Detoxification and Trust
Mo Chen handed over the array plate, his fingertips steady. Lu Yuan took it and sensed its structure—rough, but usable.
He entered the stone chamber. Bai Zhi's elder brother lay on a thick cloth, his face purplish-black, with red markings of varying intensity on his chest. Shen Moxin had already prepared the medicinal powder, and a clean, damp cloth was placed beside him.
"According to the proportions you suggested," she whispered.
Lu Yuan nodded, knelt on one knee, and suspended the array plate three inches above the injured man's chest. Soul Power threads extended and were injected into the activation node.
Buzz--
The array patterns lit up one by one, and the core Soul Marrow shards turned into a milky white halo, enveloping the injured man's upper body. Crimson Pattern trembled violently.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on controlling the array. Dozens of strands of Soul Power, as fine as hair, probed into the halo area along the array's pathways.
The first step is to build an isolation net.
Soul Power weaves a dense network on the body's surface, allowing only stable Soul Power to penetrate and blocking the spread of toxins. At the same time, it maintains dozens of nodes, and any fluctuation could trigger a collapse.
Lu Yuan's breathing became lighter. Only the faint light of the Soul Power lamp and the low hum of the array plate remained in the stone chamber. Mo Chen squatted on the other side, his hands lightly pressing against the edge of the array plate. Shen Moxin breath and waited.
It's very slow.
Lu Yuan's face gradually paled. The toxin's activity was beyond imagination, constantly attacking his weak points. He continued to make minor adjustments, his Soul Power being consumed like water being released from a dam.
Fifteen minutes later, the net was finally secured. He opened his eyes; they were bloodshot.
"Medicine."
Shen Moxin stepped forward and applied the medicinal paste to the center of the red marks and acupoints. A soft hissing sound was heard, and white smoke rose. The injured person's body suddenly convulsed.
"Hold it down." Lu Yuan's voice was hoarse.
Mo Chen reached out his hand. Lu Yuan breath, and his Soul Power manipulation entered the second stage—guidance.
The Soul Marrow energy, like a trickle, flowed along the channels opened by the medicine, approaching the entrenched mixed toxins.
The fire poison was the first to be affected.
The injured man's Soul Power suddenly became chaotic. His crimson veins shone brightly, and countless insects seemed to wriggle beneath his skin. A muffled hoarse sound came from his throat, and his body trembled violently.
"Hold on!" Lu Yuan shouted in a low voice, his fingertips trembling as he increased his output.
The Soul Marrow energy transforms into fine "needles," piercing the active nodes of the fire poison. At the same time, it guides the cold components of the medicine to envelop them.
Neutralization begins.
Slowly, and with repeated back-and-forth movements. The fire poison was stubborn; each time it was suppressed, it would retaliate under the catalysis of neurotoxins. Lu Yuan's Soul Power threads weaved, Entanglement, and peeled through his meridians, like a microscopic precision surgery. Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Mo Chen's forehead was also covered in sweat. He continuously poured Soul Power into the outer edge of the array plate. Shen Moxin clenched the hem of her clothes tightly.
Half an hour passed.
Lu Yuan's lips were bleeding, and his breathing was heavy. His Soul Power was almost depleted, and he was only holding on by his willpower. But his eyes were bright—the edges of the red markings on the injured man's chest were beginning to blur, and the center was swollen and dimming.
efficient.
He gritted his teeth, channeled his last bit of Soul Power, and guided the Soul Marrow energy for a final cleansing.
The buzzing intensified. The array plate shone brightly, and the core fragments dimmed at a visible speed, with nearly half of their luster disappearing. Correspondingly, the red markings on the injured man's chest twisted violently, and with a soft "plop," a few strands of dark red blood seeped from his pores.
A foul stench permeated the air.
Lu Yuan swayed. Mo Chen supported his arm. Shen Moxin quickly wiped away the blood and grime, revealing the dark but no longer hideous skin beneath.
The injured man's breathing gradually calmed, his brow relaxed, and the purplish-black color faded considerably, turning into a weak, pale complexion. His chest rose and fell rhythmically.
The most deadly toxins were temporarily stripped away and guided out.
Lu Yuan slid down against the stone wall, his body soaked through, his fingertips trembling slightly. He glanced at the dim and shrunken fragment of Soul Marrow in the center of the array plate, and his heart ached. This thing was too precious.
But when I looked at her steady breathing, the throbbing pain subsided.
The stone chamber door was pushed open. Bai Zhi poked her head in, her eyes red and swollen. She froze when she saw that the red mark on her brother's chest had almost disappeared.
Tears streamed down her face.
She rushed in, threw herself at her brother's side, checked his breath, and touched his wrist. He was warm, his pulse weak but steady. She suddenly turned to Lu Yuan and kowtowed heavily, her forehead hitting the stone with a loud thud.
Shen Moxin bent down to support him. "Don't do this, your brother needs to rest."
Bai Zhi was helped up, her eyes blurred with tears as she looked at Lu Yuan, her lips trembling, "Th... thank you..."
