Listening to his childlike words, Xuan Yue smiled and said, "Young brother, can you tell us why you had to steal?"
The boy hung his head in gloom, not answering, but Ah Dai could see from his expression that he truly was in a tight spot. If he had been a fallen person, his eyes would not have been so bright. "Speak up, co on, speak out. Look, this brother here is a priest, you must know the status religious officials have on the continent, he will surely be able to help you."
The boy looked up at Xuan Yue, and Xuan Yue nodded at him, saying, "I will definitely help you." As she spoke, she stirred the Light elents around her to envelop herself in a gentle glow.
Suddenly, the boy rolled off the bed, falling to the ground, and knelt before Xuan Yue with tears streaming down his face. "Priest, great priest, I beg you, please save my mother."
Ah Dai quickly pulled the boy up and, under his questioning, the boy told them everything. His na was Wo Xin, and he was only fifteen years old. The reason he had beco a thief was entirely because of his mother. Having lost his father at a young age, he depended solely on his mother. They owned a small shop which was enough to sustain the two of them. But as fate would have it, three years ago, his mother suddenly fell gravely ill. The dical expenses drained all their savings but could only maintain her life. To treat his mother, Wo Xin sold everything they could, including the shop, yet the dical fees were like a bottomless pit, swallowing all they had. Now, he and his mother were left with only a dilapidated hut. Wo Xin, still young and without any life skills, had no choice but to resort to theft to raise money to keep his mother alive. He used the stolen money to buy dicine and food for his mother, while he himself often went without food for days at a ti, barely keeping a breath of life in his mother. His last words deeply shook the hearts of Xuan Yue and Ah Dai, as he cried out that if he didn’t steal, he would have no mother.
Tears welling up in their eyes, Xuan Yue stroked the boy’s head and said with a choked voice, "Co, young brother, take us to see your mother. As long as she still breathes, brother will surely save her life. Believe in us, having t us, your days of suffering are over."
Ah Dai stood as well, moving closer to Xuan Yue, and said, "Let’s go now, the earlier we treat her, the more certain we can be of curing your mother’s illness." Ah Dai had no mother, but he knew that if he were in Wo Xin’s shoes, he too would choose the sa path without hesitation. For the sake of a loved one, no sacrifice was too great.
Xuan Yue changed into a pristine Ritual Robe, and together with Ah Dai, led by Wo Xin, the two ca to his ho in an isolated corner of Mimu City. The room was drafty, letting in winds from all sides. As soon as they opened the door, a heavy dicinal sll rushed at them. The room was very ssy, and from the innermost bed ca faint breathing, "Xin... child... Xin... child... is it... you... coming back...?" The intermittent voice sounded so desolate, as if the person behind it could lose her life at any mont.
"Mom, it’s , I’m back." Wo Xin rushed to the bed, with Ah Dai and Xuan Yue following him. The bed was small, made of several pieces of wood, and upon it laid a woman. Judging by Wo Xin’s age, the woman should be no more than forty years old, yet she looked as old as soone in their fifties or sixties. Plagued by illness for three long years, it had hollowed out her body. Her withered hair lay scattered and unkempt on the dirty pillow, her eyes devoid of any spirit, and her lean, pale hands were tightly gripped by Wo Xin.
The woman was startled to see Ah Dai and Xuan Yue, and falteringly asked, "Xin... child, who... are... they? How... did... they... co... to... our... place?"
Wo Xin replied, "Mom, they are my friends, I asked them to co to treat you. Don’t talk, rest for a bit. This priest brother says he can cure you."
Xuan Yue nodded, exchanged a glance with Ah Dai, and placed her hand on the woman’s wrist to feel her pulse. A faint white halo flickered, and Xuan Yue closed her eyes, sensing the woman’s condition. After a mont, she released her hand, her brows furrowed in a frown and shook her head. Wo Xin asked anxiously, "Priest brother, how is my mother?"
Xuan Yue let out a sigh, "Your mother’s illness is too serious. It wasn’t treated in ti when it first developed, and after being neglected for so long, the virus has penetrated her bone marrow; her body’s ridians are almost completely blocked. If I’m not mistaken, she probably won’t live more than five days. That she’s still hanging on with this severe illness is already quite a feat."
Upon hearing Xuan Yue’s words, Wo Xin burst into tears, clutching his mother’s hand, crying out, "No, mom, I don’t want you to die! Mom, you have to hold on."
Wo Xin’s mother was surprisingly calm, panting slightly, "Child... don’t... be like this... it’s... destined... by the heavens... Mom... is clear... about her own... condition... If it weren’t for... my concern... for... you... I would... have... died... long ago." After speaking, her head tilted as she fainted.
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