Chapter 53 – Tempering Bath
Envoy Feng took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions, but his voice still carried a tremor he couldn't suppress. "Then... do you know the method to break the curse?"
"Of course I do," Terra Su replied without hesitation.
"What is the method?" Envoy Feng's eyes lit up. He didn't doubt Terra Su's words because the fact that Terra Su could see through his condition at a glance indicated a deep understanding of his ailment.
"The method is within that martial technique."
Terra Su curled his lips into a mocking smile and pointed to the half-written "Ming Wang Finger."
Envoy Feng's body trembled. At this moment, he couldn't care less about his dignity as an envoy. He lunged forward, snatching the half-written martial technique like it was a priceless treasure, and began reading it eagerly.
Just then, Terra Su lazily added, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, it's in the latter half."
"..."
At this point, Envoy Feng could no longer maintain his composure. He raised his bloodshot eyes to Terra Su and asked hoarsely, "What do you want in exchange for the latter half?"
Terra Su leisurely extended three fingers. "Three conditions!"
"First, sell me the Snake Blood Ginseng."
"Second, the first half of 'Ming Wang Finger,' you must buy it from me at market price through Five Treasures Hall."
"Third, I will teach you the latter half of 'Ming Wang Finger' bit by bit, depending on the situation. During this period, you must obey me!"
As soon as these three conditions were stated, Envoy Feng instinctively responded, "No way!"
The first two conditions were negotiable, but the third one? To have a powerful envoy from the capital obey a youth from Clear River City?
That was too humiliating. If word got back to the capital, he'd lose all face!
Envoy Feng could not accept such conditions under any circumstances.
Terra Su said indifferently, "Take it or leave it. The opportunity has been given to you; just don't regret it later."
In his past life, countless supreme experts had begged to follow Terra Su, only to be rejected by him.
In this life, having the opportunity to obey him was a fortune that the other party couldn't achieve even in ten lifetimes. If he still hesitated, it could only be described as foolish beyond measure.
Envoy Feng remained silent for a while, clearly undergoing an intense internal struggle.
Just as Terra Su was about to lose his patience, Envoy Feng finally made up his mind. "Fine! I'll do as you say!"
The desire to survive ultimately triumphed over everything. Even though Envoy Feng couldn't be sure if Terra Su was deceiving him, having hope was better than having none.
Manager Min, standing nearby, was left with his mouth agape, almost unable to believe his ears. Did Envoy Feng really agree to obey Terra Su? Was this a dream?
"I hope you keep your promise and teach me the method to break the curse!" Envoy Feng stared at Terra Su and said solemnly.
Terra Su replied lazily, "The True Qi circulation method in the latter half of 'Ming Wang Finger' can precisely counteract the symptoms of your chest meridian distortion and blockage. As long as you practice the latter half of 'Ming Wang Finger,' the symptoms will gradually reverse and eventually disappear."
"However, since we've reached an agreement, we should change how we address each other, don't you think?" Terra Su glanced at Envoy Feng.
Envoy Feng's pupils contracted sharply. After a long pause, he reluctantly asked, "What should I call you?"
"I'm quite easygoing. You can call me Young Master Su like everyone else," Terra Su said. "As for you, you can't refer to yourself as 'this envoy' anymore. What's your name?"
"Sean Feng," Envoy Feng uttered.
"Alright, I'll call you by your name from now on," Terra Su waved his hand.
Sean Feng nodded and added, "If you have any tasks for me, you can order me now!"
Eager to obtain the latter half of "Ming Wang Finger," Sean Feng was naturally very proactive.
Terra Su smiled faintly. "For now, you don't need to do anything. Just stay at Five Treasures Hall and cultivate. You don't need to go anywhere. Of course, I can teach you the initial part of the latter half of 'Ming Wang Finger' right now."
Sean Feng was taken aback. "I don't need to do anything?"
Terra Su nodded. "That's right. Just stay here and appear when I need you."
"Also, keep your obedience to me a secret!" Terra Su instructed.
Sean Feng nodded repeatedly, eager to keep his obedience to Terra Su a secret to avoid losing face.
"Young Master Su, here is the Snake Blood Ginseng you requested," Manager Min presented the ginseng in an exquisite jade box.
In addition to the Snake Blood Ginseng, there were also silver notes worth fifteen thousand taels. This was the income from selling the first half of "Ming Wang Finger" to Five Treasures Hall, minus the five thousand taels for the Snake Blood Ginseng, leaving fifteen thousand taels.
Terra Su put away the Snake Blood Ginseng and the silver notes and said, "Manager Min, please don't reveal that I sold the first half of 'Ming Wang Finger.'"
Manager Min smiled. "Rest assured, Young Master Su. At Five Treasures Hall, we always keep the seller's identity confidential. We won't reveal a word without the seller's consent."
Terra Su nodded, then took out paper and pen, writing down the first part of the latter half of "Ming Wang Finger" and left it for Sean Feng.
Afterward, Terra Su took the Snake Blood Ginseng and silver notes and left.
Manager Min quickly stood up. "Young Master Su, let me see you out."
"No need!"
Terra Su left behind three words and disappeared through the door.
Manager Min couldn't help but smile wryly. This Young Master Su was indeed mysterious and unfathomable. He couldn't help but grow more curious about Young Master Su's background.
What kind of power could cultivate such a monstrous genius?
"Lord Feng, shall I arrange a room for you?" Manager Min asked Sean Feng, knowing that from today, Sean Feng would likely stay at Five Treasures Hall in Clear River City for some time.
"Yes!" Sean Feng nodded with a somber expression, holding the paper with the first part of the latter half of "Ming Wang Finger," muttering to himself, "I hope this kid isn't deceiving me!"
Jiang Family Residence.
Terra Su returned to his room and immediately began preparing the Tempering Bath.
The reason he purchased the Snake Blood Ginseng and other herbs on the list was for this Tempering Bath.
The Tempering Bath was made from thirty-six types of herbs and required soaking for ten days. Its purpose was to thoroughly temper the skin and flesh, removing impurities.
After this tempering, the skin would become incredibly tough, almost impervious to blades and bullets.
Terra Su placed great importance on tempering his physique because he had seen in his past life how some experts, despite having excellent cultivation levels and martial techniques, suffered great losses in actual combat due to their physiques not keeping up.
It's like a wooden barrel; the shortest plank determines its capacity. If you don't want your potential to be limited, you must have no weaknesses.
Terra Su's goal in this life was to achieve the pinnacle of Martial Dao, so he wouldn't let his physique become a weakness. On the contrary, he intended to make it his strength.