Father’s voice trembled slightly as he said, “Is there really no way to fix this? If… if the spiritual meridian is truly gone, I’m afraid he’ll be a cripple for the rest of his life.”

“I have no way either.” Mr. Johnson stood up, the chair creaking loudly. He comforted, “Old Baker, although the meridian has been burned and his cultivation destroyed, you can find him a profession that doesn’t require strength, like an apothecary or a weaponsmith. Little Ethan is a strong child—he’ll get through this. I’ll take my leave now. Try to stay calm.”

“Someone, see Mr. Johnson out.”

“Yes, sir.”

The other voice belonged to Mr. Foster.

I was trembling all over, wanting to wake up, but it was as if I was trapped in a nightmare. I could hear Father and Mr. Foster talking, but I couldn’t open my eyes.

A few minutes later, Mr. Foster returned and said, “Sir, Miss is back!”

“Ah, Emily is back?”

Father’s voice was a bit excited, and I was excited too. I mustered all my strength and suddenly managed to open my eyes. The first thing I saw was Mr. Foster’s wrinkled face blooming into a smile: “Sir, Young Master is awake!”

“Little Ethan, don’t move yet, just rest!”

An indescribable pain spread throughout my body. I could feel that the top-grade spiritual meridian that had accompanied me since I was six had disappeared… as if it had turned into a burning fire dragon and been completely incinerated from my bloodline!

“How long was I asleep…” After taking a deep breath, I asked my first question upon waking.

“Seven days.” Father’s face was full of distress.

…

At that moment, a breeze drifted in, carrying a faint, refreshing fragrance.

Cousin had returned, wearing a white shirt, a cloak draped over her shoulders, and a deep red scarf around her neck. Her beautiful eyes were filled with worry as she looked at me, her stunning face looking travel-worn.

Emily Baker, my Cousin, but abandoned by her father when she was young. My father raised her, so she’s like my real Sister.

“Little Ethan!”

Emily Baker’s beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears. She knelt by the bed and held my hand, warmth spreading between us: “How could this happen? How could this happen…”

“Sis, wasn’t Sarah Sutton the Valkyrie you introduced?” I asked weakly.

“I don’t know why this happened either…” Emily Baker bit her red lips and said, “Something unusual must have happened, otherwise this never would have occurred…”

Looking at her reddened eyes, I smiled and said in an extremely weak voice, “Sister Emily, don’t worry, I’m not even worried.”

“You brat, how can I not worry?”

Emily Baker almost burst into tears. She turned to Father and said, “Father, I rushed back as soon as I got the news, but Little Ethan’s condition is just too strange. I can’t figure it out for now. Please don’t worry, there will definitely be a way to save him. Little Ethan is exceptionally talented, a rare genius—there will be a way.”

Father nodded. “Emily, sit down and talk with Little Ethan for a while. Frank, let’s go prepare dinner. Since Emily is back, let’s make something special.”

“Yes, sir.”

…

“Little Ethan, do you blame me?” Emily Baker sat by the bed, her eyes slightly red.

“No, Big Sister, don’t blame yourself.” I recalled everything that happened that day and said, “But I do feel strange. The moment I took the awakening potion, I saw a figure appear in the orange sun. He saw me too, and then things turned out like this. My body felt as if it was sealed by some transcendent force, my bloodline burned, and my spiritual meridian disappeared.”

Emily Baker frowned slightly. “Is that all? The person you saw—what did he look like?”

“A very strange person, his whole body bound to a pillar by bronze chains, bathed in flames but not dying. I can’t imagine why I could see so far, and so clearly.”

“Oh, I see…” Emily Baker fell silent, deep in thought.

“There’s something else that’s a bit odd.”

“Go on.”

“That Valkyrie Sarah Sutton was much younger than I expected—at most, she couldn’t have been over twenty. She didn’t look like a thirty-year-old Valkyrie at all. Is there something fishy going on? Could it be that she’s not actually the Valkyrie Sarah Sutton?”

“Well…”

Emily Baker blinked, as if she’d thought of something, and said, “I wonder what Father and Mr. Foster are making for us tonight!”

I protested helplessly, “Don’t just change the subject like that! Who exactly is that Valkyrie?”

“She’s someone with a deep connection.”

She spread her hands and said, “Little Ethan, let’s not pursue this for now. Sister knows how to handle it. The urgent matter is how to solve the problem of your spiritual power not regenerating after your meridian was destroyed. The key is that person in the orange sun—I know nothing about him.”

I nodded, looking at my own palm. The three meridians of heaven, earth, and man had completely withered. This meant my cultivation was gone, and I couldn’t use even a trace of spiritual power.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you get back the power you lost.” Emily Baker saw my dejection and smiled, “Little Ethan, since this has happened, I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”