Old Man Sai’s name made everyone freeze for a second, but the next moment, Ivy Shen jumped in and blurted out, “Wait, you mean that queen from the Endless Indulgence Kingdom who basically has to keep getting it on 24/7?”
“Exactly!”
“How is that even possible? She’s Miao? Did she marry into the Endless Indulgence Kingdom from the Miao Frontier? And if the Miao are poison and gu masters, how come even they couldn’t cure her problem?” Ivy’s brain was firing off questions like a machine gun. She just couldn’t wrap her head around it. If she’s Miao, why didn’t Old Man Sai go find her? Or maybe she really can’t cure it?
Eli Crane watched Ivy’s face cycle through a rainbow of expressions, and with a gentle smile, he reached out and took her hand.
Ivy turned her head and met Eli’s warm gaze. His eyes seemed to say, Don’t worry, we’ve already made it this far, right? I’m really okay!
Ivy squeezed his hand back, her eyes fierce and determined. "Eli, no matter how much you’ve suffered before, now that you’ve met me, I swear I’ll find a way to heal you. I won’t let you go through hell ever again!"
They didn’t say another word, but somehow, they just knew exactly what the other was thinking. Total telepathy, no words needed.
“Ahem, ahem, can you two please pay attention to Grandpa Sai’s story?” Aiden Chen was practically breaking out in hives from all the flirting and mushiness.
At that, Ivy and Eli hurriedly looked over at Old Man Sai, ready for the next part of his story.
“Okay, so this is where things get complicated,” Old Man Sai began. “Mabel Miao—Queen Yunfen—her ancestral roots are Miao, but she never actually lived in the Miao Frontier. Her dad moved the whole family to the Endless Indulgence Kingdom before she was even born, to join relatives there. This was way back, before the White clan ever opened the Yun Brocade shop in Linton City, before Eli’s parents even met. So yeah, they were already in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom by then.”
“That early?”
“Yep, that early! If they hadn’t left when they did, they’d have been wiped out with the rest of the Miao Frontier. After that witch poisoned Eli, the White clan teamed up with the martial world and basically annihilated the Miao. If her family had stuck around, they’d be toast!”
Ivy finally put the pieces together. So Mabel Miao must be, what, in her forties or fifties? She’s probably a whole zodiac cycle older than Eli.
“Actually, back then, the Miao Frontier and outsiders didn’t really clash much. They coexisted pretty peacefully for a hundred years or so.”
“And then?”
“And then, as time went on, the Miao started getting restless. They crossed into our lands and began hurting people, and that’s when everyone’s hatred really exploded.”
Ivy frowned. “So Mabel’s dad was actually pretty sharp—saw the writing on the wall. Otherwise, they’d be dead too! But I still don’t get it. Why’d he leave his homeland? That’s where he was from, right?”
“Honestly, I think the only reason he survived is because he had a good heart. Apparently, Mabel’s dad was always different from the other Miao—didn’t like gu, didn’t care for poison, just wanted to read books and study history. So after they moved to the Endless Indulgence Kingdom, he took the civil service exams, became the top scholar, and climbed the ranks all the way to minister,” Old Man Sai said, stroking his beard.
“But if they never lived in the Miao Frontier, can Mabel Miao even cure poison?” Ivy’s voice was laced with worry. Her dad left the Miao before she was born and hated all that gu and poison stuff—so how could Mabel possibly know any of it?
Old Man Sai chuckled. “Ah, that’s the key question. Do you know who poisoned Eli? It was the Miao’s once-in-fifty-years ‘Menstrual Maiden.’” At this, Old Man Sai paused, his brow furrowing in thought.
“Menstrual Maiden? Like... someone who chants prayers?” Ivy blurted out. Did they do so much evil that one pops up every fifty years just to pray for everyone’s souls?!
“Hell no!” Old Man Sai shot back, clearly annoyed. “Girl, you’ve got a wild imagination. If she just chanted prayers, what the hell would I be telling you this story for?”
Ivy pouted. “Old man, I—ugh, forget it. If you weren’t Eli’s grandpa, I’d yank your beard off for talking nonsense!”
Old Man Sai raised his brows, smug. “Heh, my Eli’s a good boy. If you dare disrespect me, I’ll—Ow! You… you actually pulled my beard?”
“Quit babbling already! Get on with the story, will you? This is taking forever!” Ivy snapped. She hated long-winded storytellers more than anything.
