The villa district east of Liujin City was spacious, with several sizable artificial lakes. Few people lived there, though; only a handful of homes were scattered along the lakeshores, ensuring residents wouldn't disturb one another.
In any city with a sizable population, living at such a low density would be considered a luxury, let alone in a desert city like Liujin City.
A young man with his hair tied in dozens of tiny braids carried a glass of water and some food to the lakeside. He tucked the blanket around the thin woman in the wheelchair, then said, "It's damp by the lake. You should go inside after a while. Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"
The woman looked to be in her sixties or seventies, but her exposed hands were as dry as tree bark, and so was her skin. Even the slightest movement made it crack and flake off. The exposed flesh wasn't wounded, but it was faintly pale, as though the dead outer skin were automatically peeling away as new skin grew beneath it.
But this wasn't healing. It was a continuous drain on the woman's life force, one that would last until she died.
A flash of sorrow crossed the young man's eyes. He tucked her hands beneath the blanket too, then said softly, "How about we eat something?"
The woman gazed calmly at the lake before her. "I'm going to die soon."
"You're not going to die," the young man said, forcing a smile. "A-Xue has already asked someone to prepare medicine. You were just poisoned. You're nowhere near dying."
Sadness clouded the woman's wrinkled face. "Why go begging people on my behalf? Even if I'm cured of the poison, I won't be much use anymore."
The woman was Dou Shengnan. Though the Time