Chapter 2953 — All at Their Wit's End

"All right, enough grumbling. Yaoyao, call Grandpa Guan and Teacher Bai. Xiaoshu, call Wu Chengtian, Pi Zhifeng, and Han Xiaohu and tell them to come over and guard the villa for the time being." As for the Hidden Zhuang Family, Wei Zhao did not notify them, because his relationship with them rested solely on coercion and intimidation. Wei Zhao could not guarantee that the Hidden Zhuang Family, upon hearing he had been crippled, would not start harboring new designs. This was another lesson the Zhao family affair had taught him: he would now keep a guard up even against those who seemed reliable.

"Got it!" Complaints aside, Gu Mengyao was the first to dial Guan Xuewen's number, though she said little over the phone—only that Wei Zhao needed him and that he should hurry to the villa in Donghai City at once.

Guan Xuewen was puzzled as to why Wei Zhao would suddenly summon him so urgently, but he had in fact been wanting to visit Donghai City to see Guan Xin, so he agreed on the spot and began preparing to set out.

It was even simpler with Leader Bai. Hearing that Wei Zhao wanted him, Leader Bai rushed over from the school at once. The school was close by, so before long Leader Bai appeared at Wei Zhao's villa.

Seeing that it was Gu Mengyao who opened the door, Leader Bai was somewhat surprised. It had already struck him as odd that Gu Mengyao had been the one to call him; now that she was the one answering the door as well, his puzzlement only deepened.

Normally, when Wei Zhao wanted him, Wei Zhao called himself. Gu Mengyao might be one of the people closest to Wei Zhao, but there was something decidedly strange about all this. Leader Bai could not help asking, "Gu Mengyao, isn't it Wei Zhao who wanted to see me? Where is he?"

"Teacher Bai, there were some things I couldn't say over the phone..." Gu Mengyao's face was rather pale. "Something has happened to Wei Zhao. He's in his room. You'll understand when you see him..."

"What! Something's happened to Wei Zhao?" Leader Bai was startled and hurried inside, forgetting even to change his shoes—though Gu Mengyao did not remind him, for she had no mind left for such things.

Pushing open the door to Wei Zhao's room, Leader Bai saw Wei Zhao lying in bed, his limbs covered in blood and grime, and could not help being shocked. "Wei Zhao, what happened to you? Why haven't you healed yourself?"

Leader Bai knew full well what Wei Zhao was capable of. By all rights, an injury this severe should have been treated long ago—so why was he still in this state? Quite some time had passed between the phone call and his own arrival; Wei Zhao should have repaired his injuries by now!

"Teacher Bai, it's a long story!" Wei Zhao smiled bitterly. He held nothing back and recounted in detail what had befallen him that day, especially the matter of the poison, on which he was particularly thorough.

"So that's how it is..." After hearing him out, Leader Bai's brows knit tightly and he sank into thought...

"Teacher Bai, you're a man of wide experience. Is there truly no antidote to this rare poison of the ages?" Wei Zhao was unwilling to accept it. If an antidote could be found, everything would be simple—after all, the poison's effect was to suppress the mnemonic of his mental cultivation method. Once poisoned, he could not circulate it.

Though Wei Zhao's meridians and dantian were both damaged, so long as he could circulate the mnemonic, he could use the Thunder Pig or General Mighty to automatically guide the circulation of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art and repair his meridians and dantian.

But if he could not circulate the mnemonic, all of that was empty talk.

"This rare poison of the ages—I believe I've seen it somewhere. But you know as well as I do that I have spent most of my time devoted to studying alchemy. Anything unrelated to alchemy, I could not be bothered to touch, so for the moment I cannot call to mind any material on this poison." Leader Bai shook his head helplessly and said apologetically, "Still, I will have a chance to ask my junior brother Xuanzhen. He may know something."

"But Old Zhao also said this poison has no cure. I'm afraid even knowing the details would be of no use," Wei Zhao said. "Teacher Bai, under normal circumstances, how might a damaged dantian be repaired?"

"Repairing a dantian..." Leader Bai narrowed his eyes and fell into thought. After a while he raised his head and said, "Legend has it that in ancient times, the experts of certain primordial sects could not only repair dantian and meridians, but even reshape the physical body. But those methods have all been lost. I have only heard my master tell a few such strange tales; he never mentioned the specifics, and I doubt my master knew them either..."

"So that's how it is..." Wei Zhao smiled bitterly.

"If there were a way to repair it, my own meridians would not have gone damaged for so long without a solution." Leader Bai spread his hands. "It was only after I met you that you healed me. That is the only method I have ever seen or heard of for repairing another's injuries..."

"If I weren't poisoned, repairing meridians and dantian would be no problem at all—but not now." Wei Zhao was equally helpless. If Leader Bai had no solution, then there truly was none. His only remaining hope lay with Jiao Yazi and that ghastly thing. "Never mind, Teacher Bai. Rest here for a while. I've also summoned Guan Xuewen—Grandpa Guan—to have him look at my external wounds. Whatever else, let's heal the external injuries first."

"Very well. Then I'll go to the living room and try to contact Xuanzhen. You rest for now." Leader Bai did not disturb Wei Zhao further; he rose and left the room.

Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu followed him out, leaving Wei Zhao alone in the room.

"Elder Jiao, you know my situation now, don't you? What am I to do?" Wei Zhao asked urgently the moment he entered the jade pendant's space.

"Kid Lin, your situation is far from good. The Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art is completely suppressed, and for the moment I can think of no solution." Jiao Yazi's expression had turned unusually grave—no doubt he too was troubled by Wei Zhao's plight.

"What about that ghastly thing?" Wei Zhao glanced at the corner of the jade pendant's space.

"No reaction. It has likely entered dormancy again," Jiao Yazi said. "It might lend a hand only when your life is in danger—and only if it happens to be awake. If it does not wake, you could die and it would never know."

"Fine." Wei Zhao shook his head. He did not intend to wake the ghastly thing now. After all, it was a trump card for critical moments; the less it was used, the better. Use it too often and it would grow impatient, which would do him no good.