Myriad Rivers to the Sea

Chapter 1016: The Guardian of the Family

Li Yu stood before the tall stone gates of the Ye family estate and held out his stamped mission parchment. The guards wearing thick white fur armor inspected the document carefully under the dim light of the swamp. They exchanged a surprised look before opening the heavy wooden doors to let him inside. The freezing fog of the Frostmire realm seemed to vanish the moment he crossed the threshold. The array formations hidden in the tall walls projected a gentle warmth across the vast courtyard and kept the biting chill at bay.

A group of elegantly dressed cultivators walked out from the main reception hall to greet him. The man leading the group appeared to be in his late middle age. He wore dark blue robes woven with silver thread and carried an aura of quiet authority. This was Ye Lin and he served as the current patriarch of the wealthy family.

"You are the beast healer sent by the mission board?" Ye Lin asked. He looked at Li Yu with visible surprise. "You are much younger than we anticipated. And you wear the crest of the Zhan Clan."

"I am Li Yu." He replied with a respectful bow. "The Zhan clan is on my mother’s side. I accepted the bounty for the examination."

"It is an honor to host a descendant of the Zhan Clan." Ye Lin said as he returned the bow with genuine courtesy. "We certainly do not look down on your youth but we are just surprised because your clan is famous for their physical strength and breaking things on the battlefield. They are not traditionally known for their beast handling skills or medical expertise."

"That is a fair assessment." Li Yu smiled gently with a chuckle. "I grew up far away from the main clan in the lower realms. I had to pick up various skills to help me survive out there before I returned to my family. Healing and treating beasts became a specialty of mine over the years. I am decently skilled in the practice and I wish to offer my help today."

Ye Lin nodded slowly and seemed satisfied with the honest explanation. "We welcome any help we can get right now. While we are not sure if you can treat the ailment, we appreciate you taking the time to come out here. Please follow me."

The patriarch led Li Yu through the sprawling estate. They walked over sweeping wooden bridges that crossed frozen ponds and passed by several luxurious manors. The wealth of the Ye family was evident in every carved stone and manicured garden. They eventually reached an inner courtyard that was heavily guarded by elite soldiers carrying cold steel spears.

"The beast we need you to look at is resting inside this pavilion." Ye Lin explained as they approached a reinforced structure. "It has been with our family for many generations."

They stepped into the warm room and Li Yu finally laid eyes on the patient. He stopped in his tracks and his eyes widened in surprise. The creature resting on a bed of soft silk was incredibly small.

It was barely the size of a common hunting dog but its features were extraordinary. It possessed the proud head of a lion, the folded wings of an eagle while its lower body resembled a sturdy horse. The fur and feathers were a dull golden color that seemed to have lost their vibrant luster over time.

"I have never seen anything like this before." Li Yu admitted as he studied the unique chimera.

"Neither have we." An older woman standing near the bed said with a sad sigh. "There are no records of its species in any of our ancient texts or bestiaries. However, it is our family guardian."

Li Yu walked closer and looked at the frail creature. "I am surprised something so small serves as a guardian for an entire estate. Does it possess a terrifying hidden strength to ward off intruders?"

"It is a spiritual guardian rather than a physical one." Ye Lin clarified as he stood beside the bed. "It does not defend the family through fighting or martial power. We believe it brings immense good luck and fortune to our lineage. That subtle blessing is how we have been successful and built our vast fortune over the centuries. It is the heart of our family."

"I understand." Li Yu said softly. "What are the symptoms?"

"It fell ill roughly six months ago." The older woman explained while gently stroking the lion head. "It stopped eating and grew lethargic. It has been getting slightly weaker by the day and no doctor can figure out why."

Li Yu nodded and prepared himself for work. "I will begin my examination now. Please stand back and give me some space."

The family members stepped away from the silk bed to give him room. Li Yu took a deep breath and circulated his Qi. He kept his energy incredibly gentle and soothing as he extended his right hand over the resting creature. He sent a thin thread of his divine sense into the beast to scan its internal structure.

He checked the lungs and the heart first. The organs were sluggish but they showed no signs of disease or decay. The rhythmic beating of the tiny heart was steady, albeit faint. He followed the flow of blood through the small veins and found no blockages, lingering toxins or parasitic infections within the bloodstream. The initial scan revealed nothing wrong with the physical vessel. The beast simply appeared tired from a long life.

