Chapter 11 Depression

• "Eric!
• "I ...
• "I'm not coughing anymore!
• "I'm really not coughing anymore!"
• After catching his breath, David looked dazed. His lips quivered for a bit before he finally got the words out.
• David could hardly believe what was going on. He even wondered if he was dreaming.
• Eric put the spittoon aside and carefully wiped his father's chest with a towel, mopping up the sweat.
• Illness came on suddenly and left slowly.
• David had been dealing with dust lung disease for a while. Earlier, Eric used needles and his strong, flowing vitality energy to push the dust out of his father's body.
• But it was a chronic condition that caused widespread scarring in the lungs.
• So, even though Eric had cleared the dust from his father's lungs, David would need meticulous care and attention to fully get better.
• After curing his father's dust lung disease, Eric helped Evelyn to a reclining chair and gently began to massage her.
• While modern medicine labels dust lung disease as an incurable disease, Eric, who practiced the Gilded Tome, could use his knowledge of holistic medicine and needle therapy from the Medicine chapter to treat it effectively.
• But his mom's illness was more than just physical, it was a matter of the heart. No matter how skilled he was, he couldn't fix her emotional pain in no time.
• Over the past five years, with the uncertainty about his life, the family's downfall, Monica's betrayal, and having nowhere to turn for help, all these blows had taken a huge toll on Evelyn.
• As a result, she was deeply depressed.
• The only thing Eric could do was stay by his mother's side, hoping that her emotional wounds would heal soon.
• "Buzz, buzz, buzz ... "
• Suddenly, a frantic phone ring shattered the calm.
• "What's going on?"
• "Your grandpa's in critical condition and has been admitted to the hospital!"
• When Alice received the call from her father, her face went pale with shock.
• Though Silas' health had been declining, the private doctor had suggested he might still have another year or two. She hadn't expected him to fall into such a critical condition so suddenly.
• "Eric, please, you have to save my grandpa!"
• Alice clutched Eric's hand tightly, her eyes filled with desperation as she spoke in a trembling voice.
• "Okay!"
• Eric understood the urgency of saving a life.
• Besides, given how much Alice had done for him and his family, he couldn't possibly ignore them.
• He got into Alice's car without hesitation, and they sped toward Ciderbrook's Oasis Hospital.
• ...
• Once in the car, Eric focused his mind and entered a meditative state.
• Five years ago, he had been thrown off a cliff by some bad guys and happened to land on his mentor's remains. By a twist of fate, he had acquired the Gilded Tome, a legendary inheritance.
• The Gilded Tome was said to be a work recorded by Jasper Rune under the Emrys Gold's orders. According to ancient legend, it was a secret method given to the Emrys by the fairies, which helped him defeat Chase Oren.
• It was later hidden in Glen Peaks and eventually found by Elias Jansen. From there, it was passed down to Sam Quinn, Zack Irwin, and later to Luke Gale and Leo Rowen.
• The Gilded Tome was split into five chapters: Mountain, Medicine, Destiny, Divination, and Astrology.
• These sections blend the best teachings from thousands of years of history in martial arts, medicine, and divination, making it the ultimate guide in these fields.
• Right now, Eric was practicing the teachings from the Mountain chapter of the Gilded Tome.
• Unlike other warriors, Eric was following a completely different path of cultivation.
• The Mountain chapter was divided into nine stages: Forming the Body, Refining Energy, Focusing the Mind, Building the Foundation, Divine Power, Transformation, Golden Body, Thunder Trial, and Immortal Ascension.
• Each major stage was further divided into nine minor stages.
• Currently, Eric had reached the Ninth Stage of the Refining Energy, just a half-step away from the Focusing the Mind stage.
• Buzz!
• A ripple of spatial fluctuation suddenly appeared!
• Suddenly, the surrounding spiritual energy began to rapidly gather around Eric, flowing through his body and collecting at his energy center, where it formed a circular energy diagram.
• As the energy kept pouring in, the circular energy in his energy center seemed to come alive, swimming around freely.
• While Eric was deep in his meditation, Nora Cross, driving the car, looked in the rearview mirror and noticed that Eric had fallen asleep. Thinking about how Alice had been fawning over him earlier, her brow was almost in a knot.
• As Alice's driver and bodyguard for years, Nora knew her temper inside out.
• Alice was cold and aloof, both at work and personal life. In the five years Nora had worked for her, she'd never seen her be this affectionate with any guy.
• What made it even more unsettling was that Eric was a divorced, broke guy.
• It bugged Nora, almost like she'd swallowed a fly. She couldn't help but ask, "Ms. Hilton, are you together with him?"
• Nora shot a glare at Eric, as if she wished she could devour him whole, feeling deep down that Alice deserved better.
• Alice shook her head. "What are you talking about?
• "I just couldn't stand how that family was behaving.
• "Besides, I've only met Mr. Goodwell once."
• Even though Alice said that, Nora still felt uneasy.
• They'd only met once, and who knew how things might develop if they met more often?
• The thought that the aloof, perfect Ms. Hilton, whom she saw as a rare treasure, might end up involved with someone like Eric—a broke nobody—made Nora feel frustrated. He almost wanted to kick Eric out of the car.
• Meanwhile, Eric was so absorbed in his practice of the Gilded Tome that he didn't even realize the woman driving the car was already annoyed with him—even though he didn't know her name.
• After about twenty minutes of meditation, Eric finally woke up.
• Feeling the powerful, surging vitality energy inside him, Eric clenched his fists and muttered softly, "Once I break through to the Focusing the Mind Stage, even the top masters from the secular world will be nothing compared to me."
• Nora overheard this from the front seat and couldn't help but retort, "Do you think just a couple of years of training makes you comparable to grandmasters?
• "Forget about grandmasters. Even a random warrior could crush you like stepping on an ant."
• "Warriors?"
• Eric just smiled and didn't bother to explain.
• Not only could he deal with someone on warrior-rank, but he also just killed a peak-level warrior, Kemp, earlier that day.
• If Nora knew, she'd probably be so stunned she'd start doubting her life.