Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

16: Chapter 16: Intermittent Light and Faint GlimmerLin Mo’s heart-wrenching cries and wails, soothed by Liu Qingxuan’s warm embrace and gentle comfort, gradually subsided like a trapped beast that had exhausted its last ounce of strength, turning into intermittent sobs before finally sinking into a deep slumber. His small body remained burning hot, but his breathing was finally no longer so rapid and tearing. Curled up in his mother’s arms, he was as fragile as glass that would shatter at a touch.

Holding her son, Liu Qingxuan sat on the cold straw mat, still shaken with lingering fear. The earlier harrowing encounter with the bandits at their door, and her son’s near-death-like wailing, had almost snapped her already taut nerves. Now, looking at the unconscious Lin Mo and Su Muxue nestled beside her, whose light green eyes still held traces of undissipated terror, a bone-deep exhaustion and helplessness washed over her.

”Mother... will Moer... get better?” Su Muxue’s voice was tearful as she asked timidly.

Liu Qingxuan nodded forcefully, her voice hoarse yet resolute: ”He will! Grandpa Sun is preparing the medicine! Moer will get better! Mu Xue will get better too!” She sounded as if she were comforting the child, but even more so, persuading herself.

From the backyard of the pharmacy came faint sounds of a medicine pestle pounding and a furnace crackling. The air filled with an increasingly strong medicinal odor, a mixture of bitterness and a strange, clear fragrance. It was the smell of hope, and also a heavy price.

Time passed slowly in torment. Lin Mo’s consciousness remained submerged near the edge of a depleted abyss. The chaos dao seed was like a dying candle in the wind, each faint pulse accompanied by tearing agony. Old Sun’s fierce medicine acted like a tough film, barely coating the cracking furnace walls, delaying the collapse. But what truly supported him was the unyielding will to protect deep in his consciousness, and the warmth and worry tightly enveloping him, stemming from his Bloodline—the love of his mother, Liu Qingxuan, like a faint glimmer in the darkness, guiding him.

[Detecting external high-concentration life energy and weak spiritual substance injection... Passive absorption in progress...] [Dao Seed (seed) Origin depleted state maintained... Collapse process temporarily slowed...] [Efficiency of ”Embracing Origin Stance” mental guidance for the Lesser Body Tempering Technique increased by 0.001%...] The cold System prompts continued, but their frequency seemed to have decreased slightly. The devastating ”Imminent Collapse” warning did not reappear for now. Like a drowning man clutching a floating straw, Lin Mo used every shred of his mind to guide the trickle of medicinal power and his own remaining Qi and blood through his withered Meridians, performing an excruciatingly slow and painful circulation according to the method of the ”Embracing Origin Stance.” Each act of mental focus felt like walking on scorching knife blades, but he gritted his teeth and held on. Get stronger! He must get stronger faster!

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of medicine pounding in the backyard stopped.

Old Sun walked in carrying a crude wooden tray. On the tray were two bowls: one contained a thick, ink-black ointment emitting a pungent, spicy odor; the other held a small half-bowl of dark red, bitter-smelling decoction.

His face looked even more exhausted than before, with sunken eyes, as if he had aged ten years overnight. Clearly, preparing these two medicines, especially tempering the fierce potency of the intermittent ointment to suit Su Muxue’s Physique, had consumed an immense amount of his energy.

”Girl, lie still,” Old Sun said hoarsely to Su Muxue. He handed the bowl of dark red qi-boosting powder decoction to Liu Qingxuan: ”Feed this to her. Be careful, it’s hot. Give it to her in several sips.”

Liu Qingxuan quickly took the bowl and carefully helped Su Muxue sit up. The bitter medicinal smell made Su Muxue’s little face scrunch up, but with Liu Qingxuan’s gentle encouragement, she pinched her nose and took small sips, swallowing the extremely unpleasant decoction. As it entered her stomach, a gentle warmth spread, bringing a hint of comfort to her icy body, but this was quickly followed by a heavy weariness, and her eyelids began to droop.

”You’ll feel a bit drowsy. It’s a normal reaction,” Old Sun explained. Watching Su Muxue drink the qi-boosting powder, a trace of imperceptible gravity flashed in his eyes as her complexion seemed to regain an extremely faint hint of color. This girl’s Physique... her absorption and conversion of medicinal power also seems unusual?

After Su Muxue finished the decoction and lay back down, gradually succumbing to the drowsiness induced by the medicine, Old Sun picked up the bowl of black intermittent ointment.

”Hold her left shoulder. Don’t let her move,” Old Sun gestured to Liu Qingxuan.

Liu Qingxuan immediately tensed up and pressed down on Su Muxue’s uninjured left shoulder. Old Sun used a clean wooden spatula to carefully scoop up a dollop of the thick, scalding ointment and applied it swiftly and evenly over the heavily bandaged wound on Su Muxue’s left shoulder!

”Mmm—!” Even in her semi-conscious state, the moment the scalding, spicy ointment touched the wound, it felt like a red-hot branding iron pressed against flesh! Su Muxue let out a shrill cry of pain, her small body arching violently as she struggled fiercely! Her light green eyes instantly widened, filled with extreme agony!

