Chapter 47: Who Takes Responsibility

**In a warm and comforting hospital room, Tang Ailian finally met Zhao Lu, the 18-year-old who appeared to be 19 but was bedridden due to illness. He lay on a white bed, his eyes tightly shut, occasionally showing signs of pain and struggle on his face. Tubes and wires were connected to his body, and he relied on a steady supply of intravenous fluids.

Tang Ailian first examined his spiritual aura. She noticed that it had turned a dark gray, almost resembling the aura of a deceased person. If the tubes were removed, he would likely die immediately, which explained why he couldn't move freely.

If she didn't intervene, he probably wouldn't survive the night.

As soon as White Beard brought Tang Ailian into the room, a man in a white lab coat eagerly asked, "Lao Bai, did you manage to get a skilled practitioner?"

The nurse by his side also wore an anxious expression.

White Beard pointed at Tang Ailian and affirmed, "I've already brought one."

The man in the lab coat was taken aback and pointed at Tang Ailian, saying, "She's the skilled practitioner?"

Was this some kind of joke? A toddler who looked about four or five years old was the skilled practitioner White Beard had brought? She might be cute, but seriously?

Due to drinking the spirit water since she was a child, Tang Ailian had grown taller than the average person. Despite being only two and a half years old, she appeared to be around three or four years old.

Tang Ailian, seemingly oblivious to their exchange, murmured, "His life is hanging by a thread."

Hearing Tang Ailian's words, White Beard was alarmed and didn't have time to respond to the man in the lab coat. He anxiously asked Tang Ailian, "What did you say?"

Tang Ailian glanced at the man in the lab coat and then turned her attention back to White Beard. "You should know, right? If I don't intervene, your friend's son will most likely pass away tonight."

White Beard was stunned. What Tang Ailian said matched what he had observed. It seemed that this Tang Ailian had some real skills. Perhaps, they wouldn't need her master's intervention after all.

The man in the lab coat was still in disbelief. He knew the patient's condition very well, but who was this child? Did White Beard tell her the details? 

White Beard ignored the man in the lab coat and confirmed, "Yes, I know. If I hadn't brought you here, my friend's son wouldn't have made it through the night."

The man in the lab coat was incredulous and pointed at Tang Ailian, "She's..."

"She's the skilled practitioner I brought," White Beard affirmed once more.

The man in the lab coat couldn't believe it. Was this little child really the skilled practitioner White Beard had brought? A cute toddler who couldn't be more than five years old?

Well, to be fair, due to Tang Ailian drinking the water from the spiritual well from a young age, she had grown taller than average. Even though she was only two and a half years old, she looked like a three or four-year-old child.

If the man in the lab coat knew that Tang Ailian was only two and a half years old, he'd probably be even more astounded.

However, Tang Ailian didn't pay any attention to the man in the lab coat. She was currently scanning Zhao Lu's body with her psychic powers. She could see that his meridians were withered, his essence and blood were severely depleted, and only a thin thread of life remained, suspended by a thread. Furthermore, his chest contained a white aura, protecting his life, but it also hindered any external aid. This aura prevented ordinary methods from saving him.

In his brain, a black cloud was consuming his essence and blood.

"The sinister energy has invaded his brain, devouring his essence and blood, and it's concealed within his heart meridian. Ordinary methods are no longer effective," Tang Ailian muttered.

White Beard was even more impressed. Indeed, he had tried various methods, but none of them had worked.

"Is there still a chance to save him?" he anxiously asked.

Tang Ailian flipped her eyes open and glanced at him. "If I can't save him, no one in this world can, except for my master. To save him, we need to infuse his body with vitality-enhancing medicine first."

White Beard was taken aback. Finding medicine to enhance vitality was relatively easy, but finding medicine to enhance life force in the entire world? Did such a thing exist?

White Coat chimed in, "We have a hundred-year-old ginseng."

Tang Ailian coldly looked at him and said, "I'm talking about enhancing life force, not replenishing vitality. Besides, his vitality is already stored in his heart meridian. If we can extract it, his condition will improve somewhat. However, once it's improved, he'll die immediately. So, what he lacks right now isn't vitality, but life force."

"Is there such a thing as a vitality-enhancing medicine in the world?" White Coat stubbornly asked.

"Of course there is," Tang Ailian replied.

She took out a small glass vial containing a green pill.

"This is..." White Beard looked at the vial in Tang Ailian's hand, sensing a vibrant life force emanating from it.

"A vitality-enhancing medicine," Tang Ailian answered.

White Coat looked doubtful. Could such a small pill really have a significant effect?

"Does this medicine enhance life force?" he asked skeptically.

Tang Ailian responded, "Yes. Remove his oxygen mask."

"No!" White Coat immediately objected. "If we remove the oxygen mask, Zhao Lu won't last for even a minute. If your medicine doesn't work, who will take responsibility?"

This patient came from an extraordinary background, and there could be no room for error. If the consequences of this child's intervention led to irreparable harm, he wouldn't be able to explain it to the patient's family.

Tang Ailian fixed her gaze on White Beard but remained silent.

"Remove it," White Beard said firmly.

White Coat blocked his way, saying, "I can't allow you to do that. Zhao Lu is my patient, and I must take responsibility for him."

Tang Ailian shot White Beard a disdainful look. "So, your idea of taking responsibility is to wait for the patient to die tonight and then tell his family that you did your best and to mourn their loss?"

White Coat was at a loss for words.

"Remove it," White Beard said again.

White Coat pointed at White Beard. "Remember what you said. If anything happens to my patient, you'll take responsibility!"

He pushed White Beard aside and personally removed the patient's oxygen mask. Tang Ailian swiftly approached and fed Zhao Lu a small green pill about the size of a mung bean. Simultaneously, she lightly pressed his throat, using her psychic powers to dissolve the pill's energy and distribute it throughout his body.

This green pill was made by Tang Ailian using Golden Heart Grass and thousand-year-old Reishi mushrooms. It was filled with life force, which was precisely what Zhao Lu needed to replenish his vitality and restore his life force.

As the pill's energy dispersed throughout his body, it quickly

 replenished Zhao Lu's life force. His originally ashen face gradually gained a hint of color, and the look of pain disappeared.

"That's good. There's still hope!" Tang Ailian sighed in relief.

White Beard noticed the change in Zhao Lu as soon as Tang Ailian intervened. He was no longer on the brink of death. He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that Tang Ailian indeed possessed a life-saving elixir from her sect. That explained her confident claims.

The man in the lab coat was still skeptical. He stared at the small green pill in Tang Ailian's hand. Could such a tiny pill really bring someone back from the brink of death?

"This medicine enhances life force?" he asked once more.

"It does," Tang Ailian confirmed.

(End of this chapter)