The woman was dignified, dressed in opulent yet understated robes. Though of a certain age, her face was exceptionally well-preserved.
She cast a look of slight regret at Feng Ninghe, as if lamenting that the Valley Master of Medicine was not the one who had arrived. Then, she cupped her hands towards Qi Mu, saying, "Esteemed Master Qi, my husband's condition is grave and cannot afford delay. I shall trouble you."
"Madam Bai, rest assured, I will do my utmost," Qi Mu replied.
With that, Qi Mu nodded with a serious demeanor and approached the bedside. A faint glow appeared in his palm as he gently placed his hand on Master Bai's forehead.
Feng Ninghe paid no mind to others' words, her gaze fixed steadily on Qi Mu. She wanted to see what tricks this man intended to play.
After his examination, Qi Mu's eyes darkened slightly. He cupped his hands towards everyone present and announced, "Master Bai has been poisoned."
"Poisoned?" Bai Niannian exclaimed, her eyes widening. "How could Father be poisoned?"
The Bai family members exchanged bewildered glances, pondering the cause of Master Bai's poisoning.
Bai Xixi quickly stepped forward, her expression anxious. "Brother Qi Mu, is there a cure? Master Bai holds significant responsibility for the Bai family; he cannot fall ill!" If Master Bai were to collapse and no suitable successor could be chosen, the Bai family would surely fall into chaos.
Qi Mu's expression was grave. He held a porcelain-white medicine bottle and spoke with deference, "Everyone, please do not worry. This bottle of medicine I possess comes from the mountain streams and will surely help Master Bai recover!"
Bai Xixi nodded obediently, her eyes filled with trust. "Brother Qi Mu, I believe in you too!"
"However..." Qi Mu's fingers fumbled with the medicine bottle, his gaze filled with a hint of apprehension. "This medicine is a secret remedy from the mountain streams, and I only have this one bottle. My master wanders the world and cannot be found. Obtaining another bottle of this medicine is likely impossible."
Madam Bai spoke with urgency, "Young Master Qi, as long as you can cure Master Bai, our Bai family, as the foremost of the four great families of Li Kingdom, will never treat you unfairly."
Qi Mu adopted a reluctant pose, lowering his gaze to the medicine bottle in his hand. "This medicine can save a life. If Madam Bai is willing to provide one hundred thousand spirit stones and a thousand gold coins as a deposit, I will present the medicine to Master Bai."
These sums were not insignificant, but to the Bai family, they were not much. More importantly was the Eight-Petaled Immortal Blue. To be safe, he would first secure the one hundred thousand spirit stones and thousand gold coins. As for Master Bai... this medicine could indeed suppress the toxins in his body, though it could not cure them. Suppressing the toxins would at least buy him a few more days, so charging this much was not unreasonable.
The Bai family members were slightly taken aback.
"One hundred thousand spirit stones and a thousand gold coins, right now?" Bai Niannian asked, somewhat astonished. The Bai family was not incapable of affording it. However, before the medicine had even been administered and its efficacy confirmed, to hand over one hundred thousand spirit stones...
Qi Mu sighed softly, caressing the medicine bottle with a hint of reluctance. "When my master gifted this medicine to me years ago, he repeatedly cautioned me. I do not wish to fail my master's expectations. This medicine can save a life; it holds great significance for me."
Madam Bai furrowed her brows in thought, her gaze shifting between the unconscious figure on the bed. Considering Master Bai's precarious state and the urgency, Madam Bai finally withdrew her gaze and agreed, "Very well, I shall give it to you."
Madam Bai nimbly produced a spatial bag and handed it over. Qi Mu accepted the spatial bag, scanned it with his divine sense, and then, his eyes losing their gleam of delight, quickly put the bag away. He said respectfully, "Thank you, Master Bai."
In mere moments, one hundred thousand spirit stones were in his possession. Truly, the Bai family was wealthy and generous.
The scene unfolded clearly before Feng Ninghe's eyes, a flicker of amusement dancing in her gaze. A secret remedy from the mountain streams? Demanding a high price before even beginning treatment. She was curious to see what kind of medicine was so exorbitant.
"Young Master Qi, may I examine this bottle of medicine?" Feng Ninghe's clear voice cut through the silence, echoing throughout the hall.
Qi Mu's nerves instantly tensed, and he tightened his grip on the medicine bottle. The medicine in the porcelain bottle was merely ordinary detoxification medicine, refined by himself. If anyone discovered it was just a second-grade detoxification pill, he would be exposed for his deception. More importantly, this woman claimed to be a disciple of the Valley Master of Medicine. While he didn't know if her claim was true, anyone with medical knowledge would surely see through his charade. He had just obtained the one hundred thousand spirit stones and thousand gold coins; he couldn't let them slip away so easily!
As his 'brilliant' mind frantically churned for a solution to this problem, a sharp, disdainful female voice assaulted his ears.
"How can you touch such precious medicine? What if it gets bumped and lost?" Bai Xixi's face flushed with anger as she spoke first, refusing Feng Ninghe's request. "Can you produce another bottle of the mountain stream elder's secret remedy? You cannot bear such a loss. I advise you to stand aside and watch obediently as Brother Qi Mu administers the treatment!"
Bai Xixi's angry outburst also brought a silent sigh of relief from Qi Mu. With this foolish and incompetent Bai Xixi around, he didn't even need to speak; someone else would handle the trouble for him.
Feng Ninghe remained composed, her eyes as calm as still water, undisturbed. "One hundred thousand spirit stones and a thousand gold coins for such a small bottle of medicine. If it works, so be it. But what if it backfires and worsens the condition? Perhaps we should test the medicine first."
Her words caused the members of the Bai family to nod in agreement. While the Bai family was not short of money, one hundred thousand spirit stones and a thousand gold coins were not trivial sums. Since they had already spent so much, testing the medicine seemed reasonable.
"I think that makes sense," Bai Niannian said without hesitation. "Since the money has already been spent, why not see what this secret remedy from the mountain stream elder is?"
Qi Mu feigned solemnity and stated earnestly, "I am a disciple of the mountain stream elder. This medicine is priceless. If you do not trust me, I will return your spirit stones, and we shall not treat the illness!" He then turned to leave, but his steps were deliberately slow, as if waiting to be stopped.
Seeing him about to leave, the Bai family members grew anxious. Madam Bai quickly said, "Young Master Qi, what are you saying? To be a disciple of the mountain stream elder, you must possess certain skills. I naturally trust you."
Only then did Qi Mu halt his steps, sighing softly. "Madam Bai, I merely feel I am letting down my master. I am his disciple, yet my medicine is doubted."
"Brother Qi Mu, rest assured, our Bai family trusts you! We do not doubt you!" Bai Xixi said, comforting Qi Mu while simultaneously glaring at Feng Ninghe. "Don't try to sow discord here. Brother Qi Mu is highly capable. Are you jealous that he can treat the Patriarch?"
Feng Ninghe's icy gaze fixed on Qi Mu, her voice clear. "The Medicine Valley and the mountain streams are on good terms, and I am acquainted with this mountain stream elder. I have never heard of him taking a disciple. Are you sure you are his disciple?" She and the mountain stream elder were more than just acquainted. The mountain stream elder was her.