Even If Hope Was Slim, She Was Unwilling to Give Up Even a Little

She stared blankly at the warm, emerald-green radiance in the young man's palm, her almond-shaped eyes wide as her breathing abruptly stopped!

Her whole body stiffened as though struck by lightning, frozen in place.

Utmost shock surged in the depths of her pupils, while towering waves rose in her heart!

Although she had only awakened her martial soul not long ago and possessed little soul power, she was merely an ordinary girl.

Still, over the past few years, she had encountered Soul Masters and seen others use their soul skills.

Yet she had never seen such pure, vast, and incomparably gentle power!

The soul power of ordinary healing-type Soul Masters was weak and impure, their healing effects scarcely enough to make a difference.

But the power before her—merely a trace of the aura it gave off—could wash away bodily fatigue and nourish the flesh and meridians!

This was absolutely not the power of an ordinary Soul Master!

At that moment, all her contempt, doubts, and disbelief came crashing down!

Could it be...

Could this young man before her not have been boasting casually at all?

Did he truly possess the heaven-reaching ability to cure her mother's chronic illness?

The realization made Jiang Nannan's heart tremble violently. Her nose suddenly stung, and her eyes immediately reddened.

Amid the hopeless dead end that had trapped her for years, a distant yet radiant dawn suddenly shone into her dark, lightless life.

She stared fixedly at that emerald radiance, drawing in a cold breath as her body and mind shook. For a long while, she could not calm herself.

Li Changsheng quietly watched her moved expression. The divine power of life continued to flow slowly from his palm as he spoke in the same calm tone. "Believe me, and I will give it a try and cure your mother. Do not believe me, and I will turn around and leave at once. We will have nothing more to do with each other."

There was no coercion and no temptation, only the most straightforward choice.

There was only one chance. Once missed, it would never come again.

Jiang Nannan's entire body trembled, her taut frame quivering slightly.

She lowered her eyes, her long lashes shaking violently as she fell into an extreme struggle.

On one side were countless disappointments over the years, the hopeless conclusions given by every healer and Soul Master, and the despair that had long taken root within her.

On the other was the miracle within reach, this immense vitality powerful enough to overturn everything she knew, and the only hope of curing her mother and saving their broken little family!

If she gambled, it might be nothing but a false illusion—or an even greater disappointment.

If she did not, her mother could only endure the torment of illness day after day, until her strength ran dry and she passed away.

The decision took only a few breaths, yet it seemed to exhaust all her strength.

A moment later, Jiang Nannan suddenly raised her head. All hesitation had faded from her clear eyes, leaving only the determination to stake everything on one throw.

She nodded heavily. Her voice trembled uncontrollably, yet was incomparably solemn. "All right! I believe you!"

"As long as you can cure my mother, no matter what reward you want, I'll agree to it. I can give you anything!"

For her mother, she was willing to give everything and gamble it all!

Once she had spoken, she no longer had the heart to care about the vegetable stall before her.

Earning money to support the family, saving up to buy medicine—before her mother's life, none of it mattered.

She quickly packed up her stall, then turned to Li Changsheng with cautious expectation and respect in her eyes. "Little brother, I'll take you home."

With that, she hurried ahead to lead the way, her golden hair swaying gently with her urgent steps.

In her formerly dull and lifeless eyes, a long-lost light called hope finally appeared.

One after the other, the two passed through the bustling, prosperous streets and gradually headed toward the remote, dilapidated old city district of Heaven Dou City.

The farther they went, the more run-down their surroundings became.

The gray-brick houses and bustling shops along the streets vanished, replaced by low, crude old houses made of packed earth.

The roads were uneven and full of potholes, while the alleyways were narrow and dim.

The air lacked the lively atmosphere of the prosperous city. All that remained was the hardship and poverty of life among the lowest-class residents.

This was the slum district where Heaven Dou City's poorest people gathered, and where Jiang Nannan and her mother depended on each other for survival.

At the deepest end of an alley, a tiny, dilapidated courtyard came into view.

Its earthen walls were cracked and peeling, its wooden gate old and split, and tangled dead grass climbed over the courtyard walls. The little courtyard was so bare that its poverty was almost glaring.

Jiang Nannan gently pushed open the creaking wooden gate and stepped aside to let Li Changsheng enter.

At that moment, her fair fingertips curled tightly, and her eyes held a trace of embarrassment and unease as she softly apologized. "Sorry, little brother. My home is too simple and poor. I've made you suffer. Please bear with it."

Having struggled through poverty since childhood, she had long grown used to such embarrassment.

But faced with Li Changsheng, whose bearing was elegant and whose every movement spoke of refinement, a deep sense of inferiority still rose within her.

In her eyes, Li Changsheng had to be a genius disciple from some top sect or noble family, merely wandering about to observe common life. How could he ever have seen a home this dilapidated and poor?

Li Changsheng remained calm. There was not the slightest hint of disgust or scorn in his eyes as he said evenly, "It is nothing. I do not care about such worldly things. Let us first see your mother's condition."

That simple sentence quietly soothed Jiang Nannan's unease.

She nodded lightly, her clenched palm loosening a little as she led Li Changsheng quickly toward the inner bedroom.

The bedroom was even smaller and more cramped than the outer room, dimly lit with only a tiny wooden window allowing in a few weak rays of daylight.

An old wooden bed stood in the center of the room. Upon it lay a woman with a sallow complexion and frail breathing.

The woman's brows and eyes were gentle, and one could vaguely make out the beautiful features she had possessed in her youth. But years of illness had utterly worn her down.

Her eyes were shut, and her face was so pale it was nearly translucent.

Her breathing was weak and ragged, her chest rising only faintly. Every breath carried a subtle obstruction, as though it might cease at any moment.

This was Jiang Nannan's only family.

Jiang Nannan's father had died years ago after being harmed by villains. Mother and daughter had depended on each other ever since, struggling to survive on meager earnings from handwork.

Years of exhausting labor, coupled with the lingering cold poison she had contracted long ago, had completely destroyed Mother Jiang's health.

Her internal organs had all suffered severe damage, and the poison had seeped deep into her bones. Ordinary medicine could only barely sustain her life.

Even many healing Soul Masters in the city had been helpless, declaring it an incurable terminal illness that could not be treated at its root. They could only let time slowly wear away her remaining vitality.

To buy medicine and prolong her mother's life, Jiang Nannan had taken up the burden of supporting the household at a young age.

She possessed exceptional talent, innate eighth-rank soul power, and the Soft Bone Rabbit martial soul. She was a rare genius among Soul Masters.

Yet reality had trapped her completely. Every day, she rushed about working, selling vegetables from a stall and taking odd jobs, exchanging all her savings for medicinal herbs just to preserve a sliver of her mother's life.

"Mom, I brought a little brother here. He said... he can cure your illness."

Jiang Nannan walked to the bedside and gently took her mother's thin, ice-cold hand. Her voice carried trembling apprehension she could not conceal.

She still did not dare believe completely.

But in the desperate dead end with nowhere else to turn, the pure and immense power of life Li Changsheng had displayed earlier was the only faint glimmer her despairing heart could grasp.

Even if hope was slim, she was unwilling to give up even a little.