To Tang Wulin's ears, the sudden chime of the system was nothing short of celestial music.
As he pulled up the interface and read the message left in the reward column, his eyes ignited with a brilliant light.
A hundred-year plant-type spirit beast?!
In his era, spirit beasts were virtually extinct. If he could obtain a genuine hundred-year plant-type beast, his first Soul Spirit would be secured. He might even have enough leftovers to sell, providing his family with the financial relief they so desperately needed.
However, his heart sank when he saw the requirement for "Thousand-Refined" metal.
With his current skill level, he had only mastered Hundred-Refinement. His teacher, Mang Tian, hadn't even begun to touch upon Thousand-Refinement techniques yet.
No! He couldn't let this opportunity slip through his fingers.
Tang Wulin's thoughts raced. He immediately changed the task's time limit from "3 Days" to "Infinite" and updated his response: [Thousand-Refined metal; I will do my absolute best for the Light attribute (Negotiable).]
He scrambled to pull on his clothes and shoes. Tang Ziran, seeing his son in such a frantic rush, looked on in confusion.
"Son, where are you going in such a hurry?"
"Dad, I have to get to Teacher Mang Tian's workshop right now!" Wulin shouted as he bolted out the door.
At that moment, Na'er poked her head out, licking a lollipop with a dazed expression. "Dad, where is Big Brother going?"
Meanwhile, acting every bit the little professional, Liu Yuan finished writing a prescription for a patient. Suddenly, a crisp ding echoed in his mind.
He summoned the panel and saw Tang Wulin's reply. Seeing the time limit shift to "Infinite," Liu Yuan offered a knowing smile. He clicked Accept and moved the task to his Reserved Zone.
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Just as he was about to close the interface, a frantic, high-pitched voice shattered the quiet of the apothecary.
"Please! I beg you, save my mother!"
The sudden cry for help caused Liu Yuan to dismiss the platform instantly. He looked toward the entrance with a solemn expression as a small, thin figure burst into the shop.
The boy's appearance made Liu Yuan's brow furrow. This child reminded him painfully of the version of Tang San he had seen during his first commission.
While this boy wasn't as emaciated as that Tang San, Liu Yuan—as both a physician and a Spirit Master with a life-attribute soul—could see at a glance that the boy was riddled with hidden ailments and was in extreme ill-health. Only refugees or orphans usually looked this way, yet neither should have been able to enter the walls of Star Luo City.
"Please, save my mother!"
The boy was like a wounded cub. He rushed to the counter and, despite seeing that Liu Yuan was roughly his own age, collapsed to his knees. Tears and snot streamed down his face.
Liu Yuan's heart tightened. He stepped out from behind the counter and pulled the boy up, subtly threading a strand of spirit power into the child's body to steady him. No child would joke about their mother's life. To go this far meant she was truly at death's door.
"Stand up. Tell me, what happened?"
Whether it was a desperate gamble or a lack of other options, the boy choked back his grief and explained, "My mother hasn't been able to get out of bed for half a month! The herbs I found didn't work! This morning, she stopped waking up. She's... she's slipping away!"
Liu Yuan's first instinct was anger. "Nonsense! How can you just give her random herbs?"
But he caught himself almost immediately. If the boy had to forage for herbs, it meant he didn't even have the money for a consultation. Liu Yuan sighed inwardly. Another poor soul.
"Where is your mother? Take me to her."
The boy looked up, a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but it quickly flickered and died. He gripped the side of his waist tightly.
"But... but I... I have no money..."
"Money doesn't matter right now. Saving a life does," Liu Yuan said without hesitation. A human life was far more valuable than coin—especially the life of a mother.
"No! I can't let you treat her for nothing!"
Liu Yuan was speechless. How can this kid be so stubborn? You said you have no money, so what else do you want?
In the next moment, the boy pulled a short blade from his belt. The seven-inch blade was like a pool of autumn water, so thin it was almost translucent, radiating a chilling, frosty aura.
Liu Yuan's eyes sharpened. Even at a glance, he could tell this was no ordinary dagger; it was a soul tool. He frowned. How did a poor child end up with something like this?
"Where did you get that?"
The boy's heart sank. He had visited several other apothecaries, and when he had shown them the blade to pay for his mother's treatment, the owners had asked the same question. Every single one had eventually refused him. He couldn't fail this time.
"It... it was a token of love from my father to my mother," he stammered. "The origin is legitimate."
Liu Yuan's heart skipped a beat. A short blade... a token of love... wait, this is far too familiar.
He looked the boy in the eye. "What is your name?"
The boy started to say "Dai," but he stubbornly swallowed the word. "My name is Huo Yuhao."
Liu Yuan: "..."
As I thought!
If this was Huo Yuhao, then that blade had to be the White Tiger Dagger.
After ensuring no one else was nearby, Liu Yuan didn't expose the boy's identity. Instead, he pushed the White Tiger Dagger back toward Huo Yuhao. "Keep it. I'm not exactly a 'licensed' physician, so I don't charge for my services. If you trust me, I'll try to help."
Huo Yuhao didn't hesitate. At this point, licensing didn't matter. He had begged so many people and failed every time. This was his last straw.
But a new problem surfaced—his mother was inside the Duke of White Tiger's estate. With the servants and guards, there was no way he could smuggle a stranger inside.
He looked up, torn and helpless. "Can I... can I just describe her symptoms to you?"
Recalling the dire living conditions of Huo Yuhao and his mother within the estate, Liu Yuan understood the situation perfectly. Still, he asked, "Is it inconvenient for me to go there?"
A powerless Huo Yuhao nodded silently, his face flushed with shame.
"That's fine," Liu Yuan said kindly. "Tell me everything about her condition. Don't leave out a single detail."
Huo Yuhao went through every meticulous detail. Every cough, every fever, every moment they had shared. Through the description, Liu Yuan quickly diagnosed the issue. Huo Yun'er wasn't suffering from a simple disease; her body was being systematically overtaxed.
If nothing was done, her constitution would soon collapse entirely.