Of course, the visitors became restless. This was the first time they had seen the owner of the shop, a man as big as an elephant, being thrown like that,especially by a hunched old man.

  Fear began to spread, creeping into the hearts of those who witnessed the scene. They started whispering among themselves. Who was this hunchbacked elder? A powerful outlaw who had just come down from the mountains? Or simply a madman looking for trouble?

  That fear was quickly dispelled by Yang Feng’s hearty laughter. “Still picking fights, I see. You do remember your age, don’t you?”

  Mystic Devil shot an angry glare at the shop owner but quickly brightened up when he saw who was standing at the entrance. “Oh, it’s you. Where have you been?” As if forgetting the previous commotion, he stepped over the fallen shop owner and patted Yang Feng on the shoulder. His face suddenly wrinkled in concern. “You’re not well.”

  Yang Feng bowed slightly. “I’ve been wandering, as usual.”

  “Wandering?” Mystic Devil raised an eyebrow. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re supposed to stay home and ‘watch over it,’ aren’t you?”

  “It’s a long story,” Yang Feng said, shaking his head.

  “And who’s this?” Mystic Devil turned his gaze to Long Wei.

  The young man bowed respectfully, just as Yang Feng had. “I am Long Wei.”

  “Who is Long Wei?” Mystic Devil’s eyes narrowed, one looking off to the side while the other focused sharply on him. “Who?”

  For some reason, Long Wei suddenly felt nervous. This man’s presence was overwhelming, his sheer aura enough to make one shrink under his gaze. A cold sweat broke out on the back of Long Wei’s neck, and his entire body stiffened.

  “He will inherit all my techniques,” Yang Feng’s voice broke the tension. “More importantly, you should tend to that young girl over there.” The old man gestured toward the back of the shop.

  “Ah, right.” As if just remembering, Mystic Devil turned to find the girl trembling behind a curtain. “Let her rest for a full week and have her take this medicine once a day.” He tossed a bundle of medicine to the shop owner. “If you force her to work again, I’ll kill you.”

  The shop owner flinched in terror, shuffling backward. But even so, he clutched the medicine tightly.

  None of the other customers dared to resume their meals or conversations. This encounter between two eccentric masters was anything but ordinary. No wonder the entire village was both startled and bewildered,strangers like these rarely set foot here.

  “We’re here to eat now,” Yang Feng clapped his hands twice with a grin.

  “You cook for us,” Mystic Devil pointed at the shop owner. Then he turned to the girl. “And you, go to your room and take the medicine.”

  That was just how Mystic Devil was. It was also the reason his name was so well-known and respected. He wasn’t feared for single-handedly wiping out a bandit lair, nor for standing up against the tyranny of the imperial forces. Instead, he was infamous for something entirely different,he simply couldn’t bear the sight of a sick person. Whoever they were, if they were ill, he would cure them,by force if necessary.

  No one knew exactly where this strange obsession of his came from. He earned the title “Devil” because of his unpredictable appearances,sometimes in the north, sometimes in the east, west, or south. Yet, when people sought him out, he was nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, “Mystic” referred to his near-miraculous ability to heal almost any illness. There were very few cases where he had failed to cure someone.

  After finishing their meal and paying, they left the shop, which instantly erupted into chatter about what had just transpired. The entire village was abuzz with rumors about these strange newcomers,one who forced people to get better, and the other who treated him like a perfectly normal person.

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  “My house isn’t far from here. That one, over there,” Mystic Devil pointed to a small hut after grumbling impatiently while waiting for Yang Feng and Long Wei to buy new clothes. The hut stood at the very tip of a land formation that jutted out from the peak of a cliff.

  Seeing it made Long Wei’s stomach churn. The ground beneath the hut was dangerously narrow and sharp, yet there it stood.

  “Come on. It'll be easier to talk there.”

  It took them about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to reach the hut. Inside, it was a single square room, not very large. There was no sign of wealth, only piles of dried medicinal herbs stacked in a corner and a small cabinet filled with prepared remedies.

  “I already know what’s wrong with you,” Mystic Devil said before Yang Feng could even begin explaining. “You have internal injuries,wounds from battle, and they’re severe.”

  Yang Feng lowered his head but smiled. “You’re not wrong.”

  “What happened?”

  Long Wei was a little surprised. Whenever Mystic Devil spoke to Yang Feng, he seemed almost... normal. At the very least, he wasn’t barking orders or making abrupt declarations.

