The man in the chair had very thin, gray hair. The fine wrinkles on his face, neck, and even scalp made him look at least a hundred years old. Yet, those wrinkled skins had a bright red hue, a scarlet color. This skin tone, which usually only appears on middle-aged men with very vigorous blood and energy, made the old man seem somewhat eerie.
The old man was very old, except for his eyes.
Those eyes, the only ones that revealed an extremely strong vitality, gave people a sharp feeling; they were full of life and unfathomable. This was Lin Yao's first impression.
"This is my father, named Potian, courtesy name Zongshen." Yi Yang introduced the man in the chair to Lin Yao in a very formal manner, his head slightly lowered. This was the way aristocratic families introduced someone when they valued them highly; introducing him by his full name and courtesy name was the highest form of courtesy.
"Hello! My name is Gu Nan. Of course, this name is temporary. Due to some special reasons, I cannot reveal my real name. I hope you understand." Lin Yao bowed to the old man in the chair in the manner of a junior from a prominent family greeting an elder. The old man's eyes brightened, revealing his sincere appreciation for the young man.
“Gu Nan.” Only then did Yi Yang realize Lin Yao’s name, or rather, the alias he was going to use. “Father is unable to speak and cannot return the greeting. You see…”
“Let’s begin. There’s something I haven’t told you yet. I also know a little about medicine, so let me make a diagnosis first. See if that’s acceptable.” Lin Yao bowed respectfully to the old man in the chair again before turning to face Yi Yang. He could tell that the old man had suffered serious injuries, yet he still needed such a special chair to sit upright and receive him. This showed that the old man was a very resolute person, and the information revealed in his eyes had already earned Lin Yao’s respect.
"Please do me the trouble." Yi Yang readily agreed to Lin Yao's request without hesitation, his attitude extremely respectful, using honorifics for the first time when addressing Lin Yao.
Lin Yao didn't say anything more, nodded to the old man in the chair, and went over to take his pulse.
The old man nodded slightly, and Lin Yao could sense how difficult this slight nodding motion was for him. The muscles in his neck began to tremble slightly, showing that such a small movement was extremely strenuous for the old man and accompanied by great pain.
After a long while, Lin Yao withdrew his hand from taking the pulse, and reached out his right hand to cover the old man's forehead. After a moment, he put it down, bowed again, and left the room.
After settling the elderly man in, Yi Yang walked up behind Lin Yao, his voice trembling with anxiety, "Mr. Gu, how is my father?"
"Let's see Mother Earth first, and then we'll talk about treatment." Lin Yao's voice was steady, which eased the tension in Yi Yang's heart a little.
At this moment, Lin Yao's heart was filled with contradictions. The old man's chaotic true energy was extremely powerful. He used all his true energy but could not break through into the old man's body. He could only understand the general situation through the chaotic energy sensation. This kind of treatment was very troublesome. He had to check on the Earth Mother first to see if it was worth it for Xiao Cao to treat him despite the damage. The tentacles that probed just now had already caused some damage to Xiao Cao.
"Okay, please follow me." Yi Yang was taken aback, relieved not to hear the denial he was most worried about, and his anticipation grew even stronger.
The Yi family mansion, located in Yan'an City, is 30 kilometers away from the city center. This Yi family mansion, situated in the Changbai Mountain range, is very large, like a densely populated town with many buildings. Even though Lin Yao doesn't understand military formations, he can sense that the layout of these buildings is very suitable for resisting external attacks.
The main buildings of the Yi family compound are located right next to Changbai Mountain, with scattered buildings extending all the way to the mountainside. Overall, they maintain an ancient style, and the original natural environment is well preserved. Lin Yao, Ge Yong, and Banan followed Yi Yang about one kilometer into the town. After leaving Ge Yong and Banan in a guesthouse, only Lin Yao and Yi Yang continued on.
Without firearms, Ge Yong and Banan had no choice but to follow Yi Yang's instructions. Here, they had seen many warriors who were superior to them, and it would be inappropriate to forcefully follow them. Moreover, Lin Yao had also made a decision not to let them go with them.
The Yi family members are all of very good quality. Lin Yao saw a style here that was completely different from that of the army. This style, which had both the decisiveness of the military and a clear traditional hierarchical structure, broadened Lin Yao's horizons. He thought that this was the unique style of the ancient aristocratic family.
Without walls, yet heavily protected, the main house extends fifty meters from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside. This residence is entirely in the style of ancient architecture, without reinforced concrete, only wood and huge granite, making Lin Yao feel as if he had traveled through history.
“Mr. Gu, if we cannot cooperate, I hope that what you see later will not be spread. The Yi family greatly respects Teacher Angel, and we cherish your friendship.” Yi Yang stopped in front of a pavilion at the foot of a mountain. There were no security personnel here, and the beautiful scenery of the pavilion and waterside terraces indicated that this was a place for important figures to rest. A guqin and a few young girls could turn this place into a fairyland.
"I promise you, if what you say satisfies us, there should be a way to cure your father's illness." Lin Yao understood the other party's concern about possessing a treasure. Since the Earth Mother was regarded as a sacred medicine by the Yi family, and its name alone could excite Xiao Cao, it must be extremely precious. Calling it a treasure would not be an exaggeration. Yi Yang's willingness to tell him frankly made Lin Yao like him even more.
After a pause, Lin Yao explained, "Yi Yang, because the price to save your father was extremely high, the Angel Teacher will not intervene if your payment is insufficient. This payment goes beyond the scope of money, so I must see the Earth Mother. Don't worry, even if we can't make a deal, we will absolutely not reveal any information to anyone else."
"Thank you." Yi Yang didn't say much, thanked him softly, and led Lin Yao to the most inconspicuous spot on the left side of the pavilion, then squeezed through the dense bushes.
