Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan arrived at the Shen Manor, finally witnessing the terrifying power of the foremost commercial family.
The entire Shen Manor was paved with spirit stones, adorned with spirit herbs as flowers, its walls constructed from obsidian, and its roof covered with glazed tiles, displaying extreme opulence.
If others kept their wealth in their pockets, the Shen family flaunted it openly, as if to show off.
Shen Wenqing led the two through a labyrinth of turns, left and right, before finally arriving at a lavish courtyard.
Above the courtyard gate, the three large characters "Meteor Courtyard" (Liúxīng Yuàn) were written in an elegant and grand style, subtly imbued with a trace of Dao charm.
The group entered Meteor Courtyard, walked through a corridor, and arrived at Shen Liuxing's room.
Shen Liuxing lay quietly on the bed, his eye sockets sunken, his face deathly pale, emaciated to the bone. He bore no resemblance to the boy-next-door Zi Linling had first met.
A faint aroma permeated the room, causing Zi Linling to frown.
"Patriarch Shen, who usually takes care of Young Master Shen?"
Zi Linling's voice was somewhat icy, causing Shen Wenqing to shiver involuntarily.
"This... Liuxing's mother passed away long ago, and I am busy with family affairs. Therefore, the care of Liuxing has been entrusted to his second aunt, Madam Rong, and his second cousin, Shen Shuhan."
Although Shen Wenqing didn't understand Zi Linling's question, he saw her somber expression and knew the matter was not simple, so he hid nothing.
"Who is Madam Rong?!" Zi Linling's eyes flashed with cold light, asking with a hint of confusion.
"She is the wife of my second brother, Shen Wentian. She doted on Liuxing and took excellent care of him. Why? Does she have a problem?" Shen Wenqing asked incredulously.
"Whether there is a problem or not is too early to say."
A sharp glint flickered in Zi Linling's eyes as she asked, "By the way, does Madam Rong have any children?"
In this world, there is no good without reason, nor evil without reason.
Even more terrifying is that leopards are untamable, and the human heart is unfathomable.
Shen Wenqing quickly replied, "Yes, Madam Rong has two children. One is Shen Shuhan, whom I just mentioned, and the other is Shen Liufeng."
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Shen Liufeng? One of the Five Prodigies of Azure Dragon?"
When she went "kite-flying" the day before yesterday, she had inquired much about the Azure Dragon Empire, including the Five Prodigies of Azure Dragon.
At the time, she had been greatly surprised to hear that Zi Donglai was the foremost among the Five Prodigies.
Shen Wenqing quickly said, "Yes! Liufeng is a very outstanding child. If I didn't have selfish intentions and wanted Liuxing to succeed me as Patriarch, Liufeng would undoubtedly be the most suitable heir to the position."
Zi Linling sneered, "Patriarch Shen truly has great foresight, to forgo a talented heir and insist on a cripple taking over as Patriarch. If it were me, I would also feel jealous!"
"What do you mean?" Shen Wenqing asked, puzzled.
Ye Lingyuan said coldly, "What does she mean? Isn't Lin'er's explanation clear enough?"
Shen Wenqing said in disbelief, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Liufeng, that child, was pure and kind since he was young. How could he possibly do such a thing!"
Zi Linling sneered, "Nothing is impossible in this world. Why can't purity and kindness be a disguise?"
Shen Wenqing continued to shake his head, muttering, "Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!"
This muttering was less to Zi Linling and more to himself.
However, despite his desperate denial, the suspicion in his heart grew stronger.
Zi Linling knew he was deceiving himself, so she sighed and said, "This pot of 'Melancholy Suo' Immortal Grass must have been sent by Madam Rong, right?"
Shen Wenqing instinctively replied, "It wasn't Madam Rong, it was her daughter, Shen Shuhan, who sent it."
Zi Linling walked to a pot of flowers by the windowsill and fiddled with the buds. "Hmm! The flowers are indeed beautiful, but when paired with the Celestial Spirit Fruit, they become a poisonous herb that induces sleep, then unwakeable slumber, and finally causes the soul to wither away, leading to death without anyone noticing!"
"Boom!"
Shen Wenqing's mind went completely blank.
This was because the Celestial Spirit Fruit was the life-sustaining spiritual fruit that Shen Liuxing had been eating since childhood.
Seeing his shocked expression, Zi Linling said no more. She walked to Shen Liuxing's bed, took his hand, and began to feel his pulse.
Soon, her brows furrowed.
All the meridians connected to Shen Liuxing's heart were covered in cracks. This was likely caused by the impact of spiritual energy after the seal was broken.
At the same time, a faint, peculiar energy was slowly repairing these cracked meridians within his body.
Judging by the extent of the repairs, this peculiar energy had been very powerful before, but had gradually been depleted.
Furthermore, Zi Linling discovered that this peculiar energy shared the same origin as the energy within her body, as if it had been separated from her own essence.
But how had this peculiar energy entered Shen Liuxing's body?
Could it be...
Zi Linling suddenly remembered that when she was breaking through on Duanhun Cliff, she seemed to have vaguely seen Shen Liuxing's shadow.
She recalled Ye Lingyuan telling her that a mystical energy would emanate from her every time she broke through.
And anyone who sat near her during her breakthrough could absorb this mystical energy to heal wounds, cleanse their bodies, and even potentially achieve breakthroughs themselves.
Could it be that the peculiar energy that overflowed during her breakthrough had entered Shen Liuxing's body?
It must be so.
Zi Linling nodded subconsciously, as she could find no more fitting explanation.
Of course, Shen Liuxing's life had been hanging by a thread thanks to this peculiar energy; otherwise, he would have already perished.
Moreover, this peculiar energy, in addition to slowly repairing the cracked meridians, had also kept the fused toxins of the Melancholy Suo Flower and the Celestial Spirit Fruit outside his heart.
This was the reason Shen Liuxing was still barely alive despite being poisoned.
However, this peculiar energy was almost completely depleted due to the dual consumption from the meridians and the toxins.
Once this energy was entirely exhausted, Shen Liuxing would be at the end of his rope.
At that point, even immortals could not save him.
Fortunately, Zi Linling had arrived.
Zi Linling closed her eyes and began to communicate with the "Human Emperor's Medical Canon" within her body, because that peculiar energy originated from the "Human Emperor's Medical Canon."
As Zi Linling continued to communicate, the "Human Emperor's Medical Canon" finally emitted a brilliant golden light.
Within Zi Linling's body, a peculiar fragrance spread outwards, instantly filling the entire room.
Shen Liuxing's body trembled slightly and began to unconsciously absorb this fragrance.
But the speed of absorption was truly disappointing to Zi Linling.
She frowned and began to try guiding the aroma.