"He should have been dead long ago, but there is a very strange power inside him pulling him back. That power is very similar to the Holy Spirit Blood in your body, but it is completely controlled by your Holy Spirit Blood."
"In simple terms, he should be the strongest blood puppet controlled by your Holy Spirit Blood. He absolutely cannot betray you in any way. In fact, because of the powerful blood contract, he would even take your injuries and death for you."
"The reason his body is so drained right now should be closely related to your past weakened state. However, the blood contract inside him is very strange. Logically, now that you've recovered better than an ordinary person, he should have recovered with you, but his blood contract still seems half-dead. The reason is complicated."
Oswyn frowned and thought for a while before speaking slowly. "Even I have only discovered part of the reason. That part seems to be that the blood contract inside him hasn't realized yet that its master, you, has returned to good health."
"Maybe because of long distance in the past or some other reason, his blood contract once thought you were dead. It couldn't confirm it, though, so it remained in this half-dead state until now."
"Right now, the blood contract inside him still hasn't realized you've recovered, so it continues to stay in its current condition."
After hearing Oswyn explain the situation several times, Elara finally understood why Commander Shu's body was in such a state.
"So, can he be healed?" she asked directly.
When it came to treatment, Oswyn nodded with certainty. His tone showed the pride and seriousness of someone from the Divine Healer Valley. "Yes, definitely. Don't worry, Elara. He's your elder, after all. I'll make sure to heal him."
Elara smiled at his expression. "Alright, then how do you plan to treat him?"
Oswyn frowned again and thought deeply. "First, he needs to take double doses of the medicine you used to take. I'll also use our valley's exclusive soul-reviving acupuncture technique. Most importantly, he needs your blood."
"My blood?" Elara raised her eyebrows. Ever since she got the Puppet Sect's mother insect and her Holy Spirit Blood was awakened by Oswyn's white-haired master, her blood seemed to have become something as valuable as a sacred medicine. It was needed for everything.
Oswyn nodded. "Yes. He is your strongest Holy Spirit Blood puppet. The blood contract in his body is far stronger than in Uno or the others. Without your blood, he won't survive."
"Also," Oswyn took out a small medicine bottle from his robe, "before you give him your blood each time, you must take this pill fifteen minutes ahead of time."
Elara took the bottle and looked at it. "What medicine is this?"
"Snow Spirit, a very rare and precious herb. It's similar to the ones I gave you before."
Oswyn gently tapped the bottle and explained, "This herb is also a tonic for your body. Although you've already taken many Holy Spirit pills, and your body has absorbed many medicinal effects, this will still help a little. You can treat it like a light supplement. Just take one before you give him blood."
The many rare sacred medicines Oswyn had given her before had greatly benefited her. Elara's current fast progress in martial arts and the strong inner power within her were all thanks to those medicines.
She nodded and said, "Alright," then put away the small bottle.
Oswyn looked at her with a somewhat complicated expression and continued, "Also, because of Snow Spirit's special properties, when you give him your blood, you must not pour it into a bowl or any container. He has to drink it directly from your wound. Otherwise, the Snow Spirit's effects will vanish instantly once exposed."
Elara froze while holding the medicine and looked at Oswyn silently. "...You mean I have to come every day and feed him myself? And let him bite me to drink my blood directly?"
Oswyn also felt uncomfortable imagining the scene.
Elara's royal uncle, though placed in the position of Retired Emperor, always gave Oswyn a strange feeling whenever he saw him.
That strange feeling made him instinctively want Elara to stay away from him.
But if Elara wanted to save him, she had to let him drink her blood directly.
Oswyn frowned and stayed silent for a long time. In the end, he suppressed the discomfort in his heart with the reason that the man was Elara's elder, and nodded to her:
"Yes, but you don't have to feed him every day. Just once every three days. After doing this for three months, his body should recover and you won't need to feed him anymore."
They had already confirmed the method to save Commander Shu, but because the rare sacred medicines Oswyn had previously fed her were difficult to obtain, even the Valley of Divine Healers needed some time to prepare them. So Elara didn't need to feed Commander Shu her blood just yet, she had to wait until Oswyn had gathered all the medicines first.
After finishing their conversation, Oswyn still wanted to stay with her for a while, but an urgent message from the Medical Department called him away.
Elara walked inside the imperial palace. Thinking about what Commander Shu had just said, she changed direction and headed toward the harem, planning to check on the beauties living there.
Other than Mathias and Oswyn, there were also the beauties sent from the Carnation Kingdom who still lived in her harem.
Mathias and Oswyn had already returned to their respective departments to work. Only the twin princes, sons of the Carnation Empress and personally brought by the Empress of Carnation, were still in the harem.
These two were considered symbols of diplomatic relations between the Plumera Kingdom and the Carnation Kingdom. Even if Elara had no intention of using them as milk cattle or for other purposes, after returning from her three-month expedition, she ought to pay them a visit.
Inside the Meiyuan Palace.
As soon as Elara stepped into the hall, the first thing she saw was the massive golden silk birdcage that was etched deeply in her memory.
She remembered asking for it to be moved aside three months ago before she left, treating it merely as a luxury decoration. She also allowed Cleome and Clematis to sleep in proper beds rather than inside the cage.
But now, the golden cage had been reopened. Inside were two delicately arranged nest-like couches, and Cleome and Clematis were sitting sideways, facing away from her. They were still wearing only sheer silk robes that barely covered their bodies, revealing an alluring sight.
Even more provocative was that both were kneeling on their own couches, with their robes half-slipped. Their unusually large, full chests were being squeezed slowly and with difficulty using the technique Elara had taught them three months ago.
In front of both of them were three elegant bowls. Two bowls were already filled with white liquid, and they were now filling the third.
Elara thought to herself... this was not the right time to come.
She turned around, intending to leave.
But as soon as she turned, Cleome and Clematis joyfully called out to her.
"Your Majesty?"
"Your Majesty, you came to see us!"
Elara had to stop and turn back. She saw the two men, robes half-open, quickly walking up to her. They knelt at her sides like loyal pets longing for their master, eyes full of desire, joy and deep attachment. It was as if they couldn't wait to throw themselves into her arms.
They crawled on their knees from each side and gently hugged her legs. Seeing she showed no disgust, they grew a bit bolder and each carefully wrapped an arm around her waist. Their handsome faces leaned affectionately against her, clinging tightly to her front.
"Your Majesty..."
Elara looked down at the two identical, beautiful faces pressed against her waist, their bodies also tightly sticking to hers...
"You two, take care of your chests first."
But they didn't let go. Like pampered pets, they rubbed their faces against her and spoke in longing tones, "Your Majesty, it's been so long since you came to see us..."
"We've already mastered the technique you taught us..."
"Come test us, and maybe have a taste too... while you were away for three months, we adjusted everything according to your preferences... it's all the flavor you like now... will you try some?"
Elara: When had she ever said she liked any particular flavor?
She moved her legs and waist, trying to free herself from their embrace. "Stand up first."
Seeing she didn't agree and instead asked them to get up and step away, Clematis and Cleome exchanged a look. They reluctantly let go of her. The joy on their faces faded, replaced by disappointment and gloom, with even a faint trace of despair.