Mu Lan lifted the tent curtain and entered the military tent.
Unlike usual, Uncle Zhang, Zhang Zhongyi, whom she remembered, was not preparing herbs. Instead, he was holding a Jade Slip in his left hand, engrossed in inspecting it with his Divine Sense.
Upon hearing footsteps, Zhang Zhongyi withdrew his Divine Sense and looked up to see the female general, Mu Lan.
Mu Lan was still dressed in a red military robe, covered by Brass Armor, exuding a valiant aura. However, at the moment, her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was enduring pain.
"You've arrived, sit down," Zhang Zhongyi gestured for Mu Lan to sit beside him. He placed the Jade Slip on the desk and stood up to walk over to the workbench, beginning to prepare the herbs needed to treat Mu Lan's injuries.
"Just now, Ning Zhuo sought me out to treat his friend," he said.
"It has been successful."
"This Jade Slip contains the treatment method we came up with for the cure, we designed three sets."
"You can take a look," Zhang Zhongyi instructed.
Mu Lan immediately showed interest, "Ning Zhuo?"
"Is that the little brother who was sitting next to you in the outer hall last night, Uncle Zhang?"
Zhang Zhongyi nodded, "Exactly."
As Mu Lan picked up the Jade Slip, she said, "I recall you mentioned his friend practices the Youthful Emperor's Technique and suffered a Dao Injury, making treatment quite complicated. At a minimum, it requires inviting a cultivator of Grandmaster Level in the Earth Element to design specific spells to untangle the principles of the Earth Element within it."
Zhang Zhongyi, with his head bowed, began to crush the herbs, "Speaking of which, you might not believe it."
"Ning Zhuo himself possesses the realm of an Earth Element Grandmaster!"
Mu Lan suddenly raised her eyebrows in astonishment, "Him? How old is he?"
Zhang Zhongyi let out a sigh, expressing his amazement, "He's definitely no older than eighteen. Such innate talent..."
"Before this, I've treated Dao Injuries three times. Not once was it as smooth as cooperating this time!"
"Thinking back now, Ning Zhuo's Earth Element realm might even exceed the Grandmaster Level."
Mu Lan, finding it hard to believe, chuckled, "Uncle Zhang, you praise such a young junior so highly; clearly, this little brother Ning Zhuo has met with your approval."
Zhang Zhongyi stopped pounding the medicine, performed a Finger Technique, and checked the components of the Medicine Mud before prudently adding a blade of grass to it.
Continuing to pound the medicine and beginning to pour in a kind of Spiritual Liquid, he laughed, "If I told you that Ning Zhuo also possesses Grandmaster Level realms in both the Wood Element and the Fire-attribute, would you be even more skeptical?"
Mu Lan's expression of amazement intensified, "Isn't that a bit exaggerated? A Grandmaster Realm in all three elements?"
She switched her tone, "However, Uncle Zhang, you have seen countless people and now with the verification of a cured Dao Injury, then Ning Zhuo must be recognized as a tri-element Grandmaster."
Pausing briefly, Mu Lan appraised, "Despite his young age, having such accomplishments is indeed impressive!"
Zhang Zhongyi added, "Not just impressive. You won't find another like him throughout the entire Liangzhu Country. He's too young, and his achievements are unbelievably high."
"Moreover, his friend is not simple either."
"This treatment could have been thoroughly completed, but it was interrupted halfway by his friend."
"The reason being that, during the injury, he found some brilliant method, using the injury to cultivate."
"In my opinion, the effects of this Cultivation are outstanding!"
"With this, he can be considered lucky in misfortune, as the foundation of his own physical body will surge at least threefold."
Mu Lan nodded, "A wolf does not dwell with dogs; an eagle does not converse with chickens. A youth as excellent as Ning Zhuo will naturally have equally excellent cultivators around him."
Zhang Zhongyi finished preparing the Medicine Mud and poured the entire amounts onto white bandages.
As his hands never stopped moving, he said, "Perhaps you are not yet aware, the imperial envoy meddled this time, delaying the distribution of our army's supplies..."
Before he could finish, Mu Lan nodded and interjected, "Uncle Zhang, I'm aware of the matter you are mentioning."
"It was Ning Zhuo who helped us out of the encirclement."
It turned out that ever since Mu Lan had been troubled, she had ordered her subordinates to follow in secret, beginning to probe the military intelligence.
One of her subordinates happened to witness the entire process of Ning Zhuo lifting the siege and immediately reported back to Mu Lan.
Mu Lan said, "This time, we owe him a favor. If there's a chance in the future, I will be sure to properly thank him."
Zhang Zhongyi picked up the bandage coated with Medicine Mud and walked in front of Mu Lan, "There's no need to thank him. I waived his consultation fee this time."
Mu Lan smiled, "Then I should really thank you, Uncle Zhang."
Zhang Zhongyi immediately shook his head, "No, I should be thanking your father!"
Mu Lan's wrist made a slight twist, and her left Arm Armor automatically detached, transforming into a stream of brass light and entering the Storage Waist Belt.
Mu Lan rolled up her sleeves to reveal her forearm.
On her forearm, there were many wounds, some of which had flipped her skin and flesh from the inside out, and were still bleeding.
Zhang Zhongyi wrapped Mu Lan's forearm with the bandage.
He then placed his palms over the forearm, hovering just above the bandage, and began channeling Mana, infusing it into the Medicine Mud to promote healing.
The sharp pain assaulted her in waves, yet Mu Lan remained composed throughout.
Soon, the thick Medicine Mud was absorbed, leaving only a thin layer.
Zhang Zhongyi took out a set of Golden Needles and inserted more than a dozen of them into Mu Lan's forearm according to the acupuncture points.
With time, the tips of the needles gradually began to shine with a white light.
The piercing white light shattered the needles into powder.
Zhang Zhongyi, with a shadow over his face, said solemnly, "Niece Mu Lan, your condition has worsened a lot recently."
"I've warned you before, it's best not to frequently activate your Family Inheritance Cultivation Technique, the Xuanjin Armor Breaking Technique."
"This technique is suitable for male cultivators, overly masculine and sharp. Being a woman and practicing this technique can easily lead to an excess of masculine energy, harming the feminine essence of your body."