Chapter 15

"It's made by combining the essential oils I bought from the apothecary. I named it Qinglian Water."

Tilting the small vial, which was about the size of two fingers, a transparent liquid flowed out. As the name suggested, it looked like water, but a sharp and refreshing fragrance spread instantly. It also gave off a sense of something mysterious and potent.

While Dan Muchenqi was rubbing his temples with the Qinglian Water on his hands, Dan Muxianwu suddenly sprang up and ran behind him.

"I've thought about it from all angles, and it works much better when used according to the meridians. Pressing the Tianzhu point (天柱穴) at the back of the neck will..."

"This brat..."

"Ah, Father! Please stay still for a moment."

Dan Muchenqi, who had intended to scold his son for acting without dignity despite being well into adulthood, couldn't bring himself to say the words.

Dan Muxianwu, born as the youngest son of a renowned family, was a talented and lively boy until he was seventeen. He had never known what it was like to be disliked.

No matter how much he lamented his lack of manners and unruly behavior, when he smiled sweetly and pestered his father, elder brother, and sister, rubbing their shoulders, they couldn't help but shake their heads.

When he pestered for things he wanted, they pretended to give in and bought everything for him. When he pouted and stomped his feet, they would scold him for still acting like a child, but would secretly ask others what was going on.

Then, one day, his charming frivolity, childishness, and playfulness vanished all at once.

The laughter that used to echo so loudly, as if it would spill over the walls, faded away.

It started when he thought it was his fault that his nephew had been ruined.

Unable to overcome his guilt, Dan Muxianwu entered seclusion for cultivation, and Dan Muchenqi couldn't stop him. After the eldest son, Dan Muxiancheng, died, the youngest son, who had been withering like damp ashes, was even more dispirited.

"How does it feel? Refreshing, isn't it?"

"..."

"Father, that boy is incredibly intelligent. He has already memorized the Thousand Character Classic, hasn't he?"

"..."

A cold and chilling sensation slowly spread from the back of his neck.

The hand touching his nape now belonged to a grown young man, not the seventeen-year-old boy he remembered, which made his heart ache.

"I watched him write and he mimics my movements exactly. Although his grip strength is still lacking, making his handwriting different, I've never seen anyone as quick-witted as him."

"Even if he is quick-witted, how could he create something like this in just one day..."

Dan Muchenqi trailed off, noticing his son's face had darkened.

"I... seem to have caused you worry."

"What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"

"Seeing Uncle's expression, a bright child like him would surely figure out what's going on. He must have known everything."

Dan Muxianwu spoke with a troubled voice, lowering his eyes, recalling the anxious expression on his nephew's face.

─ Actually, the immortals played with me so much that I forgot I had to come back quickly.

The little boy blinked and hurriedly added an apology.

Dan Muxianwu thought he could have laughed if the lie were true.

It would have been so good if he had come back now and said, "It's so good to be back," and laughed.

But he knew it was a lie. Thinking of his nephew's face while he was telling the story about the immortal realm, Dan Muxianwu felt his heart tearing apart.

Even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe such a story nowadays.

But his nephew had missed those three years. Not just three, but seven years.

Because he couldn't protect him...

"Anyway, Lian is so talented and has such a keen sense that he could create something like this right away! He will learn anything I teach him. We have agreed to continue studying herbs together."

"Hmph. You've been in seclusion for years, neglecting your duties as the head of the apothecary. Now you need to study. From the looks of it, you don't need to teach him anything. If you study together, that's a different story."

"That's why I want to study with Lian. And about the Qinglian Water Lian made, what if we give it as a gift to those around you? Send one to the Huashan Sect, one to the Tang Family, and one to the head of the Mansong Trading Company. What do you think?"

Dan Muxianwu chattered away.

Dan Muchenqi, who had been listening silently, waved his hand.

"For now, don't send anything to the Tang Family."

"What? Why!"

"If we send things saying the child has woken up, what will the Tang Family think? They might assume we're trying to revive the marriage proposal."

Upon hearing this, Dan Muxianwu puffed up, ready to protest, but soon slumped his shoulders.

Dang Youbi and Dan Muchenqi were close friends in their youth and later relied on each other for life. They were so compatible that they decided to marry their grandchildren, Dan Muxianqi's eldest grandson, Dan Lian, and Dang Youbi's four-year-old second grandson, Dang Yueshe.

In a martial arts family where even daughters are often married into the family, and especially in the Tang Family, which rarely sent its bloodline members outside of Tangjia陀 (the area where the Tang Family lived), this was a groundbreaking engagement.

Since Dan Lian, as the eldest grandson of the Dan Family, couldn't leave the family, the engagement meant that Dang Yueshe would be taken as a son-in-law.

The engagement became complicated when Lian was about a hundred days old. By then, everyone had noticed something unusual about Lian.

At the same time, Dang Yueshe began to display extraordinary, even astonishing, talent, which made everyone reconsider the engagement.

What could they do now!

The girl was in a state between life and death, and the boy was too precious to send outside the family.

If the girl were fine, they could have given up, but she wasn't...

In the end, the engagement was broken.

Dang Youbi provided all the secret formulas and medicinal ingredients needed for the special treatment, and Dan Muchenqi felt they had fulfilled their obligations to each other.

After doing so much, breaking the engagement meant no one could accuse the Tang Family of regretting their grandson and breaking the promise.

"Lian is so intelligent that we can't give him to the Tang Family, and Dang Yueshe, once in Dang Youbi's arms, won't be given up. Let's not make things difficult for each other."

"Yes... then what about the Huashan Sect?"

"Sending anything to the Huashan Sect can wait until Qing Yunzhen comes out of seclusion. Sending something now would just stir up trouble."

"How can that be?"

"Would you be happy if a thief sent you flowers as a thank you?"

"There's no need to call it theft..."

"If a top disciple loses his inner strength because of a child from another region, isn't that theft?"

The special treatment required a high-level expert to deeply cultivate inner strength, using a secret formula that mixed potent herbs and extreme poisons.

The expert's inner strength would be partially consumed, making it difficult to find both the expert and the formula. Most sects didn't even consider it, and only wealthy families focused on bloodline succession could dream of it.

But somehow, it was possible for Lian this time.

One of the two experts who performed the treatment was Qing Yunzhen, the top disciple of the Huashan Sect.

Qing Yunzhen, who had been saved by Lian's mother, Wei Zhiqing, when he was young, had formed a sworn brotherhood with her and never forgot her kindness.

Even if he acted out of a sense of righteousness to save a life, it was still a significant loss of inner strength, which could have led to his becoming an immortal.

"Qing Yunzhen has entered seclusion to recover his lost inner strength. It's better to wait until he comes out before doing anything."

"Yes..."

"If Lian says it's fine, we can send it as a gift to the Mansong Trading Company."

Dan Muxianwu's head snapped up.

"Yes! I'll prepare it. Then, will you teach Lian martial arts? You promised to teach him after he learned the Thousand Character Classic from me."

The youngest son's eyes sparkled. His face showed joy and hope, as if he was looking forward to sparring with Lian in a few years.

Dan Muchenqi, who had been staring at his son, waved his hand. Dan Muxianwu sprang up and hurried out.

But their hopes were not immediately realized.

The news that Lian had fainted came first.