Fortunately, Jiao Ling had been through many trials and tribulations, so after crying for a while, she wiped her eyes and released her hold on Bai Ruozhu.

"Aunt has lost her composure," she said softly.

"Everything will get better." Bai Ruozhu said with a heartache.

Aunt's early life had been unfortunate; she finally accepted Fen Jiu and emerged from the shadows of the past. If anything else happened to Fen Jiu, she truly didn't know if Aunt could endure it anymore.

Therefore, Bai Ruozhu was determined to rescue Fen Jiu at all costs, even if it meant risking the danger of her secret in Space being discovered.

Before long, Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun helped Fen Jiu out of the medicine barrel, and Jiao Ling went to change his clothes while Bai Ruozhu and Jiang Yichun stepped outside the room.

"Wu Wanqing was rescued. Do you think it was Wei Yu?" Jiang Yichun asked in a deep voice.

Bai Ruozhu felt a heaviness in her heart. If it really was Wei Yu, then he was incredibly powerful. Jiao Ling and Fen Jiu are not just two people; they had the support of their tribespeople, yet they weren't a match for Wei Yu?

Soon, Jiao Ling came out of the room, wiping the corners of her eyes and said, "Ruozhu, you stitched the wound excellently. Aunt knew you would have a way."

Bai Ruozhu led Jiao Ling to the Main Hall to sit down, handed her a cup of hot tea, "Aunt, have you eaten? Have something to eat first."

Jiao Ling shook her head, "I can't eat. I failed your trust, Wu Wanqing was taken, and Ruolan..."

Bai Ruozhu patted her shoulder, "Things have come to this, you cannot fall now. I'll have someone bring a bowl of hot porridge for you; try to eat a little."

Without waiting for Jiao Ling to oppose, she immediately instructed Min Ju to have the Kitchen send some light porridge over.

Then Jiao Ling sighed and began to speak, "Fen Jiu and I were careless, we didn't expect a betrayer among our tribespeople. I didn't expect Zhong Qi would suddenly attack us. Fen Jiu was dealt a fatal blow, and the rest of us were affected by his Mystical Fragrance, watching helplessly as he took Wu Wanqing away."

"A betrayer? Could it be he is Wei Yu's man?" Bai Ruozhu asked in surprise.

"I'm not quite sure. I remember he wasn't close to Wei Yu before, but this doesn't prove anything. Perhaps he had long been bought by the Quanrong Clan, and with this critical piece of information, risked exposing himself to take action." Jiao Ling replied.

"The Quanrong Clan?" Bai Ruozhu was a bit surprised. Previously, the Quanrong caused chaos, prompting the emperor to dispatch the Qingzhou Army, and he also sent Jiang Yichun to assassinate Yang Tianhua. Eventually, General Ma Tongfang was sent to suppress the Quanrong Clan, and they were defeated.

But she didn't know what feud existed between the Quanrong Clan and the Jiuli Clan?

"This goes back a hundred years or so. The Jiuli Clan would let their youths go out to train every year. One Jiuli woman during her training was fancied by a tribal leader of a Quanrong tribe. They later schemed to capture her and force her into marriage. After she escaped back to her clan, the Jiuli couldn't bear such humiliation, so they dispatched elite forces to annihilate that tribal leader's faction. Eventually, the Quanrong splintered and faded away."

Jiao Ling sighed, "The current Quanrong Clan isn't what it was back then, but a remarkable young man has rebuilt it. Since then, they've sworn to be irreconcilable with the Jiuli, always looking for a chance to take revenge."

Jiang Yichun's expression flashed with a murderous edge, "If they haven't learned their lesson, we'll destroy them again."

Jiao Ling shook her head, "It's not that easy. The one who unified the Quanrong seemed to have gained some kind of opportunity. The Quanrong Clan mastered a Secret Method that somewhat restrains the Jiuli. Moreover, after years of bloodshed, the clan elders deeply regretted and reflected, fearing the heavy blood debt would bring retribution upon the Jiuli descendants. From then on, a clan rule was established: not to easily annihilate any tribe, acknowledging that many Quanrong people were innocent."

Bai Ruozhu nodded as she listened. The Jiuli were right to seek justice for their own and to defend their dignity, but the burden of too much bloodshed was indeed problematic.

"However, the Quanrong Clan has always harbored this deep-seated hatred, always wanting to take revenge on the Jiuli. The Jiuli's location is difficult for outsiders to find, so they have other plans. About a decade ago, there was a traitor in the tribe who opened the Valley's Main Gate to let the Quanrong Clan inside, but it didn't cause much harm to the Jiuli. Outsiders only know that the Jiuli is well-hidden, but they don't know that the Jiuli is essentially a large Mechanical City, filled with intricate Mechanical setups. Generations of Jiuli Mechanists weren't idle."

Jiao Ling spoke with pride, always taking pride in the Jiuli's Mechanical Technique.

At this moment, Min Ju brought porridge in, the tray carrying three bowls, along with several dishes of refreshing pickled vegetables.

"This servant was unsure of Aunt's taste, so I brought a variety," Min Ju said softly.

Bai Ruozhu glanced at the tray: a bowl of bird's nest porridge, a bowl of vegetable porridge, and a bowl of aromatic meat porridge. She gave Min Ju another glance; the girl didn't talk much but was considerate.

Jiao Ling, under Bai Ruozhu's insistence, drank some porridge. Perhaps due to relaxing, her appetite improved, and she finished both the vegetable porridge and bird's nest porridge.

Bai Ruozhu gave Min Ju a praising look, later rewarding her with a pair of jade earrings. Min Ju, unpretentious, accepted them after thanking her.

That evening, Bai Ruozhu discussed Fen Jiu's situation with Gao Zhou and explained her treatment plan.

"Girl, this may not save his life, unless you have miraculous medicine," Gao Zhou said worriedly.

"The life-saving medication has already been given; we just don't know to what extent he can recover. We'll do our best," Bai Ruozhu couldn't guarantee Fen Jiu's full recovery, especially since he hadn't woken up yet.

The two divided tasks, taking turns to administer Needle treatments to protect Fen Jiu's Heart Meridian. Bai Ruozhu also took advantage of the time soaking medicine soup to secretly take Fen Jiu into the Spatial Hot Spring. Over five days, Fen Jiu's Pulse finally stabilized, and the wound on his chest began to heal.

However, Fen Jiu still hadn't awakened.

"Why isn't he waking up? What's going on?" Jiao Ling asked worriedly.

"It should be that his body suffered such severe trauma that it initiated a self-protection, recovering while in a coma," Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and explained.

Meanwhile, in his coma, Fen Jiu's brow twitched slightly, prompting Jiao Ling to exclaim, "Fen Jiu moved!"

But soon Fen Jiu's brow relaxed, and he didn't move for a long time.

In the midst of gray obscurity, Fen Jiu didn't know how long he had been wandering when he finally saw a glimmer of light, only to be confronted by a few large words: "Fourth Trial."

He cursed quietly; hadn't they said that there would be no more than three trials? Why was there a fourth? When could he leave this ghostly place? He didn't even know how his little Lingdang was doing; she must be worried sick without being able to find him.

---

Mouka's tracheitis flared up, coughing severely. He spent most of the day at the hospital, accidentally fell asleep after taking medicine, and slept until evening…

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