Blackwood Mountain Range – Grandwake Clan's Seat
The atmosphere inside the quiet hall was saturated with the fragrance of medicinal herbs and rare wildflowers that grew only high in the mountains. Ancient cedarwood pillars rose majestically toward the arched ceiling, from which hung dimly lit lanterns, casting a warm glow that gave the place an aura of regal serenity.
Su Huiyin sat with rare elegance behind a low, polished table made of amber wood, dressed in an emerald green silk robe embroidered with her clan's emblem, its shimmering threads reflecting her status as a noblewoman and the former wife of the Grandwake Clan's leader. In thoughtful silence, she began preparing tea with a professional and charming style, blending movements with the precision of a musician and the grace of a dancer.
"Medical Saint? Are you perhaps his patient?" she asked in a light tone, with a look of neutral curiosity, as her hands transferred tea leaves into the fragrant stone teapot.
Then she added, without raising her eyes from the vessel that had begun to release fragrant steam:
"Or is there enmity between you?"
When she finished brewing, she poured the tea into a finely decorated ceramic cup etched with dragon and awakened phoenix motifs, and presented it to Xichen with a slight bow that combined respect and status.
Xichen took the cup without hesitation and shook his head gently, denying with a faint smile:
"Nothing of the sort."
He raised the cup quietly to his lips and took a small sip. He sighed softly, his face expressing rare satisfaction.
"Excellent tea," he said in his calm, deep voice, with a tone that revealed he had tasted many teas in his life, but this one had particularly won his admiration.
Deep down, he knew that one of the few things this world surpassed Earth in was the art of tea brewing. Here, tea was not merely a drink, but a ritual, a culture, and even a weapon in the hands of those who mastered it.
"I merely wish to speak with him for a while," Xichen continued in a composed voice, his eyes lightly observing Huiyin's movements. "The medical knowledge possessed by the Medical Saint intrigues me, and I wish to exchange views with him, nothing more."
Of course, he would not reveal his true goal.
If Yun Gu knew that Xichen was seeking the Sky Poison Pearl and the Heavenly Medicine Manual, he would flee and hide himself well, for even an unselfish person would hesitate to part with such treasures.
As for the fact that he gave them to Yun Che without hesitation in the original story, that was because the one who wanted them was Yun Che. Had it been anyone else, Yun Gu would have done everything in his power to hide these treasures.
Huiyin raised her head, a trace of deep sorrow in her eyes, but she maintained her tactful smile:
"I understand completely, Your Grace. Do not worry… I have dispatched all available members of the Grandwake Clan to search for the Medical Saint. He moves frequently, but his habit is to settle in one area for at least a month or two."
Then she sighed, staring into her cup for a moment before adding in a faint voice:
"In fact, he visited us a few days ago… We sought his help to treat my late husband, but… unfortunately, it was too late."
Her tone clouded with a hint of bitterness, for her husband's death had not been natural. He was poisoned by the very hand he had raised like a son. Su Haoran, their adopted heir, had poisoned the clan leader and stolen the ancestral treasure in a desperate attempt to seize control of the Grandwake Clan.
A moment of silence fell upon the hall, broken only by the faint roar of mountain winds from outside.
"Will you lead this sect?" Xichen asked quietly, staring calmly at Su Huiyin.
"…" Huiyin was silent for a while before shaking her head in confusion. "I do not know. This is the sect my late husband left me, but my life and my daughter's life are more important. It seems we are being targeted by a great force trying to obtain one of the treasures our ancestors acquired in the past."
"I see. Then what do you think of you and your daughter following me?" Xichen asked calmly. Although not much time had passed since meeting Huiyin, his keen senses had already perceived that she was an Alchemist of a high level. "If you become my servant, I will provide you with protection and resources to grow in safety. But in return, you must craft pills for me and my followers, for you are an Alchemist, are you not?"
Silence fell once more after Xichen's direct offer, but this time the weight was different. It was as if the very walls trembled at the impact of his words, and the wind outside seemed to pause, waiting for an answer.
Su Huiyin did not speak immediately. Her eyes, which had always been symbols of noble calm, filled with an inner conflict.
Xichen's offer was clear and explicit… protection in exchange for loyalty, safety in exchange for service, immunity in exchange for submission.
Her fingers gently traced the rim of her cup, contemplating the reflection of light within, before she whispered:
"You are direct, Your Grace…"
She raised her head and looked into his golden eyes, which, despite their stillness, concealed an authority no less than that of celestial kings.
"You do not ask, you dictate… but you do not force, you tempt. This is… an interesting way to propose an alliance."
Xichen did not smile, but he did not deny it either.
"I do not believe in loose relationships, Lady Su. Either you become my subordinate, protected under my wing… or you remain just another leaf in the wind, waiting to be uprooted by the coming storm."
Huiyin's hands trembled for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and took a deep breath that restored her balance.
"I am… indeed an Alchemist. I have been one even before joining the Grandwake Clan. Now, after everything that has happened… I have little left to lose. My daughter… is all I have left."
Her tone shifted from caution to resolve:
"If you are truly capable of protecting her and giving her a safe life, then I am ready to serve you. As a servant? Very well. As a tool? No problem. But… if you betray me, even for a moment, I will not forgive you, even if my fate is death."
She spoke her last words as something like lightning flashed in her green eyes, revealing a hidden fire that had not yet been extinguished, despite the sorrow and brokenness.
Xichen nodded calmly, for he was not surprised by Su Huiyin's sudden baring of her fangs. Even beasts protect their young in their weakest states, let alone humans. "Rest assured, you will not regret this decision of yours in the future."
...
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