Chapter Fifty-Nine: Zhuo Bufan Pays a Visit

"Only a month?"
Liang Yan felt a chill in his heart and anxiously asked, "Uncle, can you discern the nature of this technique?"

Zhou Yan and Lin Fei exchanged a glance, both showing a bitter smile.

"Liang, it's not that your Uncle Lin and I are unwilling to help you. This thing is simply too strange. With our abilities, we can only temporarily seal it. If you wish to eradicate it completely, you will have to seek another opportunity."

Liang Yan forced a bitter smile, but still clasped his hands in salute.

"Thank you both for your righteous aid. I am deeply grateful! To extend my life by a month is already a great blessing, at least it gives me a thread of hope."

Lin Fei frowned and said, "Actually, the Transmission Pavilion holds some records and treatises. You could consult them; if you can identify the technique you've been afflicted with, perhaps you can find a remedy."

Liang Yan nodded, saluted Lin Fei and Zhou Yan once more, then turned and departed.

Lin Fei watched Liang Yan's retreating figure and sighed, "Such a promising youngster. Though his talent is lacking, his intellect and temperament are excellent. It's a pity his fate is so troubled."

Zhou Yan glanced at him and said, "Everyone has their own karma. There are so many young disciples in the Star Pavilion; how can you worry about them all? Besides, the kindness shown to you by the elder in the past has long been repaid. You need not feel guilt anymore."

Lin Fei nodded and fell silent.

...

Liang Yan left Lin Fei's residence, feeling dejected. He never imagined that even Uncle Lin and Uncle Zhou, both Foundation Establishment cultivators, were at a loss. How could he, a mere fifth-level Qi disciple, hope to break this spell?

He thought back to not long ago when he had spoken so boldly, confronting the Lord of the Qin Dao, vowing to shatter the shackles of fate and achieve Foundation Establishment. Yet now, he had less than a month left to live—a cruel irony.

"Uncle Lin said I could try the Transmission Pavilion, but my 'Petition Token' is spent. As a menial disciple, I have no right to borrow books there. Though my promotion to an outer disciple is all but guaranteed, I only have a month left—I'm afraid I won't live to see that day."

Walking and pondering, Liang Yan felt certain that, no matter what, he was doomed. Lost in anxious thought, he unknowingly returned to the cottage by the apricot grove.

Suddenly sensing something, he looked up. In the courtyard stood a man dressed in a pale robe, wearing a scholar's cap, elegant and refined, with a sword at his waist. At this moment, the man was smiling at him.

"Liang, it's been a while!"

"Brother Zhuo!"

The man before him was none other than Zhuo Bufan. Seeing him, Liang Yan suddenly remembered—recent affairs had weighed heavily on his mind, and he’d forgotten to help him refine pills. Counting the time spent on missions in Yongle Town, it had been several months since they last met.

"Liang, your cultivation has advanced rapidly. Though only two or three months have passed, your aura is much more solid. I imagine your abilities have progressed greatly!"

"Brother Zhuo, there's no need to tease me. My meager cultivation hardly merits your notice," Liang Yan replied distractedly.

Zhuo Bufan smiled gently. "Talent is important in cultivation, but so are luck and diligent practice. I see your heart is resolute and your efforts constant. If you find the right opportunity, you will surely break your shackles and soar."

Liang Yan knew these were polite words. Zhuo Bufan’s real purpose was likely the pill refinement.

As expected, Zhuo Bufan shifted the conversation. "Liang, forgive me for interrupting your practice, but this 'Sword Nourishing Pill' is extremely important—once begun, it must not be interrupted. Since you helped me last time, I have few pills left. Would you assist me with another batch today? As for compensation, I can offer five Spirit Gathering Pills. If you have other requests, we can discuss them."

Liang Yan forced a bitter smile. "Brother Zhuo, it's not that I'm unwilling, but I am in dire straits. I fear that after this batch, there may be no next one."

Zhuo Bufan was shocked. "What do you mean?"

Liang Yan did not conceal the truth. He told of descending the mountain with Tang Diexian, encountering Blood Frenzy, falling victim to his secret technique, and his current predicament—omitting the details of their duel and some confidential matters.

When Liang Yan mentioned he only had a month left to live, even Zhuo Bufan, normally so composed, was stunned.

"Such a thing?!"

Zhuo Bufan stared at Liang Yan, his gaze flickering, deep in thought.

For a long time, both were silent. At last, Zhuo Bufan asked, "Is there any way you can save yourself?"

Liang Yan shook his head with a bitter smile. "Even two Foundation Establishment uncles are helpless; I am even more so. Worst of all, my six-year term isn't up, so I'm still a menial disciple—most sect resources are out of reach. Disaster has struck, and I'm given only a month. There’s nothing I can do."

Zhuo Bufan nodded, then said seriously, "In that case, I do know of a method—though it is unorthodox. Would you like to hear it?"

Liang Yan was startled. "Please, Brother Zhuo, tell me!"

"Are you aware of a treasure within the sect called the Seven-Star Soul Guiding Lamp?"

"The Seven-Star Soul Guiding Lamp?"

"That's right," Zhuo Bufan replied. "The Seven-Star Soul Guiding Lamp is a soul-type secret treasure, specialized in dispelling evil and corrupt techniques. Any disciple illuminated by it can ward off disasters and nourish the soul. All those afflicted by evil or practicing soul arts desire its light. Since the red orb in your body is a soul-based evil, the Seven-Star Soul Guiding Lamp should be its nemesis!"

"Such a treasure exists?" Liang Yan's heart stirred, but he quickly smiled bitterly. "A treasure so precious—surely not every disciple gets the chance to be illuminated by it."

"You are correct." Zhuo Bufan nodded. "The lamp is kept in a forbidden canyon within the sect. Every five years, invitations are issued to disciples of various branches who practice soul arts. Those invited must face a trial—array disciples break formations, talisman disciples duel with symbols, alchemy disciples refine pills, and the four arts must each display their talents. Only those who pass their trial may enter the canyon and receive the lamp’s illumination."

Liang Yan quickly asked, "When is the next invitation?"

"Unfortunately, the next opening is two years away."

"What? Then I have no chance!"

Zhuo Bufan shook his head. "Not necessarily. Right now, a tremendous opportunity presents itself."

He leaned close and whispered, "The canyon holding the Seven-Star Soul Guiding Lamp has seven entrances, each with its own trial and an elder guarding it. Normally, none are allowed entry except during the official opening. But with the Divine Calligraphy Gathering approaching—a grand event for all Foundation Establishment cultivators—the guarding elders will temporarily leave to attend, leaving their posts to Qi disciples for half a day. That, Liang, is your only chance."

Liang Yan exclaimed, "You mean I should sneak into the canyon and take the lamp without permission?!"

Zhuo Bufan nodded. "If there is no other way, this may be your sole path. If discovered, the sect’s law will not expel you or abolish your cultivation, but you will be condemned to face the wall in repentance for forty or fifty years at least. Whether you accept this risk is up to you."

Liang Yan was silent for a long moment, then suddenly gritted his teeth. "I fear I have no other choice. Punishment is far better than death and dissolution. So long as I survive, perhaps one day there will be hope!"