Chapter One: Rescuing the Youth

At the foot of an unnamed mountain in the Kunlun range, near the edge of a primeval forest, lay a secluded, beautiful, and tranquil little village. Throughout the four seasons, the area was blanketed in blooming wildflowers and dancing butterflies. Towering ancient trees and verdant vines intertwined, shading the few wooden cabins that stood along the babbling brook winding through the woods. This village bore a beautiful name: Hundred Flowers Village.

The village was home to over a dozen hunting families. By day, the men would head out to hunt, while the women and children remained at home to wash, dry, and farm. In this leisurely and quiet environment, reminiscent of a paradise on earth, life was simple and serene.

On this sunny day, the air was thick with the rich fragrance of flowers. The door of a solitary wooden cabin near the stream creaked open. A woman in plain clothes stepped out, carrying a bamboo basket of herbs and leading a pretty, porcelain-like little girl of about three or four years old. They made their way toward the stream.

"Mother, wait for me!" the little girl cried out in a milky voice, holding a skewer of candied hawthorns and munching on it with delight. She trotted after her mother on short legs, babbling, "Mother, wait for me to help you wash the herbs. When I grow up, you won't have to work so hard anymore."

The woman set down the basket, glanced back at the girl, and offered a soft, radiant smile. "You are such a sweet talker. I shall wait for you to grow up so I can enjoy your care."

The woman was in her thirties, with skin as smooth as jade, bright eyes, and pearly teeth. Her features were exquisite and her figure slender. Standing amidst the flowers and greenery, even in coarse clothing, she possessed an indescribably stunning beauty, particularly her watery almond eyes, which held a charm that made it impossible to look away.

The little girl giggled, stretched out her chubby, fair hands, and ran up to hug her mother, acting spoiled. "Mother, when Xiao'er grows up, I will make lots and lots of delicious food to honor you."

The woman laughed happily, took the girl's small hand, and walked toward the stream. "Oh, I wish I could grow old quickly so I could taste the delicacies my treasure makes!"

As they reached the stream, the little girl rolled up her sleeves, revealing plump, white arms like tender lotus roots. On her right wrist was a heart-shaped birthmark. She diligently helped her mother wash the herbs, but before long, she was hopping away with her candied hawthorns to chase after small fish.

The woman looked back at the girl, who was playing in the water with her bare, fair feet, and cautioned her with doting concern, "Xiao'er, stay in the shallow water. Do not go where it is deep."

"I know, Mother!" the little girl giggled, taking a sweet bite of her snack, happily darting back and forth after fish and shrimp.

The woman took the herbs from the basket and began washing them carefully in the stream, glancing at the girl every now and then.

"Ah, Mother, Mother, come quickly!" Suddenly, the little girl's panicked voice rang out.

"What is it? Did you hurt yourself?" The woman dropped the herbs and rushed toward the girl.

"Mother, there is a person here. He is asleep," the little girl said, pointing her skewer at someone lying among the water weeds.

The woman followed her gaze to a bend in the stream where the water flowed down. A frail boy in white clothes was lying motionless against the weeds, rising and falling with the current, his back a mass of raw, bloody flesh.

The woman waded into the water, turned the person over, and examined him closely. He was a young boy of about ten, his white clothes stained with blood and his face covered in festering sores, masking his true appearance.

She checked his breath with her finger; there was none. Placing her ear against his chest, she listened intently and caught a faint, flickering heartbeat. A surge of joy washed over her face.

"Xiao'er, quick, help me carry this brother inside. He is gravely wounded; I must save him!"

The little girl, looking nervous, helped her mother bring the boy into the cabin. The woman laid him on the bed, fed him a medicinal pill, and pressed several major acupoints on his back to ensure he swallowed it.

She then set to work, using scissors to cut away the clothes matted to his skin with blood and mud. She wiped his body clean with a medicinal brew and applied herbs to the deep wounds on his back before bandaging them.

The woman was drenched in sweat, her cheeks flushed, while the little girl, busy handing her mother supplies, was equally rosy-cheeked.

*Knock, knock, knock.* A knock sounded at the door. An elderly man with white hair and a white beard stood there, asking respectfully, "Aunt Ming, I heard you saved someone. Do you need help? I heard it was a young boy, so I brought some of Xiao Wu's clothes. Would you like to use them?"

The woman accepted the clothes. "The boy is severely injured. If any outsiders come asking, please do not mention a word of this. Please inform the others in the village as well, Uncle Wang."

Uncle Wang bowed respectfully. "Understood, Aunt. Just call if you need anything."

The woman nodded, and Uncle Wang bowed again before departing.

Looking at the boy on the bed, whose breathing had gradually steadied, the woman saw the little girl leaning over, peering at him with curiosity. "Mother, will the brother wake up?"

The woman wiped the sweat from her brow and smiled. "He will wake up, but it will take time."

She returned to the room, dressed the boy in clean clothes, tucked him in, and brought over a bowl of herbal paste, which she carefully applied to his disfigured face and neck.

Despite the sores, the boy had a tall frame, fair skin, ink-black hair, a high bridge of the nose, and delicate eyebrows; he did not look like a child from a poor family. Around his neck hung a jade phoenix—the carving was simple and rustic, but the jade itself was crystalline and cool to the touch, clearly no ordinary object.

Looking at the boy’s herb-covered face, the woman fell into deep thought.

The poison in the boy's system was the deadly "Peach Blossom Drunkenness." It was colorless and odorless, causing no symptoms in the early stages. In the middle stage, peach-blossom-shaped pink rashes would appear on the face, and in the final stage, as the poison attacked the heart, the skin would fester until death. The latency period could last over a decade, meaning the boy had been poisoned while in the womb or as an infant.

A jade phoenix? The woman studied the piece and realized with a start: could it be from the Fengluan Empire? It was said that the imperial family of the Fengluan Empire wore such jade phoenixes.

The imperial palace was indeed a place of intrigue. She sighed, lost in thought for a long time before snapping back to reality.

The poison had already begun to attack the boy's heart. With her cultivation, she could only suppress the spread of the "Peach Blossom Drunkenness"; to clear it entirely would require a great stroke of fate.

She looked out the window; the sky had turned completely dark. She glanced at her daughter, who had been sitting on a stool watching her work. The little girl was now dozing off, her head bobbing, a red candied hawthorn still in her mouth—a truly adorable sight.

"Whether you wake up peacefully depends on your own fortune," the woman murmured. She tucked the boy in once more, then picked up the sleeping little girl, carried her to the adjacent room to put her to bed, and began to light the fire for dinner.

Aunt Ming had arrived at Hundred Flowers Village three years ago with baby Xiao'er. When they first arrived, the local youths, seeing her immortal-like beauty and her solitary status with an infant, assumed she was a young lady from a fallen noble house on the run. They grew restless and began to harass her.

Back then, holding the infant Xiao'er, she had conjured a sword from thin air in front of the entire village. In the blink of an eye, she stood upon the blade, flew into the sky, and circled above, causing a massive, sun-blocking tree to topple behind her.

The villagers were struck dumb with awe. They realized then that they had encountered a legendary cultivator—or, in the eyes of mortals, an immortal.

The villagers knelt in unison, begging her to stay in Hundred Flowers Village and honoring her as "Aunt Ming."

Aunt Ming possessed profound medical skills and had since saved many villagers. Because of this, they treated her with even greater respect and care, following her guidance in all matters, both big and small.