After Zhang Wei was discharged from the hospital following his brutal showdown with Wang Jie, he didn't return to his hostel. Instead, with the spring sun casting golden rays across the city, he boarded the earliest metro and made his way back to the old district, his family's home.
A surprise visit.
His lips curled into a rare, gentle smile as he stepped onto the familiar street. Compared to the concrete jungle of school dormitories and battle arenas, this was the true haven, an aging apartment building tucked between a line of ginkgo trees, swaying in the soft morning breeze.
He stood before the door, raised his hand, and knocked.
"Coming!" a woman's voice called out from within.
The door creaked open, and there she stood-Zhang Lihua, his mother.
Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Z-Zhang Wei?!"
She nearly dropped the spatula in her hand. Dressed in a floral apron, hair tied in a loose bun, she looked like every bit the warm-hearted mother of a good-for-nothing teenage son. But the moment she saw him...her jaw hung open.
"You... you've grown taller!"
Her eyes traveled over him in shock.
The slender and half-starved boy she remembered was gone. In his place stood a young man with wide shoulders, a sculpted torso barely hidden beneath his hoodie, and a refined aura that exuded strength. His skin had a healthy glow, and his once-wild eyes now held a strange sharpness, like a blade just unsheathed.
"Mom," Zhang Wei smiled sheepishly. "Did you miss me?"
"You brat! You almost gave me a heart attack!" she scolded, pulling him into a tight embrace despite the surprise still clouding her face.
Inside, Zhang Tianhai, his father, looked up from the worn-out television playing the morning news. With a grizzled beard and farmer's tan, he'd always been a man of few words.
"You're back," he said plainly-but the corner of his mouth twitched upward.
Zhang Wei entered and sat cross-legged at the dining table as his mother rushed to serve freshly cooked dumplings, pickled radish, and steamed rice.
It was only after their laughter filled the air that Zhang Wei brought up what had been burning in his chest.
"How's little sister? Is she... still in the hospital?"
Silence blanketed the room.
His mother's expression fell as she returned to her seat.
"The doctors still don't know what exactly is wrong," she said softly. "They said her body isn't responding to treatment. Some are even calling it a new type of disease..."
Zhang Wei clenched his fists under the table.
After breakfast, he stood. "I'm going to see her."
Zhang Yuna's Room – Eastern Blossom Hospital
The scent of disinfectant and blooming lilies filled the sterile white room.
Zhang Yuna, barely thirteen, lay curled beneath a blanket. Her skin was unnaturally pale, and her body seemed so fragile that even the breeze might break her. Yet her big, bright eyes lit up the moment she saw him.
"Brother!"
Zhang Wei stepped in slowly. "Yuna..."
She reached out her hand, and he took it gently.
As they talked, her smile never faded. But behind that smile, he saw it...exhaustion, pain, the hollowing of a soul too young to suffer.
And then..the voice he had come to know all too well echoed in his mind.
[Ding! Host's blood relative possesses a Pure Yin Constitution.]
[Clarification: Zhang Yuna is not afflicted with disease. Her body holds the rare and powerful Pure Yin Physique-a constitution that passively absorbs cold Qi from her surroundings.]
Zhang Wei's eyes widened.
"Not sick...?" he whispered under his breath.
[Side effects are due to imbalance. To stabilize her condition and transform her into a cultivator, the host may redeem the Pure Yin Awakening Pill from the Spendrift Store.]
[Cost: 1,000,000 Spendrift Points.]
His breath caught. A million?
He didn't even have 3,000 left.
He turned toward Yuna, who was now humming softly, stroking the head of her stuffed rabbit doll. A lump formed in his throat. All this time... everyone thought she was dying. But she wasn't broken.....she was blessed. A constitution envied even by sect masters!
His heart burned.
"Just wait, Yuna," he whispered, gripping her hand tightly. "Your brother is going to save you. No matter how much money it takes. I'll climb to the heavens if I have to."
[Ding! Temporary Solution Detected!]
[Item: Life Healing Pill – Eases the cold backlash from the Pure Yin Constitution.]
[Cost: 2,000 Spendrift Points.]
[Note: One pill provides relief for one month. Effect diminishes after 10 doses.]
Without hesitation, Zhang Wei gritted his teeth.
"Redeem it."
[Confirmed. Deducting 2,000 Points...]
[Host Now You only have 700 points...]
A shimmering jade pill materialized in his inventory. Without delay, he dissolved it into warm water and brought it to Yuna's lips.
"Drink this."
She blinked at him. "Bitter medicine again?"
He chuckled. "Trust me. This one's sweet."
As the liquid slid down her throat, her eyes widened. A flush of color returned to her cheeks. Her limbs no longer trembled. Her breathing steadied. She slowly sat up on her own.
"I... I can move!"
Tears burst from her eyes. "I can move again!"
Zhang Wei wrapped his arms around her.
He didn't hold back.
He wept.
For her suffering. For his helplessness. And for the fire of hope that now roared within him.
He called his parents immediately. Within the hour, discharge papers were signed.
His Father asked how did you do it, Zhang Wei Replied "I will explain it all at home"
His Father said "Whatever it is I am happy that you cured Zhang Yuna "
Zhang Yuna walked...walked-out of the hospital, clutching his hand, sunlight dancing on her hair.
The war wasn't over.
But for today... Zhang Wei had won.