Chapter 124

Of all the things Lin Tian’s inner voice revealed, Xuan Yuan Qingya barely registered any of them—except for two words that instantly lit up her eyes: Spirit Marrow!

That’s right!

Lin Tian had mentioned this relic, sealed since ancient times, in his thoughts. For modern people, it’s practically a cure-all—”a single drop heals all, marrow to the root; illness no more!”

If it could heal her fourth uncle’s ailment, why couldn’t it cure Lei Ming’s condition?

With that thought, Xuan Yuan Qingya immediately turned to her mother and said:

“Mother, please take Elder Lei to the infirmary first. Have Doctor Zhao and the others run a thorough check. I’ll step out for a moment and be right back. By the time I return, Grandpa Lei will be fine.”

Xuan Yuan Xing nodded steadily.

Having led the Xuan Yuan family for so many years, she had cultivated an unshakable composure. Even now, with Lei Ming gravely ill, she maintained the dignity and calmness expected of the family’s head.

“Go. Come back quickly.”

“Mm.”

The large group headed toward Xuan Yuan Chen’s nearby villa. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying much attention, Xuan Yuan Qingya slipped quietly away from the procession and headed back toward the ballroom.

…

Inside the ballroom, the crowd had thinned almost instantly.

Aside from those who lacked the status to participate—and a few, such as Xue Xue’s granduncle and the old master, who simply didn’t want to move—everyone else rushed off to join the commotion.

Even the scions of these powerful families were no exception to human nature, joining the commotion.

Of course, some of them harbored less-than-pure motives, such as “currying favor with the Xuan Yuan family” or “seeing if they could establish a connection with Lei Ming.”

Amid the swirling smoke, Lin Tian was deep in thought, considering his next move.

Jiang Han was about to arrive at the castle. The Jiang family might attack the Xuan Yuan family. In a clash between such powerful clans, things could easily escalate into an armed conflict.

The law still mattered at their level, but it was far from their primary consideration.

Just as Lin Tian was pondering this—

Suddenly, hurried footsteps could be heard approaching the entrance of the ballroom.

Lin Tian looked up and, to his surprise, saw Xuan Yuan Qingya!

Why is this woman back? Shouldn’t she be taking care of Lei Ming?

Lin Tian frowned, but said nothing. Nonetheless, he rose to his feet.

After all, the moment Xuan Yuan Qingya entered the ballroom, she headed straight for him. There was no way he could avoid her now!

She reached his side, slightly out of breath. Before he could ask, “What’s going on?” he felt a warm, soft hand suddenly clasp his own.

His entire body jolted in shock.

What the hell? Why is this woman getting handsy again?

Before he could shake her off, Xuan Yuan Qingya seized the opportunity. She tightened her grip instead and dragged him straight out through the side door!

Xuan Yuan Qingya ran so fast and urgently that Lin Tian felt that if he let go, she might end up face-planting on the floor.

After all, she was a woman who had once kissed him. There was no way he would let her get hurt like that.

He could only let her drag him along, their hands still tightly clasped.

They burst out of the ballroom and raced down the corridor. Xuan Yuan Qingya pulled him straight into the stairwell.

Only then did Lin Tian finally have a chance to speak.

“Xuan Yuan Qingya, what are you doing? Where are we going?”

Xuan Yuan Qingya pressed her lips together, her face flushing crimson.

Part of it was because she had been running so fast. But another part was because she had impulsively grabbed Lin Tian’s hand.

Besides the time she kissed him, this was the second time she had ever been this intimate with another man.

And both times, it was Lin Tian!

She didn’t dare look back, afraid he would notice how shy she was. All she could do was run harder, gripping his hand tightly, afraid to let go.

“Lin Tian, come with me to my room. I need to get the Spirit Marrow. I’m going to use it to save Elder Lei.”

Xuan Yuan Qingya finally spoke up.

Lin Tian’s mouth twitched. Seriously? You need me for that? Couldn’t you just get it yourself?

Still, since they had come so far, Lin Tian wasn’t about to turn back now. Besides, he didn’t have anything better to do, and there wouldn’t be anyone else in Xuan Yuan Qingya’s bedroom anyway.

With a helpless sigh, he said, “Fine, but can you at least let go of my hand? I’ll go with you.”

Xuan Yuan Qingya turned her head and shot him a playful glare. Her voice was soft as a whisper.

“What? You don’t like me holding your hand?”

