Suddenly, a crisp sound rang out as a sharp arrow, whistling through the air, shot forth from a gruesome pile of corpses.

"Watch out!"

The white-clad girl, or rather, Lü Su, turned her head abruptly. The arrow was now less than two yards away, and her lively eyes closed in an instant, not even having time to fill with terror. An endless darkness enveloped her, and the shrieking sound filled her ears, causing her fragile heart to race wildly.

In the next moment, death did not descend as she had imagined; the howling stopped. In her memory replay, it seemed there had been a heavy and a light sound just moments before.

Her slightly thick lashes fluttered, and her delicate eyelids lifted, revealing a pair of bright, expressive eyes filled with unease and confusion.

Then, a tall, imposing figure appeared in her line of sight: long black hair billowing, clad in black armor, emanating a chilling aura, and wielding an enormous axe.

The arrow that could have taken her life was firmly grasped in this imposing figure's hand, its white feathered tail trembling as if lamenting its failure to kill.

"Ah!"

Lü Su trembled like a frightened rabbit and instinctively fell backward.

Suddenly, the melodious sound of the Sanqing bell rang out.

As she was about to collapse, a chilling hand wrapped around her delicate waist. A wave of icy cold spread from the point of contact, enveloping her entire body. So cold!

"Ugh…"

The freezing sensation from that hand made Lü Su shiver; her startled, dazed eyes met the cold, unfeeling gaze, sending a jolt through her entire body.

"Ding ding dang dang…"

The pleasant bell sound rang again.

Lü Su's consciousness cleared slightly. She instinctively tried to break free, but her strength was too feeble to make any difference.

"Lü Su, are you alright?"

A gentle voice rang out from behind her.

The icy hand that had supported her waist retracted, leaving her feeling a lingering chill, yet the electric sensation had faded.

Lü Su felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

"Careless of me," the gentle voice continued.

Lü Su turned around and saw the man who had saved her family before, a seemingly divine figure. She gave a slight bow, her voice as clear as a lark at dawn: "Sir, you've saved me once more; how can I ever repay you?"

"Just a small act, no need for thanks," Cao Yi replied, bending down to pick up the purple-gold red gourd from the ground, collecting Ye Lüzhi's remains.

"She…"

As she watched the imposing woman who had saved her life disappear, Lü Su couldn't help but murmur "she."

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Do not thank her," Cao Yi said, glancing at Lü Su.

"Ah!"

A scream pierced the air.

Not far away, a bandit who had just loosed the fatal arrow was pierced through the chest by Xiang Yu's sword.

Lü Su wanted to say something more but suddenly swayed, toppling to the side.

Cao Yi quickly reached out to support her; her slender waist was almost entirely within his grasp, and a faint floral scent wafted up to him.

"Lü Su!"

Lü Gong rushed over with a speed not befitting his age.

His elderly face, which could have belonged to Lü Su's grandfather, was filled with worry and anxiety. He inadvertently stepped into a small hole and nearly stumbled.

"Watch out, Lü Gong!"

Cao Yi couldn't afford to support another person.

"It's fine, it's fine, Lü Su…"

Lü Gong mumbled as he hurried over, taking Lü Su from Cao Yi's hands and gently placing her on the ground.

He turned back to Lü Zhi angrily: "Why aren't you getting the medicine box from the carriage? You know your sister is weak and just got scared, and yet you took her to play in the water. What kind of sister are you?"

Lü Zhi, who had been approaching, heard her father's reprimand and turned away, her face full of grievance as she walked towards the carriage.

"Lü Gong, what's wrong with your daughter?"

Cao Yi squatted down, puzzled.

While checking Lü Su's pulse, Lü Gong frowned deeply and said, "This child has suffered from heart pain since childhood. Every time it acts up, it feels like her heart is being squeezed. Thankfully, a divine doctor prescribed some medicine; that's how she has managed to last until now."

Heart pain?

Could it be coronary heart disease or angina?

Cao Yi instinctively reached into his robe, where he had prepared a pocket for emergency medical charms back in New York.

"Faster!"

Lü Gong turned, his face filled with impatience.

Lü Zhi, having just received the medicine, hurried back with a mixture of worry and resentment for her sister.

With a loud thud, Lü Zhi tripped and fell, the pills she was holding scattering on the ground.

Ah, it was that same hole again.

"Useless thing, can't even walk properly!"

Lü Gong scolded, completely forgetting that he had almost stumbled just moments ago.

Lü Zhi got up, disregarding her messy appearance, picked up the pills, her eyes shimmering with tears, and ran over to hand them to her irritable father.

"Truly useless," Lü Gong muttered, shoving the pills into Lü Su's mouth.

"Father, water!"

Lü Zhi removed the water pouch hanging from her shoulder when she had fetched the medicine, speaking softly.

"Water? Hurry up and give it to me! What are you stalling for? Do you want your sister to die?"

Worrying about his younger daughter, Lü Gong's tone was extremely harsh as he snatched the water pouch and forced it open, pouring it into Lü Zhi's mouth.

Lü Zhi turned her head away, tears streaming down her clean cheeks.

Seeing this, Cao Yi put the medical charms back into his robe. Since they had medicine prescribed by a divine doctor, he saw no need to waste a charm.

After a while, about three minutes in modern time, Lü Su had still not regained consciousness.

Cao Yi listened closely to Lü Su's heartbeat, finding it still weak. He couldn't help but begin to doubt the effectiveness of the so-called divine doctor's medicine.

"Thankfully the medicine box wasn't stolen,"

Lü Gong's earlier irritation and anger had faded from his face.

"Is that medicine really effective?"

Cao Yi couldn't help but ask.

"Effective, sir. Though your skills are remarkable, you do not understand medicine. That divine doctor can save lives with just a gesture. My daughter's illness, every time she takes the medicine he prescribes, she will awaken within a stick of incense's time," Lü Gong said with full confidence.

During this conversation, Cao Yi felt Lü Su's heartbeat weakening even further, and instinctively reached back into his robe, pulling out the medical charms again.

"Sir, what is that object?"

Lü Gong looked at the charm in Cao Yi's hand with curiosity.

"A healing charm,"

Cao Yi explained as he placed it in Lü Su's hand, channeling his energy into it with the "Golden Liquid Returning Elixir Technique."

"What is a healing charm? Can this thing cure illnesses?"

Lü Gong's slightly narrow eyes held doubt.

In his eyes, methods of killing and methods of healing were two entirely different matters.

"If the divine doctor is so incredible, why hasn't he been able to cure your daughter's illness?"

Cao Yi countered with a question.

"The divine doctor says my daughter's illness is a major ailment that requires long-term treatment. He has a saying that I find very reasonable: ‘Illness comes like a mountain falling, but departs like pulling a thread,'"

Lü Gong was about to finish, when his old face suddenly froze.