âIs this the truth?â Questioned Feng Mengli with a bewildered frown. His assertive gaze captured every movement, action, and expression Ester and Lupa made.
Feng Mengli soon discovered their words were the truth. That was the only reason why the two of them didnât want him to approach Vincent and acted overprotectively.
Feng Mengli laughed for the first time as if he heard something too exciting to keep his cool and calm expression. He didnât appear to be angered or afraid by this information. Instead, it was like he found treasure.
Feng Mengli stopped a bit later, and then his brows frowned. His gaze felt like it could pierce the soul of any onlooker. He was stuck in deep thought as he scanned Vincentâs horrible naked body.
âThis man. Vincent. His meridians are all destroyed. He canât cultivate, or how outsiders call it, use mana meditation. The pill will heal his body enough to let Vincent last a few more days, but...â
âI think he will become a cripple if he somehow manages to survive. We cultivators normally wish for an honorary death, but this is a choice for him to decide.â Feng Mengli regrettably announced horrible news. His face showed sadness as if he found something interesting and it was already broken.
âSister. Vincent will live!â Lupa hugged Ester tightly and started crying tears of joy. She was happy that Vincent had the chance to live.
.....
âYes *sniff* Iâm happy too. â Ester replied before the welling tears in her eyes rained on Lupaâs shoulder.
Feng Mengli became puzzled. He told them that Vincent could only live for a few days with the healing pill. However, the two girls acted as if he was saved and was going to live.
âIt seems one of you young maidens can heal this man. Then should I presume Vincent, the seventh otherworlder with extraordinary power, will be able to survive this ordeal?â Feng Mengli asked.
âYes.â Both Ester and Lupa answered.
Feng Meng li suddenly raised his arms after hearing the confirmation that Vincent had a chance to survive after the pillâs healing effect disappeared.
The long sleeve on each arm dangled as his index finger extended. He resembled a conductor that was about to conduct music.
A sudden intense feeling of suppression fell on Ester and Lupa. Esterâs weak Frost Sigil spell was disrupted from the intensity. Lupaâs body felt so intimated that her arms reverted to human. She felt like a helpless pup standing before a strong adult wolf.
Both couldnât move as if a mysterious heavy burden weighed on their bodies, causing them to get rooted to the ground from the pressure. Feng Mengli was emitting an intense intimidating aura from his focused gaze.
âMy body is... heavy, gah. â Ester fell on all fours as the pressure was too much for her tired legs to support. Beads of cold sweat formed on her forehead as all survival instincts warned Ester of the dangerous presence before her.
âThis bad feeling is like Tulaâs father. But itâs stronger. What are you doing to Vincent...â Lupa fell flat on the ground. She was more tired and weaker than Ester. But she tried to act tough in front of their potential enemy.
However, Feng Mengli didnât answer nor show any emotion regarding the intense aura he emitted. Next, his arms lowered shoulders high, and then his hands swung as if composing an orchestra.
Ester and Lupa couldnât perceive what Feng Mengli was doing. Feng Mengli was collecting and amassing mana on the tips of his extended fingers. His fingers left a short trail of visibly distorted mana, but Ester nor Lupa knew what the symbols or words meant.
Feng Mengli ended the last swing of his hand and lowered his index fingers, pointing straight at Vincent. The pressure intensity suppressing Ester and Lupa progressed when Feng Mengli increased his focus on the next part to come.
âKo. Gen. Chi. Ha. Ke. Ko. Cha. Hat. Rek. To...â Feng Mengli uttered new words every time he brought down one of his fingers on Vincentâs body with great force.
Feng Mengli sometimes impaled Vincentâs frail body randomly, while other times, his fingers hit in succession following a path. The old manâs gaze never showed any expressions of remorse, as if he didnât feel anything from torturing Vincent. Nevertheless, his focused gaze remained in full force.
âStop. You. Are killing. Vincent.â Ester managed to utter, heavily burdened by the pressure of Feng Mengliâs focus.
âStop. I can hear. Bones break...â Lupa felt horrible that she couldnât do anything while Vincent was getting tortured in front of her.
Feng Mengli seemed to listen to their begging, yet his gaze and expression remained unfazed as if their plea were the noise of flies.
The old man was brutal with his fingers poking dozens of holes in Vincentâs body. However, Ester and Lupa soon noticed that the finger-sized holes were starting to reduce in size to that of a needle mysteriously by themselves.
âLast one. Soul meridian pressure point, open!â Feng Mengli raised his index finger and brought it down on Vincentâs chest. The frail and deeply scarred skin was pierced with great precision until his finger gently touched Vincentâs heart.
