"Alchemist Bai, how is my son's condition?"
Seeing Bai Shengyi's examination pause, the Sun family head immediately stepped forward and asked. His gaze was eager and urgent, hoping to hear good news from Bai Shengyi, as this son was the one he expected to inherit his legacy!
Bai Shengyi said calmly, "Family Head Sun, I can see you've used many precious items to keep your son alive. But as I said at the Pill Doubling Competition, Mei Shuying's pill has too severe after-effects. I can only save your son's life, but beyond that, I am powerless."
As soon as Bai Shengyi finished speaking, the Sun family head started to cause trouble. With Qianying and Venerable Qinglan standing nearby, he dared not make too much noise. However, he had no such qualms about applying pressure to Bai Shengyi in a low voice.
"How can you be powerless? Did you not try your best at all?" the Sun family head said rapidly. "Or are you worried my Sun family cannot afford your fee? Alchemist Bai, I beg you, as long as you can allow my son to cultivate, we can discuss the price!"
Bai Shengyi frowned unpleasantly. This person was begging her, yet his words showed no semblance of humility.
Seeing Bai Shengyi remain silent, the Sun family head's voice rose, "Alchemist Bai! You cannot stand by and watch him die! Ming'er is only four years old. If he dies, you will surely encounter inner demons in your future cultivation!"
"Family Head Sun is mistaken. Even if your son dies, to me, he is merely a stranger who has lost his life. On the contrary, you, Family Head Sun, who caused your son's current predicament, should be the one plagued by inner demons." Bai Shengyi sneered, her face growing completely cold.
She said to the cultivator who had brought the Sun family head in earlier, "Elder Li, I see Family Head Sun is not sincerely here for treatment. Please send him away."
"What's going on?" Qianying asked as she walked over. Without hearing the explanations from the Sun family head and Elder Li, she snorted, "Treat him if you want, don't if you don't. Don't waste my junior sister's time!"
Elder Li wiped sweat from his brow repeatedly. "Yes, yes, it is my incompetence." Saying this, he turned to the Sun family head and said, "Family Head Sun, please return!"
The Sun family head suddenly calmed down. During this period, just to keep his son alive, he had visited countless alchemists and medicinal practitioners. Besides Qianying of Qianxiao Peak, he had even shamelessly visited Feng Xun Guang, but all had shaken their heads.
"It was my fault. I shouldn't have spoken carelessly just now! Alchemist Bai, please give me another chance and save Ming'er!" The Sun family head lowered his head and said again.
Just then, the child on the bed, who had been in a deep sleep, let out a weak cry and writhed in pain. Elder Li and Sun Ling hurriedly held him steady. Sun Ling had been pretending not to be familiar with Bai Shengyi, so she hadn't said a word, only guarding the child.
To say she had great affection for the child would be a lie, as they were not born of the same mother, and she also competed for her eldest sister's inheritance. Thus, her attitude was very neutral, and she even had the mood to remind the Sun family head.
"Father, your demeanor just now might have frightened Alchemist Bai."
"I swear, I make a Dao oath," the Sun family head suddenly understood. "Regardless of whether my son can cultivate in the future, I will not trouble Alchemist Bai."
Watching the Sun family head quickly make his oath, Qianying said, "That's more like it."
Bai Shengyi also nodded and stepped forward to treat the child. "The fee is three thousand high-grade spirit stones. Please prepare them. No credit."
"Ah?" The Sun family head was stunned, not having reacted.
"Father, what are you still愣着 (lèng zhe - being stunned/dazed) for? Alchemist Bai is saving younger brother's life. Isn't younger brother's life worth three thousand high-grade spirit stones?" Sun Ling asked knowingly. If it were a boy with a bright future who could cultivate, in the eyes of the Sun family head, even thirty thousand high-grade spirit stones would be worth it! But the problem was, even if Sun Ming survived, he wouldn't be able to cultivate!
