C3 A Fool Saving the Beauty

"Listen up, little lady! You think a fool can come to your rescue? If he even tries, I'll send him flying again! I'll finish him off for good, so he won't interrupt our fun!" Zhao Dabiao's taunt had barely left his lips when he suddenly felt a sharp tug at his hair, as if his scalp was about to be torn off.

"Didn't you hear me tell you to stop?" Shen Yong's voice cut through the air, icy and commanding.

Zhao Dabiao whipped around, only to be met with Shen Yong's menacing glare. A shiver ran down his spine; Shen Yong seemed different, changed somehow.

Still, Zhao Dabiao couldn't believe that Shen Yong's 'foolishness' had been cured. To him, Shen Yong's erratic behavior was nothing out of the ordinary, even if it seemed a bit off.

"Ha! You big oaf, you just don't get it, do you? I haven't even settled the score for that slap earlier! And now you fancy yourself the hero, saving the damsel? You must have a death wish!"

Setting Zhang Chuntao aside, Zhao Dabiao said, "Hold on, Sister Chuntao! I'll take care of this idiot first, then come back and we'll have ourselves a good time!"

Zhao Dabiao's constant jeers, calling Shen Yong a fool, were too much for Shen Yong, now fully lucid, to bear.

"Call me a fool one more time, I dare you!" Shen Yong challenged, seething with anger.

"Oh, what's the matter? Can't handle being called stupid?" Zhao Dabiao sneered, leaning in close to Shen Yong's face, taunting him without restraint, "Idiot! Idiot! Big idiot! I said it, what are you going to do about it!?"

But Shen Yong's patience had snapped.

"Smack! Smack! Smack!" Without another word, he delivered three rapid slaps to Zhao Dabiao's face.

The slaps came with such speed that Zhao Dabiao couldn't even see them coming, each one landing squarely on his left cheek. His already large face swelled even more, drooping under the weight of the blows.

Dazed and disoriented, Zhao Dabiao's eyes crossed as he looked down, catching sight of his own grotesquely swollen face.

"What am I supposed to do, huh?! I could slap you! Go ahead, call me an idiot if you're not afraid of a sore face. Do it, and you'll get a slap!"

Shen Yong's voice was stern.

"Damn it! I'm gonna beat you to a pulp...!"

Zhao Dabiao was about to call him 'you idiot'.

But as the words were on the tip of his tongue, the throbbing pain on his face served as a sharp reminder not to utter 'idiot' again.

Zhao Dabiao's words may have halted, but his fists kept flying, aiming for Shen Yong.

Yet, in a blink, Zhao Dabiao's punch was effortlessly stopped by a single index finger from Shen Yong's right hand.

People often block punches with their fists or palms, but stopping one with just a finger? That was unheard of!

Zhao Dabiao quickly pulled back his fist, feeling as though he had struck not a finger, but a steel rod as thick as his finger, and it hurt like hell!

"If you value your life, scram!"

Shen Yong bellowed in fury.

A smart man knows better than to take a beating when the odds are against him!

Realizing he was no match for Shen Yong, Zhao Dabiao turned tail and bolted down the mountain, yelling as he fled,

"Shen Yong, you big idiot! You just wait, I'll bring back reinforcements!"

Shen Yong, having just come to his senses, didn't waste any more time on Zhao Dabiao.

To Shen Yong, Zhao Dabiao was nothing more than a village thug. Driving him off was sufficient; there was no need for a relentless pursuit.

Now, Shen Yong's mind was filled not only with his own memories but also with a vast expanse of knowledge—the Immortal Doctor Secret Technique, bestowed upon him by the Mountain Peach Golden Immortal.

The Immortal Doctor Secret Technique was all-encompassing, intricate, and vast, covering the arts of healing, alchemy, martial arts, techniques, and military strategy.

In addition, something new had appeared in Shen Yong's dantian: seven small transparent orbs.

Arranged in the pattern of the Big Dipper, with the orbs forming a ladle shape, the one at the end of the handle contained a trace of green spiritual energy.

It turns out these seven small orbs are for storing spiritual energy!

The foundation of the Immortal Doctor Secret Technique is the gathering of spiritual energy!

The specific method for condensing and controlling this energy is known as the Seven-star Qi Refining Spell!

After assessing his situation, Shen Yong looked up at the Big Peach Tree.

What was once a flourishing tree now stood bare, save for a few lingering leaves on a solitary twig.

It dawned on Shen Yong that the Mountain Peach Golden Immortal had exhausted twenty years of his cultivation to save him, leaving only a wisp of his Immortal Soul in that twig.

"Mountain Peach Golden Immortal? Mountain Peach Golden Immortal? Can you hear me?"

Gently stroking the trunk of the Big Peach Tree, Shen Yong called out in a soft voice.

But the Mountain Peach Golden Immortal, having spent his cultivation, had become a mere ordinary peach tree, devoid of any Immortal Force, unable to hear Shen Yong's pleas.

"Thank you, Mountain Peach Golden Immortal! Rest assured, I will find a way to restore your immortal energy, rebuild your immortal form, and aid your return to the Nine Heavens Immortal Realm!"

Shen Yong vowed silently to himself.

Just then, he was startled by the sound of a woman's weeping.

Turning, he saw Zhang Chuntao collapsed on the ground, her hands rubbing her tear-streaked eyes.

"I can't go on! How will I live from now on? I might as well be dead!"

Zhang Chuntao lamented through her tears.

Shen Yong took a moment to observe Zhang Chuntao.

She was dressed in a white tank top with a pink scarf tied around her neck, blue denim shorts, and red high-heeled sandals.

Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a red band, and her skin was impeccably fair.

A beauty from the depths of the mountains, Zhang Chuntao's natural appearance outshone the heavily made-up city girls.

It was clear why Zhao Dabiao harbored desires for her.

"Ms. Chuntao, please stop crying! You're too beautiful to die. With the shortage of women these days, your death would only add to the number of bachelors!"

Shen Yong, a man of steel with no knack for sweet-talking women, always spoke his mind without a filter.

Yet, his blunt words had an unexpectedly positive effect.

Zhang Chuntao abruptly ceased her tears, staring at Shen Yong in astonishment, and exclaimed, "You big dummy, how can you say such things!? That's so bizarre!"

"Who are you calling a dummy? Just because you're pretty doesn't mean I'll go easy on you! Call me that again, and I won't hesitate to give you a piece of my mind!" Shen Yong retorted, with not a hint of chivalry, yet his words somehow brought a chuckle out of Zhang Chuntao.

"Shen Yong! You're not being foolish, are you?!" she asked, her voice a mix of surprise and delight as she rose to her feet.

"That's right! I'm not foolish anymore! I just had a run-in with the Big Peach Tree, and that did the trick!" Shen Yong said, throwing his hands up in a nonchalant gesture.

Zhang Chuntao gazed at him, incredulous. She sensed a complete transformation in his vitality and spirit.

"Shen Yong! You really are better! Come here, let your sister-in-law have a good look at you!" she said, rushing over and grabbing his hand.

"Yikes! Shen Yong, your hand is freezing! Are you coming down with something? Get inside and take a hot bath to warm up!"