"Dear Sister…"
As soon as Xiao Baichuan entered the room, he called out urgently and hurried to Shan Mei's side with long, swift strides.
"Sister, you're going to recover. The master has found a way to heal you. I'm so happy, sister… I'm so happy! Hahaha…"
As soon as he reached her side, he grasped Shan Mei's hand, shaking it with joy and bursting into laughter with overwhelming relief.
Although Shan Mei didn't quite understand what he meant right away due to how overjoyed he looked, his happiness was contagious. She began to feel the joy swell within her as well. Then, as his words sank in, her chest tightened with emotion. Overcome by happiness, tears began to flow from her eyes.
"Really... Is that true, my brother?"
"Yes, it's true. The master just told me. He knows how to cure you now."
"Then… I really will get better. And… our baby... he'll…"
The couple couldn't continue speaking. They held each other's hands tightly and smiled through their tears.
Just then—
Knock knock knock!
A knock echoed at the door, and the Dao Master entered with a stack of papers in hand. He carefully laid the documents out on the table, then took a seat and asked Shan Mei,
"How are you feeling?"
Shan Mei shared her condition with him.
"I'm feeling a lot better, Grandmaster. I had a really good sleep last night, and I feel both mentally and physically refreshed today. And…"
She trailed off and glanced at Xiao Baichuan's face.
Dao Master noticed her expression and nodded.
"Yes, that's right. I've found the method to heal you. So stay calm. Don't lose hope. Overcoming illness doesn't just rely on the doctor or the medicine — it also depends heavily on the patient's physical and mental strength. No matter how skilled the doctor or how potent the medicine, if the patient's body or spirit is weak, the healing will not be easy. So, for a swift recovery, you must stay strong mentally. Tell yourself you will get better — believe it. Understood?"
Listening to his words, Shan Mei felt her willpower grow stronger.
"Yes, Grandmaster. I won't lose hope. I've never given up — even when previous treatments and medicines didn't work, I never lost faith. I kept telling myself, 'If this master can't cure me, maybe the next one can. If this medicine fails, the next might help.' That's how I kept going. And... I was terrified of dying like this, Grandmaster. I was scared of leaving my brother, who loves and cares for me so much, with only sorrow. That's why I never gave up, Grandmaster."
"Mmm… That's good. It's because of that inner strength that you've made it this far. If your spirit had given in, you wouldn't be doing this well now. Alright then—let's begin the treatment."
"Yes, Grandmaster," they both responded at once.
"Xiao Baichuan, first light both stoves. On the big one, we'll boil water. On the small one, we'll prepare the medicine. Fill the bathing barrel halfway with water as well."
As Dao Master instructed Xiao Baichuan, he himself examined the papers and started checking through the bundles of medicinal herbs, quickly getting absorbed in his work.
Xiao Baichuan lit both stoves as instructed. On the larger stove, he set a pot of water to boil. He filled the wooden bathing barrel halfway with water and prepared the small stove for brewing the medicine.
Meanwhile, Dao Master selected different herbs from the medicine bundles and placed them in a clay pot. He set the pot on the small stove and gently adjusted the fire beneath it.
Before long, a thick medicinal aroma filled the air.
After monitoring the mixture's consistency, Dao Master added almost a full ladle of boiling water from the other pot into the herbal concoction. He then maintained the heat at a steady level to let the mixture simmer slowly.
"Xiao Baichuan, pour hot water into the bathing barrel and blend it to the right warmth. Make it quite hot."
Xiao Baichuan followed the instructions and adjusted the water.
"The water is ready, Grandmaster."
"Good. Now take the herbal mixture and pour it into the bathing barrel."
Xiao Baichuan, holding the steaming pot of fragrant medicine, carefully poured it into the warm bathwater.
"Stir it gently."
Dao Master gave instructions while pulling out two crystal pills from his worn robe. He took one in each hand and walked over to Shan Mei.
"Alright, take these two pills."
