A servant pushed Jun Qing to the side of the lotus pond in the backyard to view the lotus flowers in full bloom. Jun Qing however was not in the mood to appreciate it.

Hearing small footsteps from the side, Jun Qing turned his wheelchair in that direction and smiled as he saw a slightly flushed Jun Wu Xie.

“You are finally willing to come out?” Jun Qing asked feigning annoyance.

Ever since Jun Xian permitted Jun Wu Xie to study medicine, she was practically a shut-in, only going to her pharmacy and nowhere else. Such an appearance was rare indeed.

Jun Wu Xie looked at her uncle who was smiling dotingly at her. She was slightly surprised as her body had undergone intensive conditioning through the special lotus seed and tears, although she has yet to cultivate any spiritual power, her footsteps have become very light.

Unless she was in the person’s line of sight otherwise anyone within five steps from her would not be able to discover her presence.

However this time she clearly had just entered the spacious backyard and her Uncle who was facing the lotus pond knew right from the start that it was her. His hearing was too amazing!

“Uncle’s legs were injured on the battlefield?” Jun Wu Xie searched hard through the fragments of memories related to this little uncle of hers but not much information could be obtained.

From her memory, Jun Qing had always been sitting on a wheelchair and had rarely talked about his legs, only once at a family feast had he mentioned that he was injured on the battlefield.

“Yes.” Jun Qing answered.

“It isn’t an ordinary injury, right?” Jun Wu Xie pressed on as she was certain that there was more to it than a simple battle wound. When he was injured, Lin Palace was at its prime where all the superior doctors from all around would be invited to heal him.

When Jun Wu Xie fell off the cliff, her injuries were very serious as well, with broken bones as one of the main bane. Within a month, she was able to walk hence a simple wound from the battlefield should not have any reason to take away his ability to walk.

“It’s poison, I was stabbed in the back by the enemy with a fatal poison. If not for your Grandfather, I’m afraid you won’t have any Uncle to talk to.

He was able to get Qing Yun Clan’s Sovereign to heal me, ” he said melancholy, as he raised his hem at his waist to expose a hideous scar.

Although the wound was over a decade old, there was still a trace of dark purple surrounding it.

“Qing Yun Clan?” she slightly frowned.

“Your Grandfather traded our family heirloom in exchange for his help.” Jun Qing quickly explained and attempted to clarify as he thought of the deep enmity between Qing Yun Clan’s Bai Yun Xian and his niece.

Previously when Jun Wu Xie had told Jun Xian of her intentions to pursue her future in medicine, he had wanted to suggest to enrol in Qing Yun Clan as that was the mecca of medical studies in this world.

Unfortunately, with Mo Xuan Fei and Bai Yun Xian’s entanglement, having her join Qing Yun Clan was no longer possible.

“Let me look at Uncle’s leg.” Jun Wu Xie had never once thought of that pair of adulterers.

“Okay.” He quickly obliged and rolled up his pants.

Jun Qing’s legs were pale and slender, if not for that injury, this pair of legs which were once robust and strong was now reduced to a pair of thin and weak legs.

After more than a decade of not utilizing the leg muscles, they shrunk and now his upper body and legs were very out of proportion.

Jun Wu Xie started to examine his legs as she applied pressure over a few areas. “Are you not able to feel anything at all?”

“Occasionally a few chills, but not very obvious.” He replied.

She continued to examine his legs and finally after some time she looked up and asked: “Uncle, do you trust me?” She asked calmly.

“ Of course!” He smiled warmly at her.

Jun Wu Xie looked around her surroundings and her gaze landed on the lotus pond, as her eyes flashed a trace of excitement.

“These lotus flowers are so beautiful,take for instance this lotus here in full bloom. Hmmm… I wonder if Uncle likes to eat lotus seeds?” She casually asked.

Jun Qing gave a quick thought and replied : “I do eat them occasionally.”

“I just picked some yesterday and thought they tasted really good! Would you like to try some as well?” She asked again in a casual tone.

“Of course I would, It’s been handpicked by you.” He happily agreed. His own little niece is now so sensible. If it was before, even if she ever picked any lotus seeds, the first person she would give it to would be Mo Xuan Fei!

“Uncle, open your mouth” she added.

Jun Qing was surprised although he didn’t know what she was up to but as a doting Uncle, all he wanted was for his niece to be happy so he listened to her and opened his mouth.

As soon as he did that, Jun Wu Xie immediately flicked the lotus seed into his mouth and before he could even react, she closed his mouth and tilted his head up forcing him to swallow it down.

