Chapter 1: Open, The Third Vertical Eye!
The night was like ink, with a pitch-black sky shrouded in dense, ominous clouds. In the distance, the muffled rumble of thunder rolled through the air, a harbinger of an impending torrential downpour.
On a narrow mountain path, a slender young man walked slowly, his grip firm on a wooden staff.
Each step echoed with a rhythmic thud as the staff struck the ground, marking his unhurried advance.
The young man was exceptionally handsome, with a face like carved jade. His large eyes, akin to black gemstones, gleamed with vibrant intensity, despite his unfortunate blindness.
After a while, he came to a halt in a small grove. Ahead of him stood a young girl in a light blue dress, her figure graceful and her countenance beautiful.
"Big Brother Feng, you're here!" The girl in blue hastened to meet the blind young man, reaching out to support him.
The blind young man’s name was Ling Feng, and he was an heir to a declining family renowned for its medical expertise. From a very young age, Ling Feng traveled with his only grandfather, wandering from place to place to practice the art of medicine.
A year ago, Ling Feng arrived in a place called Kaiyang City with his grandfather. He heard that the young lady of the City Lord's mansion, Miss Su Lin, was born with the Three Yin Death Pulse [1], an ailment deemed incurable.
This illness was a terminal condition. If a cure couldn't be found by the age of eighteen, then the City Lord's daughter would have no choice but to face the inevitable—her life would be like autumn leaves falling, carried away by the winds of time.
Ling Feng possessed exceptional medical talent, demonstrating profound understanding of medicine since childhood. He mastered the ancestral medical scripture, The Profound Art of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, and his medical skills were unparalleled, earning him the accolade of transcendent expertise.
Upon seeing the substantial reward offered by the City Lord on a posted announcement, Ling Feng's grandfather, Ling Kun, was greatly enticed. He instructed Ling Feng to respond to the posting, enter the City Lord's mansion, and undertake the task of curing Su Lin's illness.
After the first acupuncture treatment, Miss Su Lin's condition showed considerable improvement. Hence, at the City Lord's earnest plea, Ling Feng and his grandfather chose to remain in the City Lord's mansion, working to completely eliminate the Three Yin Death Pulse afflicting his daughter.
Three months ago from today, during the acupuncture treatment for Su Lin, Ling Feng inadvertently suffered a backlash of Yin energy, triggering an eye affliction that rendered him blind. In order to console Ling Feng and encourage him to continue the intensive treatment for his daughter, the City Lord made a promise: If Ling Feng could successfully cure Su Lin's Three Yin Death Pulse, he pledged to give Su Lin's hand to him in marriage!
Su Lin also expressed that Ling Feng became blind because he helped her, and so she was willing to spend her entire life repaying this debt of gratitude by taking care of him for the rest of their lives.
At the age of sixteen, Su Lin was a stunning beauty as gentle as water. Ling Feng had long harbored feelings for her, and with his current blindness, there was no reason for him to refuse the prospect of marrying such a beautiful woman like her.
Over the past three months, thanks to Ling Feng's dedicated and wholehearted efforts in treatment, Su Lin's health had been steadily improving. With tonight’s scheduled treatment, it was anticipated that her Three Yin Death Pulse could be completely cured.
"Come, Lin'er [2], take a seat. Today marks the final acupuncture treatment for you. After this, the Three Yin energy within you will be completely eliminated. No more suffering, even on full moon nights," Ling Feng reassured her.
"Thank you, Big Brother Feng! Let me help you sit down."
Su Lin, with her beautiful face, revealed a hint of sweet smile as she helped Ling Feng sit beneath a large tree. She then sat in front of him and crossed her legs.
With Su Lin's assistance, Ling Feng prepared himself, taking a packet of golden needles from his pocket. "Lin'er, forgive me for being impolite," he spoke softly.
He then raised his hand and began to feel around Su Lin's body. Although he was already blind, Su Lin's image had been imprinted in his heart. He easily located her acupoints and gently pricked them with the golden needle, initiating the process of dispelling the Three Yin energy.