Shan Mei swallowed the pills. Moments later, a warm sensation spread through her chest, and she lost consciousness.
"Xiao Baichuan, carry Shan Mei into the bathing barrel. Place her in the posture used for Xiao clan's internal energy cultivation. Help her sit properly and press her feet together."
Following Dao Master's orders, Xiao Baichuan carried his wife to the barrel and carefully seated her in a meditative pose, arranging her body and placing her feet together.
"Alright. That should do."
Though Xiao Baichuan obediently followed the master's instructions, he couldn't quite understand what was happening. His face showed confusion.
"I'll explain in detail later. For now, sit here."
Dao Master instructed Xiao Baichuan to sit near the bathing area, directly across from Shan Mei, and face her.
"Place both your palms firmly against hers. Keep them tightly pressed together."
Xiao Baichuan obediently did as instructed, without hesitation.
"Good. Now, begin channeling your internal energy according to the Xiao family's internal cultivation method. Gather it at your core, and then let it spread throughout your entire body. Maintain that state for a while. Understand?"
"Yes, Grandmaster."
"Alright. Shan Mei's cold energy will begin transferring to you through the contact of your palms. Let it flow naturally. Don't pull it in, don't resist it, and don't push it away. Just allow the connection. This part is crucial. Begin when you're ready."
At the end of Dao Master's solemn instructions, Xiao Baichuan began to gather his internal energy at his core as per the traditional Xiao family method. Then, he slowly allowed the surging energy to expand through his entire body.
Before long, a cool sensation began seeping from Shan Mei's palms into his own. The chill continued flowing into him, mingling with his own internal energy.
This merging of energies produced a light, refreshing sensation that felt more harmonious than ever before. As per Dao Master's advice, he didn't force or resist the flow—he simply allowed the energies to mingle.
Dao Master remained nearby, attentively monitoring the state of Shan Mei and Xiao Baichuan.
Time passed steadily.
Shan Mei had fallen into a peaceful, unconscious stillness, while Xiao Baichuan quietly continued his internal energy circulation. Dao Master kept a watchful eye on both of them, not blinking once.
The room was filled with soft fumes—healing vapors, steam, and incense swirled gently through the air.
Outwardly, Dao Master appeared calm and unmoved. But inside, his heart was far from still. He was deeply anxious, treating a mysterious condition he had never encountered before.
Some time passed. It was time to stop.
Xiao Baichuan gathered the internal energy that had spread through his body and drew it back into his core, halting the cultivation session.
"Hoo…"
He gently opened his eyes and looked toward Shan Mei.
Her face was flushed with color and looked visibly healthier.
"The treatment worked."
Xiao Baichuan was overwhelmed with relief and joy.
He stood slowly and respectfully bowed to Dao Master, feeling immense gratitude.
"Grandmaster…"
Dao Master raised a hand, signaling that he would speak later.
"Take your wife out of the bath and change her clothes. Warm her up and let her rest. After that, come to my room. That's enough treatment for today."
With that, Dao Master left the room.
Xiao Baichuan followed the instructions carefully. He gently lifted Shan Mei out of the bath, removed her soaked garments, dried her completely, and dressed her in fresh clothes. Then, he laid her down on the bed and tucked her in with a blanket.
Shan Mei, completely unaware of what was happening, remained in a doll-like unconscious state. Just as he finished covering her, she stirred.
"Oh… I remember now…"
But she didn't open her eyes. Breathing softly, she drifted back to sleep.
Xiao Baichuan gazed quietly at her blushing face, and his heart softened. Looking at his once-fragile, pure, and beloved wife, he felt a wave of deep compassion. He recalled the many days she had endured suffering.
Fearing she might lose hope, he had always avoided looking at her with pity. Fearing she might give up, he had invested his full hope and resources into countless healers and remedies. He had never counted the cost. Over the past six months, the Xiao household had rapidly declined, but to him, nothing was more important than saving his wife's life.
Fortunately, he had made the right choice. Not only had his unrelenting efforts saved Shan Mei's life, but also the life of the child within her—something he hadn't even known about before.
