Ye Xiu strode into the inner hall, his tone urgent yet steady. "Lord City Lord, Senior Yun Tian and Miss Zi Yun have arrived! Also, Nie Li went to the Alchemist Guild on business. He should be back soon."
Inside the hall, Ye Zong lay weakly propped against a couch, his face as dark and blue-black as ink. Ye Ziyun lay over him, her shoulders shaking with sobs. He barely managed to lift his heavy eyelids, his voice hoarse as though scraped with sandpaper. "Zi Yun, don't cry... I've been poisoned with dragon snake grass. This poison is fierce and has no cure. I'm afraid I won't survive." He raised a hand to stroke his daughter's head, but his fingertips trembled violently. "I haven't been a good father. I've let you down, and I've let your mother down even more... Now I'm going to join her."
With that, he turned his head laboriously toward Yun Tian, who stood nearby, his eyes filled with pleading. "Senior, Zi Yun is the only one I can't stop worrying about. Please look after her for me."
Yun Tian gently shook his head. Ye Zong's heart sank, and he was about to sigh and accept his fate when the young man's clear voice rang out. "You won't die."
With a swish, Ye Ziyun sprang up from the floor. Tears still clung to her lashes as she threw herself at Yun Tian and hugged his arm, her little face flushed crimson. "Big Brother Yun Tian, is that true? Can you really cure my father's poison?"
Yun Tian raised a hand and ruffled her soft hair, his fingertips carrying a faintly cool warmth. "Yes. With me here, no one will come to harm right under my nose." Before his words had faded, he casually flicked his hand,