Lu Shiyan's expression was even more conflicted than before. He once again cast his hesitant gaze upon the old lady.
Upon seeing the old lady nod slightly, Lu Shiyan continued, "The living immortal who can bring the dead back to life and regenerate flesh from bones is a descendant of the Duan family. If a descendant of the Duan family can give us even a little bit of medicine, Jin Bai can be saved."
"Then let's hurry and find the Duan family descendant. No matter how much money they want, I'm willing to give it."
After Lin Xingwan finished speaking, Fu Cha Wanrong and Lu Shiyan's expressions became even more solemn. Fu Cha Wanrong even said, "Duan family descendants are not easy to invite. It's very difficult to even meet them. Now that we have no familial ties with the Duan family, why would they help us? Besides, the Duan family is not short of money."
Over the years, the Duan family descendants had lived in obscurity, and Fu Cha Wanrong knew very little about them.
Lu Shiyan couldn't help but nod, "Yes, the Duan family descendants have extremely eccentric personalities. Sometimes they can spend precious medicine to save people without charge; other times, even a fortune won't get you a meeting with them. They are always... the Duan family descendants have extremely bizarre and unpredictable personalities."
Lin Xingwan listened to the old lady and Lu Shiyan's explanations, but her eyes became even more resolute. "No matter the cost, I will save Jin Bai."
After speaking, Lin Xingwan cast a pleading gaze at the old lady. "Grandma, you must know where the Duan family descendants live, right? Please tell me, I need to go and beg for medicine for Jin Bai."
Fu Cha Wanrong looked at Lin Xingwan, who was on the verge of tears, and felt heartbroken for the child. "You have no title or status. If you go to beg for medicine for Jin Bai, why would the Duan family descendants give you the medicine? Let me go instead. The Duan family descendants will at least give me some face."
Lin Xingwan shook her head. "Since this matter was caused by me, it should be resolved by me. Didn't you just say that the Duan family descendants have extremely bizarre and unpredictable personalities? It would be more stable for me to go and beg for the medicine."
The old lady wanted to say more, but seeing the determined expression on Lin Xingwan's face, she knew that no matter how much she persuaded her, it would be useless. She could only say, "The Duan family descendants have been living in seclusion in a paradise in recent years. I once visited the Duan family descendants because Jin Bai's grandfather was seriously ill. However, before I could even meet them, Jin Bai's grandfather passed away. Now, twenty to thirty years have passed, and they have probably moved elsewhere."
Immediately after, the old lady told Lin Xingwan the address where the Duan family descendants lived. Lin Xingwan, disregarding her own pain, decided to take a helicopter to find the Duan family descendants to beg for medicine.
Before Lin Xingwan boarded the helicopter, the old lady called out, "Granddaughter-in-law, wait—"
"Grandma, do you have anything else to instruct me to do?"
Lin Xingwan asked.
"It's easier to dodge an open spear than a hidden arrow. I'm worried there might be hidden dangers when you go to find the Duan family descendants. I've specifically found ten elite bodyguards for you, and my most trusted person... Xuan Yin."
As soon as the old lady finished speaking, a man who looked very spirited appeared in Lin Xingwan's line of sight.
This man was about 1.75 meters tall, dressed in casual wear, with a very small face.
The first time Lin Xingwan saw this man, she couldn't help but think of Jia Yanzhen's beautiful, androgynous face.
Although the man in front of her had a heroic spirit in his brows, his features were too delicate. If it weren't for his darker complexion, he would truly give the impression of a pampered male concubine.
"Xuan Yin greets the young madam." Xuan Yin walked up to Lin Xingwan and bowed to her with clasped fists.
The old lady looked at Xuan Yin with pride. "Don't let Xuan Yin's thin and small frame fool you. He is the head coach of the Oriental family's bodyguards. Over the years, he has trained countless excellent bodyguards for the Oriental family. Even Jin Bai's personal bodyguard, Xuan Zhu, is no match for him. With him protecting you, I can be more at ease."
"Thank you, Grandma." Lin Xingwan didn't stand on ceremony with the old lady. "Grandma, take care of yourself."
After speaking, Lin Xingwan boarded the helicopter.
Only when the helicopter became a small black dot and disappeared from view did the old lady sigh helplessly.
She knew that her granddaughter-in-law's trip would definitely fail, yet she couldn't stop her from trying!
At the same time, on a towering mountain, even though the weather in the bustling city was slowly warming up, the mountaintop remained covered in snow.
