Chapter 138 -

Chapter 138: Chapter

Yimei walked out to the hallway and motioned for Liu Feng, who pushed Zhengyu’s wheelchair into the study.

Grandmaster Zhang waved his hand, telling Liu Feng to bring Zhengyu right up to his desk. "Sit down, boy. Let me take a look at those legs."

Zhengyu stayed quiet, sitting back in his chair while Grandmaster Zhang reached out and placed two fingers firmly on his wrist to check his pulse. The study became completely quiet while the old doctor checked his condition.

Grandmaster Zhang’s eyes narrowed as he focused. Then, a happy smile spread across his face. He pulled his hand back and clapped his knees together.

"Great news!" the old doctor said, looking at Yimei with genuine approval. "The blocked blood in his legs is loosening up nicely. Warmth is coming back to his limbs, and his body is healing fast. With more care, he will be standing on his own feet much sooner than expected!"

"That is good to hear," Yimei said calmly, though a small look of satisfaction showed in her dark eyes.

While Grandmaster Zhang grabbed a fresh piece of paper to write a new prescription, Yimei walked closer to his desk. She looked at the small wooden drawers filled with rare herbs on the wall behind him.

"Grandmaster Zhang," Yimei said, lowering her voice slightly. "Besides his new medicine, I need something else today."

Grandmaster Zhang stopped writing and looked up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it this time?"

"I need a stick of sleeping incense," Yimei requested, her face completely calm. "Something very strong. One smell should knock a full-grown person out in seconds, and keep them fast asleep for hours even if someone makes loud noises."

Zhengyu looked up from his wheelchair, his dark eyes watching her carefully.

Grandmaster Zhang stared at her for a long moment, then let out a low laugh and shook his head. "Girl Yimei, that is no normal sleeping medicine! That is a very strong drug used only when cutting off bad limbs during surgery! What are you planning to do with something like that?"

Yimei tilted her head, a cold, sharp smile touching her lips.

"Just setting a little trap," she answered smoothly. "There are a few greedy rats back at the house who like to sneak around in the dark. I want to catch them red-handed, and I don’t want them waking up until I am done."

Grandmaster Zhang shook his head with a quiet sigh, but a faint, knowing smirk tugged at his mouth. He turned around in his chair, pulled a small bronze key from his sleeve, and unlocked a tiny wooden drawer near the bottom of his shelf.

He reached inside and pulled out a slender, dark purple incense stick wrapped carefully in oiled paper.

"This is called Mind-Numbing Ash," Grandmaster Zhang said, holding it out toward her. "I made it myself using concentrated nightshade and wild snake-root. Once lit, a single puff of its smoke will make anyone fall into a dead sleep within five seconds."

Yimei reached out and took the wrapped stick, tucking it neatly into her inner pocket. "How long does it last?"

"At least six full hours," Grandmaster Zhang warned, his tone becoming serious. "They won’t feel pain, and they won’t wake up no matter how much you shake them or yell in their ears. But listen to me carefully, Girl Yimei."

Yimei met his sharp gaze calmly. "I am listening."

"The smoke does not care who is a friend and who is an enemy," Grandmaster Zhang said, tapping his desk for emphasis. "When you light it, cover your nose and mouth with a wet cloth, or you will end up sleeping right beside those rats. And keep it far away from Zhengyu, his body is still recovering from poison, and inhaling this could set his legs back by months."

"I understand," Yimei said, giving him a firm nod. "I will be careful."

Zhengyu sat back in his wheelchair, watching Yimei pocket the incense. "You seem very confident for someone planning to drug our own relatives."

Yimei looked down at him, her face completely unbothered. "Greedy people are predictable. It makes catching them very easy."

Grandmaster Zhang laughed out loud, handing the fresh prescription paper over to her.

Yimei took the prescription paper and tucked it safely into her sleeve. "We will be staying at the village compound for over a year," she said calmly to Grandmaster Zhang. "So Zhengyu will be coming to see you regularly."

Grandmaster Zhang nodded slowly, stroking his white beard with a thoughtful look. "In that case, he can start learning how to walk again. Sitting in that chair all day will only make his joints stiff."

The old doctor turned his sharp gaze toward Zhengyu. "Starting next week, Ah Cheng will assist you with your walking practice. The more you move those legs, the higher the chance of you regaining your full strength and stepping properly on your own again."

Zhengyu looked down at his lap, his fingers tightening slightly around the armrests of his wheelchair. A rare flicker of hope and determination crossed his dark eyes.

"I will do whatever it takes," Zhengyu said, his voice quiet but steady.

"Good! That is what I like to hear," Grandmaster Zhang chuckled, waving his hand toward the door. "Now off you go. Madame Zhang has probably set the table by now, and I can already smell the roasted duck."

Yimei offered a polite bow, and Liu Feng carefully turned Zhengyu’s wheelchair around to push him out into the bright, cozy main hall where the delicious scent of home-cooked food filled the air.

Before Yimei could turn to follow Liu Feng out of the study, Grandmaster Zhang called out to her.

"Wait, Girl Yimei."

Yimei stopped in her tracks and turned around. The old doctor opened a small, locked wooden box on his desk and carefully pulled out a heavy jar made of dark green jade.

"Take this," Grandmaster Zhang said, holding the jar out to her with a unusually serious face. "I have been working on this mixture for weeks. I made it especially for Zhengyu’s legs, but I didn’t think you two would be coming back to the countryside so soon."

Yimei reached out and took the jade jar. The container felt cool in her hand, but a sharp, spicy scent seeped out from under the wax seal.

"What kind of balm is this?" Yimei asked.

"It is a fire-extract ointment," Grandmaster Zhang explained, leaning his hands on his wooden desk. "It drives deep into the bone to force the dead poison out of his veins. But I must warn you, it hurts a lot. The burning sensation is so intense that he might not be able to bear the pain."

Yimei looked down at the dark green jar, her face completely calm and unbothered as always.

"And if he can bear it?" Yimei asked smoothly. "What happens then?"

Grandmaster Zhang let out a long, heavy sigh, his white beard twitching slightly.

"Then the pulse in his legs could return," the old doctor said, his dark eyes shining with absolute seriousness. "If his body can endure the fire, his nerves will wake up, and he will feel his feet again."

Yimei tightened her grip around the jade jar and tucked it safely into her robes. "I understand. Thank you, Grandmaster Zhang."

"Remember to use only a tiny pinch at first," the old man called after her as she turned toward the door. "Don’t go burning the poor boy alive on your first try!"

Yimei didn’t make any promises, simply stepping back out into the bright, cozy hall where Madame Zhang was already setting down steaming bowls of hot food on the big wooden table.