As Ye Bufan helped Huangfu Yujia, more and more families arrived in Jinhe as the auction time for the Marrow Cleansing Pill at the Golden Workshop approached.
As the provider of the Marrow Cleansing Pill, Zhu Zizhen was naturally invited to this auction.
Before the auction began, the mysterious powerful figure Zhu Zizhen had mentioned also arrived in Jinhe City.
Under Zhu Zizhen's arrangements, the powerful figure, incognito, stayed at the Chu family's five-star hotel. Chu Mengyao secretly reinforced security.
Led by Zhu Zizhen, Ye Bufan arrived at the Chu family's five-star hotel.
In the hotel lobby, Ye Bufan and Zhu Zizhen saw an elder in black training attire. His aura was deep and his breathing was contained. Ye Bufan casually scanned him with his spiritual power and detected that the other party was a Martial Venerable.
"Divine Doctor Zhu," the elder said respectfully, cupping his fists when he saw Zhu Zizhen.
"Mr. Bai, this is my master—Ye Bufan," Zhu Zizhen introduced Ye Bufan to the elder.
The old man turned to look at Ye Bufan, his brow furrowing slightly. He looked at the elder with some shock.
"Don't be surprised, this is my master," Zhu Zizhen said. The old man thought for a moment, then nodded, attempting to sense Ye Bufan's strength. However, he soon gave up, completely unable to detect anything.
There were only two possibilities in such a situation: either the person was ordinary, or their cultivation was higher than his own.
The elder leaned towards the latter, but to be safe, he decided to probe further.
"Hello, Mr. Ye. I am Bai Feihu. You can call me Mr. Bai, just like Divine Doctor Zhu," the elder said, extending his hand towards Ye Bufan for a handshake.
"Hello," Ye Bufan replied with a smile, extending his hand and clasping Bai Feihu's.
Bai Feihu narrowed his eyes and subtly exerted force with his right hand, infused with inner energy. Ye Bufan remained unfazed; this was far too elementary for him. He even wondered why people nowadays always resorted to this method when testing each other.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Bai Feihu's expression changed slightly. No matter how much force he applied, it felt like he was gripping cotton, his strength having nowhere to go.
Seeing that Bai Feihu wasn't letting go, Ye Bufan circulated his true qi. Bai Feihu felt his strength instantly dissolve, and a sharp pain shot up his palm.
"Hmph!" Bai Feihu tried to withdraw his hand, but Ye Bufan wouldn't let him off so easily.
His true qi instantly enveloped Bai Feihu's entire arm. Bai Feihu's face changed drastically. Zhu Zizhen, having embarked on the path of cultivation, knew they were sparring and chuckled secretly from the side.
"Please, Mr. Ye, let go," Bai Feihu said urgently, as his true qi was continuously compressing, and he felt his hand would be crippled if this continued. He quickly pleaded with Ye Bufan.
Hearing this, Ye Bufan slowly released his grip. Bai Feihu now held only respect for Ye Bufan, with no other thoughts.
"Who is this person, capable of nurturing such a monster?" Bai Feihu was greatly shocked. "With such ability, his cultivation should be at the Grand Martial Venerable level, right? To nurture someone like this, could it be a Martial Saint? Or... a Martial God?"
As he spoke, Bai Feihu also thought of those reclusive sects, categorizing Ye Bufan as someone who had emerged from such a sect.
"Mr. Ye, Divine Doctor Zhu, please follow me," Bai Feihu said, leading the two into the hotel elevator.
The three took the elevator to the thirty-first floor, which had been entirely booked out.
Upon exiting the elevator, Ye Bufan and Zhu Zizhen were scanned by a metal detector before entering the largest presidential suite.
As soon as they entered the room, a strong scent of sandalwood wafted out, mixed with a hint of fishiness.
By the window sat an elderly man in a wheelchair, with his wife standing beside him. Seeing Ye Bufan and Zhu Zizhen arrive, the old woman alerted the man in the wheelchair.
The elderly man in the wheelchair maneuvered it slowly and turned around.
"Divine Doctor Zhu. You've arrived," the elder said, looking at Zhu Zizhen with a benevolent expression. When his gaze shifted to Ye Bufan, he took a second look.
The elder looked inquiringly at Bai Feihu. Seeing Bai Feihu nod, the elder nodded as well.
"Mr. Ye is a hero who emerged in his youth. The fact that Divine Doctor Zhu took you as his disciple must mean you have extraordinary capabilities," the elder said.
"General Ji flatters me," Ye Bufan replied, cupping his fists towards Ji Weizhi. "General Ji, you've spent a lifetime in the military, leading our Great Xia soldiers to protect our homeland. You've made immense contributions and are a role model for our younger generation, a hero to all of Great Xia. For you to call me a hero who emerged in his youth is truly too humbling."
"That's all in the past," Ji Weizhi said. "This old body doesn't have much time left."
"I have the ability to cure the Spirit Devouring Poison," Ye Bufan said, getting straight to the point. "However, there will be some side effects."
"You can really cure it?" Ji Weizhi asked, looking at Ye Bufan. "As long as it can be cured, I can still find ways to contribute to Great Xia. Who cares about side effects? My life's purpose is to see Great Xia rise again, to restore the glory of the Tang Dynasty!"
Ye Bufan looked at Ji Weizhi, deeply moved. There were many people like Ji Weizhi, who dedicated their lives to various sectors of their country, working until their last breath. Some even deleted the data from their computers before dying, driven by their patriotic fervor.
"Since you don't mind, Senior, I still need to explain the situation," Ye Bufan said. "The Spirit Devouring Poison primarily consumes bodily functions and inner energy, accelerating the decay of various organs. After curing the Spirit Devouring, you will lose all your cultivation."
Hearing that all his cultivation would be lost, Ji Weizhi was instantly disappointed.
"However, with my medicinal treatment, you can gradually recover, at least returning to the level of an intermediate martial artist. After that, you will never reach the advanced martial artist stage in this lifetime," Ye Bufan explained.
"Good! That's wonderful! I can still reach the intermediate martial artist level. Hahaha!" Ji Weizhi's eyes reddened. "Heaven has not abandoned me; Heaven blesses Great Xia."
"When can Mr. Ye treat me?" Ji Weizhi asked, his gaze burning with anticipation.
"Anytime," Ye Bufan replied. "However, when I'm performing the treatment, everyone must clear the area. No one can disturb us during this time, otherwise, all efforts will be in vain."
Ji Weizhi looked back at his wife. The old woman beside him nodded and then nodded to Bai Feihu and Zhu Zizhen.
Zhu Zizhen left Ye Bufan with his silver needles and followed the old woman and Bai Feihu out of the room.