Huo Qiyuan struck Leng Feng's Ren and Du meridians with a palm, not to harm him, but to ascertain the state of the internal energy within his meridians.
Though Leng Feng's consciousness had not yet returned, his body reacted first. When Huo Qiyuan's palm struck, he had already mobilized his internal energy to resist.
By the time he regained his senses and saw that the person attacking was the Prince, Leng Feng quickly calmed his internal energy, allowing Huo Qiyuan's palm strike to flow through his meridians.
As expected!
Huo Qiyuan's internal energy coursed through Leng Feng's body. He was astonished to find that Leng Feng's internal energy was not only extremely unstable, but his vital energy and blood were churning uncontrollably, threatening to erupt at any moment.
Huo Qiyuan swiftly withdrew his internal energy and grasped Leng Feng's wrist to feel his pulse. The bulging skin at his wrist throbbed, a testament to the internal energy and meridians warring within Leng Feng, a tangled mess.
Perhaps the influx of external internal energy had disturbed his already agitated inner energy. Leng Feng's previously vacant eyes began to fill with red blood, and even the area around his eye sockets turned crimson.
Sensing the change, Huo Qiyuan placed a hand on Leng Feng's shoulder and injected his own powerful internal energy into Leng Feng's meridians, attempting to control the surging energy within him.
Leng Feng felt the tearing pain in his body and soul return. Knowing Huo Qiyuan was trying to suppress his imminent frenzy, he gritted his teeth and bore it with all his might, his veins bulging across his body.
Under the intense strain, pinprick-sized blood spots erupted on his skin, densely covering his body, a terrifying and glaring sight.
Fortunately, Huo Qiyuan's martial arts were far superior to his, and Leng Feng also exerted himself to the utmost in his restraint. Thus, he did not descend into madness as before and lash out at those around him.
When Leng Feng's emotions finally calmed down, he lay on the ground like a fish out of water, gasping for air, his body soaked in sweat. His gaze shifted from vacant to bewildered.
After a moment, Leng Feng slowly closed his eyes. It was unclear if he had fallen asleep from exhaustion or fainted from the severe depletion of his internal energy.
While Leng Feng was unconscious, Huo Qiyuan directly used his internal energy to seal his extraordinary meridians and the acupoint at his Dantian. This would prevent Leng Feng from using his internal energy and controlling his vital energy, thus stopping him from going mad again.
Huo Qiyuan had people carry Leng Feng to another room to rest. Before he could even pause to catch his breath, Leng Nuo's condition took a turn for the worse.
He had been clinging to life by a thread, and his condition had improved after being given the spirit spring water. However, for some unknown reason, the unconscious Leng Nuo suddenly closed his eyes and began to vomit blood profusely.
The military doctor hurried forward, carefully tilting his head to the side to prevent him from inhaling his vomit and suffocating. Huo Qiyuan noticed some congealed blood clots in the blood Leng Nuo was expelling. His brow furrowed as he looked at Leng Nuo's strong torso and slightly protruding abdomen.
Huo Qiyuan recalled Su Muqing mentioning a similar situation: when a person's internal organs are damaged, blood can accumulate within the abdominal or thoracic cavity, causing fluid buildup. If not treated promptly, it can be life-threatening.
This was by no means a good sign!
"My Lord, what's wrong with Number Ten? Didn't he just start to recover?" Leng Si asked, his hand trembling as he held a cotton cloth, looking at his brother covered in blood again, bewildered.
"He has injured his internal organs. While the spirit spring water has miraculous detoxifying effects, it cannot regenerate broken bones. Without delay, I will take him back to Yaojing City to seek help from Muqing, hoping to save Leng Nuo's life." Huo Qiyuan said, then walked out and blew a whistle to summon the eagle.
He had to communicate with the eagle beforehand. Previously, when it carried others, it had gripped them with its claws. It never allowed anyone other than himself and Su Muqing to sit on its back.
The previous time Su Muxuan was brought out, it was because Su Muqing had already sat on the eagle, so it hadn't minded. But for anyone else to sit on its back, they had to endure its wild flight as a test.
Leng Nuo was now severely injured, his life hanging by a thread, let alone being able to withstand the eagle's test. Huo Qiyuan knew that if he didn't explain clearly, the eagle would surely act up again once they took to the sky.
It was unclear how Huo Qiyuan communicated with the eagle, but when Leng Nuo was finally placed on its back, although the eagle showed some resistance, it did not throw him off.
Leng Ren's shoulder injury was also quite severe, but fortunately, there was a military doctor among them who was skilled in treating bone injuries. With the doctor's bone setting and the spirit spring water left by Huo Qiyuan, it was believed that there would be no major issues.
While the eagle carried Huo Qiyuan and Leng Nuo towards Yaojing City, Leng Feng was confined to an empty room. Su Ling'er, having finished her task, had been pacing in the small garden and along the corridor.
Watching the guards hurry by, she found it strange that it was almost noon, and Leng Feng hadn't come to find her. Could he have been delayed by something? But that shouldn't be the case!
Leng Feng had been smelling the pheromone incense for so long, and she had personally tested it, knowing that the target had become addicted. If he couldn't smell the scent for a prolonged period, he would become restless and unable to calm down.
Actually, the incense was initially intended for Huo Qiyuan. However, Huo Qiyuan's martial arts were too superb; the powder was brushed away by his hand before it could even get close to him.
Just then, Leng Feng reached out and pulled Su Ling'er, so she settled for the second-best option, dusting the powder onto Leng Feng, step by step drawing him closer.
If Su Ling'er had only been willing to use the drug on Huo Qiyuan back then, Leng Feng might not have ended up in this predicament.
No! If Leng Feng didn't smell her pheromone incense for too long, she didn't know what the consequences might be. The task wasn't completed yet, and she couldn't allow any unexpected incident to occur, causing her to fail at the last hurdle!
As Su Ling'er waited in vain and prepared to risk going to the front yard to find Leng Feng, the steward hurried past her.
Under normal circumstances, if the steward saw Su Ling'er loafing around instead of working, he would have surely chided her for being lazy.
But the steward was strange today; he walked past her as if he couldn't see her. Strange! It was truly strange!
Su Ling'er ran up to him, uncharacteristically blocking his path. "Steward, where are you rushing off to? It's almost lunchtime, why haven't Leng Feng... Deputy General Leng and the others come for a meal yet? When will the Prince arrive? Will we servants still be serving the dishes as usual?"