Peerless Bodyguard of a Stunning Beauty

Chapter 97: Chapter 83: She had delicately arched eyebrows and painted eyes, and her mouth was the color of dark cherries...

What Zhao Rong didn’t know was that the level forty-five Dragon Crystal he held was a magical gem capable of releasing energy to heal the sick and save lives. He felt uncertain as he entered the village beauty’s boudoir, having no idea if his fledgling Art of Alchemy could truly work a miracle and awaken the girl who had been comatose for years. But even with his doubts, the Dragon Crystal in his arms had already begun to release its energy.

Following the village woman, Zhao Rong arrived at the bedside of her daughter, the village beauty. When he saw her lying on the bed as if merely asleep, he was completely dumbstruck. Though born and raised in the village, she possessed the appearance of a star. Her skin was as smooth as creamy jade, so delicate it seemed a single touch could break it. Her eyebrows and eyes were so fine they looked as if they were painted on, and she had a small, cherry-like mouth. Her red lips, bright teeth, and exquisite figure were captivating.

Zhao Rong couldn’t help but swallow hard. If I could really revive her, and her mother married her to me without any dowry, would I accept or refuse? If I accept, there are still Miss Lili, Yu Lan, and Xuelian, who all have crushes on me... and Tao Hua, who probably does too. There’s even that single, divorced woman I met at Honglang Man... But if I refuse... the village beauty before me is just too gorgeous. She’s so beautiful it defies description.

As Zhao Rong stared, lost in thought, the busybody women who had come to watch started gossiping.

A woman with a large black mole at the corner of her mouth said, ”This young man doesn’t look like he has any medical skills. Look at him; he doesn’t even have a medical bag. It’s ridiculous.”

A village girl, scratching her foot with one hand while eating a bun with the other, scoffed, ”Him? A barefoot doctor trying to cure Wang Meili’s complicated illness? That’s nothing but a pipe dream.”

Another girl with a runny nose, wiping it all over the place, added disbelievingly, ”If he can bring Wang Meili back to life, I’ll write my name backward.”

Hearing the villagers’ chatter and their blatant distrust, Zhao Rong broke into a cold sweat. He turned to the older woman and said, ”Auntie, to be honest, I’m not a doctor, and I have no experience healing people. But since you’ve brought me here, I can only give it a try. If I manage to save your daughter, we can call it good fortune. If I can’t, please don’t blame me. I will have done my best.”

With that, Zhao Rong’s mind raced, recalling the miraculous prescriptions and alchemical techniques from his alchemy manual. Suddenly, he remembered a Divine Medicine that could cure illnesses and save lives: the Revitalizing Pill. But what was the recipe? After thinking hard, he finally remembered. If he combined Passion Flower, Forgetfulness Grass, Memory-Loss Water, a Soul-Returning Pill, and Immortal Herbs, he could definitely refine a Revitalizing Pill.

Recalling the ingredients and method, Zhao Rong said excitedly, ”Heaven must be on my side! Just now, when I was crafting the Forgetfulness Pill, the chairman had his secretary buy two sets of herbs, and I only used one. This is perfect!”

Saying this, he took out a pressure cooker and began the alchemy, leaving the surrounding villagers astounded.

A barefoot old man asked, ”Young man, are you performing alchemy? It looks more like you’re cooking porridge.”

A man whose shirt was always unbuttoned exclaimed, ”Using a pressure cooker for alchemy is just bizarre. I don’t think this guy is reliable at all.”

Hearing their mockery, Zhao Rong said nothing, focusing wholeheartedly on refining the Revitalizing Pill in the pressure cooker. The herbs he used were exceptionally fresh, and he was particularly adept at controlling the heat. Two hours later, miraculously, the Revitalizing Pill was complete.

When the crowd of onlookers saw that Zhao Rong, the man they had all scorned, had perfectly refined a Revitalizing Pill, they were all stunned.

The barefoot old man said in awe, ”This lad’s alchemy method is simply innovative! It’s incredible!”

The man with the unbuttoned shirt said in amazement, ”Holy smokes, you can do alchemy in a pressure cooker? That’s some kind of black technology! This kid could apply for a patent!”

Amidst everyone’s shock and amazement, Zhao Rong slowly helped Wang Meili up and administered the Revitalizing Pill. As she swallowed the pill, the chattering crowd instantly fell silent. Everyone watched nervously, hoping she would miraculously awaken after taking Zhao Rong’s Elixir.

However, they waited for ten minutes, then twenty, then a whole hour. Not only did Wang Meili fail to awaken, but she also seemed to have fallen into an even deeper sleep. Suddenly, a wave of hissing erupted from the crowd.

A man who knew a little about medicine said, ”The kid used a Revitalizing Pill. We’ve tried that before; it’s utterly useless.”

An artsy, pretentious villager added, ”So it was just a Revitalizing Pill. I thought it was some kind of Divine Medicine. Countless Divine Doctors and powerful alchemists have tried using it, but none could save Wang Meili. How could this kid’s pill possibly work? It’s impossible.”

What Zhao Rong didn’t know was that many skilled practitioners had come before him. They had used numerous formidable elixirs, including the Revitalizing Pill. But no one knew what illness Wang Meili had or what poison afflicted her; for her, even a Divine Medicine like the Revitalizing Pill was completely ineffective.

Hearing that Zhao Rong had used a Revitalizing Pill, even the girl’s mother fell into despair. She collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down her aged face. ”Agh, why the Revitalizing Pill again? Isn’t there any better Divine Medicine that can wake my daughter?”

Seeing the despair and disappointment on the mother’s face, Zhao Rong felt a crushing sense of guilt. If only I had known earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted so many precious herbs refining a useless pill for her.

He turned and first apologized to the mother. ”Auntie, I’m truly sorry. I’m a quack. I couldn’t save your daughter.”

Just as Zhao Rong turned to apologize to the crowd, Wang Meili’s eyes slowly fluttered open. Then, she began to try and sit up.

After apologizing to the mother, Zhao Rong addressed the villagers who had encircled them. ”Everyone, my good sirs and madams, I am truly sorry. I really did my best, but my abilities are limited and my skills are insufficient. I couldn’t save her.”

While Zhao Rong was busy apologizing for his failure, Wang Meili sat up completely. She looked at her surroundings, tears of emotion welling in her eyes. Instantly, the villagers were shocked into a state of pin-drop silence.

Because his back was to the bed, Zhao Rong had no idea that he had just revived the sleeping beauty. He continued his apology. ”My dear fellow villagers, I was foolish not to realize that many Divine Doctors had already come and given her a Revitalizing Pill. If their pills couldn’t save her, then mine certainly couldn’t either. I am so sorry, everyone.”

With that, he gave a deep bow and prepared to leave. Before walking away, he turned to say a final goodbye to the girl on the bed.

But when he turned around and saw that Wang Meili—who had been lying lifeless just moments before—was now sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at him with tears in her eyes, Zhao Rong was so terrified he screamed, ”A ghost! There’s a ghost!”