Transcending the Nine Heavens

Chapter 20: A Difficult Choice

Chu Le'er turned her head and glanced at Chu Yang, unexpectedly smiling calmly. She spoke softly and methodically, “Sorry to trouble you, brother.”

She struggled out of Chu Feiyan's arms and walked over quietly. Her expression was surprisingly calm. At such a young age, she seemed to have seen through life and death, understood the ways of the world.

Chu Yang understood that her illness was still ongoing, which meant she was still suffering from headaches. Yet, this strong little girl showed no signs of pain on her face.

She had gotten used to enduring!

She had come here only to prevent her mother from being sad or worried about her.

She was only eleven years old!

Chu Yang knew even more that she had completely given up on herself. The reason she came here was merely to give her mother a glimmer of hope. Nothing more—she didn’t believe she could be cured!

In fact, even Duan Shuyi didn't believe that Chu Yang could cure her. But now, they were at a desperate point: a disease that had been hopelessly treated in Nine Heavens, a disease that even the most powerful Medicine Valley could do nothing about. Who else could treat it?

The reason Duan Shuyi brought her daughter here might not be to cure her but to tell her daughter: Mom hasn't given up on you!

You mustn't give up either!

Looking at Chu Le'er's serene face, Chu Yang felt an overwhelming surge of pity in his heart. This... was his family's little sister.

She had no cultivation, nor did she possess a stunning appearance, but her strong character and filial piety moved anyone who saw her.

“Sit down,” Chu Yang said warmly.

Chu Le'er quietly sat down, stretched out her hand, palm up, and placed it flat on the table. This set of actions was familiar to her.

Chu Yang looked at her and couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart. Chu Le'er's hand was only about half the thickness of a typical girl her age. She was thin and bony, skin stretched over bones.

At such a young age, her skin was already wrinkled.

Chu Yang took a deep breath, extended his finger, and placed it on Chu Le'er's wrist.

The Sword Spirit entered Chu Leer's meridians with a wisp of spiritual consciousness along with Chu Yang's finger.

A long while passed...

“Basically the same as my last observation!” the Sword Spirit reported.

Chu Yang's heart sank, and he withdrew his finger.

“How is it?” Chu Feiyan asked nervously. Duan Shuyi stood beside her, hands tightly clasped, not daring to ask.

Chu Yang took a deep breath and remained silent, his expression grave.

Everyone's faces instantly turned sorrowful. Almost every time, every ‘divine doctor’ had examined her, their expression was the same. Was it possible...

Chu Le'er sat quietly in her place, her face blank, as if everything happening around her had nothing to do with her. What Chu Yang was about to say was like the illness of an unrelated person. She softly said, “Brother, just say it. Some things, I've already heard hundreds of times... Don't worry, listening to it again won’t change anything.”

Some things, she had heard hundreds of times...

Chu Yang felt another stab of pain in his heart.

He took a deep breath and reluctantly repeated the Sword Spirit's words, “Sister Le'er, your illness is due to congenital damage, injury in the womb. This kind of illness is very rare. Generally, if one suffers from it, either the fetus dies in the womb, or if born, they live no more than three years... But Sister Le'er is already eleven years old, which shows how much effort Third Uncle and Third Aunt have put in over the years...”

“You actually figured it out?” Duan Shuyi gasped, looking at Chu Yang, hope flickering in her eyes for the first time.

Chu Yang said, “This involves extremely subtle brain damage, specifically manifested as... constant headaches, drowsiness, confusion, intermittent spasms throughout the body, or prolonged comas... At the worst moments, there are cramps from the head to the shoulders, down the spine to the soles of the feet, twisting and churning... It can even cause the whole body to curl into a ball. This feeling is even more unbearable than the most brutal torture imaginable.”