11 - The Divine Physician’s Overbearing Wife

Chapter 11 The Lightning Tribulation is not a commonplace phenomenon. For cultivators, there are only two instances of lightning tribulations in their journey from channeling Qi into their bodies to ascending the celestial realm. One occurs when forming a Golden Core, and the other takes place during the transformation and achieving the Great Accomplishment during the Tribulation Stage. Each lightning tribulation serves as a daunting chasm; crossing it means a clear path ahead, failing it results in death and the dissipation of one's path. The most powerful elder of YiMiao Sect is merely at the Golden Core stage, while the head and another elder also barely reach this stage. These are the only Golden Core cultivators in the YiMiao Sect. It is precisely these Golden Core cultivators that enable the YiMiao Sect to stand out among the smaller sects, becoming the most formidable one within a thousand-mile radius. Below these Golden Core cultivators are some Foundation Establishment elders and disciples. Now, a lightning tribulation appears within the YiMiao Sect territory, causing a great commotion. Zhang Men carefully assessed in his heart, and it seemed no one in YiMiao Sect was capable enough to reach the standard for enduring a tribulation. So, from where did this aura of lightning tribulation emerge? The direction seemed to be in the area of the menial disciples. How could anyone there be undergoing a tribulation? Could it be some secret treasure emerging? Countless thoughts crossed his mind within a split second, and a hint of greed flashed in his eyes as he immediately threw a flying sword towards that direction. He wasn't the only one with such thoughts. As soon as he set off, several others followed suit, flying towards that direction. These were all elders of the YiMiao Sect, gathered here to bid farewell to Lian Ji Xian Zi, Yun Mi Xue. Zhang Men had painstakingly invited the widely-praised Lian Ji Xian Zi from FengHua Immortal Sect; originally, it was for his only son. Unfortunately, although his son's talent was considered good within YiMiao Sect, it still did not qualify him to enter FengHua Immortal Sect. Lian Ji Xian Zi, though gentle in demeanor, maintained her principles. When she said someone did not meet the requirements of her sect, she meant it. Even when she said this, her tone was gentle, her expression courteous. Seeing that the route of talent was not feasible, Zhang Men considered a more indirect approach. His son was handsome and promising; if he could win Lian Ji Xian Zi's affection, perhaps she might take him with her? Zhang Men, therefore, devised a myriad of ways to keep Lian Ji Xian Zi around, creating opportunities for them to meet. Unfortunately, his son, spoiled by him, was arrogant to the point where he wasn’t keen on currying favor with Lian Ji Xian Zi, carrying himself with a stiff demeanor. Fortunately, no one else attempting to curry favor with Lian Ji Xian Zi succeeded, or Zhang Men would have been furious. Today was the day Lian Ji Xian Zi was to leave, and although Zhang Men was regretful, he could only respectfully see her off. Unexpectedly, as Yun Mi Xue and Zhu Ning Yan were setting off, a lightning tribulation began to form in the distance, quickly developing into a thundercloud ready to strike. Such a scene naturally caught Yun Mi Xue and Zhu Ning Yan's attention. Something capable of invoking a lightning tribulation must be extraordinary. As members of the cultivation world, they could not remain indifferent to such an event. Thus, they promptly altered their course towards the lightning tribulation. Their speed outpaced that of Zhang Men, and they reached the site even before he set off. However, no matter how fast they were, they couldn’t be quicker than the power of heaven and earth that formed the lightning tribulation. As they rushed towards the site, a lightning bolt, as thin as a chopstick, cracked down with a magnificent roar. The arrival of the lightning tribulation was bizarre, and its dispersal equally so. The tribulation struck only once, and then the thundercloud dissipated instantly, as if it had merely passed through the motions. Once the thundercloud dissipated, Yun Mi Xue arrived at the site of the lightning strike just ahead of Zhu Ning Yan. There, a large crater had been blasted, surrounded by scattered stones and fragments of pottery. In the crater lay a person. A small person, no more than sixteen or so by their size. Due to the power of the lightning strike, their clothes had turned to ash, clinging to their body in charred clumps. This small body had been so battered by the lightning tribulation that it was bloody and full of scorched streaks, with black-stained red blood oozing out, a sight that was shocking to behold. The person was still alive, though unconscious, with their body trembling slightly, seemingly in pain. Was this the target of the lightning tribulation? Yun Mi Xue drew a sharp breath. Arriving a moment later, Zhu Ning Yan witnessed this scene and frowned, her expression tinged with compassion: "Senior Sister, is this..." Yun Mi Xue shook her head, retrieving a garment from her storage ring. Disregarding the cleanliness of the robe, she gently wrapped it around the small body and carefully cradled them in her arms. Zhu Ning Yan remarked, “This looks like a little girl. Not even close to reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, she hasn’t even started channeling Qi; how could she be struck by a lightning tribulation?” Yun Mi Xue replied, “Only by investigating can we find out.” Searching through her storage ring, a frown appeared on her delicate face. “Junior Sister, do you have any yellow-grade healing pills?” As a Nascent Soul cultivator from a top sect, Yun Mi Xue used primarily profound-grade pills and, having long since formed her Nascent