Before long, Chen Cong pushed the door open and entered, travel-worn but carrying an air of composure.
Hearing his footsteps, Chen Xiaojun quickly raised his head, his eyes lighting up. "Second Granduncle, you're back! Did Elder Qing have a way to treat Xiao Yi?"
Chen Cong nodded slightly, signaling him to be patient, then recounted his conversation with the Azure Water Caltrop Healer and the healer's diagnosis in detail.
Chen Xiaojun listened intently, his brows knitting at times and relief crossing his face at others.
"Two or three years at the shortest, over a decade at the longest... as long as she'll be all right. As long as she'll be all right." Chen Xiaojun murmured to himself. The thousand-pound burden in his heart had finally found somewhere to rest, and he felt much lighter.
Then he whispered to himself, "As long as Xiao Yi can recover, I can wait however long it takes."
"The Azure Water Caltrop Healer mentioned that a treasure or medicinal herb capable of increasing mental power might speed up Xiao Yi's recovery," Chen Cong added.
Chen Xiaojun sighed softly, a hint of fatalism in his voice. "Ah, there's still no escaping this fate in the end. The Bing Huo Immortal Herb, the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew... such a rare medicinal herb is exactly what Xiao Yi needs right now."
"What fate?" Chen Cong asked in confusion.
Chen Xiaojun shook his head, unwilling to elaborate. "Nothing. I was just reflecting."
He took a deep breath, steadied his emotions, and continued, "Second Granduncle, did you know that an immortal herb called the Full Moon Wearing Autumn Dew grows in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well? It has the miraculous ability to greatly enhance mental power. When it comes to helping mental power, nothing surpasses it!"
Chen