The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Fang Lin frowned upon hearing this, expressing his displeasure. “How have I tried to harm you?”

Han Yinyue seemed perplexed as well. “Fang Lin was genuinely trying to examine your condition. How did that translate into him trying to harm you?”

“Xiaoxing, why would you say that?” Han Yinyue asked.

Han Xiaoxing gave a cold reply: “He wanted to sever my meridians using his Inner Strength.”

Fang Lin was completely flustered. “What? When did I ever consider severing your meridians? You can’t just accuse me of something that’s baseless.”

“Miss Han, I had only just started injecting my Inner Strength into your body to examine your physical condition, just like last time, irrespective of any latent injuries you may have had. However, since you perceive this as me trying to harm you, there’s not much left to discuss,” said Fang Lin resentfully, before returning to his seat.

Seeing how tense the situation had become, Han Yinyue was somewhat frustrated. She gave Han Xiaoxing a reproachful look before turning to Fang Lin. “Xiaoxing is quite temperamental; I do hope you can make allowances for that. As for her eyes, I hope you would be willing to take another look at them.”

Fang Lin dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand, “I can’t do much if Miss Han refuses to cooperate.”

Han Yinyue turned back to Han Xiaoxing, “Fang Lin merely channeled his Inner Strength into you to examine your condition, he had no intention of severing your meridians. There’s no reason for him to do something like that.”

“As soon as his Inner Strength entered my body, I felt a throbbing pain in my head. If that’s not him trying to harm me, what is?” Han Xiaoxing immediately retorted.

Han Yinyue found herself surprised by this response, having not expected such a reaction.

Fang Lin’s eyes, on the other hand, widened in surprise. He turned his gaze back to Han Xiaoxing.

“I believe I understand now,” Fang Lin declared.

Then, Fang Lin moved back to Han Xiaoxing’s side. “Miss Han, my Inner Strength will be even weaker this time. If you still feel pricked, I will stop immediately.”

Han Xiaoxing remained silent. Han Yinyue nudged her, which prompted her to begrudgingly nod her head.

Fang Lin pressed his fingers lightly against Han Xiaoxing’s temples once again. He released a much weaker Inner Strength which flowed noiselessly into her temples.

Han Xiaoxing’s delicate eyebrows scrunched up instantly: “I still feel the prickling, although it is lighter than before.”

Fang Lin immediately withdrew his hand and started pacing contemplatively, rubbing his chin.

Han Yinyue desperately wanted to ask questions, yet she didn’t want to disturb Fang Lin’s thoughts. Her heart went up and down, full of anxiety.

After what seemed like an eternity, Fang Lin finally stopped pacing. “I have a few questions and I hope you both will answer them truthfully,” he said.

Han Yinyue nodded, “Go ahead.”

Fang Lin glanced at Han Xiaoxing before posing his first question. “Both of your natural-born medical conditions must be related to your mother somehow. While Miss Han has weak meridians and can’t cultivate, Miss Han is born blind.”

At his words, both Han Yinyue and Han Xiaoxing’s faces fell.

“Our mother had passed away from a serious illness even before we reached adulthood.” Han Yinyue tried her best to maintain composure, but her voice betrayed a hint of sadness. Han Xiaoxing just looked down, unable to hide her emotions.

Fang Lin let out a sigh. He knew that this topic was likely to upset the two women. However, there were many things about their situation that he didn’t understand and needed to clarify.

“When the Sect Leader’s Wife was alive, was she physically frail or had she endured any injury that did not heal properly?” asked Fang Lin.

Han Yinyue collected her thoughts before saying, “To my knowledge, our mother indeed had a weak constitution. As for any injuries, I’m not sure. Perhaps our father could tell us more about it.”

“Our mother was injured!” Han Xiaoxing unexpectedly interjected.

“Xiaoxing, what do you know? Tell me quickly!” Han Yinyue asked, taken aback.

In a somber tone, Han Xiaoxing spoke, “Mother once told me that when she was pregnant with my sister, she was attacked and injured. Although our father saved her in time, she suffered an incurable concealed injury. As a result, my sister was born with weak meridians and is unable to cultivate.”

Han Yinyue stood rigidly as tears quietly trickled down her face. No one had ever told her about these incidents; she was only learning about them now from Han Xiaoxing.

Fang Lin stayed silent. Things were turning out just as he had suspected: the sisters’ mother was injured when she was pregnant, and evidently, her injuries were severe, or else she would not have passed away so early.

Because she was injured during pregnancy, it affected the fetuses in her womb. Han Yinyue was born with weak meridians and couldn’t cultivate Inner Strength.

The case was similar with Han Xiaoxing, who, despite being able to cultivate, was born blind.

Fang Lin struggled to understand why Han Luoyun’s wife chose to have Han Xiaoxing despite knowing her health condition. It was as if she was on a path of self-destruction.

However, Fang Lin was not going to voice these thoughts. This was, after all, a private family matter.

“Ahem, both of you, please take heart. I am sure the Sect Leader’s Wife would not wish to see you grieving on her account,” Fang Lin said, not knowing what else to say.

Han Yinyue shed a few silent tears and then quickly regained her composure. With reddened eyes, she asked, “So how do we treat Xiaoxing’s eyes?”

Fang Lin nodded, “There is a way. I now understand the reason for Miss Han’s blindness. All the meridians linked to her eyes are extremely weak and have started to break. Once these meridians are repaired and restored to normal, she’ll be able to see.”

Hearing this, Han Yinyue felt a surge of joy. Although Han Xiaoxing kept a stoic expression, her slightly shaking body betrayed her inner turmoil.

She had grown accustomed to the darkness over the years, but the possibility of seeing the world that she had never witnessed before was a thrilling prospect.

Fang Lin turned to Han Yinyue, “Did you prepare what I wrote down the other day?”

Han Yinyue nodded, “Everything is ready.”

Having said that, she handed over a Nine Palace Bag to Fang Lin, which contained all the items he needed.

“Here is a bottle of pills. Miss Han, take one every day and meditate in the cross-legged position for two hours. Don’t use any Inner Strength, and for half a month, try to avoid engaging in any fights,” said Fang Lin, handing over a bottle of pills to Han Yinyue.

Han Yinyue committed Fang Lin’s instructions to memory and carefully took the bottle of pills.

“Once you have finished the pills, come find me again. By then, I will check whether Miss Han’s meridians have improved. If there’s any sort of improvement, we can move on to the next step,” said Fang Lin.

Han Xiaoxing suddenly asked, “Will my eyesight recover before the Tri-Nation Tournament?”

Fang Lin didn’t know how to answer that question and could only respond with a bitter laugh, “I would recommend that we treat your eyes after the Tri-Nation Tournament.”

“No way!” Han Xiaoxing refused outright.