“…………….” From her ‘gentle feeding” method, he almost choked out tears.

Just when he thought she was finally getting more sensible, the way she did things was still a little….rough.

Jun Wu Xie can’t be blamed for crude method of feeding medicine. It’s just that it was never in her genes to begin with.

With regards to patients who refused to eat medications, she always had a single thought- that was to have the patient eat it and her method was crude but effective without room for resistance.

“Isn’t it delicious?” She inquired.

Jun Qing looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. She simply shoved it down his throat! When did he get the luxury to taste it?

“Mmmm.. Delicious.” He coaxed her.

“Then I shall leave first.” After doing what she came for, she whizzed away back to her courtyard.

Jun Qing stared at her back as left, feeling a little baffled. This little girl came all the way here and after talking so much, it was merely to feed him a lotus seed?

“Master’s body still has some remnants of poison, as the lotus seed is of cooling nature, would you like me to brew a bowl of ginger soup to warm you up?” The ‘servant’ who had been standing behind him all this while broke the silence.

If one looked closely, this man had a tall and robust stature, with his stoic expression, one would think he resembled nothing like a servant.

Jun Qing raised his hands, “There’s no need to kick up a big fuss over a single lotus seed. I’m not that weak.”

That man no longer pursued on and said his thoughts out loud. “Little Miss seems a little different lately.”

Ever since Jun Qing was injured, he had been tending to him for over a decade and had watched Jun Wu Xie grow up. He never had a good impression of her due to her lofty and arrogant nature hence he did not even bother to greet her when he saw her.

“You think so too?” Jun Qing’s lips curved upwards as he gave a deep thought. With a trace of nostalgia, he absentmindedly said, “Seeing her now somewhat reminds me of Brother.”

“Please do not jest, some things cannot be compared.” That man frowned as he sternly replied, he didn’t seem to agree with the words of Jun Qing.

Jun Qing immediately lost his smile and shook his head. “Tsk. The only person who can tolerate this temper of yours is only Brother, do not forget, that child is…she is the child of the man whom you swore your fealty to. If one day Father and I are no longer around,she will be in your…..”

Before he could finish his sentence, an uncomfortable itch was felt as if someone was sawing his bones with a blunt knife and he hunched over as this feeling started to spread to every single bone in his body.

“Master!” The man looked worriedly at the pale faced Jun Qing.

Jun Qing’s poison from that time had yet to be fully purged and the residual toxicity had penetrated deep into the bone marrow, even the famed Yun Qing Clan’s Sovereign had failed to neutralise it. Over the years, Jun Qing had been very cautious right down to his diet. He was fine just a moment ago and was still rebuking him, why did he suddenly…?

He suddenly thought of something.

“That lotus seed? But how could it be?”

No matter how much he disliked Jun Wu Xie, the blood of the Jun family still flowed within her, that’s why when she had approached Jun Qing just now, he did not have any apprehension towards her. How could it have been her?

Jun Qing clenched his teeth tightly as he felt the itch slowly became an indescribable pain. It was as if they were slowly being crushed and the overwhelming pain swept over him as he broke out in cold sweat.

As the man watched Jun Qing’s condition worsen by each passing moment, he quickly lifted Jun Qing up with his wheelchair and rushed back to the room.

All these was not relayed to Jun Wu Xue. She was cooped up in her pharmacy researching.

She had not given it a second thought as she had personally gone through the bone cleansing process and although it was not the most comfortable experience, it was still manageable in her opinion.

However, what she did not know was that the cleansing of a regular human bone and one that had been poisoned had a totally different effect.

In a different courtyard, at this moment Jun Qing was suffering from an excruciating pain, as if a thousand knives were hacking away at his bones.

An emergency summon for all the capable doctors of the State to quickly head over to Lin Palace to treat him.

However, all the doctors were helpless in their diagnosed as Jun Qing lay on his bed as his body temperature soared, as his body kept twitching and soon the sweat soaked through the sheets. The sweat expelled also carried a faint black smelly substance.

This scene scared the wits out of the group of doctors who knelt at the bedside quivering.

Jun Xian had received the news and rushed back to see his son lying on the bed, complexion as white as sheet. His condition did not look optimistic and it was as if he had one leg in the grave already.

Jun Xian broke out in cold sweat as he roared, “What the hell happened?!” A pair of bloodshot eyes was staring viciously at the doctors kneeling by the bed.

“Th..thi..this humble one…does not know how .. How his blood flow is in chaos and the poison in his bone marrow suddenly spread..spread to wh..whole body.