Under the blue sky, the thick snow gave a sense of desolation and loneliness.
And amidst the snow, there was a villa full of spring vitality.
This villa covered an area of over five hundred square meters, with four floors. It was an extremely luxurious, ancient-style house.
Carved beams and painted pillars, flying eaves and upturned corners, pavilions and towers, small bridges and flowing water – every detail was exquisite.
Outside this villa was a huge glass dome.
The glass dome was wiped extremely clean, but it blocked the howling cold wind. Two men were sitting in a pavilion playing chess.
One of them was Monk Buluan, and the other man was sitting in a wheelchair, his complexion unusually pale, making his thin lips appear particularly pink and moist.
However, even with his sickly appearance, it couldn't conceal the gentle and refined aura he exuded, as if he were an immortal banished from the heavens, who, longing for the mortal world, had built his own palace on this mountaintop.
"Dongfang Junze is injured and has been sent back to Yanjing for rescue. I think someone will visit you soon." Monk Buluan held a chess piece between his slender fingers but frowned deeply, as all his moves had been blocked by the man opposite him. No matter how he played, the result would be a loss.
The man in the wheelchair chuckled, "I should thank Ye Qingning after all. I didn't expect her to injure Dongfang Junze. She has given me the opportunity to meet Lin Xingwan."
"After meeting Lin Xingwan, what are your plans? Are you going to imprison her here directly, or give her the medicine to take back to save Dongfang Junze? By the way, Lin Xingwan's past memories were sealed. Perhaps that woman, when she was alive, also struggled. She wanted her daughter to avenge her, but in the end, as a mother, she gave her greatest kindness to Lin Xingwan, letting her forget everything and be an ordinary person."
Monk Buluan continued to play chess, even though he knew he had lost.
In life, sometimes what seems like a dead end can actually be a way out.
Until the moment of death, everything seen is an illusion.
The man in the wheelchair held the chess piece between his fingers for a long time before placing it. His hands were extremely beautiful, long and slender, but they were covered in dense needle marks.
His hands, which should have been as pale as his face, were now bruised and purple, giving a sense of wasted beauty.
He parted his thin lips, and a ripple appeared in his usually placid eyes. "Living in peace for too long can erode one's will. It's a cruel thing for both me and Lin Xingwan. I've waited for too long, and I don't want to wait anymore. If my father hadn't been merciful back then, perhaps our fates would have been sealed."
Just as the man finished speaking, the sound of a helicopter flying overhead could be heard.
He placed the chess piece on the board, blocking all of Monk Buluan's escape routes, and said, "They're here."
Monk Buluan also looked up, and the two men of astonishing beauty fixed their gazes on the black helicopter.
Monk Buluan's gaze was filled with concern for the nation and its people, while the man in the wheelchair, with his indifferent face, had a faint blush of excitement.
The helicopter landed and stopped steadily, and Lin Xingwan alighted from it.
Xuan Yin stayed by her side, inseparable, and vigilantly observed everything around them.
As for the bodyguards the old lady had provided, they were also looking serious.
"The old lady said that the Duan family descendants live in a house covered by a glass dome. This ancient-style villa in front of us is covered by a glass dome. It looks very neat and full of life inside, so the Duan family descendants should still be living there."
Xuan Yin explained as they walked, and as they got closer to the villa, Lin Xingwan agreed with Xuan Yin's words.
Whether a house is inhabited is easy to tell.
A house that is lived in ages slower, but a house that is unoccupied, due to the lack of human presence, will develop various problems within a few years.
Soon, Lin Xingwan and her companions arrived at the villa entrance.
A boy and a girl were already waiting at the entrance. When Lin Xingwan's gaze met theirs, the girl with two buns in her hair said to Lin Xingwan in a crisp voice, "Our master has instructed that only Miss Lin can enter. Everyone else must wait outside."
"No, I must accompany her." Xuan Yin refused the girl's request without hesitation.
The old lady had instructed him to protect the young madam, and he would never let the young madam disappear from his sight.
Not for a moment.
"If that's the case, please leave." The boy's face was full of displeasure, and his voice was very cold.
"Two children, we are only here to beg for medicine, and we have no ill intentions. Besides, it's so cold outside, can you let us in to warm up?"
Lin Xingwan spoke, her face, red from the ice and snow, full of pleading.
"Our master has instructed that only Miss Lin can wait outside." The girl repeated what she had said before, her tone even more unyielding.
