Chapter 8
After circulating my inner energy through the Cloud Sect Realm Heart Method, I used a dagger to carve a deep wound into my arm.
Drip. Drip.
Blood fell to the floor.
I collected it in an earthen bowl and mixed in an appropriate amount of water.
As the liquid cleared, a faint, luminous sheen surfaced.
I thought so, since inner energy has already accumulated in my dantian… Thankfully, it’s the same as when I was the Blood-Yin Witch.
After pouring an elixir into my dying sister’s mouth in my previous life, I underwent a dramatic change.
Not only did I escape death, but my once-pitiful inner energy increased to an overwhelming degree. Moreover, my blood itself gained miraculous properties, almost like a spiritual medicine.
Because of a special component in my blood, even minor wounds healed rapidly.
Just like now—the gash on my arm was already closing at a visible pace.
Thanks to that, I was able to endure brutal training and steadily build my strength.
Obtaining that elixir—the Life-Saving Pill—had truly been a stroke of fate.
It had happened nearly a year after I became an escort in my previous life.
While searching for medicine for Euna, I visited a renowned herbalist in a remote mountain village in Anhui Province.
“There is no medicine here that can cure Nine-Yin Severed Meridians.”
The elderly physician, his white hair wreathed in the scent of herbs, slowly shook his head.
“Even if you were to obtain an extreme yang elixir, she wouldn’t be able to absorb it.”
The words struck like a bolt from the heavens.
“For now, brew these herbs for her and let her bask in sunlight. They won’t replenish the yang energy she needs, but they will help stabilize her body.”
The old physician handed me the herbs I needed immediately.
“If she takes these regularly, will my sister recover?”
“No. But who knows? Life is long—perhaps one day you might obtain the inner core of a spiritual beast. If that day comes, taking this regularly beforehand will surely help.”
At the mention of a spiritual beast’s inner core, my heart grew heavy.
My parents had gone to Suzhou searching for such a thing—and met with disaster.
With a troubled heart, I paid a gold coin for the herbs.
“Before you go, take that antidote over there as well.”
Without even turning around, the old man pointed toward a white bundle near the entrance.
“…?”
“A yellow-bellied viper sometimes appears around here. Its venom is so potent that ordinary antidotes won’t work.”
Almost absentmindedly, I took it and stepped outside.
About an hour later, as I rode on horseback, I heard a woman’s scream.
“Aso!”
A woman was clutching a child and wailing. The boy looked about Euna’s age.
“Aso, wake up!”
The boy—called Aso—had rolled his eyes back, foam bubbling from his mouth.
I hurriedly scanned the area and spotted a yellow snake slithering into the undergrowth. There was no doubt—he had been bitten.
I sealed the boy’s meridians to slow the circulation, cut into the wound to draw out the poison, and fed him the antidote pill I’d received.
Moments later, color visibly returned to the boy’s face.
Had I failed to act properly, he wouldn’t have lasted even a quarter-hour.
When the woman saw that her son was safe, her legs gave out and she collapsed.
I carried the boy to their home.
The thatched cottage on the mountainside was shabby, yet clearly well cared for.
After laying the boy on the bed and covering him with a blanket, the woman bowed to me.
“Thank you for saving my son.”
She offered me a small bundle. Inside was a stone resembling amber.
“This is a secret elixir passed down in my family—the Life-Saving Pill. You saved my son, so please accept this as a token of gratitude.”
“…If it’s such an elixir, you should give it to your son.”
Hearing that it was a treasured heirloom, I tried to decline carefully. But she shook her head and insisted.
“My son is alive now, and this is better suited for someone trained in martial arts.”
It was a puzzling statement. Despite its name, did it enhance inner energy?
“Only take it in a moment of true danger. It will save you from death.”
Urged on, I accepted the Life-Saving Pill.
Part of me thought it might help Euna.
It wasn’t a proven medicine, so giving it to her recklessly was risky—but if it came to a life-or-death situation, it was worth trying.
With that in mind, I entrusted it to Euna, telling her to use it in a dire moment.
But when that moment came, Euna—too weak to even move a finger—placed the pill into my mouth instead.
