The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 680: The Woman Before Him is the Light of His Life

Chapter 680: The Woman Before Him is the Light of His Life

Not only did Yuan Zhenhai stop coughing, but he also felt an unprecedented lightness in his body, which had previously felt heavy and weak. Even his breathing seemed to flow more smoothly.

Just as he was about to ask who had arrived and how they possessed such remarkable medical skills, Nanli had already directly seated herself across from him and said, "Second Lord Yuan, a pleasure to meet you."

Yuan Zhenhai couldn’t move his body, but his eyes could still roll up and down. He scanned Nanli carefully and finally recognized her face. "Zhixia? You... Aren’t you supposed to...?" But before he could finish his sentence, he quickly realized, "No, you’re not Zhixia. She doesn’t possess this kind of medical expertise."

Nanli smiled gently. Even though she was wearing someone else’s face, her eyes remained lively. "Second Lord Yuan is indeed sharp," she said, slightly lifting her chin. "I’m here on behalf of Hundred Pass Town. Now, I’d like to discuss a potential cooperation with you."

"Cooperation?" Yuan Zhenhai narrowed his eyes, a hint of anger rising. "My elder brother is fond of Lin Zhixia and plans to help Hundred Pass Town overcome its flood disaster. I never expected that Hundred Pass Town would have such ulterior motives!"

"You do realize that Seaside City no longer has the Water-Suppressing Pearl, don’t you?" Nanli’s words were calm, yet carried a cutting truth.

"Impossible!" Yuan Zhenhai reacted immediately. "Yuan Zhenxian has always kept the Water-Suppressing Pearl safe! It was passed down by our ancestors! He wouldn’t give it up!"

"Yuan Zhenxian offered the Water-Suppressing Pearl to Penglai Island, in exchange for his son’s opportunity to join Penglai Island," Nanli said nonchalantly, her eyes glancing at him as though the matter was of little consequence.

"Impossible! My nephew has the ability to enter Penglai Island on his own! The Water-Suppressing Pearl is a precious heirloom—my elder brother would never offer it to Penglai Island!" Yuan Zhenhai’s voice rose in fury.

Nanli raised an eyebrow. "Looks like Yuan Zhenxian’s public persona is well-maintained, doesn’t it?"

"You dare speak ill of my elder brother? Don’t think I won’t do anything just because you’re a woman!" Yuan Zhenhai was still seething.

"You’re a sickly weakling. Don’t even think about comparing your spiritual power to mine. You can barely move, and you still have the audacity to speak such words?" Nanli chuckled lightly.

"You..." Yuan Zhenhai paused, his face turning red with rage. "If you have the guts, remove the talisman and let’s have a fight!"

"I’m not a fool. If there’s a commotion, I’ll be trapped in Seaside City, and that would be a death sentence for me." Nanli stood up and surveyed the room.

"You don’t believe the Water-Suppressing Pearl story? Then let me ask you this: where are the pills you’ve been taking?"

Yuan Zhenhai immediately realized the significance of the pills. His elder brother had used a lot of spirit stones to get them from the alchemist at Penglai Island. If Nanli found and took them, it would be a huge problem.

He pressed his lips tightly together and remained silent.

However, Nanli walked over to a wooden shelf, opened a box, and retrieved a bottle of pills. She then approached Yuan Zhenhai and shook it in front of him. "This is it, isn’t it?"

"How did you... find it so quickly?" Yuan Zhenhai’s eyes shifted nervously. Could it be that his servants had been bribed by her?

Nanli replied, "Because these pills are tainted with evil energy. You can’t see it, but I can spot it immediately."

She was able to tell which pills were problematic just by a glance.

Yuan Zhenhai’s anger flared again, his forehead bulging with veins. "You’re talking nonsense!"

His elder brother would never harm him.

Nanli remained calm and collected. Unhurriedly, she poured the pills into a cup. "Watch carefully."

She took out a talisman and tossed it into the cup with the pills. Instantly, a faint black mist began to rise from the pills. As the mist spread, the room grew noticeably colder, causing Yuan Zhenhai to shudder involuntarily.

"What is this...?"

He had never encountered anything like this before.

"It’s evil energy," Nanli explained calmly. She used another talisman to dispel the mist, and the warmth in the room returned. Her eyes were cool as she spoke. "This evil energy was mixed into the pills. Although it’s a small amount, it’s enough to suppress your Dantian and prevent it from absorbing spiritual energy, which will harm your cultivation. You’ve been taking these pills for years, and now the evil energy has permeated your body. If you keep taking them for another two to three years, you’ll die of complete exhaustion. Even immortals won’t be able to save you."

Yuan Zhenhai’s pupils shrank as he listened. His face was filled with disbelief.

He thought of the kindness his elder brother had shown him and couldn’t bring himself to believe it. "You tampered with the pills! You’re trying to drive a wedge between me and my brother! Don’t even think about it!"

Nanli smiled gently, amused by his reaction. This expression reminded her of Qi Hong.

Unfortunately, not every elder brother was like Qi Hong.

She took out a brush—Heaven Star Brush—and said, "You know your body better than anyone. After taking these pills for so many years, have you improved? Haven’t you been hanging onto life by a thread? When you tried to change your medication, didn’t your elder brother stop you at all costs? Didn’t you suspect anything?"

"Let me help you. I’ll draw an Evil-Flushing Talisman, and you’ll feel it for yourself."

She quickly sketched out a talisman with her fingers. With a swift flick, it fell into Yuan Zhenhai’s body.

The Mind-Soothing Talisman had already alleviated some of his discomfort, but as soon as the Evil-Flushing Talisman entered his body, a small amount of black mist began to emerge, and he felt his Dantian’s energy surge, the previously constricting feeling now much weaker.

As a cultivator, Yuan Zhenhai naturally yearned for strength. After being struck by the strange illness, he had been unable to continue his cultivation and had resigned himself to slowly waiting for death in the cold, secluded courtyard.

Now, suddenly realizing that he could still cultivate, that he could regain his power, how could he not feel excited? How could he not cling to hope?

The woman before him had become the light of his life!

But after the excitement passed, he sank into despair once more.

He stared at the pills on the table, his eyes reddening. "Why? Why would my brother do this to me? Maybe... maybe he doesn’t know. Maybe he’s been deceived by Penglai Island."

Nanli smiled at him. "You just said it yourself. Do you believe it?"

Tears began to fall from the corners of Yuan Zhenhai’s eyes.

He didn’t believe it. He had already realized why his brother had done this to him.

His elder brother, born of a concubine, had never been a particularly gifted cultivator. When their father passed away, the title of city lord was passed to his elder brother, with a charge to look after his younger brother.

At first, his elder brother did just that. But after advancing from Qi Refining to Base Building in less than ten years, his brother’s gaze began to change toward him.

But Yuan Zhenhai just wanted to cultivate, to break through to Golden Core, to make his brother and Seaside City proud, to make the other nine cities stop bullying them.

Yet soon after, he fell ill. Not only did his cultivation regress, but he was also bedridden, unable to fulfill his former ambitions.

Believing in the blood bond and the deep connection between brothers, Yuan Zhenhai never once doubted the pills and had taken them for years without question.

The person who had harmed him was, in fact, his own brother!

Why?!

Why would his own flesh and blood do such a thing to him?!