Tang Hao sank into deep thought while looking at the flower.
The Flower of Rotting Poison was not a normal flower. Its poison was extremely hard to get rid of. No wonder the doctors could not cure him.
He knew the recipe for the antidote, but it required many rare and expensive medicinal herbs which he could not gather at short notice. The other method of curing the leg was to channel qi and force the poison out of the body, but his cultivation level was still short of performing such a technique.
He thought about it for a while, then found a way that made use of both methods.
He had stored a stash of medicinal herbs in his pocket dimension. Some of the herbs have an inhibiting effect on the flower’s poison. By reducing the intensity of the poison, he can then channel his qi to successfully expel the poison from the body.
“I have a cure for your leg, Uncle,” Tang Hao said.
“Really?” Shi Xuefeng was surprised.
He was not quite ready to believe him. His leg had stumped so many doctors, so how was a kid like Lil Hao going to cure it?
“I won’t lie to you.” Tang Hao opened his backpack as he spoke and retrieved four stalks of medicinal herbs. He held each one of them in his palm for a short while.
Then, he mashed all the herbs in a bowl, mixing the fibrous residue and the liquid together.
Zhang Hongfang and Yan’er were full of curiosity as they watched on.
“Xuefeng, Lil Hao is a talented person. He might just have a solution!” Zhang Hongfang said excitedly. “Just give it a try!”
Shi Xuefeng nodded and slowly rolled up a trouser leg.
His left leg was mostly rotted from the knee down. It was deep red and looked somewhat gory.
“This will hurt a bit, Uncle, you’ll have to bear with it.”
Tang Hao crouched next to his leg and gently smeared the medicine from the bowl on to the leg.
Shi Xuefeng trembled and grunted. He gritted his teeth and endured the pain. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
He could only feel that his leg was like being burned with fire. The pain drove straight into his heart.
“Are you sure this works, Lil Hao?” Zhang Hongfang asked worriedly.
“Don’t worry, this medicine is very effective. You can see the effects in an hour. I’ll massage his leg for a while afterward to force the poison out.”
Tang Hao stood up and exhaled.
An hour passed by very soon.
The open sores on his leg had shrunk. Dark red blood was oozing from the remaining sores and emitted a terrible smell.
“It’s really working!” Zhang Hongfang said excitedly.
Shi Xuefeng also found it hard to believe. He found a spark of hope in his despair.
“Uncle, let me massage your leg for a bit. This’ll hurt a little!” Tang Hao rose and rolled his sleeves, then reached for Shi Xuefeng’s leg.
He placed both of his hands on the leg and gently massaged it while channeling qi from his body through his fingertips.
Very soon, poisonous blood started flowing from the sores. The stink became worse.
After five or six minutes, the color of the flowing blood became less dark and looked normal. Tang Hao soon stopped and said, “Alright, Uncle, I’ve driven out all the poison in your body. You’ll just have to rest for a short period and your leg will be as good as new.”
“I already feel a lot better!” Shi Xuefeng grinned widely as he exercised his leg. “Lil Hao, your medical skills are miraculous! So many doctors could not cure it, yet you cured it at your first attempt.”
“Lil Hao, our family owes you another debt of gratitude. We don’t know how to thank you!” Zhang Hongfang grasped Tang Hao’s hands tightly.
“No need at all, just doing what I can!” Tang Hao smiled.
“Right, Lil Hao, you must be hungry! I’ll go make dinner now, please at least stay for dinner with us! Let’s go, Xuefeng, let the two young ones be alone.”
Before Tang Hao could reply, Zhang Hongfang pushed Shi Xuefeng’s wheelchair and headed to the back of the house.
He opened his mouth, intending to decline her offer, but he did not say it.
“See, Xuefeng, Lil Hao is such a good kid! I think he has some feelings for Yan’er. Both of them have known each other since young.” He could hear Zhang Hongfang’s voice from afar.
“Yes! This Lil Hao isn’t a bad kid at all. I’m just afraid… he doesn’t have his sights on our girl,” Shi Xuefeng replied.
“That’s true. Lil Hao is on a different level than us peasants now. He knows VIPs like Secretary Lin, he’ll be stepping to greater heights in the future… No, Yan’er has to seize this chance…”
Tang Hao blushed when he heard the conversation.
He glanced at Yan’er sitting beside him and felt even more awkward.
Yan’er stood there silently. Her hands were resting behind her and she twirled her fingers. She was also slightly blushing. Under the dim light, her beauty was almost palpable.
“Brother Hao…. Thank you so much for today!” She said in a soft voice.
“It’s nothing!” Tang Hao said, “Yan’er, I’ll have to go tell Grandma that I’m having dinner here tonight.”
“Alright, I’ll follow!”
They went to Grandma’s house, then took a spin around the village before returning home.
Dinner was soon ready. It was not a banquet, but they had prepared the best dishes they could afford. Shi Xuefeng even unearthed a cask of wine from his private stash and did not stop topping Tang Hao’s cup.
Tang Hao once again asked for the exact location of the lingzhi. He prepared to retrieve it the first thing the next morning.
After dinner, Zhang Hongfang eagerly asked Tang Hao to stay for the night.
He could not decline the offer. He also kept in mind that he had to go into the mountains tomorrow and had to stay overnight at the village anyway. He accepted the invitation and gave Sis Xiangyi a call.
The night in the mountain village was serene.
Tang Hao laid on his bed. Next to him was the window through which he could see the boundless night sky. He was mesmerized by the view.
Suddenly, his sensitive ears could hear slight footsteps from beyond his room.
The footsteps stopped in front of his door.
Then, the door creaked open, and someone quietly stepped in.
Tang Hao turned to look at who it was, and was shocked.
Yan’er was dressed in her pajamas. Under the moonlight, her charming face took his breath away.
She stood there basking under the moonlight, as dreamlike as a fairy that had descended from the heavens.
She walked forward and stood in front of Tang Hao’s bed. Her face was blushing.
“Yan’er, you…” Tang Hao did not know how to react.
He blushed when he saw this young woman standing in front of him. She was not the little girl that he used to know.
“Brother Hao, I…” Yan’er lowered her head and hesitated. Suddenly, as though she had made a decision, she took another step forward and dove under the blankets.