Chapter 651: Ten Years Is Too Long

Ye Qianning was well aware of her body’s injuries. The wound from the mutated tiger on Four-direction Mountain had yet to heal, and a poisoned arrow had pierced her chest, grazing her heart.

Her heart was naturally positioned differently from most people’s, slightly off to the side. The arrow had struck her right in the chest, and though it hadn’t hit the center of her heart, it had grazed the edge.

The poison had seeped into her heart. Although she had spent the past two days in her space dispelling the toxin, her body showed no signs of change. It remained in a deep slumber, unable to awaken.

"Little one, you have to trust this old man," the old Taoist chimed in at the perfect moment. "If you come with me, I guarantee you’ll wake up. Otherwise, you can forget about ever waking up again in this lifetime."

Ye Qianning looked up at him, skeptical.

’I’m not even sure I can wake myself up. Can he really do it?’

"Little one, you seem like a dutiful child. If you die, you’ll never see your great-grandpa, grandpa, grandma, or parents ever again... OUCH..." Seeing her hesitation, the old Taoist had tried to play hard to get, but a fist was his only reward. "Little one... why did you hit me again?"

"My great-grandfather was traumatized because of this, and you have the nerve to bring it up?" The mere thought made Ye Qianning want to punch someone.

The old Taoist clutched his nose. "Important people in the martial world always have some strange quirks. This old man’s are pretty mild, all things considered."

"All talk."

"Talk?"

"If I go with you, how long until I wake up?" Ye Qianning asked.

The old Taoist thought for a long while before holding up both hands, all ten fingers extended.

"Ten days?"

The old Taoist shook his head. "Ten years!"

Ye Qianning’s brow tightened. "Are you kidding me?"

Ten years. Far too long!

"This old man is being completely serious. Your injuries are no ordinary matter. To everyone else, you’re already dead. If we hadn’t chanced upon the island’s Butterfly Spring, which only appears once a millennium, forget ten years—even twenty wouldn’t be enough to restore your life force."

Although Ye Qianning was extremely reluctant, the old man’s words didn’t sound like a lie. In her current state, she was like the living dead. Even returning to her master would be of no use.

"Ten years will pass in the blink of an eye. It’s actually very fast," the old Taoist added, fanning the flames.

"I can agree to your terms, but you have to go check on my great-grandfather. His condition was very unstable before, and I’m worried something might happen to him. You also have to deliver a message to my master and inform my father, Xiang Minghou, that I’m still alive." Ye Qianning could only imagine how anxious her master, the Zhan family, the Qian family, and the Gu family must be right now.

And her father... he was on his way back to the capital. If he found out she had been abducted to be used as some kind of human incense, he would lose his mind.

"I can’t do that."

"Why not?"

"Heavenly secrets cannot be rev... OUCH!" The old Taoist didn’t even finish his sentence before he was met with another flurry of blows.

"So, will you do it or not?"

"I can’t! OUCH! Stop hitting me..."

"Will you do it or not?"

"You little tyrant, I really can’t! This... This old man can’t meddle in worldly affairs... I’ll suffer heavenly retribution if I do..." The old Taoist’s head was already swollen like a pig’s.

’What terrible karma did I accumulate to run into this living nightmare in this lifetime?’

"Are you an immortal?"

"No."

"If you’re not an immortal, then why can’t you meddle in worldly affairs? Wasn’t snatching me off the street meddling in worldly affairs?"

"That’s different."

"How is it different?"

"This old man can’t say."

Ye Qianning’s knuckles made a loud CRACKING sound as she clenched her fists.

"I... *Sigh*... This old Taoist was in seclusion for forty years when I suddenly had a dream and saw a strange phenomenon in the starry sky. I saw a scene in that dream, and, half-believing, I went out to sea. I never expected to actually encounter the very scene from my dream. Such a celestial vision in a dream is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a fateful encounter with the immortal path." The old Taoist covered his face, already regretting he’d ever left his seclusion. ’This kind of ’fateful encounter’ is more than I can handle.’