Shocked at the accusations, Old Man Gu Lang was stunned into silence as disbelief overwhelmed him yet seeing the accusing look that Fan Zhu Xia was giving him and the grim expressions on the young master and young miss of the Fu family, Old Man Gu Lang had to face reality that they were truly not kidding."Don"t jest! This is a serious matter! How can you accuse this old man of doing such a despicable act as to poison a little child?!"
"Do you honestly think that this Young Miss would make such a cra.s.s joke like this?" Fan Zhu Xia asked coldly.
"I-I...it"s not that, b-but can you at least let this old man check the girl"s condition and see if she really is poisoned?"
Shooting Gu Lang a measuring glance, Fan Zhu Xia noiselessly nodded and indicated for Min Sheng to approach the old man so that he can check the condition of girl in his arms personally.
Without a further word, Old Doctor Gu quietly stared at the pale little girl and studied her complexion and breathing before he reached out to take her pulse. A couple of moments pa.s.sed and while everyone watched him, they saw his expression morph from intense focus to grave concern before turning into pure and utter confusion.
Gu Lang"s myriad of changing emotions didn"t escape the gazes of the people who were watching him yet even they felt that this wasn"t just a desperate attempt at acting, especially when they heard him start to mumble lowly under his breath.
"This doesn"t make sense! How can this possibly happen? I"m absolutely sure that I didn"t make any mistakes..."
Confused, Fu Qing Tian was about to ask when Gu Lang suddenly spoke as he gestured for Min Sheng to follow him.
"You, come come... There"s no time to waste! Follow me back to my refinery room."
Taken a bit off guard, Min Sheng shot a questioning glance towards Fan Zhu Xia but before any of them can speak, Gu Lang interrupted them again as he turned to them with a measuring gaze.
"This old man dares to ask, who performed the acupuncture on the child? Is that person still here? If they are, they should be able to help me solve the child"s issue."
Frowning slightly, Fan Zhu Xia asked in a probing tone, "What do you need that person to do?"
"This old man needs them to continue performing the acupuncture treatment to purge all the foreign substances in the child"s body while this old man prepares the correct medicine! The child is in fact poisoned just as you said and that is indeed a result of this old man"s mistake but I, Gu Lang can swear to the Heavenly Dao that this was a mistake that I never meant to happen and should this old man be lying, may I be struck down by heavenly lightning and my soul be scattered like ashes in the pa.s.sing wind."
Hearing him utter such a solemn vow and even swear under the Heavenly Dao which is more binding than anything, after all, breaking this oath can result in one"s soul to be scattered and dispersed into nothingness, resulting in no longer being able
to reincarnate; this action of his completely took everyone present by surprise.
"Very well, this Young Miss will help you but this Young Miss still wants to know what happened yesterday and what treatment you gave that resulted in this."
"Of course, of course. Follow me first, this old man can explain while we walk."
Looking at each other, everyone present then quickly followed Gu Lang"s form that was hurriedly walking with Fan Zhu Xia right behind him, listening intently as he talked.
"That child"s condition was actually very complex and not that easy to treat. When this old man saw the girl yesterday, her condition was already not very good." Gu Lang started gravely.
"How so? What were the symptoms she was exhibiting?"
"Dizzyness, nausea, pallor of the skin, weakening of the body, loss of consciousness, and coughing out blood."
Frowning, Fan Zhu Xia then asked, "Is that all?"
"No, that was just the most obvious ones! When this old man looked at her yesterday, this old man noticed that not only was she extremely weak to the point that she practically had no more strength to move but her internal organs also seemed to be affected which could be one of the reasons why she was coughing out blood repeatedly."
"Then may this Young Miss ask, what did you do yesterday to alleviate the symptoms and treat the patient?"
"This old man gave her one of the most recent pills that I was able to concoct; the Vitality Returning Pill."
Hearing the old man"s words, almost everyone who heard it was shocked and surprised!
