"Even if I'm busy, how could I forget my precious daughter?"
Jiang Wu Que's face was full of mystery.
"Guess what good thing I brought for you?"
Jiang Wu Que's words froze her in place. She wanted to speak, but she felt a sudden emptiness that drained her courage, rendering her speechless.
How could she not guess? How dare she not guess?
In recent days, her father had been tormented by her 'condition,' tirelessly searching for a spiritual medicine that could 'cure' her. He even left his responsibilities and entrusted the family business to her ambitious uncle.
It almost meant handing over the position of clan leader.
"Is it my favorite candy?"
Jiang Wan Yu pretended to be lost in thought, looking around as if searching for a hiding place for something. She casually mentioned an item.
"Just kidding! Who would bring that so early in the morning..."
"Correct answer! Hehe."
A dissonant yet harmonious smile appeared on Scarface's face.
He hid his left hand, which he was about to raise, behind his back. With his right hand, he reached into his pocket and took out a carefully wrapped box of candy.
He offered it like a treasure, saying, "It's from your favorite shop. They just came out of the oven this morning. Hold it steady, be careful."
Jiang Wan Yu's heart was filled with mixed emotions as she struggled to control her trembling hands. She took hold of the candy bag and peeled off the paper cover.
She picked up a candy that resembled a star and put it in her mouth.
Unlike ordinary people who would chew with their molars, she pressed it between her upper and lower fangs, leaving two imprints.
Then she closed her jaw, and countless cracks appeared on the candy, spreading until it finally burst into numerous tiny fragments, lying quietly on her tongue with a light 'crack' sound.
She savored the sweet taste that flowed smoothly down her throat, closing her eyes and trying to suppress the rising tears. "It's very sweet, thank you, Father."
"Good that you like it, good that you like it... By the way, I happened to pick two strange fruits during my recent trip. I asked several people, but no one knows their properties. I tried one myself, didn't feel anything strange, and it tasted sweeter than the candy. I don't like eating such things with unknown origins, and it's not easy to give them away. Would you like to try one?"
Jiang Wu Que casually mentioned it, unfolding the piece of cloth he had been holding in his left hand for a long time.
A semi-flowing fruit with a deep blue well-shaped pattern was revealed. He grabbed the stem and threw it into Jiang Wan Yu's hand as if throwing away trash.
"Want to give it a try?"
He tried to hide his anticipation, afraid to reveal the truth, afraid of bringing despair to his daughter once again after giving her hope.
A few droplets of undried dew on his coat and the fatigue he couldn't conceal at the corners of his eyes.
Jiang Wan Yu understood that he must have gone far away, probably to some dangerous place...
He rushed back overnight and bought a box of candy again.
A thousand words condensed into one word on the tip of her tongue: "Okay."
She put the fruit near her mouth and could clearly feel the surging vitality.
The source of life...
Ripening once every hundred years, replenishing and healing old illnesses.
Jiang Wu Que thought she wouldn't recognize it.
Yet this was one of the few Tier 6 spirit fruits she recognized...
Her father, an ordinary cultivator in the third realm, could produce a Tier 6 spirit fruit.
There was only one possibility.
He risked his life, and with the mercy of the heavens, he miraculously created an irreplicable miracle.
But this kind of miracle wouldn't happen a second time.
Jiang Wan Yu swallowed the fruit in two or three mouthfuls, disregarding the cleanliness of the ground. She sat cross-legged, peeling and extracting the chaotic energy that was rushing about aimlessly, distributing it to every corner of her body.
For a moment, a warm sensation spread throughout her body.
It felt like soaking in a hot spring, with the peculiar energy continuously washing her body, attempting to awaken the dormant spiritual meridians.
Her pale complexion turned rosy.
Jiang Wu Que closed his eyes and prayed: It must succeed, it must succeed!
Perhaps heaven heard his prayer.
"I can feel it..."
Jiang Wan Yu's voice was filled with a sob.
Feeling it once again.
The faint spiritual energy.
Different from the devouring and overwhelming storms of the past.
Tiny, fragile, thinner than a strand of hair, easily severed by a gust of wind, breaking the connection between the two.
This was the second time she felt the spiritual energy within her body after many days!
"Good, good, good."
Jiang Wu Que repeated three "goods," enough to express his emotions and also relieved.
Indeed, specialization in one's craft was crucial. During these days, other forces had also sent high-level spirit medicines ranging from Tier 5 to 6 as investments, but none had any effect.
None of them were as effective as this spirit fruit responsible for healing hidden ailments. His trip was not in vain...
Jiang Wan Yu also stood up with joy, and all the pent-up frustrations collapsed like a landslide, instantly venting out, "I..."
"Cough... Puff."
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she spewed out a mouthful of blood.
The situation took a sudden turn.
Her once rosy cheeks turned as pale as paper.
"Wan Wan!"
Jiang Wu Que's eyes widened in horror as he quickly supported her faltering figure, trying to calm the turbulent energy within her.
After a moment, Jiang Wan Yu managed to stop coughing up blood, but she appeared weak and listless.
Jiang Wu Que trembled all over, his eyes filled with deep sorrow.
She could barely endure during the period when her power was draining.
Now, she was no different from an ordinary person and couldn't withstand the power of high-grade medicines.
She was trapped in a vicious cycle!
"Cough, I'm fine."
Jiang Wan Yu coughed a few times and then managed to put on a smile.
Jiang Wu Que, like a raging beast, wept with grief. His long hair flew as he hammered his fist into the stone ground, creating a shallow pit the size of a bowl. Blood flowed, and his voice hoarsely roared, "It's my fault, all my fault!"
Jiang Wan Yu also sighed. Just a moment ago, she did regain some strength, but she was affected by a mysterious force. The energy from the fruit went out of control, not only preventing further treatment but also devouring and assimilating her life force, causing her vitality to rapidly diminish.
Hair once black as silk turned as white as snow.
The long night turned into day.
Her cultivation scattered, but her vision remained.
If nothing unexpected happened, she could probably live for another three years, or even less.
"I refuse to accept it. I can't accept this! Why is it like this? Why?"
Jiang Wan Yu seemed to have seen through it all. There was neither joy nor sorrow in her eyes as she spoke in the most ordinary tone, "The heavens and earth are too far away. It's not bad to be a humble ant between them. Although my life is short, I can live peacefully, away from conflicts. Dad, don't go out anymore. Stay at home more often and accompany me. If I'm ever bullied, I'll wait for you to support me."
Jiang Wu Que's body shook as if deflated, and he said, "Alright, alright, alright. Let's just be ordinary people. Although I don't have any other abilities, if anyone dares to bully you in the Red Lotus City, they'll have to ask me first, even if it's that guy from the Demonic Sect! If he wants to bully you, he'll have to step over my dead body."
In the next moment, his expression froze.
A servant knelt at the steps of the second entrance and said, "Master, the Demonic Sect's 'Son of the Yellow Springs' has entered the city with his entourage. The elders request your presence to oversee the welcoming ceremony."