The night at the orphanage was dead quiet, with only the rustling of leaves from the old tree outside echoing through the darkness.
Serena was slumped beside Mabel's bed, one hand holding Mabel's tightly, her eyelids drooping. She had been going non-stop these past few days-revenge, saving lives-completely drained. Even in her sleep, though, her fingers stayed tensed, muscle memory from years on the battlefield kicking in.
It was deep into the night when Mabel's fingers twitched. Her lashes fluttered slightly before her eyes slowly opened.
The soft yellow light bathed Serena's sleeping face. Her brows were furrowed even in sleep, like even her dreams wouldn't give her a break.
Seeing the dark circles under her granddaughter's eyes, Mabel's eyes instantly welled up. Her gaze was filled with heartbreak.
This was the girl she'd spoiled for as long as she could remember. Serena should've grown up surrounded by warmth and care-yet instead, she suffered six years of wrongful imprisonment.
"Serena..."
Her voice came out thin and raspy, like sand against stone, shaky from waking up.
Serena jolted awake, head snapping up.
Noticing Mabel had woken up, the tension in her eyes vanished, replaced by anxious concern. "Grandma, how are you feeling? Anything still bothering you?"
She reached over to check Mabel's pulse-faint, but steadier than it had been during the day. Half the weight in her heart lifted.
Mabel shook her head and gently cupped Serena's cheek, her wrinkled hand warm against the girl's face-a warmth full of years and stories.
"I'm okay now... but I owe you an apology. If only I'd had the guts to protect you back then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this."
"Grandma, don't say that," Serena said softly, squeezing her hand gently. "Back then, Esther had the whole family under her thumb. You barely managed to survive yourself-there was no way you could've helped me too."
"Besides, I've already gotten revenge. I killed Esther in front of Mom and Dad's grave. I made sure she paid for everything."
Mabel's body stiffened, followed by a deep sigh. She didn't seem shocked-more like relieved.
"Good... She deserved it. She took your parents away, ruined your life... yeah, death's too kind for her."
After a pause, Mabel's voice trembled with worry. "But you-killing someone... Is everything okay? I'm not letting anything happen to you this time."
"Don't worry. I knew what I was doing," Serena replied, her voice a mix of warmth and ache.
She tucked the conversation away with a smile, brushing her fingers over the tiny needle marks on Mabel's wrist before saying, "By the way, you've got a lot of residual poison built up. Esther's been dosing you for years, hiding it in the food and tonic. I'll need to give you daily acupuncture, but in two weeks or less, it'll be out of your system."
"Poison?" Mabel's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at her hand.
She always thought Esther was just greedy and wanted the inheritance-still, she assumed she had at least a bit of filial piety. But thinking back now, Mabel always felt drained after those tonics, and her sleep had been a mess. So that was it-her own daughter was slowly killing her.
A bitter smile tugged at her lips. "Never thought the daughter I raised so carefully would end up praying for my death..."
"Grandma, don't..." Serena's tone softened.
Serena bent down to hug Mabel, gently patting her back. "I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, I'll protect you. No one's bullying us again."
They stayed like that, holding each other quietly, until the first light crept through the window.
As dawn broke, Victor Perez arrived early with his medicine kit in hand. He also brought a bundle of fresh herbs and smiled, "I brought some calming herbs, thought they'd be perfect for making a tonic."
Serena nodded and thanked him, then pulled out a sleek silver needle case and got ready to perform acupuncture to detox Mabel.
Seeing this, Victor instantly quieted his steps and held his breath, standing nearby with full attention.
Serena's fingers moved swiftly, placing silver needles precisely at Mabel's acupoints.
Victor leaned in, his eyes widening with each needle she placed.
He'd studied acupuncture for decades, but never seen such skill-each needle's depth and angle were flawless, like measured by a ruler.
When Serena got to the seventh needle, Victor finally couldn't hold back and reached out to assist-only to be stopped by her calm voice. "Dr. Perez, this one needs to be angled slightly and go in three tenths deep. You're off-watch the major artery."
Victor's hand froze mid-air. He looked in the direction she pointed and immediately broke into a cold sweat.
Had he gone ahead, he might've caused a major vessel to rupture. That would've been a disaster.
He quickly pulled back, completely convinced. "You truly are the Silver Needle Sage. I couldn't hold a candle to your technique."
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Serena finished inserting the needles.
Mabel suddenly coughed up a mouthful of black blood, but her face noticeably brightened, regaining some color.
Victor rushed over to check her pulse, his hands trembling from excitement. "Most of the poison's been cleared! The Celestial Lifeline Acupuncture is the real deal!"
Then, he abruptly bowed deeply toward Serena. "Please, let me become your student! I want to learn this method from you-to save more lives!"
Serena paused, a bit surprised, then shook her head gently. "No need for formalities. This technique is meant to heal. I'm happy to share it with you-just promise to pass it on, don't keep it to yourself. The more people it helps, the better."
"Deal!" Victor wiped at his eyes, pulling out pen and paper. "I'll write it all down right now. Just say it-I'm ready."
Serena patiently explained each key point of the technique, while Victor jotted everything down and kept mumbling in awe, amazed that the famous Silver Needle Sage was just a young woman under twenty.
When they were done, Serena took the herbs he brought and went to the kitchen to make a tonic for Mabel.
As she walked back with the warm bowl carefully balanced in her hands, she saw Mabel awake, propped up on pillows.
When their eyes met, Mabel reached under her pillow and pulled out a blue cloth bundle, handing it over.
"Serena, these are the records Esther kept while manipulating the Douglas family over the years. They've got everything-how she controlled the side branches, her dealings with foreign powers... it's all in here."
Mabel lightly caressed the fabric, her voice calm but firm. "We can't let the Douglas name fall into the wrong hands. From now on, it's all up to you."
"Grandma..."
Serena took the bundle from her, the rough cloth brushing against her fingertips, sparking an ache in her chest.
This wasn't just trust-it was the future of the whole family handed to her.
She was just about to speak when a loud, arrogant voice rang from outside. "Absolutely not!"
The door slammed open in the next second.
"You've lost your mind. Serena is a criminal-how could she possibly be fit to inherit the Douglas estate?"
