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Meng Qi sighed softly, helping the tavern owner up. “I will do my best.” She turned to Yan Xuan and then looked at the wooden box. There were quite a few spirit stones in the box, but they were all first-grade.
First-grade… Yan Xuan raised his eyebrows. He then watched as Meng Qi took out a handful from the box and casually placed them into her storage space.
“These are enough,” she said, not bothering to count how many she took. “Madam.” Meng Qi addressed the tavern owner, “He is not just sick; he has been injured. However, he is not a cultivator, and the injury has persisted for a long time, so healing him won’t be an easy task.”
“I understand, I understand.” The tavern owner nodded repeatedly. “Is there anything we need to do? Doctor Meng, just tell us, and we will do it.”
“Yes.” Meng Qi nodded. “I will inform you of the details later.” Her tone remained calm; this injury was indeed somewhat troublesome, but it wasn’t too difficult for Meng Qi. After all, she was nearly a fifth-rank Nascent Soul medical cultivator, and she had an abundance of spirit stones around her. Moreover, she had just made a significant purchase in Beyond The Heaven and was not lacking medicinal herbs.
Meng Qi first asked the child’s mother to leave, waved her hand to close the door, and Yan Xuan walked in instead, casually pulling over a chair and sitting down. Meng Qi did not speak to him and raised her hand to take out a silver needle from her storage space item. The tip of the needle flickered with light as it penetrated the child’s wrist. Meng Qi then flicked her fingers, and the Five Spirits Cauldron appeared beside her. Without wasting time, three or four herbs were thrown into the cauldron.
Meng Qi turned to Yan Xuan and asked, “Do you have spirit stones?”
Yan Xuan was momentarily stunned, “How much do you need?”
“One eighth-grade and ten fifth-grade.” Meng Qi replied.
Yan Xuan was stunned again. Even if he were injured and his cultivation regressed, he still wouldn’t be unable to produce these spirit stones. He handed the required spirit stones to Meng Qi, and she took out an eighth-grade spirit stone and placed it under her natal cauldron. With a light plopping sound, spiritual aura instantly overflowed, and a flash of light lit up underneath it. Meng Qi then took out another small water and poured a bit of liquid into the cauldron.
After a while, the room was filled with the aroma of the medicine. Slightly bitter, slightly astringent, and yet somewhat fresh, it dispelled the heavy medicinal scent from earlier. The liquid inside the cauldron continued bubbling, gradually turned emerald green, and flew into the small bottle in Meng Qi’s hand.
Meng Qi then bent down, picked up the child, and let him sit against the bed. She crossed her legs and sat down opposite him, forming hand seals with her right hand, gently pressing on his left eye. With her left hand, she opened the bottle of medicine and placed it in front of the child’s mouth, letting a drop of emerald-green liquid enter his mouth. Meng Qi retrieved the bottle, closed her eyes, and began focusing.
The tavern owner’s child had been injured by a devil cultivator. Moreover, it wasn’t a direct attack; it seemed that the residual energy of the opponent’s spell had swept across the child when attacking someone else. Otherwise, he would have died on the spot.
If the injured person were a cultivator, it would be much simpler, as it would be just a common internal injury that could be healed with a single pill. But the child was not a cultivator; his body was much more fragile than a cultivator’s, and his meridians couldn’t withstand too much spiritual energy. Coupled with the long duration of his injury, his body had become extremely weak, so Meng Qi had to be slow and cautious.
After a full six hours, Meng Qi finally slowly opened her eyes. The room remained quiet, and Yan Xuan was still sitting on the chair near the door, seemingly unchanged. Outside the window, it had become pitch black. A fist-sized luminous pearl had appeared on the table next to Yan Xuan at some point. The pearl was sparkling and translucent, illuminating the entire room without being too glaring.
Under the soft light, Yan Xuan stared at Meng Qi absentmindedly. The faint trace of sarcasm at the corner of his lips had gradually disappeared, and his gaze became unfocused, his expression dazed. When Meng Qi finally opened her eyes, he quickly turned his head, looking somewhat embarrassed, afraid that she might notice he had been watching her for so long.
Meng Qi, however, completely ignored him. The child suddenly made a soft hum, and his body swayed slightly. He opened his eyes in a dazed manner.
“Mom…” He mumbled and fell towards Meng Qi.
Meng Qi reached out to support him, carefully laying him back on the bed. She swept her sleeve, and the door reopened. The tavern owner, who had been waiting anxiously outside, was pacing back and forth. Upon hearing the door open, she abruptly stopped and turned to look at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi gave her a faint smile and nodded gently.
“Ah…” The tavern owner hadn’t spoken yet, but tears welled up and fell rapidly. “Xiaolu!” she choked out, rushing into the room. The tavern owner even forgot to thank Meng Qi and knelt beside the bed, gently stroking her son’s hair.
“Mom…” The child slowly opened his eyes again, his gaze still confused, but he gradually spoke.
“Xiaolu!” The tavern owner’s tears flowed even faster. This was the first time her son had awakened since falling ill, and he even called her. She choked up, unable to say a word. After a while, as if finally coming back to her senses, she turned to express her gratitude to Meng Qi.
The luminous pearl on the table in the room had disappeared, and a lamp had been lit at some point. The flickering flame on the table cast dancing shadows, but there was no one around. A piece of paper was placed on the table, along with a small blue porcelain bottle. The paper clearly explained how to take the medicine and what to do next. The handwriting was clear and graceful, undoubtedly left by Meng Qi.
…
At this moment, Meng Qi had already walked a long way with Yan Xuan. The sky had turned completely dark, and the night enveloped the entire Jingyue City. Countless lights shone in the city, creating a peaceful and serene atmosphere. Yan Xuan glanced at Meng Qi several times. The night wind lifted her blue robe and hair. She remained composed, showing no change in expression compared to before.
“Do you think…” The two of them walked silently side by side for most of the street until Yan Xuan finally spoke, “…that since I ask you to save the child, you are compelled to do so in order for me to agree to cooperate with you?”
“Not at all,” Meng Qi replied.
“…” Yan Xuan clearly didn’t believe her. Ten Absolutes Mountains would open at any time within these ten days, and Meng Qi had obvious intentions towards it, devoting many resources to prepare. Now, she had spent half a day to save an ordinary child from a common family, which brought her no benefit. She only received a few first-grade spirit stones from the mother, which might not even cover the cost of a single medicinal herb used to make the medicine.
“Then why did you save him?” Yan Xuan saw that Meng Qi had no further explanation. He remained silent for quite a while before suddenly asking.
“Hmm?” Meng Qi was at a loss for how to answer this question.
“If it wasn’t to make me agree to cooperate with you, why would you be willing to save him?”
“Ah?” Meng Qi was even more surprised. She looked at Yan Xuan, murmuring, “Seeing an injured child, of course, I would save him if I could.”
After a moment of contemplation, Meng Qi said to Yan Xuan. “You don’t need to feel pressured.”
She smiled.
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