Worried that the Shaw family might retaliate against Mother Grace and the young girl, Eddie hurried back to White-Stone City.
Most of the belongings in the house had already been cleared out, and Mother Grace and the young girl had been taken away by someone sent by the Old Fox.
The only ones left to guard the house were a few elderly people, relatives of the women from the tavern.
Despite their age, they chose to stay in White-Stone City out of attachment and volunteered to look after Eddie's small garden.
Eddie wanted to comfort them, but he didn't know what to say.
Eventually, he, Princess Jean, Sophia, and Rue bought several bags of daily necessities from the market as a gesture of appreciation.
Although the Old Fox had left enough money to ensure their well-being, the elderly people were still touched by the gesture.
What they appreciated more was the care and concern, not the material support.
Eddie planned to return to the Yew family castle to check for any movements from the Shaw family and also to warn Old Man Haye Yew. He wanted to ensure the Yew family was prepared for any potential attack from the Shaws.
Before leaving, Eddie turned to the elderly people at the doorway and said:
"The lives of my Mother Grace and sister were saved by these ladies risking their lives. "
"From now on, they are my sisters, and you are my elders. Please feel at ease living here; this is your home."
The elderly people were moved to tears.
The leading old woman nodded repeatedly, choking back tears, "Young Master, rest assured, we old bones will take good care of ourselves. You and the young ladies must also take care of yourselves!"
Leaving White-Stone City, the three women had tears in their eyes, especially Rue, who wiped away tears several times.
These elderly people, whose daughters had sacrificed themselves for the Yew family, asked for nothing in return.
When Alexander offered to take them to the Capital for a better life, they refused, preferring to stay in the small garden.
Upon returning to the Yew family castle, Eddie found that Mother Grace and the young girl had already been taken to a secret place by the Old Fox, and their whereabouts were unknown.
With the head of the Yew family, Shawn, and his second uncle, Benjamin Yew, both absent, Eddie learned from Old Man Haye Yew that Mother Grace had gone into hiding.
Eddie was concerned about the defense of the nearly empty Yew family castle.
Should the Shaw family's top fighters attack, who would be able to resist them?
Although there were twelve elders in the family, three of them were inactive, and several were quite old. Eddie had already dealt with two of them.
If two Level 7 Overlords from the Shaw family attacked, Eddie feared the Yew family castle might face a terrible massacre.
Yehky and Blaze were at home, preparing for the upcoming elite school competition.
They needed puppet beasts to maintain their position, as their strength had been greatly diminished.
They avoided Eddie, not wanting to provoke trouble.
Rue and Sophia went to pay respects to the female elders of the family, and they returned with unsettling news: their fourth uncle's condition had worsened, and he had been taken back to the Feng family by Miss Feng.
Eddie was surprised; wasn't his fourth uncle's condition improving?
Why the sudden deterioration?
He felt something was amiss, especially since Mother Grace had just been rescued from abduction, and now his fourth uncle's health was failing. It seemed too coincidental.
"Let's go and see what's happening," Eddie suggested.
Princess Jean knew Eddie had a medical book, which might not be a sure solution but was worth trying.
Besides, it was important for Eddie to visit his fourth uncle, who had fallen ill while acquiring the Beast Spirit Enlightenment Pill for him.
Princess Jean was only worried that bad news might be too much for Eddie and Sophia, especially Sophia, who might not be able to handle it.
They hurried to the Feng family in Heyang.
The Feng family's residence was not as grand as the Yew family castle, but it was still a large and well-known estate in the area.
The Feng family head welcomed Eddie and his group into the main hall.
After exchanging pleasantries, he took Eddie aside for a private conversation.
Eddie was unsure why the old man couldn't speak in front of Princess Jean and the others.
As they moved to the inner hall, the normally composed Feng family head began to sigh heavily, as if he had many grievances to share.
"Master Feng, please speak freely to me," Eddie said, still unaware of the old man's intentions.
The Feng family head spoke gravely to Eddie, "You being the only male descendant of the fourth branch, I must discuss this with you. Your uncle and my daughter have reached their limits. I'm afraid they won't last much longer..."