The Three Yin energy, following the path of the golden needle, inevitably seeped into Ling Feng's body, the very reason for his previous bouts of Yin energy backlash and subsequent blindness.
Su Lin's complexion became increasingly rosy, but Ling Feng's entire body showed prominent blue veins, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He endured the immense pain caused by the invasion of Yin energy.
Seven and a half minutes later, Ling Feng slowly withdrew the golden needle. Su Lin's Three Yin Death Pulse had finally been completely cured.
Ling Feng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face pale.
Weakly, he said, "It's done, Lin'er. You can get up now."
Su Lin became lively, opened her eyes, and looked at Ling Feng. She whispered, "Has my Three Yin Death Pulse been completely cured?"
"Yes, it’s completely cured," Ling Feng smiled faintly. "Rest for a while, and you'll transform into a healthy and beautiful bride."
"Thank you," Su Lin's voice became somewhat indifferent. She was no longer calling him "Big Brother Feng" as she did before.
"Why be so formal with me? Let's go back to the mansion. I'll bring up the marriage proposal to the City Lord tomorrow!"
Ling Feng smiled gently, lifting his hand as if to caress Su Lin's cheek. Normally, Su Lin would lean in for him to caress her, but this time, she didn't.
Ling Feng felt his chest tightening, a sense of foreboding creeping in. He furrowed his brow and asked, "Lin'er, what's wrong?"
Su Lin didn't answer; instead, she turned her head and noticed the light of torches appearing in the dense forest. The sound of footsteps also approached from that direction.
She abruptly tore open her own clothes on her shoulder, dove into Ling Feng's arms, and shouted, "Ling Feng, you monster! How dare you try to molest me? Help! Someone, save me!"
Ling Feng's expression froze with a look of astonishment on his face. "Lin'er, what are you saying? What do you mean by this?"
From the forest appeared a handsome young man leading a middle-aged man, approaching swiftly with a group of servants surrounding them.
"Ling Feng, you monster! What are you doing?"
The middle-aged man roared while taking a swift step forward. He grabbed Su Lin, yanked her up, and with a backhand slap, fiercely struck Ling Feng, knocking him to the ground.
As it turned out, the middle-aged man was none other than the city lord of Kaiyang City, Su Shixiong, Su Lin's father.
Su Lin, crying, nestled into Su Shixiong's embrace and sobbed, "Dad, Ling Feng... he's not human!"
"Uncle Su, did you see that! I told you Ling Feng wasn't a good person. He actually used the guise of treating her illness to bring my cousin to such a place just so he could do something sinister!"
The young man who led Su Shixiong directly approached and ruthlessly stomped on Ling Feng several times. He berated, "You blind scoundrel, punching above your weight! Take a good look at your blind appearance. Are you even worthy of my cousin?"
This young man was Chen Huang, Su Lin's cousin.
Everything that happened tonight was entirely orchestrated by Su Lin and Chen Huang. Why else would Su Lin specifically arrange for Ling Feng to treat her in the rear mountains? And why did Su Shixiong just happen to arrive at this particular moment?
Ling Feng was fiercely slapped by Su Shixiong, followed by a beating from Chen Huang. However, no amount of physical pain could compare to the coldness in his heart. It turned out that from the beginning to the end, Su Lin was just deceiving him! Using him!
He gritted his teeth while enduring Chen Huang's punches and kicks, and growled frantically, "Su Lin, you lied to me! You deceived me!"
Su Lin nestled into her father's arms, crying, and said, "We already had an engagement. Why did you have to deceive me and bring me here? You... you're nothing but a monster in human skin!"
"Hahaha..." Ling Feng burst into laughter, looking up at the sky.
He laughed at himself for dedicating a year of effort, for sacrificing even his own eyes, only to end up in such a situation.
"You monster!" Su Shixiong, infuriated to the point of his beard trembling, shouted, "Hit him, hit him hard!"
