"Oh no! A-Ren! Cousin! Little Renzi, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly collapse without a word? Your face looks awful—are you sick?" Tie Jian cried out, feigning shock.
"Little Ren, don't scare your cousin like that! My heart's too delicate for such frights!" Tie Xuanxuan clutched her chest, putting on an exaggerated look of distress.
They were full of concern in words—but not in actions. Both stood there, wearing faint smiles as they watched the Third Young Master lying in the rain-soaked street, showing no intention of helping him up.
These two heartless cousins might not care for him, but fortunately, someone did.
Qiao Wei rushed forward, scooped up the Third Young Master in his arms, touched his forehead, listened to his heartbeat, checked the pulse in his neck, and finally examined his wrist. His expression darkened, growing heavy and grief-stricken.
Seeing the shift in Qiao Wei's expression, Tie Jian and Tie Xuanxuan found it hard to keep smiling.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Tie Xuanxuan asked nervously. "Our A-Ren's got a strong constitution and decades of internal energy. What we did couldn't possibly hurt him. Don't go pulling that funeral face on us!"
Tie Jian, the more composed of the two, said, "Sir… I mean, Elder… A-Ren's been a trickster since he was little. I remember when he was six, he faked his death for three hours using Turtle-Breathing Technique just to mess with us. My father almost beat me to death over it…"
"Silence!" Qiao Wei suddenly roared, his voice surging from his dantian like a thunderclap. It exploded beside their ears, leaving them dizzy and nearly toppling to the ground.
The siblings stared at Qiao Wei in shock. They hadn't expected this unremarkable middle-aged man to possess such terrifying power.
"I am Qiao Wei, the Ghost Valley Healer—Master of Life and Death! I may lack in many things, but not in medical expertise. You think I can't tell whether he's faking it with Turtle-Breathing? His meridians are a mess, his heart pulse is being attacked by two foreign qi forces, and his own inner qi is instinctively fighting back. All three forces are clashing directly at the heart's pulse—any moment now, it could rupture! You two little bastards—do you even understand what a shattered heart pulse means?! Even if you're his kin, this is beyond cruel! Were it not for the one and only 'Revival Pill' I've been carrying, he'd be dead right now!"
As he spoke, Qiao Wei pulled a porcelain bottle from his robe, carefully poured out a single pill, and placed it into the Third Young Master's mouth. He called Uncle Li over to support the boy and placed a palm against his back at the mingmen point, channeling his qi. Soon, white steam began to rise from his forehead.
After about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, the Third Young Master's complexion began to improve. Though still pale, he looked far from dying.
Qiao Wei exhaled deeply and said, "We were hanging by a thread just now. I had to treat him right on the street, vulnerable to ambush. If an enemy struck, both of us would be dead! You two idiots—truly brainless! You might as well rename yourselves Iron Brick and Iron Skull! Useless lumps!"
Just as he was enjoying his rant, he felt a sharp pinch on his rear. Glancing sideways, he saw the Third Young Master behind Uncle Li, winking at him mischievously.
"That's enough. Don't scold them too hard—they're still my cousins after all. Gotta let them keep some face," the young master mouthed silently. "Ha! I played them like a lute again. Based on past experience, they'll be eating out of my hand for at least six months!"
Qiao Wei replied with a smirk, "Couldn't find a better remedy in time, so I gave you a mix of crane venom, peacock bile, viper sap, ghostshade, honey, balloon flower, and lotus seed. It's called Half-Step Smile to the Grave. Nice flavor, huh?"
"What?! Aren't you afraid it'll kill me?!"
"Pfft—after surviving that soul-devouring 'Bone-Eroding Mist' from the Demon Sect, what's a little herbal cocktail gonna do to you? At worst, you'll have the runs for a couple days."
"...You're evil."
Ever since they conned Lianzhou Luor and the others, Qiao Wei and the Third Young Master had become a perfect tag team. No need for rehearsal or scripting—the moment one acted, the other knew how to follow.
This performance was just another collaboration between two master actors.
Underneath, the Third Young Master wore the indestructible Golden Silk Armor, topped by an invisible cloak also impervious to blades. With that double protection, Tie Jian's powerful palm strike hadn't harmed him at all. Tie Xuanxuan's precise acupoint strikes were impressive, but if even Tie Jian's brute force couldn't penetrate the armor, what could her fingers do?
Every expression, every movement, every faint gasp—it was all an act. He'd fooled these cousins countless times in childhood, no wonder they'd wanted to get even.
As for the so-called "Revival Pill"? The real one he had eaten like candy. The one his big brother Qin Feng gave him? Already used to save Qiu Ruomei.
If only Tie Jian and Tie Xuanxuan had known that, they might not have fallen for this trick—but alas, they were clueless.
After Qiao Wei's fierce lecture, Tie Jian broke into a cold sweat, hunching his back and muttering, "Master, your words are right—I didn't think things through. I heard A-Ren had become a martial prodigy, so I just wanted to roughhouse a bit like old times… I never thought he'd actually let my inner qi enter him without resisting… This is all my fault…"
Tie Xuanxuan, on the verge of tears, whimpered, "He's always been reckless! When we used to fight, he'd just tank the hits or run off! How was I supposed to know he'd… be this dumb…"
Qiao Wei sighed. "I understand—you're family, and kids play rough. That's one thing. But some jokes go too far. He might've been a brat before, but he's grown now. He respects you both. That's why he didn't dodge or fight back. Family orders, right? I shouldn't even scold you… after all, by status, you're my young master and lady—I'm merely a servant. But still, I had to speak."
Tie Jian bowed deeply. "Rank means nothing when truth is spoken. You're right, Master. I caused him to waste a treasure that could've saved his life. It's unforgivable…"
"Enough," said Qiao Wei. "Lesson learned. You've apologized. The Third Young Master is family—no need to draw blood over this