Treatment and Hope

"Bang!"

The door was yanked open from within!

Old Man Gu's eyes went wide as he stared fixedly at the pale pink-and-purple Immortal Herb in Long Zhanye's hand.

His pupils suddenly contracted!

"Ar... Aromatic Silk Beauty?! The Bane of a Hundred Poisons?! Is... is this real?!" he cried out in shock.

He extended a trembling finger, wanting to touch it, but stopped halfway, afraid that his finger would sully the Immortal Herb.

His eyes remained glued to the Immortal Herb. As an alchemist and medicine maker, he knew all too well how valuable it was!

This was practically a legendary divine treasure, something one could only hope to encounter!

In some respects, it was even more precious than certain Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones!

With it, many Elixirs that had once been impossible to attempt due to material limitations could now potentially be refined!

Seeing that Elder Gu had been completely captivated by the Aromatic Silk Beauty and had lost his focus, Long Zhanye knew the time had come.

With a flick of his wrist, he swiftly put away the Immortal Herb and hugged it tightly to his chest.

The movement immediately filled Elder Gu's face with anxiety and reluctance. His gaze followed the Immortal Herb wherever it went.

Seeing Elder Gu's expression, Long Zhanye felt reassured.

Keeping Elder Gu in suspense, he slowly said, "Elder Gu, you've seen it yourself. As long as you're willing to help and save my life..."

"This Aromatic Silk Beauty will be offered to you with both hands as payment for this treatment."

"What do you say?"

The expression on Elder Gu's face instantly became extremely colorful.

First came the urgency at seeing the Immortal Herb taken away, followed by instinctive resistance and hesitation upon hearing the condition.

Yet his eyes remained firmly stuck on the Immortal Herb, greed and longing nearly spilling out of them.

After struggling for only a few breaths—

Elder Gu suddenly gritted his teeth, swiftly swallowing down the trace of reluctance on his face.

He nodded, his voice somewhat dry. "Fine! Good lad! I... I agree!"

As he spoke, he reached for the Immortal Herb in Long Zhanye's arms, already impatient to claim it for himself.

"Then... then give it to me first. Let me take a proper look and study its medicinal properties, so I can prepare for the treatment..."

However—

Long Zhanye nimbly stepped back, avoiding Elder Gu's outstretched hand while shifting the Immortal Herb away.

He shook his head, a trace of caution appearing on his face. "Elder Gu, it isn't that I don't trust you. It's just... rules cannot be broken."

"When you have cured my illness, I will personally offer it to you with both hands. There will be no argument."

Elder Gu's outstretched hand froze in midair, and the urgency on his face was instantly replaced by annoyance.

He glared at Long Zhanye, puffed out his beard, then finally withdrew his hand resentfully and scolded with a smile, "You little rascal!"

"You're still so young, yet you have no shortage of tricks! Fine! This old man will trust you this once!"

"However, the treatment is extremely dangerous, and there are many things that must be prepared. You need to give me time."

Over the following days—

Long Zhanye practically became a tireless messenger, traveling back and forth between the secret chamber and the side room every day.

Whenever he knocked on the secret chamber door and saw Elder Gu or Zhua Yun, the questions he asked most often were—

"Elder Gu, how is the research going?"

"Has there been any progress?"

"When can we begin?"

He feared that if he came even a step too late, the treatment would be delayed as a result.

This wait lasted a full twenty days.

Long Zhanye began to wonder whether Elder Gu was merely fobbing him off, dragging things out because he could not bear to part with the Immortal Herb.

Finally, one day, when he could no longer restrain himself from asking again—

"Elder Gu, exactly... exactly when can you 'do it' for me?"

What he had in mind was naturally the astonishing Heart Grafting Technique Zhua Yun had mentioned.

To his surprise, Old Man Gu froze for a moment before shaking his head like a rattle-drum. "Do it? Do what?"

"The Heart Grafting Technique?" Long Zhanye blurted out.

"Grafting Technique?" Elder Gu snorted and repeatedly waved his hand. "No, no, no, boy, you've got the wrong idea!"

"That thing is far too risky. The success rate is minuscule. It would practically be sending you to your death."

"If I'm taking your Aromatic Silk Beauty, then I naturally have to make sure you'll still be alive afterward."

"What I've been considering is another path."

"Another path? There's another way?"

"Yes, of course there is!" Elder Gu straightened his hunched back, a trace of pride on his face.

