After rebirth, she discovered the space golden finger

"What's going on! I heard early this morning that someone broke into the ancestor's room. Who is so bold as to disrespect the Zhen family!"

“Mother, the eldest son’s family is getting more and more unruly. They’re bringing all sorts of people to Grandfather’s place. Uncle, Grandfather needs to rest. How can we let Third Sister bring all these outsiders here…”

"Second sister-in-law should discipline her son more; it's not his place to interrupt when his elders are here!"

“Sister-in-law, that’s not right. My Bin’er is just concerned about his grandfather. Your Yao’er’s wedding is in a few days. There are many mixed people in the Zhen family now. We have to be careful that someone doesn’t take advantage of the situation and ruin our Zhen family’s good things… Third sister-in-law, don’t you think so?”

"Second sister-in-law, I haven't been in this family long. You and eldest sister-in-law are naturally in charge of making decisions about things at home..."

……

Before the Zhen family members even entered the house, Pei Yun and his companions overheard a fascinating verbal exchange.

As soon as the Zhen family members entered the room, Zhen Wei, who was at the head of the group, coughed slightly with his fist to his mouth. The room fell silent instantly, and no one dared to talk nonsense anymore.

Zhen Wei first looked at Pei Yun and said, "Please forgive me, young friend Pei."

"It's alright." Pei Yun stepped aside and stood in a corner with Yin Yanyue and the others.

"What are you all doing here making such a ruckus? Do you wish I were dead right now?!" Zhen Wei slammed his fist on the table in anger, then coughed uncontrollably.

Zhen Ming glanced at Zhen Yao with a reproachful look, then stood up and stepped forward: "Father, I heard from the servants that Yao'er brought outsiders to your place, and we were worried about your illness, so we came along..."

Zhen Yu, who was standing next to him, squeezed forward and said ingratiatingly, "Father, I saw that my eldest and second brothers were eager to visit you, so I came with them."

“Yes, Grandfather, we were worried about you. Third Sister, Grandfather is ill. How could you bring outsiders in and disturb him…” Zhen Bin from the second branch of the family glanced at Pei Yun and the others and said sarcastically.

As soon as he spoke, Zhen Yao's elder brother, Zhen Ang, stepped forward and said, "Second brother, third sister is not a reckless person. Since she brought people here, she must have her own reasons."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze fell upon Pei Yun and the other two.

Zhen Wei said, "Alright, now that everyone from the third branch of the family is here, let's talk all at once. Yao'er brought her friend here to diagnose my illness. Her friend is an alchemist."

Everyone was startled upon hearing this, and then a young-looking woman stepped forward: "Senior Zhen, your injuries are beyond my current ability to heal..."

She had mastered the Life-Sustaining Technique to perfection, but it was still unable to heal the other party's injuries. It seemed that she should cultivate a higher-level healing technique.

Upon hearing this, the Zhen family members present all showed disappointment, though whether it was genuine or feigned was unknown.

Pei Yun glanced at the medicinal soup on the table, secretly observing the expressions of the Zhen family members, and then said, "However..."

"But what?"

"While it cannot cure Senior Zhen's injuries, it can slow down their deterioration..."

As Pei Yun spoke, he picked up the cold medicine on the table, scooped up a spoonful, and tasted it himself.

"What are you doing?! This is Grandfather's medicine!" Zhen Bin from the second branch of the family jumped up again, and the others looked at Pei Yun in confusion.

"Sure enough, this medicine contains the four herbs I just mentioned..."

The next moment, Pei Yun dropped a bombshell, "Senior Zhen, your injuries shouldn't have been this severe. With the elixir Elder Zheng of the Pill God Hall refining it for you, your condition shouldn't have deteriorated to this point. All of this is because your medicine contained four herbs: Peony Dew Powder, Qingming Seed, Fern Root, and Sunflower. These four herbs are not poisons in themselves, and the latter three are even common herbs. Only Peony Dew Powder is a rare herb, but taking them together can cause qi and blood to become disordered at best, and at worst, it can lead to qi deviation and demonic possession. For an injured person, it is even worse than poison..."

Pei Yun's words shocked everyone. The Zhen family members stared intently at the bowl of medicine, and the Zhen family patriarch's face was extremely pale, his hand on the table clenched into a fist.

The room fell silent. Finally, Zhen Ming spoke first: "Zhen Yao, why don't you let your friend take a look at your grandfather first..."

Zhen Yao looked at Pei Yun, who nodded: "Please everyone leave first. The treatment requires absolute quiet."

"Father!"

"...Grandfather, let's stay..."

"Get out!" Zhen Wei commanded in a deep voice. "All of you get out, except Yao'er."

No one dared to disobey Zhen Wei's orders. Except for Pei Yun and Zhen Yao, everyone else left the room. Zhen Yao asked her elder brother to take Yin Yanyue and the other two to the guest rooms prepared in her courtyard.

After everyone left, Zhen Yao helped Zhen Wei to the bedside in the inner room. Zhen Wei was already too weak to stand and asked weakly, "Young friend Pei, can you really slow down my injuries?"

"Alright, Senior Zhen, don't give up. I'll first clear your meridians and let your Qi and blood flow smoothly, and then I'll repair the crack in your dantian. Fellow Daoist Zhen, could you give me one of the pills Elder Zheng refined? I'd like to study it..."

“No problem.” Zhen Yao took out a pill bottle from the cabinet next to her and poured out a spirit pill.

After careful observation, Pei Yun said, "It is a Grade 4 Profound Spirit Pill, and of superior quality. It is very beneficial to Senior Zhen's injuries. Even I cannot refine pills of this quality now. Do not stop giving this pill. Just give it to Senior Zhen regularly as Elder Zheng requested..." Her current alchemy skills are still at the level of Grade 4 low-quality pills.

