Zhang Chen cast a glance at the ominous apparition but decided not to meddle.
Although Zhang Chen was lost in thought, he didn’t dwell on it further and followed Xiaodouding to the Herbal Hall.
"Elder Zhang, my junior brother has arrived. After drinking your potion, he suddenly weakened. Please take a close look to see what symptoms he has." Xiaodouding shouted as he approached the courtyard, his hidden message already conveyed.
Elder Zhang came out, smiling as he glanced at Zhang Chen. He took Zhang Chen’s pulse, but the smile quickly vanished, replaced by a serious gaze.
"Elder, how is it? Don’t scare me!" Chengyu, shocked by Elder Zhang’s expression, asked anxiously.
"This boy’s soul is extremely weak; the situation is very serious!" said Elder Zhang.
"What? What should we do?" Xiaodouding was shocked and appalled.
"Strange, how could an ordinary person’s soul be so weak?" Elder Xu muttered to himself before saying to Xiaodouding, "I’ll prescribe some spirit-nourishing medicine first and see if it has any effect."
After getting the medicine, Xiaodouding worriedly pulled Zhang Chen back, his little face filled with seriousness, "Zhang Chen, how did your soul become so weak?"
Zhang Chen couldn’t tell the truth, so he lied, "I don’t know, maybe I haven’t been eating well."
Hearing this, Xiaodouding looked steadily at Zhang Chen and, after a moment of contemplation, seemed to make a critical decision, "I’ll halve my meals in the future and give you half to eat."
Afternoon
Xie Lingyun came again. Zhang Chen put down the scroll, stood up, and respectfully saluted Xie Lingyun, though his body swayed uncontrollably. Seeing this, Xiaodouding hurriedly stepped forward to support him, tears dropping one by one like golden beans.
"What happened to you?" Xie Lingyun, noticing Zhang Chen’s pale face and seemingly abnormal Qi blood, asked after glancing at the tearful Xiaodouding beside him.
Zhang Chen smiled bitterly and deflected, "I don’t know."
"I am versed in medicine; let me check you," Xie Lingyun said, extending a hand to take Zhang Chen’s pulse before he could react. After a moment of examination, she furrowed her brows, "Your soul is injured, and it’s severe. Without a unique opportunity, it might not recover. With age, as your Qi blood declines, nourishing the soul will become even harder. You should temporarily stop practicing Martial Dao and focus on recuperating."
With that, Xie Lingyun glanced at the tearful Xiaodouding, hesitated slightly, then took three sticks of Calming Incense from her sleeve and handed them to Zhang Chen, "I have three sticks of incense here that can nurture the soul and significantly benefit you. Since your soul is injured, you’ll need proper nutrition to aid recovery, so eat some meat daily."
These three sticks of Calming Incense were the original, not her roughly replicated versions. She felt she had encountered a significant crisis; if she could overcome it, she wouldn’t need the incense. If she couldn’t, she’d die, and the incense would fall into the hands of the Celestial Demon.
Looking at the soul-wounded Zhang Chen before her, Xie Lingyun thought of her tribulation, now threatened by the Celestial Demon. Her life was on the line, likely to perish at any moment. Only truly standing on the edge of life and death could one understand the bittersweet taste of parting.
Seeing the teary-eyed, youthful, sobbing Xiaodouding, she recalled her five-year-old self, living daily in the shadow of impending death, terrified of never seeing her mother or father again, feelings no one could understand better.
Xie Lingyun’s journey to Huangli Temple had been fraught with difficulty. The temple’s Incense Divine Dao couldn’t overcome the evil within her body, and the mysterious power she saw as a savior had yet to show any trace. She knew she could hold on for at most another month. If she didn’t find a solution within that time, she feared she’d be doomed to die!
Amidst the life-and-death crisis, thinking of parting from her loved ones and noticing Xiaodouding’s pitiable expression, Xie Lingyun’s heart unexpectedly softened.
Xie Lingyun imparted some instructions before taking her leave.
Zhang Chen watched Xie Lingyun’s departing figure, then looked at the Soul-Stabilizing Incense in his hand. Suddenly, a Golden Light appeared in his eyes, and he noticed blue smoke swirling around the incense.
"Mysterious object," Zhang Chen muttered, staring at the Soul-Stabilizing Incense in his hand, momentarily stunned.
By noon, Xiaodouding went to the kitchen to get rice and porridge. True to her word, she broke the bun in half, looked around and eventually handed the slightly larger half to Zhang Chen.
Seeing Xiaodouding’s face full of reluctance, Zhang Chen smiled, "You silly girl, just eat it yourself. Half a bun won’t give much nutrition."
Xiaodouding stubbornly replied, "How can half a bun not help? A little is better than none. This is all I can do. Don’t think I’m useless, don’t think I’m a burden, unable to help you."
Zhang Chen felt touched, rubbing Xiaodouding’s head, "You eat the bun. I need meat for dinner."
Upon hearing this, Xiaodouding’s eyes immediately lit up, staring at Zhang Chen expectantly without speaking.
Zhang Chen put the bun in Xiaodouding’s mouth, and as they jested, an Armored Warrior entered the courtyard carrying a food box, "Master instructed me to bring you two this food."