Gray Wolf had fought in the great war a century ago. Back then, he was just a boy. Since then, he'd clashed politically with the Nine Tailed Fox, the Yao Race's leader at the time.

Ironically, the faction the Nine Tailed Fox backed lost the war. The victors were the side Gray Wolf had supported.

From then on, Gray Wolf dreamed of independence. He scoffed at the idea that "the Nine Tailed Fox was the wisest race in the Yao Race." He believed his political insight even surpassed theirs. So he refused to follow others' decisions. He gathered allies, set up his own faction, and aimed to choose a better future for the Yao kin.

But ancestral teachings ran deep. Traditional thoughts were ingrained. Subconsciously, everyone still felt they should obey those teachings. Though most now refused to follow the Nine Tailed Fox, it was because they were content with the current peace. The Nine Tailed Fox's appearance meant war. But if a true leader—a true Yao—was needed to command the war, they'd still obey the Nine Tailed Fox's decisions.

This was Gray Wolf's biggest obstacle. Only by removing the Nine Tailed Fox could he lead the Yao Race.

But while he schemed, an accident happened. A human faction approached him, demanding his submission. He didn't trust this family. After refusing them, he visited a small noodle shop hideout. He tried to persuade his old friend there to join him—but was rejected too. Little did he expect that on his way back, that family sent assassins to kill him.

Then his body was found. His followers were enraged. The most radical one charged over alone.

"So, don't worry too much," Elder Mink said. He'd returned at some point and saved us. Sitting by my hospital bed, he casually explained the assassination's cause. "Even without this misunderstanding, they'd never stop until you were dead."

I stared blankly out the window, deaf to his words. Bitterly, I asked, "Qingli?"

Elder Mink shook his head. "She took the Taipan's death strike for you. But her body has no resistance to poison. She won't live long."

Those words exploded in my head like thunder. My nose stung. I grabbed Elder Mink's arm. "No... it can't be! There must be a way to save her... I—I remember there's an antivenom for the coastal taipan's venom!"

Elder Mink gave me a complex look, mocking or something. "Can animal poison be the same as Yao poison? Especially when it's mutated."

I slumped back onto the pillow, my mind blank. Icy tears streamed from my eyes. It's all my fault. Why am I so useless?

Then Elder Mink's voice came again. "Cures exist, yes. But they're legendary-grade elixirs. Getting one is harder than climbing to heaven. In all my years, I've never seen one."

So there's still no hope. Tears still flowed uncontrollably. I sniffed hard, my voice hoarse. "Where is Qingli now?"

He didn't stop me. Turning, he led me to the next room. Qingli lay on the bed, covered with a white, flower-embroidered quilt. Only her delicate face was visible, now a sickly green. Her eyes were tightly shut. No matter how I called to her, they wouldn't open. Not even her long lashes twitched.

"How long can she live?"

Elder Mink paused thoughtfully. "At the latest, by tonight."