At the brink of death.
The instinct for survival drove her to struggle, her fingers clawing wildly.
Just as she was about to reach her breath-holding limit and drown in the water the next moment, her fingers caught on a zipper.
Boom—
A flash of inspiration.
She pulled it open—it was a pocket. Her hand plunged in, feeling a long, rectangular pouch.
The texture felt somewhat familiar. She quickly pulled it out, examining it carefully…
Instantly, she was both shocked and overjoyed.
It was her tool bag, containing the Nine Cauldrons No Illness Needles passed down to her by her grandfather. In the compartment that held the needles was a small blade, incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through iron as if it were mud.
In that moment, she understood her situation: she was trapped inside a suitcase.
Which meant… someone had stuffed her into a suitcase and thrown her into the water.
She quickly retrieved the blade and slashed—the canvas suitcase split open.
Another slash, cutting through the fabric, again and again…
Her arm broke free.
Holding the Nine Cauldrons No Illness Needles in her left hand, she used her right hand to tear away the tattered suitcase stuck on her thigh.
Paddling with one arm, she surfaced.
She had escaped death.
Tears she had held back for so long burst from her eyes.
Tear drops fell onto the water’s surface, the shattered sorrow resonating with the sound of her breaking heart. A thousand thoughts and emotions flooded her entire being.
She had already divorced, left, and was no longer in anyone’s way.
Yet someone still plotted against her.
How vicious their heart, how cruel their methods—utterly ruthless, determined to kill her!!
The desire to survive drove her to swim quickly.
She climbed ashore and collapsed in a patch of weeds.
As she caught her breath, a sharp pain throbbed in her head. The back of her skull felt as if it had been struck by a hoe, as though her skull might fall apart.
She realized that before stuffing her into the suitcase, her assailant had struck her head hard.
She had sustained a head injury.
Quickly, she arranged the needles, feeling for the acupuncture points.
Inserting the needles to unblock the meridians, she released the stagnant blood and treated herself.
Dark clouds covered the waning moon in the night sky.
The heavens resembled an inverted reflection of the underworld, a chilling aura blanketed the earth, and black mist spread everywhere.
Several large black birds circled in the air, crying mournfully, "Caw—caw—caw—."
The sky had already drawn back the curtain to the afterlife, awaiting her death.
The sleepless birds in the dead of night had come to feast on her.
She faced the yin-qi-covered night sky and the flesh-eating black birds.
If not for her apprenticeship under Shi Changtian and her mastery of skills, tonight would have been her death.
o·( )o
Three days later.
Carrying the chaos that seemed to have followed her from hell, she climbed Yufeng Mountain.
The gates of Changtian Villa were wide open.
A woman in a green shirt, with a sporty short haircut and a stocky build, held a palm broom in her arms. After sweeping the courtyard once, she reached into her pants pockets, pulled out a peanut candy, and ate it.
"Aunt Qing." Shi Wan leaned weakly against the doorframe.
"Who’s talking to me? Who’s here? What gifts have they brought for the revered doctor?"
Aunt Qing patted her pants pockets, chewed her candy, and turned around, still holding the broom.
Her crescent-shaped eyes lit up. "Haha! My Wanwan is back!"
She tossed the broom aside and reached into her pants pockets.
Bouncing over to Shi Wan, she pulled out a candy just in time and stuffed it into her mouth.
"How did you get up here? By motorcycle taxi or on horseback?"
Tears streamed down Shi Wan’s face. "I came back from death!!"
Aunt Qing gritted her teeth angrily. "No wonder you’re as thin as a skeleton, and wearing a piece of tattered rag. Did Lu Rong, Lu Sheng, and Lu Yue bully you?"
Aunt Qing swung her palm through the wind, splitting the small red bricks surrounding the flower bed.
Lu Rong, Lu Sheng, and Lu Yue were Lu Xicheng’s three older sisters.
When Shi Wan returned during summer and winter vacations as a child, she loved complaining to Aunt Qing.
As she grew older and wiser, she learned to endure, only saying that everyone in the Lu family was very kind. But Aunt Qing still remembered how those three thorny golden flowers had bullied Wanwan.
Aunt Qing grabbed Shi Wan with her fleshy hand and dragged her up to run.
"Come, let's go see Grandfather first. Once Grandfather recovers, Auntie will go to Shanghai to help you get revenge!"
In the central courtyard of the mountain villa, within the Octagonal Pavilion—a structure meticulously built in the ancient traditional cultural style with green tiles and red walls—the faint scent of medicinal herbs lingered.
Upon entering, Shi Wan knelt first, placing her hands on the edge of the wooden bed.
"Grandfather, wuwu…"
The white-haired old man on the bed opened his eyes at the sound. "Wanwan?"
"It's me, Grandfather."
A pair of clear yet weak, wise eyes fixed on her face. "Are you suffering?"
"I got divorced, and I've been repeatedly plotted against…"
All her grievances poured out.
Shi Changtian took a breath, facing upward. "Shi Qing, help me up."
"Alright." Aunt Qing was so angry her nostrils flared. She took out a piece of candy. "I'm so mad I could die! Quick, have something to replenish!"
