Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven
Even with the bruises An Jiu had left around his eyes, his striking and ethereal beauty remained undiminished.
Over the past six months, he had only grown more handsome. Yet, whenever An Jiu saw his smile, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something sinister behind it.
“Hn.” A sharp pain pricked the delicate skin on the inside of her thigh, then rapidly spread throughout her entire body.
At first, it truly felt like a bee sting. But the pain intensified, as if thousands of needles were burrowing into her skin, tearing her apart from the inside. She gritted her teeth, veins bulging on her forehead, and within moments, her face was drenched in sweat.
Mo Sigui initially took pleasure in her suffering, but seeing her endure it so silently dampened his amusement. He tucked his fan behind his neck and picked up a mirror to examine the injuries on his face.
After applying a layer of ointment, he lit a lamp and began flipping through a medical text.
These twenty-some volumes were the culmination of Elder Qi’s life’s work. Before joining the Crane Control Army, Mo Sigui had snuck back to Plum Blossom Village to dig them up, carrying them with him ever since.
His way of reading was peculiar—he kept a bronze basin and a candle by his side, tearing out each page after reading it and burning it. By the time he finished, the entire book had turned to ashes in the basin.
While he was engrossed in his reading, An Jiu was in agony. It felt as though her flesh was being corroded by the medicine, the pain searing from her skin straight to her bones. She had never experienced being doused in sulfuric acid, but at this moment, she imagined it couldn’t be worse than this—her flesh and blood seemed to be dissolving in the medicinal bath!
She bit down until her gums bled, yet she didn’t even register the pain or the metallic taste flooding her mouth.
By the time Mo Sigui finished a book, he was drowsy. He rose, went to the bathhouse to rinse off, and returned in a fresh, loose white robe.
Holding the lamp, he bent down to check on An Jiu. His ink-black hair spilled over his shoulders, and his face, softened by the steam, seemed almost illusory.
An Jiu opened her eyes—they were bloodshot, as if they might overflow with crimson at any moment. Her mind was dulled by the pain, but her mental strength was too high for her to lose consciousness. Instead, every inch of agony in her body became excruciatingly clear, making her wish for death.
“Shi Si, if you can’t bear it, I can administer medicine to knock you out,” Mo Sigui said, using a cloth to wipe the droplets gathered on her lashes. “But you should know—this kind of pain is rare. It’s beneficial for tempering your mental strength.”
No matter how much he fooled around normally, he would never allow himself the slightest negligence in medicine. So now, his expression was devoid of emotion, carrying a cold and solemn air that didn’t match his age.
“Get lost.” An Jiu’s ears rang with pain. As she spoke, a trickle of blood slid from the corner of her lips, stark and ghastly against her deathly pale face.
Mo Sigui chuckled, wiped the blood away for her, then straightened up and carried the lamp back to the couch to continue reading. When he encountered something he didn’t understand, he even tested it on himself with needles.
Mo Sigui was a legendary martial prodigy, born with his Ren and Du meridians already connected. His meridians were of the wind element—wind was the easiest to generate momentum. The moment even a trace of inner force formed in his dantian, his meridians would propel it into perpetual self-circulation. Even if he hardly practiced, his internal energy would deepen over time. An ordinary person’s hundredfold efforts couldn’t compare to his innate advantage.
Moreover, wind was formless, capable of infinite transformations. That was why he could effortlessly master Elder Qi’s decades-long research on pulse diagnosis through true energy division.He possessed such innate advantages, yet he wasn't particularly diligent in martial arts training, throwing himself entirely into the way of medicine. Sometimes he wouldn't practice for ten days or even half a month. Otherwise, he wouldn't have only reached the seventh level by now.
"Mo Sigui," An Jiu's voice was hoarse.
Mo Sigui turned his head to look at her. "What is it?"
"Go sit somewhere else. Seeing you so obsessed with the way of medicine makes me feel worse." She was barely holding on by sheer willpower. Watching Mo Sigui like this reminded her of her father who experimented with medicine on his wife, making it impossible for her to maintain even the most basic calm.
