Chapter 179: Driven Back by Poison, Waking Up

During the time Xie Qingtang lived in seclusion in the mountains with her master, she had no forms of entertainment. She could only spend her days confined to her master's small wooden cabin, passing the time by reading the medical texts that filled the walls.

Gradually, Xie Qingtang actually grew to love reading medical books. She read through every single medical text lining the walls, and even perused all the miscellaneous notes and anecdotes contained within them.

Now, she finally felt that reading those anecdotes back then had been useful; otherwise, she would not have accidentally learned that the medicinal properties of fresh Universe Grass are much stronger than those of processed herbs.

After cutting a leaf from the Universe Grass, Xie Qingtang ground it into a green juice. At that moment, Zhou Jinfan also walked over carrying the prepared medication.

"Brew these herbs in three bowls of water down to one. Once it is brewed, pour in this green juice, and then give it to Aben to drink," Xie Qingtang said, carefully placing the small vial of green liquid into Zhou Jinfan's hand.

Zhou Jinfan glanced at it, nodded, and went straight to brew the medicine. After more than two hours, the medicine was finally ready, and Axiang was already standing anxiously at the doorway, craning her neck in anticipation.

"The medicine is ready. Just give it to Aben to drink," Zhou Jinfan placed the brewed medicine into Axiang's hands and turned to walk away.

Axiang no longer cared about his attitude toward her; she hurriedly carried the bowl of medicine into the room and fed it to the unconscious Aben.

"Aben, for the sake of me and the child in my belly, you must wake up. If you don't wake up, I will have no choice but to follow you," Axiang said, her eyes misty with tears as she touched the unconscious Aben with trembling hands. Unexpectedly, these words were heard clearly by Xie Qingtang, who was just walking through the door.

Xie Qingtang frowned slightly, not expecting Axiang to harbor thoughts of ending her life. Hearing the footsteps behind her, Axiang quickly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Seeing that it was Xie Qingtang, guilt once again surfaced in her eyes.

Seeing the remorse in her gaze, Xie Qingtang already knew what she wanted to say. She raised a hand to stop her from speaking and said calmly, "I pretty much already know what you want to say. There's no need to thank me. What I didn't tell you just now is that that single stalk of Universe Grass is more than enough to save two people, so you don't need to feel so guilty."

Hearing these words, Axiang froze in place. Then, with a look of utter disbelief, she clutched her swollen belly and stood up, asking for confirmation, "Dr. Xie, is what you're saying true? Does that mean that single stalk of Universe Grass can save both my husband and your grandfather?"

"Naturally. However, even if that stalk of Universe Grass could only save one person, I still would have chosen to save Aben. After all, his life is hanging by a thread, while my grandfather's condition has already stabilized, and he merely needs to have the remaining toxins cleared from his body," Xie Qingtang said indifferently as she walked to the bedside, took Aben's wrist, checked his pulse for a long moment, and then nodded.

The Universe Grass truly lived up to its reputation as a miraculous herb for detoxification. With this single dose of medicine administered, Xie Qingtang could clearly feel the toxins in Aben's body gradually dissipating, and his waking up was only a matter of time.

"His internal condition has already improved. After drinking two more doses of medicine, he should be able to wake up," Xie Qingtang said before turning and leaving the room.

Axiang stood in place, smiling with a sense of lingering loss, and then muttered to herself, "That's wonderful. That stalk of Universe Grass can save two people; both the old master and my husband can be saved. But I don't know why my heart still hurts so much. Perhaps our relationship can never go back to the way it used to be."

Indeed, once certain things happen, they act like an insurmountable chasm between two people. No matter what is used to fill it, that chasm can never truly be bridged.

After taking the medicine for two days, Aben finally woke up as expected. The moment he regained consciousness, he saw Axiang, whose eyes were red and swollen like walnuts. He looked around in confusion, seemingly having no idea how he had managed to get out of the forbidden zone.

"Aben, you fool! You actually went into the forbidden zone again just to make money. How could you be so foolish? If anything had happened to you, what would have become of the two of us? You really are the biggest fool in the world!" Axiang, who had been living on pins and needles for the past few days, finally broke down completely. She burst into tears and began hammering her weak fists against Aben's chest.

Aben was hit into a fit of coughing, and Axiang hurriedly stopped, patting his chest anxiously and saying with deep worry, "Aben, are you alright? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so emotional."

"Axiang, what on earth is going on? I remember not finding any good herbs in the outer perimeter, so I ventured deeper into the forbidden zone. I don't know how, but I suddenly passed out. Why am I at Cunshen Hall now?" Aben murmured. He only remembered fainting in the forbidden zone and had no recollection of being rescued by Xie Qingtang.

At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Xie Qingtang and Zhou Jinfan walked in. Seeing him awake, both of them simultaneously breathed sighs of relief.

"Aben, you're finally awake. How does your body feel?" Zhou Jinfan walked over with a smile and feigned professionalism by taking his wrist to check his pulse.

After receiving guidance from Xie Qingtang during this period, Zhou Jinfan's medical skills had finally improved slightly, so Xie Qingtang intended to leave Aben's subsequent treatment to him.

After checking the pulse, Zhou Jinfan nodded inwardly and said to Xie Qingtang, "Boss, most of the toxins in Aben's body have already been expelled. The next step is to clear out the residual toxins."

"Not bad. Do you have any ideas on how to clear the residual toxins? Which herbs would be best?" Xie Qingtang wanted to test him, so she asked directly.

This immediately stumped Zhou Jinfan. He frowned, proposing several prescriptions for clearing residual toxins from the medical texts, but Xie Qingtang shook her head at each one.

Seeing the two of them discussing his treatment right before him, Aben stared blankly, not daring to speak. He exchanged a glance with his wife Axiang, and both of them obediently stayed put—one standing, and the other lying in bed.

After about half an hour of intense discussion, Zhou Jinfan finally came up with a viable prescription. Xie Qingtang nodded and said calmly, "This prescription will only work temporarily. As Aben's internal condition improves, you will need to tailor the treatment and change the prescription accordingly. Don't forget that, understand?"

"Alright, Boss, I understand," Zhou Jinfan nodded.