At the entrance of the village, she saw an elderly man with white hair sitting on a bench, his walking stick put aside, breathing laboriously.
This man was the eldest clan leader in the village, rumored to be over a hundred and thirty years old.
Qin Qin, cradling her belly, approached the leader and asked with concern, "Miao Clan Elder, are you feeling unwell?"
The Miao Clan Elder looked up, recognizing that the person before him was the foreigner who had moved to the area not long ago with reputed medical skills.
However, he had not seen much of her. As the elder’s gaze met Qin Qin’s, his expression subtly changed before returning to calm, "It’s nothing, just an old problem."
Given his advanced age, even breathing had become extremely difficult, likely signaling that his time was approaching.
Qin Qin took out a bottle of Nourishing Elixir from her storage. The Nourishing Elixir, similar to the Life-Nourishing Pill, was meant to replenish a person’s strength, whereas the Life-Nourishing Pill was for regulating the body’s condition. The elder’s body was already at its limit and was not suitable for the Life-Nourishing Pill, so only the Nourishing Elixir could be used.
"Miao Clan Elder, this is a Nourishing Elixir, which will be beneficial for you. If you don’t mind, please take it," she said.
Qin Qin handed the Nourishing Elixir to the Miao Clan Elder, but seeing that he did not take it, she smiled lightly, placed the elixir on the nearby table, and turned to leave.
"Wait a moment, sit down for a while," came the aged voice of the Miao Clan Elder from behind her. She turned and sat down on the bench next to him.
After swallowing a Nourishing Elixir, the Miao Clan Elder felt a surge of energy in his body, regaining enough strength to speak.
"You have excellent medical skills!" the Miao Clan Elder said in a low voice after a while. Qin Qin merely smiled without responding.
The Miao Clan Elder scrutinized Qin Qin carefully, "How old are you this year?"
Qin Qin looked at the elder and bowed her head slightly, "I am nineteen this year."
The elder’s gaze grew somber, and he glanced at Qin Qin’s face, reddened as if scorched, and her hands, exposed and wrinkled.
"Have you been poisoned by the Scorching Heart Gu?!"
Qin Qin looked at the Miao Clan Elder in surprise, her hand clenching slightly, "...Yes!"
She had visited several Miao Family lands, but no one had been able to identify what the Scorching Heart Gu was, and now this Miao Clan Elder, over a hundred years old, actually knew what it was!
After being poisoned by the Scorching Heart Gu, everyone treated her as an elderly person in her seventies or eighties. Had it not been for the growing size of her belly, no one would believe she was so young.
The Miao Clan Elder shook his head and sighed. Qin Qin tensed, "Miao Clan Elder, if you know about the Scorching Heart Gu... do you know any way to cure it?"
The Miao Clan Elder shook his head disappointingly, his eyes dimming beneath his aged visage, "The Scorching Heart Gu has already become extinct. I only know of it from our ancestral records. The Gu is very difficult to concoct, and the method has been lost. The records only describe the effects of being poisoned by it: cheeks scarred as if burned by fire, body aging, voice turning hoarse. Your current state matches exactly the descriptions of someone afflicted by the Scorching Heart Gu. As for an antidote... there is nothing written in the records."
A wry smile formed on Qin Qin’s face as her faint hope was shattered.
The Miao Clan Elder glanced at Qin Qin, who, despite her bitter smile, remained composed, and he couldn’t help but nod in approval. This girl was quite impressive, with a remarkable capacity for endurance. If it were anyone else, crashing under such circumstances would not be surprising.
"Where did you contract the Scorching Heart Gu?" the clan elder asked gravely. The records mentioned that one of their ancestors had developed the Gu, but who would have continued to concoct it was the question.
Qin Qin shook her head; what difference would telling make?
Eventually, Qin Qin bid farewell to the Miao Clan Elder, who watched her pick up the Nourishing Elixir from the table before departing. He needed to thoroughly check the relics left by his ancestors to see if there was an antidote for the Scorching Heart Gu.
This malicious Scorching Heart Gu had long been eradicated, yet now it had emerged anew. He could not allow anyone to exploit the Scorching Heart Gu for ill deeds; addressing this would also serve as an explanation to his ancestors.
Qin Qin followed the path laid out through the village towards the house Xiao Li’s parents had built for her.
The house was constructed from bamboo, with a small bamboo fence in front, flowers, and vegetables planted in front of it, and stone benches and a stone table brought over by Xiao Li’s parents.
Qin Qin, guarding her swollen belly, was about to open the small gate of the fence when she heard the sound of disordered footsteps not far away, several young men and women ran up frantically.
"Miss, miss, do you have any medicine for snake venom?" a man called out, looking toward the woman in the loose white dress not far off.