Chapter 267: Exchanging Life for Life
Tang Xiu was well aware that treating Tang Yunde would heavily consume his mental force. In particular, the removal of those ash-gray substances blocking his mind sea and the brain ventricles, as well as the mass of coagulated blood, would require the complete coordination of his star force and spiritual sense. He was required to stay focused all the time, controlling the input of his star force and spiritual sense. All in all, the task was an enormous demanding necessity in itself.
Success meant that Tang Yunde would wake up and survive, and failure would result in his death.
Disappointing his mother was something that he never wanted. After all, for twenty years she had been suffering, and the good days she had always been painstakingly hoping for, had approached. Even if he had to brave the danger, Tang Xiu had to go all out.
Instantly piercing the silver needles on the acupoints in the middle of Tang Yunde’s head, Tang Xiu’s fingers pinched the needles and carefully inserted his star force into the acupuncture point. Along with the injection of star force, he guided his star force to enter Tang Yunde’s brain. The coagulated blood must be cleared out first, and the nourishment to repair Tang Yunde’s brain nerves must also be commenced afterward. Then he could eliminate that ash-grey substance slowly.
A thread, silk-like star force, under Tang Xiu’s spiritual sense control, slowly seeped into the coagulated blood. It pierced and recovered as the process repeated itself. Every time he took back his star force and spiritual sense, a trace of coagulated blood was extracted out.
Time passed by.
Tang Xiu’s mental force had been concentrated to the limit, carrying the coagulated blood time and time again. An hour passed and one-fifth of the coagulated blood had been removed. Immediately after, Tang Xiu recovered his star force and spiritual sense and quickly pulled out the silver needles on top of Tang Yunde’s head. He then released his spiritual sense to seep into the brain once more, wrapping the coagulated blood and extracting a little more.
Subsequently, he pierced the silver needles again in an instant, commencing the same previous procedures, and clearing up a little bit of the coagulated blood. Yet, along with the increase of speed, the cleaning of the coagulated blood congested inside Tang Yunde’s brain had consumed a full four hours. Repairing Tang Yunde’s brain nerves was as slow as before. While star force had a strong nourishing function, yet, Tang Xiu had spent another two full hours and could only repair 60% of the atrophied part of the brain nerves.
“It’s about there!”
Thick sweat beads rolled down Tang Xiu’s forehead, yet he didn’t notice it. At this time, he could feel a burst of intermittent fatigue in his soul, causing him an enormous burden. However, he knew very well that the more critical the moment, the more he couldn’t relax. It was because the removal of the coagulated blood and the repairing of the brain nerves would lead to enormous burden to Tang Yunde’s brain if his consciousness couldn’t be released as fast as possible. The problems created in the past 20 years would bring about that heavy burden to the brain due to the sudden change.
Suddenly, a wisp of fragrance drilled into Tang Xiu’s nose. Quickly, his spirit startled. He knew that Chu Yi had lit the Dragonfume Grass. As his spirit slowly recoverded, he began to slowly remove the ash-gray substance that blocked Tang Yunde’s mind sea and brain ventricle veins. These ash-gray substances were much more troublesome to clean up compared to the removal of the coagulated blood. It was inherently thicker, stickier and viscous. The process of removing these substances would require more effort and multiply the amount of mental force.
Half an hour later, Tang Xiu’s complexion had already turned paler, as though a paper, while the removal of the ash-gray substances was less than one-twentieth done.
The door was gently pushed open as Chu Yi came inside soundlessly. His vision landed on Tang Xiu as his complexion slightly dazed, along with an aghast expression. Prior to this, although he saw that Tang Xiu looked to be straining a bit when he pinched the silver needle on the top of Tang Yunde’s head to treat him, however, he didn’t look as he was right now. Sweating all over his face, pale, lips turned purple and brows knitted together.
Having been silenced for a moment, he lit the Dragonfume Grass again and left the room.
Half an hour later, when Chu Yi came inside again, he found that Tang Xiu was not only sweating, looking pale again, even his body was somewhat shivering now. Worry and concern instantly grew inside his heart and could be seen on his face.
After he kindled another Dragonfume Grass, he left the room. At the outside, the members of the Tang Family were still waiting. Despite the tiredness that could be seen on their faces, yet no one left to rest.
As Tang Guosheng saw Chu Yi come out and readily shut the door, he asked with a heavy tone, “How is it?”
“I don’t know, but…” Chu Yi hesitated for a moment and replied with an astringent expression.
“But what?” asked Tang Guosheng. His complexion slightly changed.
“Tang Xiu’s condition is quite bad. He has sweat all over his face, he’s pale and his body is trembling. It is as if he’s in a very uncomfortable state,” answered Chu Yi.
Instantly, all Tang Family members showed a look of worry and concern.
Su Lingyun asked hurriedly, “Xiu’er, he… he isn’t in a dangerous state, right?”
“I don’t know,” shaking his head, Chu Yi replied.
Time fleeted by quickly.
Four hours later.
After Chu Yi lit the eleventh Dragonfume Grass, Tang Xiu’s slightly hoarse voice entered his ears, “Lit a strain for every ten minutes later.”
Chu Yi didn’t answer, but he firmly remembered it. This time his worry for Tang Xiu was raised to the extreme. At present, Tang Xiu hadn’t just sweat covering his face, there was no longer any rosiness on his complexion. The veins on his forehead protruded and his lips were no longer purple as there were a few cracks on them; there was even blood seeping from it. The trembling of his body was twice worse than before, looking as if he would fall into a coma at any time.
