NOVEL WEB Chapter 436
Ji Nian sneezed, then lowered her head to reply to Gu Xiuyuan's message after many days of silence.
"Got it, thanks."
She then looked up at John Qiao and said, "I'll borrow this for a while. I'll return it fully charged after I'm done."
Before John Qiao could ask how she knew his name, she was already gone.
The others gathered around, but their concern was different from his. "Hey, why didn't you ask her about her face? What happened?"
"When the Lu Family brought her here earlier, I saw her. The burns covered a large area, and it looked like she never received any treatment afterward."
"But just now, I noticed fresh secondary wounds on her face. The peeling areas already show new skin growing underneath."
They couldn't help but wonder: Could it be possible that Young Master Lu Jinghuai might also…
After several days of isolation—aside from sending out packages—Ji Nian finally emerged and returned to the Lu Family.
Learning that she had brought something with her, Lu Zhi paused while pouring tea.
Before he could say anything, Queen Feia, who had rare free time to spend with her husband, glanced up from her book.
"Oh? Bring her in."
Lu Zhi looked at his wife.
Years had passed, but time had not dulled her beauty. Instead, it had added a more mature charm. In Lu Zhi's eyes, she was just as stunning as when they first met—no, even more alluring now.
His heart itching with affection, he leaned in to kiss her and whispered, "If it doesn't work, don't be too hard on the girl."
"Children tend to exaggerate."
Feia pinched his chin playfully and teased, "Like when you were eighteen and boasted about your skills, only for me to end up teaching you everything?"
Lu Zhi's face flushed like peach juice.
"...The servants are still here, sister. Don't embarrass me."
He bent down, burying his face against her shoulder and nuzzling lightly. "Save me some dignity."
Princess Feia curled her red lips and ran her fingers through his silk-like black hair.
The moment Ji Nian stepped in, this was exactly what she saw.
Especially when she met Feia's silver-gray eyes—so achingly familiar—Ji Nian felt as if she were seeing Lu Jinghuai through her.
"Who are you looking at?"
Queen Feia patted Lu Zhi, signaling him to sit up, then sharply eyed Ji Nian, who was staring at her as if lost in memory.
Ji Nian snapped back to reality.
"Your Majesty."
She curtsied in the O-country style she remembered.
"Lu Zhi has already told me about your situation," Feia said.
"Now, may we see the results of your work these past few days?"
Unlike the Feia she once knew, the queen now carried an air of solemnity.
Ji Nian handed the box she brought to an attendant.
Only then did Lu Zhi notice her face, his gaze turning astonished. "Your face…"
Seeing his reaction, Ji Nian smiled. "It still looks frightening now, but it'll be fine once the old skin fully sheds."
Lu Zhi had seen the scars on Ji Nian's face before—burn marks she'd carried since she was five.
With current medical technology, such severe damage should have been irreversible.
Yet, the peeling areas now revealed smooth, unblemished skin.
Not even fiction would dare write something like this…
Of course, restoring normal skin texture was something they could achieve with enough resources. But the biggest problem Lu Jinghuai faced was—
The chaotic mix of toxins ravaging his body, preventing his wounds from healing and tormenting him day and night.
Steadying himself, Lu Zhi turned to the opened box.
Inside lay two gray vials, their contents shimmering like liquid mercury.
"This is what you've been working on in the lab all this time?"
The thought that a seventeen-year-old girl had created this felt surreal to Lu Zhi.
But there was no other explanation.
He knew Ji Nian had requested all of Lu Jinghuai's medical records from the past decade, along with blood samples and a series of complex tests.
Every demand had been precise and professional.
Clearly, no one else could have made this.
"This is an antidote that can suppress and eliminate the toxins in his body."
At her words, everyone present froze—except Queen Feia, who remained composed.
"However…"
Hearing the hesitation, their hearts clenched again.
Ji Nian continued, "These two doses aren't enough. The toxins have been in his system for too long. Based on my calculations, this will only remove a third. He'll need follow-up injections, but the process will take a long time. His body is too weak—the drug's potency is harsh on him. After the first round, he'll need to recuperate until his vitals stabilize before starting the next phase."
"Of course, I can continue producing the subsequent doses, or I can hand over the formula."
That…
Was absolutely no issue!
If what she said was true, the follow-up treatment wouldn't be a problem.
After enduring over a decade of suffering, waiting a little longer was nothing.
Lu Zhi's hands trembled slightly. Feia noticed and clasped them before turning to Ji Nian. "Can we observe the testing process now?"
Ji Nian nodded. "Of course."
They relocated to the lab.
The researchers were stunned to see Queen Feia in person.
Several senior professors overseeing Lu Jinghuai's case rushed over upon hearing that the seventeen-year-old girl Lu Zhi brought in had actually achieved results.
Their test subjects weren't lab mice.
Instead, they were paid volunteers who had signed contracts to trial experimental drugs.
Through a glass panel, everyone watched as a volunteer was injected with toxins extracted from Lu Jinghuai's body.
Almost immediately, the man began gasping, his body convulsing violently.
The onlookers recognized this—the first stage of the toxin's effects.
As his skin rapidly ulcerated, Ji Nian stepped forward at the critical moment and administered the gray antidote.
The shrill beeping of the monitors gradually quieted, as if soothed by the drug's flow.
A researcher gasped. "The ulceration stopped!"
The eldest professor, the calmest among them, murmured, "Now comes the real test."
John Qiao, after confirming the volunteer's condition had stabilized, picked up a thick stack of experimental notes.
Ji Nian's records, conveniently written in O-country's language. With permission, he skimmed through them—and his eyes widened in awe.
"A genius… This is sheer genius…"
He muttered in amazement, his gaze shifting to Ji Nian, who stood composedly observing the volunteer. His expression was one of fervent admiration.
Minutes ticked by, yet no one looked away from the test subject.
"The toxin concentration is dropping."
"It's gone! The toxins are gone!"
The volunteer blinked open his eyes, dazed, and even reached up to touch his own face.
Queen Feia strode in and leaned down. "How do you feel?"
The test subject said with a dazed expression, "A chicken... slapped me."
Ji Nian: "……"
She had almost forgotten about that incident.
Lu Zhi turned to Ji Nian excitedly, "It works…"
The antidote Ji Nian had administered to the test subject was still diluted, its potency tied to the toxin's concentration.
The other researchers, who had been busy monitoring various indicators, snapped out of their focus and stared at the composed young woman with fervent admiration.
At just seventeen, she had solved a problem that had stumped them for over a decade—one that might have remained unresolved for another ten years.
Not even TV dramas would dare to script something this unbelievable!
Back at the Lu Family residence, while everyone was busy preparing for Lu Jinghuai's injection, Feia didn't forget to tell Ji Nian, "If my child truly recovers, I will give you the entire mineral vein as well as a noble title in Country O. From then on, you'll never have to worry about shelter or wealth again."
None of the other promises moved Ji Nian, but at the mention of the mine, her expression shifted slightly.
[Finally…]