As she walked over, she took out another piece of candy and fed it to Shi Changtian. "Master, you should replenish too."
Shi Changtian turned his head away. "I won't eat."
"Oh, then I'll have some more. I'm so angry, I need something sweet, gulp~"
Shi Changtian pointed to the low cabinet. "Open it."
Aunt Qing complied.
"Take out the brocade box."
Aunt Qing carefully lifted out an exquisite wooden box with both hands.
Shi Changtian handed it to Shi Wan.
"This is the gold bar buried in the powdered milk on the day we found you. It has characters engraved on it. Your birth parents are of extraordinary status. After I'm gone, if you ever feel lonely and helpless, go find your family."
"Grandfather…" Shi Wan sobbed uncontrollably. "You just have a cold, you'll get better."
She crawled closer to reach Shi Changtian's wrist, feeling for his pulse.
But that hand lifted, gently shaking in refusal.
"Grandfather has lived to ninety-seven. My time has come."
In his final moments, facing Shi Wan, his eyes were filled with deep affection.
Shi Changtian earnestly imparted his final words.
"A single-plank bridge tempers the timid. Great storms and waves forge the strong. Everything and everyone in this world has its purpose."
"I am about to leave. Before I go, I offer you two paths."
"First, seek revenge and fight Lu Xicheng."
"Second, those who secretly harm you repeatedly fail, which shows the heavens are protecting you. You are blessed with immense fortune. Move forward, and that will be your rebirth."
Shi Wan immediately declared, "I choose to move forward."
Without the slightest hesitation, she gave up on Lu Xicheng.
It wasn't that she lacked the ability to seek revenge, but… she didn't even want to give that person the slightest entanglement anymore.
The Shi Wan who loved Lu Xicheng to death died at the bottom of the river.
Her past life was buried along with her.
The reborn Shi Wan, looking at Lu Xicheng now, saw him as nothing more than a dead man.
For a dead man, it wasn't worth expending any energy.
Shi Changtian nodded. "I will arrange everything for you."
Shi Changtian's time was up. Qin Yanshu rushed over.
"Grandfather." The man knelt as soon as he entered.
After paying his respects, he looked at Shi Wan, studying her face, his elegant brows furrowing with concern.
"Wanwan, why do you look so haggard?"
Shi Changtian answered for Shi Wan. "She has broken with the Lu family."
Qin Yanshu's gentle, handsome face lit up with joy. "Is… is she broken up with Lu Xicheng?"
Shi Changtian looked at him deeply. "That's right."
Qin Yanshu suddenly leaned forward, kowtowing. "Master, please entrust Wanwan to me. I will be wholeheartedly devoted to her, sparing no effort to protect her for the rest of my life."
Shi Changtian's gaze sharpened slightly.
He pondered for a moment.
"Yanshu, I saved you from the jaws of wolves, raised you, taught you medicine. I have given you a second life. You owe me a debt of gratitude, and to me, you must keep your promises."
Qin Yanshu kowtowed again, his forehead hitting the ground with three consecutive thuds: "Thud, thud, thud."
"Master, I have loved Wanwan since childhood. I swear here that I will cherish Wanwan as dearly as my own life. If I ever break this vow, may I be cursed with no children and a miserable end."
"Grandfather, I…" Shi Wan looked up in surprise.
Her senior brother's words had gone off track.
Shi Changtian raised his hand to stop her from speaking further. "Wanwan, this time… Grandfather will decide for you…"
It seemed all his wishes had been fulfilled.
He had no regrets left in this world.
Shi Changtian suddenly wilted, too weak to speak.
"Shi Qing—"
"I'm here, Master."
Aunt Qing knelt and moved to the bedside, offering a piece of candy. "Master, have this to regain some strength."
Shi Changtian turned his head away, then pointed to the cabinet. "Bring out my will."
"Alright."
Aunt Qing pulled open the drawer and retrieved it.
Shi Changtian handed it to Qin Yanshu with both hands.
"You are my only male disciple. My journey in this world is over, and I can no longer take care of Wanwan and Qingqing. I entrust them to you. I also leave you Building 18 on Danxia Road in the capital city—it will be enough for you to provide them with a comfortable life."
"Remember… cherish Wanwan and treat Qingqing well."
"Once you accept my final wishes, you must not betray them."
"Yes." Qin Yanshukowtowed again. "I will firmly remember your instructions, Master, and never betray them."
He then turned his gaze to Shi Wan, his eyes gleaming.
The next day.
Men and women, young and old from Yufeng Town came to mourn and bid farewell to the renowned old miracle doctor, Master Shi.
People were surprised to see two coffins placed in the mourning hall.
Qin Yanshu, wearing two sets of mourning bands, explained to the crowd.
"My junior sister Shi Wan, upon learning of Grandfather's critical illness, fell into the river on her way home to visit him and tragically passed away."
Thus, Shi Wan was declared dead, buried on the same day as the grandfather who had adopted her, as word spread among the men, women, and children of Yufeng Town.
On Yufeng Mountain, two new graves were erected.
Chingtian Villa stood empty, its people gone.