Hearing this proud woman speak in such a delicate, girlish tone, paired with that shy yet secretly delighted expression, hit him like a thunderbolt.

Lin Tian silently began reciting the Heart-Clearing Mantra, but didn’t pull his hand away.

…

Upon seeing his noncommittal expression, Xuan Yuan Qingya heard the mantra echoing in his thoughts.

The woman knew she had gotten her way. A sly smile curved her lips.

However, now was not the time to flirt with Lin Tian—Lei Ming was still waiting for the Spirit Marrow to save his life!

Xuan Yuan Qingya dragged Lin Tian all the way up from the first floor to the second, straight to her bedroom.

Even as they entered the room, their hands remained tightly clasped together.

Who was holding on harder—Xuan Yuan Qingya or Lin Tian? It was hard to tell.

Once inside, Qingya finally let out a breath of relief and turned to ask:

“Lin Tian, where’s the Spirit Marrow?”

Lin Tian raised his hand and pointed toward the inner room.

“In your innermost bedroom…”

The moment he returned, he thought of the girl he had scared half to death. Xue Xue should still be lying in the infirmary.

She should still be lying in the infirmary.

One could say that the Xuan Yuan family’s castle has truly been plagued by misfortune this time!

First, Xuan Yuan Chen collapsed. Then, Xue Xue suffocated into unconsciousness. Now, Lei Ming has fallen as well.

If Lin Tian didn’t know that this was an opportunity handed to Jiang Yifeng by the world, he might have thought that the Xuan Yuan family had provoked an unclean force.

After all, this was a world where extraordinary powers existed—those “unclean things” could very well be real.

Upon hearing Lin Tian’s words, Xuan Yuan Qingya hurried into her bedroom and carefully drew a single drop of Spirit Marrow through a straw.

The Spirit Marrow was still resting quietly in the small Heavenly Pool bowl at that moment, showing no signs of evaporation.

However, for a treasure of heaven and earth like this, if it could influence those nearby, then surely it had some degree of volatilization.

After securing the Spirit Marrow, Xuan Yuan Qingya paused for a moment, then spoke softly.

“Lin Tian, will you come with me? It’s probably chaotic over there right now.”

The implication was clear: If things were chaotic, Lin Tian likely wouldn’t stand out.

Of course, in Xuan Yuan Qingya’s heart, she wanted him by her side.

Setting aside her feelings for Lin Tian, having him nearby—and being able to overhear his thoughts—was like an extra layer of protection in case anything unexpected happened.

Lin Tian thought for a moment, then nodded.

Ever since he arrived in this world, aside from those early days when he just wanted to find a quiet place to hide…

For the most part, Lin Tian had always held onto one principle: avoid getting tangled up in messy situations and steer clear of major characters, such as the heroines, the male lead, and other key figures.

At the same time, though, he needed to keep an eye on how the plot unfolded.

After all, Lin Tian was a villain.

With that curse hanging over him, a peaceful life was impossible. His only option was to find ways to gradually solve this problem.

If, during that process, his “foreknowledge” was thrown off by drastic changes in the storyline, his greatest advantage would vanish!

That was why Lin Tian had to keep watching the plot develop—only then could he feel at ease.

Lin Tian could only slowly adapt to the plot’s progression by doing this. Then, he could use his “foreknowledge” to try to resolve the trouble hanging over him.

However, despite his efforts to stay low-key, he kept getting entangled with heroines like Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, Bai Bing’er, and Xuan Yuan Qingya.

After weighing the pros and cons, Lin Tian nodded and said:

“All right, let’s go together. I’ll just stay outside and watch.”

“Mm.”

Xuan Yuan Qingya nodded obediently.

…

The two of them headed downstairs and rushed toward the nearby villa.

Once inside, they climbed up to the third floor.

Lin Tian made a point of letting Xuan Yuan Qingya go up first and followed behind her.

As Lin Tian deliberately climbed the stairs to the third floor and stepped into the large infirmary where Lei Ming was undergoing various examinations, he suddenly noticed something.

Shang Chan, Zhao Mengmeng, and Bai Bing’er were huddled together, whispering, while Meng Xiaoling stood behind Bai Bing’er, obediently.

The three women had sharp eyes. The moment he appeared, they spotted him instantly.

Their faces lit up the second they saw him!

When Lin Tian saw the bright, eager look on their faces, his scalp tingled.

The room was bustling with people. If these three caused a scene, he’d become the center of attention in no time.