At the edge of the dream framework, the black curtain twisted and swayed, while the wind howled, threaded through with the strange cries of Night Owl.
Lady Ma Mingcai was utterly unaware. She caressed the radiant face in the mirror, nearly pressing her own face against it, as if to trade places. Behind her, a blurred shadow had appeared at some point. It bent down and whispered in her ear:
"The examination results are correct. She is your direct blood relative.
"She appears to have survived and wandered in the Wilderness for a long time. Her current physical condition is quite poor, but after a period of recuperation, it will improve significantly. We can reassess her then.
"Her foundation is decent. We have already conducted trial cultivation. The plasma cultured from her body is highly compatible with your constitution.
"Heterogeneous Symbiosis Technology has a history of one hundred years. The positive effects of young blood on old blood have already been proven, and we can take the theory and its applications even further. As you know, this is the technology Mister Old Elers has always used.
"She is still young. For now, all she can do is provide blood at regular or irregular intervals. But in around fifteen years, when she reaches twenty-three or twenty-four and her physical condition is at its peak and stable, the blood replacement can begin... We will formulate a plan more suited to your circumstances at that time. And you can use these fifteen years to experience the excellent effects of Heterogeneous Symbiosis Technology."
As the blurred shadow whispered, the carefree adult woman in the mirror gradually became younger and more immature, until she turned into a tender little girl of seven or eight, not yet fully grown. She looked up beyond the mirror, her