BXBX NOVEL Chapter 17 - 17: Trust and Choice
Chapter 17: Trust and Choice
Chapter 17: Trust and Choice . . .
"Brother Ye, could you provide an update on my father's injuries?" Tang Yu inquired with unease, looking to Ye Yuan for reassurance.
Being an amateur, Tang Yu lacked confidence in his diagnostic skills. Witnessing Ye Yuan's superior proficiency in the alchemy path, he naturally pinned his hopes on Ye Yuan.
Ye Yuan, his brows furrowed, delivered news that sent Tang Yu's heart plummeting. "A Giant Wind Rhinoceros is exceptionally robust and incredibly swift. Uncle is fortunate to have survived an encounter. However, his injuries are severe. A lobe of his lung is torn, and his heart is on the brink of failure; his life hangs in the balance." Ye Yuan's countenance was grave.
Tang Yu's heart sank further with each word from Ye Yuan. On the contrary, Tang Zonghuai's expression exuded a tranquility that suggested he had reconciled with life and death. Clearly, he understood the gravity of his injuries, explaining his decisive stance earlier. Ye Yuan's diagnosis merely affirmed his suspicions.
"Brother Ye, you don't mean..." Tang Yu trailed off, unable to articulate his fear. The despair in his heart was palpable through these few words.
However, Ye Yuan offered no response to Tang Yu's question. Instead, he furrowed his brows, appearing deep in thought.
An eerie silence enveloped the house for a while. Tang Yu could no longer endure the torment. Gathering his courage, he tentatively asked Ye Yuan, "Brother Ye, I know it might be presumptuous, but could you perhaps request... your father to intervene?"
Ye Yuan, lifting his gaze to meet Tang Yu's, seemed composed but remained silent.
Ye Yuan's gaze made Tang Yu feel self-conscious, prompting him to express apologetically, "I apologize, Brother Ye. It's not that I doubt your abilities, but..."
"I understand your meaning. Whether you believe it or not, even if my father were to come, it would be futile. Moreover, not even Wan Donghai or Wu Daofeng could make a difference," Ye Yuan declared with conviction.
Wu Daofeng, whom Ye Yuan mentioned, held the position of Chairman of the State of Qin's Alchemists Association. In the entire State of Qin, Wu Daofeng surpassed Wan Donghai and even Ye Hang, not to mention any Imperial Uncle from the Imperial Family. For Ye Yuan to assert that even Wu Daofeng couldn't help, it was tantamount to pronouncing Tang Zonghuai's fate as doomed.
Yet, these words had a trace of evasion in Tang Yu's ears. In any other situation, he might not argue. However, Ye Yuan was, at this moment, pronouncing a death sentence for his father right before him. How could he not harbor doubts? Who was Ye Yuan anyway? Just a silkpants.
"Brother Ye, you..." Tang Yu began.
"Yu-er, let Mister Ye finish what he has to say," Tang Zonghuai interrupted Tang Yu.
Tang Yu was taken aback. Ye Yuan nodded and spoke, "I mentioned they won't help, but it doesn't mean Uncle's situation is without hope."
Tang Yu's spirits lifted at these words. Grasping Ye Yuan's arm, he eagerly asked, "Does Brother Ye have a plan?"
"The solution lies with you, Brother Tang."
"Me?" Tang Yu was bewildered by Ye Yuan's words. In truth, Ye Yuan was unsure how to present his request, which was why he chose a circuitous route.
Ye Yuan nodded and explained, "Brother Tang, you're aware of my less-than-stellar past reputation. I wonder if you can trust me."
At this moment, Tang Yu grasped the subtlety of Ye Yuan's words. A smart individual, if he failed to comprehend Ye Yuan's hidden intention, would be a fool.
"Does Brother Ye mean... the Six Leaf Grass?" Tang Yu inquired tentatively.
"Exactly." Ye Yuan didn't evade the question, confirming it directly.
In reality, there were disparities in the way the Divine Realm and the Lower Realms ranked their medicines. While a Tier 1 pill in the Divine Realm fell into categories of high, middle, and low, what the State of Qin considered high-level pills were merely low-level in the Divine Realm. The variety and quality of pill formulas in the Divine Realm far surpassed those in a mortal country of the Lower Realms.
In theory, Ye Yuan couldn't refine a high-level Tier 1 pill with his current strength. His essence energy couldn't support the refinement of such a pill. The only reason he could do so was his past role as an Alchemy Emperor. Meticulously controlling the distribution of essence energy allowed him to refine medicines surpassing his current strength.
However, these so-called high-level Tier 1 Pills were, in Ye Yuan's eyes, undesired low-level pills.
Yet, high-level Tier 1 pills from the Lower Realms wouldn't suffice to treat Tang Zonghuai's injuries; middle-level Tier 1 pills from the Divine Realm were essential. Ye Yuan's current strength was too inadequate, making it impossible to refine pills of such caliber.
Therefore, Ye Yuan presented Tang Yu with a choice. If Tang Yu opted not to place trust in him, their association would conclude here, and he would be powerless to aid Tang Zonghuai's injuries.
"I-I can't do that. What if... What if..." Tang Yu stammered, visibly flustered.
Subconsciously, Tang Yu held a sense of trust in Ye Yuan. However, faced with the harsh reality, he found himself at a loss. His notion was that if Ye Yuan truly couldn't save his father, he had the Great Returning Pill as a last resort.
"Brother Ye, it's not that I don't believe you, it's just..." Tang Yu struggled to find the right words.
"Yu-er, give it to him," Tang Zonghuai, breaking his silence, spoke with a feeble voice.
Turning to meet his father's gaze, Tang Yu and Tang Zonghuai exchanged a wealth of information through their eyes. Finally, gritting his teeth, Tang Yu handed the box containing the Six Leaf Grass to Ye Yuan and said, "Brother Ye, please."
Ye Yuan accepted the box without hesitation. "Give me a day. I will return promptly at this time tomorrow. However, Uncle's injuries are not very stable right now. If I don't address it, it would be hard to endure until tomorrow. Let me perform a set of needle techniques to stabilize his condition and prevent it from worsening."
Tang Yu gestured a welcoming agreement, saying, "I will have to trouble Brother Ye then."
Since Ye Yuan didn't have golden needles with him, he returned to the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion to retrieve the necessary tools.
Once Ye Yuan departed, Tang Yu couldn't help expressing his unease to his father. "Father, I know Brother Ye possesses genuine skill, but his previous reputation is truly dreadful. I can't shake the feeling that this is a gamble."
After a fit of violent coughing, Tang Zonghuai managed a strained smile and replied, "How can I... not understand my own injuries? What Brother Ye said... was right. Even if... Wu Daofeng came... it would be futile. Even if... it's a gamble, there is... nothing that... we can't afford to lose."
"Father, is it genuinely that dire?" Tang Yu never imagined that his father's injuries had deteriorated to such an extent.
Tang Zonghuai simply shook his head and said, "That boy... doesn't belong in a shallow pond. Yu-er... regardless of the outcome, in the future... get closer... to him."
Tang Yu was surprised by his father's high evaluation of Ye Yuan. However, any bias he harbored against Ye Yuan had dissipated since stepping into this house. Nodding solemnly, Tang Yu declared, "Father, don't worry. I, your son, am not an ungrateful person. As long as Brother Ye wholeheartedly treats you, my life can be considered pledged to him."