  Yang Feng briefly recounted what had happened,how he sustained his injuries and even what he had learned about Long Wei’s past as a former pirate. Long Wei was shocked that Yang Feng spoke so openly about it. Wasn’t the existence of Sky Jade supposed to be a closely guarded secret?

  “That damn White Ascetic!” Mystic Devil cursed. “I just ran into him on my way back here. He acted all righteous, even helped me treat the sick. Turns out he’s been colluding with pirates? Damn him!”

  You’re the real devil here, Long Wei thought to himself.

  Yang Feng shook his head with a chuckle. “I suppose I should be grateful that the old man still upholds some sense of righteousness. At least he helps the sick.”

  Mystic Devil’s gaze sharpened instantly. “You’re always too soft on your enemies. Do you think I can always heal you?”

  “Am I wrong to think so?”

  “Idiot!” Mystic Devil smacked Yang Feng’s head. “White Ascetic and Death Hand are formidable warriors, their strength is not below ours. I might be able to heal wounds inflicted by one of them, but not both at the same time. Maybe if you had come to me two days after receiving those injuries, there would have been hope. But now, the wounds have been festering in your body for too long, and the poison from Death Hand’s attack has already spread, disrupting your internal organs,” he explained furiously.

  Suddenly, Yang Feng burst into laughter. “Hahaha, I already knew even you couldn’t fully heal this.”

  “Who said I couldn’t at all?” Mystic Devil cut in. “I can still stop Death Hand’s poison, but that’s as far as I can go. As for the damage caused by White Ascetic, I can’t restore you completely. Many of your organs are severely damaged and barely functioning.”

  “That’s exactly what I meant.” Yang Feng laughed again. “Now that I know I can’t be fully healed, I want to see how long I can last.”

  “At most ten years. And that’s if you burn through all the luck you have left in this life.” Mystic Devil replied without hesitation.

  “That’s enough!” Yang Feng then turned to Long Wei, who had turned pale at some point. “I will train you for the rest of my life, and you will inherit my duty,to protect Sky Jade.”

  Long Wei snapped out of his thoughts. “So the wounds really can’t be healed?”

  “Are you deaf, boy?” Mystic Devil barked.

  Long Wei clenched his fists. No matter what, he still had unfinished business with White Ascetic and Death Hand. He had to settle it himself in the future. But if even Yang Feng,known as the Iron Palm Warrior,had been rendered helpless, what chance did he have?

  As if reading Long Wei’s hesitation, Mystic Devil shouted again, “Are you afraid to face them, boy?”

  Long Wei hesitated. “I think... it will take time.”

  “Ah, a coward! Yang Feng, just throw this spineless brat away. He’s only bringing shame to the name of the Iron Palm Warrior.”

  Long Wei was taken aback. He quickly turned to Yang Feng, anxious to see his reaction. But the old man simply smiled and said to Mystic Devil, “Your jokes are truly cruel. You know very well this boy will surpass me. I’m sure you can see his natural talent. His bone structure is exceptional.”

  Mystic Devil gritted his teeth audibly. “What’s the use if he’s a coward?”

  “I swear!” Long Wei suddenly shouted. “I will settle my old debts with White Ascetic and Death Hand!”

  Mystic Devil was momentarily stunned by the sudden oath. But he still wasn’t convinced. “And what if you break that vow?”

  The young man gritted his teeth, frustrated by the old man’s stubbornness. “Then may my entire bloodline burn in hell.”

  “Good!” Mystic Devil praised, while Yang Feng laughed heartily. Then Mystic Devil continued, “Alright, old man, I’ll treat you as best as I can, just as I said earlier. Then, you two will stay here for two weeks.”

  “Oh?” Yang Feng’s eyes widened with interest. “Why?”

  “I’m going to pass down a technique that will allow this greenhorn to surpass even us in the future. Combined with the techniques you’ll pass on, I’m certain he’ll become an unrivaled warrior.”

  “You have such high hopes.”

  Mystic Devil huffed in annoyance. “For years, no one has been worthy of inheriting this technique. And I’m already old, with one foot in the grave. I’ll be joining you in the afterlife soon enough. I don’t care if he was once a pirate. You’ve chosen him, and I trust you.”

  Yang Feng simply laughed in response. His heart swelled with joy,Long Wei was about to inherit an extraordinary technique from Mystic Devil. Opportunities like this never came twice.