Volume One, Chapter 53: Spending the Rest of Her Life in a Wheelchair

"Han Yue..." Zhuang Zhizhi murmured the name, his thoughts drifting back to twenty years ago. The days they spent together were the happiest of their lives. Three years later, his younger sister Xiaoyan was killed in a car accident, leaving him and Ah Zhou behind; he and Han Yue, for certain reasons, also contracted a rare illness at the same time.

Afterwards, Han Yue disappeared. All these years, while searching for a cure for his own disease, he had also been looking for Han Yue. Zhuang Zhizhi’s gaze deepened.

"Miss Yu, do you know where Han Yue is now? Is she well?"

Yu Mo lowered her lashes. She didn’t know how Zhuang Zhizhi and her master had met, but the worry in his eyes was unmistakable. He shouldn’t mean harm to her master. Her master had forbidden her from speaking about her affairs to outsiders, likely out of fear that Zhuang Zhizhi would find her. What kind of entanglement did they have?

"I’m sorry. My master has withdrawn from the world; even I rarely see her."

Zhuang Zhizhi nodded in understanding.

"As long as she’s safe, that’s all that matters. So, the direction of your pharmaceutical research is also because of Han Yue, isn’t it?"

"Yes." Yu Mo didn’t wish to discuss her master’s matters further and changed the subject. "Mr. Zhuang, there might be a prescription that can treat your illness, but one of the ingredients is extremely rare."

Zhuang Zhizhi’s interest was immediately piqued. "What medicine?"

"A hundred-year-old wild purple lingzhi."

"Purple lingzhi?"

"Yes." Yu Mo was about to continue when Xie Mengqi interrupted her.

"Yu Mo, I’m also searching for that medicinal herb. Let’s make a bet: whoever finds the hundred-year-old wild purple lingzhi first gets to treat Mr. Zhuang. The other must relinquish their chance."

After all, multiple doctors treating the same patient is never good; should anything go wrong, it’s hard to determine responsibility.

Zhuang Zhizhi wanted to say that Yu Mo was the one he had specifically invited.

Yu Mo agreed readily. "Of course. I hope you won’t go back on your word."

She knew that a hundred-year-old purple lingzhi was nearly impossible to find. If Xie Mengqi was lucky enough to discover one and cure Mr. Zhuang, it would be a blessing she had earned.

However...

"Xie Mengqi, let me warn you: there’s a fungus called ‘tree tongue lingzhi’ that closely resembles the hundred-year-old purple lingzhi. Don’t make a mistake. A human life is no small matter."

Xie Mengqi curled her lips in a cold smile. "I know that already. I don’t need you to remind me."

"As long as you know," Yu Mo replied, then took her leave with Zhuang Zhizhi.

Outside the main gate, she immediately spotted a tall figure standing there.

The silhouette was easy to recognize, especially since he wore a mask familiar to Yu Mo. Mu Shaozhou walked toward her with measured steps; Yu Mo noticed the Cullinan car key in his hand. The man’s cold, jade-like features were striking, the contours of his profile sharp and resolute.

His voice was deep and resonant. "I’ll drive you home."

Yu Mo was unmoved by Mu Shaozhou’s offer. She nodded slightly, greeting him.

"Your Highness, that won’t be necessary. I drove here myself and can return on my own."

With that, she flashed him a distant smile and turned to leave.

Behind her, Xie Mengqi also exited. Seeing the prince, she was taken aback for a few seconds, then quickly put on a smile and hurried forward.

"Your Highness, what brings you here?"

She considered herself lucky; even while attending to someone else, she could encounter the prince. Surely this was fate’s gift.

Mu Shaozhou’s gaze lowered, never glancing at Xie Mengqi, as if she didn’t exist and her words were mere fantasy.

Xie Mengqi gave an awkward laugh. "Well then, Your Highness, I’ll take my leave."

No answer came.

Xie Mengqi walked away, reluctantly, but with no reason to linger. She jogged to catch up with Yu Mo.

"Yu Mo, why is the prince here?"

Yu Mo ignored her.

Xie Mengqi glared fiercely at Yu Mo and said sarcastically, "I didn’t expect you to have a master. I wonder if she’s as skilled as Xuanji?"

She hadn’t heard of Han Yue, but the famed Xuanji was well-known. When she learned that Lin Hua was Xuanji, she’d been shocked. At first, she didn’t believe it, but after Lin Hua checked her pulse and described every symptom she’d ever had, more accurately than any modern instrument, she was convinced.

With such a miraculous doctor supporting her, she dared to accept Zhuang Zhizhi’s bounty. If she cured his illness, she’d receive thirty percent—three million. That was no small sum for her.

Yu Mo ignored Xie Mengqi and walked straight to her car.

Xie Mengqi’s words fell on deaf ears, but she stubbornly rushed to block Yu Mo’s path at the car.

"I advise you to step aside. This ten-million reward is mine. Don’t even think about interfering with my treatment."

Her voice was not loud, but every word reached Yu Mo’s ears.

Yu Mo placed her foot lightly on the accelerator.

Faced with such an irritating woman, she was tempted to press the pedal and make her vanish from sight.

"Vroom—!"

Yu Mo revved the engine fiercely, then sped straight toward Xie Mengqi.

Xie Mengqi was so frightened she nearly collapsed, stumbling to the roadside to avoid the car.

Pointing at Yu Mo’s retreating car, she cursed loudly. "Yu Mo, are you trying to kill me? If you do, you’ll end up in prison!"

Yu Mo’s car gradually disappeared from view.

A deep, pleasant voice sounded in Xie Mengqi’s ear.

"Miss Xie, don’t do such dangerous things again."

Xie Mengqi turned and saw the prince himself—the man who captivated women in both the imperial capital and in the city of magic.

Hearing his concern, she quickly abandoned her earlier arrogance and lowered her voice to thank him.

The man’s voice sounded again, entering her ears.

"If Yu Mo had really hit you, I would absolutely protect her, and she would not be harmed in the slightest. The one to suffer would be you, Miss Xie. If you lose your life, so be it; but if you end up paralyzed, you’ll spend the rest of your days in a wheelchair, dependent on others."

Xie Mengqi’s eyes widened, stunned into speechlessness by his words.

With another blink, Mu Shaozhou was gone, vanished from sight.

Xie Mengqi stomped her foot angrily, then turned to drive away.

Yu Mo left the Zhuang family villa and headed straight for the largest herbal medicine shop in the city of magic.

Though she knew the chances of finding a hundred-year-old wild purple lingzhi were almost nil, she still had to try.

She had just parked and entered the shop when Xie Mengqi followed closely behind.

Xie Mengqi reached the counter first. "Do you have a hundred-year-old wild purple lingzhi?"

The clerk shook his head.

Such a treasure would never be found in their shop. Even in the bustling imperial capital, there might not be a single specimen. Perhaps, hidden on a remote cliff, there could be a few, but not necessarily a hundred years old.

Yu Mo left at once, took out her phone, and found "Bean" in her contacts to call.

A clear, bright male voice answered, "Hello? Who is it? I’m busy with my braised pork, no time."

Yu Mo smiled and spoke gently, "Bean, it’s your senior."