Already at the station, I called Jiaxing Er and asked how she was. It turned out she had rented a room in a cheap hotel and immediately fell asleep, and my call woke her up. I informed her that I would be back in Hong Kong soon and asked for the hotel's address so I could pick her up. On the train, I finally got a couple more hours of sleep. After the battle with another group of Guardians, I was quite exhausted and could fall asleep literally on the go. It was good that I didn't fall asleep at the station, otherwise I would have missed the train. When I was leaving the station, a message arrived from a black market dealer. He said he could handle my request and demanded an advance of five million. The remaining amount could exceed ten million, but that would depend on the authorities' willingness to negotiate. I agreed, arranging to meet him in Xiamen in a couple of days.
Taking Jiaxing Er with me, I headed to the Mu Family Estate, having previously warned the old man of my arrival and asked him to prepare not only training for fire and ice mages but also all methods using poison. He was slightly surprised by the increase in my requests but agreed on the same terms, which I fully accepted. Now I was completely confident that by the end of the year, the winged ash wolf would not be my rival under certain conditions. Of course, there was still the option of hiring a team of hunters and killing it with them, but that would be a last resort.
Jiaxing Er was greatly surprised to see where we had arrived. She looked around with interest, her mouth almost agape in astonishment. There was a small confusion with the guards, as I had come here in a mask before. We had to wait for the old man, and only then, together with him, did we go to the guest room to discuss all matters.
"I understand correctly that you are not here for long?" he asked as soon as we entered the room.
"Precisely, teacher. Or do you have some special assignment that requires my presence here?" I asked politely, bowing slightly.
"No, you'd better tell me in more detail why you need these tempering techniques. And most importantly, for whom are they?" he asked, then shifted his gaze to Jiaxing Er. "Not for this young lady, are they?"
"One for her, the teacher is correct," I said calmly. "But initially, I asked for a tempering method for another girl. They have both become my students and have great potential. I think the teacher wouldn't mind gaining such assistants. After all, the teacher strives for something more than just becoming the head of the Mu clan." I smiled slyly, looking him directly in the eyes.
"You!" The old man got angry for a moment, but quickly calmed down and laughed. "Absolutely right. Besides the Mu clan, there are two other families in China with body tempering methods. They, like us, hide their true strength, gradually increasing their shadow power. One of them is located in Beijing, the second in Nanjing. I intend to unite all three clans into a single sect to counter the Holy City. At the end of August, the tournament of the three clans is held annually. I hope you will not refuse the Mu family this request?" the old man said, as if in passing.
"Of course not, teacher. But what will the student receive in case of victory?" I remarked humbly.
"The right to take some of the clan's treasures. But if you want, I can replace them with the techniques you choose today," the old man said with a smile.
"I cannot simply break my promise, and by the end of the year, the teacher will have the head of the winged ash wolf," I said confidently. Jiaxing Er flinched slightly at my words, her eyes widening in surprise.
"So, now let's get back to the topic of our meeting," the old man said in a serious tone, glancing at Jiaxing Er. "First, tell me what kind of girl this is."
"This is Jiaxing Er, my sister," I said calmly. The old man was slightly surprised. "I didn't even know about her existence until I met her in the slums of Xi'an and remembered. She is a poison mage, and an unusual one at that; her element poisons her."
"I see, quite interesting," the old man said, carefully examining Jiaxing Er. "I have an idea about what might be causing this, but a small examination is needed."
"Jiaxing Er, do you mind?" I asked her gently, only hoping that the old man wouldn't beat her like he did me the first time.
"If brother trusts his teacher, I agree," Jiaxing Er replied modestly, bowing slightly.
"Then, very well. Teacher, please find out the cause of my sister's problem," I said, bowing. "Allow me, while you are busy, to study the ice and fire tempering techniques."
"Alright, they are all on the table in a black folder. There is a brief description of each," the old man said, then turned to Jiaxing Er. "Let's go to the next room for our convenience. I may need some tools for a precise examination."
"Alright," Jiaxing Er replied, leaving the room with the old man. I, meanwhile, walked over to the table and sat on the nearby sofa.
Indeed, there was a black folder on the table, containing only a couple of sheets describing various body tempering techniques. Some required rare resources, while others gave too weak an effect. I settled on two: "Fire and Flame Tempering" and "Perfect Yin Yang Body."
The first involved tempering in harsh conditions and yielded excellent results, in my opinion, with development that was neither too fast nor too slow. If followed, by the time of the Xi'an tragedy, she would be at the level of a high-ranking servant. The second method, however, required quite rare and expensive resources for cultivation, related to Yin and Yang. At the same time, the result this technique provided was slightly higher, and it could be practiced in the city without leaving it.
While I was contemplating the dilemma of which one was better to choose, the old man and Jiaxing Er returned. She looked slightly embarrassed, but the old man had burning eyes, which was clearly not a good sign, although it promised me good profit.