Lu Yuan waved his hand, too weak to speak. He gestured for Mo Chen to put away the array plate.
"Your life is temporarily saved." Lu Yuan caught his breath, his voice hoarse, "But the poison hasn't been completely eradicated. Your meridians are damaged, and your Martial Soul Origin has been impacted. You'll need a long period of recuperation. The true antidote requires the stamen of the ' Seven-Heart Ice Lotus ' as the main ingredient."
Bai Zhi nodded vigorously, wiping away her tears. "I know..." She took a deep breath, her eyes calming down from agitation to clear and firm expression.
She took two steps back, straightened her clothes and hair, and gave Lu Yuan a deep bow.
"Mr. Lu, all my benefactors," Bai Zhi's voice trembled with tears, but every word was clear, "We have no way to repay your life-saving grace. The oath we swore with our Martial Soul just now is no empty promise. Everything here will be known to my brother and me."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the stone chamber, over the layout of the rock cavity, and over the people before her—the weary and composed Lu Yuan, the skilled Mo Chen, the meticulous and rational Shen Moxin, and the faint, sharp aura emanating from the cave entrance.
This place is different. There's no rigid hierarchy, no lavish decorations, resources are scarce, and the location is secluded. But there's something... something that makes her heart race slightly. A quiet, solid feeling, as if gathering strength.
Bai Zhi withdrew her gaze, looked at Lu Yuan, and said softly but firmly:
"I have some knowledge of herbal identification and Soul Beast medicine, though my family has some incomplete inheritance. I also have some rudimentary understanding of subtle Soul Power perception due to my Martial Soul." She stroked the herbal seed bracelet on her wrist. "If you don't mind, I'd like to stay. I can help take care of my brother, handle chores, process medicinal herbs, or... assist you in your research, record data, anything is fine."
After she finished speaking, she lowered her head slightly and waited. Her fingertips were cool, and her heart was beating fast.
The stone chamber fell silent for a moment. Only the flickering flames of the Soul Power lamps and the steady breathing of the injured man could be heard.
Lu Yuan leaned against the stone wall, looking at the beautiful, gentle woman with a stubborn look in her eyes. He recalled her cautious kindness when she gave him the medicine in the back mountain, her resolute oath made with her Martial Soul, and the dangerous source of the poison her brother had been poisoned with—going deep into the Snake Valley on the northern Black Stone Mountain Range to collect the "Seven-Heart Ice Lotus," a task that no ordinary herb gatherer would dare to undertake. This brother and sister probably had their own story and troubles.
However, a Auxiliary System Soul Master who understands herbs, Soul Beast, possesses keen Soul Power perception, and has sworn a solemn oath...
His weary mind raced, weighing the risks and rewards, the secrecy and the trust. The team was short-staffed; Shen Moxin was already busy teaching theory, Mo Chen focused on technology, Lin Xiao was in charge of combat, and his father was responsible for external liaison and logistics. A reliable and skilled medical support staff member would be invaluable.
More importantly, she saw the secret and made a vow. Rather than let her go, she'd rather keep it under her nose.
Lu Yuan exhaled slowly and nodded.
"Okay." His voice was still hoarse. "Take care of your brother first. We'll talk more about it once his condition stabilizes."
Bai Zhi's eyes suddenly lit up, as if starlight had fallen into her almond-shaped eyes. She bowed deeply again. "Thank you, Mr. Lu."
Shen Moxin adjusted her glasses, her gaze softening with a hint of scrutiny. Mo Chen scratched his disheveled hair. "Finally, someone who actually knows medicine..."
Lu Yuan tried to stand up by bracing himself against the stone wall, but his legs gave way. Shen Moxin and Mo Chen supported him.
"I'm fine, just exhausted." Lu Yuan waved his hand. "Rest is fine. Mo Chen, put away the array plate and record the crystal loss. Teacher Shen, please take care of the siblings, especially the injured one's body temperature and Soul Power fluctuations. Bai Zhi, your brother should wake up in about two hours. Give him some warm water, not too much."
After giving his instructions, he was helped out of the stone chamber. Inside the rock cavity, Lin Xiao leaned against the entrance, his amber vertical pupils sweeping over Lu Yuan's pale face before glancing in the direction of the stone chamber.
"Nailed it?"
"For now," Lu Yuan said briefly, sitting down on the stone bench and closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.
Lin Xiao didn't ask any more questions. His figure flashed and disappeared into the shadows of the mine tunnel to continue his vigilance.
The cavern returned to silence. Deep within the stone chamber, Bai Zhi gently wrung out a cloth to wipe her brother's forehead, occasionally suppressing a sob of relief.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, feeling his nearly depleted Soul Power slowly recover. The image of the dim Soul Marrow shard remained in his mind.
The price was high. But... he remembered Bai Zhi's eyes, which had gone from despair to hope and then to determination.
It was worth it.
Moreover, it might not be as simple as saving two lives. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the flickering light and shadow on the rock walls of the cave.
A team with diverse professional backgrounds is gradually taking shape deep within this hidden mine.