"Is that so? I don't recall her." Yue Shu lay on the ground for a moment to recover before slowly propping himself up.
"You'll have to ask her about that." Ye Lanshan looked at the pill still cradled in his hand and said coldly, "If you don't take it soon, your body truly won't be curable."
Yue Shu gazed at the pill in his hand, a flicker of complexity in his eyes, before finally placing it in his mouth.
"Hmm? Sweet? Are you sure this isn't a sugar pill?" Yue Shu's eyes widened in surprise. The pill he'd expected to be bitter melted on his tongue with a hint of sweetness, as pleasant as candy.
"Don't you find traditional pills too bitter to swallow? None of the pills I refine are bitter," Ye Lanshan said. Though she'd seen countless handsome men in her life, none were quite like Yue Shu—someone who seemed too ethereal for the mortal world. His slightly frail appearance, paired with his pure eyes, truly captivated her.
Not in a romantic sense, but with the ease and delight of a kindred spirit. It was as if she could pour out even her deepest secrets without reservation. Such a comfortable feeling was something Ye Lanshan had never experienced before.
"I didn't expect Miss Ye to have such talent in alchemy, able to create sweet-tasting pills." Even Yue Shu, usually unflappable, couldn't hide a hint of surprise.
"You flatter me." Ye Lanshan helped Yue Shu to his feet, but as she looked around, she wasn't sure where to settle him.
"Aren't you here to destroy the Yue family? Why save me like this?" After swallowing the pill, Yue Shu expected searing pain, but instead felt his body lighten considerably.
"Well, you've never harmed me, so why would I kill you?" Ye Lanshan shot him a puzzled look. Was there really someone eager to offer up their head these days?
"I'll remember today's life-saving grace. I'll repay it someday." Though still weak, Yue Shu insisted on walking on his own.
"But I haven't saved your life yet. How can you talk about repayment?"
Yue Shu's steps faltered, and an awkward silence enveloped him.
"Alright, come back to the Ye residence with me. It'll be convenient for treating you. Even if Yue Jinghong attacks, I can use you as a hostage."
Yue Shu let out a bitter laugh. "You're wrong about that. Yue Jinghong wants me dead. Why would he care if I'm in your hands?"
Ye Lanshan didn't care. As long as she could cure him, that was enough. Her earlier words were just offhand, not to be taken seriously.
Though Yue Shu was a sickly beauty, he wasn't slow. Frail as he seemed, he was as unyielding as bamboo.
Within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Ye Lanshan had brought Yue Shu back to the Ye residence.
"Rest easy here. Even if you don't trust my medical skills, you can trust Sikong Kuang's." She helped him to the bed and dragged Sikong Kuang over.
Sikong Kuang had been refining pills for the disciples of the Ye and Mu families when he was pulled away mid-task. Now, only Ye Jinlin and a few Mu family alchemists were left struggling to keep things going.
"And this is?" Sikong Kuang looked at the sickly young man on the bed with confusion.
"Oh, he's Yue Shu, the Third Prince." Ye Lanshan casually introduced him.
"Yue Shu? The Third Prince? Isn't he your enemy? Why save him?"
Sikong Kuang had never seen anyone bring their enemy home to treat.
"He's not an enemy. Everyone in the Yue family can be killed except him."
In truth, Ye Lanshan had her own reasons for keeping him alive—like obtaining the Iron Glazed Glass from him. But she wouldn't be foolish enough to demand it forcefully. She wanted him to give it willingly, for that sense of accomplishment.
Besides, with how well their energies aligned, she couldn't bring herself to kill him.
"This isn't an illness—it's poison." Sikong Kuang knew at a touch. Truly worthy of the former head of the Medical Valley.
"I know it's poison, but I don't have time to refine an antidote right now, so I'll leave it to you."
Ye Lanshan knew it was poison, and not an ordinary one at that. It seemed to have been present since birth, hinting at some other conspiracy—though it wasn't her concern.
"This poison is hard to cure. I'm afraid I can't help." Sikong Kuang frowned, genuinely at a loss.
"Really? You can't even cure this poison?" Ye Lanshan had already taken his pulse. The poison, though congenital, wasn't incurable. She just didn't feel like running experiments to analyze it and find the right antidote pill.
"It's not his fault. This poison has always been incurable." Yue Shu's voice was flat, devoid of disappointment, as if he'd never held any hope.
"Who says it's incurable? Every poison has an antidote. Yours might just be a bit more complicated."
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. Rest assured, I said I'd cure you, and I will."
Looking at Ye Lanshan's confident, calm, and determined face, Yue Shu's long-dead heart slowly stirred, a glimmer of hope rising within.
He had long given up on finding a cure. Back in the Jade Soul Continent, he'd visited every alchemist he could, but none could detoxify him, let alone here. He'd once thought perhaps this place held alchemists more skilled than those in the Jade Soul Continent, but years passed, and the answer was always the same: "This poison is incurable."
He never expected that when he'd abandoned all hope for his broken body, a woman would firmly tell him, "Every poison has an antidote. Yours might just be a bit more complicated." How could that not surprise and delight him?
Ye Lanshan watched him stare blankly, unable to snap out of it, and waved a finger before his eyes. "Hey, wake up. It's just that your poison can be cured. Is that so shocking?"
Even Sikong Kuang's eyes widened. "You're an alchemist?"
"Of course, what else?" Ye Lanshan shot him a strange look. What was the big deal about being an alchemist?
"If you're an alchemist, why did you have me treat Ye Yu's meridians?"
"Because I'm not skilled enough to refine pills for meridians. But I'm very thorough in my study of poisons and antidotes."
Ye Lanshan never imagined she'd end up on this continent, and within days, someone would have injured meridians. She'd never encountered such a case before.
"So, what rank alchemist are you now?"
"This... I'm not sure. I've never been tested." Ye Lanshan's casual reply was almost as good as no answer at all.