Thi..this humble one really tried my best… Lin Wang please have mercy!” The group of doctors all cried for mercy as they all had the same diagnosis- Jun Qing did not have long to live!

This bolt of information almost made Jun Xian faint as he steadied himself.

Was his last son going to die?

No!

This can’t be happening!

He immediately rushed over to the Royal Palace, intending to seek out Bai Yun Xian as she is Qing Yun Clan’s Sovereign’s disciple. To his dismay, Bai Yun Xian had refused audience with anyone saying that she was still frightened from the attack and was still recuperating.

He immediately stormed into the Grand Hall to seek an audience with the Emperor instead.

His Majesty was placed in a difficult situation and as he did not have much of a choice, he could only watch on helplessly as he saw Jun Xian lead all the Imperial Doctors in the Royal Palace back to Lin Palace to assist with the treatment.

For one whole day and night, Jun Qing was lying on the bed hanging over the verge of death, all the doctors that came and took his pulse all had the same worried expression, all had the single verdict – Jun Qing was one step away from death’s door.

Jun Xian seemed to have aged ten years overnight as he sat by his son as he waved his hands and asked them all to return to the palace. He sat there sadly as he buried his face in his hands.

………………..

“Is that true?” The Emperor who was seated in the study was listening to the doctor who was reporting Jun Qing’s situation to him, his face void of any expression as he listened solemnly.

“This humble one does not dare lie. Jun Qing’s poison has indeed acted up and the poison has attacked the heart.” The doctor reported truthfully.

“That’s a pity, order for the Snow Mountain Ginseng and the Red Lingzhi to be sent over to Lin Palace.”

The Emperor was feeling very generous, both the Snow Mountain Ginseng and the Red Lingzhi are rare herbs that was used to prolong life and it was apparent to everyone that Jun Qing has not much longer to live.

“Yes, your Majesty.”

“Withdraw” The Emperor waved his hand.

When the doctor left, the Emperor leaned back in his chair as he went through all the various scrolls on the desk, a small smile could be seen.

………………..

In the Lin Palace was overshadowed with gloom as Jun Qing lay on his bed motionless, his breathing was very weak.

Jun Xian sat by his side with red eyes.

“Why did this suddenly happen? You were alright all these years, why did the poison suddenly flare up?” Jun Xian could not understand, all these years his condition had been stable, what could have triggered it?

The man standing by the side had on a solemn expression as he clenched his fist tightly.

“Has any suspicious personnel entered the Palace lately?” Jun Xian asked with a deep frown.

The man shook his head as he looked over at Jun Qing lying on the bed, his heart was struggling internally.

Before Jun Qing fainted, he had specifically told him not to tell anyone that Jun Wu Xie was there before. No matter what had happened, he believed from the bottom of his heart that Jun Wu Xie would not hurt him.

He simply took it as his life was going to end a little sooner that’s all. He did not want to implicate his niece into anyone’s grand scheme to throw the Lin Palace into further turmoil.

But now all the doctors have diagnosed that he did not have much time left. Did he have to hide this forever?

The man was conflicted, if it was anyone else, he would have directly interrogated them but the perpetrator was Jun Wu Xie!

If Jun Qing really died, Lin Palace had no more future.

“This…what happened here?” a puzzled voice suddenly sounded.

The man and Jun Xian both turned to look at the same time as they saw Jun Wu Xie carrying a black cat in her arms, with a quizzical expression at the doorway.

“Wu Xie………” Jun Xian’s husky voice was full of sorrow.

The man clenched his trembling fist and choked back the words he wanted to say.

“Your uncle has been poisoned.” Jun Xian slowly broke it to her as he closed his eyes in despair.

Poisoned? Jun Wu Xie was slightly surprised when she heard this. She immediately went to the bed ignoring the surprised Jun Xian and man as she took Jun Qing’s pulse.

His pulse was very weak, barely discernable. Jun Qing’s face was pale and covered with sweat mixed with a dark substance. All these fit the description of being poisoned.

If it was others, they would have concluded it as severe poisoning however, who was Jun Wu Xie? She had immediately found something different.

Although Jun Qing’s pulse was weak, it was also very stable.

Jun Wu Xie immediately pulled off the quilt and removed the pillow.

“Wu Xie, what are you doing?!”

“Uncle is fine.” Jun Wu Xie’s mind was focused on the treatment and did not know how her sudden actions and words had impacted the rest who were standing there with their mouth agape.