City Lord's Mansion, Ye Zong's Residence
Small footsteps echoed through the hallway. Each step sounded like a steady heartbeat, lending an air of unease to the surroundings.
It didn't help that Xue Hui was currently radiating a cold aura.
It was merely the lingering frost chill he had released not long ago.
Although Xue Hui's expression carried a hint of coldness, he continued forward, his keen senses allowing him to pinpoint the source of a malignant aura drifting through the air.
Frowning, Xue Hui detected a faint smell of nether poison growing stronger the closer he got to the City Lord's bedroom. It was a clear indication of the poison's source.
He could already tell that Nether poison was the cause of Madam Ye Yurou's illness.
"Another poisoning?" Xue Hui muttered quietly.
As he pondered the matter, his expression grew serious.
There's no way this is a coincidence. Two members of two major families poisoned within such a short period?
He halted, trying to connect the two incidents. Although he had several theories, he quickly dismissed them for the time being. Without evidence, there was no point in jumping to conclusions.
"What a troublesome matter," Xue Hui whispered.
"So you can detect it as well?"
Startled, Xue Hui jumped slightly when he suddenly heard Ye Mo's voice behind him.
Steadying his breathing, he turned around and found Ye Mo standing right beside him.
Sighing inwardly, Xue Hui couldn't help but lament the enormous gap between their strengths. He hadn't sensed even the slightest trace of Ye Mo's aura as the old man approached.
"Lord Ye Mo, why did the Snow Wind Family say she was afflicted with an illness?" Xue Hui asked curiously. He had also noticed that Ye Mo looked more exhausted than when they had first met. "Why not tell everyone that she's been poisoned?"
Ye Mo didn't answer immediately. He kept his gaze forward, the shadows on his face concealing his thoughts.
After a moment, he sighed and turned toward Xue Hui.
"Because Glory City cannot afford to lose its City Lord."
Xue Hui placed a finger against his chin, pondering Ye Mo's words before slowly nodding.
Seeing that the boy understood his reasoning, Ye Mo continued.
"If Zong'er, my son, ever discovers that his wife was poisoned..."
He shifted his gaze, meeting Xue Hui's curious eyes.
"It would destroy him. Zong'er would undoubtedly blame himself for failing to protect his wife," Ye Mo said grimly, his gaze returning to the room where his daughter-in-law lay unconscious. "And he would most likely become consumed by thoughts of revenge."
Xue Hui nodded. That was certainly a possibility.
"Revenge is a dangerous path," Ye Mo continued. "Even if Zong'er manages to find the culprit, it won't necessarily do him any good. Worse, his actions might bring disaster upon Glory City."
Ye Mo let out a bitter laugh. In this matter, he had chosen the well-being of Glory City over his own son's feelings.
"What kind of father does that make me?"
Xue Hui remained silent. He neither agreed nor disagreed with the old man's words.
Although the position of City Lord could theoretically be handed to anyone, transferring that authority to another person and consolidating their control would be a serious challenge.
The Snow Wind Family had held the position of City Lord for hundreds of years.
Their status in Glory City had become so deeply established that the people would find it strange if another family suddenly took over the position.
Even Ye Mo himself, who had originally come from a commoner family, had been adopted into the Snow Wind Family and married the daughter of the City Lord at the time.
As a result, the people had readily accepted him as their next City Lord.
If Ye Zong were to ruin himself pursuing revenge and become unfit to rule, both the Snow Wind Family and Glory City as a whole would fall into disarray.
The next in line for the position was Ye Zong's only daughter. However, she was still too young and lacked the strength and experience required to shoulder such a responsibility.
Strength was a crucial factor in becoming City Lord. Ye Zong possessed power second only to Ye Mo himself, giving him the authority to command the people and defend them when necessary.
If a new City Lord had to be chosen from among those with strength comparable to Ye Zong's, the candidates would be Chen Zhenlong of the Divine Family and Shen Hong of the Sacred Family.
Both men were indeed powerful enough to contend for the position, but neither enjoyed the same level of prestige as Ye Zong.
Shen Hong, in particular, was notorious throughout Glory City, and many people would readily agree with that assessment.
Numerous families had already suffered at the hands of the Sacred Family. They were known for their arrogance, bullying weaker families and suppressing others for their own gain.
As for Chen Zhenlong and the Divine Family, they were far more respectable than the Sacred Family. Even so, that alone wasn't enough to earn them the people's complete trust.
The citizens simply weren't confident enough to entrust either family with the leadership of Glory City.
That left only one other option: returning the position of City Lord to Ye Mo.
However, everyone knew that Ye Mo was no longer young. Despite his Legend Rank strength, the day would eventually come when his health and cultivation began to decline.
Even if Ye Mo resumed the position, the absence of a suitable successor would leave Glory City's future in a precarious position.
