Volume One, Chapter 20: Space

This was the final and most daunting obstacle in her treatment plan—the medicinal catalyst known as the Blood Jade Bodhi.

The old man shook his head. “I do not know, I’m afraid. However…” He drew a jade pendant from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Wanting. “Your Grace, you may take this jade pendant and seek out the owner of the largest medicinal herb emporium in the capital—Hundred Herb Hall. He is well-traveled and discerning; perhaps he might know something of this matter.”

Lin Wanting accepted the pendant, thanked the old man, and hurriedly left the clinic.

Her mind was consumed with thoughts of the Blood Jade Bodhi; she could think of nothing else but finding it quickly to save Murong Yunyi.

She was well aware that offending Lady Qin would have serious repercussions, but at this moment, she couldn't be bothered with such concerns—saving the prince was all that mattered!

Returning to the rear gate of the prince's residence, Lin Wanting was about to enter when she heard a maid running toward her in haste, panic written all over her face. “Your Grace, something terrible has happened—the prince… the prince…”

The maid couldn’t finish her words before dissolving into sobs. “The prince… he’s coughing blood!”

A chill seized Lin Wanting’s heart. She pushed the maid aside without a second thought and flew toward Murong Yunyi’s bedchamber.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she heard the steward’s anxious cries. “Physician Zhang, how is the prince? You must save him!”

Lin Wanting rushed into the bedchamber. Murong Yunyi lay deathly pale and motionless on the bed, his face as white as paper, drained of all color.

A shocking stain of blood marred the front of his robes.

The steward was pacing in circles, wringing his hands in despair. Physician Zhang, drenched in sweat, was taking Murong Yunyi’s pulse, his brow furrowed and his expression grave.

“How is he?” Lin Wanting strode to the bedside, her voice taut with anxiety.

Physician Zhang withdrew his hand from the prince’s wrist, his face somber as he shook his head. “His pulse is chaotic and weak—his condition is critical.”

“How can this be?” Lin Wanting’s voice trembled. She reached out to feel Murong Yunyi’s forehead—it was scalding to the touch.

“I did not expect his illness to deteriorate so suddenly,” Physician Zhang sighed. “The treatments had been effective until today…”

He hesitated, as if unable to speak of what troubled him most.

Lin Wanting’s mind was ablaze with worry. The devouring poison, the Blood Jade Bodhi… These words circled endlessly in her thoughts.

Was there truly nothing else she could do?

She forced herself to remain calm. Panic would serve no purpose now; she had to find a solution, and quickly.

“Step aside. Let me,” Lin Wanting said in a low, resolute voice.

Physician Zhang hesitated, uncertainty flickering in his eyes. He was not entirely convinced of Lin Wanting’s skills. True, her prescriptions had eased the prince’s symptoms before, but she was so young, lacking experience, and now that the prince was on the brink, he dared not let a “wet-behind-the-ears” girl take over so lightly.

The prince could be gravely ill, but he could not die.

“Your Grace, the prince’s condition is dire. I dare not risk further delay…” Physician Zhang began.

“Physician Zhang,” Lin Wanting interrupted, “the prince’s illness has changed abruptly, and you have no remedy at hand. Why not let me try? Perhaps I will see what you have missed.”

Physician Zhang was moved by the unwavering resolve in her eyes. After a moment’s thought, he nodded. “Very well, Your Grace, please proceed.”

Lin Wanting moved to the bedside and gently rolled up Murong Yunyi’s sleeve to take his pulse.

She concentrated, feeling intently for the rhythm beneath her fingers.

A moment later, her expression grew heavier. Murong Yunyi’s pulse was even more complex than she had anticipated. In addition to the unmistakable traces of the devouring poison, there was another toxin interwoven—Purple Gold Vine.

Two poisons, entwined, compounding one another’s effects and making Murong Yunyi’s condition even more perilous.

Lin Wanting cursed under her breath.

That wretched Zhao Qian!

It seemed the Zhao scoundrel had not confined his trickery to her alone. Before the three-day deadline was even up, he’d already sent someone to poison Murong Yunyi.

She lifted her head and met Physician Zhang’s gaze.

“Physician Zhang,” Lin Wanting began, her voice grave, “the prince’s condition…” She paused, a faint tremor betraying her composure. “It’s more complicated than we imagined.”

Physician Zhang’s heart sank at her solemn tone. “Your Grace, what have you discovered?”

If Murong Yunyi died, he would not survive either.

Lin Wanting did not answer directly. Instead, she looked deeply at the unconscious prince. “He… seems to have been poisoned by more than one toxin.”

Physician Zhang’s face changed dramatically. “More than one poison? How is that possible?”

He hurried forward, seizing Murong Yunyi’s wrist to check his pulse once more.

After a moment, his complexion darkened even further, cold sweat beading on his brow.

“Your Grace, it seems you are correct,” Physician Zhang stammered. “In all my years of practice, I failed to notice—these two poisons are so alike that treating one blindly could easily kill the prince…”

He looked up suddenly, confusion and a faint awe in his eyes. “How did you know, Your Grace?”

Lin Wanting did not elaborate, only replying coolly, “I’ve said it until my lips are dry—I’ve studied medicine since I was a child.”

She dismissed it lightly, unwilling to reveal the truth of her origins.

“A mere smattering?” Physician Zhang marveled privately. This was far beyond a mere smattering—her insight was like seeing through a clear glass!

He had practiced medicine for decades, and yet he was outdone by a young woman. A complex tide of emotions rose within him.

“Your Grace, then… do you have a way to counteract the poisons?”

There was a glimmer of hope in Physician Zhang’s voice, tinged with doubt. He acknowledged Lin Wanting’s skill, but the prince’s condition was so complicated, he dared not hope too much.

Lin Wanting ignored his skepticism, her gaze fixed intently on Murong Yunyi, her brow tightly knit.

The two poisons were interlaced, creating a situation far more intractable than she had imagined.

The devouring poison was already notoriously difficult to cure; now, with a second toxin in the mix, it was nearly impossible.

A heavy, suffocating silence filled the room. The steward paced in agitation but dared not interrupt. The maids hung their heads, weeping quietly for the prince’s plight.

Given the circumstances, even Qiu Shuang no longer dared to trouble Lin Wanting. She stood by, wiping away her tears, quietly thinking that if this wretched woman could save Murong Yunyi, there would be time enough later to deal with her. But if Murong Yunyi died, all her glory, her status, everything, would vanish like smoke.

“Your Grace, do you have a solution?” Physician Zhang could not help but ask again, urgency creeping into his tone.

Lin Wanting slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, there was a glint of determination in their depths.

She reached out, gently caressing Murong Yunyi’s pale cheek, silently vowing, “Rest assured, I will save you.”

Her gaze fell on the simple silver bracelet encircling her wrist.

This bracelet had come with her when she crossed over; it was a keepsake from the original owner’s mother.

Inside it lay her greatest secret—a micro-space that connected her to the modern world.

Without drawing attention, she drew her hand back into her sleeve, her fingertip pressing lightly against a hidden button on the bracelet.

In that instant, a subtle light flashed in her eyes…

“Perhaps… there is a way.” Her voice was soft, yet carried a curious conviction.

She paid no heed to Physician Zhang’s anxious inquiries, lowering her gaze to hide the flash of brilliance in her eyes.

Her slender fingers appeared to idly stroke the old-fashioned bracelet, but her touch was precise, finding a barely perceptible bump on the inside.

In a heartbeat, Lin Wanting’s consciousness seemed to detach itself, entering a space utterly at odds with the antique chamber—the clean, high-tech world of modernity.