Chapter 177: Unexpected

"Miss Xie, are you heading back to Cunshantang now? Let me give you a ride." Dong Weiyi quickened his pace to catch up with Xie Qingtang, a gentle smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Xie Qingtang hesitated for a moment, not answering immediately. At that instant, she caught sight of Gu Xiujin approaching from behind, pushed in a wheelchair by Li Zhao. A smile blossomed uncontrollably across her face, but the very next second, Gu Xiujin passed her by with a completely expressionless face, acting as if he hadn't even seen her.

This abnormal behavior caused Xie Qingtang's smile to freeze instantly on her face. It was as if her expression had been abruptly cut short, locking in place at its most radiant moment, creating an intensely awkward atmosphere.

Taking in this scene, Dong Weiyi felt his expression pale slightly, yet he maintained his gentlemanly and gentle demeanor as he said, "Miss Xie, you spent a high price to win this Qiankun Herb. Don't forget that many people are coveting it; it would be troublesome if anything were to happen. Let me take you back."

"Alright, then thank you, Mr. Dong." Feeling inexplicably flustered for reasons unknown, Xie Qingtang forced a faint smile to her lips and then got into Mr. Dong's car.

In another dark corner, Li Zhao stood respectfully beside a car, saying to the gloomy-faced Gu Xiujin inside, "Mr. Gu, the people lurking in the shadows who intended to seize the Qiankun Herb from Dr. Xie have already been dealt with by our men. And Dr. Xie has already left in Mr. Dong's car."

"Very well, let's head back too," Gu Xiujin said indifferently as the car windows slowly rolled up. Watching the departing vehicle, Li Zhao sighed and muttered, "You've resolved so many troubles for Dr. Xie, yet Mr. Gu refuses to say a word. You really are stubborn."

Upon returning to Cunshantang, Xie Qingtang found the pregnant Ah Xiang standing anxiously at the entrance, waiting.

"Ah Xiang, what are you doing standing out here?" Xie Qingtang walked over, holding the Qiankun Herb with a look of surprise. Ah Xiang hurried forward, her gaze fixed on the herb in Xie Qingtang's hands as she asked with a trembling voice, "Dr. Xie, is this the Qiankun Herb?"

Without hiding it from her, Xie Qingtang nodded and smiled, "Yes, this is the Qiankun Herb."

Yet in the very next second, Ah Xiang made an utterly unexpected move. Dragging her heavy body, she dropped directly to her knees before Xie Qingtang, tears instantly streaming down her face as she bit her lower lip.

This sudden turn of events left Xie Qingtang stunned in place, her brows knitting tightly together into a knot as she said, "Ah Xiang, what are you doing? Get up quickly!"

"Dr. Xie, I know this request of mine is outrageous, but I truly have no other choice. I overheard your conversation with Mr. Gu the other day—this Qiankun Herb can only save one person. I know you bought it yourself, and I have no right to ask you to save my husband, but Aben is all I have left in this world. If he dies, I wouldn't know how to go on living. And there's also the child in my belly; whenever I think about him being born without a father, I simply don't know what to do."

Ah Xiang knelt on the ground, pleading with heart-wrenching emotion. Her words echoed like tolling bells in Xie Qingtang's heart for a long time.

An indescribable bitterness made Xie Qingtang's expression turn somewhat unsightly. "In other words, you overheard my conversation with Mr. Gu that day and knew that even if the Qiankun Herb was found, it could only save either my grandfather or Aben. So now you are begging me to use this herb to save your husband instead of my grandfather, is that it?"

As her voice trailed off, Ah Xiang was covered in shame, yet she still bit her lip and nodded. "I'm sorry, Dr. Xie. I know this request is completely unreasonable, but I really have no other way out. If Aben dies, I don't want to live anymore either."

Standing behind them, Dong Weiyi witnessed this scene and sighed inwardly. Saying nothing, he stood quietly, watching the kneeling Ah Xiang. His gaze gradually turned icy, resembling a freezing abyss spanning ten thousand years. It was hard to imagine that someone usually so gentle could possess such a cold and merciless look.

After a long while, as Ah Xiang could feel her stomach growing increasingly heavy and her complexion turning somewhat pale, Xie Qingtang finally spoke.

"Ah Xiang, do you know what? Actually, I originally intended to use the Qiankun Herb to save your husband Aben if I found it. Because I am a doctor who heals the sick, and Aben's condition is far more severe than my grandfather's. If it drags on any longer, he will easily become a living corpse." Xie Qingtang's expression suddenly shifted, her clear, cold gaze looking down at the kneeling Ah Xiang with a newly formed sense of aloof detachment.

Hearing these words, Ah Xiang looked up in stunned disbelief, staring at the now expressionless Xie Qingtang standing before her, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

"So, you can rest easy. I will definitely save your husband Aben. Get up now," Xie Qingtang said indifferently. She then stepped directly past Ah Xiang, not sparing her even a glance, treating her entirely like a passing stranger.

Ah Xiang remained frozen on her knees. Although she had obtained what she wanted, for some inexplicable reason, her heart was filled with a lingering sense of loss—a feeling as though a massive chunk of her soul had been hollowed out, impossible to fill no matter what she tried to use.

"Miss, although I do not know your name, you have underestimated Xie Qingtang, and you have also underestimated traditional Chinese medicine." Looking down at Ah Xiang from above with a side-glance, Dong Weiyi walked past her as well, following Xie Qingtang into the inner courtyard.

After a considerable amount of time, Ah Xiang slowly picked herself up from the ground and drifted into the inner courtyard like a walking corpse. She could sense that everyone in the courtyard was looking at her differently, and that sensation of needles pricking her back made her feel entirely ill at ease.

"Grandfather, I spent over sixty million to win this Qiankun Herb at the auction, yet I am going to use it to save someone else. Do you blame me?" Xie Qingtang placed the Qiankun Herb aside, crouched down beside the wheelchair, and looked at Elder Xie with reddened eyes.

Elder Xie looked at her with boundless affection, his rough, weathered hand stroking her smooth long hair. Filled with deep tenderness, he shook his head and said, "Tangtang, Grandfather trusts you. Even without this Qiankun Herb, you can still nurse my body back to health. Do what you believe is right, and do the right thing. Grandfather will always support you from behind."

As his words faded, a look of profound relief suddenly bloomed across Xie Qingtang's face.