Thunder rumbled, accompanied by flashes of lightning that tore across the sky as the rain intensified.
The guards on night patrol had all retreated to take shelter under the eaves.
The young servant who had come for Cheng Ruyi now felt a wave of despair. The deafening thunder had jolted him awake—what had he been thinking, rushing to find the Eldest Miss in a blind panic?
Cheng Ruyi didn’t waste time on doubts. She ordered Mexiang to bring an oil-paper umbrella and grabbed the century-old ginseng she had dug up that afternoon. She plunged into the misty, rainy night, with Mexiang rushing to keep up.
Behind the massive, four-seasons sandalwood screen in the main room of the Bamboo Garden, the air was heavy. Servants and maids were gathered in the outer room, listening to the muffled, agonizing groans of their master. With no doctor in the house and the pharmacies in the city closed, it seemed the Young Master was on his own to survive this ordeal.
When Cheng Ruyi arrived, the sliver of hope on the servants’ faces vanished when they saw it was only her. Ignoring them, she handed her umbrella to Mexiang, lifted her skirts, and rounded the screen.
Under the bright candlelight, she saw Rong Mo in his wheelchair. His handsome face was pale and drenched in sweat, a thin trail of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. His slender fingers were pressed deathly tight against his legs as if he were trying to force his internal energy to hold the line. He looked as if he were at his absolute breaking point.
Next to him on a low table lay several pills, some ginseng slices, and a razor-sharp dagger.
Rong Mo looked up. Despite the agony, his dark eyes remained incredibly calm. Seeing it was his cousin, his voice came out raspy and cold. “You’ve come, Cousin.”
Cheng Ruyi felt a surge of respect for his sheer willpower. However, when her eyes landed on the dagger, her brow furrowed.
Her suspicion was correct. In the original novel, Rong Mo had likely severed his own legs to stop the poison from reaching his heart and to end the recurring torment.
But now, she was here.
Her wood-element power was mutated; it possessed the unique ability to purify and heal. In the apocalypse, it could even cleanse the zombie virus from a person’s system. No matter how potent this ancient poison was, it couldn’t be worse than the zombie virus. She had wanted to wait until she reached Level 2 to treat him, but plans had changed.
She pulled out the fresh, vibrant ginseng and held a strand of the root to his lips. “Cousin, bite down on this to keep your strength. I’m going to treat you now.” Get faster updates on g.com.
Rong Mo opened his lips and bit the root. Almost immediately, a surge of vitality flowed through him, replenishing his depleted internal energy. His heart skipped a beat—was this really just century-old ginseng?
Cheng Ruyi pulled up a small stool and sat beside him. She naturally placed her hand over the back of his hand, using her energy to sense his condition. She felt a strange, flowing energy inside him. Is this ‘internal power’?
“Cousin, do you know martial arts?”
With the ginseng’s support, Rong Mo had managed to suppress the flare-up. He nodded slightly. “Yes.”
Cheng Ruyi’s eyes widened with excitement. “So internal power really exists!” She wondered if she could learn it too.
Rong Mo looked at her deeply, then closed his eyes to focus on the poison. No one knew better than he how insidious this toxin was. For eight years, he had lived with the choice: die from the poison or live as a cripple. The enemies who had wiped out his clan in Qinghe County clearly wanted him to suffer.
He couldn’t die. Not until he had sought justice. Even if he had to cut off his legs tonight, he chose to live.
Cheng Ruyi saw his resolve and took a deep breath. She leaned in and whispered, “Cousin, I have a special ability. It might be able to purge the poison. Whether I succeed or not, I need you to keep this secret for me.”
Rong Mo paused, then looked her in the eye. “I will.”
Cheng Ruyi knelt and rolled up his trouser legs, revealing calves that were a bruised, sickly purple. She placed her hands on his skin and activated her Level 1 wood-element power. Because it was specialized in purification, she could feel the toxins being neutralized and cleansed as the green light flowed. Read this novel at novelping dot com for the best experience.
“Cousin, the poison is no problem. My ability can purify it. You’ll be able to stand up after tonight,” Cheng Ruyi said with a triumphant, beaming smile.
Rong Mo was stunned. A rare flash of intense emotion surfaced in his calm eyes, and his lips curved upward. “I am in your debt, Cousin.”
For the next hour, they selectively forgot the servants waiting anxiously outside the screen. As the rain hammered against the roof, Rong Mo’s fate took a massive turn. He watched the girl work with focus, a faint scent of her post-bath fragrance reaching his nose. A strange, unfamiliar feeling began to stir in his heart.
When she finally stopped, Cheng Ruyi wiped the sweat from her brow. “It’s done. The poison is completely gone.”
Rong Mo noticed there was no puddle of black blood on the floor—the poison hadn’t just been expelled; it had been purified into nothingness. He was shocked. Such a power truly had to be kept secret.
“Thank you for your hard work,” he said softly. He pulled out a clean handkerchief and gently wiped the sweat from her face.
Cheng Ruyi froze. Caught in his focused, intense gaze and feeling the accidental brush of his fingers against her cheek, she felt a sudden rush of heat to her face and ears. She hurriedly snatched the cloth. “I… I can do it myself!”
Rong Mo’s lips tilted into a genuine smile. “Alright.”
Feeling flustered, Cheng Ruyi quickly used the dagger to cut a slice of ginseng for herself to recover her energy. She left the rest of the root on the table for him. “It’s late. I should go. Keep the ginseng to recover your strength; I’ll send another one tomorrow.”
She fled the room before he could say another word.
Rong Mo touched his chest, feeling his heart racing abnormally. A warmth that had nothing to do with the poison filled his soul.
Outside, the rain continued, but for the first time in eight years, the shadow over his life had lifted.
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