It can be said that the Vitality Returning Pill was just as precious as the Blood Enhancing Pill that Fan Zhu Xia fed the boy earlier!
Even Fan Zhu Xia was surprised when she heard Gu Lang say that since the Vitality Returning Pill is a very hard and complex pill to concoct with a low success rate yet the effects of a successfully concocted pill was beyond amazing!
Just feeding a Vitality Returning Pill to a fatally wounded individual will increase the rate of their survival from a measly fifteen percent to an astonis.h.i.+ng seventy-five percent chance of making a full recovery!
This information made Fan Zhu Xia fall silent as her mind raced as she thought about what could possibly cause such a negative reaction with girl then, after all, if she was fed with the Vitality Returning Pill, then her condition should have only improved and not declined so drastically to this degree just after one night.
Arriving at Gu Lang"s refinery room, it can be said that the Fu family"s Jade Herb Medicine Hall treats their doctors, physicians and alchemist quite well. Although the room wasn"t that large, it was quite reasonably sized with it being divided into two parts, on the smaller side was a wooden bed, large enough to fit one male adult, along with two wooden cabinets, a chair and a couple of built-in shelving filled with various jars, pill bottles and other medicinal instruments and equipment like strips of gauze, a couple of basin and the like with a small bucket for what seemed to be trash and waste on one corner while on the other slightly larger side was more centered on pill and medicine refinement which could be seen as there was a medium-sized medicinal cauldron right in the middle with a small, slightly rectangular table to one side and other than that, there was no more furniture aside from more built in shelves that was obviously filled with all things related to refining, from various smaller equipment to countless jade, gla.s.s and wooden chests, jars and bottles filled with different medicinal herbs and elixirs along with two more, slightly larger cabinets which is serving as extra storage s.p.a.ce for herbs.
Without any need for further instructions, Min Sheng gently placed the little girl on the wooden bed, her small form looking quite pitiful when compared to the size of the bed.
All this while, Fan Zhu Xia remained silent, as if lost in thought when Gu Lang noticed and beckoning out to her, he called out and said, "Young Miss, it"s time for you to administer the acupuncture treatment to expel all the foreign substances on the child"s body."
Despite Gu Lang calling out, Fan Zhu Xia acted as if she heard nothing but still stood there unmoving, with a frown between her brows.
"Young Miss?" worried, Chun Hua asked softly, moving nearer to Fan Zhu Xia but still not getting any response.
Confused by her actions, Fu Qing Tian was about to call out to her as well when Fan Zhu Xia suddenly spoke in a grave tone.
"Where is the herb that the two children gave as payment?" Fan Zhu Xia asked.
Though baffled, Fu Qing Tian signaled to the guard holding the wooden chest to show it to her and upon opening it, Fan Zhu Xia sucked in a breath and her pale blue eyes had a hard glint as she stared at it before she slowly closed her eyes and exhaled softly, looking somewhat resigned.
Before anyone can ask, Fan Zhu Xia then opened her eyes and resolutely made her way to the girl"s bedside and took the girl"s wrist without saying a word.
Heaving another sigh, Fan Zhu Xia then turned to them and then quietly said, "Can everyone please leave the room?"
A moment of stunned silence enveloped the room before Fu Qing Tian managed to gather his wits together and ask, "Why?"
Looking at him directly, Fu Qing Tiam saw the determination in Fan Zhu Xia"s eyes as she said, "Because I don"t want any of you here when I start my treatment."
Seeing that she no longer put on any airs and simply referred to herself as "I" with her tone filled with such gravity, Fu Qing Tian couldn"t help but feel that there was something that he wasn"t getting.
"But wouldn"t the Young Miss just be performing acupuncture? Young Miss did outside with so many people in attendance, why not let is watch? Even if you want to make all of us leave, why not let my brother and Old Doctor Gu stay? They are quite knowledgeable in medicine and alchemy and Zhenzhen knows they would be of great help."
