However, even if he were to leave the small courtyard, what difference would it make? This world is no longer his, and even if he steps outside, he will still be tormented by old ailments.

“Old man, are you a member of the Fang family? How come my old man never mentioned you?” William Carter looked at the elder in confusion. Given the elder’s strength, Henry Carter should have specifically warned him not to offend him lightly.

“When you get old, naturally there are fewer people you care about.” The elder let out a soft sigh, an indescribable loneliness in his voice.

No matter how indifferent one tries to appear, there is always a trace of disappointment. No one wishes to be forgotten. Hearing William Carter say this, the elder couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow in his heart.

“Old man, don’t look so down. You’re so powerful—there’s probably no one in all of Mobei who’s stronger than you. You should face the future with a smile.” William Carter tried to comfort the elder, though his ability to comfort others was clearly inversely proportional to his wit.

The elder gave a bitter smile. Although William Carter’s words weren’t exactly pleasant, he could still sense William Carter’s sincerity.

“With my body, living another two years would be a luxury. If I leave this courtyard, I probably won’t last even half a year before my old life is spent.”

“Old man, did you say you’ve had this illness for fifty years? It hasn’t healed in fifty years?” William Carter stared wide-eyed at the elder.

The elder nodded slightly. “Fifty years ago, I fought a master from the Li family. But my strength was lacking. Although I survived, I was left with this lingering ailment. All these years, every time I use my battle qi, I suffer excruciating heart pain, and every full moon night, the old wound flares up.”

Perhaps it had been too long since the elder had spoken to anyone; he actually told William Carter all about his injuries.

Over the decades, the Fang family had sought countless famous doctors and priests for the elder, but all were helpless, and the elder had long since given up hope.

“Old man, I’ve learned a bit of medicine recently. Let me take a look at you, alright?” William Carter looked at the elder sincerely.

The elder’s face was full of bitter smiles. Looking into William Carter’s pure eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse, even though he knew William Carter couldn’t possibly cure him. Still, he nodded.

“I’m already an old bag of bones. Let the fifth child of the Fang family fuss over me—what harm can it do?” the elder thought to himself. “It’s rare to have such a well-behaved child to keep me company.”

William Carter earnestly took the elder’s wrist and began to feel his pulse. Perhaps the elder didn’t care, thinking William Carter was just imitating what he’d seen, but William Carter was completely focused.

A trace of imperceptible immortal energy slipped into the elder’s body, probing every corner within.

William Carter raised his eyebrows, suddenly discovering a faint, chilling energy inside the elder’s body, attached to his dantian.

“Old man, can you show me your battle qi?” William Carter looked up at the elder.

The elder complied, slowly gathering his battle qi in his palm. A ball of black flame appeared in his hand, the fire looking exceptionally fierce, as if it had a soul, clawing and devouring the air.

The elder seemed to be in great pain, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. Before long, he withdrew his battle qi, and the black flame vanished instantly.

“What fierce battle qi,” William Carter thought to himself. This black flame was constantly devouring the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, creating even greater destructive power. If the elder’s hand trembled, this small courtyard might be destroyed by the black flame.

At the same time, William Carter noticed that the trace of chilling energy was also released along with the elder’s battle qi. It seemed to be a part of his battle qi, but since their natures were completely different, it triggered the elder’s pain.

“Old man, has your battle qi improved at all over these fifty years?” William Carter asked.

The elder was taken aback, then nodded. “Indeed, ever since I was injured, I’ve rarely cultivated my battle qi for fear of aggravating my wounds. But strangely, my battle qi hasn’t diminished—instead, it’s actually improved quite a bit.”

William Carter stroked his chin, looking like a seasoned expert. “What a bizarre battle qi!”

William Carter had already made a preliminary judgment about the cause of the elder’s injury. That trace of chilling battle qi had invaded the elder’s body and fused with his own battle qi, making it impossible for him to expel it. No matter what treatment was tried, it couldn’t be removed. Unless the elder abolished his own battle qi, that chilling energy would naturally dissipate.

But that was clearly impossible. Not everyone can willingly give up their martial arts, and besides, this foreign battle qi was extremely well hidden—even the elder himself could hardly detect it.

If William Carter hadn’t used immortal energy to probe, but had relied on ordinary methods, he wouldn’t have discovered this chilling energy either.

Moreover, this chilling energy was of a completely different attribute from the elder’s own battle qi—one could say it was the exact opposite. So whenever the elder used his battle qi, it would trigger the chilling energy, causing him that bone-piercing pain.

Although William Carter had never experienced such pain himself, he could tell a bit just by looking at the elder’s expression.

This chilling energy, though foreign, was still a type of battle qi, attached to the elder’s dantian, and in a way, it had enhanced his battle qi.

Although the elder had endured fifty years of pain, this chilling energy had also given his battle qi a considerable boost.