One person: Starting with the Snow Drinking Blade

Time passed slowly in the oppressive silence, with only the regular beeping of the monitor and Xu Xiang's heavy, labored breathing echoing in the room.

It felt like a long time had passed, or perhaps just a moment.

Zhang Chulan finally slowly, little by little, raised his head.

His eyes were red and bloodshot, with tears glistening in them, yet he stubbornly refused to let them fall. He first looked at Xu Xiang, who was lying on the hospital bed, tears streaming down his face and breathing weakly, his gaze complex; then, he slowly turned to Feng Baobao, who was sitting by the bedside, still holding his hand, her expression calm; finally, he took a deep breath, his chest slightly bulging, as if he wanted to inhale all the heaviness, sorrow, and doubt in the room into his lungs, and then exhale it as words.

He looked at Feng Baobao and spoke each word clearly and distinctly, his voice hoarse yet crystal clear:

"Grandpa...I believe you."

Then, he turned to Feng Baobao, the fear, anger, and estrangement in his eyes receding like the tide, replaced by a more complex, resolute look that mixed understanding, relief, and a heavy sense of responsibility.

"Sister Bao'er... From now on, I will protect you. I will do everything in my power to help you regain your lost memories and help you figure out... who you really are and where you came from."

Feng Baobao tilted her head slightly, seemingly puzzled: "You don't hate me? I killed your grandfather."

"Hate?" Zhang Chulan forced a smile, a bitter one that looked more like a grimace. "My grandfather did it willingly. In the last moments of his life, he chose you and trusted you. He made you do it to protect me, to keep a bigger secret... If I were to hate you or hold a grudge against you because of this, that would be truly... I would be letting down all that he risked his life for."

Xu Xiang smiled. It was a genuine smile from the bottom of his heart, a smile that came from the weight of a thousand-pound burden. Though weak, it was bright. He looked at Zhang Chulan, then at Feng Baobao's hand tightly clasped in his, and the last trace of deep-seated guilt in his eyes finally dissipated, transforming into pure relief and reassurance.

Then, he turned his gaze to Nie Lingfeng, who had been silently observing. Those old, cloudy eyes, which seemed to have seen through the world, appeared to see beyond the surface and into something deeper.

"Young man," Xu Xiang's voice was even weaker, but he tried his best to keep it clear, "to have gained the approval of my two... good-for-nothing sons, to bring you to this place... to hear these things... means that you are someone I can entrust with my life."

Nie Lingfeng took two steps forward, came to the bedside, and solemnly bowed to the old man who had devoted himself to protecting the secret: "Old Xu."

"A-Wu's secret... Baby's background..." Xu Xiang gasped, his gaze fixed intently on Nie Lingfeng, "I hope you... can protect it together with Chu Lan. This path... is not easy."

"This junior understands." Nie Lingfeng straightened up, met the old man's gaze, and nodded solemnly. "Now that we are in this situation, we should work together."

His gaze swept over Xu Xiang's withered and ashen face, over the sophisticated instruments that were maintaining his faint vital signs, and suddenly a thought popped into his head uncontrollably.

Qilin marrow... It is mentioned in the fragments of Nie Feng's inherited memories that this item contains part of the original essence of the ancient fire qilin. It has miraculous effects such as cleansing the marrow, stimulating potential, and even prolonging life. Although it is not as powerful as the legendary "dragon essence", it may offer a glimmer of hope for those who are seriously injured, dying, or whose life force is exhausted.

The fact that the wild rabbit in the mountains that mistakenly ate the herbs he had spilled with blood had its severe laceration on its front leg heal completely within a few hours was proof of this. His own blood must contain a portion of the Qilin marrow essence that had already been absorbed and transformed by his body.

but……

Nie Lingfeng's hand unconsciously went to his chest. There, through his clothes, the dark red Qilin tattoo pulsated slightly, warmly, like the heart of a sleeping beast.

The dangerous and violent mad blood of the Nie family also flowed within him. In the World Society, just Feng Baobao's injury nearly drove him to madness, turning him into a bloodthirsty demon. The power of the Qilin marrow was upright and immense; it might be able to save someone, but what about the violent nature of the mad blood? What if his blood were transfused into Xu Xiang's body, not only failing to save him but also triggering an uncontrollable mutation, turning this dying old man into a mad "Qilin Demon"...

The consequences would be unimaginable!

Reason and emotion, risk and hope, clashed fiercely in his mind, plunging him into a deep dilemma.

Just then, Xu Xiang's breathing suddenly became extremely rapid and chaotic, and a terrible "hoarse" sound came from his throat, like an old bellows pumping wildly! The red light on the monitor by the bedside flashed wildly, and the ear-piercing alarm tore apart the silence of the room!