Looking slightly troubled, Fan Zhu Xia took a moment to respond and say, "It is not that I do not need nor appreciate their help nor am I underestimating their skills but the method that I need to use is something I cannot show just anyone. If it was only acupuncture then that is fine but alas..."
Gu Lang who remained silent now spoke up and ask, "Can the Young Miss at least tell us what conclusion the Young Miss came up with?"
Glancing up at him, Fan Zhu Xia then nodded and slowly started to explain.
"The little girl is indeed poisoned but this was something that you did not cause. When the boy brought her here, she was already poisoned and the explanation for that is the herb that they brought."
"The herb? Let me take a look at it." Fu Qing Tian then said when he saw Gu Lang"s eyes widen with understanding.
Upon seeing it up close, Fu Qing Tian couldn"t help but be stunned. At first, he thought that it was just a herb that can be found at the outermost perimeter of the Abyss Valley Mountain Range but upon closer inspection, he realized just how wrong he was.
"This is..." unable to find the right words, Fu Qing Tian shot a look at Fan Zhu Xia who nodded at him, confirming his suspicions.
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"It"s the Abyss Void Gra.s.sweed and as I"m pretty sure you have already realized, is not found at the outskirts of Abyss Valley Mountain Range but found further inside where the poisonous miasma starts to convalesce."
Hearing her words, everyone fell silent as they realized the gravity of the situation and none of them even realized that the young boy that Chun Hua was carrying has actually regained consciousness and heard what Fan Zhu Xia said.
"I-Is what you say true, Miss? Is m-my friend g-going to d-die?"
The hoa.r.s.e young voice was filled with so much pain and despair as it shook when the boy softly stammered out. Hearing it, everyone was surprised and turned to stare at the source but the young boy"s watery gaze never wavered from Fan Zhu Xia"s form.
Seeing the turbulent emotions on the boy"s deep, soulful brown eyes as they were filled with concern and fear, Fan Zhu Xia felt her heart clench as she made her way over and gathered the boy in her arms before gently replying in a soft rea.s.suring tone.
"With me here, even if she is knocking at door"s death, I will not let her die."
Staring up at her, the boy unconsciously clenched his fingers, weakly holding on to Fan Zhu Xia"s robes as hope filled his eyes.
"Really?"
"This miss swears it with the Heavenly Dao as my witness."
Alarmed at the oath she just swore, numerous people reacted, from Gu Lang, Min Sheng, Chun Hua, Bai Nian Zu and the Fu siblings.
"Young Miss!"
"Why would you do that?!"
"Miss! How could you swear so easily like that! What would your father say?!"
"Miss! How could you?!"
Yet despite their concerned outbursts, Fan Zhu Xia paid them no heed and just warmly met the gaze of the young boy in her arms and softly asked, "Do you believe me now?"
Hearing such a life-binding promise from a complete stranger who"s eyes were filled with nothing but warmth and concern, the young boy who"s tight control on his emotions finally let go as tears welled up on his eyes and overflowed as he sobbingly nodded his head before burying his face in Fan Zhu Xia"s neck, crying.
Rocking him softly while gently stroking the back of his head, Fan Zhu Xia made comforting sounds and slowly calmed the young boy down while ignoring the distressed looks that everyone was giving her.
After the boy"s sobs subsided and only a couple of tearful hiccups remained, Fan Zhu Xia then finally spoke.
"No more need for crying, alright? This elder sister will take care of everything, okay?"
"Okay..."
Smiling, Fan Zhu Xia ruffled his hair and asked, "Would you like me to hand you over to my maid while I treat your friend or can you sit on the chair by yourself?"
"C-Can I sit?"
"Of course."
As if they were the only ones in the room, Fan Zhu Xia just calmly walked to the chair near the bed and gently placed the boy there and helping him settle down before finally turning to Chun Hua and gesturing for her to come nearer.
Still distressed, Chun Hua lowly called out in a worried tone, "Young Miss..."