The Sun family head's heart ached. "This, this..." He did not give a definite answer, wanting to haggle with Bai Shengyi after she finished the treatment. Sun Ling, who could see through his intentions, sneered inwardly and directly bypassed the Sun family head to instruct the servants who had followed them, "Go prepare the payment. Father likes younger brother so much, he'll surely be willing to spend this money."
After speaking, she glanced at Sun Ming on the bed, who understood nothing, and shook her head. Before, seeing Sun Ming doted on by their father, getting whatever he wanted, they were envious of the child's good fortune to be born into a good family. Now, it seemed, it would have been better to be born into an ordinary family.
Because of the intense battle just now, the Shifang You Fire of Chujin Ziling could not be used. Bai Shengyi found the chaotic situation within Sun Ming's body somewhat tricky. Fortunately, her spiritual power was constantly recovering, and her healing techniques were not neglected. Therefore, she chose to combine healing techniques with traditional Chinese acupuncture.
To avoid being disturbed by those around her, Bai Shengyi asked Elder Li to escort all irrelevant people out, and those who remained were not to make any noise to disturb her. Even so, seeing a slender needle inserted into his son's head, the Sun family head almost attacked Bai Shengyi!
"What are you doing!" Qianying lowered her voice and directly restrained the Sun family head from behind, suppressing him to the side. She said angrily, "If I hadn't been quick, you would have killed junior sister, wouldn't you?"
"Venerable, you misunderstand. I just thought Alchemist Bai was trying to harm my son," the Sun family head retorted, his gaze flickering.
Hearing this, Qianying became even more incensed, but fearing she would disturb Bai Shengyi, she suppressed her anger. Although Bai Shengyi was concentrating on removing the pill poison from Sun Ming's body, her old habits made her still allocate a wisp of her consciousness to pay attention to the movements around her. Hearing the Sun family head's words, she deepened her gaze, but her hand movements were not affected. No matter what, when she began to save someone, she was a healer and responsible for the patient.
Time passed quickly. Two hours later. Purple-black pus and blood dripped from Sun Ming's hand onto the ground.
"Drip!" The hard jade slab of the hall was instantly corroded with a large hole. At the same time, pure wood element spiritual energy surged from Bai Shengyi's hand into Sun Ming's body, repairing his torn spleen, liver, and other organs along with her spiritual power. Sun Ming's pained expression gradually disappeared, replaced by a peaceful and serene sleeping face, like a little angel.
Bai Shengyi finished removing the needles and stood up, saying, "It's done."
"Ming'er!" The Sun family head, having just been released by Qianying, rushed to the child's side.
Bai Shengyi glanced at him calmly and instructed, "For the next half month, Sun Ming's diet should be light. Oh, I mean, don't give him辟谷丹 (bì gǔ dān - grain-avoidance pills). He should eat regular food and dishes like ordinary people." Many noble families, to ensure the purity of the next generation's spiritual roots, would give their children辟谷丹 from a young age, believing that mortal food contained impurities that would make the spiritual roots impure.
"Okay, thank you, Alchemist Bai!" Seeing that the Sun family head was not paying attention to Bai Shengyi at all, Sun Ling stepped forward.
Bai Shengyi nodded. "The treatment fee is three thousand high-grade spirit stones. As for the mental distress fee for the attack by Family Head Sun earlier, considering we are from the same academy, it's one thousand high-grade spirit stones. Please provide them to me now." She had saved the person, but she also remembered the Sun family head's animosity.
"What? Four thousand high-grade spirit stones? Why doesn't she just..."
When the Sun family head heard Sun Ling instructing the servants to get more money and understood the reason, he immediately wanted to make a fuss. However, before the word "grab" could leave his mouth, he heard Qianying's cold voice and immediately dared not act rashly.
"What, does Family Head Sun intend to go back on his word?"
Bai Shengyi was a bit tired. She yawned and said impatiently, "If you don't want to pay, that's fine too. From now on, the Sun family will be blacklisted by me, Bai Shengyi. I will never take their cases again!"
"And not just from junior sister, but also from Qianxiao Peak," Qianying added immediately.