The room fell into an uneasy silence. Jin Haoran stood rigid, his knuckles white as he gripped the back of a nearby chair. Jin Lihua perched at the edge of her seat, fingers intertwined so tightly that her joints ached. Feng Liwei had recovered his composure but remained visibly unsettled, his analytical mind clearly racing to make sense of the impossible.
All eyes fixed on Jin Xiyue, who sat upright in her bed. The weight of their expectations pressed against her like a physical force, but she didn't buckle beneath it. Instead, she drew a slow, measured breath.
"I was ambushed on my return journey," she began, her voice steady and clear. "Three masked cultivators. They surrounded me at the mountain pass, just as the storm was gathering strength."
Jin Xiyue's gaze dropped to her hands, now folded in her lap. The movement seemed calculated rather than nervous.
"They were skilled. Coordinated. I didn't stand a chance." A flicker of something—perhaps shame, perhaps anger—crossed her face before disappearing. "One of them drove a spirit blade through my chest. I felt it pierce my heart."
Jin Lihua stifled a sob, her hand flying to cover her mouth.
"They left me there, bleeding out in the rain," Jin Xiyue continued, her voice dropping slightly. "I was alone, dying. I could feel my life slipping away with each heartbeat. The storm grew worse—lightning everywhere, the wind howling. I thought... I truly thought it was the end."
She looked up, meeting each of their gazes in turn, lingering longest on Feng Liwei's skeptical expression.
"And then," Jin Xiyue continued, her voice taking on an almost dreamlike quality, "as I lay there dying, the storm seemed to part above me. The rain stopped falling, though I could still hear it all around. That's when I saw her."
Jin Haoran leaned forward. "Saw who?"
"A woman. She descended from the sky like she was walking on invisible stairs. Her robes were white and silver, flowing around her as if they were made of cloud and moonlight." Jin Xiyue's eyes grew distant, as if revisiting the memory. "She didn't speak—not with words. But I felt her intention. She knelt beside me, and from her sleeve, she produced a small pill.
Feng Liwei's breath caught audibly. His professional detachment crumbled as he stepped closer to the bed.
"She placed it on my tongue," Jin Xiyue said. "It tasted like... like nothing I've ever experienced. Sweet and bitter and sharp all at once. And then came the heat—it spread through my entire body, mending everything it touched. My wounds closed. And my meridians—" She paused, letting the implication sink in. "When I looked up to thank her, she was already rising back into the storm clouds. Then she was gone."
How could this kids' luck be so good' all 3 of them thought at the same time and didn't even doubt her story as it made completely perfect sense. So that's how she stayed alive and her injuries were mostly healed along with her meridians.
How high level of an expert would that person have to be to casually give away such a miraculous pill to a kid she had never even met before. It had to be known that cultivators needed to have at least reached the Heaven tier if they wanted to fly in the air.
Jin Lihua's eyes filled with tears. "such a high-tiered expert saved our daughter," she whispered, gripping her husband's arm.
Jin Haoran's stern face softened with wonder. "Such fortune... in all my years..."
Feng Liwei could barely contain himself. "What did she look like? Her exact appearance? Did she leave anything else behind?" His professional mask had completely fallen away, replaced by naked envy and curiosity. "A Heaven Tier expert, here in our region! And that pill—it must have been beyond priceless."
"I was blessed by chance," Jin Xiyue said softly.
"Blessed indeed," Feng Liwei muttered, his mind racing with possibilities. If only he had been there instead! Such an encounter could have advanced his alchemical knowledge by decades. The pill alone—capable of repairing supposedly permanent meridian damage—represented alchemical mastery he could only dream of achieving.
Feng Liwei stepped back, his mind still racing with questions about the mysterious cultivator and her miraculous pill. He watched as Jin Haoran moved closer to his daughter's bedside, the clan leader's usual stern demeanor completely transformed.
"To think that a Heaven Tier expert would stop for you," Jin Haoran said, his voice thick with emotion. He reached out tentatively, as if afraid his daughter might dissolve under his touch, and placed his large hand over hers. "Such beings rarely concern themselves with the affairs of those beneath their station."
Jin Lihua moved to the opposite side of the bed, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Unlike her husband, she showed no restraint and gathered her daughter into a gentle embrace.
"The heavens have blessed our family," she whispered into Jin Xiyue's hair. "First by returning you to us alive, and now by revealing that your meridians have been restored." She pulled back, her eyes shining with joy and disbelief. "After all these years of watching you suffer, knowing we could do nothing..."
Jin Haoran cleared his throat, fighting to maintain his composure. "We consulted every renowned physician and alchemist in the region. We spent fortunes on remedies and treatments. Yet it took a chance encounter with a transcendent being to accomplish what we could not."
"Perhaps it wasn't chance," Jin Lihua suggested, her voice soft but certain. "Perhaps she saw something in our daughter that we've always known was there—a spirit worth saving, a potential worth nurturing."
Jin Haoran nodded solemnly. "Of all the dying souls she might have encountered in her travels, she chose to save you, Xiyue." His eyes, usually sharp and calculating, now held a warmth rarely seen. "This mysterious benefactor has given us back what we thought lost forever—not just our daughter's life, but her future."
"Your mother and I..." He paused, struggling to find words adequate for the moment. "We are grateful beyond expression. Whatever path opens before you now, we will support you with everything we have."
