bookbashuk Chapter 111 The Yellow River Ancestor
Chapter 111 The Yellow River Ancestor
Chapter 111 The Yellow River Ancestor
"What a fine young man!"
The fleshy man was in mid-air with nowhere to dodge, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes! He took a deep breath, and his fat body trembled like waves. His right palm, which he slapped out, struck the incoming sword without dodging or avoiding it!
"clang--!"
A dull, deafening thud, unlike the clang of metal, sounded more like a giant hammer striking a cowhide drum!
The air blast from the point where the heavy sword clashed with the bare palm sent up a huge shockwave that swept up all the rubble and dust on the ground!
Shen An felt a surge of internal energy travel along the sword, which made his hands go numb and caused him to stagger back three steps.
The fleshy man was in even worse shape. Although he used the momentum to retreat, he landed unsteadily and stumbled. The hand that had clashed with the heavy sword trembled slightly, and he put it behind his back.
The two men faced each other from a distance, both secretly alarmed.
It's like trying to fight a wolf with a straw stick – you're afraid of both sides!
Shen An's mind raced: "Damn it! Those three sword strikes were the peak of my qi, blood, and spirit, yet I still couldn't defeat this person. After those three strikes, my qi and blood have slightly declined, and I no longer possess such earth-shattering power. This fleshy ball's movements are unpredictable, and its internal strength is formidable. If we continue fighting, my strength will wane, and I'm afraid I'll be defeated without a doubt!"
The fleshy man's mind was in turmoil: "Damn it! How can this kid be so powerful and domineering at such a young age? I've never seen such a ruthless, force-based sword style in the martial world! Strange, very strange! I've always used brute force to overpower people, yet he's not afraid of me at all—wait, Ji Wushi mentioned a few days ago that there's a young master surnamed Shen in Hengyang who seems to be useful to the Holy Maiden, and he even warned us not to offend him lightly—"
Thinking this, the fleshy man dared not act rashly any longer. His eyes darted around, and he tentatively asked, "May I ask—are you surnamed Shen?"
Shen An's inner energy surged, but his face remained impassive: "Indeed. And who are you?"
"Damn it! It really is him!"
The meatball-like person was inwardly groaning in despair.
His face, bulging with fat, instantly forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! It's Young Hero Shen in person! This old man greets Young Hero Shen!"
The thought of the terrifying "Holy Maiden" sent a chill down his spine (this should be considered phantom limb pain), and he no longer dared to have the slightest thought of taking action.
"Old man?" Shen An's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this strange self-address. The Yellow River Ancestor?
The Yellow River Ancestors were two men, one surnamed Lao, named Ye, and styled Touzi; the other surnamed Zu, named Zong, and styled Qianqiu. They lived on opposite banks of the Yellow River and were collectively known as the Yellow River Ancestors, always inseparable.
Shen An felt a tightness in his chest. He might not be able to handle the old man alone. If he dragged it out for too long and the other person arrived, he would be in big trouble.
Seeing the old man's drastic change in attitude, he seized the opportunity and asked, "Senior old man, why have you come here so late at night, determined to rob my medicinal herbs?"
Upon hearing this, the old man seemed to have found a pretext, and his fat face immediately fell. He sighed, "To be honest, Young Hero Shen, this old man—I'm here to seek medicine to save my daughter's life!"
Shen An had already guessed most of it, but pretended not to know and asked, "Oh? What kind of acute illness has your daughter contracted?"
The old man then recounted in detail how his daughter had been born with a strange illness and how she needed to be saved by refining eight life-extending pills from several rare medicinal herbs. His words were filled with the anxiety and helplessness of a father.
After listening, Shen An nodded and sighed, "I see. As parents, they would do anything to save their children, which is understandable."
Seeing that his opponent had lost the will to fight, and seeing that he could conveniently save face, he said, "How about this, old man—"
"Senior, I'll accompany you to the warehouse to see if there are any useful medicinal herbs. Please take them first; consider it a loan from Songyang Firm. Saving lives is urgent; we can discuss the money later."
