Chapter 171 - An Offer

Dismembering the massive Dark Weaver Spider enough to transport took longer than either Ao Wen or Feng Xi expected. While Feng Xi had watched her father dismember similar creatures in the Thundercloud Forest, none of them had been as toxic or as strange as the Darkweaver spider. Thankfully, as an Alchemist, Ao Wen was no stranger to working carefully with toxic substances and the notes provided by Alchemist Ma Xiaohua provided her a basic understanding of what to watch out for while breaking down the carcass. Still, they worked slowly and carefully to avoid any accidents, especially when it came to draining the beast's venom sacks. Ao Wen took no risks, keeping Feng Xi and all the others well away while she worked lest any inadvertent squirts of fluid endanger them. 

In the end, the delays meant that they returned to the Four Guardian's House long after sun had set when the city had turned itself once again into a sea of winkling multi-colored lights. For all his earlier bravado about not feeling pain after Ao Wen's treatment, Tang Jin's injury clearly sapped more of his strength as the trip home progressed and by the time he arrived, the young man wanted nothing more than to eat a large meal and crawl into a warm bed. 

Thankfully, Shuli had anticipated that the group might return exhausted or injured and prepared accordingly. "Lingling and I have already prepared warm soaking tubs for each of you," she said when they arrived. "Young Lord Ao, while I know that you enjoy occasional time in the kitchen, I presumed that you'd prefer for others to take care of meals for you and Understudy Feng to enjoy together. Just set a lantern on your porch and I'll have someone bring food to your courtyard for you. Young Lord Zhang, Young Lord Tang, Lingling and I will attend to you both personally," she added with a warm smile.

"Really, you don't need to go through that much trouble," Tang Jin said, not wanting to impose on the young beauties. "A warm soak is already a luxury."

"Please," Lingling said, stepping close to him and looking into his golden eyes with concern between her brows. "You're injured. Let me care for you tonight. I've even prepared a set of oils, if you find that your muscles are sore," she purred, running a finger along his toned upper arm, "I'd be happy to provide a massage."

"You're always taking care of me," he protested, flustered at the way his body was responding to the charming woman's touch and affection. "What have I ever done for you to deserve this kind of care?"

"Nothing yet," Lingling said with a warm smile. "But if Young Lord Tang is willing to indulge me, I'd be happy to stroll through the market with you once you feel well enough to. Just your company is reward enough," she added with a smile, reaching out to gently cup his cheek. "You don't need to buy me anything."

"Jin should rest tomorrow in bed," Ao Wen said with a wink at the young woman. "He shouldn't strain himself while the wound heals. The day after, however, fresh air and a walk would be good for him."

"I don't feel that bad," Tang Jin protested. "At this rate, I'm going to spend half our training time in bed healing." 

"So get hurt less," Zhang Bai teased. "For now, enjoy the attention," he said, wrapping an arm around Shuli's waist and giving her a squeeze. "Do I get a massage too?" 

"If young Lord Zhang wishes a massage, I'll happily oblige. If you wish more company for the night," Shuli began, only to be interrupted by Zhang Bai's finger on her lips. 

"Just a massage. More than that is beyond me tonight," he begged off. While it wasn't entirely true, he wasn't sure that he wanted to take Shuli for a tumble, even if she was willing. Ao Wen had stirred things in him that he hadn't realized he could feel and at the same time, she clearly wouldn't ever see him the way he'd seen her. If it had been before he'd met Ao Wen, he wouldn't have hesitated to take advantage of what Shuli was offering, but now, he wanted something that felt… more. He wasn't sure what 'more' he wanted, but he felt like turning to Shuli now when he was still trying to sort himself out wouldn't be fair to the young woman. A massage he could accept, but anything more would cross a line. 

With arrangements well in hand, the entire group enjoyed a peaceful evening. More than anything, what Ao Wen and Feng Xi craved from each other was the warmth of holding each other close. The chill night offered an excuse to light a small fire in their bedroom fireplace, pushing back the darkness along with anything that might lurk in it. 

The next day, Ao Wen was surprised with an early morning visit at her clinic from Alchemist Ma Xiaohua. Unlike their previous meetings where the older alchemist presented herself with an impeccable demeanor of professionalism and pride, this time, the one eyed alchemist looked… ragged. Her eye was puffy with a dark circle under it like she hadn't slept the previous night, or perhaps for several nights given that a cultivator of her stature could frequently go without sleep for days on end when required. Her normally sleek black hair was rough and tousled, and her robes were rumpled as though she had fallen asleep in them. 

"Alchemist Ma, are you unwell?" Ao Wen asked, moving quickly to the worn woman's side and taking her pulse. 

"I'm not unwell," Ma Xiaohua said truthfully, her heart warming at the concern in Ao Wen's voice. "I've been pondering a series of difficult decisions and I'm afraid that I haven't taken care of myself very well these past few days while my mind and heart are troubled. I appreciate your concern Young Lord Ao," she said with a weak smile. 

"Please, come inside, at least let me prepare a restorative tea for you," Ao Wen said, ushering her fellow alchemist into a private room and pulling out herbs to begin preparing an infused tea. "Were you able to reach the decisions you needed to? Perhaps talking to someone else would help. I may not have your years, but from one alchemist to another, at the very least, I might be able to understand."

"I don't know what will happen next," Ma Xiaohua said truthfully, taking the cup of tea that Ao Wen offered. "The first few decisions weren't really so much decisions as things I had to work up the courage to do. I'm not entirely here for myself," she started to explain. "I'm acting as an intermediary for someone else. Someone powerful who needs a special kind of alchemist in order to save the person he loves," she explained carefully. 

"I assume that the matter is very delicate then," Ao Wen said cautiously, sitting down beside her fellow alchemist and looking into her tired eye. "I'm also guessing that you aren't the right kind of alchemist."

"No, I'm not," Ma Xiaohua said, shaking her head and looking down in shame. "I tried. I even, even did things, things that weren't the sort of things I'd usually do, and I attempted a third awakening as a mystic, just to try and help this person," she said softly. Moisture gathered in the corner of her eye but she blinked it away fiercely. Now wasn't the time to wallow in her own situation! "I failed. After talking to you, however, and seeing your sorcery, I thought you might be able to succeed where I failed."

"So you want me to look at the patient?" Ao Wen asked. Somehow, looking at how ragged Ma Xiaohua had worn herself, she didn't think this would be as simple as treating a patient with the skills she'd demonstrated so far. She hadn't done much that Ma Xiaohua couldn't accomplish herself, it just would have required more expensive methods. Now, the older alchemist was asking her to do something that she herself had failed at. "What can I do to help?" 

"We know the ailment the patient is suffering from," Ma Xiaohua said hesitantly. "The difficulty comes in applying the treatment. If you're able to learn the method, the person I represent is willing to gift you the cultivation manual that contains the method and even to assist you in acquiring the resources to support your cultivation of it. All he asks is that you treat his love. Would you, would you accept such a request?" Ma Xiaohua finally managed to ask, looking into Ao Wen's amber eyes with a pleading gaze. "If not for him and his love, then for me?"