"The physical body is intact." Li Yu reported without breaking his concentration. "I am going to probe deeper into the spiritual pathways."

He carefully guided his divine sense deeper into the intricate network of meridians. He navigated toward the glowing core located near the center of the horse body. The core was the source of a beast's power and life force.

The moment his sense brushed against the outer edge of the core, the small guardian reacted violently.

The beast shrieked in sudden agony. Its eyes rolled back into its head and it thrashed wildly against the silk sheets. The golden eagle wings flapped frantically as a wave of chaotic energy erupted from its small frame.

Li Yu immediately severed his divine sense and stepped back to stop the examination.

"What did you do?!" A younger family member yelled from the back of the room. He rushed forward and pointed an accusing finger at Li Yu. "You are hurting our guardian! You do not know what you are doing!"

"Please calm down." Li Yu explained patiently as he held his hands up in a placating gesture. "I was just probing deeper into the meridians. My spiritual sense is pure and gentle. A simple scan should not have caused that kind of violent reaction."

The beast slowly stopped thrashing and let out a weak whimper before settling back onto the bed. It looked even more exhausted than before.

"Li Yu is right." Ye Lin interjected with a firm voice that silenced the angry youth. "I have been keeping a close watch on him the entire time. His energy was calm and carried no malicious intent whatsoever. His sense would not have been able to trigger anything harmful on its own."

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"Something inside the beast reacted to my sense and caused the pain." Li Yu stated while looking closely at the panting creature. "Whatever is causing the illness is likely hiding near the center of its power."

"Can you be sure?" The older woman asked with clear worry in her eyes.

"I need to verify it." Li Yu said as he turned to the patriarch. "May I try again? I will go even slower this time and stop the moment it shows discomfort."

Ye Lin hesitated for a brief moment before nodding his head. "Proceed carefully."

Li Yu approached the bed again and extended his hand. He focused his mind and sent an even thinner thread of his divine sense into the creature. He bypassed the healthy organs and moved with extreme caution toward the core. He treated the process like navigating a field of fragile glass.

He drew closer to the center. The moment his invisible sense crossed an unseen boundary near the core, the beast seized up. It let out another pained shriek and its back legs kicked out violently against the bedding.

Li Yu withdrew his sense instantly and backed away. He did not want to cause the creature any more suffering.

"It happened again." Li Yu noted with a serious expression. "As soon as my sense gets close to the beast core, it reacts violently. Have any of the other doctors who came here checked the core with their sense?"

"Of course." Ye Lin answered quickly. "Scanning the core is a very common thing to check during a medical evaluation. Every healer has done it."

"And did the beast react like this when they tried?" Li Yu asked.

"No." The patriarch shook his head in confusion. "It just laid there peacefully. I don’t understand why it is reacting this way to you."

"Many doctors and even we have scanned the core before with no reaction at all." The older woman added while wringing her hands together. "We never detected any issues there."

"Let us test it right now." Ye Lin said as he stepped up to the bed.

The patriarch placed his hand over the beast and sent his own divine sense into the creature. Li Yu watched closely and sensed the older man's energy probing deep into the chimera. Ye Lin reached the core and swept his sense over it multiple times. The small beast did not thrash or cry out. It simply breathed softly in its sleep.

Ye Lin withdrew his hand and looked at Li Yu with a baffled expression. "I am able to scan it without any issues. But just like the others, I do not detect any sickness or parasites."

Li Yu crossed his arms and thought about the strange situation. He analyzed the facts presented to him. He was a Karma Severing cultivator and a devouring physique.

‘The patriarch is stronger than I am , so it should not be a question of Qi, perhaps my physique? I also possessed multiple souls dwelling within, could it be that?’ Li Yu began to think.

"I do not know the exact cause of the illness since I cannot get close enough to examine it properly." Li Yu deduced aloud for the family. He paced a few steps across the room to gather his thoughts.

"But the fact that I cannot get close points directly to the issue being in the core. Whatever is draining your guardian is hiding right there. It is likely a high level parasite or a sentient curse that is specifically reacting to me for some reason. It senses me approaching and it tortures the host to force me away. It is using the beast's own pain as a shield against my investigation."

The family members exchanged worried glances but the logic made sense. Everyone else was not able to trigger such a reaction from the beast before and Li Yu was not doing anything to it. They saw the way the beast reacted to Li Yu and that physical evidence was undeniable. It was the first solid clue they had received in six months.