”Mu Xue! Endure it! It’ll be over soon!” Liu Qingxuan’s heart ached, tears streaming down as she held her firmly, preventing any movement that might aggravate the wound.

Old Sun’s movements did not stop. The wooden spatula quickly spread the ointment evenly, covering the entire shoulder wound. As the black ointment made contact with the flesh, an extremely faint ”sizzling” sound was emitted, as if it were resisting some form of invisible cold Qi! Even more bizarrely, the air temperature around the area covered by the ointment seemed to drop a little!

”Hiss...” Old Sun drew a sharp breath, a flash of intense light bursting in his turbid eyes! He saw it! The moment the intermittent ointment was applied, deep within the wound on Su Muxue’s left shoulder, the Profound Yin Seal, which had been suppressed by the fire cloud fruit’s medicinal power, manifested a strand of extremely fine, yet pure and icy cold Qi in a reactive manner! This cold Qi seemed to possess life, attempting to resist the penetration and healing effects of the medicine!

”Indeed... this Profound Yin Seal... has actually penetrated to the marrow, entangling with her life Origin to this extent!” Old Sun was inwardly horrified. Ordinary intermittent ointment would have been completely ineffective against such an injury! Fortunately, he used a fierce formula and added that precious drop of Nurturing Spiritual Liquid to neutralize it!

That fine strand of Profound Yin Cold Qi fiercely clashed with the overbearing medicinal power of the intermittent ointment, forming a brief stalemate within Su Muxue’s shoulder. Su Muxue was in so much pain that her body convulsed, her little face twisted, tears pouring out, and she made suppressed, whimpering sounds like a dying young animal in her throat.

Just at this moment of stalemate—

”Whimper...” The unconscious Lin Mo beside them seemed stirred by Su Muxue’s intense suffering, letting out an instinctive, worried, and resonant whimper. The dim, dying chaos dao seed within him, as if drawn by some invisible force, pulsed extremely faintly once!

*Hum—!*

An imperceptibly faint Gravitational Field originating from the Chaos Origin quietly spread out with Lin Mo at its center!

That strand of Profound Yin Cold Qi locked in stalemate with the ointment’s power trembled violently as if summoned by a higher-level force! Its will to resist instantly crumbled, and with extreme obedience—even carrying a hint of ”joy”—it dispersed an infinitesimal trace of its Origin aura towards Lin Mo’s direction!

It was this trace of dispersed aura that broke the stalemate!

The fierce medicinal power of the intermittent ointment instantly lost its greatest resistance. Like a breached flood, it surged violently deep into Su Muxue’s wound! The burning, pungent potency began madly stimulating the broken bones and torn muscles and tendons, forcibly stimulating vitality and carrying out an overbearing and rapid repair! The intense agony escalated once more!

”Ah—!” Su Muxue let out a short, sharp cry that was cut to the extreme. Her body stiffened abruptly before she fell completely unconscious, her small face still contorted with the remnants of ultimate pain.

Liu Qingxuan was scared out of her wits: ”Mu Xue! Mu Xue!”

”Success!” Old Sun, however, let out a long sigh of relief. Sweat poured down his temples, yet a trace of weary relief appeared on his face. ”This girl... her fate is not to end here! The Profound Yin Seal resisted instinctively, nearly ruining everything at the last moment! Fortunately... fortunately...” His murky gaze swept over the sleeping Lin Mo beside them, his expression becoming extremely complex. That strange, ’obedient’ dissipation of the Profound Yin Cold Qi in that instant... was it really just a coincidence? Or was it because of some kind of... aura unconsciously emitted by this infant?

He dared not dwell on it. Quickly, he applied the remaining intermittent ointment to the splinted wound on Su Muxue’s right arm. This time, although it still triggered a severe pain response, Su Muxue was already unconscious, and the Profound Yin Seal seemed to have quieted down, not manifesting cold qi to resist again. The process went much more smoothly.

After finishing all this, Old Sun wearily straightened up, wiped his hands with a cloth, and said to the still-shaken Liu Qingxuan, ”The most dangerous hurdle has been passed. The intermittent ointment’s potency is fierce. In the coming days, she will have a persistent high fever and intense wound pain. This is part of the healing process. If she endures it, her tendons and bones will reconnect. Administer the qi-boosting powder once in the morning and once at night to consolidate her foundation and nourish her Origin.” He paused, his gaze falling on the sleeping Lin Mo in Liu Qingxuan’s arms. ”As for Mo’er... his ’collapse’ is extraordinary. My bowl of medicine can only sustain his life. Recovery... is difficult. He can only rely on himself to endure, and... whether Heaven shows mercy.” His tone was grave, not mentioning the exhaustion of Origin or the devouring by Profound Yin.

Liu Qingxuan looked at the unconscious Su Muxue and the weakly breathing Lin Mo in her arms. Immense grief and crushing pressure almost suffocated her. She held Lin Mo tightly, her voice trembling with despair: ”Shopkeeper Sun... the medicine money... and your great kindness... I... I would work like an ox or a horse...”

