The backlash from the Dragon Transformation Art was fierce, and though this man forcibly interrupted it midway, the recoil had already begun to manifest.

Yet, it was precisely because this man had violently cut short his Dragon Transformation Art that Long Feng hadn't died on the spot. Normally, when the power boost from the Dragon Transformation Art receded, life would terminate simultaneously.

The Dragon Transformation Art was a high-level technique of the Long family, but it carried a severe prohibition; it was absolutely not to be used unless absolutely necessary—a technique only for one-time use.

As Long Feng collapsed, Zhang Yang reached his side.

Zhang Yang immediately supported him, his hand already pressing against his pulse point.

A single check of the pulse caused Zhang Yang's expression to shift dramatically. Ignoring the man standing before him, he swiftly pulled out a medicinal box, retrieved an Immortal Fruit Pill, and rapidly stuffed it into Long Feng's mouth.

Long Feng’s condition was dire. His Dragon Transformation Art had been forcefully stopped, and although he hadn't died yet, his internal nei jin (internal energy) was completely chaotic.

Simply put, his situation was akin to zou huo ru mo (a state of qi deviation), and he could perish at any moment.

The Immortal Fruit Pill was a spirit medicine. While it couldn't entirely cure zou huo ru mo, it could stabilize the situation—at least this one dose could save his life.

“A spirit medicine?”

The man, who had been watching Zhang Yang’s fingers, displayed surprise once more.

However, he did not move. He knew Zhang Yang offered the pill to save a life, and only a spirit medicine could save this young master of the Long family now.

“Wuying!”

After swallowing the Immortal Fruit Pill, Zhang Yang roared again. Wuying swiftly leaped over from the corner, finally reaching Long Feng's ear, and bit him once.

Wuying’s [body] stored a more potent medicinal effect; consuming the Immortal Fruit Pill alone was insufficient; Wuying’s bite was also necessary.

After Wuying bit him, Zhang Yang placed his hand back on Long Feng's pulse point. This time, his complexion finally looked a little better.

Long Feng’s internal nei jin began to stabilize. His use of the Dragon Transformation Art should have been a certain death sentence, but with it being violently interrupted, aided by the spirit medicine and the effect stored by Wuying, he had managed to snatch back a fragile life.

But it was only a snatched life; Zhang Yang had no idea what awaited him next.

The Dragon Transformation Art—a technique renowned in the Long family as domineering, forbidden unless absolutely necessary.

Supporting Long Feng, Zhang Yang glanced up at the man, then pulled out a needle case from his person.

Zhang Yang extracted silver needles from the case and, paying no mind to the peak master of the fourth level of nei jin standing nearby, immediately began needling Long Feng. He intended to exert every effort to preserve Long Feng, to preserve everything about him.

From the moment Zhang Yang checked Long Feng's pulse, the man's eyes had been fixed in astonishment.

With his discerning sight, he recognized Wuying as a spirit beast, though he couldn't yet determine its specific type.

After biting, Wuying scurried back to a corner. This little creature was clever; it couldn't assist in combat, so it always hid on the sidelines during fights, ensuring it neither helped nor hindered. It only emerged when needed.

Following this, as he observed Zhang Yang’s needling technique, the man's astonishment deepened, tinged with disbelief.

After inserting needles into Long Feng’s critical pressure points, Zhang Yang finally let out a long breath and looked up at the man. Zhang Yang’s gaze naturally settled again on the man's hands.

Resting upon those unremarkable, grey gloves.

“Who exactly are you, sir, and how do you possess the Herb Gathering Gloves?”

Zhang Yang spoke slowly, his eyes locked onto the pair of gloves.

The Herb Gathering Gloves—the name alone suggested their connection to medicine. In truth, they were ancestral divine weaponry of the Medical Saint lineage. Forged during the Tang Dynasty, an ancestor of the Zhang family commissioned the Tang family to craft them using Heavenly Silkworm Snow Silk, Deep Sea Crystal Thread, and Arctic Ice Silk.

Though not ranked among the Divine Weapon List, the Herb Gathering Gloves were immensely helpful to the Medical Saint lineage, especially when gathering herbs in the mountains, where their function was maximized. When not gathering herbs, they also served as very competent weapons for actual combat.

This was the only divine weapon passed down in the Zhang family. The Zhang family primarily followed the path of pharmacology, renowned for their prescriptions and acupuncture, rarely focusing on divine weaponry.

Regrettably, the Zhang Yang of his past life never inherited this divine weapon. It had been lost since his great-grandfather’s time, and by his own generation, only detailed descriptions remained.

His grandfather had once mentioned that if the opportunity arose, he must recover this lost weapon.

“You are Zhang Yang?”

The man did not answer Zhang Yang’s question, instead posing one of his own. He had heard Long Feng utter Zhang Yang’s name earlier. But because Long Feng had been using the Dragon Transformation Art then, and he hadn't wanted him to die immediately, he hadn't paid close attention. Now, the name left a deep impression.

As he questioned, he continued to stare intently at Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang nodded, glanced again at the gloves on the man's hands, and asked once more, “I implore you, senior, tell me truthfully, where did you obtain these Herb Gathering Gloves?”