"Dad!" Xu San and Xu Si's expressions changed drastically, and they rushed to the bedside at the same time.

The female doctor who had just arrived rushed in with two nurses. She glanced at the rapidly deteriorating data on the monitor, then quickly checked Xu Xiang's pupils and pulse. Her face was so grave it could drip water. She turned to Xu San, her voice low but undeniably stern:

"Director Xu, the old man's bodily functions are failing completely... all his indicators are plummeting. I'm afraid... he only has one or two days left. You... should prepare yourselves mentally."

Xu San and Xu Si's faces turned deathly pale instantly. Xu Si even staggered and had to grab the bed rail to steady himself. His eyes were instantly filled with bloodshot eyes and despair.

Nie Lingfeng gritted his teeth.

We can't hesitate any longer! Let Xu San and Xu Si decide for themselves!

He reached out and gently tugged at Xu San's sleeve, signaling him to go outside to talk.

The two entered the quiet corridor outside the medical room. The stark white light cast long shadows of them.

Nie Lingfeng cut to the chase: "Third Brother, about the old man's condition..."

"I know." Xu San interrupted him, took off his glasses, and rubbed his bloodshot eyes and tense brows. His voice was tired and hoarse. "My dad's body... has long been beyond saving. It's a miracle he's still alive. The doctors have said that his organ failure is irreversible; he's only being kept alive by willpower and the best medical equipment..."

"I have a plan." Nie Lingfeng's voice was soft, but his tone was unusually serious. "Don't get agitated, listen to me calmly."

Xu San put his glasses back on, his gaze behind the lenses sharp as a knife, staring intently at Nie Lingfeng: "You speak."

"My blood... might have a little bit of a special effect." Nie Lingfeng carefully chose his words, trying not to make it too shocking. "I've been with my master in the deep mountains since I was a child. The medicinal baths I took and the wild fruits I ate have been around for years, and they might have accumulated some... um, special medicinal properties. In the past, when injured animals in the mountains accidentally licked the blood that splattered from my practice, their wounds healed exceptionally quickly."

Xu San's eyes suddenly lit up for a moment, an instinctive reaction of someone in dire straits seeing a glimmer of light. But then, that light quickly dimmed, replaced by deeper doubt and worry: "Even if your blood truly possesses some kind of healing-promoting 'medicinal property,' will it harm you? How effective will it be? Can it reverse organ failure? And..."

He paused, took a half-step closer, and lowered his voice, almost whispering, "Xiao Feng, we all saw your state in the World Society. I'm afraid... if my father used your blood, might it trigger some kind of... uncontrollable change? That might be worse than dying directly."

Nie Lingfeng smiled wryly: "This is exactly what I was worried about."

The two fell silent. The only sounds in the corridor were the low hum of the exhaust fan and Xu Xiang's labored breathing, which could be faintly heard through the crack in the medical room door.

Just then, the door to the medical room was flung open. Xu Si rushed out, his eyes bloodshot, his hair disheveled, and his face streaked with tears. He grabbed Xu San's arm, his voice trembling with agitation and despair:

"Third Brother! What are you still hesitating for?! That's our father! Our own dad! Even a sliver of hope, even a one in ten thousand chance, is better than... better than just watching him... watching him go!"

He abruptly turned to Nie Lingfeng, this man who was usually jovial and cynical, now only showing the most primal, childlike helplessness and pleading on his face, his voice trembling: "Xiao Feng! Brother Feng! I'm begging you! Help me, please? Just try! No matter the outcome... I owe you my life! No, I owe you my whole life!"

Nie Lingfeng looked at Xu Si's bloodshot eyes, at the undisguised despair and longing on his face, and at Xu San's tightly pursed lips and the faint, struggling hope deep in his eyes.

The last bit of hesitation in my heart melted away instantly, like ice and snow under the sun.

"it is good."

He said no more, took out a small glass bottle that originally contained vitamins from the side pocket of his sports backpack (actually, he took it out of his Qiankun Bag with his mind), and then pulled out the Snow Drinking Knife from behind his back.

The blade was drawn half an inch from its sheath, and a chilling aura emanated from it.

Xu San and Xu Si both held their breath.

Nie Lingfeng gripped the small bottle tightly with his left hand, and held the knife in his right, aiming the razor-sharp tip at the inside of his left forearm, a spot rich in blood vessels but avoiding major nerves. Without hesitation, he lightly sliced ​​through it—

A shallow wound, about an inch long, appeared.

But the blood that flowed out caused the well-informed Xu San and Xu Si to have their pupils shrink instantly!