The old man was overjoyed upon hearing this. He had not held out much hope, but he never expected the other party to agree so easily and to speak of such benevolence!
He immediately bowed deeply to the ground, his obese body bending into a comical arc: "Young Master Shen, you are so kind! This old man—on behalf of my poor daughter, thanks you for your great kindness!"
Shen An nodded and led the old man toward the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, the aroma of herbs filled the air, and rows of wooden shelves were neatly stacked with various medicinal materials.
As soon as the old man came in, he was like a mouse falling into a rice jar, his narrow eyes shining as he darted back and forth between the wooden shelves.
He muttered to himself, occasionally reaching out to pick up a medicinal herb, sniffing it lightly, and then examining it carefully.
"Hmm, top-quality ginseng—this deer antler is also of the highest quality—hey, and this is the aged Panax notoginseng and Polygonum multiflorum—"
Although he kept praising it, he was very restrained with his hands, only picking out a small portion and carefully placing it aside, clearly not daring to take more.
Shen An saw it all but didn't point it out.
He walked to the innermost part of the storeroom and took out an item from an exquisite rosewood box.
It was a pure white flower, as if sculpted from ice and jade. As soon as it was taken out, the temperature in the entire warehouse seemed to drop a few degrees, and a refreshing chill permeated the air.
"Senior, take a look at this."
The old man turned around at the sound, and upon seeing the snow lotus in Shen An's hand, he gasped and exclaimed, "It's—it's—a winter snow lotus?!"
He rushed forward, peered closely, and exclaimed in amazement, "Good heavens! This is a rare plant that blooms only once every hundred years on the snowy mountain! It's said to have the power to bring the dead back to life and heal flesh and bone—but, that's not right."
He examined it for a long time, then shook his head. "This lotus is extremely cold in nature, its medicinal power is unparalleled, and it cannot be used except for cases of extreme Yang deficiency. My daughter has been ill for a long time and is weak; her Yin and Yang are already out of balance. Using this would be like drinking poison to quench her thirst. It's a good medicine, truly a good medicine! But—it's useless, useless!"
Although his eyes were full of envy, he felt no greed whatsoever. He carefully pushed the winter snow lotus back to Shen An, saying, "Young Master Shen, this winter snow lotus is truly rare. You must take good care of it."
Shen An thought to himself: Eastern Snow Lotus? That is indeed very rare.
The two left the storeroom, and the old man wrapped the medicinal herbs in cloth, then solemnly bowed to Shen An again: "Young Hero Shen, I, the Yellow River Ancestor, will surely repay your kindness today! In the future, whatever your command, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"
Shen An casually chuckled, "You're too kind, sir. I do have a question, though. The Yellow River Ancestor is a man of great renown; why would he travel so far to the banks of the Xiang River?"
Upon hearing this, the old man's fat face twitched, and he gave an embarrassed smile. He scratched his almost invisible neck and stammered, "Well—well, it's a long story, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."
Shen An's eyes flickered slightly, and he said with a half-smile, "Old sir, your visit to Hengyang is surely about—Elder Qu Yang's matter?"
The old man's body jolted violently, as if struck by lightning. His narrow eyes widened in shock, and he cried out, "You—"
How did you know?!
Shen An chuckled, "Go ask Yi Wushi. I suppose Elder Qu Yang is out of danger by now?"
The old man was even more surprised and suspicious, looking Shen An up and down as if trying to see through him: "Yes, yes—thanks to the Holy Maiden, Elder Qu was saved, and now no one dares to cause him any trouble."
But—what is your relationship with that guy Ji Wushi? This matter—this matter—”
As he was talking, he suddenly looked around curiously: "Huh? That's strange, where is that old fellow Zu Qianqiu? We agreed to meet here."