"Well, who can argue with that? It's just that sometimes once someone gets stuck in a rut, it's hard to pull them out of it."
Indeed, sometimes once someone has made up their mind, nothing can change it.
Manager Chen continued, “To save him, I have searched for every doctor and alchemist I could find, spent all my savings accumulated over the years, and even lost my job at Baoshantang, but so far there has been no improvement. By the way, my name is Chen Ji, and I am no longer the manager. From now on, you can just call me by my name.”
No wonder he looked several years older in less than two months.
"Then I'll call you Uncle Chen."
As they talked, they arrived at Manager Chen's room. To save on room fees, he only booked this one room and slept on the floor next to his son's bed that night.
"This is my son, Chen Shengjun. It has been twenty-three days since then."
Chen Shengjun was a thin young man, and judging from his bone structure, he should have been quite handsome. But now he lay there with a pale, bluish face, sunken eyes, and no movement, as if he had stopped breathing.
Shi Xuan stepped forward to examine him, observing the signs of poisoning on his body, and checking the inside of his eyelids, teeth, and mouth. He frowned and pondered for a moment, seemingly puzzled. He then took out a silver bowl and drained some of his blood. The blood was dark red, and seemed to contain traces of bluish-black.
The poison is quite complex. Shi Xuan took out a leaf, thought for a moment, and then tore off only a small piece and threw it into the bowl containing the blood. He sighed inwardly, thinking that in the past, there would have been no need to consider breaking a leaf in half.
The leaves, upon seeing blood, appeared charred, turning black from the edges, rapidly spreading to the center until they were completely black.
"How is it?" Chen Ji asked hastily when he saw Shi Xuan raise his head.
This might be their last chance.
Shi Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "His poison is somewhat complex. So far, I have seen three types: Li Yang, Jue Shi, and Shi Ling. Li Yang is a poison that can devour a person's life force. If someone were poisoned by this alone, they would probably have already died from having their life force drained by this long ago."
The poison is not very potent; its effect is to isolate a person's consciousness, preventing them from using their consciousness for a period of time.
As for the Spirit Erosion, as the name suggests, it can invade a cultivator's inner sanctum and corrode the spiritual energy within. Those poisoned will have their spiritual energy depleted and will feel weak all over.
It now seems that the simultaneous exposure to three different poisons created a delicate balance, thus limiting the toxicity of the toxins.
"Is there a solution?" Chen Ji trembled with excitement. This was the first time in so long that someone had so accurately identified the poison Chen Shengjun had been poisoned by. At that moment, he felt as if he had seen a blade of grass in an endless desert, hoping for an oasis ahead—his only hope.
“There’s some trouble,” Shi Xuan said with a serious expression.
Upon hearing this, Chen Ji felt as if his spirits had plummeted. Despair gripped him tightly. Was it really all over? Had the last hope of saving his son been lost? With his son gone, what was the point of living at his age?
However, Shi Xuan hadn't finished speaking; she was merely thinking about a solution.
"It's not that there's absolutely no way, it's just a bit troublesome and will probably take a while," she continued.
One sentence opened a window for Chen Ji out of despair. He breathed a long sigh of relief, and between great sorrow and joy, he seemed unable to hold back his tears.
As long as there's a way, even if the hope is slim, it's better than no hope at all.
"Master, please give us your guidance..." He was also a little uneasy. There was hope, but they had nothing to their name. If the spiritual medicine needed to save the person was too expensive, they might not be able to afford it. He didn't know if the master would allow him to owe money. As long as he could save the person, he was willing to pay any price.
Shi Xuan had already sorted out the treatment plan. She glanced at the charred leaf in the blood bowl and said, "The poison is too complex and cannot be resolved overnight. You two should come back to Lianfeng Sword Sect with me first and stay at the foot of Lianfeng Sword Sect Mountain. This will make it convenient for me to provide long-term treatment for him."
"Okay, okay, okay," Chen Ji agreed repeatedly, but then he hesitated. There should be houses for rent at the foot of Lianfeng Sword Sect Mountain, but since it was said to be very troublesome, the treatment cost must be quite high...
“Master…” Chen Ji hesitated, unsure how to begin. If they said they couldn’t afford the spirit stones, they were afraid the master would refuse to treat their son. But they were indeed at their wits’ end.
"Hmm? Is there any other question?" Shi Xuan asked.
Chen Ji looked at Shi Xuan, and after a long while, he hardened his heart and said, "I'm afraid we can't afford the spirit stones." As he spoke, he couldn't help but shed tears.
She has worked tirelessly for her son, exhausting all her family's resources. The bitterness she has endured is something she cannot share with outsiders.
So that's how it is. Shi Xuan thought for a moment. He had said on the way to the inn that he had lost everything in order to treat his son.
"How do you make a living now?" Shi Xuan asked.
Chen Ji replied with a bitter face, "I have no way to make a living."
“Well then,” Shi Xuan said, “After you cure your son, you two can work for me. I’m planning to open a pill shop anyway, and you have experience in that area. I’ll give you both a monthly allowance of spirit stones, which will save me a lot of trouble.”
Is there really such a good thing in the world?
Chen Ji couldn't believe his ears for a moment. If he hadn't misheard, was this a blessing in disguise? They not only got rid of the poison but also found new jobs. For them, surviving and securing their future was the best they could hope for!
"How can this be allowed?" Chen Ji's tears flowed even more fiercely. It was as if the pent-up emotions of the past twenty days were being released at this moment. He bent his knees and was about to kneel down to Shi Xuan, but Shi Xuan stopped him with quick eyes and hands.
He had no choice but to stand up, choking back tears, and said, "Master has given us a second chance at life. If you don't mind after this matter is over, I will serve you for the rest of my life. I don't need any monthly allowance, just enough to eat!"
“Then it’s settled.” Shi Xuan said, “You pack your things first, and I’ll inform my master later so you can stay in the side courtyard of my residence to detoxify him. Once my shop opens, you can move to the shop area.”
Tears streamed down Chen Ji's face; he was overwhelmed with emotion. He took a step back, turned around, and wiped his face with his sleeve, accidentally knocking over a wooden box on the table. The box fell to the ground, the lid flew off, revealing a brown cowhide inside.
Shi Xuan looked in the direction of the sound and saw a triangular pattern on the exposed cowhide facing her. Shi Xuan immediately recognized it and pointed at the cowhide, asking, "What's this?"
Chen Ji hurriedly picked up the box and handed it to Shi Xuan with both hands, saying, "This is the map that has driven my son crazy! I originally wanted to burn it, but then I thought that I might be able to find information about his poisoning in it, so I kept it until now."
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