To see his beloved wife healing again—he silently thanked the heavens. He offered his gratitude to his ancestors, but also felt guilt that his failures had weakened the Xiao household.
'Sleep well, my love. As long as you're healthy, our baby will be fine too. I may never achieve anything great like our ancestors did, but I'll protect you and our child with all I have. So please, recover quickly…'
As he whispered those thoughts, he gently caressed her rosy cheek, then softly kissed her once and left the room.
When he arrived at Dao Master's quarters, the old man was sitting calmly at the table, sipping a cup of hot water.
Xiao Baichuan respectfully bowed and sat down on a stool across from him, quietly waiting for his master to speak.
"I won't give a long-winded explanation," Dao Master began. "I'll just tell you the heart of it."
"Yes, Grandmaster."
"You already know Shan Mei's suffering was caused by the cold energy coming from the child within her. Now, as to why the child carries such an intense cold energy—there are three reasons."
Dao Master paused to take another sip of hot water.
Xiao Baichuan focused intently, listening with his full attention.
"The first point is about Shan Mei's body. You and she have been married for quite a while, yet you've never had children. That's due to her physical condition. From what I've observed, her congenital body constitution belongs to the cold-natured type. Such bodies make it extremely difficult to conceive. If I go on about unique constitutions and medical theories, you might get confused. Just remember—Shan Mei has an unusually cold-natured body. That's the first point."
"Yes, Grandmaster."
"The second point concerns you. While your body isn't cold-natured like hers, your internal strength has grown significantly over the years. This is due to your training in the Xiao clan's internal techniques. Although this Xiao-style internal cultivation isn't inherently cold in nature, you haven't trained enough to fully regulate and circulate your internal energy. You've only reached the mid-level of collecting energy into your core. You've been stuck at this stage for years, never progressing to the level where your internal energy can freely flow. In other words, you haven't moved beyond the middle tier to the advanced stages. And while you remained stagnant at this intermediate stage for years, you attempted to conceive a child, which ended up reinforcing Shan Mei's cold constitution instead. Her already cold-natured body became even more strengthened in that state."
Dao Master took a sip of his remaining tea, then handed the cup to Xiao Baichuan, who refilled it with warm water.
"Because of this condition between the two of you, conceiving a child became even harder. And yet, against all odds, you did have a child. This is quite an extraordinary occurrence. With both parents possessing strong cold energies, conception is nearly impossible. And yet, you and Shan Mei conceived a child in such a rare situation. However, a child conceived under these circumstances would not be easily birthed. That's why Shan Mei is experiencing such a strange and severe condition. Only by researching the inner strength methods of your Xiao family did we come to understand the true cause behind her mysterious illness."
Dao Master sipped his tea again and continued.
"As for how to treat it—at first glance, one might think to counteract the cold with warmth. That's the obvious answer. But since Shan Mei is pregnant, we must treat her without harming either the mother or the child. If we use regular warming medicines, her condition might ease, but the baby might be harmed. Why? Because her cold-natured body would resist the external warmth from the medicine, leading to a clash between cold and heat inside her. That conflict could seriously endanger the baby. The baby is in a fragile state, unable to withstand the force of such an internal battle. Therefore, we needed to find a way to prevent that clash from happening. We had to create an outlet for the cold to escape instead of fighting the heat head-on. And for that outlet… we used you."
Though Xiao Baichuan still didn't fully understand, he kept listening closely.
"When the medicinal warmth entered Shan Mei's body, we needed her cold energy to flow out of her body—specifically, through her palms and into you. That's why I had Shan Mei assume a meditative position conducive to internal cultivation, and had you cultivate as well."
"Yes, Grandmaster. I think I'm beginning to understand."
"Mm… even so, there was another crucial point to consider. Shan Mei's cold energy might draw strength from your own and completely suppress the incoming warmth. To prevent that, we had to ensure her mind remained unaware of what was happening. That's why I gave her a sedative."
