"Wait, wait, this isn't right at all!"
"What do you mean? Didn't I just cure him? The whole stone demon's in high spirits now."
"The problem is solved, but—but he's a Stone Demon! His whole body is made of rock! He doesn't even have pressure points!"
Jade Luan couldn't help shouting.
That demon earlier had been a spirit born of stone—he didn't have human organs or pressure points. Techniques like acupuncture should have been completely useless!
But she had seen it with her own eyes—Kei had healed the guy in just a few swift strikes. Turned stone to spirit...
How in the world did he manage that?
"Sigh, your thinking is too limited. Pressure points aren't exclusive to human bodies. Every entity in the world has its own pressure points."
"Even this world itself has pressure points. It all depends on whether you can find them or not."
Kei had long since transcended the limitations of conventional pressure points. Now, all it took was a glance, and no matter whether it was a human or a youkai, he could see right through them.
He could observe the flow of energy, locate their pressure points—one glance was all it took to grasp the principle.
"Stone, mountains, rivers... even souls can have pressure points!"
"Soul acupuncture?! I—I've never heard of anything like that! Did you invent this?!"
"More or less. But I'm also building on the shoulders of those who came before me. Here, take this—Rare and Difficult Cases Reference Manual."
"You can look through it yourself. There are some interesting cases in there."
Kei tossed Jade Luan the Rare and Difficult Cases Reference Manual he got from Doctor Li. The moment she received it, she looked at him like he was crazy.
"Rare and Difficult Cases Reference Manual? How have I never heard of this book?"
Jade Luan was a recognized master of medicine, yet this was her first time hearing about such a title. Curiosity piqued, she opened it up.
A while later, after reading through it, her first reaction was to complain.
"The content's certainly interesting, but none of it has anything to do with your acupuncture on rocks!"
"That's not the point. Haven't you noticed? A lot of the treatment methods in there are brilliant. With a little thought, you can learn a lot from them."
"My acupuncture technique is something I refined through endless practice, experimentation, and study."
Kei looked at Jade Luan's still-dumbfounded expression and sighed. He really was trying hard to explain.
Why did she have to be such a blockhead?
"So where exactly is the pressure point on a stone? Don't give me that 'feel it' crap—I don't get it!"
Jade Luan had entered full stubborn-doctor mode. Her thirst for knowledge wouldn't let her just accept it.
"...I give up. Just look for yourself. If you get it, great. If you don't, then forget it."
Kei had no intention of wasting more time trying to explain it to her. It was all about feeling it—how could he explain that to someone else?
[You continued traveling with Jade Luan and the husky, practicing medicine across Beishan. Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.]
[You've visited all sixteen major cities of Beishan, countless smaller towns and villages, and treated innumerable patients.]
[Your fame has soared, and the entire Beishan youkai community now recognizes your title as "Human Demon King" and submits to your authority.]
[But your deeds have also stirred resentment from humans and those youkai who still harbor hatred toward humans.]
[They've decided that once you leave Beishan, they'll launch a deadly ambush at the border to kill you!]
"Safe travels, Divine Doctor!"
"What do you mean 'safe travels'? I'm just going for a little trip, not heading to the afterlife."
Kei looked at Chicken-bro, exasperated. "Read more books, will you? Be a cultured youkai."
"Sorry, sorry. I'm still learning human idioms. My bad. Then... see you in the next life?"
"Please stop jinxing me."
"Big Bro!!"
"Second Bro! Third Bro! All the way to Forty-Eighth Bro!"
Over on the husky's side, he was tearfully hugging his brothers in a dramatic farewell.
"Big Bro, you must take care of yourself out there!"
"You too! Life's gonna be tough without me, but stay strong! Be brave!"
"Don't worry, Big Bro. Chicken-bro agreed to take us in as his little brothers, all for your sake. We're part of his crew now."
"Yeah! We've got meat bones every day, our demon power's getting stronger too."
"Life's been pretty good for us, Big Bro. Don't worry!"
The husky suddenly stiffened. "Guys... why don't you come with me? Let's go survive the wilderness together, suffer as one!"
"No, no, Big Bro. We'd just be a burden."
"I can't abandon my bros! Let's go starve and train together!"
The husky was the kind who couldn't stand seeing his brothers suffer—or see them not suffer while he did. Just imagining himself running around with Kei while his bros enjoyed good food under Chicken-bro's care made his heart ache.
Despite the tugging and pleading, the husky couldn't convince them in the end. Tearful goodbyes were exchanged.
"I really want to keep learning your acupuncture technique, but I've still got things to take care of in Beishan. Once I'm done, I'll come find you."
Jade Luan had grown close to Kei over time, admiring his medical skills. She'd wanted to travel with him, but matters of her clan kept her rooted.
"No worries. Your comprehension's too low anyway—even if you followed me for a year, you still wouldn't get it."
"Why do you have to say such cruel truths! I'm just missing that one breakthrough! Once I get it, I'll learn it fast!"
"Good luck with that. I'm off."
Kei waved as he parted ways with all who came to see him off… for what felt like the tenth time.
Meanwhile, the Five Elemental Killers were starting to lose their patience.
"Damn! They've been sending him off since morning! Then had dinner, kept sending, and now it's morning again! When are they leaving?!"
