Cousin Mo was stunned. The light in his eyes dimmed bit by bit.
âNanxing, Iâve never thought like that before. I donât want to implicate any of you. If it werenât for my fatherâs business mistake and his inability to protect you, the Tong family wouldnât have fallen into such a state. My father died with a grievance. Iâm alive to atone for my fatherâs sins. I canât drag you down.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
His voice was light and firm.
I went forward to hug him. I couldnât hold back my tears anymore. âBut youâre my older brother. I donât want you to die. I want you to live!â
His arms slowly closed around me bit by bit. He hugged me in his arms.
My memories suddenly returned to the chaotic and unclear memories of my childhood. Cousin Mo had always protected me like this. It was when I was tired of crying that I was finally willing to sit down and talk to him properly.
âNanxing, youâre crying until my heart is broken.â He finally sighed helplessly.
I sobbed a little. âI havenât cried like this in so many years. Iâve been captured by them and tortured every day as a lab rat. Iâve never cried before, but youâve made me cry so hard.â
My tears fell again.
âNanxing, Iâm sorry,â cousin Mo apologized without thinking.
I grabbed his hand. âCousin Mo, Promise me that youâll let Mr. Li treat You. When we return to China, weâll definitely find all the medicinal herbs. Mr. Li said that before we find the medicinal herbs, weâll use Phoenix Blood to stabilize your conditions. Once we find the medicinal herbs, weâll be able to cure your illness. You canât give up. Think about little uncle and me. Little uncle hasnât had a good sleep for so many years. He wonât be able to walk out of this shadow for the rest of his life. Youâre going to help him. Think about Ye Qian too. You know how rough her life has been. How can you bear to leave her? Youâre the one who gave her sunshine and hope. If you werenât here, she would have nothing left.â
Cousin Moâs eyes were filled with tears.
âCousin Mo, we only have a home if youâre here. Little Uncle, you, and me. You and Ye Qian, little uncle and Ma Ji, Jing Tian and me. Our home will flourish little by little. Little uncle and I canât afford to lose our loved ones again.
âDonât think that using my blood to save you is a burden. If youâre the one with Phoenix Blood and Iâm the one whoâs sick, are you going to save me?â I looked at cousin Mo.
He nodded without hesitation.
âSee. So, why canât I save you? Mr. Li has promised Jing Tian that heâd stay with us. Iâve asked him to study the Phoenix Blood because I want to use it to save more people. Brother, the Phoenix Blood is my destiny, and I lost my parents because of it. However, I understand that destiny canât be swayed. Iâm given the Phoenix Blood for a reason. I have to make some contributions, right? I have so many things that I need your help with. Who would treat me so wholeheartedly like my brother?â
Cousin Mo was moved.
I struck while the iron was hot. âJust think of it as using your body as a test. After all, our family doesnât have any record of using the Phoenix Blood to treat any illnesses before. Eldest uncle and cousin Zhuo have been tormenting me for years, but they havenât succeeded in anything. This isnât an easy task. Plus, we canât just drag someone off the streets to conduct the experiment. Brother Mo, youâre our only hope!â
After I sorted out my thoughts, my expression became smoother.
Cousin Moâs eyes lit up.
âNanxing, Mr. Li, can he really... ?â
I nodded firmly. âYes, he can. If thereâs only one person in this world who can use Phoenix Blood as a medicine, itâs Mr. Li!â