Xuan Yin, with his temper, directly rushed to the boy and grabbed his collar. "Little brat, let us in, or don't blame me for using force."
"Try touching me, and see if my master will give you the medicine! Begging requires a begging attitude. If your attitude is so bad, our master would rather throw the medicine away than give it to you."
The boy glared defiantly at Xuan Yin. Lin Xingwan quickly said, "Xuan Yin, you all wait for me outside. I'll go in alone."
"No, the old lady told me to protect you. I can't let you go in alone," Xuan Yin replied anxiously.
"Xuan Yin, Jin Bai is in critical condition. Everything is secondary to saving him. Besides, I am so ordinary and unremarkable. The Duan family descendants have no interest in me," Lin Xingwan reasoned eloquently, then looked sharply at Xuan Yin.
Finally, Xuan Yin reluctantly let go of the boy's collar. Although unwilling, he could only watch Lin Xingwan walk into the villa with resignation.
The villa was even larger than it appeared from the outside. Lin Xingwan walked along the corridor, surrounded by blooming flowers, and the air was filled with a intoxicating floral fragrance.
Butterflies, small birds, koi, and cats lived in harmony within this villa.
Lin Xingwan guessed that the Duan family descendants must be very loving and kind, otherwise, they wouldn't live in such a vibrant place.
As Lin Xingwan continued to walk forward, a man sitting in a wheelchair appeared in her line of sight. Unfortunately, the man was facing away from Lin Xingwan, so she couldn't see his face at all.
On the other hand, a woman standing beside the man, wearing a black qipao, with exceptional temperament and looks, her eyes suddenly turned cold upon seeing Lin Xingwan. She spoke in a voice filled with extreme disgust, "You can stand here. You don't need to go any further."
Lin Xingwan was certain that she had never met this woman before, yet she could clearly feel the woman's hostility, disdain, and disgust towards her.
She obeyed the woman's words and stood still, looking at the man's back. She couldn't help but ask, "Excuse me, sir, are you a descendant of the Duan family?"
"I am the seventy-third generation descendant of the Duan family, Duan Muxing."
The man said faintly, but without turning around. After saying this, he began to cough violently.
The cough sounded as if he were coughing up his internal organs, making one feel extremely uncomfortable.
Lin Xingwan was puzzled. Weren't the Duan family skilled in medicine? Why was a descendant of the Duan family so weak, as if he could leave at any moment?
"Mr. Duan, my name is Lin Xingwan. I am from Rongcheng. I am disturbing you today because my husband is in critical condition. I implore Mr. Duan to bestow medicine upon us."
"I presume Old Mrs. Dongfang has already told you on your way here that the medicine of my Duan family is not easily obtained. If I give you the medicine, what can you give me in exchange?"
As Lin Xingwan spoke, she knelt on the ground. "No matter what condition Mr. Duan proposes, as long as I can fulfill it, I will do it."
Lin Xingwan had prepared herself before coming. Even if it meant giving her own life, she would not hesitate.
"Dongfang Junze is in critical condition because of you, and now you are willing to pay any price to save him. What a commendable love." Duan Muxing's tone was filled with emotion. "It's a pity that I detest romantic entanglements the most. They only add to the three thousand worldly troubles. Why don't you not go back? Stay here with me and spend the rest of your time. I believe your life will be filled with less suffering."
Duan Muxing said casually, while the woman standing beside him unconsciously clutched her skirt.
"Zhou Jinbai is my husband, and I must save him. Mr. Duan, I beg you to save my husband, I beg you." After speaking, Lin Xingwan kowtowed to Duan Muxing.
When people are at their most desperate and helpless, they can only pray to the gods.
And at this moment, Duan Muxing was Lin Xingwan's god.
"Death is also a form of release. If he were to live, it would bring you endless disaster. Don't you regret it?"
"Even if I am shattered to pieces, I will not regret it," Lin Xingwan replied firmly. Duan Muxing heard this and chuckled.
His laughter was so light, filled with sarcasm and indifference.
When the laughter subsided, he said to the woman standing beside him, "Nanzhi, you go out first."
Although Qu Nanzhi was extremely unwilling, she still replied with an 'Okay'.
As she passed by Lin Xingwan, she gave her a fierce glare. Before this woman appeared, the young master would never have dismissed her. But now, Qu Nanzhi felt her position was threatened.
Soon, Qu Nanzhi's figure disappeared.
Duan Muxing said, "I can save Dongfang Junze, but I have a condition."