Feng Liwei took a step back from the bed, his professional demeanor slowly returning despite the tumult of thoughts racing through his mind. Such a discovery would set the entire cultivation world abuzz—a cripple healed by a Heaven Tier cultivator's pill, the Jin family's fortunes suddenly reversed. The implications were staggering.
"I should prepare a full report of my findings," he said, straightening his robes. "With your permission, Clan Leader Jin, I'll take my leave."
Jin Haoran nodded and exchanged a meaningful glance with his wife. "Of course. But before you go, Alchemist Feng, I have something for you."
He gestured toward the door, and a servant appeared carrying a lacquered wooden box. Jin Haoran took it with both hands, dismissing the servant with a slight nod.
"Your expertise today has been invaluable," he said, his voice measured and formal once more. "The Jin family wishes to express its gratitude."
He opened the box, revealing a gleaming cauldron nestled in dark velvet. Even from where she sat, Jin Xiyue could see the intricate rune formations etched into its surface, pulsing with faint spiritual energy.
Feng Liwei's eyes widened. His carefully maintained composure cracked as he gazed upon the Tier Three alchemist cauldron—an item so rare that most alchemists In this region could spend a lifetime without ever touching one.
"This... this is too generous, Clan Leader," he breathed, though his hands were already reaching for it.
Jin Haoran placed the cauldron in Feng Liwei's outstretched hands. "Not at all. Such skill deserves proper recognition."
Their eyes met, and understanding passed between them. The message couldn't have been clearer if Jin Haoran had spoken it aloud: This isn't just a gift—it's payment for your silence.
Feng Liwei cradled the cauldron reverently, feeling its weight—both physical and symbolic. He bowed deeply, lower than protocol required.
"I am honored by your generosity, Clan Leader Jin. You can rest assured that my examination of Young Miss Jin will remain between these walls." He straightened, his expression solemn. "Patient confidentiality is sacred to my profession."
Jin Haoran's posture relaxed slightly. "I knew we could count on your discretion, Alchemist Feng."
I Feng Liwei, I'm not such a fool and know what should and shouldn't be said. he gave a small smile and left the room.
The door closed behind Feng Liwei with a soft click. Jin Haoran remained still for a moment, his eyes fixed on the polished wood as if he could see through it to track the alchemist's departure. Only when he heard the faint echo of footsteps fading down the corridor did he turn to his wife and daughter.
"Rest now," he told Jin Xiyue, his voice gentler than before but still carrying the unmistakable tone of command. "Your body needs time to adjust to these... changes."
Jin Xiyue nodded, settling back against her pillows. The strain of maintaining her composure through the examination and subsequent questioning had left her visibly exhausted.
Jin Haoran placed a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Come, there are matters we must discuss."
Jin Lihua hesitated, reluctant to leave her daughter's side after coming so close to losing her. She bent to place a soft kiss on Jin Xiyue's forehead before following her husband from the room.
They walked in silence down the long corridor, their footsteps muffled by thick carpets. Only when they reached Jin Haoran's private study did Jin Lihua finally speak, her voice barely above a whisper despite the room's privacy wards.
"That cauldron was from the Jin family's ancestral vault," she said, watching her husband as he poured them both cups of steaming tea. "A treasure passed down through two generations."
Jin Haoran handed her a cup, his expression unreadable. "I'm aware of its provenance."
"Then why give it away so readily?" Jin Lihua's brow furrowed. "Such an artifact could have benefited our own alchemists for years to come."
Jin Haoran took a measured sip of his tea before responding. "Feng Liwei may only be a Rank Two alchemist now, but his talent is undeniable. Within a decade, he'll likely advance to Rank Three—perhaps even higher in his lifetime."
"And what good does that do us now?" Jin Lihua pressed.
"Connections, my dear." Jin Haoran's eyes narrowed slightly. "A connection formed early with a rising talent often yields the greatest returns. That cauldron binds him to our family far more effectively than mere coin ever could."
Jin Lihua studied her husband's face, understanding dawning in her eyes. "There's more to it than that."
Jin Haoran set his cup down with deliberate care. If they think they can attack and try to kill our daughter without any repercussions they better pray I don't find who was behind that attack or else..'' His voice hardened.
"You think the cauldron will buy his silence," Jin Lihua realized.
"I know it will." Jin Haoran's expression darkened. "At least until we discover who wanted our daughter dead."
The servants departed, leaving Jin Xiyue alone in her chambers at last. The silence felt like a physical presence after hours of examination and questioning. She sat motionless on her bed for several minutes, letting the tension drain from her shoulders as she listened to the muted sounds of the household beyond her door.
When she was certain no one would return, she allowed herself a small, victorious smile.
"Heaven Tier cultivator," she whispered to herself, shaking her head at the audacity of her own lie. "And they believed every word."
The fabrication had come to her with surprising ease—a mystical savior, a miraculous pill, a chance encounter with a transcendent being. She had crafted it from fragments of stories she'd heard servants whisper, embellished with just enough detail to seem authentic without being overly specific.
Jin Xiyue slid from her bed and moved to the center of her room. The floor was cool against her bare feet as she lowered herself into a cross-legged position, back straight, hands resting on her knees.
"Time to see what this body can really do," she murmured.
She closed her eyes letting her thoughts wander towards the artifact stored in her mind.