A minute later, the system upgrade was complete.
After the upgrade, Tang Qingluo discovered that her original five-slot backpack had expanded to ten slots, and a new “Marketplace” icon appeared in her mind.
The moment she opened it, there were only four types of medicine in stock—nothing else.
This system was truly devious! It seemed to fear that she might exploit it for free.
And, of course, that was exactly what she was thinking.
“System, I want twenty bottles each of: Low-Grade Bone-Reinforcing Powder, Low-Grade Fever-Reducing Patch, Low-Grade Hemostatic Powder, and Low-Grade Anti-Inflammatory Pills.”
There was only one chance to buy on credit, so naturally, Tang Qingluo purchased the maximum allowed quantity.
[Each pack costs 10 Combat Points and 2 taels of silver. 80 packs total 800 Combat Points, 160 taels of silver. Host owes system 800 Combat Points. 160 taels have been deducted.]
[Marketplace credit activated: 890 Combat Points and 5,000 taels of silver deducted. Total owed to system: 1,690 Combat Points.]
No problem. Only 1,690 Combat Points? Tang Qingluo thought. That’s nothing; the more she owed, the more Zen she felt about it.
She took two of each type of medicine from the marketplace’s temporary warehouse and handed one set to Lady Ruan.
“Fourth Aunt, these are top-grade medicines. This one is a fever-reducing patch—stick it to the forehead. This one is hemostatic powder—it stops bleeding far better than the previous type. This one is anti-inflammatory pills—take two at a time, twice a day. And this one is bone-reinforcing powder, for fractured bones—give all of it to Fourth Uncle.”
“Ah—ah—” Despair in Lady Ruan’s eyes was suddenly replaced with a glimmer of hope.
The system’s medicines were far more effective than ordinary remedies. When applied to Xie Lanyi and Xie Jizhi, they quickly took effect.
And the effect was shocking.
Within less than half a quarter-hour, their high fevers subsided—and the mangled wounds had fully healed. Not a single scar remained.
If they hadn’t woken up to discover one couldn’t move his legs and the other had a useless hand, they might have thought it had all been a dream.
[Host completed emergency mission. Reward: One Detoxifying Perfume. Combat Points +1,000. Erasure threat removed. Rewards automatically stored in reward backpack.]
Tang Qingluo had not expected saving Xie Lanyi to grant so many Combat Points—far more than fighting ever would.
She saw the system debt decrease from 1,690 Combat Points to 960, and felt a joy as refreshing as eating ice cream.
“Those medicines—” Lady Wang, Lady Jiang, and Lady Ruan looked at Tang Qingluo with eager eyes.
Who wouldn’t want such powerful medicine?
But Tang Qingluo’s own set of four medicines—except for the anti-inflammatory pills, of which she still had a dozen—had all been applied to Xie Lanyi’s wounds.
Lady Ruan’s set was mostly used as well; she had just imitated Tang Qingluo. Naturally, the remainder was only the anti-inflammatory pills.
“Tang Qingluo, look at your father-in-law, your Third Uncle, and your Third Brother—”
Although Tang Qingluo was in a good mood, she didn’t want to make it seem like the medicine was easily acquired. So she said:
“Mother, these four medicines were originally kept for survival purposes. That’s all there is. But I do still have one bottle of hemostatic powder—give it to Grandfather, Third Uncle, and Third Brother to help their wounds heal faster.”
Tang Qingluo discreetly retrieved a bottle of hemostatic powder from the marketplace’s temporary warehouse, along with the remaining anti-inflammatory pills, and handed them to Lady Wang.
“Here.”
Lady Wang immediately applied the hemostatic powder and anti-inflammatory pills to Xie Bozhi, Xie Shuzhi, and Xie Wenzhang.
Soon, their injuries improved, and within half a quarter-hour, the wounds disappeared completely.
Cough cough cough—
At that moment, the previously unconscious Xie Taishi slowly woke up. When he opened his eyes, he realized he was not in the palace—but in a prison.
Suddenly, the heavy memories of before came flooding back. His sons, grandson, daughter, and grandchild, all born to Lady Yun, had died in the palace upheaval. He had no idea how to tell Lady Yun.
Just thinking about her grief made him miserable, and he began coughing again.
Cough cough cough—
Heart-wrenching coughs echoed continuously.
By all rights, as juniors, they should have taken care of him.
But in this cell, not a single person paid him any attention—completely ignoring him.
It was his own fault. Xie Taishi had lived a despicable life: favoring concubines while destroying his wife, causing Lady Xiao to fall into depression and die prematurely. He had cared nothing for the three sons and one daughter she left behind.
If not for their excellence, the Xie Guogong Mansion wouldn’t exist today.
And yet, Xie Taishi still tried to control them, threatening their futures for filial failures, forcing the legitimate branch to allow the illegitimate branches to take advantage of their status.
“Master! You’re finally awake!” Lady Da Yun scrambled to the bars. “Where are Zhong’er and Ting’er? And Yi’er and Shun’er?”
“Don’t worry, Lady Yun. The children are fine—they’re in another cell.” Xie Taishi said earnestly, not wanting to distress her.
But—
“Xie Zhongzhi and Xie Wenting are dead.” Xie Lanyi said coldly.
“Shut up!” Xie Taishi watched Lady Da Yun stagger and nearly collapse. “Don’t listen to Lanyi’s lies! Our children are fine! They’re safe!”
“Old man Xie, don’t lie now. I suppose Lady Yun must know the truth.”
In the past, the legitimate branches restrained themselves for appearances, careful not to confront Xie Taishi or Lady Da Yun.
But now, with no future to worry about, the legitimate branches had no reason to hold back—they vented.
“Lady Yun, your sons and grandsons were foolish enough to conspire with the imperial concubine and the Second Prince. Xie Zhongzhi and Xie Wenting were shot dead on the spot, their bodies dragged to the common burial ground to feed the dogs.”
With each word, Lady Da Yun paled further, and Xie Taishi’s heart trembled.
“Your favored daughter, Xie Shufei, was given poisoned wine by the emperor and demoted to commoner. She wasn’t even allowed entry to the imperial tomb. Your beloved grandson, the Second Prince Zhou Chengming, also died, hacked to pieces in the chaos.”
Xie Lanyi continued, as if ignoring Lady Da Yun’s ashen face, revealing the full truth.
“As for Xie Yizhi and Xie Shunzhi, their deaths were slightly less justified. They survived the palace coup, but afterward, the old man Xie saved them using the late emperor’s edict. But sparing their lives didn’t spare them from punishment—they were executed with fifty strokes of the cane.”
Even while recounting such grisly events, Xie Lanyi’s tone remained casual. He added, “Honestly, we survived because Lady Yun and Old Man Xie had conditioned our bodies. Unlike Xie Zhongzhi and the others, we weren’t coddled. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even be alive to tell you the truth.”
“Old man Xie, thanks to your favoritism, Lanyi lives. Immense gratitude.”
That final line hit like a bomb. Both Xie Taishi and Lady Da Yun vomited blood and collapsed.
Well done! Brilliant! Perfect!
Tang Qingluo couldn’t help giving Xie Lanyi a thumbs-up.
Her eyes sparkled like stars—dazzlingly bright.