Immortal Road Worry-Free - Chapter 14:
Bai Yushuang stood at the edge of the gathered crowd,
her brows drawn together in quiet thought.
For a moment she simply watched, but at last her feet moved of their own accord.
She stepped forward toward the small, trembling figure at the foot of the stairs.
Are you all right? Her voice was soft as falling snow.
The girl lifted her head in surprise. Recognition flickered in her eyes
the beautiful woman before her was the same one who
had once warned her at the market to keep her coin purse close.
You’re… that lady from the marketplace, aren’t you?
she whispered, shrinking back slightly, uncertain.
Bai Yushuang nodded gently.
Your father’s illness it’s serious?
The girl, Xiaochun, nodded hard. Tears welled and spilled down her dirt-streaked face.
He coughed all night, she said between sobs. I didn’t dare sleep.
I was afraid that if I closed my eyes, he’d never wake again.
I tried everything I could, but I have no money…
Bai Yushuang was silent for a long while.
She had not meant to interfere in mortal affairs such things were fleeting,
beyond the reach of one who had walked the path of cultivation.
Yet something about this child, who neither prayed for heaven’s
favor nor begged for miracles but simply wanted to save her father,
stirred a rare ache in her heart.
At last she spoke.
I know a little of healing. Let me see your father.
Xiaochun’s eyes widened in disbelief. She hesitated only a moment before clutching
Bai Yushuang’s hand tightly.
You… you can heal him? Truly?
I cannot promise to save his life, but I will do all that I can.
The girl’s tears came again, but this time they carried a fragile thread of hope.
The two returned to the small hut nestled in the mountain’s shade.
The faint glow of an oil lamp flickered across the earthen floor.
On a straw mat lay a man pale as wax. Dark shadows pooled beneath his eyes;
dried bl00d crusted at the corners of his lips.
Each breath rasped like torn cloth dragged across stone.
Beside the bed sat a basin of water gone cold,
a few damp rags clinging to its rim the marks of desperate care.
Bai Yushuang watched as Xiaochun knelt and carefully wiped her father’s mouth clean.
Then she moved to the bedside, lowering herself beside the man.
With a touch of her spirit sense, she traced the threads of life within him.
The damage was grave. His lungs were rotted and inflamed,
his inner fire nearly extinguished, his bl00d and breath dangerously depleted.
Another day, and even an immortal’s art might not recall him.
Sister, please save him… save my father.
Her voice cracked, raw and pleading.
Bai Yushuang let out a quiet sigh.
Your father’s illness runs deep. I’ll do my best. We’ll fight this together, shall we?
Xiaochun nodded, tears spilling freely.
Go boil a basin of hot water first, Bai Yushuang said gently.
The girl hurried to obey, grateful for something to do.
Once she was gone, Bai Yushuang raised her hand and
summoned a thin stream of spirit energy.
She let it seep into the man’s meridians, unbinding the knots of stagnant bl00d and pain.
Her energy flowed through his body like warm light through cracked glass,
cleansing and mending as it went. When it reached the lungs,
she divided her power part to shield the fragile organs, part to wash away the infection and decay.
In her mind, the calm voice of Fusang, her spirit companion, spoke.
Use a drop of Wanhuā Ginseng essence. Mix it with mortal water and let him drink.
Even a single drop holds great vitality, Bai Yushuang replied silently.
His body is too weak it may overwhelm him.
You’ve already opened his meridians.
Leave a thread of your energy within him to temper the medicine’s strength. It will hold.
Bai Yushuang considered this and nodded inwardly. It would work.
When Xiaochun returned, carrying the steaming water,
Bai Yushuang had already finished the acupuncture.
Silver needles gleamed faintly under the lamplight.
This is the hot water, Sister, said the girl, setting the basin down.
I’ve just treated your father. He may cough bl00d for a moment
don’t be frightened. It’s the stagnant bl00d leaving his body.
Bring me a cup of warm water, will you?
The girl ran to fetch it. As Bai Yushuang took the cup, the man’s body convulsed,
and a rush of dark bl00d spilled from his lips.
Xiaochun gasped and fell to her knees beside him,
wiping his mouth with trembling hands, tears streaming anew.
When the fit had passed, his face was ghostly pale
but the dark aura that had hung over him was gone.
Quietly, Bai Yushuang added a single drop of the Wanhuā essence to the cup.
She stirred it once, then handed it to the girl.
The poison is purged. Help him drink this.
Xiaochun nodded, still shaking, and carefully lifted her father’s head,
letting the warm water slide past his cracked lips.
When it was done, Bai Yushuang stood.
Let him rest. I’ll go gather a few herbs from the mountains and return tomorrow.
The girl blinked through her tears.
Sister, please—let me come with you. My father taught me the names of many herbs before he fell ill. I have no money, but I know these hills better than anyone. I can help!
Her eyes were red and swollen, but within them burned the same
fierce determination that had carried her this far.
Bai Yushuang’s expression softened. For the first time,
she felt the fragile, luminous strength that pulsed within mortal life
so easily broken, yet so unyielding.
Very well, she said at last, smiling.
Then we’ll go together.
And as she smiled, the cold perfection of her beauty warmed for the first time,
like sunlight melting frost from a mountain bloom.