After hesitating, he quietly took out his mobile, taking a picture of Tang Xiu and Tang Yunde before he left the room quietly.
“It’s not finished yet?”
Tang Guosheng asked with worry all over his face
Shaking his head, Chu Yi took his mobile and said, “Grandpa, this is the picture I just took. Have a look at it!”
Tang Guosheng took the mobile. His body trembled as he saw Tang Xiu’s appearance, disbelief appearing in eyes.
It was a very wretched and miserable appearance!
Never would he have thought that Tang Xiu would fall into such a miserable state in order to cure his son. In particular, blood was also seeping from Tang Xiu’s dry and cracked lips, causing him to be slightly distressed.
“Let me see!"
Su Lingyun quickly grabbed the phone. When she saw Tang Xiu’s appearance, it was as though her heart was pierced by a knife. Two lines of tears couldn’t help rolling down. She wanted to rush inside and stop her son to stop the treatment, for fear that she would lose her son.
However, a wisp of reason told her to not to be impulsive. If she were to disturb her son, not only could her husband not be saved, her son would also be implicated.
The mobile was passing to the others Tang Family members. As they saw the picture, each and every one of them fell into silence. At the beginning, they showed approval for Tang Xiu because he was one of their blood. But speaking about familial affection, truth be told, there was not that much.
However, they no longer had such a thought at the moment. The reason as to why Tang Xiu asked them to find the Dragonfume Grass in advance, was perhaps because he already knew that he would face such a situation. Yet, he didn’t hesitate to treat Tang Yunde with everything he got. This in itself showed that he was a genuine descendant of the Tang Family with heavy affections.
“Grandson!”
Seeing the picture, tears couldn’t stop flowing from Qin Changyue’s eyes. Her heart was as if twisted by a knife. 20 years had passed with this grandson of hers missing and she finally could see him, but never would she ever expected that he would fall into such a state.
Inside the room.
Tang Xiu had cleared up four-fifths of the ash-gray substances inside Tang Yunde’s brain. However, he also had reached the limit as his mental force had been consumed. If he persevered, his mental force would be greatly implicated in a detrimental way. Yet, his tenacity and will had been tempered for 10,000 years, causing him to insist and persevere as before.
It was either he didn’t do it or completely finish it, there was no other choice!
Tang Xiu bit the tip of his tongue. The tingling pain made him sober up again. However, the speed for the removal of the ash-gray substances would be slower later.
When Tang Xiu had treated Tang Yunde for about 27 hours, there was only one-tenth of the ash-gray substances left. At this very moment, he found that Tang Yunde’s consciousness had broken through into his mind sea and regained control of his body.
“Don’t move yet.”
With a hoarse and weak voice, Tang Xiu spoke to him.
At this moment, Tang Yunde felt that he was in a dream. He didn’t know how much time had passed in the outside world. What he felt was that he had been trapped inside the endless darkness for a very long time. So long a time that he had forgotten how long, even nearly forgetting who he was. All these years, there had only been one obsession holding him together, supporting him as not to let his consciousness break apart and disperse, turning it into a mass-energy inside him.
The voice he heard, was a voice from a very young person!
The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Tang Xiu in a particularly miserable appearance sitting cross-legged in front him. As his eyes turned, he also saw the scene inside the room.
“Who are you?”
Tang Yunde’s throat wriggled a few times as he spoke in a weak voice.
"Shut up!" Tang Xiu’s hoarse voice sounded again.
Tang Yunde went silent. Even though he didn’t know Tang Xiu, but he also realized that he was treating him. The endless darkness he had woken from was also the merit of the young man in front of him. Grateful, he kept silent and sat motionlessly.
32 hours passed.
The moment Tang Xiu cleared out the last remaining ash-gray substance, he finally couldn’t suppress the flaring up blood inside as a mouthful of blood spurted out crazily. At the same time, all of his mental force and star force were thoroughly consumed. Blackness enshrouded his consciousness as his body fell to side the moment after and fell into a coma.
“You…”
Tang Yunde’s clothes were stained red with Tang Xiu’s blood. Yet, he was more worried about Tang Xiu’s safety. After all, this person was the one who had saved him. He wanted to help support Tang Xiu, but his body was rigid, causing his movement to be very slow. This sort of weak feeling coming from his soul also made him feel quite dizzy and blackout.
Finally, the moment he touched Tang Xiu’s arm, darkness filled his mind as he also fainted.
Outside the room.
The Tangs were finally unable to wait any longer. Some of them had gone to rest elsewhere, whereas some others sat directly on the bench, asleep. Tang Guosheng had rested for a while, and his eyes, that had been through the weather and storms of life, stared at the door. But at the side, Su Lingyun, who hadn’t rested for more than 32 hours, had her eyes turned scarlet, looking very miserable. However, she still waited and prayed.
“Grandpa, shall I go inside again?”
Chu Yi squatted beside Tang Guosheng. He was also waiting in anxiousness and finally couldn’t bear but ask.
After staying silence for a moment, Tang Guosheng nodded, “Remember, do not interrupt him.”
"Alright!"
Nodding, Chu Yi got up and rubbed his numb legs. Then, he walked toward the door. When he gently opened the door and saw the situation inside, his complexion changed instantly. He swiveled his head and said, “Grandpa, it’s not good!”