Xiao Baichuan slowly began to grasp the situation.
Dao Master went on.
"Finally, the last thing I told you was: 'When the cold enters you, don't resist, don't push it away, and don't pull it toward you.' If you had resisted, her cold energy would have had no way to escape. That would've led to internal conflict between heat and cold inside her, harming the baby. That's why I said, 'Don't resist.'"
"I understand now, Grandmaster."
"Good. As for why I said 'Don't push it away,' it's because your internal energy had long stagnated at the intermediate stage. If you felt the incoming cold and pushed it out, your energy—built up over years—might suddenly break through to the next level due to the external stimulation. Think of it like a pot of water filled to the brim—tap it slightly, and it could spill or even shatter. If your internal energy suddenly advanced because of the external cold energy, it might surge back into Shan Mei's body. That would immediately cancel out the medicinal warmth and make her cold constitution even stronger. In that case, both mother and child would be in grave danger. That's why I told you not to push it out either."
Only now did Xiao Baichuan fully realize the immense danger he had unknowingly faced. A single misstep, and the consequences could have been catastrophic.
"All this, and you didn't tell me beforehand, Grandmaster? I don't even dare imagine what could've gone wrong…"
"If I had told you everything in advance, would you have remained this calm and focused? If you had been afraid of making a mistake, you wouldn't have been able to stay steady. You wouldn't have succeeded. That's why I didn't tell you."
"Huu…"
All Xiao Baichuan could do now was let out a deep breath.
"Just earlier, did you notice the cold energy flowing into you from Shan Mei? Since she has become your wife, her cold energy harmonizes with your internal refreshing energy instead of clashing with it."
"Yes, Grandmaster. The cold energy that came from Shan Mei merged with my internal energy and even made me feel more comfortable than before."
"That flow came from outside, but since it could blend smoothly with your internal energy, the circulation must have gone smoothly. Within that, there lies the natural principle of internal energy flow. If you focus back on that and try to understand how internal force flows, you might be able to push and activate the blocked middle-tier of your internal energy. That could help you advance."
"Yes, Grandmaster. I'll give it a try."
Having spoken at length, Dao Master felt his throat dry and drank an entire cup of warm water before continuing:
"This treatment isn't only about medicine—it also involves internal energy techniques. Shan Mei doesn't know martial arts or energy manipulation, so I had to give her two pills. One was to awaken internal force, and the other was a temporary sedative to dull her awareness. Only by making her unaware could the cold energy inside her flow out unblocked. If she had internal cultivation knowledge, she could've expelled the cold energy herself, and we wouldn't have needed to dull her senses. The force-awakening pill helped convert her cold energy into a form of internal energy that could be easily transferred to you. That's all. So, do you understand?"
Dao Master asked Xiao Baichuan, who had been listening with full attention.
"Yes, Grandmaster. I understand. Shan Mei is still asleep, but she's doing much better now."
Dao Master nodded slightly as he listened to Xiao Baichuan's words, clearly pleased that his treatment plan had worked.
"Xiao Baichuan... Let's take another look at the ancestral record. I remember seeing a method in there that could help with Shan Mei's condition. I want to review it carefully."
"Yes, Grandmaster. Here it is."
Xiao Baichuan took out the black jade box again and handed the ancestral scroll to Dao Master.
Dao Master eagerly received it and began studying it intently.
After some time, he stopped reading and returned the scroll to Xiao Baichuan.
"Hey, Xiao Baichuan. It's getting late, almost lunchtime. I think I've strained my focus a bit too much—starting to feel kind of hungry. Haha..."
"Ah... Yes. I'm sorry. I was so engrossed in everything you were explaining that I didn't even notice the time. I was also relieved to see Shan Mei improving, so I didn't feel hungry. But now that you mention it, I'm starting to feel it too. Let's head to the dining hall for lunch."
"Yeah, let's go together."
Xiao Baichuan and Dao Master left the room together.
From afar, a pair of eyes quietly watched them as they departed.
End of Chapter