Chapter 228: Bone Replacement and Breakthrough A Medical Miracle?
With just a few steps, Master Gou returned to the treatment room, carrying the bone replacement material. However, this time, he was accompanied by a burly assistant.
"What's this about?" Yu Xiaogang looked at the man behind Master Gou, somewhat puzzled.
"No choice. Your case is rather unique. And, unfortunately, the soul master who had the ability to induce deep sleep just happened to leave a few days ago for his wedding."
"At best, he'll be back next month. Your condition can't wait, so we have to use an alternative method."
"This isn't exactly my specialty, so I had to bring him along."
Master Gou stepped aside, allowing his assistant to stand directly in front of Yu Xiaogang.
"An alternative method?" Yu Xiaogang, feeling increasingly uneasy, looked up at the assistant, whose large frame blocked out the light from above.
"Yes, an alternative method," Master Gou's voice sounded eerily from behind. Then, the assistant suddenly grinned menacingly, raised his right hand into a knife hand strike, and brought it down swiftly onto Yu Xiaogang's neck.
With a soft thud, Yu Xiaogang slumped into the chair, unconscious.
His last thought before blacking out was: If you're going to knock me out, fine but did you really have to grin like that?
When he regained consciousness, Yu Xiaogang felt a soothing warmth all over his body. The pain in his face and leg had completely vanished.
Opening his eyes, he saw Master Gou examining him closely.
"You're awake. The treatment was a success," Master Gou said, seemingly quite pleased with the results.
"Come on, get up and walk a bit. Let's see if your leg functions normally."
After another quick diagnostic scan with his soul skill, Master Gou gestured for Yu Xiaogang to step down from the treatment bed.
"Oh… okay."
Yu Xiaogang propped himself up with his arms and quickly got off the bed. He took a few tentative steps, then stomped his foot hard a few times to test its resilience.
"Thank you, Master Gou! Thank you! It feels just like before the injury!"
This time, Yu Xiaogang's gratitude was genuine. He had expected some recovery time and adjustment, but the treatment had exceeded his expectations.
"As long as you're satisfied. Oh, one more thing while you're fine for daily activities, I'd still recommend using soul power to nourish your left leg for a while."
Master Gou casually reminded him.
"Understood, I'll do that. Thanks again."
Yu Xiaogang's voice trailed off as he suddenly realized something his speech still had a slight lisp. The back and forth conversation had been fine, but when he pronounced certain words, he noticed an odd airiness in his tone.
Then it hit him his front teeth.
The two teeth that had been knocked out were still missing.
Apparently, the treatment hadn't restored them.
Master Gou, noticing his reaction, tried to suppress a chuckle. "Don't look at me like that. There's nothing I can do to regrow your teeth quickly. If you're in a hurry, you might want to find a higher ranked healing soul master."
This wasn't something Master Gou had done intentionally. Even though he had been a Soul King for years, this was the first time he had encountered a case involving missing teeth.
In fact, this was such a unique discovery that he was considering publishing an academic article about it maybe even securing some research funding.
Yu Xiaogang's face turned a shade of green. Two missing front teeth? How the hell am I supposed to face people?
"I suspect the treatment wasn't intensive enough. You might want to try the Ye family's healers."
Master Gou helpfully suggested.
Yu Xiaogang merely grunted in response and started making his way out of the room. The Ye family? As if I have money for that! I'm broke!
Fortunately, because of Luo Sanpao, he always carried a few masks with him. Until his teeth grew back, he figured he'd just wear one whenever he was in public.
Just as he was about to step out of the treatment room, Master Gou's voice called out again.
"Wait a moment. Since you already paid, you might as well take the replacement material with you."
Seeing Yu Xiaogang's pitiful state, Master Gou felt a rare pang of sympathy. The poor guy had been beaten up, had to hide it from his student, and had even paid for his own treatment.
But there was no way he was going to return the money.
However, since the bone specimen he had used for the procedure was already damaged, its value had dropped significantly. So, rather than tossing it out, he figured he might as well let Yu Xiaogang have it. If nothing else, he could sell it in Tian Dou City for a bit of money.
"The replacement material?"
Yu Xiaogang turned around, confused.
"Yes. I used a soul beast's bone to repair your leg. That bone is yours now."
Master Gou stepped closer and placed a wrapped package in front of Yu Xiaogang.
"What kind of soul beast was it?" Yu Xiaogang asked, curiosity getting the better of him.
If it were a well known species, or if he had an image to reference, he would have been able to recognize it. However, all he had now was a set of bones, and he was struggling to identify them.
"A hundred year old Grass Dog. It's actually quite a rare soul beast, though we usually call it a 'Cabbage Dog.'"
Master Gou kindly provided some background, but as he did, Yu Xiaogang's face turned beet red.