For these reasons, Lord Ye Mo had decided to conceal the truth about his daughter-in-law's condition from his son.
Glory City simply couldn't afford to lose Ye Zong as its City Lord at such a critical time.
"Definitely cruel, but necessary," Xue Hui said with a shrug as he continued toward the bedroom.
He understood Ye Mo's reasoning perfectly. It wasn't necessarily right or wrong. It was simply a difficult decision made for the sake of the greater good.
Well, it was almost necessary.
After all, Xue Hui already knew the cause of Ye Yurou's illness. All that remained was to treat her.
"You're lucky I'm here," Xue Hui declared confidently.
Ye Mo halted upon hearing the boy's bold statement.
His gaze lingered on Xue Hui's back, and a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes.
When they reached the entrance, Lord Ye Mo enveloped Xue Hui in his aura, concealing the boy's presence from everyone inside.
The two entered the room, their sudden appearance breaking the mournful silence and startling everyone present.
"Ye Gu, take your men and leave the room!"
It took the occupants a moment to react to Ye Mo's command.
"L-Lord Ye Mo, Madam Yurou's condition is critical! We nee-"
Ye Gu, the head physician of the Snow Wind Family, immediately panicked. He knew all too well how delicate Ye Yurou's condition was. If they stopped the treatment now, she would undoubtedly succumb to her illness.
"I understand," Ye Mo interjected. "I have my reasons."
Although Lord Ye Mo appreciated their efforts, he knew that Ye Gu's treatment was merely delaying the inevitable.
One by one, the physicians left the room, leaving only Ye Yurou's closest family members behind.
Ye Mo glanced at Xue Yin, his son's other lover, before turning his attention to his granddaughter, Ye Ziyun.
The poor child had already cried herself hoarse. She simply clung to her mother's side, refusing to let go.
Her father, Ye Zong, was faring no better. He looked far more exhausted than he should have, his face haggard from worry and sleepless nights.
Sighing, Ye Mo decided to ask Xue Yin to leave the room with his granddaughter as well. Since Xue Hui had asked him to keep his identity a secret, he wanted to give the boy the privacy he needed to work.
"Yin'er, take Yun'er outside. I need to begin the treatment."
"No!"
Hearing her grandfather's words, Ye Ziyun clung even tighter to her mother, refusing to let go.
The little girl had an unsettling feeling that if she let go, she might never see her mother again.
Before Ye Mo could persuade her to leave, however, they heard the door close.
"It's fine, Lord Ye Mo. They can stay."
Stepping out from beneath Ye Mo's aura, Xue Hui appeared before everyone, startling Ye Zong, Xue Yin, and Ye Ziyun.
"F-Father, who's this boy?" Ye Zong asked, confused as to why his father had brought such a young child with him.
"Chen Zhenlong's nephew. They came here to see if they could do anything about Rou'er's condition," Ye Mo replied, watching as Xue Hui approached Ye Yurou's bedside.
Both Xue Yin and Ye Zong looked visibly confused. Neither understood why Ye Mo had brought the boy along.
"Um, little miss, could you move aside a little so I can begin the treatment?"
Xue Hui approached Ye Ziyun, asking her to move because her small body was blocking access to some of Ye Yurou's acupoints.
Ye Ziyun had short violet hair, a round face, flushed cheeks, and a pair of large, watery eyes. Her brows furrowed as she stubbornly refused to move.
"No!"
The little girl buried her face in her mother's embrace, muffling her cries.
Xue Hui scratched his head with a troubled expression. Ye Ziyun was in the way, but forcibly pulling her away from her mother felt wrong.
"Fine," Xue Hui sighed in resignation. "You can stay. Just... sit beside her, okay?"
Sniffling, Ye Ziyun lifted her tear-filled eyes to meet Xue Hui's gaze.
Looking into those bright eyes, she felt an indescribable sensation. Somehow, she could tell that the boy standing before her wasn't ordinary.
Nodding slowly, Ye Ziyun scooted to the side of the bed, giving Xue Hui access to Ye Yurou's acupoints.
Climbing onto the bed, Xue Hui sat beside the unconscious woman and began examining her body, checking her vital signs, life veins, and meridians.
After sensing something amiss, Xue Hui gently placed his small palm against Ye Yurou's abdomen.
Frowning, he took several Nine Transformation Pills from his interspatial ring and administered them to Ye Yurou. He then channeled a small amount of soul force into her body to refine the pills, allowing her to absorb their medicinal properties.
Ye Mo, Ye Zong, and Xue Yin watched the entire procedure with bated breath.
Xue Hui's movements displayed remarkable speed and finesse. If not for his small stature, the entire process would have appeared perfectly natural.
However, the moment he took out an unfamiliar pill and fed it to Ye Yurou, both Ye Zong and Xue Yin grew alarmed.
