“Help me fix my leg?”
Eduardo was momentarily stunned.
As a child, he had been mischievous, often running and playing with friends. One day, he accidentally fell from a five-meter-high platform, landing on his right foot. The bone broke instantly.
The injury was severe, and though skilled doctors treated him, repairing his Achilles tendon and partially healing the fracture, Eduardo was left with a permanent limp.
Walking was always a struggle, and on rainy days, the pain clawed at his leg like a cat, leaving him tense and uncomfortable.
Maria frowned as well.
Since their marriage, she had done everything she could to find a cure for her husband’s leg, visiting countless renowned doctors, but nothing worked.
They had once considered approaching Layla Woods for treatment, but Layla prioritized not only wealth but also family prestige. The Wong family simply didn’t meet her standards.
“Scarlet mentioned you know medicine. Are you confident? Eh, forget it! At this point, we’ll take whatever chance we can get.”
Despite her doubts, Maria decided to let Flynn try.
After all, Eduardo had endured the ridicule of limping for over forty years. If there was even the faintest hope, neither of them wanted to give up.
Flynn retrieved his silver needles, sterilized them carefully, and began inserting them into seventeen acupuncture points. In just ten minutes, Eduardo felt a reaction.
“My ankle feels warm, like the blood is flowing faster-this is good, really good,” Eduardo said, lifting his head to glance at his foot.
The veins there throbbed with vigor, pulsing with energy.
Flynn removed the needles and smiled. “Uncle, I’ve just unblocked your meridians and activated the energy in your body to nourish the injury. But this is a forty-year-old wound-it won’t heal overnight.”
“By tomorrow evening, you should be able to walk normally again.”
Hearing this, Maria and Eduardo didn’t show much excitement.
They’d heard similar promises from countless doctors before.
“Take my medicine, and you’ll be healed in a month.”
“Don’t worry, with my treatment, the pain will vanish.”
They were tired of such empty assurances.
At first, the results always seemed promising-just like Flynn’s treatment now. The injured area would feel better, but over time, the pain would return, and nothing would change.
Truthfully, they had long since given up hope. They viewed Flynn’s efforts as nothing more than a massage-a momentary relief at best.
“Thank you, Mr. Clark!” Scarlet, however, believed in Flynn’s skills. She was overjoyed, convinced her father’s limp would finally be cured.
Maria could only force a bitter smile.
The food Eduardo had ordered was served, and the four of them shared a simple meal.
But Eduardo and Maria, weighed down by heavy thoughts, barely touched their plates.
Flynn and Scarlet, on the other hand, seemed unaffected, chatting and laughing as if the atmosphere wasn’t tense.
These two kids, Maria thought, must have planned everything already. Were they thinking of running away together?
If they truly chose to elope, Maria wouldn’t even be angry. As long as her daughter found happiness, she wouldn’t mind leaving Shipmeda State behind.
Eduardo, unable to drink much after the treatment, only had two glasses of red wine with Flynn before everyone was full.
No one had expected Flynn’s first visit to the Wong family to end with such a heavy-hearted dinner.
Even Maria, a strong-willed woman, couldn’t hold back her tears.
Being part of the Wong family, she had no say in her daughter’s marriage.
Such was the sorrow of being in a wealthy family.
Scarlet, seeing her mother cry, felt her own heart ache.
She wasn’t worried about Flynn’s abilities.
Suppressing the Gray family? Even if the Langford and Solis families joined forces, Flynn could handle them.
After all, Flynn had connections with the Spencer family, the most powerful household in Shipmeda State. If not, why would Mr. Spencer entrust Flynn with Molly’s care?
But the Wong family was infuriating. The Gray family, too.
They knew Scarlet didn’t want this marriage, yet they insisted on forcing her. They even allowed Jakub to bully her mother.
Why?
Her family wasn’t favored by the Wong patriarch, and her mother had built the Berrygate Group from scratch.
Her mother had poured so much effort into the company, to the point of developing stomach problems.
The initial funding had even come from her mother’s engagement money.
For more than a decade, her mother had been ridiculed at every family gathering.
They didn’t want her mother to work so hard. They wanted her to stay home, take care of her husband, and raise children.
Despite all the pressure, even after building a billion-dollar enterprise, her mother still received no recognition from the Wong family.
Instead, they mocked her, sowed discord between her and Eduardo, and tried to push Eduardo to take control of the household.
Why?
Because they couldn’t stand the thought of a Wong family daughter-in-law being more capable than the Wong family men.
It made Eduardo look useless.
It hurt their pride.
But what did it matter? Her parents were happy together. How was it anyone else’s business?
Scarlet also felt guilty toward Flynn.
This was his first visit to the Wong family.
In an ordinary family, they would have treated him with hospitality.
Instead, the Wong family had thrown him out, made him stay in a hotel, and treated him with disdain.
“Flynn, I’m sorry. I didn’t think Grandpa would be so stubborn, refusing to even meet you and forcing you to leave.” Scarlet’s tears fell, her face full of apology.
Flynn, however, smiled faintly. “It’s fine. Wherever you are, that’s home.”
“Since it’s my first time in Pelens, how about we go for a walk?”
Maria interrupted, “It’s better not to go out in public. If the Gray family sees you two together, they’ll likely cause trouble.”
Rolando might not act rashly, but Felix Langford, that spoiled brat, definitely would.
Don’t be fooled by his good looks and clean-cut appearance-he was rotten to the core.
How many people had he beaten senseless over the years? After a few drinks, he wouldn’t hesitate to smash a bottle over someone’s head.
“I’ll go out for a walk on my own, then,” Flynn said with a small smile before stepping out the door.
The atmosphere in the room was too stifling. With Maria and Scarlet crying and Eduardo sighing heavily, it was unbearable.
Maria didn’t stop him this time. She had things to discuss with Scarlet, so she let him go.
Next to the hotel was a bustling food street, full of life and the aroma of various dishes.
As Flynn wandered through it, memories resurfaced.
Before the old city of Niarak was renovated, it had a similar food street. Flynn and his mother would often visit it late at night.
Flynn had loved it there.
The smells alone were enough to bring joy when they couldn’t afford to eat.
Sometimes, his mother would humbly ask the vendors for leftover food.
Some were kind and obliging, while others saw them as beggars and kicked them out like stray dogs.
Whenever they managed to get leftovers, his mother would carefully remove the parts touched by others and pack the fresh pieces to take home.
Even then, she wouldn’t eat them herself. Her excuse was always the same:
“I don’t like meat. It upsets my stomach.”
As a child, Flynn found it strange. How could meat upset someone’s stomach?
It wasn’t until he grew up that he understood.
She didn’t eat because she wanted to save it all for him.
She was a Greater Sovereign at her peak-a cultivator on par with Yves Yancey.
If it had been just her, she could have escaped even the deadliest of enemies.
But she couldn’t bear to leave Flynn behind.
Thinking of this, Flynn’s eyes grew misty.
As he walked, lost in thought, a familiar figure came into view.
Maisie Carlisle.
Zion Watson’s daughter.
She still carried herself with the same arrogance, surveying the crowd like a princess inspecting her subjects. Her haughty gaze tolerated nothing beneath her.
Wait.
Something was different.
Her skin-how was it so flawless?
It shimmered, translucent and snow-white.
And… was that the scent of The Elixir of Vigor on her?