Chapter 18: The Two Elders Could Stand Up Again

Ji Sang agreed to accept the jar of wine. Zhu Li Zheng was full of gratitude and toasted Ji Sang with three big bowls of wine.

As a deputy general, Ji Sang had an extraordinary tolerance for alcohol. After the three drank together, the other two quickly became drunk and collapsed, but Ji Sang remained calm, his expression unchanged, showing no sign of intoxication.

Since the afternoon was short, Su Fu didn’t go to the town. Later, Ji Sang drove the carriage to the shop himself, planning to come back early the next morning to pick up the mother and daughter.

At night, Su Wan stopped refining pills and began practicing the second technique, Emerald Shadows Swaying. For the past few days, to lay a solid foundation for the first technique, she had suppressed her cultivation to the third level of Qi Refinement, but now it was time to raise her cultivation level.

After setting up a spirit-gathering formation, she closed her eyes and began to cultivate.

Unbeknownst to her, the spiritual energy in the formation flowed silently like threads toward the inner room, eventually entering the body of the deeply sleeping Su Xinyao.

“Mm, so warm,” Su Xinyao murmured as a comfortable, pleasant energy filled her body.

An hour later, Su Wan successfully advanced to the fourth level of Qi Refinement, feeling a surge of joy in her heart. She then started practicing Emerald Shadows Swaying.

Her spiritual breath circulated slowly, and a faint layer of emerald glow gradually appeared around her. At first, the glow was weak like flickering fireflies, unstable and dim. But as she delved deeper into the technique, the emerald light became clearer, as if real leaves were swaying gracefully beside her.

The most obvious change was the phantom vine around her wrist, which sprouted tender green leaves with fine sharp thorns along the edges.

It emitted a faint green light, even tinting the surrounding space with a fresh green hue.

Full of vitality and spirit.

Su Wan opened her eyes, feeling the powerful changes within her spiritual energy, her heart surging with excitement.

A cold smirk curled at her lips as she thought: Ning Yumo, don’t die prematurely. Wait well for me. Wait for your own daughter to come hunt you down.

“Cut the grass and the roots remain; the spring wind blows again.”

Just as Su Wan was about to dismantle the formation, she suddenly noticed a trace of spiritual energy continuously being drawn away. Following the trail of the energy, she was shocked to see all the spiritual energy being absorbed by the sleeping Su Xinyao.

Su Wan was stunned for a moment, then quickly went forward and placed her hand on Su Xinyao’s wrist.

After a long moment, she withdrew her hand.

Her cultivation was still too weak to probe the changes inside Su Xinyao’s body. However, she could feel that the absorbed spiritual energy was autonomously being stored in Su Xinyao’s dantian (energy center).

What changes might come later, she did not yet know.

Fearing that Su Xinyao might absorb too much energy and become unwell, Su Wan withdrew the formation.

At the end, she separately fed the pills she refined last night to those who were sleeping. Finally, she gave two black leg-healing pills to the two elders.

Only then did everyone feel at ease enough to lie down, until dawn, when a sudden shout woke them up.
 “Mingshan! Mingshan!” It was the call from the old man in the inner room.

Su Wan quickly got out of bed and hurried inside with Su Fu and Xia Xian.

When they saw Old Master Su standing up, holding onto the bedpost, all three were both surprised and overjoyed.
 “Father, you—you’re standing?” Su Fu exclaimed, unable to close her mouth in shock.

Old Master Su laughed heartily.
 “Yes, I didn’t expect it either. Yesterday I felt some sensation returning to my legs but was afraid to tell you all and raise your hopes in vain. But today I managed to stand.”

As he spoke, his eyes grew slightly moist.

After the initial shock, Su Fu and Xia Xian were moved to tears of happiness. Su Fu said,
 “Doctor Gong’s medicine really is extraordinary. Just a few days of taking it, and you can stand already.”

“Exactly, truly a divine healer. Before, he humbly said recovery was unlikely, but in just a few days, a miracle has happened.”

“Mother, you should come down and see if you can stand too,” Xia Xian said eagerly to the old lady on the bed.

The old lady tried to shift toward the bed edge. Old Master Su, having just stood, was a bit weak and sat back down.

The two women hurried to help the old lady, and to everyone’s delight, she was also able to stand.

This was truly wonderful news.

The old lady said, “Yesterday I also felt some sensation in my legs but didn’t dare hope. I was afraid hope would turn to disappointment. Didn’t expect it was a sign of healing.”

Everyone in the room wiped away tears.
 “This is great, truly great,” Xia Xian sobbed for a while, then as if realizing something, she said:

“Father, Mother, haven’t you noticed that ever since sister brought Wan Wan back, the Su family’s luck has improved a lot?”

After Xia Xian’s words, thinking carefully, it was indeed true.

“All this has happened since Fu’er and Wan Wan came back. Seems it’s you two who have brought good fortune to the Su family,” Old Master Su said with feeling.

At this moment, Su Fu’s gaze fell on Su Wan. She had already agreed that Zhou’s daughter would stay at the Ning family as a cousin. It was Su Wan who had suggested severing ties and returning to the Su family.