Soul, she no longer stocked yellow-grade pills. Zhu Ning Yan searched through her storage as well. "I haven't used a yellow-grade pill in a long time, I’m not sure if I can find one." Soon, Zhu Ning Yan produced a porcelain bottle, saying, "She’s lucky. My niece had asked me to bring this Dew Hua pill back for study. Though it's not specifically for restoring from thunder tribulation damage, it should still aid in healing." Plucking the amber-colored pill from the bottle, Yun Mi Xue gently pried open the tightly shut lips and fed the pill into her mouth. Fortunately, with top-quality pills dissolving instantly, despite her unconsciousness, the benefits took effect immediately after ingestion. Soon, the girl’s injuries began to visibly heal. With the medicinal power soothing her pain, her agitated breathing steadied, and she drifted into a peaceful sleep. Earlier, due to the urgency of the moment, Yun Mi Xue hadn’t had the chance to take a good look at the girl's appearance. Now that she seemed to improve after taking the pill, Yun Mi Xue finally took a moment to study the dirt-covered face before her. Then, she couldn’t help but let out a small exclamation of surprise. “What is it?” Zhu Ning Yan leaned in as well. “Isn’t this the young menial disciple who was accused of colluding with the overseers and ostracizing fellow disciples a few days ago?” Yun Mi Xue recognized this face, or rather, the features concealed under the layers of grime, causing a peculiar feeling within her. This was her first encounter with this girl, still uncertain whether it was destiny or some strange force at play, each meeting found the girl in progressively worse states. The first time she attended one of Yun Mi Xue's lectures, her spiritual fields were destroyed. The second time, she was framed for coercing fellow disciples. Now, struck by a lightning tribulation, she lay here barely alive. Even Yun Mi Xue could not help but lament how difficult this girl’s life was. Would the next time they meet see her even… Yun Mi Xue pushed away the ominous thoughts, yet couldn’t help but feel a sense of pity for this small girl. Even Zhu Ning Yan, who didn’t have a particularly favorable impression of Yan Zhu Guang for his repeated troubles, couldn’t suppress a wave of sympathy—this girl truly had it rough. At this moment, YiMiao Sect’s Zhang Men and others arrived on the scene. Upon seeing the clear evidence of an individual struck by lightning within the crater, their eyes betrayed their disappointment. It wasn’t some treasure emerging, but a person who had been struck. “Zhang Men and the others landed by the crater-edge,” Zhang Men inquired, “Xian Zi, who is this person?” Though the situation was obvious, Yun Mi Xue offered an explanation, “She was struck by the lightning, though for reasons unknown.” “I wish to take her away for treatment,” the young girl being a menial disciple, would not receive proper care even having taken the Dew Hua pill if left at YiMiao Sect, Yun Mi Xue couldn’t help but worry, “May I, Zhang Men?” “If Xian Zi wishes to take her, of course, you may." Zhang Men readily agreed, feeling somewhat conflicted. His son and numerous others within the sect had labored in vain, yet a mere menial disciple emerged as the fortunate one. However, as she was only a menial disciple, Yun Mi Xue’s motives were simply an act of kindness; Zhang Men felt no discomfort at the thought of her being taken away by Xian Zi. “However, this disciple has mixed spiritual roots. Where does Xian Zi intend to place her?” Knowing entry to FengHua Immortal Sect was nearly impossible, Zhang Men contemplated whether he should seek another favor from Lian Ji Xian Zi. Seeing his intentions, Zhu Ning Yan couldn’t help but inwardly sneer. She pondered a moment, then produced a small palm-sized mirror. "I have heard of cases where, though initially possessing poor innate spiritual roots, some individuals were favored by heavenly edicts following a lightning tribulation, resulting in enhanced spiritual roots or transformed physiques. It’s unknown whether this young girl might be one such case." Zhu Ning Yan’s mirror was a mystical artifact capable of identifying spiritual root attributes. Though its methods were admittedly rough, it could detect various spiritual root traits. Yun Mi Xue nodded, and Zhu Ning Yan held the mirror before the girl, causing a white light to radiate from the mystical artifact, settling upon her body. Zhu Ning Yan hadn’t held much hope; even if her spiritual roots had been enhanced, the innate talent of a menial disciple would never elevate to any significant level. She merely wished to offer some peace of mind to her Senior Sister, who seemed to have taken a liking to the girl. However, unexpectedly, the white light from the mystical artifact shimmered and then transformed into green! A single solid color! Zhu Ning Yan shook the mirror, finding the green light stable without any other colors present. Zhu Ning Yan and the group with Zhang Men couldn't help but display peculiar expressions. One among them even couldn't hold back an exclamation—it turned out to be a wood-type single spiritual root! Yun Mi Xue was pleasantly surprised. She adjusted the cloak further around the young girl, "Her injuries haven’t fully healed yet and remain a potential danger. I must take her back to FengHua Immortal Sect." With the innate talent of a heavenly spiritual root, she indeed qualified for entry into FengHua Immortal Sect. Zhu Ning Yan said nothing further, putting away her mystical artifact. "Senior Sister, let's go." Though Zhang Men had agreed to let Yun Mi Xue take away the menial disciple, he was now left to regret missing the chance to have a disciple with a heavenly spiritual root. He could only watch as Yun Mi Xue gently and carefully lifted the girl into her arms, holding her close as they took off into the sky.