Seeing his reaction, Master Gou assumed it was due to unfamiliarity, so he quickly added,
"Don't underestimate the Cabbage Dog. It may be weak, but that's exactly why it's so rare. This specimen is still relatively intact, despite the portion I used for your leg. If you take it to Tian Dou City, you should be able to sell it for one or two gold soul coins."
As Master Gou continued his explanation, Yu Xiaogang's mind exploded the moment he heard the words "Cabbage Dog." His left leg had been replaced with a dog's bone even if it was just for reinforcement.
But still, it was a dog. And not just any dog a Cabbage Dog.
He couldn't shake the feeling that Master Gou was deliberately humiliating him. From the way he had addressed him from the beginning to now, everything felt like an intentional mockery.
And now, his bone had been replaced with a dog's? Did that mean he was literally being called a lackey?
Yu Xiaogang turned red with rage. He swore that if he weren't already aware that this man was a Soul King, and if he had even the slightest combat ability, he would have thrown a punch at him right then and there.
Master Gou finally sensed something was wrong. Why is he still glaring at me so angrily after I've explained everything? Does he think it's my fault his teeth didn't grow back?
No wonder someone had beaten him up earlier. He was clearly ungrateful. He hadn't even stepped out of the treatment room yet, and he was already throwing attitude.
For a brief moment, Master Gou even considered taking back the Cabbage Dog's bone specimen.
It was good to be generous, but there were limits. His expression darkened as he pointed at the bone specimen on the ground and said coldly, "Do you want it or not? If not, I'll take it back."
Yu Xiaogang wanted to shout no on the spot. But then he thought about how he had already spent his last coin on this treatment, and this specimen was now legally his property.
Most importantly, it was his evidence a reminder of the humiliation he had suffered today.
So instead, he let out a cold snort, stuffed the specimen into his soul tool, shot Master Gou one last venomous glare, and stormed out the door without looking back.
"What's wrong with that guy…"
Master Gou shook his head and sighed. If I ever see him again, he's paying double no, triple.
Thinking of that, he reached into his pocket, feeling the thirty eight gold soul coins. After handing over three to the academy for materials, he still had a net profit of thirty five. Not bad at all.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang, now wearing a mask as he walked toward his residence, grew angrier the more he thought about it. In his frustration, he kicked a small rock by the roadside this time with his right foot.
"Ahh!"
He sucked in a sharp breath as pain shot through his foot. His toe had slammed into the sharp edge of the rock, and he could already feel it swelling.
Just my damn luck…
Sighing in frustration, he muttered, "Forget it. It's late. I'll just rest tonight and go see Tianheng tomorrow."
Limping all the way to his room, Yu Xiaogang pushed open the door, exhausted. All he wanted was to collapse into bed.
But as he passed by his desk, he noticed a meal neatly placed on it, along with a note.
"Teacher, since I didn't know when you'd return, I was worried you might not have time to eat after your treatment. So I brought you a meal. Please eat and rest early. Tang San"
In that instant, Yu Xiaogang's eyes turned red.
So… someone still cares about me after all.
He sat down and, without caring that the food had gone cold, began devouring it in large bites.
Don't worry, Tang San. I'll make sure you join the Emperor Battle Team!
By the time he finished every last bite, he felt completely full. Wanting to stand and move around, he put his foot down only for pain to shoot through his swollen toe.
Forget it. I'll just meditate for a while. I'll use my soul power to nourish my left leg and my right toe too. Otherwise, it won't heal by tomorrow.
Yu Xiaogang had long since abandoned training. But tonight, despite his dissatisfaction with Master Gou, he decided to follow his medical advice.
After a quick, simple wash, he sat cross legged on the bed, entering a meditation state for the first time in years.
He carefully guided his soul power through his left leg and then paused.
Huh? Is it just me, or is my soul power circulating faster than before?
Frowning, he tried again, focusing entirely on his left leg.
This time, he was sure. His soul power was indeed flowing smoother and faster than before.
Could it be…?
Yu Xiaogang's long dead ambition suddenly surged back to life. His heartbeat quickened.
One cycle.
Two cycles.
Three cycles.
The more his soul power flowed through his left leg, the faster it moved. His leg bones felt stronger, more refined and then, all of a sudden, his bottleneck loosened.
Then, as his soul power completed another circulation, it grew.
Yu Xiaogang had broken through.
He was now a level 30 Soul Elder candidate.
For over a decade, his soul power had been stagnant. But now, it had finally increased.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
"Hahahaha! I broke through! I broke through!"
Ignoring the pain in his foot, Yu Xiaogang leaped off his bed and laughed hysterically. He didn't even care that his missing teeth made his voice sound strange.
No one could possibly understand his excitement.
After venting his emotions for a long time, he finally turned his gaze to his left leg.
He was certain his breakthrough was entirely thanks to it.
And that same left leg had just hours ago been implanted with a Cabbage Dog's bone.
His entire body trembled with excitement.
This… this could be the key to his future.
At that exact moment, Han Li, who had just finished his own training, suddenly felt a shift in fate.
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