Eddie, shocked, stood up abruptly, "What?!"
The Feng family head sighed, "We fell into the enemy's trap. It's too late now."
"But wasn't my uncle getting better?" Eddie couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Yes, we thought he was recovering, but the enemy used not one, but two types of poison. "
"The first, Bee Emperor Poison, suppressed the second, the Hundred Corpse Worm Poison. As the Bee Poison faded, the latent Hundred Corpse Worm Poison activated. It's a slow-acting poison that intensifies with sleep... "
"Your uncle has been in a prolonged coma, and the poison is beyond any cure. Even knowing this now, we're powerless."
Eddie, familiar with the Hundred Corpse Worm Poison from his medical book, knew it was a slow-growing parasitic poison.
Initially mild, it would spread rapidly when the victim was unconscious or asleep, eventually turning the person into a zombie-like state.
This poison wasn't native to the Dragon Ascending Continent; its existence was revealed a thousand years ago when the Emperor of Xia died from it.
It required the cultivation of a hundred brain-derived worms, which then devour each other to produce a single king worm, nourished with demonic blood, dragon saliva, and witchcraft.
Once ingested, even a small amount of the powdered king worm would infect the person with the Hundred Corpse Worm Poison.
It was one of the deadliest poisons of the Myriad Demons, with a very long incubation period, up to two years, and the longer the latency, the more potent the poison.
Considering his uncle had been poisoned for nearly a year and had been in a coma, it was no wonder the poison had intensified to such a degree, leaving the Feng family head in deep sorrow and regret.
The Feng family head explained to Eddie, "Although the Hundred Corpse Worm Poison is extremely deadly, there are ways to counter it."
Eddie recalled a herb mentioned in his medical book that could potentially resist the poison's effects.
Another method to save his uncle was to kill the mastermind behind the poisoning, who harbored the Gu Mother of All Poisons in his body.
Killing him would significantly alleviate the effects of the Hundred Corpse Worm Poison.
"Are you referring to the 'Bone-Eroding Heart-Drying Fern'?" asked the Feng family head.
He lamented that the only place where the herb could be found had been destroyed.
The Spirit Medicine Gate, which had harvested the herb, was attacked, its disciples killed, and its storerooms plundered.
The Feng family's ally, the Jingu Miao family, suffered a similar fate, with their Golden Gu elder murdered and all ancestral Gu pills stolen.
Eddie wondered why his uncle was targeted by the enemy.
His uncle was unremarkable, so why the relentless attacks?
He realized there was a larger scheme at play, including his broken engagement, his attempted suicide, his uncle's poisoning, and Mother Grace's abduction, all part of a grand plot with turbulent undercurrents.
The Feng family head then revealed a shocking possibility: the enemy might suspect that Eddie's parents were still alive and protecting the Yew family.
They sought to force his parents to reveal themselves.
Eddie's mother was the only person known to have entered the inner sanctum of the Divine Ruins.
The two journals left by his parents contained secrets about the Divine Ruins, including a unique fusion technique unknown to the rest of the Dragon Ascending Continent.
Eddie realized the significance of the plain-looking black jade necklace, which held the sleeping Vivien, the former queen.
The enemy's schemes, including his broken engagement and suicide, were all part of their machinations.
Eddie, curious about his parents, especially his mother, who was the only person to have entered the Divine Ruins, now understood why Old Man Haye Yew and Mother Grace never spoke of them.
The Feng family head, who had seen Eddie's father grow up, described him as fearless but too rigid, leading to his early death.
Eddie's grandfather had never been the same after his son's demise.
The Feng family head advised Eddie to be cautious and endure if necessary, as survival was paramount. He suggested Eddie visit his uncle, who might have some last words for him.
Eddie left the Feng family, pondering the old man's words.
The parents of the unfortunate man were such extraordinary people, and the secrets hidden in their two journals might hold the key to uncovering the truth.
If his mother was so exceptional, what secrets might his aunt, Mother Grace, hold?