The Widow's Favor

That night.

The Feng family estate blazed with lights, steeped in the chaos of chickens flying and dogs leaping.

Word spread that the Eldest Young Master had secretly poisoned the Third Young Master.

But none of that had anything to do with Chen Ye anymore.

Not long after his fierce fight with the mad dog at the Eldest Young Master's side, he was taken to another guest room to rest.

A maid serving Madam Zhou soon found him and handed him a porcelain bottle.

"This is our Zhou Family's White Medicine. It works wonders on injuries. Madam said you performed well tonight and sent me to bring it to you. Take it as soon as you can. Remember, it's best not to take more than three pills a day."

Chen Ye lay on the bed and said weakly, "Thank Madam for her concern."

After delivering her instructions, the maid placed the bottle beside Chen Ye's pillow and quietly withdrew.

Once she had gone and the door had closed, Chen Ye sat up as though nothing were wrong. His gaze fell on the bottle.

He picked it up, pulled out the stopper, and held it beneath his nose.

A rich, clean fragrance rose from it, carrying the scent of wild grasses and trees.

He tipped out a milky-white pill, barely half the size of his little fingernail. It gleamed softly in the candlelight.

Madam Zhou was busy contending with the Feng family's Eldest Young Master. She might even need Chen Ye's help later.

There was no chance she would move against him now.

After a moment's thought, Chen Ye tilted his head back and swallowed a pill.

As the White Medicine reached his stomach, a cool sensation spread swiftly from his dantian through his entire body.

It was especially pronounced around his injuries.

Chen Ye could clearly feel his flesh and blood being nourished and replenished.

He glanced at the Pawn System.

The lifespan displayed there had not budged. Unlike when he had taken the Blood Ginseng Pill, it had not decreased.

It was genuine healing medicine, without a doubt.

Chen Ye closed his eyes and carefully felt the changes within him.

He sensed the medicine's essence seeping into his flesh, as though spring rain were soaking into a parched riverbed. It felt extraordinarily pleasant.

The coolness soon faded, but the comfort in his body lingered.

He suddenly recalled how it had felt when he activated True Yang and Radiance emerged. The sensation now was much the same.

A little puzzled, Chen Ye tipped out another white pill and swallowed it.

The same feeling returned.

His flesh was like cracked, drought-stricken earth, drinking its fill of the nourishing essence.

Chen Ye grew intensely curious about his body's potential.

He took another pill, then another.

As the medicine built up in his system, he found the vitality of his flesh growing stronger and stronger, as though it had been reborn.

His injuries had not only vanished without a trace; he felt even better than before he had been hurt.

Chen Ye took off his shirt and examined his tall, lean frame in the flickering candlelight. His muscles were firm, his lines smooth, and his skin had a sheen to it. His body brimmed with strength.

Chen Ye guessed that these changes were most likely due to his True Yang Physique.

His flesh needed nourishment from such essences to develop further. An ordinary diet alone could not satisfy it.

When Chen Ye noticed the cool sensation weakening with each successive pill, he stopped.

He kept the remaining White Medicine rather than taking it all at once, saving some for later.

After all that, Chen Ye fell onto the bed and slept soundly.

He sank into a deep sleep that night, undisturbed by dreams.

When he woke the next day, Chen Ye felt more refreshed than ever. His body brimmed with energy, and he seemed to have strength to spare.

That afternoon, Madam Zhou summoned Chen Ye back to the hall.

She was still dressed in mourning white, her face composed with the calm of a decisive victor.

But she had made no attempt to hide her reddened eyes or the tear tracks at their corners.

Beneath her commanding bearing lay unmistakable exhaustion and grief.

Madam Zhou looked Chen Ye up and down. Surprise flashed through her eyes. "Your injuries have healed?"

"It was all thanks to Madam's effective medicine." Chen Ye had prepared his answer long ago. He cupped his hands and said, "I took several pills last night, and my injuries are mostly healed. I only need a few more days of rest."

A hint of doubt appeared in Madam Zhou's eyes.

Her family's White Medicine was indeed a miraculous healing remedy, but its effects should not have been quite this remarkable.

She took Chen Ye's words for flattery and said evenly:

"Even medicine has its poison. Good as the medicine I gave you is, you shouldn't gulp it down like that. You still need time to recover."

Chen Ye bowed. "Thank you for your concern, Madam. From now on, I'll take only the amount you recommended."

Madam Zhou leaned back in her armchair and looked at him. Her red lips parted. "You've done me a great service this time. Tell me, what would you like?"

Chen Ye raised his eyes and found that a touch of kindness had softened the face of this widow, who had always seemed cold as frost.

He knew he had helped her uncover the true culprit and put an end to the threat hanging over her and her two children in the mansion.

Madam Zhou also had powerful backing, and a woman whose husband had been murdered by his own family would naturally win sympathy.

Even the Feng Family Head could no longer push her around at will.

After this affair, Madam Zhou had turned the tables in spectacular fashion.

Chen Ye thought for a moment, then said, "The credit isn't mine alone. Two of my friends are still locked in the Dungeon. I hope Madam can show mercy and have the Feng family release them."

Madam Zhou paused in surprise.

She had not expected Chen Ye's first request to be for his friends' freedom.

He was a loyal friend indeed.

The Eldest Young Master had been behind the attack, and the servants in the Dungeon had had nothing to do with it.

But they had still failed to protect their master. The Feng family would not go easy on them or let them off.

With the weight of her victory behind her, granting this small favor would take only a word. She nodded her agreement.

"Anything else?"

Chen Ye did not answer at once.

He glanced at Madam Zhou and considered his words. "If possible, I would ask Madam to grant me an advanced martial art."

Madam Zhou gave a soft laugh and looked at him with a smile. "I do have advanced martial arts from the Zhou Family and the Feng family, but they cannot be taught to outsiders. Ask for something else. Why not come work for me?"

"How was the Eldest Young Master dealt with?" Chen Ye asked instead of answering.

"Confined for three years. No visitors allowed."

Chen Ye fell silent for a moment.

The Feng family was a pool of water too deep and too muddy.

Because of him, the eldest son of the Zhou Clan had been stripped of his inheritance rights and had lost his place as heir entirely.

The First Madam was still in the mansion.

Madam Zhou had powerful backing and knew how to use it. After years of building her position, no one in the mansion could touch her now.

The same could not be said for him.

Once the other side recovered and learned that an outsider had been advising her behind the scenes, he would likely find himself in a difficult position.

Staying in the Feng Mansion would be deeply unwise.

But he could not voice those concerns.

So he raised his head and said, "I'm only a cart escort. It was already a stroke of luck that I could be of service to Madam. The Third Young Master treated people generously. Now that I've helped find the true culprit for him, my wish has been fulfilled. Staying here would only cause Madam trouble."

Madam Zhou watched him for a moment.

He had put it tactfully.

She had expected this answer and did not press him.

"Then one hundred taels of silver," Madam Zhou said briskly. "If I seek you out in the future, don't turn me away."

She removed a small Jade Pendant from her waist and set it on the table. "This is a token of my Zhou Family. If you wish to enter the mansion to see me in the future, bring it with you."

Chen Ye picked up the Jade Pendant. It felt warm and smooth in his hand.

He bowed at once. "Thank you, Madam. I'm honored to have earned your regard. If you have need of me in the future, I will certainly come."