PS: My apologies for keeping everyone waiting for so long
Wiping away tears, I’m grateful to Fan Qiu Zhuji for posting updates for me late at night. Also, thanks to my deputy moderator See for worrying so much about me, and to Mu Shui You for issuing my leave notice
“I saw Mei Jiu,” An Jiu repeated.
Mo Sigui was stunned for a moment before slowly replying, “Do you know what I was just thinking?”
An Jiu shook her head.
“I was thinking that I might have been wrong to pursue The Way of Medicine from the beginning,” Mo Sigui sighed. “I should have chosen the Cultivation of the Tao instead. The mysteries of life and death—aren’t they beyond the grasp of a mere physician?”
Mo Sigui had intended to dedicate his life to studying how to preserve life. He knew how difficult it was, yet someone had defied the laws of life and death. A dead person had inexplicably come back to life, making his lifelong pursuit suddenly seem like a joke.
“Why do you need to grasp the mysteries of life and death?” An Jiu sat down beside him. “I always thought you were pursuing control over life and death.”
Mo Sigui pondered this, exhaled in relief, wiped his hands with a handkerchief, and poured himself some water. “Hearing you say that makes me feel much better. How is she now?”
“She married Hua Rongtian,” An Jiu said.
“Cough!” Mo Sigui choked on his water. “Married… who?”
An Jiu looked puzzled. “Hua Rongtian. Is that strange?”
“So, she was revived in the body of one of The Emperor’s women?” Mo Sigui realized An Jiu didn’t know the details and began explaining from the start. “Mei Shi Niang, the woman The Emperor arranged to marry, had already died. Hua Rongjian said they used a woman who had served The Emperor as a substitute—she was also from the Mei Clan.”
“Hmm.” An Jiu indeed didn’t recognize that face.
Seeing her calm expression, Mo Sigui couldn’t help but say, “Hey, could you at least act a little surprised? Look at how indifferent you are!”
“What’s there to be surprised about?” An Jiu replied.
Mo Sigui glared at her. “Mei Jiu suddenly coming back to life—isn’t that strange? The Emperor giving a woman he’s slept with to the Hua Clan as their eldest son’s wife—isn’t that an insult? The relationship between The Emperor and the Hua Clan is already at a breaking point. Isn’t that terrifying?”
“The relationship between The Emperor and the Hua Clan does concern me a bit,” An Jiu mused. Given the tension between them, Mei Jiu’s life after marrying into the Hua Clan probably wouldn’t be easy. “Seems like the saying ‘good people get good rewards’ is a lie.”
An Jiu had initially thought Mei Jiu’s revival was a stroke of good fortune, but it seemed her life wasn’t much better now!
“With The Emperor acting like this, the Hua Clan will rebel sooner or later,” Mo Sigui muttered to himself.
An Jiu knew that chastity was highly valued for women here, but she found it baffling. “Your customs here are strange.”
“What’s strange?” Mo Sigui looked utterly confused.
An Jiu rested her chin on her hand. “Why can men sleep with so many people in their lifetime, while women can only sleep with one?”
“That’s not called ‘sleeping with’!” Mo Sigui was no longer surprised by anything that came out of her mouth, but no matter how many times he heard it, he couldn’t make sense of her twisted logic.
Wait… aside from the poor word choice, something else about that statement felt off…
“Then is it mating?” An Jiu asked.
“……”An Jiu noticed his expression wasn’t too pleasant and explained, “I’ve heard that only on a spiritual level can men and women elevate their relationship into love. From what I know, those people didn’t even know what the other looked like before marriage, and the initial purpose was just procreation. Ah. You’re right—using the word ‘mating’ is indeed more fitting…”
“I never said that.” Mo Sigui couldn’t be bothered to argue with her and instead said, “Stop talking nonsense. Let’s get to the point—are you planning to look for Mei Jiu?”
“Why would I look for her?” An Jiu was puzzled.
“…”
Mo Sigui took a big sip of tea and continued preparing the Medicine. “I have nothing to talk to you about. Whether you go find her or not has nothing to do with me. In any case, Mei Jiu being alive is a good thing—at least I won’t have to feel guilty for the rest of my life.”
“Her survival was fate’s arrangement, not because of you. But she did die for you.” An Jiu admonished him seriously. “You should still feel guilty.”
“An Da Jiu, don’t ever talk to me again,” Mo Sigui said weakly.
An Jiu silently watched him for a long time before finally blurting out, “You’re really weird.”
Mo Sigui took a deep breath and buried himself in his Medicine again.
After a while.
“Let’s begin.” Mo Sigui pointed to the bed.
Without a word, An Jiu stripped off her clothes and lay down.
Mo Sigui had always been fixated on giving An Jiu a strong dose of Medicine, but when it came down to it, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This time, he adjusted the Medicine significantly—it might be more painful, but it would be beneficial for An Jiu.
As An Jiu lay on the bed, she heard the faint jingling outside and asked, “Do you have wind chimes here too?”
Mo Sigui paused slightly. “Yeah, quite a few. They wanted to take them down, but I didn’t let them.”
“Why?” An Jiu looked at his profile, half-hidden in shadow.
“I don’t know. I’ve always felt more compassion for the dead.” He pointed at her chest. “You’ve grown. Congratulations.”
An Jiu scoffed. “Who knows when my life will end? What’s there to celebrate about growing a chest?”
“Just when I thought we could have a decent conversation, you ruin it again.” Mo Sigui angrily smeared the Medicine on her with a bamboo spatula.
Soon, An Jiu was wrapped up like a dumpling and tossed into a boiling medicinal bath.
Pain gradually enveloped her entire body.
Outside, the night was desolate, the crisp and muffled chimes of wind bells carried intermittently by the wind.
On a vast, endless snowfield, a group of people trudged forward through the blizzard, the deep snow reaching above their thighs. Four burly men in the group carried a sedan chair high above them, the coughing from within drowned out by the howling wind and snow.
The leader was wrapped in fox fur, revealing only a pair of cold, penetrating eyes.
“Master, the Shadow Wraith is almost here,” a burly man reported.
“Mm.” The leader in fox fur was a woman. She said, “Halt and wait.”
The man received the order, turned, and bellowed, “Rest for a moment!”
The entire team stopped.
After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the group had nearly turned into snowmen when they finally saw a figure sprinting toward them.
The person was clad in white robes, draped in snow fox fur, and wore a white mask—almost blending into the snow.
The woman standing beside the female leader had deep bluish-purple marks on her face, as if frostbitten. She squinted at the “Shadow Wraith” for a long moment. When the Shadow Wraith came within five zhang, she suddenly shrieked, “Kill him!”
The others were caught off guard, stunned for a split second—but the Shadow Wraith’s blade was already closing in on the female leader.The female leader's beautiful eyes were icy cold, reflecting the bone-chilling glint of the sword.
The tip of the blade was now merely three inches from her forehead. At this critical moment, a hidden weapon suddenly shot out from the sedan chair, tearing through the snowy curtain with thunderous force and striking the sword tip!
The Shadow Wraith was thrown back by the impact, landing lightly on the snow as he hastily retreated. The gale-force wind blew off his fox-fur hat, revealing a head of grizzled hair.
The female leader's eyes widened slightly, finally showing a trace of shock. "How dare you! You actually took the heart blood without permission!"
The person in the sedan chair coughed several times—whether from hearing this news or from exerting Inner Force moments earlier was unclear.
"Don't kill him," the female leader said coldly. "I want him to live a fate worse than death!" (To be continued...)
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