Old Man Sai rubbed the spot where his beard had been yanked and glared at Ivy. “Alright, alright! So, here’s the deal: a Menstrual Maiden is actually someone with blocked periods. The Miao Frontier only gets one every fifty years—sometimes even a hundred. The reason that witch’s poison was so deadly is because she was a Menstrual Maiden. If she mixes her blood into the poison, it’s basically the deadliest stuff on earth.”
“But why? What makes Menstrual Maiden blood so insanely toxic?” Ivy asked, still confused.
“Well, it’s like this—Menstrual Maidens don’t get their period. Everyone knows period blood is the nastiest stuff, but they can’t get rid of it, so it just circulates through their whole body. That’s what makes their blood so poisonous. And get this: to survive, they have to sleep with men a dozen times a day! Who knows how dirty that blood gets?” Old Man Sai looked thoroughly disgusted.
“What?!” Ivy, Eli, and Aiden all gaped in shock.
“For outsiders, a Menstrual Maiden is basically a demoness—bad luck incarnate. But for the Miao Frontier, she’s a miracle, a living saint. Fifty years ago, the Miao got one and thought she was their savior, so the chieftain treated her like royalty. That’s how the whole deal with Boss Cheng and their scheming started.”
“But here’s the thing—there weren’t just one, but two Menstrual Maidens born that year. The second was Mabel Miao. That’s a once-in-a-century miracle. But since Mabel was born in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom, her dad kept it under wraps. If the Miao chieftain found out, they’d have come to claim her for the tribe—saints belong to the Miao people.”
“But… everyone in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom knows about the queen’s weird illness, right? Didn’t anyone try to go after her? She’s got Miao blood!” Ivy pressed.
“So what? Mabel was born and raised in the Endless Indulgence Kingdom, so she’s got nothing to do with the Miao Frontier. Plus, she’s the king’s favorite—who’d dare touch her? The whole kingdom is famous for its poisons, and they don’t talk to outsiders. That place is wrapped in mystery and rumors—nobody’s ever really been there!” Old Man Sai admitted, still baffled.
Ivy’s eyes lit up as she caught on. “So you’re saying… you’ve never actually found that mysterious kingdom?”
“That’s right. I’ve been searching for years, but no matter what I try, I just can’t find the Endless Indulgence Kingdom. Even if I did, I doubt I’d be able to do anything once I got there.” Old Man Sai shook his head, regret written all over his face.
“Why?” Ivy asked, a prickly sense of unease creeping up her spine.
“Do you know why I’m so desperate to find a Menstrual Maiden? Eli’s only hope is Mabel Miao,” Old Man Sai said, voice thick with worry. “I’ve searched for years and found nothing. I’m terrified the queen will die before I can reach her. If that happens, Eli will never be cured!”
“Then hurry up and tell me how to cure Eli!” Ivy demanded, her own anxiety spiking. She wished she could just fly straight to the Endless Indulgence Kingdom to hunt down Mabel Miao.
“The poison was made using Menstrual Maiden blood, so the antidote needs her blood too—but not just any blood. It has to be blood drawn straight from the heart!” Old Man Sai said, deadly serious.
“Heart-blood? You mean from the chest?” Ivy clarified.
“Yep, only blood from there is pure enough—and only that blood, mixed with my antidote, can cure Eli’s poison.”
“Heart-blood, huh? Guess I’ll just kill her and take it!” Ivy said coldly. When it came to anyone but her guys, she was ruthless as hell.
“No need for that,” Old Man Sai replied, turning to fetch a small box from the cabinet. “Inside is a thin, clear silver needle. Just jab it into her chest, and the hollow center will draw out the blood automatically. You only need a little—she’ll just be tired and recover with some rest.” He handed her the box.
Ivy opened the box and frowned. Why did this thing look exactly like a modern blood-draw kit?
“Remember, you have to get her heart-blood willingly. Only when she’s totally okay with it will the blood be pure enough. If she’s resentful or unwilling, all that pent-up blood will go wild and turn deadly. Not only won’t it cure Eli, it’ll probably kill him!” Old Man Sai warned her, dead serious.
“What? Seriously? Who the hell would happily let you draw blood from their chest? And she has to be in a good mood? Am I in a horror story instead of a snake realm?!” Ivy grumbled, totally exasperated.
“Just remember what I said, okay?” Old Man Sai repeated for emphasis.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get her blood and make sure Eli gets better!” Ivy said fiercely, locking eyes with Eli. No matter what, she’d find a way to make that woman hand over her blood willingly!