"Teacher, what did Jiaxing Er's examination show?" I asked with concern, standing up and placing the folder on the table.
"I've figured out the cause of her self-poisoning," the old man said, somewhat joyfully. "It turns out she has a very rare and little-studied gift, namely the Absolute Poison Body."
"What is that? Teacher, please explain in more detail," I said, completely not understanding what he was talking about.
"Yes, please, tell us what it is; it's very important for me to know," Jiaxing Er supported my words.
"It means that your sister, Jiaxing Yun, has the poison element, so to speak, in her blood. I bet her poison is stronger than usual and has unique properties," he said confidently, looking questioningly at Jiaxing Er.
"Yes, you are right, it is three times stronger than usual," Jiaxing Er replied, greatly surprised, seeing my approving, slight nod.
"This makes you even more unique. The chronicles of our clan record all people who had this talent. Initially, their amplification coefficient did not even reach two and seven-tenths. For the most gifted, the higher the initial increase in abilities, the more they will grow in the future," the teacher declared joyfully.
"You said that the strength of her poison will only grow, but won't this kill her even before she reaches a high level?" I asked with doubt in my voice, with strong doubt in my voice.
"This is the reason for the poor study of such a talent," the old man began to explain, calming down and adopting his usual serious, wise demeanor. "The vast majority of such mages die by the age of thirty, and if they also awaken their magic and begin to cultivate actively, they can die even before twenty."
"Ah..." Jiaxing Er exclaimed when she heard this. "But is there a way for me to save my life?" she asked with hope in her voice and tears welling up in her eyes. To be honest, even now it seemed difficult for me to save her life, as I initially didn't think it was so serious and could have simply sealed the poison in her inner world. However, I knew that the old man had entered here with burning eyes, and also, based on my experience reading light novels, I could assume with one hundred percent certainty that there was a special body tempering method for this particular gift. It was a rather obvious assumption.
"There is one way; it requires using a special body tempering method, namely: 'Absolute Poison Body,' which is named the same as the talent," the old man replied in a rather serious voice. My assumption was correct; I even guessed the name. "But it requires very rare herbs and potions that are difficult to prepare."
"And what is the effect of this technique?" I asked, because if its effectiveness is at the proper level, then I see no problems.
"Its effectiveness is almost on par with yours, but the talent required to use it and the resources are very rare, so almost no one uses it. Also, if practiced, over time, even absolute poison will not be able to harm her, complete and absolute resistance," the old man said, looking at me. "If you want to save her life, you will have to run all over China or even the world."
"Nothing is impossible," I replied dryly, and Jiaxing Er looked at me with such admiring and reverent eyes, as if she were looking at a god. "Tell me more about this technique."
"Alright, just a moment," he said, left the room for a minute, said something to the guard, and returned. "If you are firmly decided, then I will make her my disciple and pass this technique on to her," the old man stated calmly. "Does the brother have any objections?"
"No, I will be pleased that my sister is your second disciple," I replied humbly, as it was practically all the same to me. It would even be better if he taught her the basics himself. Anyway, Jiaxing Er is bound by a spiritual contract, like chains.
"Excellent. You will have to stay for a couple of days so I can teach her the basics. After that, you can guide her yourself, following the recommendations of the treatises," the old man said, to which I nodded silently. "Now, about the technique. It is divided into seven stages, namely: mortal body, small body, tempered body, great body, perfect body, absolute, and divine body. The mortal body corresponds to the foundation-laying period, the small body to the subjugation of internal energy, the tempered body to accumulation, and then the levels correspond to the concentration of internal energy in specific meridians. The first stage requires nothing special; everything necessary is quite realistically obtainable. But by the second stage, quite rare poisons filled with internal energy are required."
"I understand, I will manage, no matter where I have to go," I said. "Please, teacher, take care of my sister."
"Alright. I think a week will be enough to finish her initial training," the old man said thoughtfully. "And have you chosen another tempering technique you want to take?" he asked, looking at the black folder.
"I have chosen 'Fire and Flame Tempering' and 'Perfect Yin Yang Body'," I said, then added with a slight bow. "If the teacher allows, I would like to take both and study them in detail, for the purpose of combining them."
"Alright, you will give me all the results," he said. "It's not a big problem. But there are no sword tempering techniques in our clan. The clan from Nanjing is famous for that."
"Thank you, teacher, for all your efforts. Allow me to excuse myself. I leave Jiaxing Er to you, teacher," I said, heading for the door, then added to Jiaxing Er. "Be obedient and listen to everything the teacher says."
"Of course, brother," she replied modestly, slightly upset.
"And where are you going?" the old man asked me. "I understand that training is important for you too, but tell me where you are heading."
"Teacher, you know I study artifact crafting. I think it's time to find someone more knowledgeable in this field," I replied briefly.