Mo Sigui put down his book and asked curiously, "Did you have some unpleasant experiences in the past?"
An Jiu lowered her eyes. Unpleasant? It was more like a lifelong nightmare. She didn't know why she was gradually becoming less averse to Mo Sigui, but seeing him test needles on himself still irritated and disgusted her.
She had an instinctive aversion to people who were too obsessed with any one thing. And she herself had never been particularly obsessed with anything—everything was optional to her, even life and death.
Seeing that she didn't want to answer, Mo Sigui didn't press further. Apart from matters related to the way of medicine, he disliked forcing others in other aspects. But he also couldn't stand others criticizing his pursuits, so his tone turned cold and sharp. "Whatever you've been through, An Jiu, I'm not someone close to you. Even if I owe you a favor, that doesn't give you the right to interfere with me."
When An Jiu had rushed out to save Mo Sigui, she had realized how much she valued this friendship. She had never been one to meddle in others' affairs—if she didn't care, what did it matter to her if the whole world was filled with people like her father? Before, Mo Sigui had always shamelessly pestered her with smiles, offering to treat her illness, never showing this cold side of himself. But when he turned heartless, no one could match him.
"You're right." An Jiu closed her eyes, her heart aching unbearably. Combined with the excruciating pain throughout her body, her face grew even paler.
Mo Sigui knew his words had been harsh and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. He looked at her bloodless face under the lamplight, his lips tightening slightly. An Jiu had once disliked him, avoiding him except for malicious teasing. But her attitude had changed imperceptibly over time. When the Mei Shi clan was attacked and Old Madam suspected him of being a spy, when even his cousins and siblings doubted him, she alone had said she believed in him. When he was on the brink of death, she had thrown herself forward without hesitation. He knew it was An Jiu, not Mei Jiu, from the swiftness of her movements. Though later, for some reason, Mei Jiu had died in her place, that didn't erase the fact that An Jiu had risked her life to save him.
This woman, seemingly cold-hearted, was actually the type to go through fire and water for her friends...
An Jiu's mind buzzed, the pain in her body seeming to pierce her heart, making her usually steady heartbeat convulse.
Just as she was suffering, a slightly cool hand suddenly touched her forehead. A gentle stream of True Energy, soft as a spring breeze, flowed from his palm into her body, easing some of the pain.
"I was wrong just now," Mo Sigui said softly. "You and I are life-and-death friends. I, Mo Sigui, will never betray that bond in this lifetime. But asking me to give up my obsession with the way of medicine is impossible. In my heart, medicine comes first, emotions second."
An Jiu opened her eyes, seeing only the white sleeve of his robe hanging down. "What about your life?"Mo Sigui smiled and said, "Without life, what's the use of The Way of Medicine or bonds of affection? But without The Way of Medicine, what purpose does this life serve?"
He lowered his hand, his eyes misty and shimmering, beneath which lay a faint yet sincere smile.
"To earn Mo Sigui's promise of 'never betraying in this lifetime' truly requires risking everything!" An Jiu suppressed her pain, her lips curling slightly.
"For someone like you who lives by the sword, you'll eventually understand just how precious this old man's promise is." After a few serious words, Mo Sigui reverted to his usual careless self, lazily reclining on the couch with one hand propping up his head. "This old man really isn't cut out for romance—it's awkward and suffocating."
"Hey!" Seeing that she could still speak coherently, Mo Sigui asked curiously, "Aren't you in pain?" (To be continued...)
PS: Had some things to take care of today, so the word count is a bit short. Will write more tomorrow. Also, regarding Mo Sigui and An Jiu, the phrase "comrades in life and death, never betraying in this lifetime" describes them perfectly. I quite like Miraculous Doctor Mo, but he's not the male lead—that was decided from the very beginning. And I don't believe this bond is any less than romantic love; it's equally genuine and equally worth cherishing.
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