Today, Jingliu interrupted her sword-swinging training for the first time; even by nightfall, she had failed to complete her weighted long-distance run.
Once again, she had overextended her body and was unconscious.
Qi Zhimu removed her equipment and picked up her small frame, feeling her faint breath that had almost vanished.
"Are you really not afraid of torturing her to death..."
"Greetings, General."
"Sigh..." Wind of Evil let out a long sigh.
For generations, the Qi Family of the Star Skiff had served in the military, and none had ever disgraced the glory of their ancestors.
Even he, a General stationed on the Yaoqing, had heard of these rumors.
Yet he never imagined that the special training received by the descendants of the Qi Family from a young age would be so horrifying.
Forget a ten-year-old child; even Cloud Knights who had just enlisted and hadn't experienced battle would absolutely be unable to endure it.
"Has the General come with some important orders?"
Qi Zhimu acted as if he didn't see Wind of Evil's look of pity toward Jingliu.
"I mainly came to check on your condition. The concerns of the Alchemy Commission have been proven right; so far, over five million Azure City survivors have shown premonitions of the mara affliction."
At this point, Wind of Evil's expression turned heavy.
Most of these people were older, and among them... was Qi Zhimu.
Living in seclusion in a remote delve, how could one not worry?
"This catastrophe was too cruel for those over six hundred years old, causing their essence, energy, and spirit to fall into disarray and plunge into nightmares, inducing the mara affliction."
"As of now, the premonitions of hundreds of thousands among them have become reality, and they have been guided into extinction by the Messengers and Judges of the Ten Lords Tribunal."
"A small number of people around five hundred years old also cannot avoid the mara affliction..."
Qi Zhimu fell silent. "Please rest assured, General, I am fine. May I ask what the secondary purpose of your visit is?"
Wind of Evil shared secret intelligence: a monitoring report from the Yueque.
After the destruction of Azure City, the Yaoqing returned to its own route, which was also the route with the most Abominations.
The expeditions of the Hunt would not cease.
"The Yaoqing has lost its Cloud Knight Sword Master. The Vidyadhara High Elder alone cannot defend against more powerful enemies. Before a new Sword Master is selected, I cannot easily leave the Xianzhou to go on an expedition."
Hearing Wind of Evil say this, Qi Zhimu understood clearly and was quite sympathetic.
A Lord of the Hunt Envoy is different from Abundance; as Xianzhou Generals, their every move must be responsible for the hundreds of billions of lives on the Xianzhou.
They couldn't be like Shuhu, acting as he pleased and treating the allied forces of the Abominations of Abundance as consumables to weaken the Xianzhou's power without any remorse.
Qi Zhimu looked at the young girl in his arms, her brow furrowed and her small face filled with pain.
After a long while, he said:
"Give me one more month."
"There's no need for that; half a year." Wind of Evil also knew that Qi Zhimu had lost almost everything.
Now, he only had the disciple in his arms.
Although he showed no mercy when training her, it wasn't hard to see how much he cared for her.
Furthermore, using half a year to adjust his state of mind would be safer.
"It's fine, just one month."
"...Since you insist, I won't say more."
Qi Zhimu nodded and changed the subject.
"Also, General, help me enter this child's information into the Cloud Knights' records."
"...She's only thirteen!"
"The General misunderstands. I only plan to have her enter the Reserve forces first."
"That's good then." Wind of Evil breathed a sigh of relief.
Although there were cases of teenagers going to battle, and many among the Qi Family descendants specifically.
But Jingliu had barely touched a weapon before the disaster at Azure City. Even with special training, what combat power could she have in less than two months?
"I will have someone arrange it. I trust your disciple." Wind of Evil then left... The light in the room was bright.
Behind the screen, steam was rising.
Jingliu's wrists and ankles were a bloody mess, stuck to her clothes—a gruesome sight.
Qi Zhimu did not immediately put her into the medicinal bath.
For this level of overexertion and injury, the absorption efficiency of simple soaking was too low.
He took out a needle roll from his robe and unfolded it; silver needles of varying lengths glinted coldly.
The Needling Technique, one of the many medical classics of the Xianzhou, was something he learned while researching the power of Abundance and the Mara-Struck. With the foundation of his past life's knowledge, it wasn't too difficult for him.
Pinching a three-inch needle between two fingers, Qi Zhimu's gaze was focused as he found the correct acupoint and inserted it.
The first needle was inserted into the Baihui point at the top of the head to refresh the spirit and lock the Qi.
Then came Shousanli, Zusanli, Quchi, Hegu... Qi Zhimu's movements were not slow, and each insertion was accompanied by a gentle twist.
Unlike treating an illness, this was to open Jingliu's meridians, which were blocked due to extreme fatigue, and maintain an unobstructed connection with the air vents of the elixir organ.
Similar to traditional wuxia and xianxia novels, thanks to the existence of the elixir organ, the Xianzhou people possessed the ability to refine Qi.
A very small number of people could cultivate True Qi to control weapons.
Qi Zhimu had cultivated True Qi since childhood; stored in his divine sense, it allowed him to directly control a large number of weapons.
Meanwhile, the Cloud Knights could control a small number of Department of Craftsmanship Ingenious devices by connecting their divine sense to a line of acupoints such as Dazhui and Yangguan.
These Ingenious devices were usually flying swords that could be deployed in an instant, moving like a gale or a torrential rain to kill enemies from a hundred meters away.
Of course, regardless of the method, it was still very far off for the current Jingliu.
As the silver needles entered her body, Jingliu, whose face was as pale as paper, furrowed her brow slightly, and her body twitched unconsciously.
Once all dozens of silver needles were in place, her previously cold limbs began to heat up slightly, and an unnatural deep red flushed her skin.
Qi Zhimu nodded slightly, carefully avoiding the silver needles as he picked up Jingliu.
The medicinal liquid had long been prepared, emitting an aura full of vitality.
He slowly placed Jingliu into the wooden tub, leaving only her head, shoulders, and neck above the water.
The moment the medicinal liquid touched her skin, the acupoints stimulated by the silver needles seemed like greedy mouths, frantically devouring the medicinal power in the water.
The originally emerald-green liquid began to fade at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Qi Zhimu stood by, constantly observing Jingliu's complexion and occasionally adjusting the depth of the silver needles to guide the medicinal power in repairing deep muscle tears and hidden bone injuries.
The girl's brow gradually relaxed, and her previously tense and painful expression slowly turned peaceful.
The severity in Qi Zhimu's eyes had long since dissipated; he picked up a soft towel and gently wiped the cold sweat from Jingliu's forehead.
"The current hardship and pain are so that you can quickly become stronger without harming yourself..."
He looked at the thin figure in the tub and murmured softly in his heart.
Master cannot suppress the mara affliction forever and cannot accompany you on the battlefield forever.
After some uncertain moment, you will have to walk the path of the future alone.
And... — kill Master.
General Wind of Evil's concerns were not wrong.
The Azure City survivors showing premonitions of the mara affliction included Qi Zhimu.
However, at the cost of deeply violating the Xianzhou's Ten Unpardonable Sins, he had used a forbidden method to suppress the mara affliction.
Until he killed Shuhu, he would fight the mara affliction and live as long as possible as a member of the Long-lived Species.
Half an hour later, the medicinal water in the tub had turned completely clear.
Qi Zhimu skillfully removed the needles, turned off the jade message recording, and carried Jingliu, wrapped in a bath towel, back to her room to change into pajamas.
Only after finishing all this did he feel a wave of deep exhaustion wash over him.
He turned to take one last look at his sleeping disciple, extinguished the light, and left, leaving behind only a faint sigh.