They immediately rushed forward to stop him, only to be restrained by Ye Mo's aura.
Watching the scene unfold, Ye Ziyun had stopped crying. She was mesmerized by Xue Hui's actions.
She couldn't understand how a boy her own age could manipulate his soul force when she herself couldn't even release the tiniest wisp of it.
Without realizing it, her attention gradually shifted from her mother to the boy beside her.
Three hours passed as Xue Hui continuously circulated his spiritual energy through Ye Yurou's body.
By then, he could already feel the procedure taking a toll on him.
His soul force was steadily being depleted, and both his physical and mental strength were nearing their limits.
The sweat soaking through his clothes was enough to show just how hard he was pushing himself.
Yet Xue Hui couldn't stop. The treatment had turned out to be far more complicated than he had anticipated.
Completely absorbed in his work, Xue Hui barely noticed anything around him.
Suddenly, he felt a piece of cloth gently wiping the sweat from his face.
Caught off guard, he turned to see who it was, only to find Ye Ziyun leaning slightly toward him, a cloth in her hand.
He had been so focused on the treatment that he hadn't even noticed when the little girl had moved closer.
Ye Ziyun hesitated when Xue Hui looked at her. The hand holding the cloth slowly withdrew.
Seeing her uncertain expression, Xue Hui gave her an appreciative smile.
"Thanks. It's getting hard to see with all this sweat running into my eyes."
"Eh... um... mhmm..."
Ye Ziyun stammered, her cheeks flushing red. Nevertheless, she remained beside him and continued wiping his face.
The two children stayed in their positions for another hour, quietly attending to their respective tasks without uttering a single word.
Outside, the sky had long since been swallowed by darkness.
Ye Zong, Ye Mo, and Chen Zhenlong sat on the other side of the room, silently observing the treatment.
Xue Yin, along with Ye Xiu and Ye Shuo, had left an hour earlier to handle matters related to Ye Zong's unfinished work.
Finally, Xue Hui lowered his hands and let out a sigh of relief.
The most crucial part of the treatment was complete. All that remained was to remove the nether poison still lingering inside Ye Yurou's body.
As he caught his breath, Xue Hui felt a gentle tug on his sleeve.
Turning his head, he met Ye Ziyun's hopeful gaze.
"M-Mother... is she going to wake up now?" Her lips trembled as she asked, uncertainty evident in her voice.
Seeing her expression, Xue Hui smiled and gently patted her head.
"Not yet."
Everyone in the room immediately turned their attention toward him.
"But she will... after this."
With those words, Xue Hui pushed himself to his feet and stood on the bed.
He offered his hand to Ye Ziyun. After hesitating for a moment, she accepted it, allowing him to help her stand beside him.
Standing side by side, Xue Hui raised both arms and extended his hands before him.
Ye Ziyun watched in astonishment as ten porcelain-like needles appeared in the air before them. Each needle had a small golden dragon head curved at its tip, and they danced through the air like dragonflies.
With a flick of his finger, Xue Hui released a pure water-attribute aura that spread throughout the room, making everyone feel as though they were immersed in the purest lake.
Controlling the needles with his soul force, Xue Hui guided the ten Whiskered Water-Attribute Needles toward Ye Yurou's body. One by one, they gently settled onto her acupoints.
Moments later, a blackish, murky liquid began flowing into the mouths of the tiny dragon heads. The extracted poison gathered into ominous bubbles that floated in the air.
Chen Zhenlong had witnessed this scene before, yet he couldn't help being fascinated by it once again.
Rising from his seat, Ye Zong could sense the aura of death surrounding his wife's body gradually dissipating.
Lord Ye Mo remained silent, betraying no emotion as he watched Xue Hui work. Countless thoughts passed through his mind.
Several minutes later, Xue Hui took out several bottles from his interspatial ring and carefully guided all the extracted nether poison into them.
After sealing the bottles, he handed them to Ye Mo.
The old man accepted them and promptly stored them inside his interspatial ring for safekeeping.
With the treatment complete, Xue Hui steadied his breathing and waited for his soul force to stabilize before addressing everyone.
Judging by Ye Zong's and Ye Mo's expressions, he could already tell that they had realized Ye Yurou was no longer in immediate danger.
Nevertheless, proper etiquette dictated that they wait for the physician to deliver the news, so everyone patiently waited for Xue Hui to speak.
After catching his breath, Xue Hui looked at them and offered a reassuring smile.
"I've removed all the impurities from Madam Yurou's body."
Ye Zong, Ye Mo, and even Chen Zhenlong visibly relaxed upon hearing the good news.
However, Xue Hui still had one more thing to add.
"She and the child in her belly are both out of danger."
"HER WHAT?!"
"HER WHAT?!"
"HER WHAT?!"
All three men dropped their jaws in unison.
End of Chapter 32