Return of the Celestial King

Qin Tuo immediately turned and went back inside.

”Mom, Dad, Manni and I have something to do, so we’re heading out. We won’t be staying for dinner!”

Qin Hongguo immediately asked,

”What’s so important? Can’t you leave after dinner?”

However, Luo Xianglan, as if realizing something, quickly pulled Qin Hongguo back.

”Oh, you silly old man. They have their own private matters to attend to. Why are you getting in their way?”

At that, Qin Hongguo broke into a smile and nodded repeatedly.

”All right, you two go have a nice date. I won’t hold you back!”

Upon hearing this, Chen Man Ni’s face flushed crimson.

Qin Tuo was in a hurry, so he offered no further explanation, simply pulling Chen Man Ni along as they quickly departed.

The two of them got in the car and sped toward Ice Spring Mountain.

Along the way, Chen Man Ni called her father, Chen Wenxiong. It was only then she learned that it wasn’t just Ouyang Tianqi; even Long Wu had been drawn by the Daoist master’s reputation and wanted to visit him at Taixu Temple.

Ice Spring Mountain was in the outskirts of Ming City, a drive of several dozen miles.

With the way Qin Tuo drove, they reached the foot of the mountain in about an hour.

They parked the car and gazed at Ice Spring Mountain before them, their hearts filling with awe.

Soon enough, they reached the agreed-upon meeting spot at the foot of the mountain and saw a group of people already waiting up ahead.

As they approached, they saw it was Ouyang Tianqi, Long Wu, and Chen Wenxiong. The whole group had assembled.

”Mr. Qin, you’re here...”

The group immediately came forward to greet them.

Qin Tuo nodded and greeted each of them in turn.

Then, he asked eagerly,

”Shall we head up the mountain right now?”

”Oh, Mr. Qin, you seem to be in quite a hurry.”

Seeing Qin Tuo’s anxious expression, a look of surprise flashed in Ouyang Tianqi’s eyes.

Chen Wenxiong and Long Wu had come to pay their respects to the famed Daoist of Taixu Temple, while Ouyang Tianqi was simply visiting an old friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

They couldn’t understand why Qin Tuo seemed even more eager than they were.

Chen Man Ni quickly chimed in,

”Come on, let’s get going up the mountain!”

Seeing that both of them were in such a hurry, the others nodded, and the group set off up the slopes of Ice Spring Mountain.

However, they had only taken a few steps when the mountain path became increasingly narrow and rugged.

Chen Wenxiong couldn’t help but frown. ”Manni, why don’t you wait for us here?”

Chen Man Ni stubbornly shook her head and insisted,

”No. Since I’ve already come this far, how could I not go up with you all?”

Chen Wenxiong gave a wry smile and nodded.

”All right then. I just hope you can keep up and don’t start complaining later!”

Chen Man Ni huffed, ”Don’t worry, I won’t. You’re underestimating your daughter.”

As the group made their way up the mountain, they saw many other people also heading upward, all of them clearly hoping to pay their respects to the famous old Daoist master.

Just then, Ouyang Tianqi moved closer and whispered,

”Mr. Qin, I might need your help with something this time!”

Qin Tuo was a little confused. Ouyang Tianqi hadn’t mentioned this on the phone earlier.

”Mr. Ouyang, if you have something to say, just say it directly.”

Qin Tuo said with a nod.

Only then did Ouyang Tianqi begin to explain slowly.

”It’s like this, Mr. Qin. The reason my old friend was traveling the world was to find a cure for his daughter, Xiaoyuan.”

”Oh, for a cure? I wonder what illness the Daoist master’s daughter has.”

Qin Tuo finally understood the purpose of the Daoist master’s travels.

Ouyang Tianqi explained, recalling,

”His daughter, Xiaoyuan, has been frail and sickly since birth. Her body is bizarrely cold, like an icehouse. My friend, Daoist Chongxu, has summoned the finest doctors from all over, but none have been able to cure his daughter’s strange affliction. For all these years, he has performed a good deed each day just to accumulate merit for her.”

Hearing this, Qin Tuo felt a pang of sympathy for Daoist Chongxu’s daughter.

At the same time, based on the description of her symptoms, a few theories began to form in his mind.

Ouyang Tianqi then added with a smile,

”I told Daoist Chongxu that you, Mr. Qin, are a remarkable man with all sorts of incredible abilities. I said you might be able to cure his daughter, and that’s why he rushed back ahead of schedule.”

Qin Tuo couldn’t help but ask a few more questions about the symptoms of Daoist Chongxu’s daughter, and Ouyang Tianqi patiently answered each one.

After their conversation, a realization seemed to strike Qin Tuo, and he couldn’t help but break into a smile.

”Oh, Mr. Qin, you mean to say...”

Seeing Qin Tuo’s confident smile, Ouyang Tianqi had an idea of what it meant, and a look of nervous tension appeared on his face.

Qin Tuo said with a smile, ”Don’t worry, Mr. Ouyang. I should be able to cure this illness.”

At this, Ouyang Tianqi was utterly astonished.

”Oh? Mr. Qin, you haven’t even met the patient, yet you’re so certain you can cure her?”

However, Qin Tuo simply smiled and nodded.

”Yes. I’m fairly certain I know what her condition is. You’ll understand when we get there.”

If anyone else had dared to speak with such confidence, Ouyang Tianqi would have thought them a madman.

But when he recalled the image of Qin Tuo absorbing that resentful energy, he couldn’t help but choose to believe him.

”Excellent, Mr. Qin. When the time comes, I’ll be counting on you to help my old friend!”

Ouyang Tianqi said earnestly.

By this point, the group had reached halfway up the mountain. Suddenly, they overheard some other travelers nearby discussing something in loud voices.

”Did you guys hear? It seems Daoist Chongxu’s senior brother, Daoist Chi Xu, has also come to Ice Spring Mountain!”

”What! Even Daoist Chi Xu is here? I heard he’s even more formidable than Daoist Chongxu. Last year when he visited Taixu Temple, he helped a patron who’d been unable to conceive for ten years finally have a child!”

”No way, is he really that miraculous? In that case, I absolutely have to go pay my respects to this Daoist Chi Xu.”

Qin Tuo pricked up his ears and listened for a moment, a flicker of surprise in his eyes as well.

Seeing the expressions on the faces of Qin Tuo and the others, Ouyang Tianqi said with a smile,

”Mr. Qin, that’s Daoist Chi Xu. He’s Daoist Chongxu’s senior brother, and his cultivation is even more profound. What’s more, he’s brought a treasure with him this time, specifically to treat his niece, Xiaoyuan.”

Before Qin Tuo could say anything, Chen Man Ni couldn’t help but remark,

”So he’s such an amazing person. Then he should be able to cure Daoist Chongxu’s daughter, right?”

But Qin Tuo just smiled and said nothing more.

’If it were that easy to cure,’ he thought, ’she would have been cured long ago. Why wait until now?’

The weather was hot, and as they continued their climb, Chen Man Ni became drenched in sweat, her breathing growing rapid and shallow.

”I can’t... I can’t walk another step!”

Gasping for air, Chen Man Ni plopped down on a nearby rock.