After deciding that he wouldn't contact Xiao Yan just yet, Liu Xi turned his attention back to Nalan Jie and said with a polite smile, "Clan Leader Nalan, your fortune is truly enviable. For your granddaughter to have been chosen by Sect Master Yun as her disciple at such a young age—her future will surely be limitless."
At Liu Xi's praise, Nalan Jie's weathered face brightened with joy. "Haha! Master Liu flatters me. You, Master Liu, are the true unrivaled genius of the Jia Ma Empire!"
Their polite flattery quickly lost its novelty. Liu Xi, not one for empty words, put his cup down and said calmly, "Since I've already received the Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva, let's move on to the main matter—your poison."
Nalan Jie's expression grew solemn. "Then I'll trouble Master Liu."
He dismissed all attendants, leaving only his son, Nalan Su, in the room. Then he removed his upper garments, revealing a frail, wiry frame. Despite his seemingly vigorous appearance earlier, his muscles were shrunken, his skin sickly pale. Beneath the surface, faint traces of dark energy crawled like living things, pulsing across his body.
Liu Xi's gaze sharpened. "Clan Leader Nalan, I'll now use my Spiritual Power to examine the poison within your body. Don't resist."
Nalan Jie nodded firmly. "Please proceed, Master Liu."
Closing his eyes, Liu Xi sent forth a wave of Spiritual Power from between his brows. It slipped past Nalan Jie's skin and delved deep into his body.
Through that invisible sense, Liu Xi saw the truth—Nalan Jie's flesh was riddled with clusters of gray-black substance, sinister and corrosive, eating away at his blood and muscle, spreading toward his bones and meridians.
Fortunately, his refined Dou Qi held the poison in check, suppressing it so it couldn't advance further. Still, the balance was fragile—he could neither drive it out nor let it go, and the long stalemate had warped both energies into something more volatile.
Liu Xi withdrew his Spiritual Power and opened his eyes. "Heh, it's better than I thought. Your Dou Qi is pure enough to keep the poison confined to your flesh—it hasn't yet reached your bones."
Nalan Jie sighed heavily. "Seventy percent of my strength is used just to suppress this poison. Without that, I would've been reduced to a pile of bones long ago."
Standing beside them, Nalan Su looked anxious. "Master Liu, do you have a way to remove it?"
Liu Xi smiled faintly. "Of course I do. But this poison clings to your flesh like a parasite. To cleanse it entirely, I'll have to send my Heavenly Flame into your body to burn it away bit by bit. Naturally, it will be... painful."
He sat back down, sipped his tea leisurely, and added, "Also, once the flame enters your body, your life and death will rest entirely in my hands. That's not a threat, just a fact. Be mentally prepared before we begin."
Nalan Jie's hearty laugh broke the tension. "With Master Liu's status and strength, if you wished to harm me, you'd hardly need to go to such trouble. As for pain—ha! I've lived through countless battles. I fear neither blades nor fire. Please, begin!"
Nalan Su clenched his fists. "Father…"
Liu Xi's expression softened slightly. "Clan Leader Nalan, your courage is admirable. Since you're ready, let's find a quiet room for the treatment. Oh—and fetch a short iron rod, the sturdier the better, wrapped in white cloth."
Nalan Jie blinked, puzzled. "A rod? What for?"
Liu Xi's tone was light but his smile mysterious. "To bite on. When the flame enters your body—better to muffle the screams and protect your tongue."
Nalan Jie looked embarrassed. "Surely it won't come to that?"
Liu Xi merely chuckled. He knew exactly how much agony the Heavenly Flame could bring. When he first subdued it, even his bones nearly cracked under the pain. "As you wish," he said evenly, "you'll find out soon enough."
They soon moved to another chamber. Concerned, Nalan Su hurried off to fetch a short iron rod from the training grounds and returned, handing it over silently.
Nalan Jie sat cross-legged on the bed, still smiling bravely. "All right, let's begin!"
Liu Xi glanced at him, amused at his confidence, and summoned the Green Lotus Core Flame. A wisp of azure fire appeared, hovering in his palm. "Then here I come."
The Nine Nether Ghost Flame Technique allowed him to completely suppress the outward heat of the Heavenly Flame until the precise moment of release. So when the fire entered Nalan Jie's back, it caused no pain at first.
"Hmm? I feel fine," Nalan Jie said with forced cheer.
Liu Xi ignored him, focusing his senses. His Spiritual Power followed the Heavenly Flame's path within Nalan Jie's body, guiding it toward the clusters of gray-black poison. Then—
Boom!
A wave of searing heat exploded inside Nalan Jie's flesh.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
The scream tore through the room. Nalan Jie's eyes bulged, his veins convulsing beneath his skin. Even with Liu Xi holding back most of the Heavenly Flame's power, the pain was still unbearable.
"Quick, place the rod in his mouth!" Liu Xi barked.
Nalan Su, trembling, shoved the iron rod into his father's mouth. "Hold on, Father!"
Within Nalan Jie's body, the Heavenly Flame scorched through the poisonous clusters. The gray-black substance sizzled, vaporizing into black mist that tried to flee—but the Heavenly Flame engulfed it completely, burning it into nothingness.
As the toxin diminished, Liu Xi noticed something strange: faint traces of the black energy fused into the Heavenly Flame itself, merging rather than vanishing.
He frowned slightly but said nothing for now.
Outside, Nalan Jie's body was drenched in sweat. His face twitched uncontrollably, breath ragged and shallow.
Seeing this, Nalan Su panicked. "Master Liu, is the poison gone?"
Liu Xi remained calm, voice steady. "Gone? Hardly. This is just the beginning. Since I've already accepted the Seven Magical Green Spirit Saliva, I'll make sure it's fully cleansed today."
Time crawled by. Nalan Jie's eyes rolled white; his consciousness flickered in and out, groans muffled by the iron rod between his teeth.
"Master Liu," Nalan Su pleaded, "perhaps we should rest a bit? You must be exhausted."
Liu Xi's tone stayed level. "I'm fine. Best to finish in one go. Right, Clan Leader Nalan?"
"Uuuuhh… uuuuuhhh…" came the muffled response.
If not for the rod in his mouth, Nalan Jie's words would have been clear: "Please stop already!!!"
(End of Chapter)
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