Chapter 23

Amidst the swirling snow, the entire market was silent, with only the faint light from the pharmacy visible.

The shopkeeper had a solemn expression, with a hint of fear in his eyes. Although the swelling on his right cheek had subsided and his eyes could now open, his right side was still higher than the left, making his expression look somewhat fierce.

In front of him, two tables were pushed together, and Meier was curled up on them, one hand tightly clasped to her chest, the other held by the shopkeeper, who was pressing her pulse.

On the left side of the table, Jiang Xingchen’s anxiousness was evident. He was gently stroking Meier’s head, whispering words of comfort, while at the same time looking hopefully at the shopkeeper, waiting for his diagnosis.

On the other side were two thugs, staring intently at the shopkeeper.

After a long while, the shopkeeper took a deep breath, raised his head, and stammered, "Young Master Jiang, Miss’s illness... I am... powerless to help!"

"What!" Jiang Xingchen’s eyes instantly widened, and he grabbed the shopkeeper by the collar.

"Miss has many hidden ailments, especially a severe case of wind-cold, which is clearly in its advanced stages..." As he spoke, the shopkeeper seemed to have made up his mind, his tone rising slightly, as if he had nothing to lose. He continued, "If the illness had erupted a few days earlier, I could have treated it and gradually adjusted her condition... but now, all the hidden ailments have been triggered, and with my medical skills... Young Master Jiang, I am sorry!"

"How can a wind-cold be so severe that it leads to a terminal condition? Use hot medicine, and it should be fine!" one of the thugs shouted loudly.

The shopkeeper paused, then said solemnly, "Wind-cold is not difficult to treat and generally does not linger in the body for so long; there should have been symptoms earlier..."

This statement felt like a knife stabbing into Jiang Xingchen’s heart. He immediately recalled the night he had arrived, when Meier was curled up in the corner, the shoes with exposed toes, her going out to fetch water in the cold morning, her small hands covered in blood, and her rusty eyes this morning...

"She had symptoms early on but never mentioned them. At that time, Meier was only focused on earning money to take care of me, suppressing all her pain with her strength... until I earned the money and activated the Yuan Spring, she finally let go of the burden, and the hidden ailments and wind-cold erupted together..." After realizing this, Jiang Xingchen’s concern for Meier was indescribable.

"Brother! Meier has earned money, bought a black bread, and can now support you!" This sentence came out involuntarily, and Jiang Xingchen felt a lump in his throat.

"No! The little girl is my only family in this world, and I will not let her leave me!" Jiang Xingchen raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and stared at the shopkeeper, saying, "If you can’t save her, it doesn’t mean others can’t!"

With that, Jiang Xingchen turned to the two thugs and said, "Go and bring all the physicians from the market’s pharmacies here!"

The two thugs were startled; it was the first time they had heard Jiang Xingchen speak to them in a commanding tone, which felt even more intimidating than Sun Sanqiang.

"Yes!" The two thugs responded and turned to run out the door.

Although the shopkeeper was terrified by Jiang Xingchen’s gaze, he gritted his teeth and said boldly, "Young Master Jiang, it’s no use. All the physicians in the market would be equally helpless. Calling them here would only waste time... You need to find the physicians from the noble district’s large pharmacies!"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen’s eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Can they help?"

The two thugs also stopped in their tracks at this.

"I can’t guarantee it, but the physicians from the Spirit Grass Hall, Yellow Crane Hall, Medicine Virtue Hall... are much more skilled than I am... and they have many precious herbs!"

"Thank you! Let’s go to the Spirit Grass Hall!" As soon as the shopkeeper finished speaking, Jiang Xingchen wrapped Meier in a blanket and carried her out, calling the two thugs to follow quickly.

"Phew~" The shopkeeper exhaled a long breath, his body collapsing into the chair. Hearing Jiang Xingchen’s gratitude, he knew he had made the right decision...

A month later, the carriage stopped at the entrance of the Spirit Grass Hall in the noble district. Jiang Xingchen handed his new identity card to one of the thugs, instructing him to go and knock on the door, while he wrapped Meier in a cotton blanket and got out of the carriage to follow.

"Knock, knock, knock..." The thug pounded on the door, and an impatient voice came from inside: "What’s the rush? Can’t you see we’re closed?"

"We’re here to see a doctor!" the thug shouted from outside.

"Creak!" The door opened a crack, and a head poked out, belonging to a young apprentice, about seventeen or eighteen years old.

"Please, get the doctor out quickly; our young lady is very ill!" the thug said, handing over Jiang Xingchen’s identity card.

The apprentice took the iron card, glanced at the "Scholar" character on it, and his eyes showed disdain.

"Doctor Cui is very busy and has no time to see you. Go elsewhere!" The apprentice waved them away like flies, returning the identity card to the thug.

At this moment, Jiang Xingchen, who was already holding Meier, heard the words clearly.

Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his anxiety and had the thug take ten yellow crystal coins from his bag and hand them to the apprentice, saying, "Please, make it convenient for us; my sister’s illness cannot wait any longer!"

"Ten yellow crystal coins!" The apprentice glanced at them, hesitated for a moment, and then firmly said, "I’ve already told you, Doctor Cui is very busy!"

Jiang Xingchen, seeing this, gritted his teeth and took out another ten yellow crystal coins. It wasn’t that he was stingy; he would spend any amount to save the little girl. However, he had already spent 200 yellow crystal coins on the house and noble certification, and another 50 on clothes, miscellaneous items, and food. He only had 50 left, and giving too much would leave him unable to pay for the consultation.

To his disappointment, the apprentice, though his eyes gleamed with greed, was resolute: "Let me tell you, Doctor Cui is currently researching a new drug for the Hengtong Trading Company. Even if a baron came, it wouldn’t make a difference, let alone a low-ranking noble like you!"

With that, the apprentice retreated and slammed the door shut.

"Young Master Jiang, what do we do now?" The two thugs looked at the increasingly cold and snowy door and asked in low voices.

"Go to the Yellow Crane Hall!" Jiang Xingchen tightened his arms around Meier and said coldly, turning to leave...

As night deepened, the snow and wind showed no signs of abating, and the temperature continued to drop.

In the carriage, Jiang Xingchen tightly held Meier, his eyes red with grief, his arms numb from the cold.

After visiting three large pharmacies, none of them had agreed to treat her. No matter how much he pleaded, each one looked at his identity card with disdain. The more patient ones explained the reason, while the less patient ones simply drove them away.

Seeing Meier’s breathing become more rapid and her body shivering like a sieve, Jiang Xingchen felt as if his heart were being cut by a knife.

Having activated the Yuan Spring and become friends with Mo Hongxian, he had previously felt a bit proud and a bit like a nouveau riche. But in this situation, he realized that his low-ranking noble status was worth nothing outside the commoner district, and he couldn’t even save the seriously ill Meier.

"Where should we go next, Young Master Jiang?" one of the thugs asked, as the horses were struggling in the heavy snow.

"Go to the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group!" Jiang Xingchen said in a low voice. Initially, he was anxious to find a doctor quickly to treat Meier. But after visiting several large pharmacies, he realized that without Mo Hongxian’s help, he couldn’t save the little girl.

"Breath, breath, breath..." Meier’s breathing suddenly quickened, and Jiang Xingchen’s heart tightened.

"Little girl! Don’t scare your brother! Just hold on a little longer, we’re almost there. Leader Mo is a friend of your brother’s, and she will find someone to save you..." Jiang Xingchen held Meier tightly, pressing his face against her feverish cheek.

"Brother!" A weak voice sounded, and Meier, who had been in a semi-comatose state, was now slightly more awake, her eyes open.

"Meier, you’re awake!" Jiang Xingchen was initially relieved, but when he saw the little girl’s eyes, his heart tightened to the extreme.

At this moment, Meier’s eyes were shining with a certain light, looking very spirited. This made him instantly think of the phrase "last flicker of light."

"Brother! Did the noble certification go well? Let me see your new identity card!" Meier’s voice was a bit louder, and her words were very fluent.

"Meier! Brother doesn’t have the identity card with him. Let’s wait until we see the doctor and get home, and then I’ll show it to you, okay..." Jiang Xingchen didn’t dare to show it to her, fearing that if she saw it, her wish would be fulfilled, and she would lose her motivation.

"You don’t know yet, but this time, brother received a ‘Lord’ level noble status, which is one level higher than before... hehe, we’re one step closer to our goal of going home!"

Jiang Xingchen didn’t know what to do, so he gave the little girl hope and a reason to hold on, making her continue to persist.

"Home!" Meier’s eyes shone brighter, and her lips curled up, as if she were seeing a beautiful picture. There were mountains, and behind the mountains, there was water, and from a high vantage point, one could see the vast and magnificent mountains...

"Meier! Brother promises you, as long as you get better, brother will definitely get our home back... Do you remember what brother told you? Whatever you want to play, brother will play with you. I have many fun things that you haven’t seen yet..."

Jiang Xingchen held Meier tightly, as if afraid she would slip away from his arms.

"Okay!" Meier smiled even more brightly, nodding her head vigorously: "Brother, you promise!"

"I swear! I will never lie to Meier!" Jiang Xingchen said earnestly.

"Brother, I’m a bit sleepy!" After smiling, Meier’s eyelids slowly drooped.

"Meier, don’t sleep! Just hold on a little longer. You’re the strongest, and you’ve taken care of brother through the toughest times... By the way, your jade pendant hasn’t been redeemed yet... The new house is waiting for you to decorate... Shall I tell you a story?"

Jiang Xingchen used every method to prevent Meier from falling asleep. The two thugs also whipped the reins desperately, the hooves splashing through the snow, racing towards the Purple Thistle Mercenary Group’s base.