“We’ve always done that,” Zhen Yao replied.

Pei Yun replied, "I still need a few more medicinal herbs. Have someone find them and take them with this Xuanling Pill. I will be here treating Senior Zhen for the next few days..."

"Thank you very much, Fellow Daoist Pei." Zhen Yao was very grateful. She took the prescription written by Pei Yun and hurriedly walked outside.

Only Pei Yun and Zhen Wei remained in the room. Pei Yun helped the other man up, sat cross-legged behind him, and began to treat his injuries.

"Why bother helping my Zhen family?" Zhen Wei was always shrewd, and his calm tone even revealed a hint of ruthlessness. He had been in charge of the Zhen family for many years. With his strength, status, and experience, he had always believed in only interests. Everything in the world was for the sake of "profit".

Pei Yun paused for a moment, then smiled slightly and said, "I'm not helping the Zhen family, I'm helping Fellow Daoist Zhen. However... since Senior Zhen thinks I'm helping the Zhen family with ulterior motives, may I make a request?"

Seeing that she had made a request, Zhen Wei felt relieved and showed a "I knew it" expression, saying, "Tell me about it..."

"If I can slow down the worsening of Senior Zhen's injuries, could Senior Zhen cancel the marriage between Fellow Daoist Zhen and the Zhu family?"

This request was so unexpected that Zhen Wei turned his head, frowning as he stared at Pei Yun: "Why? What good will this do you?"

“Fellow Daoist Zhen is my friend. She doesn’t like Zhu Zhi. Besides, Zhu Zhi is a hypocritical and treacherous villain. Fellow Daoist Zhen only married him for the sake of her family.”

"...Did Zhen Yao send you to say this to me?"

"Of course not. As a friend, I don't want to see her force herself for the sake of her family."

Zhen Wei sneered instinctively: "She has enjoyed the benefits brought to her by the family, so naturally she must also sacrifice for the family. Young friend Pei, I cannot agree to this request. You see, even as the head of the family, I must protect the family's interests, even at the cost of sacrificing myself..."

"This isn't a request, it's a plea. Even if Senior Zhen doesn't agree, I will still treat you..."

Pei Yun said, "I would like to ask if I may be so bold, but it is better to rely on yourself than on others. In this world, anyone can betray you except yourself. The Zhu family agreed to the marriage alliance with the Zhen family because they thought it would be profitable. I don't think that Senior Zhen would believe that the alliance between the two families is maintained by the marriage between the younger generation, would he?"

Zhen Wei kept his eyes closed and didn't speak again. Seeing this, Pei Yun also stopped talking and began to seriously treat the other person...

Four days later, Pei Yun suspended his treatment. Tomorrow was Zhen Yao's wedding day, and as the head of the Zhen family, Zhen Wei was to attend. Pei Yun's purpose in coming was also to witness the ceremony.

That evening, the Zhen family was gathered in the living room to discuss the wedding the next day. This was not just a matter for Zhen Yao and the eldest branch of the family; the marriage alliance with the Zhu family was a major event for the entire Zhen family. Since they needed the Zhu family's help, they naturally had to make the wedding the next day a success.

Just then, a servant helped Zhen Wei in.

"Father, why are you here?"

"Father, you're all better?!"

When the Zhen family saw that Zhen Wei looked much more energetic and was even able to walk from his own courtyard to the main hall, they were overjoyed.

With the help of the crowd, Zhen Wei sat down in the head seat. He waved to Zhen Yao and praised, "Thanks to Yao'er's friend, my injuries have improved a lot. Zhen Ming, please arrange for someone to prepare a generous gift to thank our young friend Pei."

"Yes, father."

The eldest branch of the Zhen family was naturally delighted and pleased to hear these words, but the other members of the Zhen family had different expressions. However, they did not dare to show their disdain directly, but secretly either showed disdain or ridicule.

Zhen Wei took in the expressions of everyone present, and his voice deepened: "As for... the matter of the medicine, after the wedding tomorrow, Zhen Ming, send someone to investigate who is trying to harm me..." Everyone's hearts tightened.

After giving the instructions, Zhen Wei dismissed everyone else, leaving Zhen Yao alone.

"Grandfather, is there anything you want to say to me?" Zhen Yao asked, squatting down in front of Zhen Wei.

"Zhen Yao, do you want to marry Zhu Zhi?" Zhen Wei asked ambiguously.

"I don't want to," Zhen Yao said without hesitation. "But Grandfather, rest assured, I won't act recklessly for the sake of the Zhen family."

"Yao'er, you are a good child. Everyone in the Zhen family is scheming, but you are calm and unassuming..."

Zhen Wei patted her head and said, "Grandfather doesn't know whether the marriage alliance with the Zhu family was right or wrong, or whether your sacrifice was worthwhile or not. Grandfather did all this for the family. Grandfather has no regrets towards the Zhen family, but he has no regrets towards you."

“Grandfather, there’s no need to say that. No one can say for sure that the path they’ve chosen is the right one. Marrying Zhu Zhi was my own choice, and even if it turns out to be wrong in the future, I won’t regret it…”

"It's good that you can understand. Your grandfather went through the same thing. Family is both a refuge and an inescapable shackle. Sometimes we can only be pushed along by fate, onto this path we have no other choice..."

Hearing Zhen Wei's lament, Zhen Yao offered a few words of comfort.

Even after leaving the hall, the face hidden in the darkness abandoned its docile demeanor, its expression becoming colder than usual, a fleeting hint of mockery in its eyes.