"But we do not know how to proceed." Ye Lin sighed heavily. "The beast reacts too violently to your checking and no one else can find or sense anything there to remove it."

"If you want me to," Li Yu offered with a serious tone. "I can try to let my sense force its way through the pain and breach the core. I might be able to drag the affliction out or destroy it once I am inside."

Ye Lin looked at the frail creature on the bed and shook his head firmly. They turned his offer down without much debate.

"No." Ye Lin said with a heavy heart. "We do not want to risk it. The guardian is too weak right now. If you force your way in and the affliction fights back, the shock alone might kill the beast. We will try other methods first before resorting to something so dangerous."

"That is no problem at all." Li Yu nodded in understanding. He respected their caution when dealing with a beloved family member. He bowed to the patriarch. "I apologize that I could not cure the ailment today."

"Not at all." Ye Lin replied with a gracious smile. "You do not need to apologize. It would seem that you were at least able to identify where the problem is located. That is more than anyone else has accomplished."

Li Yu gathered his thoughts and prepared to leave the room. He felt disappointed that his return as the Silent Physician did not end with a miraculous cure but he knew his limits and the limits that the family was willing to risk. It wasn’t the time for an all or nothing attempt. Perhaps someone else will come with a better solution.

"Since you were able to find something useful, we will still give you a portion of the rewards." The older woman offered as she stepped forward. "We have rare cold iron ores from the swamps that could benefit your martial path."

Li Yu raised his hand and turned them down politely. "Please keep the reward and the ores. My personal code as a physician prevents me from accepting payment for a job I did not complete. I did not solve the problem and I did not fulfill the bounty request. It is no problem to walk away empty handed."

"You are an honorable young man." Ye Lin praised him. "It is getting late in the day. The swamps are treacherous at night. We invite you to stay the night as our guest, it is the least we can do."

Li Yu looked out the nearby window and noticed the thick fog was indeed turning dark. He agreed to the invitation. "I would be honored to stay."

"Excellent." Ye Lin smiled. "Elder Ye Ming will show you around the estate to take in the sights before dinner is served."

An older man with a long gray beard stepped forward from the group of elders. He gestured toward the door and led Li Yu out of the medical pavilion. They left the central courtyard and walked out onto the sweeping wooden bridges that connected the various manors.

The estate was breathtaking as the sun dipped below the horizon. The large braziers placed around the grounds ignited with bright blue fire as the vibrant light reflected off the frozen lakes and the frosted cypress trees to create a magical atmosphere. The crisp winter air carried the faint scent of blooming frost flowers and servants moved quietly along the pathways lighting smaller lanterns to guide the evening patrols.

"The Ye family has spent generations building this home." Elder Ye Ming said proudly as they walked along a garden path lined with smooth river stones. "The guardian brought us the fortune but it was also our hard work that placed every stone and carved every pillar. We owe a lot to that small creature resting in the pavilion."

"It is a beautiful place to call home." Li Yu complimented honestly as he admired a towering ice sculpture sitting in the center of a courtyard. "I hope your family finds a way to cure it so it can enjoy these gardens once again."

They continued their tour and enjoyed the quiet serenity of the evening. The cold air was refreshing and the estate felt incredibly peaceful under the starry sky.

A sudden blur of motion caught Li Yu's eye. He looked toward the rooftops of the adjacent manors and saw a person dressed in dark clothing running at blistering speed. The figure leaped over a high wall and scrambled toward the outer perimeter of the estate.

Elder Ye Ming saw the shadow as well and his eyes widened in alarm. The security arrays should have alerted them to any intruders but it didn’t.

"Stop right there!" The elder shouted as he drew a short sword from his robes. He surged forward and chased after the fleeing person with remarkable agility. His boots cracked the ice on the pathway as he pushed his Qi to the limit.

Li Yu prepared to follow and assist the elder but a loud and desperate roar echoed across the frozen lakes. It came from the direction of the heavily guarded medical pavilion they had left around 15 minutes ago. The sound was a mix of human panic and structural collapse.

"Someone help!" A guard's voice screamed from the distance and the sound carried easily over the cold air. "They took the guardian! The beast has been stolen!"

Li Yu snapped his head toward the fleeing shadow jumping over the final estate wall. The thief had bypassed the perimeter guards, infiltrated the most secure room in the estate and snatched their prized possession right from under their noses. The peaceful night had just shattered into utter chaos.