If there was good luck, she thought, it must be her daughter who brought it.
 “My dear good girl, you are the one who brought luck to our Su family, right?”

Su Wan giggled, pretending not to understand.
 “What is mother talking about? Wan Wan doesn’t get it.”

Everyone chuckled. Xia Xian held Su Wan’s hand happily and said,
 “Your mother means little Wan Wan is the little lucky star of our Su family.”

Su Wan’s eyes suddenly brightened.
 “Really? Then can I bring good luck to Brother Yu and help him succeed in his future exams? But he mustn’t be like a bad Daddy who abandoned me and Mother after gaining fame.”

Only then did everyone feel at ease enough to lie down, until dawn, when a sudden shout woke them up.
 “Mingshan! Mingshan!” It was the call from the old man in the inner room.

Su Wan quickly got out of bed and hurried inside with Su Fu and Xia Xian.

When they saw Old Master Su standing up, holding onto the bedpost, all three were both surprised and overjoyed.
 “Father, you—you’re standing?” Su Fu exclaimed, unable to close her mouth in shock.

Old Master Su laughed heartily.
 “Yes, I didn’t expect it either. Yesterday I felt some sensation returning to my legs but was afraid to tell you all and raise your hopes in vain. But today I managed to stand.”

As he spoke, his eyes grew slightly moist.

After the initial shock, Su Fu and Xia Xian were moved to tears of happiness. Su Fu said,
 “Doctor Gong’s medicine really is extraordinary. Just a few days of taking it, and you can stand already.”

“Exactly, truly a divine healer. Before, he humbly said recovery was unlikely, but in just a few days, a miracle has happened.”

“Mother, you should come down and see if you can stand too,” Xia Xian said eagerly to the old lady on the bed.

The old lady tried to shift toward the bed edge. Old Master Su, having just stood, was a bit weak and sat back down.

The two women hurried to help the old lady, and to everyone’s delight, she was also able to stand.

This was truly wonderful news.

The old lady said, “Yesterday I also felt some sensation in my legs but didn’t dare hope. I was afraid hope would turn to disappointment. Didn’t expect it was a sign of healing.”

Everyone in the room wiped away tears.
 “This is great, truly great,” Xia Xian sobbed for a while, then as if realizing something, she said:

“Father, Mother, haven’t you noticed that ever since sister brought Wan Wan back, the Su family’s luck has improved a lot?”

After Xia Xian’s words, thinking carefully, it was indeed true.

“All this has happened since Fu’er and Wan Wan came back. Seems it’s you two who have brought good fortune to the Su family,” Old Master Su said with feeling.

At this moment, Su Fu’s gaze fell on Su Wan. She had already agreed that Zhou’s daughter would stay at the Ning family as a cousin. It was Su Wan who had suggested severing ties and returning to the Su family.

If there was good luck, she thought, it must be her daughter who brought it.
 “My dear good girl, you are the one who brought luck to our Su family, right?”

Su Wan giggled, pretending not to understand.
 “What is mother talking about? Wan Wan doesn’t get it.”

Everyone chuckled. Xia Xian held Su Wan’s hand happily and said,
 “Your mother means little Wan Wan is the little lucky star of our Su family.”

Su Wan’s eyes suddenly brightened.
 “Really? Then can I bring good luck to Brother Yu and help him succeed in his future exams? But he mustn’t be like bad Daddy who abandoned me and Mother after gaining fame.”

“If I really am a lucky star, I will steal away all the bad luck from that wicked father’s family and make him taste what it feels like to be abandoned,” Su Wan shook her little fist, her face full of disdain for the Ning family.

Hearing Su Wan’s words, several people’s eyes reddened. Everyone knew this matter had caused an indelible wound to the young Su Wan.

Grandma Su comforted her, “My dear Wan Wan, don’t worry. Evil people will surely get their comeuppance.”

“Mm.” Su Wan nodded heavily, but in a place where no one could see, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

Before long, Su Mingshan, who had gone to the fields, returned.

Xia Xian hurried to share the good news, and Su Mingshan rushed into the house, choking up as he spoke a lot.

“That’s great! Father, Mother, from now on just rest well at home and enjoy your remaining years. Don’t go up the mountain anymore.”

“We know, we know,” the two elders said, but what they really thought was: they were getting old and could only do what they were physically able to; they could only help when possible.

They hated seeing their son, daughter-in-law, and daughter work so hard.

At breakfast, Su Mingshan excitedly spoke about how he felt like he had endless energy lately, feeling stronger physically.

Su Fu and Xia Xian also noticed the same. They all agreed it was due to their improved living conditions.

After breakfast, Ji Sang arrived by carriage to pick up Su Fu and Su Wan and had breakfast with them.

On the road out of the village, many villagers came forward to thank Ji Sang, their great benefactor. Without him, they didn’t know when they’d ever get to eat meat again.

No one could have imagined—the so-called great benefactor in the villagers’ eyes wasn’t Ji Sang, but a ruthless little kid who didn’t blink when killing.

Practicing the horse stance was a basic foundation of martial arts. Even though she was just going through the motions, Su Wan showed no slackness in her attitude.