âYour will to live is strong. Your soul is boundless. This old master in the arts of Qi canât judge you properly. And whatâs hidden deep within your existence is frightening. I like fighters like you.â Feng Mengli pulled out his finger and watched as the last finger-sized hole closed to that of a needle.
It was as if the old and mighty Feng Mengli used thin needles instead of fingers. It was an unimaginable feat, yet no hole nor blood could be seen on Vincentâs skin.
âVincent. I shall remember your name. You are worthy of taking my wifeâs special healing pill.â Feng Mengli suddenly donned a warm smile. As if his blurry and fast hands never put hundreds of holes in Vincentâs body.
With the change of expression and a gaze not focused on Vincent anymore, the pressure swiftly vanished.
Ester and Lupa could move once again after pressure disappeared. They hastily pulled themselves up and noticed Feng Mengli placing the cherry-sized pill on Vincentâs mouth.
Feng Mengli seemed to show a caring expression while stabbing Vincentâs neck with precision. The pressure point prompted Vincent to open his mouth. Feng Mengli then repeated the action, and Vincent swallowed the healing pill as if he was awake.
Feng Mengli displayed his superiority in pressure point skills with the accuracy of a surgeon. The old man raised his gaze and remembered that he wasnât alone.
Many people told Feng Mengli how he forgets about his surroundings when he focuses too much on his intention. He ended up forgetting that Ester and Lupa didnât know what his actions were for. As such, he would look like a violent person to non-cultivators. Feng Mengli looked like a murderer in the two girlâs eyes before the holes left no blood or marks too thin for the naked eye to notice behind.
âAhem.â Feng Mengli stepped away from Vincent. Ester and Lupa swiftly checked Vincentâs body, but the needle-sized holes were so hard to notice that they were practically nonexistent.
âWhat did you do? What is a meridian? â Ester asked.
âWhere are the holes you made? Why is Vincentâs body unharmed? â Lupa moved her eyes up and down, but even with her eyesight, it was hard to see the thin needle-sized holes.
Feng Mengli raised a smile, and his mood seemed to brighten. He brushed his long beard and looked at two women protecting their man.
âNow now, young maidens. Your Vincent will live, for now, so donât worry. However, he requires what you outsiders call it, Moderate Heal or something better. All I can do is fix his meridians and restore his blood flow.â Feng Mengli spoke as if he suddenly became a different person. Before, he was cold and unreachable, but now, he seemed friendly and approachable.
âWhy are you helping us? Arenât you like everyone else? Like how I once was. A person that fears people from another world. â Ester wanted to understand why this strange person that calls himself a cultivator was trying to help them, even after finding out the secret about Vincent being from another world.
âHoho. You young maidens really like to ask questions. I feel satisfied with how the two of you want to protect Vincent. I shall answer your questions since Iâm feeling good. But Iâm not doing this for free.â Feng Mengli seemed to want something out of this.
âW-what do you want! â Urgently exclaimed Ester. She knew it wouldnât be good.
âFret not, young maiden. This old man simply wants to have a long talk with Vincent. I donât want to do anything like how outsiders might do.â
Feng Mengli brushed his long white beard and reminisced his past, âItâs a long story because the reason for my request lies within. So let me tell you, young maidens, the crucial moments. Now where to begin...â
âI hail from the Northern Continent. We call anyone from a different continent Outsiders because they arenât cultivators. People from other continents call us many things because of our ways and the monster-filled continent we live in.â
This relevance surprised Ester. They are currently in the Southern Continent, so there is the massive Center Desert Continent in between. She never heard much information regarding the Northern Continent other than being extremely dangerous.
âYou outsiders have nations called kingdoms. You also have the adventurous guild. In the Northern Continent, we mostly have sects.â
âA sect is similar but smaller in size. We have a disciple and master relationship. The masters are responsible for their disciples in the harsh land. As such, while they study under us, their families live in the sectâs land. I am the Patriarch of the Heavenly God Mantis sect. The leader of hundreds of people.â
The more Feng Mengli revealed his identity, the more Ester and Lupa felt intimated. Not only was he strong beyond their wildest dreams, but he had many people under him.
âI was quite adventurous when I was at your age or younger. At that time, I was a disciple. I heard there was going to be a violent storm, and as the proud prodigy I was, I decided to challenge the storm with my skills.â
âHoho, like the immature young disciple this Mengli once was, I soon learned it was foolishness to challenge the storm before becoming senior rank or higher.â
Ester raised a puzzled frown as she thought this old man was pulling her leg. It was an insane thing to do, she believed. On the other hand, Lupa could imagine the terrifying storm, and her body shivered from the fear of lightning.