You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Baili Jing quickly woke up from his coma.

But... for him, it would have been better to just faint.

He lay on his back on a large iron bed, because the wooden bed and cotton quilt could no longer withstand the high temperature on his body.

He couldn't pass out; the intense burning sensation inside his body was constantly tearing at every nerve. He also couldn't get up; it was too hot and too painful. Even the slightest movement would cause him to feel a hundred times more intense burning and stinging pain.

Large plumes of white vapor were continuously spewing out from his pores.

Baili Jing could feel that the monster meat he had recently eaten had long been burned away, but the energy showed no sign of stopping. After the monster meat was burned away, the heat began to burn his blood, his bone marrow, and his internal organs!

"Water...give me water...I'm so thirsty...I'm dying of thirst..."

Baili Jing groaned in pain on the bed.

Baili Jie was so anxious that he was covered in sweat and kept pouring bowl after bowl of water into his brother's mouth.

However, before the water could even be swallowed, it evaporated into white smoke as soon as it entered Baili Jing's mouth!

"It hurts so much... Xiao Jie... I feel like I'm about to explode!!"

Baili Jing groaned in excruciating pain.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Hua Xiangrong rushed into the house and turned to shout towards the door:

"Hurry up!! Get the ice ready!"

A group of White Flower Hall disciples rushed in, panting heavily.

They pushed carts full of ice blocks and poured them all over Baili Jing.

"Hoo... Ah..."

As the biting ice brick pressed down, Baili Jing's expression finally softened slightly.

But before long, the large ice blocks began to melt, and water flowed down the edge of the bed, filling the entire room with white steam. It was like a fairyland, yet it was filled with a deathly terror.

Through the thick fog, Baili Jing breathed weakly, his voice hoarse.

"Sister Hua... what's wrong with me... why am I suffering like this... am I being punished by heaven...?"

Baili Jie helplessly raised his head and looked at Hua Xiangrong.

Hua Xiangrong sighed helplessly:

"It must be... that there's something wrong with your blood and constitution, young master."

Fortunately, although the ice was melting, it made Baili Jing feel a little better. He grinned self-deprecatingly and said in a hoarse voice:

"Sister Hua... I'm not going to burn myself to death like this..., am I...?"

"Brother, don't talk nonsense! You're incredibly resilient; you'll definitely find a way!"

Baili Jie interrupted him sharply.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, then abruptly turned around and bowed deeply to Hua Xiangrong:

"Beautiful sister! I beg you! You are a big shot in the White Flower Hall, please lend me more money! Whether it's a thousand taels or ten thousand taels, I'll be willing to work like a slave for the rest of my life! Please go and find the best doctor in Shanghai to save my brother!!"

Hua Xiangrong gave a bitter smile and gently helped Baili Jie up:

"Little brother, the doctor we just left is the best doctor in Shanghai."

Baili Jie was stunned, and a look of despair flashed in his eyes.

Hua Xiangrong quickly spoke up to comfort her:

"Don't worry, your brother has a problem with his cultivation, which ordinary doctors can't handle. But don't worry, I've already informed Second Master, and he's arranged for someone to arrive soon..."

Just then, a loud shout came from outside the door:

"Flowers offered! Master Tian, ​​whom Second Master invited, has arrived!!"

Hua Xiangrong's pretty face lit up with joy, and she quickly went out to greet them:

"Quickly! Quickly, please invite Master Tian in!!"

Before long, Hua Xiangrong walked in with an old man.

The old man was about sixty years old, wearing a leather apron, and his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

Behind him followed four young apprentices, each carrying a heavy black iron box.

As soon as the old man entered the room, his gaze immediately fell on the sickbed, fixed on Baili Jing, whose face was as red-hot as iron, and asked in a deep voice:

"Is this the kid?"

Hua Xiangrong quickly nodded, her tone somewhat respectful: "That's right, it's this person, Master Tian. His blood and qi constitution are extremely special, he can even..."

"No need to say more, I will see for myself."

Master Tian interrupted Hua Xiangrong, strode over to the iron bed, and frowned deeply.

He first probed Baili Jing's forehead, then examined his eyelids, before his face darkened and he shouted sharply behind him without turning around:

"Bloodletting needle! Connect the endotracheal tube! Turn on the barometer! Quickly!!"

"Yes, Master!!"

The apprentice dared not be negligent in the slightest and quickly placed the black iron box on the ground.

Their fingers flew, quickly taking out one intricate part after another from the box. In just a few breaths, they had assembled a strangely shaped, complex machine about a meter tall at the head of the bed.

At the very center of the device was a thick glass tube about the thickness of an arm, around which were riveted numerous brass mechanical components, and at the top was a small steam valve.

Below the glass tube, a black flexible tube lay quietly.

Master Tian made a sharp cut on Baili Jing's right arm, found a blue vein, and without the slightest hesitation, inserted a hollow needle about an inch long into it.

An apprentice immediately stepped forward and attached one end of the black tubing to the end of the bloodletting needle.

In an instant, a stream of blood emitting a dark red glow began to flow from the flexible tube into the thick glass tube.