Old Sun waved his hand tiredly, cutting her off. ”The medicine money... we’ll talk about it later. For now, focus on keeping these two little ones alive.” He glanced at the still-mountainous pile of withered bone vines in the corner. ”Sorting the withered bone vines cannot stop; that’s your food money. Also...” He hesitated, then continued, ”Starting tomorrow, the freshly harvested, mud-caked roots of ’bone rotting grass’ piled in the backyard need to be washed and processed. That stuff is foul and pungent, more troublesome to handle. The pay... can be increased for you.”

bone rotting grass! Liu Qingxuan’s heart tightened. She knew of this medicinal herb. It grew in extremely yin and filthy places. Its roots resembled rotting bones, coated in highly toxic mud and miasma. Slight carelessness during processing could lead to poisoning and skin ulceration. Old Sun had never let her touch it before! Mentioning it now... clearly meant he knew she desperately needed money, offering her a more dangerous but higher-paying option.

Looking at her two children, Liu Qingxuan did not hesitate for a moment. She nodded firmly: ”I’ll do it! No matter how dirty or tiring the work is, I’ll do it!”

Old Sun gave her a deep look, said nothing more, turned, and dragged his weary steps out of the Woodshed.

Inside the dim Woodshed, only two unconscious children and an utterly exhausted mother remained. Liu Qingxuan carefully placed Lin Mo back on the haystack, letting him nestle close to the sleeping Su Muxue. She sat between the two children, gazing at their pale, pain-stricken faces as tears silently slid down.

She reached out, gently brushing Su Muxue’s feverish forehead, then touched Lin Mo’s icy little hand. Finally, her gaze fell upon the pile of withered bone vines in the corner, emitting an earthy and faintly rotten smell, and then upon the imagined, even filthier and more dangerous heap of bone rotting grass in the backyard.

For the children, she had no other choice.

She struggled to her feet, walked to the pile of withered bone vines, and sat down again. Picking up a vine caked with dried mud, she used her frost-cracked fingers to slowly pick off the dirt and gravel, then carefully trimmed away useless roots and rotten parts with a small knife. Her movements were numb and mechanical, like a soulless shell. Only the faint, unyielding light burning in her eyes for the sake of the children refused to extinguish.

Night once again enveloped Black Stone Town. Inside the Woodshed, under the dim light, Liu Qingxuan hunched over like a silent sculpture, repeating the monotonous and arduous labor. Her fingers were long since scraped raw by the coarse vines, oozing blood that mixed with mud, causing a piercing pain. But she seemed not to feel it, just cleaning and cleaning... Time flowed in silence. After who knows how long, just as Liu Qingxuan’s spirit was wavering, almost about to collapse—

[Ding! Detected Host is at special location: Black Stone Town · Suns Pharmacy Woodshed (experienced life-and-death crisis/Origin exhaustion state). Perform today’s sign-in?]

The cold System prompt tone, like a distant heavenly melody, suddenly rang out in the dead silence of Lin Mo’s consciousness!

sign-in! sign-in! Lin Mo screamed frantically in the depths of his consciousness! This might be his only chance!

[Ding! sign-in successful! Congratulations Host for obtaining: Remnant Soul Nurturing Wood Shavings*1 portion (Mortal-grade Spirit Material, contains weak power to gently nourish the Divine Soul and stabilize the Origin, can assist in recovering mental and willpower trauma)]

Remnant Soul Nurturing Wood Shavings! Lin Mo’s nearly extinguished consciousness shuddered violently! An indescribable ecstasy instantly diluted the agony of exhaustion! Although it’s only Mortal-grade, only damaged shavings, the words ’Soul-nourishing’ and ’stabilize Origin’ were nothing less than a life-giving rain in a drought for his current state! This System... finally came through!

He immediately immersed his consciousness into the System space. In a corner, a small pile of dull, inconspicuous, decayed wood shavings lay quietly, emitting an extremely faint yet exceptionally warm and tranquil aura.

This is it! Lin Mo did not hesitate, activating it with his will!

Inside the Woodshed, the sleeping Lin Mo twitched almost imperceptibly without any warning. There were no lights or strange phenomena, but Liu Qingxuan suddenly raised her head! She seemed to sense that the heart-wrenching aura of death surrounding her son in her arms... had dissipated, ever so faintly? Replaced by an indescribable, serene and warm essence reminiscent of ancient wood?

Was it an illusion? Or... was Mo’er truly getting better?

Liu Qingxuan couldn’t be sure, but in her weary and desperate eyes, because of this minuscule change, a spark of something called hope was rekindled. She held Lin Mo even tighter, as if trying to transfer all her strength and prayers to him.

Outside the window, the night was as dark as ink, and all was silent. But inside this small Woodshed, a trace of faint vitality originating from ancient Soul-nourishing wood, like a firefly in the dark night, quietly merged into that exhausted, dying chaos dao seed. A slow recovery concerning life and death quietly began in the silence, unknown to all. And a greater storm was silently brewing in the darkness, following the shadow of the Black Wind Stockade bandits and the deeply hidden secrets of Old Sun.