As soon as Madam Li entered the room, she caught a foul, fishy stench in the air, and then she saw Sect Master Ma and Elder Qian sitting cross-legged on either side of the bed, eyes closed, regulating their breathing.
On the floor between them sat a basin filled with water as black as ink. The nauseating smell was wafting directly from that water.
Both of them looked rather pale, which clearly confirmed what
Madam Li immediately felt a surge of gratitude toward the two.
Though she knew nothing of martial arts, she had been around long enough to understand that disturbing them at this moment would be a serious breach of etiquette. So she quickly slowed her footsteps and tiptoed to the bedside, gazing at the person lying there.
Elder Li was sleeping peacefully. The expression of pain that had been etched between his brows was now completely gone. Though his complexion still had a slight sallow tinge, the black miasma had vanished entirely, and the poisonous spots on his body had faded to faint marks like water stains—almost invisible.
It seemed the poison had been fully neutralized. Madam Li could not hold back her tears of joy.
After a long while, she wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and then remembered that she should go back and thank Han Li properly. She slipped away quietly and walked back to the living room. But the moment she stepped outside the door, she was immediately surrounded by a crowd, all clamoring with questions at once. Han Li, however, was nowhere among them.
Surprised, she hurriedly asked Ma Rong and the others about it.
Only after hearing their reply did Madam Li learn that Han Li had written out a nourishing prescription and then taken his leave, departing gracefully without staying even a moment longer.
Madam Li fell silent for a long time after hearing this, but she had already made up her mind—as soon as Elder Li's health was fully restored, the couple would personally visit to offer a generous reward in thanks for saving his life.
What Madam Li did not notice was that in addition to that Doctor Han, another person had also disappeared from the room—the one who never left Zhang Xiuer's side,
On a secluded path beside a lush, sprawling tree, Han Li—who had just left Elder Li's house—was lying on the grass with his hands folded behind his head, idly counting the green leaves on a branch overhead.
When he had counted close to a thousand, a dark shadow plummeted from the sky, pouncing toward him like a hawk seizing a chick. The attack was fierce and aggressive, as if the attacker bore some deep, bitter grudge.
"Hey! Knock it off! Every time we meet, you always have to resort to physical violence. I'm not Zhang Xiuer, you know!"
The moment Han Li said this, the black shadow twisted nimbly in midair and landed gracefully right beside him with an elegant poise. It was none other than Li Feiyu, who had followed close on his heels.
"Han Li, with that dark, gloomy face of yours, how dare you compare yourself to Miss Zhang Xiuer? That's practically an insult to her!"
Li Feiyu gave him no sympathy. She lightly lifted the tip of her right foot and delivered a playful kick to Han Li's backside as a little punishment.
Han Li rolled his eyes, then sprang to his feet with a carp flip.
"Looks like our great senior brother Li has decided that romance matters more than friendship. What a terrible judge of character I've been!"