"Oh hush, Chun Hua. Have more faith in your Young Miss! If I have the courage to swear under the Heavenly Dao then of course I have the confidence to cure the girl."
"But-"
Sighing a bit, Fan Zhu Xia then affectionately smiled at Chun Hua before pinching her cheek and saying, "Have you forgotten what your Young Miss went to do earlier this morning? Your Young Miss luckily already has what she needs to administer the treatment so stop
worrying."
As if just remembering, Chun Hua staref dumbstruck while Min Sheng suddenly realized that they got several rare and precious herbs earlier at the Thousand Treasures Pavillion.
"So does the Young Miss mean-"
"Yes Min Sheng, so no more need to worry." Fan Zhu Xia rea.s.suringly replied, making her escorts heave a sigh of relief.
Seeing the people that Fan Zhu Xia brought exhale with relief, the people there can"t help but feel their worries lessen but Bai Nian Zu still felt worried.
"Xia girl, are you sure you"ll be alright?"
Looking at Bai Nian Zu"s concerned and worried face, Fan Zhu Xia nodded seriously and a.s.sured him.
"En. I am sure Uncle Zu."
"Very well, then what do you need?"
"As I mentioned earlier, I need everyone to leave the room. The boy can stay and so can Chun Hua so that she can look after him but the rest will need to go out."
Giving her a deep look, Bai Nian Zu then drew her to a quick, one-armed hug before quickly letting her go and turning towards the other and saying, "Well everyone heard her! Come, let us all wait outside."
Seeing that they wouldn"t be able to do anything to help, Fu Qing Tian then just shot a meaningful look towards Fan Zhu Xia and just said, "Good luck."
Hearing his words, the others quickly echoed it back as they filed out of the room after Fan Zhu Xia thanked them all.
Once the door closed, Fan Zhu Xia then turned to the boy and Chun Hua and spoke in a soft yet serious tone.
"Whatever you see me do today shall not be spread around, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes Miss." Chun Hua promptly replied.
Turning to the boy, he then spoke and solemnly said, "Miss, you saving us today, we owe you our lives. From this day forward, I, Cong s.h.i.+ Hong promise to follow you and do whatever you ask as long as I shall live. I only request that you let my friend, Mu Lan Fen live freely for I owe her and her family my life and it was my fault that she got lost when we went to gather herbs from Abyss Valley Mountain Range to use and sell for some money."
Hearing him talk, Fan Zhu Xia felt as if she was struck by lightning as one thing he said stuck to her mind as she shakily asked, "Y-You said your surname was Cong? Is it from the same Cong family in the Mystic Terra Mountain?"
"Yes Miss, the one and the same. I was an orphan who taken in by one of the travelling disciples that the Cong family sent out to be taught medicine but after a year, Master decided to adopt me and gave me my name."
Tearing up slightly, Fan Zhu Xia fell down to her knees in front of the seat where the young boy sat and gently hugged him tight, startling both Cong s.h.i.+ Hong and Chun Hua.
"Miss?" Cong s.h.i.+ Hong hesitantly asked with concern when he felt his shoulder get wet as he heard Fan Zhu Xia sniffle.
"Hush, don"t call me "Miss", call me Elder Sister." Fan Zhu Xia m.u.f.fledly replied.
"Huh?"
Gathering herself, Fan Zhu Xia slowly let go and wiped the stray tears from her eyes before taking off her veil and giving Cong s.h.i.+ Hong a soft and gentle smile filled with nostalgia and happiness and the moment Cong s.h.i.+ Honh saw the face underneath the veil, he was stunned for he recognized it even though he only saw that face once when he was still six years old at the time that his Master had first taken him back to Mystic Terra Mountain.
Seeing his reaction, Fan Zhu Xia then laughed and playfully ruffled his hair once more before sighing softly as her smile slowly dimmed yet the look she gave him was still as warm as ever.
"I never thought I"ll b.u.mp into one of my family being bullied like this. Don"t you worry, Elder Sister will take care of everything."