The servants immediately surrounded Ling Feng and began to unleash a frenzy of punches and kicks.
"You monster, don't even think about marrying my daughter again. You better get out by tomorrow morning!. If I see you and your grandfather in Kaiyang City again, there will be no mercy!" Su Shixiong roared angrily.
Under the beating of the servants, Ling Feng was covered in blood. He roared madly, "Su Lin, you wretched woman, you'll have a miserable end!"
"You blind fool, you're asking for death!" Chen Huang's face showed a hint of ferocity. He turned to Su Shixiong and said, "Uncle Su, you should take my cousin back first. I'll handle this scum!"
Su Shixiong snorted coldly before turning around, leaving with Su Lin.
Su Shixiong was no fool; how could he not see through the plot at play? But what was Ling Feng? Just a wandering physician who had become blind. What right did he have to be his son-in-law?
On the other hand, Chen Huang was the son of the wealthiest merchant in Kaiyang City. He was a suitable match for his daughter. That’s why, even though Su Shixiong knew Ling Feng was wronged, he chose to turn a blind eye to it.
After Su Shixiong and his daughter left, Chen Huang became even more ruthless.
He directly stepped on Ling Feng's chest, sneering, "You blind fool, did you even know that the woman you worked so hard to cure has long since been my plaything? Hahaha..."
"I'm going to kill you, I'm going to kill you!"
Ling Feng's eyes were filled with rage and despair. He had thought that after tomorrow, he would have a lovely wife, but that was just an illusion.
His beautiful dream had completely shattered!
Crack!
Amidst the dark clouds, lightning flashed, and the sky resounded with the rumbling of thunder.
Torrential rain poured down!
However, Chen Huang showed no intention of stopping.
He sneered and roared, "Hit him, keep hitting him! The blind fool dared to snatch a woman from me, Chen Huang!"
Ling Feng, as if gone mad, drew out a row of golden needles from his pocket and wildly swung them around.
"You blind fool, you dare to fight back?"
"Break his fingers! Let’s see how he’ll fight back with those needles then!"
The sinister-faced servants grabbed iron rods and continued to mercilessly beat Ling Feng.
"You wretched people! Even if I die, I'll return as a vengeful ghost and come for the Su Family! I’ll make sure nobody's left!"
Covered in blood, with eyes full of madness, Ling Feng grabbed a golden needle and forcefully stabbed it into the Baihui acupoint on top of his own head!
Crack!
At the same time, a lightning bolt pierced through a large nearby tree, igniting a fierce blaze.
"Darn it, what kind of weather is this?" Chen Huang complained. "Alright, stop wasting time. Just kill him, and let's go!"
"Ahhh—!"
At that moment, he heard a heart-wrenching scream. More screams then followed, echoing one after another in the rainy night. They intertwined with the thunder, making it incredibly eerie.
Chen Huang's pupils suddenly contracted as he witnessed Ling Feng with an eye open on his forehead. The eye appeared bloodshot and veined, with a vertical eye.
Beneath the vertical eye were a pair of eyes resembling blood springs. Ling Feng’s entire body emitted a terrifying aura akin to that of a malevolent spirit.
"What… What kind of monster are you!?" Chen Huang was so scared that his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Kill! Kill! Kill—!"
Ling Feng pounced onto a servant of the Su family. With a swipe of one of his arms, he tore the servant's throat open. He then leaped like a wild beast onto Chen Huang.
"Die! Die!"
The sounds coming out of Ling Feng’s throat were akin to that of a wild beast. He ruthlessly plunged his claws in Chen Huang, tearing his eyes and neck into pieces.
1. In Chinese philosophy, Yin represents darkness, femininity, earth and negativity. Death Pulse is a symptom in Chinese medicine, which is a sign of critical illness ☜
2. 'er is a suffix which is added after names to show endearment ☜
Boundless Sword Steps's ThoughtsTranslator: Joash
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