The three examined the child carefully. His small face was flushed, his skin tinged with green, but amid his frenzied thrashing, he was slamming his head against the wall, crying out in pain for his mother.
Bai Shuo quickly rummaged in her storage bag, pulled out a binding talisman, and pressed it to Hu'er’s forehead. He closed his eyes and slumped to the ground.
The woman clutched her son close.
"What on earth happened to the people in the city?" Hua Hong demanded, her voice low and urgent.
"I…I don’t know." The woman’s eyes were wide with terror. "Today was supposed to be the Meng Yu Festival, and we were all getting ready to celebrate at the palace. But suddenly, the King ordered everyone to stay inside. I did just that, staying home with Hu'er, until…until he went wild. I thought it was one of his fits, so I tried to take him to the Yiren Palace for help. But as soon as I stepped outside, I saw everyone—everyone in the city had gone mad, attacking anyone in sight. And Hu'er too…he turned into this."
The woman clung to her son, lost and fearful. Then her eyes fell on Hua Hong’s face, and she froze, her face alight with recognition and hope.
"Your Highness…Red Princess…it’s really you…"
Although Hua Hong had left the Foreign City over a century ago, her face—now more resolute and solemn—was still recognizable.
"Please, Your Highness, save Hu'er, I beg you!" The woman clutched Hua Hong’s hand as though holding her last lifeline.
Hua Hong turned to Bai Shuo, her gaze settling on Bai Shuo’s storage bag.
"I…I only know how to heal and detoxify; I can’t expel dark energy," Bai Shuo stammered.
Hua Hong paled slightly. "But why wasn’t she affected by the dark energy?"
The young man, though memoryless, was the one Hua Hong instinctively looked toward—Mumu.
Only then did Bai Shuo realize something strange: Auntie Qiu Gua was the only one in the city untouched by the corruption.
"She bears the mark of Rong Xian. The celestial energy protects her spirit."
Hua Hong’s expression softened, recalling the old man who frequently visited the woman’s tavern. Her eyes grew misty.
At that moment, Hu'er let out a gut-wrenching scream, his small body convulsing as dark energy surged from his chest toward his forehead. A faint, translucent spirit seemed to be tearing itself free from his brow.
"This is bad—the dark energy is trying to seize his soul!" Bai Shuo cried.
As the dark energy neared Hu'er's forehead, Hua Hong’s desperation mounted, and she turned to Mumu, calling out in plea.
"Master!"
At Hua Hong’s desperate call, Mumu felt a sharp pain in his brow, as though something within him were trying to break free. He leaned heavily against the wall, clutching his silver chain tightly, his gaze icy as he stared back at her.
No matter who he was, he only wanted to be Bai Shuo’s disciple.
"Rong Xian…Rong Xian…" Bai Shuo, intensely focused on Hu'er, was oblivious to the tension between Hua Hong and Mumu. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up. "I have an idea! I can save him!"
All three turned to her as she rummaged frantically through her storage bag, finally pulling out a golden object that radiated with pure, celestial energy—the golden core of Rong Xian, which they had captured.
"If Senior Rong Xian’s mark protected Auntie Qiu Gua, then this golden core of a peak-level Shangjun should be able to expel the dark energy from Hu'er!"
Without hesitation, Bai Shuo placed the golden core into Hu'er’s mouth.
As it entered his body, the pure energy coursed through him. Black tendrils of dark energy oozed from his fingertips, dissipating into the air. The boy stopped writhing, his face regaining a healthy glow.
"It’s working!" Bai Shuo cheered. Hua Hong let out a sigh of relief.
The woman, seeing her son’s recovery, was about to thank them when the ground shook violently. The wall beneath them trembled as a dragon’s roar echoed, and a blinding golden light burst forth.
Hua Hong immediately shielded the mother and son, while Bai Shuo was thrown backward. Mumu darted forward to catch her.
As the light faded, silence returned to the city. The group looked up to see a massive golden array materializing, covering the entire Foreign City in its powerful aura.
Bai Shuo was stunned. "What…what is that?"
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