Yes.
Old Miao was right.
The man still had a faint breath, but it was so weak that he was basically no different from a dead man.
Zhao Shuning walked towards the filthy man whose body was stained crimson with blood. With each step she took, it felt as if a thousand - jin burden was weighing on her feet.
On his body,
there was an extremely familiar aura to her.
The man had completely lost his perception of the outside world at this moment.
Only the faint heat occasionally exhaling from his nostrils proved that he was still alive.
Zhao Shuning stepped forward.
She gently turned the man over.
With just one glance,
her tears burst forth.
It was him.
It was her father.
However, at this moment, Zhao Zheng no longer resembled his former self at all.
Zhao Shuning was his biological daughter, and it was only after repeated confirmations that she dared to believe that this filthy man with countless scars on his face was her father.
She hugged Zhao Zheng.
As if sensing a familiar and overly intimate presence,
Zhao Zheng's fingertips twitched involuntarily.
"Miss,"
"Is this the person you're looking for?"
Zhao Shuning nodded.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
She had come too late.
She picked up her father.
With difficulty, she stood up.
When she was a child, her father's embrace was the warmest haven. Now that she had grown up, from now on, she would be her father's most solid support.
The blood on Zhao Zheng's body had long since dried.
His clothes had been soaked with fresh blood and then slowly dried over days and days.
When Zhao Shuning's hand touched these clothes, she felt they were as hard as iron.
"Old Miao, could you please come out with me?"
Her father was a man.
There were still many things that were inconvenient for her as a daughter.
"Sure."
"Thank you."
Zhao Shuning carried Zhao Zheng and walked out of the cave step by step.
Old Miao followed closely behind.
Zhao Shuning closed her eyes.
She murmured something that Old Miao couldn't understand.
In just a short moment,
in the mid - air,
a magnificent palace appeared.
Yes.
It appeared out of thin air.
At this moment,
the red lotus between Zhao Shuning's eyebrows became even more dazzling, shining brightly.
Old Miao was also shocked speechless by the scene in front of him.
Who on earth was this woman in front of him? Why could she do these things so easily, things they had never seen before?
"Sir, you take the wounded in this cave and follow me."
"Okay."
Intuition told Old Miao that such a filial woman must not be a bad person.
If she were a bad person,
she wouldn't have bothered to do so much. These people were of no use to her at all.
At first,
Zhao Shuning just wanted to simply help these common people. She thought she had done her best. But when she saw her father in such a state,
she knew.
The people in the cave behind were just like "Zhao Zheng" at this moment.
Their lives were not valued. In Jiangning City, no one protected them. They were like floating duckweeds in the wind and rain, with no place to call home.
At this moment,
the only one who could help them was herself.
Let herself,
be a real "saint" for once.
The wounded slowly followed Old Miao into this magnificent palace.
The further they went,
the more they opened their mouths in surprise.
This place,
seemed like the imperial palace of Cangwu Country.
Although some places looked a bit dilapidated, overall, the furnishings here were definitely of high - end quality.
This was the place where Gu Hanxun had once imprisoned her grandfather Ye Feng.
Now, with the help of the energy pill of the Ice - Armored Horned Demon Dragon, Zhao Shuning's spiritual power had already secretly reached a new level. Although she hadn't had a substantial breakthrough, with her strength, she could now even confront a ninth - rank alchemist.
So,
creating a spatial bridge,
for her,
although it was quite energy - consuming, it wasn't extremely difficult.
"We're here."
Zhao Shuning never thought that she would one day use again the prison cage that Gu Hanxun had made.
Gu Hanxun.
Hundreds of years had passed.
He should be dead by now.
Even if he was still alive,
he probably didn't care about worldly affairs anymore.
Everyone pushed open the door.
What came into view was an extremely spacious alchemy room.
"You'll be better off here than in that damp cave. No one should find this place. Just focus on recuperating here."
Hearing this,
everyone quickly knelt down.
"Miss, your great kindness is unforgettable to us."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
She said to everyone and Old Miao, "I need a few people who are still quite agile. First, take my father to the hot spring in the backyard to wash his body. Old Miao, you know what medicinal herbs are needed to temper a person's body. Just tell me, and I'll go and find them for you."
Old Miao said, "Those medicinal herbs are extremely precious. Miss, you may not be able to find them in a short time. Just to mention snow lotuses, horse hooves, and cockleburs, these are relatively easy ones."
"It doesn't matter. Sir, you just tell me what medicinal herbs are needed. This space is very unique. There's a medicinal herb field on the back mountain, and there are many precious medicinal herbs planted in it."
Seeing this,
Old Miao just nodded.
Then he reported all those medicinal herbs to Zhao Shuning one by one.
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"Sir, you first take my father to the hot spring in the backyard. I'll be back soon. Then I'll send someone to bring in the medicinal herbs."
"Miss, even if you find the medicinal herbs, I may not be able to save your father."
"Sir, don't worry. You just need to treat my father's external injuries. I'll take care of his internal injuries."
Zhao Shuning was a top - level alchemist. The pills she refined would be effective in restoring spiritual power and internal organs.
After Old Miao replied with an okay,
he and a few others took Zhao Zheng over.
Then they walked towards the backyard.
Zhao Shuning was quite familiar with this place.
Every brick and tile. Although it was all built more than five hundred years ago, it seemed like it was just yesterday.
Just as Zhao Shuning had expected, and to her great surprise, the medicinal herb field back then hadn't been destroyed by Gu Hanxun. It seemed that in his heart, he still respected his master, her grandfather. So he didn't destroy the legacy left by him.
"Gu Hanxun, this time, consider it as you repaying me a favor."
Zhao Shuning lowered her head.
After gathering all the medicinal herbs that Old Miao had mentioned one by one,
she quickly came to the backyard gate.
Someone was already waiting there.
As soon as Zhao Shuning arrived, she handed over the medicinal herbs. She also took out a purple - red robe from her Qiankun bag and asked them to take it in and change her father into it later.
After doing all this,
Zhao Shuning sat on the ground and couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
"Father, don't worry. As long as I'm here, you'll be okay, and mother will be okay too."