The sunlight peeked through the wooden slats of the cabin's window, casting long shadows across the bed where Yun Lan lay. Her breath was even now, though her skin still carried the faint pallor of her illness. Leon sat quietly beside her, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest. His fingers brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, as if afraid that if he blinked, she might disappear again.
She had been sleeping most of the day, but something inside her was changing.
She felt it the moment she had taken the antidote brewed from the mysterious plant Leon had retrieved. It was like a thread had been pulled inside her — taut and alive — connecting her not only to herself but to something older, deeper. Something buried within the earth.
And now, Yun Lan could hear whispers.
Not of people.
But of leaves.
Of water trickling through roots.
Of the wind pressing gently against tree trunks.
And none of it made sense.
When she finally opened her eyes, Leon was dozing beside her. She smiled faintly, touched by his devotion, then carefully pushed herself upright. A slight wave of dizziness hit her, but she pressed through it and got up.
Her bare feet padded against the warm wooden floor as she stepped out of the room and into the kitchen, where the warm scent of herbs and tea lingered in the air.
Her grandmother turned in surprise.
"Lan'er? You should be resting."
"I needed to talk to you," Yun Lan whispered, her voice low, urgent. "Not here. Outside."
The old woman nodded and followed her to the garden behind the cabin. The place was quiet, surrounded by thick woods and mountains. Yun Lan stopped beside the old willow tree and turned to her grandmother.
"There's something wrong," she said, holding out her hand.
From the moment she touched the soil below, a strange surge passed through her palm — warmth, like a pulse. The grass beneath her toes rustled even though there was no breeze. The leaves on the nearby bushes trembled faintly.
"It started after I took the flower," Yun Lan said. "I can feel the trees… the ground. It's like I'm connected to everything around me. Alive. But strange."
Her grandmother looked startled for a moment, then stepped forward and held Yun Lan's hand.
"I feared this might happen," she murmured. "That flower... It's ancient. A relic of the forgotten clans. It carries not only healing properties, but power — nature-bound power. You must listen carefully. If you feel changes in your body or senses… it may not just be the antidote. It may be something awakening inside you."
Yun Lan swallowed hard.
"There's more," she said. "The detoxification… I can still feel remnants of the poison. It's not gone. The flower wasn't enough. It stabilized me, but… I'm not healed. There's another ingredient missing, I'm sure of it. Until I find it, this thing inside me… it's unpredictable."
"Have you told Leon?" her grandmother asked.
Yun Lan shook her head immediately, panic flashing across her face.
"No. And I don't want to. Not yet. He's already been through enough. If he knew this… if he knew I might still die…" Her voice broke. "I don't want him to suffer any more than he already has."
The old woman was quiet, then finally nodded. "Very well. I won't say anything. But if your condition worsens, I will tell him."
Yun Lan gave a small nod of gratitude. "I just need time. Time to find the second cure… and understand what's happening to me."
She stared at the forest, her expression unreadable.
Later that evening, Leon was tending to the fire in the living room when Yun Lan came back inside. She smiled faintly as he turned around, his eyes instantly scanning her body as if to make sure she wasn't collapsing again.
"You're up again," he said softly.
"I am," she replied. "Feeling… better."
He approached her slowly, eyes dark with emotion. "You scared me."
"I know."
"I thought I will lost you," Leon whispered, pulling her into his arms.
Yun Lan closed her eyes as she sank into his embrace, the smell of smoke and pine on his clothes soothing her in ways she couldn't explain. Her hands clutched the back of his shirt.
"I'm here," she murmured, even though inside, the truth whispered something different. She didn't know how long "still here" would last.
He pulled back slightly, brushing a kiss to her forehead. "You need to rest more. And eat. I'll cook."
She chuckled softly. "You? Cook?"
"You doubt me?" he teased, eyes narrowing.
"I..No, ok you cook."
He smirked, but it faded into a look of seriousness. "Then sit. Let me do something for you."
Yun Lan watched him from the doorway as he moved about the kitchen. He was trying so hard. She could see it in the way he carefully cut vegetables, the way he kept glancing at her every few seconds to make sure she was breathing.
Her heart ached.
She wanted to tell him everything.
About the strange connection she felt to nature.
About the poison still inside her.
About the unknown future.
But she couldn't. Not yet.
Not when his eyes looked at her like she was the center of his world.
That night, as she lay beside him, his hand resting protectively around her waist, Yun Lan stared at the ceiling, the silence between them filled with unspoken fears.
And still, in her mind, she could hear it.
A whisper.
The heartbeat of the forest.
The hum of the earth.
Alive within her.
She placed a hand over her chest and whispered to herself, "Just a little longer. Let me protect him from this… just a little longer."
And outside, under the moonlight, the leaves swayed gently — not from wind… but from her.
What do you think that will happen in chapter 24?
The power will change Yun Lan life and the poison inside her,she doesn't have much time to keep searching for the second ingredient.