The scent of medicinal herbs hangs thick in the air as I sit beside Yuanzhi's bed, watching his chest rise and fall with shallow breaths. His bandaged hands lie motionless on the coverlet, pale against the dark fabric. It's been twenty-seven days since he opened his eyes, but the darkness remains—his vision gone, his internal force shattered.

"Ge," he murmurs suddenly, turning his head slightly in my direction though his eyes don't focus.

I lean forward immediately, placing my hand gently on his arm. "I'm here, Yuanzhi."

He swallows, his throat working against the dryness. "Elder Yue... he told me about the Han Clan's method."

My jaw tightens. I knew this moment would come. "It's too dangerous."

"But it might work," he says quietly, the faintest trace of hope in his voice that pierces my heart like a blade.

I look at my brother—so thin, so fragile, yet so determined—and wonder if I can ever protect him from himself.

"Yuanzhi," I begin, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.

"I need to try, ge. I can't... I can't stay like this."

The silence between us stretches, heavy with unspoken fears and years of unexpressed emotion.