A rapid and urgent knocking on the door disrupted Huang Quan’s sleep. Still half-asleep, she struggled to comprehend the situation, as the persistent noise continued.
“Dong dong dong!”
Finally, she shook herself awake, realizing that someone was knocking on her door. Still groggy, she hurried to get dressed and head for the door, where not only the knocking sound but a voice called out to her.
“Huang Quan? Are you in there? Your brother is injured, and the teacher sent me to find you. Please come out if you’re inside!”
Huang Quan was startled by the mention of her brother’s injury. She quickly opened the door, disheveled and half-dressed, and asked in a panic, “What happened to my brother?”
The visitor saw Huang Quan and was briefly captivated by her beauty up close. However, he quickly refocused and relayed the news: “Your brother has been seriously injured. He’s at the Alchemist Academy. The situation is dire, so Teacher Ming Zhao sent me to fetch you.”
Huang Quan’s eyes widened in alarm, and she demanded, “Where is my brother?”
“At the Alchemist Academy,” the man repeated, “The situation is critical, and that’s why the teacher asked me to find you. Huang Quan, your brother is in grave danger this time, so the teacher wants you to see Nangong Mian one last time.”
Huang Quan bit her lip, grappling with a whirlwind of emotions but not uttering a word.
The man accompanying Huang Quan tried to console her, believing she was overwhelmed with fear and sorrow. “Don’t be too saddened by this.”
Huang Quan responded without turning to face him, her voice resolute. “I won’t be sad.”
He sighed, thinking she was putting on a brave front to cope with the situation.
Upon arriving at the Alchemist Academy, the man led Huang Quan to a specific room. She hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open, revealing Nangong Mian lying on a wooden bed.
Nangong Mian’s upper body was bare, displaying a series of gruesome wounds. The sight of his injuries took Huang Quan’s breath away, and she clenched her fists in anger.
The man began to explain what had happened. “The training team encountered a level 10 spirit beast. In order to buy them time, your brother led the beast away. By the time we reached him, he was already severely wounded. He held on just long enough for us to arrive.”
He continued, “Nangong girl, I heard you went to the black market to sell the Bone flower Pill. Your brother has numerous broken bones. The Bone flower Pill can save him. Do you still have any left?”
Huang Quan’s eyes reflected determination as she replied, “The Bone Sheng Pill can’t save my brother. What’s going to kill him is the poison that’s been administered to him!”
The expression on Ming Zhao’s face shifted drastically. “Poison? What kind of poison?”
Huang Quan calmly revealed the truth. “That spirit beast didn’t poison my brother. The poison was administered by someone else.”
“Are you sure?” Ming Zhao questioned. “Why would anyone poison your brother?”
Huang Quan’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Teacher Ming Zhao, I need everyone who has been in contact with my brother since he was injured to be called here.”
Ming Chao was taken aback. “But they haven’t returned yet.”
In response, Huang Quan’s eyes darkened, filled with a chilling intensity. Ming Zhao felt a shiver down his spine. He knew this situation was turning dire. He urged, “Nangong girl, please focus on saving your brother first. We can investigate this matter further afterward.”
