The elderly Ji matriarch rushed out of the house, brimming with excitement, followed closely by an equally thrilled Wang Dongxue.
"Second Son, tell me, is what you just said true? Can your elder brotherâs leg truly be healed?"
When Ji Youran didnât answer after a good while, the elderly Ji matriarch couldnât help but ask again.
Ji Youran gently nodded.
His heart was pounding with anxiety. Heâd actually had the idea for this medicinal formula ever since he acquired that carrot-sized ginseng root. He had only figured out the specific usage and dosage during his recent days in confinement. Strangely enough, just as heâd worked out the feasibility of the formula, his mother had graciously released him.
"Second Uncle, can your Big Brotherâs leg truly be saved?" Wang Dongxueâs voice trembled.
Ji Youran looked at Wang Dongxue and all his relatives staring at him expectantly, and the panic in his heart grew even more.
"Say something, Second Brother! You arenât just bluffing, are you? You havenât actually figured out any medicinal formula, have you?"
Ji Youran, who was very concerned about his reputation, was quite displeased by this.
"Who says I couldnât figure out a medicinal formula? I already have!" Ji Youran retorted, craning his neck at Zhu Xiuxiu.
Zhu Xiuxiuâs lips twitched. "If you figured it out, why didnât you say so earlier? I donât believe you! Who in our family doesnât hope Big Brother can stand up again? If you really managed to figure out a medicinal formula, with your reputation-conscious personality, wouldnât you have shouted it from the rooftops long ago?"
Provoked by Zhu Xiuxiu, Ji Youran raised his voice and roared, "I just figured out the medicinal formula, and I donât even know if itâll work yet! What the hell is there to shout about?! Besides, donât you all know what kind of fate I have? Deficient Nine! A Deficient Nine Fate! That ginseng is thousands of years old, nearly ten thousand years, and I only got one stalk! And Xiaosuisui took such a big bite out of it! I canât guarantee itâll be foolproof, so how could I just run my mouth off?"
After Ji Youranâs outburst, everyone was stunned speechless.
The Ji Familyâs courtyard fell into an eerie silence.
A ginseng root thousands of years old, a newly discovered medicinal formula, and Second Brotherâs Deficient Nine Fate... They somehow felt... this news was even more agonizing than no news at all.
ăNanyang Town, at the residence of Benefactor Xu.ă
A Nanjiang man, dressed in flamboyant, multicolored clothes and a white hat, sat in the hostâs seat. Below him sat a subservient middle-aged man from the Central Plains.
"Is everything arranged?" the man in the hat asked indifferently, his eyes closed.
"Yes! Itâs all taken care of. I just need to know when the Great Wizard will arrive, so I can go out to welcome him!" The middle-aged man spoke cautiously, stealing a glance at the man in the hostâs seat.
"Thereâs no hurry. The auspicious day hasnât arrived yet. When the auspicious day comes, the Great Wizard will naturally arrive."
"Yes! This lowly one understands."
"Have people watch the altar closely. Make sure no one discovers it. And that little girl with significant Qiâsheâs the main offering for the ritual. There must be no mistakes with her."
"Yes, rest assured. Iâve locked them in the cellar, and itâs heavily guarded everywhere. They wonât be discovered. The altar has also been set up in a very hidden location; people donât normally go there. Please donât worry."
The two continued speaking, completely unaware that a figure dressed in black was lying on the roof tiles directly above them, holding his breath and listening intently to their conversation.
When they finished speaking, the person quickly departed, their black attire melting into the night.
Returning to the inn where he was temporarily lodging, he hurriedly knocked on the door of Second Madamâs room.