"Storm Xavier was half-dead to begin with. What's so surprising about that?" Raina said dismissively.
Patricia Jacobs sighed. "It's all because of opium. I heard that Old Mrs. Xavier was the one who cured Storm Xavier's addiction. That old lady is truly formidable. I've seen plenty of opium fiends before, and none of them could ever quit. They'd get as thin as a ghost and be dead within a few years."
"Old Mrs. Xavier's medical skills are incredible, I'll give her that. I've heard she's cured many people. Maybe she has some secret remedy for kicking an opium habit," the village head's wife speculated.
Phoebe Huxley scoffed. "Secret remedy? Do you have any idea how she made him quit? With a wooden club this thick…"
As she spoke, she made a circle with her hands the size of a bowl, saying with great exaggeration, "This thick... That old lady brought the club down and snapped both of Storm Xavier's legs. He screamed louder than a pig at slaughter. I saw it with my own eyes."
