"She's alright now, isn't she, dear?" Tang Xinlan asked her husband hopefully.
But Tang Xiuhan's expression looked bad. He spoke softly for fear of waking his daughter.
"No. That was a Life-Sustaining Elixir earlier. It can only help delay her condition for a while..."
His answer made his wife cover her face with her hands. He heard her soft sobbing but didn't know how to comfort her.
"The patriarch has returned!"
The caretaker outside hurried in to inform the Tang Clan members inside. And in less than a minute, heavy, hurried footsteps sounded, followed by an elderly man's figure opening the door.
"How is Yeye!?"
The Tang Clan patriarch, though quite aged, was still full of vitality. Qi from his body trembled and rippled out, showing he was so anxious he couldn't contain his emotions.
"Grandfather?"
Tang Luotong called his grandfather with a trembling voice. Tang Tianjie, seeing his grandson's gaze, quickly went to check on his granddaughter.
His granddaughter's condition must be much better, because he could sense the commotion and smell the Life-Sustaining Elixir, which was like the Tang Clan's treasure, had already been used.
The old man listened to Tang Luotong explain the situation. Suddenly it was as if he aged several more years. Knowing the cause of his granddaughter's deteriorating condition was the elixir he himself concocted.
"...What have I done?"
The elixir he'd devoted time researching and concocting with hope to help strengthen his granddaughter's body had nearly killed Yeye. The heart of this old man who loved this granddaughter dearly felt like it had been cut with deep wounds.
"The Life-Sustaining Elixir should help buy one day..." Tang Xiuhan told his father. The old man nodded lightly.
"Do we have more of this elixir, Father?" Tang Xinlan asked her father-in-law hopefully.
"Life-Sustaining Elixir is a Tier 4 elixir. To concoct it, one must at least be a Grandmaster-level cultivator. In this country, there's only one Grandmaster-level cultivator who is also an alchemist."
"Grandmaster Lu Qing."
Tang Tianjie explained to his daughter-in-law with a gloomy face.
"...Can we invite him to help Yeye?"
"I'll try..."
Tang Tianjie sighed. He walked out of the room just as he passed the doctor hurrying in with a panicked face. Uncle Huang appeared beside the Tang Clan patriarch with a worried face.
"Patriarch, Grandmaster Lu Qing is traveling the world. There's been no news of him for 3 years now."
"I know..."
"What about the Divine Healer?"
"He still hasn't emerged."
Tang Tianjie leaned against the wall with a headache. He massaged his temples lightly and asked his close confidant about what happened.
"Was Luotong the one who discovered the side effects of this elixir?" Tang Tianjie was very interested in this point. Because when his grandson roughly recounted the events, he mentioned the side effects of drawing life force from the body to use in the Vitality Restoration Elixir.
Even though he himself who concocted it didn't know at all.
"It wasn't that. It was Grandmaster Bai who told us." Uncle Huang reported truthfully. Then he startled because he'd forgotten he'd left a Grandmaster waiting in the dining room.
"Grandmaster Bai? Why have I never heard this name before?"
.
.
.
In the dining room, Bai Fanxian was indeed waiting. The young woman calmly sipped tea that was starting to cool. She wanted some new tea, but since everyone was busy, she was reluctant to disturb them. With little Hui'er, confused about the situation, sitting beside her.
Uncle Huang hurried down from the second floor. For a Grandmaster-level being, they were greater than even the Tang Clan's grand patriarch. If such a being was displeased, he didn't know what would follow.
Cultivators of this level—even if they couldn't be friends, absolutely don't become enemies.
And she was also the one who told them about the Vitality Restoration Elixir's side effects.
Uncle Huang strode toward Bai Fanxian and bowed to apologize as sincerely as possible.
"I sincerely apologize for the rudeness, Grandmaster Bai. Because it was urgent. The master will formally apologize to you again later. Shall I escort you to the guest room first?"
Uncle Huang spoke with a worried expression while observing Bai Fanxian's face. Seeing the young woman remained calm without any displeasure, he felt somewhat relieved.
"Let's go."
Bai Fanxian set down her teacup. Uncle Huang noticed that though the tea in the cup had cooled, the young woman was still drinking it. Making him unable to help asking.
"Does this tea suit you, Grandmaster Bai? Once I escort you to your room, I'll have the caretaker brew another pot for you."
His offer surprised Bai Fanxian, but she still nodded acceptance.
"Then I'll trouble you."
She quite liked these teas. Though she didn't need to eat or drink much, if choosing between those foods and tea with flavors she'd never tasted before, she'd naturally choose the latter.
Even though it was just ordinary tea, without any supplementary properties like what she'd drunk ten thousand years ago.
Uncle Huang's accidental action therefore made her like the Tang Clan a bit more.
"How is that little girl?"
Bai Fanxian asked while walking. Uncle Huang explained the situation to his guest without hiding anything. After all, she was the one who helped tell them about these side effects until they could stabilize the young miss's condition.
"As I said, neither the Divine Healer nor Grandmaster Lu Qing can be invited here." Uncle Huang sighed softly. He had to keep most emotions in check according to his duty.
"Please, Grandmaster Bai." Uncle Huang opened the door to the room at the end of the corridor. Inside was a spacious, grand room. And because it was at the corridor's end, this room's balcony was exceptionally wide and could clearly see the front yard below.
In that room, besides a large bed, there was also a small bed added beside it. One could tell it was Hui'er's bed.
"I'll have the caretaker bring snacks too." Uncle Huang spoke with a smile while bending down to look at the little girl. Of course, those snacks would naturally be for Hui'er.
Uncle Huang was about to excuse himself. At that moment, Hui'er who'd been silent all along raised that small hand to lightly tug Bai Fanxian's clothes.
"My lady... can you help them?"
The innocent question came from the little girl's mouth. Because she still remembered well that when she was hit in the middle of her back until bruised and swollen, when she woke up that wound was gone because her lady healed it. And she felt her lady had the power to definitely help that child.
"Do you want to help that child?"
Bai Fanxian didn't refuse, but turned to look at Hui'er and asked softly.
"Yes... Uncle Tang, Auntie Tang, and Uncle Huang were all so kind to Hui'er." The little girl said. For a child with her past, today's experience of receiving both love and care was something she'd never dreamed of. Hearing their daughter was so seriously ill she might die made her very worried.
"I... I know there are medical fees." The little girl spoke uncertainly.
"But I'll help pay myself. I'll help my lady earn lots of money until it's enough for treatment." She spoke firmly while staring at Bai Fanxian's calm eyes.
"Do you know that with your personality, life will be difficult?"
Bai Fanxian warned in an icy tone, until Hui'er had to lower her head sadly. Her hand gripping her lady's clothes tightened unconsciously.
But suddenly a hand stroked the little girl's head gently.
"Then when you grow up, just stay with me."
Bai Fanxian's second sentence was gentler than ever before. She stroked Hui'er's head again with affection for her nature.
That's right. This child's nature was like this.
No matter what the environment was like, her nature still didn't change at all.
Whoosh!
Bai Fanxian waved her hand lightly. One elixir pill slowly floated into Uncle Huang's hand. He received it without understanding, just as Bai Fanxian spoke:
"Go. Give that elixir to that child to eat."
When Bai Fanxian finished speaking, Uncle Huang who was confused was pushed out of the room by some mysterious power. The door made of fine wood closed in his face until he couldn't keep up with the situation.
Only leaving a black elixir pill in his hand that he couldn't sense any aura from at all. And when he realized he'd been pushed out without being able to resist at all, he trembled once more.
"Grandmaster Bai is truly powerful..."