Just as the woman said, the Life-Saving Pill not only saved me from death, but granted me extraordinary abilities.
What if Euna had taken it instead?
My chest ached once more, but I soon steadied myself.
That was the past. And now, Euna was alive.
If my blood could help her, that alone was enough.
Euna’s body is too weak. If she drinks it raw, she could suffer internal injury.
I stepped outside and called for Hong-a.
“Go to the medical pavilion and bring back angelica root and cnidium.”
“You’re going to brew medicine for Miss Euna yourself?”
“She must have been badly shaken today. I should take care of her. Mother’s no longer here, after all…”
“Miss…”
Hong-a looked at me with admiration, wiping at her eyes, then hurried off to the medical pavilion.
I personally brewed my blood together with angelica and cnidium—neutralizing herbs mixed in.
The resulting decoction took on a pale brown hue.
Carrying it carefully, I entered Euna’s quarters.
She was sitting up in bed.
“Sister…”
Her sleepy eyes searched for me.
“Where did you go?”
“I went to see Grandfather for a bit.”
Her cheeks were flushed, as if she’d been worried about me the whole time.
“Did Grandpa scold you a lot?”
She asked with wide eyes.
“Why would he scold me?”
“Because Grandpa doesn’t like you and me…”
Euna also seemed to believe that Grandfather disliked us.
“…I wasn’t scolded. He doesn’t dislike us—he’s just not used to us yet.”
As I stroked her hair, I checked her condition.
“Is that different?”
“Of course. Grandpa will definitely come to like you too, Euna.”
Euna smiled brightly.
When I placed my hand on her forehead, it felt warm. Her hands and feet, however, were cold—her energy wasn’t circulating properly.
“I didn’t hurt at all when you hugged me.”
Leaning against me, Euna’s breathing was faint.
A child who was always sick, yet always insisted she was fine—it broke my heart.
“Still, let’s be careful. If you get sick, you won’t be able to say goodbye to Mother and Father.”
Looking up at me, Euna spoke in a choked voice.
“I want… to greet Mother and Father together with you.”
Her clear eyes reminded me so much of Father’s—upright and full of chivalry.
“If you drink the medicine your sister gives you properly, I’ll allow it.”
“I’ll drink it right away.”
Her voice carried firm resolve—she would drink any medicine.
“Here.”
Euna took the bowl and drank it down in one go without complaint.
“Bitter.”
She stuck out her tongue, frowning.
“Still, don’t eat sweets or fruit right away. You can drink water.”
“Okay.”
She took the cup I offered, but even after drinking, she wrinkled her brows, the bitterness lingering.
“Once you sleep and wake up, your body will feel a bit lighter.”
“Mmm. Sister… will you stay next to me until I fall asleep?”
Lying obediently in bed, Euna asked with half-lidded eyes. Her rosy cheeks, round forehead, and drowsy gaze were unbearably sweet.
“Yes.”
I kissed her forehead.
When I held her hand, she relaxed at once.
Soon, I heard her soft breathing.
A trace of moisture gathered at the corner of her sleeping eyes. Perhaps she was dreaming of our parents.
After gently soothing her and wiping away the tears, I checked her wrist to confirm the medicine’s effect.
A small amount of the lacking yang energy was beginning to circulate.
Once the medicine fully took hold, the headaches, fatigue, and numbness she’d endured would ease, at least a little.
At this rate, brewing it once every seven days should suffice.
As her condition gradually improved, I planned to shorten the intervals—or increase the concentration of the raw essence.
Even if I couldn’t cure her completely, I could keep her alive past the age of twenty.
Euna.
I fixed my gaze on her sleeping face.
I will save you. No matter what.
I gently brushed her cheek and made the vow in my heart.
So this time, let’s send Mother and Father off properly—together. With no regrets. This time, for sure…
I squeezed Euna’s hand tightly, as if sealing my resolve.
At that moment, Hong-a approached quietly and whispered,
“Miss, Madam Jo and Madam Yong are waiting in the reception hall. It seems they intend to take charge of the funeral themselves.”
