Mei Lin’s Condition

As Elder Li examined Mei Lin's injuries, a gasp of shock filled the room. Catching Zhang Wei's eye, she sighed.

"Her injuries are…" Li Hua struggled to find the words. Despite Scarlet Shadow being their adversary, anger tinged her voice at the thought of whoever had inflicted such damage upon her. It was inhumane. Li Hua chided herself for feeling sympathy for the enemy.

Composing herself, she continued, "Her willpower must be incredibly strong. It's difficult to even explain how she is alive now," Li Hua shook her head. "These injuries are enough to kill a low-level cultivator, let alone someone who has lost her dantian." She sighed, looking at him "Frankly, if you ask me, it would be a mercy to kill her, considering the pain she must be in."

Zhang Wei shook his head firmly, his face set with determination. "Do whatever you can, Shimei. We need her alive and coherent."

"I can't do much," she declared. "Her meridians are shattered, her dantian completely destroyed. Her cultivation is irrecoverable. There's nothing in the world that could allow her to wield spiritual energy again." She paused, probing the wound on her abdomen, continuing, "Her physical state is critical—old and new wounds abound. This one on her abdomen…" She probed gently. "She's fortunate it missed vital organs.  All I can do is prolong her life by one day."

"No," Zhang Wei whispered, his gaze having a kind of helplessness that worried Li Hua. "There must be something."

"I'm sorry, Shixiong. This is the extent of my ability," Li Hua said as she worked to staunch the bleeding, watching her Shixiong pull at his hair in frustration. Zhang Wei's visible distress troubled her deeply; his reaction was unusually intense and unsettling.

Suddenly, Zhang Wei reached into his robe and pulled out a small, jade vial. Inside was a single spiritual pill, a precious commodity in this war torn Jianghu.

It was a Divine Restoration Pill, a rare and powerful elixir known for its extraordinary healing properties. It could rapidly mend physical wounds, regenerate damaged tissues, and restore vitality. When consumed, the pill released potent spiritual energy that accelerated the body's natural healing processes, making it particularly effective for severe injuries.

"How about now?" Zhang Wei asked.

"Shixiong, you can't be serious," Li Hua was astonished. Their sect possessed few of these pills even in its prime, reserved for esteemed members or dire emergencies. She, as the medical hall elder, had never handled one. Zhang Wei owning such a pill spoke volumes of his status—it was akin to a second life for a cultivator.

 "I am serious," Zhang Wei's eyes concealed a madness she hadn't ever seen before. "Tell me, Shimei. Will it help?"

Gathering herself, Li Hua replied objectively. "The pill has its limitations. It cannot repair broken meridians or restore a shattered dantian. Even if you feed it to her, she'll be a mortal for life. But…" Zhang Wei's eyes seemed to urge her, "Yes, it should do more than just help. While it may not completely heal her, it can stabilize her and heal major wounds. Given her condition, one pill might not be sufficient. I can't guarantee it, but it will probably get her out of death's door."

Zhang Wei smiled faintly. "That's good enough. Use it."

"Why squander such a valuable pill on her?" Li Hua wondered aloud, baffled by Zhang Wei's sudden insistence. 

To Li Hua, Zhang Wei's actions bordered on madness. How could her Shixiong, a man of reason and discipline, be so affected by this woman? The Scarlet Shadow, Mei Lin, was not just any adversary; she was a figure of terror and infamy, closely tied to the Black Moon Sect that had caused them so much pain. The very sight of her should evoke nothing but contempt and anger.

Li Hua admitted that she felt pity for Scarlet Shadow  after examining her, despite their twisted connection.. But mere pity was far from enough to justify using such a precious resource on a sworn enemy. It was a life-saving pill that was an absolute trump card.

"Yes," Zhang Wei replied firmly. "It's crucial to keep her alive. She holds information that could change the course of this war."

She stared at him in disbelief. "This pill is probably the last of its kind in the sect, Wei Shixiong."

"I know. Please use it."

Li Hua sighed, her expression torn between duty and loss. "If you insist on wasting the pill, I won't stop you." After all, it was Zhang Wei's personal property in the end. However he used it, it was his business. But Li Hua couldn't shake the feeling that grew with time that there was more to this than mere strategy or duty.

Setting aside her doubts, she explained, "It'll be very difficult. With her dantian shattered, she can't absorb the pill's energy herself. You'll need to infuse your spiritual energy and guide its absorption in her place. I'll guide you. Let's just hope for the best. It'll be a long process and success isn't assured." Zhang Wei nodded resolutely, ready to assist in any way necessary.

Carefully, Li Hua administered the pill to Scarlet Shadow, still not convinced it was worth it, hating how much of an extravagance it was to be used on an evil sect member. Zhang Wei placed his hands on Mei Lin's forehead, starting. It was, by far, the worst trial of his life.

Infusing energy into Mei Lin, in her current state, was an arduous process. Just a few minutes of such effort were enough to tire someone out. But Zhang Wei's stream of energy was steady and very gentle. His concentration was unshakeable. The room fell silent as they waited for any sign of improvement.

Finally, the pill began its work, slowly healing Mei Lin's worst injuries. Yet, much of its energy dissipated, unable to completely restore her like it was supposed to do, in spite of their best effort. There was a strange residue in her wounds, wreaking havoc on her meridians. Zhang Wei chose to dissipate it rather than heal the cuts outright.

Li Hua marveled at Zhang Wei's skill with spiritual energy, surpassing her expectations. Chen Jianyu, her husband, had told her a long time ago, that while Zhang Wei was not the most powerful person in the sect, his control over spiritual energy was unparalleled. And now she witnessed it firsthand.

The process had taken the better part of an hour. Exhausted, Li Hua sank to the floor, wiping her brow, unwilling to move. She watched Zhang Wei, who should be more exhausted than her since he had been providing the spiritual energy, showing no sign of stepping down from the cot, his gaze still affixed to that woman as if he were possessed.

"She's stable for now," Li Hua announced, eager to be done with Mei Lin. "Recovery will be slow. The energy lingering in her cuts was malignant; dispersing it was wise. Fully healing those wounds would have been futile. They would have just kept recurring. But those cuts, they are not healed completely. She still requires constant care."

Zhang Wei nodded firmly. "Thank you, Shimei. I'll stay with her until she awakens." Li Hua refrained from rolling her eyes. Considering his contribution in keeping her alive, it would be stranger if Zhang Wei let her out of his sight, or put her in someone else's care. 

Dismissing him, she added, "Her cultivation is still beyond saving. Perhaps that's the best for our sect. One less worry about her escaping or harming our disciples." Resting her head on her arm, she mused aloud,  "I heard from the disciples how she argued with our elders in that state. Just how stubborn is she to keep yapping her mouth while she was in this condition? She has no regard for her life, none at all. And here we are, wasting precious pills to keep her alive."

Zhang Wei couldn't stop himself from stroking Mei Lin's forehead, his tone a mix of admiration and frustration. "That stubbornness is probably why she is still alive, Shimei."

Li Hua regarded her Shixiong with a mix of disapproval and frustration over his obsession for this wild woman. Remembering who Scarlet Shadow was, her anger flared.

"Attend to her remaining wounds yourself," she ordered sharply. "I won't do it."

Zhang Wei didn't argue, only nodded as he finally climbed down the cot, gathering the supplies from her medical bag. Her Shixiong truly had no conscience, opening her bag and raiding it for the bitch of the evil sect without as much as asking his Shimei's permission.