Baili Jing felt a chill on his arm. Looking at the continuous flow of blood, he weakly forced a smile and mumbled:

"I say... Master Tian, ​​right? This... could it be that he's seeing I'm about to die and plans to drain my blood and sell me on the black market...?"

Master Tian glared at him fiercely and scolded him angrily:

"Stop your nonsense! If you want to live, shut up! Listen to my rhythm, inhale—exhale—! Inhale—exhale—!"

Baili Jing could no longer be arrogant, so he could only obediently close his eyes and follow the old man's instructions to adjust his breathing.

As Baili Jing's breathing gradually stabilized, large gushes of blood flowed into the glass tube.

Another apprentice, responsible for operating the machinery, began to move the gear levers from the side.

In an instant, the steam valve at the top of the glass tube began to move violently, emitting bursts of exhaust sounds. Then, the steam valve, connected to the disc of the instrument, began to spin wildly as if it were insane.

Baili Jie couldn't understand what was happening before him, so he moved closer to Hua Xiangrong and asked softly:

"Pretty lady... what's that strange object? What are they going to do with my brother's blood?"

Hua Xiangrong explained in a low voice:

"Don't panic. That machine is specifically used to test and regulate Qi and blood. Master Tian is currently checking the young man's Qi and blood condition and then using this machine to help stabilize it..."

"Oh no!"

Before Hua Xiangrong could finish speaking, a gasp rang out!

It was the apprentice who was in charge of operating the barometer.

He stared at the dial and shouted:

"Master, something terrible has happened!! It...it's off the charts!!"

"What?!"

Master Tian was suddenly startled.

The next second, BOOM!!

The glass tube exploded!

Glass shards, mixed with blood and steam, sprayed wildly in all directions. The dial was blasted away with a "clang" and rolled into a corner.

The four apprentices were so frightened that they dodged backward, their faces covered in engine oil and blood, looking utterly disheveled.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Master Tian stood there, stunned, muttering to himself:

"The barometer...it actually exploded from his blood and energy?"

"Master Tian! What's wrong?!" Baili Jie was so anxious that tears were almost falling.

Master Tian came to his senses and said in a trembling voice:

"His vital energy... how can it be so strong?! This doesn't make sense!"

Just as the group was in shock, the ice on Baili Jing's body had melted almost completely.

The cold water turned into steam and dissipated, but the terrifying burning sensation surged up again like a tide.

"Ouch...it hurts so much...do you have any more ice...Sister Hua, give me two more truckloads...I'm going to explode..."

Baili Jing was in excruciating pain, and the veins on his neck bulged out one by one.

Master Tian took a deep breath, turned his head, and said to Hua Xiangrong in a deep voice:

"No, this won't work. Ice is only a temporary solution. If we keep using cold water on him, his internal organs will be forced to collapse from the alternating hot and cold temperatures. Right now, stabilizing the fire toxins in his body is the only way to save him!"

A resolute glint flashed in the old man's eyes, and he gritted his teeth fiercely:

"At this point, the only solution is to arrange for a gas furnace to be installed for him immediately!"

"With the gas furnace, he has a central hub for releasing and regulating his qi and blood, allowing him to embark on the path of steam cultivation and guide his qi and blood himself. However... his qi and blood are too intense; an ordinary gas furnace would be burned to scrap metal as soon as it enters his stomach. He needs very high-grade materials!"

Upon hearing this, Hua Xiangrong resolutely replied:

"Don't worry about the materials, I'll have someone fetch them right away. Baihuatang will take care of everything!"

Master Tian nodded emphatically: "Alright, now that the materials are gathered, I will begin the work immediately."

Having said that, the old man turned around decisively and shouted at the apprentice:

"What are you all standing there for?! Take out the meat cleaver, bone cutters, hemostatic spray gun... everything! Light the charcoal and start the stove, get ready to wash your hands and peel the skin!!"

The apprentices quickly gathered around.

A row of specially made surgical instruments were placed on the bedside table. Those cold and sinister modified tools exuded a chilling, bloody stench.

Looking at the steel knives and pliers, even the usually calm and composed Baili Jie broke out in a cold sweat, his voice trembling as he said:

"Will this... will this really work?"

Hua Xiangrong sighed and said:

"Little brother, implanting a gas furnace is a way to defy fate. It requires tearing apart flesh and welding the gas furnace onto the meridians and bones. This process is never gentle and can even be described as a life-or-death struggle."

She glanced at Baili Jing and said with some relief:

"But don't worry, Master Tian has implanted at least eight hundred, if not a thousand, gas furnaces. He's very skilled and has never made a mistake in his life. Your brother has a strong foundation, so he'll definitely be able to pull through."

On his sickbed, Baili Jing was so feverish that he could barely open his eyes.

Listening to the clanging of knives around him, he mumbled in a daze:

"Am I... about to become a steam cultivator...? Then hurry up and make an opening in my stomach, add more fans to cool me down... I'm... going crazy from the heat..."

"Don't worry, kid, one strike from me and I'll make sure you..."

Master Tian grinned maliciously, raised a meat cleaver in his right hand, and made a gesture as if to slash at Baili Jing's stomach.

"stop!!"

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly came from outside the door: "The boss has ordered that a gas stove not be installed for him!"