"Are they ever going to leave?!"
"Shut it! I've been hiding in water so long I'm about to drown! Do you hear me whining?"
"At least you got water! I'm lying in grass, getting eaten alive by bugs!"
"Quiet! We're professional assassins—cold, ruthless, elite! Quit clowning around!"
"The bigger the farewell, the bigger the name we'll make after this hit! Imagine it—'Five Elemental Killers assassinate Human Demon King at Beishan border!' Our fame will skyrocket!"
"Boss is right! But... he is a demon king. Can we really take him?"
"Are you dumb? That title's just honorary, a thank-you from grateful youkai. From what I've heard, he's barely above a regular great youkai."
"He's never fought anyone before. If we all strike together, we'll kill him instantly!"
"Shh, here he comes."
Kei finally managed to finish his extended farewell. The enthusiasm of the youkai was overwhelming—many even wanted to tag along.
He had to firmly refuse. With thousands of youkai trailing behind him, it'd look more like a war march than a medical trip.
"Let's go, Doggo. Time to check out the South. I heard their poisons are wild. I want to see for myself."
Kei patted the husky's head as he rode him forward.
"Woof—wait, no, howl!"
The husky had been pretending to be a normal dog for so long, he'd almost forgotten how a real demon hound should sound.
Together, man and dog walked across the border, shrinking into the horizon until they were just a dot.
"KILL!"
Suddenly, just as they passed a pond, an ambusher exploded from the water. A massive wave surged under his control, crashing down toward Kei.
At the same time, the surrounding grass turned into sharp blades, slicing toward Kei.
Spikes burst from the earth, each aimed at Kei's vital points!
From a distance, another attacker ignited a flame—extremely rare demon-purging fire—sending it blazing forward.
Above, a metal-bodied figure descended with a massive blade arm, slashing at terrifying speed.
In a single instant, the Five Elemental Killers launched their deadly strike!
"An ambush!"
Chicken-bro, sensing the sudden surge of demon power, realized what was happening. Despite all precautions, the Five Elemental Killers had evaded their search.
They were professionals.
"Save him, now!"
Jade Luan rushed forward in her golden phoenix form.
"Big Bro!!"
The dog demons panicked. They might not have wanted to suffer with him, but watching him suffer was even worse.
A swarm of youkai burst into action, racing toward the attack site.
"Too late."
The Metal Killer saw them coming—but his blade was already on Kei's neck. A single blink and it'd be over.
His blade could cut through any shield!
And they had backup...
On the other side of the border, countless human cultivators flew in on swords.
"Youkai invasion!"
"Strike them down!"
"This time, that freak dies for sure!"
They weren't aiming at the Five Elemental Killers. They were going after Chicken-bro and the rest.
"Helping youkai and getting killed by one. Serves him right."
The Dao Alliance members sneered.
"Despicable humans... and those traitors accepted their commission!"
Chicken-bro saw the situation and instantly realized: the Five Elemental Killers had been hired by humans. Their plan wasn't just to kill Kei.
They wanted to kill him in front of the other youkai, to spark chaos.
If they succeeded, Beishan would fall back into human-youkai conflict.
And with Kei's fame, his death would shake both sides—humans would hate youkai, and youkai would fall into civil war.
The Dao Alliance was ruthless!
"Sigh... guess Chicken-bro jinxed it. I barely stepped out and already got ambushed."
"Oh well, it's been a while since I stretched my limbs."
Kei pinched the Metal Killer's blade with two fingers.
"Acupuncture isn't just for healing…"
It can kill too.
In that instant, the Metal Killer felt his demon power go out of control—turning inward, tearing at him.
His body began to crack from the inside, his soul fragmenting.
"AAAAHHH!!"
He was shredded to pieces, body and soul alike.
A multi-colored dragon surged behind Kei, its jaws opening in a silent roar that chilled everyone to the bone.
The Dragon of Appetite lashed its tail, devouring everything in its path. The Earth and Wood Killers were instantly consumed.
It opened its mouth again, sucking in the giant wave like it was a drink.
Then, it looked at the Fire Killer, flapped its wings, and a gust of wind turned him into food.
Even after annihilating the Five Elemental Killers, the dragon wasn't satisfied.
Its hungry eyes turned toward Chicken-bro and the Dao cultivators.
ROAR!!
Kei's training had refined his control over his body. Normally, he didn't emit any beastly aura.
But when he unleashed his dragon's might, the pressure was devastating.
The Feast of the King would never end!
As the silent dragon roar spread, everything nearby was crushed beneath the pressure.
The cultivators flying on swords, Chicken-bro in full phoenix form—all of them were slammed into the ground.
They were terrified, but they had no choice—battle between humans and youkai had already begun!
"Slaughter these cowardly Dao scum! Save our Demon King!"
"Kill! Kill!! KILL!!!"
The youkai shouted as one, boiling with rage.
"Kill the damn youkai! And this freak too!"
"CHARGE!"
The Dao cultivators shouted back, drawing their swords and rushing in.
"B-Boss… should we run?"
The husky's legs were shaking.
"Run? With me here?"
"At worst—I'll fight them all by myself."
The husky collapsed—more from being overwhelmed by Kei's aura than fear.
(End of Chapter)
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