"Just wait peacefully. Once this old man succeeds in developing it, I'll naturally have that boy Zhua Yun notify you."

With that, he waved his hand and turned to bury himself once more among the bottles and jars.

Seeing this, Long Zhanye could only nod half-believingly and silently withdraw.

Then one day—

Zhua Yun rushed into Long Zhanye's side room, rare excitement written across his face. "It's done! It's done! Hurry!"

"Come with me! Master wants you there immediately!"

Long Zhanye was stunned at first, then abruptly rose to his feet. Without even taking the time to straighten his appearance, he followed Zhua Yun out.

"Bang!"

Zhua Yun pushed open the secret chamber door in one motion.

Inside, Old Man Gu stood with his back to them. Hearing the noise, he spun around.

"Little one! Come here, quickly! Come here!" Elder Gu repeatedly waved him over.

Long Zhanye hurried forward, unconsciously holding his breath.

He saw Elder Gu mysteriously take a jade bottle, green throughout, from a nearby shelf.

He carefully removed the stopper, lightly shook his wrist, and a pill no larger than the nail of his little finger, gleaming pale green all over, rolled into his palm.

The instant the pill appeared, an exceptionally faint herbal fragrance that seemed to penetrate straight into the lungs and calm the mind quietly spread through the room.

Elder Gu held the pill before Long Zhanye. "This Elixir has been named by this old man—the Pure Heart Spirit Pill! Take it now."

Without the slightest hesitation, Long Zhanye picked up the pill from Elder Gu's palm and placed it in his mouth.

The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, turning into a mild, cool liquid that flowed down his throat.

At first, he felt little, but after only a few breaths, a gentle warm current gathered directly toward his damaged heart!

The medicinal power was not overbearing. Instead, it was like the gentlest hand, softly wrapping around every injured part of his heart.

The dull, lingering ache that had tormented him for months, as though a blunt knife were slowly cutting into him, was noticeably relieved at that moment!

A long-lost feeling of comfort spread throughout his body, and even his breathing became much smoother.

Long Zhanye could not help taking a deep breath. This Elixir... really worked! Old Man Gu had not lied to him!

"How does it feel?" Elder Gu narrowed his eyes, a smug smile hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"I feel... much better! My heart feels incredibly comfortable!" Long Zhanye answered excitedly.

"Hmph, this is only the beginning." Elder Gu pointed at the small jade bottle in Long Zhanye's hand.

"This Pure Heart Spirit Pill mainly nourishes and repairs the heart meridians, strengthening the foundation and replenishing vitality."

"This old man has not refined many yet. There are ten pills in this bottle. Take one each day. Remember, do not interrupt the dosage, nor should you take extra."

"Come back here in ten days. This old man will then give you the Elixir for the next stage."

As he spoke, he placed the small jade bottle containing the remaining nine Pure Heart Spirit Pills into Long Zhanye's hand.

Long Zhanye tightly gripped the jade bottle, took a step back, and deeply bowed to Elder Gu. "Thank you, Elder Gu, for giving me a new life! I will never forget this kindness!"

At that, a gleam flashed through Elder Gu's eyes, and his faint air of an expert was immediately replaced by a merchant's shrewdness.

He rubbed his hands together, leaned forward slightly, piled a smile onto his face, and probed, "Ahem... little one..."

"You see, you've taken the Elixir, and you've felt its effects..."

"This old man exhausted countless precious materials and poured my heart and soul into refining it... so the Aromatic Silk Beauty, do you think... perhaps it could first..."

Before he could finish, Long Zhanye had already straightened up and slowly shaken his head. "Elder Gu, we agreed that I would offer the Immortal Herb only after you cured my illness."

"The treatment has only just begun, and we are still far from 'cured.' If I give you the Immortal Herb now, then what if..."

"What if you stop caring about me afterward? It is not that I distrust you, but this concerns my life. I have no choice but to be cautious."

The smile on Elder Gu's face instantly froze, and his outstretched hand awkwardly halted in midair.

He glared at the seemingly weak but actually meticulous youth before him for a long while before angrily withdrawing his hand.

He pointed at Long Zhanye several times, blowing his beard and glaring as he said, "You... you little one! Fine!"

"This old man will let you owe me for now! But let me tell you, the later treatment will cost even more. If you dare break your word... hmph!"

Though his words were dissatisfied, there was not much real anger in Elder Gu's eyes. Instead, there was a trace of... appreciation for Long Zhanye.