Zhang Yang’s attitude toward the man had shifted, becoming more sincere. He now perceived that this man harbored no intent to kill them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have forcefully interrupted Long Feng’s Dragon Transformation Art, an action that was clearly not easy for him either. “You are Zhang Yang, your mother is Zhang Shuhua, and your father is Zhang Keqin, correct?”

The man still didn't answer Zhang Yang’s question, asking again. This time, it was Zhang Yang who exhibited shock.

In this desolate wilderness, for a stranger to suddenly announce the names of his mother and father was enough to stun him.

Observing Zhang Yang’s reaction, the man knew his statements were true. He scrutinized Zhang Yang closely, a trace of excitement flickering in his eyes.

The man suddenly shook his head and gently pulled Long Feng from Zhang Yang’s grasp.

Zhang Yang startled, intending to snatch Long Feng back, only to realize the man’s hand was now resting upon Long Feng’s pulse point.

The technique he used to check the pulse was identical to Zhang Yang’s own.

This caused Zhang Yang’s eyes to narrow again. This method of pulse-taking was an ancestral secret of the Zhang family; others generally did not know it. It wasn't just about the placement of a few fingers; there was profound knowledge involved. Only true, direct descendants of the Zhang family could master the essence of this technique.

This man’s execution was clearly practiced, showing no discrepancy from Zhang Yang’s own.

“This child still presents some trouble!”

After checking for a while, the man gently shook his head. The Long family’s Dragon Transformation Art was not so easily undone; otherwise, they wouldn't need to ascend a full tier of nei jin. While Zhang Yang had saved Long Feng’s life using acupuncture, the spirit medicine, and Wuying, all of Long Feng’s internal energy was now depleted.

This meant Long Feng had reverted to being an ordinary person, utterly lacking internal energy, which would require him to cultivate anew.

“Follow me!”

Carrying Long Feng, the man said to Zhang Yang, and with that, he stood up.

“Senior, who exactly are you?”

Zhang Yang called out, the combination of the Herb Gathering Gloves and the Zhang family’s ancestral technique filling him with a terrible premonition. This man likely had a deep connection to him, and if so, today's turmoil—where Long Feng suffered such hardship—was truly an undeserved calamity.

“You child, still asking? Didn't you come here looking for me? Your father sent you, didn't he? I am your maternal uncle, Zhang Yunan!”

The man turned back and spoke softly to Zhang Yang. Zhang Yang’s mind instantly went ‘boom,’ leaving him utterly bewildered.

Zhang Yunan—this mysterious master of the fourth nei jin level—was actually the person he had been seeking! Before arriving, Zhang Yang had never imagined that the uncle he was searching for would also be a nei jin master. He certainly didn't know his uncle possessed a Zhang ancestral divine weapon and practiced the Zhang family’s direct lineage techniques.

Dazed, Zhang Yang followed Zhang Yunan out.

The sky had brightened considerably. After walking a short distance, a large wooden house appeared ahead, divided into several rooms. Zhang Yunan carried Long Feng inside one of the rooms and placed him on a bed.

Having done that, he led Zhang Yang into the main hall.

Entering the hall, Zhang Yang froze, staring at the scene before him in disbelief.

In the center of the main hall sat a table laden with numerous spirit tablets. The one in the very center was the tablet of the Medical Saint. These tablets were identical to the ones his grandfather had placed in the Taoist temple in his past life.

Seeing them, he felt transported back to the past, back to the days spent with his grandfather.

“Are you truly Yang Yang, Shuhua’s child? Where did you learn your nei jin? And who taught you the Dragon Piercing Acupuncture technique?”

After offering incense before the tablets, the man turned back, questioning Zhang Yang with grave seriousness.

Zhang Yang looked up at him but offered no answer. Instead, he walked over, picked up an incense stick from the table, lit it, and respectfully offered incense, bowing deeply afterward.

The ancestral tablets of the Zhang family—Zhang Yang thought he would never see them again in this life, yet here they were. His habits from his previous life compelled him to naturally pay respects.

Watching Zhang Yang solemnly offer incense and kowtow, Zhang Yunan nodded, though with some surprise, a hint of gratification in his eyes.

“I am Zhang Yang, my mother is indeed Zhang Shuhua, and I came here specifically to find you!” Saying this, Zhang Yang’s lips trembled again, and he continued, “Senior, before I answer your questions, could you perhaps tell me what connection you have to the Medical Saint lineage?”

Even the densest person now understood that his uncle had a deep connection to the Medical Saint lineage, though the precise nature remained unclear to Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yunan looked at Zhang Yang, finally nodding slowly. “I can!”

“I am Zhang Yunan, the current inheritor of the Medical Saint lineage. Now, you can tell me, where did you learn the secret number and the Dragon Piercing Acupuncture technique of the Medical Saint direct line? Although you are my nephew, your mother never knew these things; you couldn't have learned them from her!”

Zhang Yunan’s words struck Zhang Yang like a thunderclap. His suspicions were confirmed—this uncle was deeply tied to the Medical Saint lineage, far beyond his imagination. In this life, his uncle was a direct inheritor of the Medical Saint line.

Third update, bonus for reaching one hundred chapters, Chapter Fifty-Six. More to come!