Lin Yao followed and found that it was just a small clearing surrounded by bushes, only about one square meter in size, with nothing special about it except for the grass on the ground.
"Mr. Gu, I'll take you somewhere else, please excuse me." After saying that, Yi Yang reached his right hand under Lin Yao's armpit, grabbed Lin Yao's left arm, and suddenly leaped up.
Lin Yao felt a strong force supporting him, and his whole body flew up with Yi Yang, over the dense bushes that were more than two meters high, and flew horizontally for about four meters. The dense tree trunks and branches around him flew away, and in an instant Lin Yao realized that the direction Yi Yang was leaping in was the only passage in the surrounding environment.
Land and stand still. The space in front of you is much larger, about five or six square meters. A sloping hillside is right in front of you. The rugged rocks and grass under your feet are covered by dense trees all around. The sky has become an area the size of a tabletop.
Yi Yang didn't speak. Lin Yao looked around, and suddenly his pupils contracted sharply, his whole body trembled, and a look of horror appeared on his face.
About two meters away, and half a meter above the flat ground, a patch of green on the mountain rocks deeply moved Lin Yao.
A moss-like plant clings to a protruding rock on the mountainside. Its thick leaves, like wrinkled lotus leaves, stretch out from the top of the protruding rock, reaching a height of about thirty centimeters above the rock surface. Its area is about the size of a pot lid. The lower part of the moss covers the protruding rock, creating a stark contrast with the bluish-gray rocks next to it.
What shocked Lin Yao was not the size of the moss, nor that he had never seen this plant in any book before, but rather that shade of green—an indescribable green, a green that captivated his gaze and made him feel as if he were in a dream. At that moment, his eyes saw nothing but that green.
“Mr. Gu, this is the Earth Mother.” Yi Yang’s voice rang in my ears, sounding ethereal. “This was discovered by our family more than three hundred years ago. It is said that it was in this form at that time and has not changed for more than three hundred years. According to the head of the Fan family at that time, it was called the Earth Mother and was an extremely precious sacred medicine. However, the Fan family only had a rough record of this sacred medicine and did not know how to use it.”
“The Fan family is a medical family that coexists with the Yi family. More than 30 years ago, during the turmoil, the head of the Fan family died while traveling, so many of the oral medical skills were lost. As a result, no one was able to take on the task of studying the Earth Mother.” Yi Yang continued to explain, “The most peculiar thing about this Earth Mother is not its name or appearance, but that it does not exist at all. It is as if it is just a phantom projection that we cannot capture or touch.”
After speaking, Yi Yang took two steps forward, bent down, and reached out to touch Mother Earth. Mother Earth on the rock remained completely still, as if external forces could not affect it in the slightest, not even causing the slightest deformation.
Yi Yang's hand pierced directly into Mother Earth, as if it had reached into a pool of thick green liquid. The part that had entered was not visible, but when his hand left, there were no traces left on his palm or the back of his hand.
"Oh." Lin Yao was finally startled. He slowly moved closer, squatted down, and stretched out his right hand. "Let me see."
The moment Lin Yao's hand touched the outer edge of Mother Earth, a startled cry rang in his head, making his whole body tremble. It was the cry of the little grass, an unprecedented cry. The loud sound showed the grass's excited state, and the tentacles that stretched out instantly put this excitement into action.
Lin Yao did not feel any absorption of medicinal energy from the tentacle that reached into Mother Earth from his right hand, but he discovered that the entire tentacle and the seed on his chest had turned into a vibrant green, just like the vibrant green that could be felt from the cracks in the seed, with the same intensity and the same dazzling brilliance.
The tentacles grew thicker and thicker, and the emerald green seed shell began to crack, with dense cracks appearing on the shell, attracting all of Lin Yao's attention.
At this moment, Yi Yang, who was standing next to him, was surprised to discover the change in Mother Earth. Mother Earth, which never changed its shape, had actually transformed. It slowly shrank from a wrinkled lotus leaf and wrapped around Lin Yao's palm, forming a dark green sphere.
"Mr. Gu! Mr. Gu!" Yi Yang was shocked. He had not yet received the angel's promise, but the ancestral holy medicine had changed. If it could not cure his father but damaged the holy medicine, he, as the head of the family, could not bear the responsibility. "Please wait a moment. Do not damage Mother Earth. Let's notify the angel teacher first and then discuss it."
"Ah!" Lin Yao was grabbed by Yi Yang and shaken. He felt the tendrils of the grass in his arm being affected, and an extremely uncomfortable feeling arose in his mind. He immediately knew that the grass was being negatively affected and that he had to stop immediately.
After considering the cause and effect, Lin Yao immediately made a decision: "Yi Yang, let's start the deal. I am the angel, and you will protect me. No one can disturb me. After the matter of the Earth Mother is settled, I will cure your father's illness."
Suddenly thinking of Ge Yong who was waiting, Lin Yao added, "Notify my companions who came with me that it's 7611, they'll understand. I hope you won't bother me, this is related to your father's treatment."
After saying that, Lin Yao sat down on the ground, crossed his legs, and sat in meditation with only his right hand outstretched on the rock. He then closed his eyes.
Yi Yang was even more shocked. He hadn't expected this young man to be the angel himself, and he certainly hadn't expected that the Earth Mother, to whom the Yi and Fan families had been helpless for centuries, could be so easily moved by him. This person was no ordinary human; his father could be saved. Rather than guarding a sacred medicine that could never be used, it was better to save his father and bring tangible benefits to the family. If he could also gain the friendship of this young man, it would be of great significance to the future growth of the Yi family.
Perhaps, an angel can replace the Fan family and lead the Yi family to glory.
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