Although He Hongshu had only just returned to the Glazed Glass King City, he wasn't deaf — how could he not have heard about Pill King Zhen?
It was just that he never could have imagined that this Pill King Zhen, whose name had rung out across the entire Glazed Glass King City and even the whole human domain, was actually Pill King Lü Feng's master!
This connection was far too unexpected.
He Hongshu's mind couldn't quite wrap around it. He looked at Jiang Chen, then at Pill King Lü Feng. If you reversed the dynamic between this old man and the young one, it really would look like a proper master-disciple relationship.
But the other way around — the young one was the master, and the white-haired, bearded old man was the student — now that was enough to leave anyone scratching their head.
Pill King Lü Feng felt no shame about it whatsoever; if anything, he wore it as a badge of pride. He chuckled, "Old He, I wouldn't normally tell just anyone about this. But you're Old He, so — how about it? Is my master qualified to take a look at your condition? If you're really not interested, forget it."
He Hongshu's face went green. He hurriedly said, "Interested, of course I'm interested! Having the renowned Pill King Zhen of the Glazed Glass King City agree to examine me — that's a blessing several lifetimes in the making!"
As expected of someone who'd spent years navigating the world — his way with words was truly something.
Jiang Chen hadn't said a word throughout, but he'd been quietly observing He Hongshu the entire time, studying him closely.
Without warning, he spoke up: "Tell me — do you feel as though countless ants are crawling through your blood vessels? Making your entire body restless, living worse than death?"
He Hongshu froze. He glanced at Pill King Lü Feng, assuming Lü Feng must have already told Jiang Chen about his condition.
But Pill King Lü Feng looked utterly shocked. Then, gazing at Jiang Chen with open admiration, he said, "Master, you just looked at him a few times and already figured it out?"
Hearing Lü Feng say that, He Hongshu was deeply shaken. From the sound of it, had Lü Feng not actually told Pill King Zhen about his illness?
If that was the case, then being able to diagnose his problems from just a few glances meant Pill King Zhen truly didn't earn his reputation for nothing.
"It's not hard to spot. Look at the surface of his skin — the blood vessels are visibly pulsing. It's making his pores stand on end, one by one. If this symptom showed up only occasionally, it wouldn't be unusual. But ever since I walked through the door, he's been in exactly this state. That makes it easy enough to spot."
He Hongshu and Pill King Lü Feng exchanged a glance, a flicker of admiration in both their eyes.
Pill King Lü Feng said with genuine conviction, "Master, all this time I used to think it was just your good fortune — having a great master who taught you some theory. Now I see how short-sighted I've been. Ten years, even with a great master, to learn this much — that's because your own talent is extraordinary and unmatched. Otherwise, why would your master, who looked past everyone else, choose you specifically and pass down so many divine abilities and techniques? Especially this eye for detail, this hands-on ability — those are absolutely natural gifts. No teacher in the world can teach that."
This wasn't mere flattery from Pill King Lü Feng — it came straight from the heart.
Jiang Chen gave a mild nod, neither denying nor elaborating, and turned to He Hongshu. "You don't mind if I take your pulse?"
He Hongshu quickly replied, "It would be my honor."
Jiang Chen didn't stand on ceremony. He placed his fingers on He Hongshu's wrist and focused his attention, observing carefully. This time, the pulse-reading went on for quite a while — a good seven or eight minutes.
After what felt like forever, he finally released He Hongshu's wrist and gave a slight nod.
He Hongshu had already made peace with death. Having accepted his fate, he'd found a certain calm. Though his eyes were filled with questions, he kept his composure.
It was Pill King Lü Feng who looked like he was about to burst. He sidled up and asked eagerly, "Master, so how is it? Can Old He still be saved?"
Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. "Old He — is that what I should call you? Would that be too forward?"
"Not at all. Pill King Zhen calling me 'Old He' — that's doing me an honor," He Hongshu said quickly.
"I only want to ask you one thing — where exactly did you go?" Jiang Chen asked with a frown. "On your body, I've found both sinister yin energy and Gu poison. Your condition isn't one problem — it's two."
"Two?!" Pill King Lü Feng was genuinely startled. He'd only ever noticed one.
Jiang Chen's expression remained calm. He didn't elaborate further, but there was an unmistakable air of authority about him — one that brooked no argument.
Pill King Lü Feng smiled sheepishly. "If Master says two, then it's definitely two. Old Lü here doesn't even come close when it comes to an eye for these things."
On this point, Lü Feng was genuinely being modest.
He Hongshu sighed. "This time, the place I went was very far. I traveled southeast, past the Myriad Phenomena Domain, and deep into the barbarian wilderness."
Pill King Lü Feng was stunned. "You entered the Great Wasteland?"
He Hongshu nodded with a bitter smile. "I did."
"Then yesterday when you said you'd gone to some secret realm — you were lying to me?"
A look of shame crossed He Hongshu's face. "Old Lü, I lied to you. But I didn't lie to hurt you — I did it to protect you."
"What bullshit! What kind of twisted logic is that?!" Pill King Lü Feng exploded, visibly upset.
He Hongshu hurriedly explained: "Old Lü, we've been friends for years, and I'm a man on the verge of death — would I really set out to trap you on purpose? I wanted you to watch over my young son. That's why I didn't want you risking your life going there, so I made up a fake location. Otherwise, hearing about the bounty for the Soul-Calming Wood, you'd have been tempted to make the trip. That place — there is absolutely no chance of coming back alive!"