The elder led Xiao Man to the backyard, which was filled with all sorts of herbs, rare and spiritual. Xiao Man's gaze swept over the herbs and then settled on the person by the window.
He was dressed in a simple brocade robe, his long hair casually tied back with a ribbon. If one only looked at his build and features, he would be a graceful young man, but his pale complexion and a purple mark between his brows ruined this gentle beauty.
"Lü'er."
"Grandfather, you're back." Shui Lü quickly rose and bowed. His gaze swept over Xiao Man, and he slowly nodded, "Greetings."
"You are near death," Xiao Man stated bluntly.
"You wicked child, what nonsense are you spouting!" the elder immediately became agitated. "Lü'er, don't listen to her babbling, you'll be alright."
"Suffering from Xuan Yin Ice Soul Poison, with the poison having reached your internal organs, it's truly rare to be alive today," Xiao Man said, looking at the elder. "I presume you've spent a great deal of effort to keep him alive until now."
"Do you have a method?"
"If it were only Xuan Yin Ice Soul Poison, it wouldn't be too difficult. However, to extend his life, you've made him consume too much intensely yang energy, turning him into a vessel for poison. Once the poison leaves his body, he will be utterly spent. But if the poison isn't removed, the balance within his body is already lost, and he will die from the poison's outbreak before long."
"You have a way!" the elder said with certainty. This young child could diagnose Shui Lü's condition just by looking at him and hadn't turned away immediately, which meant she had a way to save him!
"Grandfather, why bother her? I know my own body's condition." Shui Lü's smile was tranquil, as if he had long accepted his fate. "It's already extremely fortunate that I'm alive now. Moreover, even you can't cure me, so how could anyone else? Daoist friend, please don't be afraid; my grandfather is not a bad person."
"You will be alright, I won't let anything happen to you." The elder stepped forward. "Grandfather will definitely be able to save you."
Shui Lü's smile was gentle and warm. "I apologize for troubling you for nothing. You've made a wasted trip."
Xiao Man remained still. "It's alright, I was only entrusted by someone."
Saying this, Xiao Man walked to the window and reached out to feel Shui Lü's pulse. Shui Lü immediately tried to withdraw his hand but found he couldn't move. Xiao Man's hand on his wrist felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.
"How is it?" the elder asked nervously.
Xiao Man withdrew her hand. "I have already diagnosed him. His physical condition is extremely poor. While your method can extend his life, it cannot cure his poison. Moreover, his body cannot withstand so much toxic substance. his internal organs have suffered varying degrees of damage. He has at most three months to live."
"Three months left? That's not a short time," Shui Lü looked at his wrist. On his fair and pale wrist, the veins were clearly visible, as were the red marks from Xiao Man's grip.
The elder leaned against the wall, somewhat dejected. "There's a way, there's a way, there must be a way."
"Grandfather, I should have died long ago. Being alive until now is all thanks to you. I feel no regrets in this life."
"How can you have no regrets?" the elder's voice rose. "You are only twenty-five years old. You haven't married, you haven't had children, how can you have no regrets?"
"Grandfather, I am a man, I cannot bear children."
"At a time like this, you're still joking with me! What I want is for you to marry and have children, to live a normal life!" The elder became somewhat annoyed and looked at Xiao Man. "Is there truly no other way?"
"There is one method, but the success rate is only thirty percent."
A flicker of shock crossed Shui Lü's clear, calm eyes. Thirty percent hope was already very high for him. Everyone he had met before had said it was impossible, yet this person in front of him, who seemed even younger than him, claimed to have a thirty percent chance.
The elder also seemed quite surprised. Thirty percent success rate, this was the highest success rate he had ever heard!
"You... I... did I hear correctly?"
"I only have a thirty percent chance of saving you. Even if I save you, you will never be able to live like a normal person. You will become a poison person," Xiao Man said slowly. "Do you still want to be treated?"
"Yes."
"Have you really thought it through?" Xiao Man looked into Shui Lü's eyes and asked seriously. "Once you become a poison person, you will never be able to touch others, nor will you be able to marry and have children, because the poison you carry will kill those you love. In fact, you cannot touch anything living."
"Then no."
"Yes!"
The elder and Shui Lü answered simultaneously.
"If he cannot have children, then he has lost..."
"If I don't get treated, I can only live for three months. If I do get treated, I can still live, even if I become a poison person." Shui Lü looked calmly at Xiao Man, who was standing outside the window, and reached out his hand towards her. "May I touch your face?"
Xiao Man was momentarily stunned, surprised by Shui Lü's request. "Why do you want to touch my face?"
"Because you might be the last person I can touch," Shui Lü said softly. "Does my request make things difficult for you?"
Xiao Man hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward. Shui Lü carefully felt her face all over, then withdrew his hand. "I have been presumptuous."
"Young child, is this truly the only method?"
"Senior, you are also a physician. If there were other methods, would you not save them?"
"Even if one becomes a poison person, they should still be able to live as a normal person, right?" the elder said excitedly. "There was a clan that was born as poison people, and their cultivation was much faster than ordinary people. When they reached a certain level, the poison in their bodies would dissipate. Can Lü'er also do this?"
Xiao Man shook her head. "I'm afraid, no."
The elder closed his eyes and remained silent for a long time. Xiao Man was not in a hurry. Becoming a poison person was better than losing one's life. Life meant infinite possibilities.
"Treat him. Tell me what you need."
"As I traveled here, you have planted many rare spiritual herbs in your courtyard, but one is still missing," Xiao Man said slowly.
"What herb?"
"Yellow Springs Flower."
"Yellow Springs Flower..." The elder finally understood why Xiao Man said she had a thirty percent chance of saving Shui Lü. The Yellow Springs Flower was the most poisonous thing in the world; anyone who touched it was incurable. He dared to cultivate all sorts of poisons, but he couldn't handle the Yellow Springs Flower. "I don't have it, but I know where to find it."
"Can it be retrieved within a month?" Xiao Man inquired.
The elder shook his head. "The Yellow Springs Flower is the most poisonous in the world. Where the Yellow Springs Flower grows, nothing can live. I'm afraid no one in this world can retrieve it."
"There is a method to pick the Yellow Springs Flower," Xiao Man explained. "Around any poisonous object, there is something that restrains it. The Yellow Springs Flower is no exception."