Chapter 79 - The Truth Revealed

At the Feng residence, Ao Wen wore a dark and smoldering expression as she stared at the pile of medicines in front of her. If she'd had any doubts before, those doubts were long gone now that she could see exactly what had been fed to Feng Lieren all these years. Turbid Marsh Wort and Stun Still Crackling Moss had been distilled into an elixir that trapped the invasive energy of the Greater Ball Lightning Python in Feng Lieren's lower limbs and inhibited the circulation of his energy making its flow through his body listless and turbid. If this was battlefield medicine intended to save a patient and rush them to a healer, Ao Wen could approve of the use of this concoction. If you can't remove the toxin, at least stop it from spreading. Stopping Feng Lieren's energy from circulating ensured that he didn't make a dire situation worse. On a battlefield, this was life-saving medicine that could buy time to find a proper healer. 

This wasn't the battlefield though. This medicine, according to Ye Kexin, had been given to Feng Lieren once a day, every day, for three years, without fail. The medicine was personally concocted by Alchemy Novice Mao Ailum. For three years they had believed it was the only thing preventing Father Feng's old wound from erupting into a lightning discharge that would corrode his meridians and leave him a cripple for the rest of his life. 

To the left of the old medicine, Ao Wen had reserved a bottle of the latest batch delivered by Mao Ailum immediately before he joined the 'rescue' party that had entered the Thundercloud Forest to search for Feng Xi and Ao Wen. The second bottle was even more insidious. Ao Wen had asked Ye Kexin if Feng Lieren had attempted a new treatment in the hopes of rescuing his daughter, but Ye Kexin had only blinked at her, explaining that he took the same medicine as always. The second bottle contained Blood Iron Dust, something that could greatly benefit second-stage cultivators and was deadly to men like Feng Lieren who were already badly injured. 

Thus far, Ao Wen had managed to purge half the Blood Iron Dust from his body, but that half was the easy half. Much of the Blood Iron Dust had settled into his five viscera as well as the bones of his torso. She could get at some of it with another acupuncture treatment and she intended to do so once she'd taken a few other steps, but what Feng Lieren needed right now was a genuine organ and marrow cleansing elixir. After that, he'd need weeks of treatment with marrow-nourishing elixirs to rebuild his bones from the inside out after the Blood Iron Dust had ravaged much of his body. It was fortunate that Ao Wen had reached him as early as she had. Another few days and it was doubtful that the damage could be reversed without leaving some traces of permanent disability. 

All of that treatment would just deal with the damage from the Blood Iron Dust. It didn't touch on the original wound from the Greater Ball Lightning Python at all. For the moment, Ao Wen had contained the lingering energy with acupuncture but despite being contained all these years, it had still ravaged Feng Lieren's lower body. The meridians in his legs were thin and brittle, his muscles twitching from random electrical stimulation that made his movements uncoordinated whenever he tried to stand. Moreover, his body cultivation had regressed from the late stages of Soldier to the middle stages of Brawler. No, regressed wasn't accurate. He just couldn't summon the energy of a soldier anymore because he'd been slowly losing energy to the turbid flow that had paralyzed his cultivation. 

Ao Wen's contemplation was interrupted by the arrival of one of the Feng family's loyal retainers. "Young Miss Feng, Madame Ye, Alchemy Novice Mao Ailum has arrived, he says he has something that can save the life of Master Feng and he requests an audience with the ladies of the house."

"Xi," Ao Wen called out. "Ask Zhang Bai to sit in, I'm coming too," she said, scooping up the vials of medicine. She wanted to wait until Father Feng had received more treatment and was in better help before she made any moves on the treacherous alchemist who had poisoned him, but if the rat intended to deliver himself into her waiting claws, she had no intention of holding herself back!

In a large room normally reserved for family functions, Feng Xi and her mother Ye Kexin occupied the seats of honor while Ao Wen and Zhang Bai both sat to the side. Mao Ailum cut a dashing figure in white robes trimmed in red and adorned with his Alchemist's badge prominently. When he strode into the room he likely felt that he was making a grand and forceful entrance. To the women present, an unrestrained bull had wandered into their sitting room, agitated and emitting occasional sparks that might light the room on fire. 

However, Mao Ailum didn't care how they might disapprove. He had eyes only for Feng Xi. Her bone deep fatigue hadn't lessened with the night camping in the forest and the additional strain of her father's health left her eyes puffy and cheeks reddened. To Mao Ailum, she was a vision of a distressed beauty in need of rescue! And he, the bold alchemist, had the means of giving her that rescue. The beauty was about to be his! 

"Fairy Feng, Madame Ye," he said, pressing his meaty hands into a cultivator's salute. "I heard that Master Feng's health has deteriorated rapidly these days that I've been away to rescue Fairy Feng. I know he's struggled these many years with the wounds he suffered from the Greater Ball Lightning Python but I never imagined he'd succumb so suddenly. As soon as I heard, I met with my father and grandfather," he explained, pulling out a small red box. "It took considerable pleading, but my grandfather agreed to send over one of our family treasures, a Rebirth of the Flesh pill of Ordinary grade, as a betrothal gift. My Mao family hopes that Fairy Feng accepts this betrothal gift that her father may accompany her and his future grandchildren for many years to come," he finished with a polite bow. 

For a moment, then a second, and then a third, no one spoke. No one knew what to say. Feng Xi and Ye Kexin exchanged a look that only mother and daughter could understand. Sweat drops began to form on Mao Ailum's brow. Zhang Bai's eyebrows pressed together, concerned at the coercive nature of this proposal but holding his tongue as it was a matter for the Feng family to handle. 

Finally, Ao Wen made a move, pulling out a bottle of Feng Lieren's medicine. "Alchemy Novice Mao, I believe this is the medicine you've personally concocted for father Feng these many years. I'm worried about father Feng's underlying health. Can you inspect the medicine and let me know if there's anything wrong with it that would explain why his health failed so suddenly?"

"This…" Mao Ailum paused, uncertain about how to handle events deviating from his script. He didn't expect to be embraced by the beauty in tearful joy but he did expect some sign of gratitude and relief! But this upstart with inflated ideas of her dabbler's ability in Alchemy was asking about his concoction? Snatching the bottle he examined it closely before making his declaration. "Yes, this is the medicine I concocted for him to suppress his old injury. It isn't the most recent batch but it is an elixir of Ordinary grade. Even if he was still consuming this older batch of the elixir there would be no discrepancies or deficiencies even if you stored it for another decade," he proclaimed proudly. 

"Oh," Ao Wen said simply. "He stopped taking this batch when Alchemy Novice Mao dropped off a new batch a few days ago, this one," she said, drawing out the newer bottle. "Could there be a problem with the latest batch?"

Thick tension filled the room. Was Ao Wen accusing Alchemy Novice Mao of making defective medicine? He'd been Feng Lieren's personal physician for years! It was unfathomable. 

"That batch is slightly different," Mao Ailum seemed to confess. "I have had many years to practice this elixir and this time refined a batch at the Pure grade! Of course, I brought it right over in the hopes that it would give Master Feng additional relief," he said, doubting that Ao Wen knew the difference between elixir grades at all, much less had the ability to ascertain whether or not the vial she currently held met the standards for a Pure grade elixir. 

"I see," Ao Wen said, her expression dark. "Young Lord Zhang, Alchemy Novice Mao has admitted to concocting these elixirs with his own hands, I entrust them to you as evidence of his crimes," she said formally, passing the bottles to Zhang Bai. "As Feng Xi's sworn sister and a sworn daughter of the Feng family," she continued, her hand dropping to the hilt of Wild Fang. "I claim his life as forfeit!"