Jiming also hurried over to help his father sit down, "Dad, the strange person Zhou Hao met should be your master, because Zhou Hao understands the authentic 'Five Animals Play'."

  Zhou Hao nodded, "I think so too. As for Gong Sun's legs being disabled, he usually uses a pair of crutches to walk, and sometimes attaches wooden sticks to his broken legs. Xiao Bo Bo, is your master the same?"

  "Yes, yes, that's right. My master is like that too." Xiao Nan Yue nodded repeatedly, "Is he in Autumn Ning Mountain? Then why didn't he tell me and come to see me? Has my master forgotten about a disciple like me?" His face was still very agitated, "More than ten years have passed, since Master left until now, more than ten years have passed, but not once did he come to visit me or tell me where he went."

  Xiao Nan Yue tightly grasped Zhou Hao's hand, "Little brother, is Master still okay?"

  Zhou Hao's expression turned gloomy, "If I'm not mistaken, Gong Sun has already left this world." He then told Xiao Nan Yue about Gong Sun's situation. After hearing the news, Xiao Nan Yue was stunned, as if struck by a thunderbolt on a clear day, and couldn't shake off the feeling for a long time. Tears of grief welled up in his eyes and flowed down his face.

  Xiao Nanyue was apprenticed to Gong Sun's medical school at the age of 15, which is already 40 years ago. According to Zhou Hao's speculation, Gong Sun has been in Guangdong for at least 60 years, because Longyan fruit only bears fruit once every 60 years, and Gong Sun also tried some on his own body when Longyan fruit last bore fruit, but later could not withstand the medicinal properties, resulting in disability of both legs.

  While Gong Sun Dafu may have seen Xiao Nan Yue's high medical talent at the time, he decided to take him as an apprentice and teach him medicine. At the same time, he only passed on the "Five Animal Play" moves to Xiao Nan Yue, but did not pass on the "Yang Qi Record". Under Gong Sun Dafu's guidance, Xiao Nan Yue learned about the efficacy and properties of various Chinese medicinal materials, and also mastered a highly skilled diagnostic technique. With Xiao Nan Yue's medical skills, he has surpassed many famous old Chinese doctors in the country. However, for decades, Xiao Nan Yue has been very low-key, guarding this family-transmitted "Ji Min Medicine Hall", quietly treating illnesses and diagnosing symptoms for the surrounding residents.

  Zhou Hao only told Xiao Nan Yue and the others about Gong Sun Da Fu passing on his martial arts to him, but didn't mention "Shen Nong Bai Cao" or "Qing Nang Jing". After all, people's hearts are hard to fathom, so Zhou Hao naturally wouldn't reveal all his trump cards.

  "Since you're Master's successor, that makes you my junior brother too." Xiao Nanyue said: "Jingming, come and meet your master's younger brother."

  Xiao Jiming came to Zhou Hao's front without hesitation and bowed respectfully, "Jiming has seen Master Shu."

  Zhou Hao waved his hands repeatedly, "This, this...... I didn't take Master Gongsun as my teacher."

  Xiao Nanyue said in a low voice, "Younger brother, you can't say that. Since your martial arts skills were taught by Master, even if there is no master-disciple relationship in name, there is still a master-disciple relationship in reality. Moreover, Master's personality is proud and arrogant, if he didn't think highly of you, he wouldn't have taught you his martial arts skills. You should treat him as your master, otherwise, it would be suspected of being disloyal to one's master."

  Zhou Hao fell silent upon hearing this, his feelings towards Gong Sun Da Fu were extremely complicated, roughly ranging from hatred to respect.

  "Alright." He sighed, "He indeed has the kindness of teaching me how to live, this master's name, he truly deserves. However..." He suddenly looked at Xiao Jiming, "You can call him 'Shifu' in private, but outside we'll still address each other as friends." Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuqin beside them couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, never expecting that this little troublemaker would suddenly become someone's Shifu.

  Xiao Jiming turned his head to look at Xiao Nanyue, and only after seeing Xiao Nanyue nod did he agree with Zhou Hao.

  Xiao Nanyue sighed and said, "Since Master has passed away, we disciples should set up a memorial tablet for him. Jingming, you come with me to Autumn Peace Mountain tomorrow to pay our respects to Master. Little brother, can you lead the way?"

  "Of course, I have the same intention." Zhou Hao said.

  Xiao Nanyue suddenly asked: "By the way, Jiming, how did you meet Little Shidi?"

  When Xiao Jiming told him what had happened, Xiao Nanyue snorted, "I've always said that woman is no good. And she says you're not worthy of her? It's she who isn't worthy of being a daughter-in-law of the Xiao family!"

  Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin exchanged a smile, Zhou Hao asked Xiao Nanyue: "Xiao Bo... Xiao Shixiong." Originally wanted to call him Xiao Bobo, but after being stared at by Xiao Nanyue, Zhou Hao immediately changed his words. "I think your leg doesn't seem to be congenitally disabled, and you don't practice qigong either. You shouldn't have gone mad like Master, what's going on?"

  When Zhou Hao mentioned this matter, Xiao Nan Yue and Xiao Ji Ming's faces simultaneously revealed a look of indignation. Xiao Ji Ming said angrily: "It was the Yang family who crippled my father!"

  "Yang's family?" Zhou Hao furrowed his brow.

  Xiao Nanyue let out a long sigh, "It was like this, two years ago one night when I was about to close up shop, a heavily injured person stumbled in and fell into our pharmacy. I saw that he had three broken ribs and his face was deep purple with black blood coming out of his mouth, clearly poisoned. So I immediately gave him first aid, but the injuries on his body were easy to deal with, the problem was the poison inside him. It took me a very long time to discover that it was a highly toxic poison that my master had once told me about, called 'Yan Wang Xiao', made from over ten different poisonous herbs, extremely potent, an ordinary person would die within half a minute. But that person's internal energy was strong, and he managed to temporarily suppress the poison inside his body."

  Listening to Xiao Nan Yue's words, Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin were both shocked. Then they heard Xiao Nan Yue continue: "This 'Yan Wang Smile' was a concoction of the imperial family in ancient times used to bestow death upon high-ranking officials and generals. In fact, it is the same as the 'Crane's Red Crown' we see on TV. Master had studied 'Yan Wang Smile' in his early years, so he also knew how to detoxify it. I followed the detoxification prescription that Master taught me to give to that person."

  "This man must have been poisoned by someone from the Yang family."

  Xiao Nanyue nodded, "That's right, I also learned from that person's mouth that the Yang family is a Guangxi family that has been passed down for hundreds of years, and their family's martial arts are very powerful. And that person was pursued and killed all the way here just because he offended someone from the Yang family."

  "These people from the Yang family are also too lawless." Zhao Yuqin frowned and said.

  "It's indeed the case, as the saying goes, a chivalrous person breaks the law with martial arts, let alone these people who aren't even chivalrous." Xiao Nanyue said: "On the second day after I detoxified that person, Yang's family came to find me. Without saying a word, they killed that person, and he was too weak to resist. Moreover, when they found out it was me who helped him with the detoxification, they immediately forced me to reveal the formula."

  Xiao Jiming clenched his fists and said, "In order to force my dad to tell them the formula, they killed my mom. My dad was afraid that if they got the formula, they would use 'Yan Wang Xiao' to harm people recklessly, so he refused to say anything. Later, they beat my dad until he became disabled."

  Zhou Hao and Zhao Yuqin took a deep breath in reverse, thinking that those Yang family people were too arrogant.

  "It's a good thing Ji Ming happened to be out of town at that time, so he was able to escape disaster." Xiao Nanyue said.

  "Didn't you call the police?" Zhao Yuqin asked.

  "It's already been reported, but the police can't do anything about it." Xiao Jiming said: "We only know they are from the Yang family, but in Guangxi Province, there are tens of thousands of people surnamed Yang, so later the police just treated it as a burglary and murder case, and until now, it's still unsolved."

  Zhou Hao squatted down and took a look at Xiao Nan Yue's leg, "Can't it be cured?"

  Xiao Nanyue smiled wryly and shook his head, "Go to the hospital for an X-ray, the doctor said it was spinal nerve necrosis leading to paralysis of both legs. Hehe, actually, my spine's meridian was severed. Unless I find someone with extremely high internal strength to help me heal with true energy, and also use the 'Bone-Continuing Powder' that Master taught me to take internally and apply externally, there is a chance for recovery."

  "But nowadays, anyone who knows a little bit of internal skills dares to call themselves a qigong master. It's not easy to find someone with extremely high internal skills." Xiao Jiming sighed: "Originally we wanted to ask Master Shi for help with my dad, but now that Master Shi has passed away, it's even more impossible for my dad to recover."

  "Inner strength is extremely high? Hehe……” Zhou Hao suddenly laughed, because Gong Sun Dafu had said before that he was changed in physique after eating the dragon's saliva fruit, so his qigong practice was thousands of times easier than ordinary people. When leaving the cave, his inner strength was already much stronger than Gong Sun Dafu, let alone he had been practicing "Nourishing Qi Record" for days.

  "Shao Shixiong, is this kind of internal strength considered strong?" Zhou Hao smiled and pressed his hand against the floor, using a bit of force, and his entire palm sank into it instantly. When he lifted it up again, a palm print about an inch deep was left on the cement floor!