“The young Taoist you sent to kill me eventually begged for mercy, saying he didn’t want to die. He feared death, so I killed him directly.”
He propped one hand on the table, turned his face, and looked at the pedestrians on the street.
“I know you don’t fear death, so I won’t kill you myself. But you fear disgrace. The price I want you to pay is disgrace, so that no one will dare to use your medicine again.”
The wind blew in through the wide-open window, gently brushing Qi Buyan’s long hair at his waist.
The silver bell ornaments at the tips of his hair moved with the wind.
His face was delicate, innocent.
Yet his words and actions precisely hit people’s deadliest weaknesses.
Zhenren Sanshan, who had lived for decades, felt a chill rise from his feet as he looked at Qi Buyan. However, he had nothing to fear now, even though the person in front of him was unpredictable and ruthless.
Qi Buyan withdrew his gaze, “The medicine you painstakingly refined is now discarded like worn-out shoes. You can no longer make medicine, and for someone who sees medicine-making as life, you will suffer immensely.”
He smiled, “Isn’t this more satisfying than simply killing you?”
Zhenren Sanshan choked.
Qi Buyan stood up.
Without looking at Zhenren Sanshan, he took a step towards the exit of the private room, suddenly remembering something, he paused, “By the way, I went to the clinic today and heard the doctor mention the strange disease in Yangzhou.”
Zhenren Sanshan’s expression finally changed, “What about the strange disease in Yangzhou?”
The strange disease in Yangzhou greatly intrigued him.
Same as the plague ten years ago.
Upon learning about the strange disease in Yangzhou, Sanshan Zhenren, who was obsessed with refining medicine, decided to develop a cure for it.
Qi Buyan seemingly kindly informed him, “There’s a doctor in Yangzhou who has developed a cure for that strange disease. The news just reached Qingzhou this morning, so you wouldn’t know yet.”
Sanshan Zhenren didn’t expect this.
He murmured, “Impossible.”
“I heard he’s in his early twenties and developed it all by himself. Yangzhou doesn’t need you anymore.” Qi Buyan added with a smile and walked away without stopping.
Sanshan Zhenren’s eyes gradually became vacant, “In his early twenties?”
So young.
He had experimented on live subjects for so many years to achieve his current accomplishments in medicine, yet someone in their early twenties could develop a cure for the strange disease without using live subjects.
Were all his years of work…
Just a joke?
He aged ten years in an instant, shaking his head and laughing, with tears in his eyes.
Sanshan Zhenren slowly stood up, looked at the bustling long street, envied others’ talents, and thought about the days ahead when he could no longer refine medicine, he had the urge to leap to his death.
He closed his eyes and jumped.
Blood splattered, bones shattered, this was the end he chose for himself.
Qi Buyan had enjoyed enough of the suffering displayed by Sanshan Zhenren and wouldn’t interfere with his choice between life or death.
＊
On the ox cart.
He Sui’an’s head rolled on Qi Buyan’s leg, and his thoughts returned to her.
The pleasure from seeing Sanshan Zhenren’s corpse and hearing his bones shatter was overshadowed by the pleasure from an unconscious affectionate gesture by He Sui’an.
Qi Buyan looked down, his hand combing through He Sui’an’s hair, feeling its smoothness under his fingers.
Her hair wrapped around him.
He didn’t untangle it.
The ox cart stopped, and they returned to Hongye Village. He Sui’an seemed to sense it; as soon as the cart stopped, she woke up, realizing she was lying on Qi Buyan’s leg, and quickly sat up.
As soon as Zhong Liang returned to the village, he was surrounded by villagers who bombarded him with news before he could even ask about what happened at Xuanmiao Temple, leaving him dizzy.
Qi Buyan and He Sui’an returned to the treehouse.
As soon as she got back, she lay down.
He Sui’an didn’t even take off her shoes. She covered herself with the two quilts on the bed and forgot to take out the medicine she was holding in her arms. There was no way she could think about the matter of Sanshan Zhenren at the Xuanmiao Temple.
Almost as soon as she lay down, He Sui’an fell asleep soundly. When you’re sick, you can never get enough sleep, and it felt like her bones were soft, making her wish she could tie herself to the comfortable bed.
Qi Buyan walked over.
He removed He Sui’an’s embroidered shoes, which were exposed outside the quilt, then pulled back the quilt, pried open her fingers holding the medicine, and took away the two packets of medicine.
How should the medicine be boiled?
Qi Buyan had never tried boiling medicine before. When he got sick, he would just ignore it and let it heal on its own. To be precise, he rarely got sick.
Looking at the two packets of medicine, Qi Buyan turned and left the wooden house, finding Zhong Liang, who was still digesting what the villagers had said, to borrow things to boil the medicine.
Zhong Liang was very familiar with boiling medicine.
There happened to be a new clay pot for boiling medicine at his home, so he immediately went to fetch it and then told Qi Buyan how much water to put in, how long to boil it, and when it would be ready for someone to drink.
The medicine could only be boiled under the tree house, and someone had to watch the fire all the time. Qi Buyan sat beside it, realizing that raising people was very different from raising Gu insects. He thought he should learn how to properly care for people.
He didn’t want to let He Sui’an die under his care.
The poisonous Gu insects were moving nearby.
Zhong Liang stood at a distance, neither too far nor too close, just watching the young man slightly dazed.
Did Qi Buyan know what Sanshan Zhenren had done all along? Why didn’t he tell them, the villagers of Hongye Village, earlier?
On second thought, Zhong Liang felt Qi Buyan did the right thing. Even if he had told them, the villagers of Hongye Village wouldn’t have believed him. They might have treated this outsider even worse.
Zhong Liang knew Qi Buyan’s actions against Sanshan Zhenren were not for the sake of Hongye Village.
He was a very purposeful person.
Ever since Zhong Liang learned the real reason for the villagers’ deformed and abnormal bodies, he was filled with regret, constantly recalling the past.
The more he thought about it, the more it felt like a bone stuck in his throat.
They had actually worshipped the very culprit who turned them into such a state. Zhong Liang had always believed in the words of Sanshan Zhenren, doing everything he said, treating him as a reborn parent.
This morning, Xie Wenqiao came to the Xuanmiao Temple to capture Sanshan Zhenren and brought three doctors to check the pulses of the villagers of Hongye Village. The diagnosis results were that none of them would live beyond a year.
The villagers of Hongye Village held their heads and cried.
They had already accepted their ugly appearances, and now they were told they didn’t have long to live.
How could they accept this?
Xie Wenqiao felt deeply regretful but could do nothing about it. The only thing he could do was spend money to have the doctors prescribe good medicine to help the villagers manage their health and reduce the likelihood of them becoming gravely ill.
Zhong Liang stared blankly at the flames under the boiling medicine.
As the medicine boiled longer, the smell became more intense, even somewhat overwhelming to Zhong Liang.
Qi Buyan estimated the time and poured out the medicine. In no time, the wooden bowl was full, the gray-brown medicinal liquid steaming slightly, with a pungent, bitter smell.
He carried it and walked towards the tree house.
Zhong Liang did not follow.
Watching Qi Buyan boil the medicine, Zhong Liang recalled past events and now wanted to be alone for a while.
Inside the tree house, He Sui’an was still asleep. Qi Buyan placed the medicine on a low table nearby and called out to wake her. She had a comfortable sleep and felt much better. Upon being called a few times, she opened her eyes.
He Sui’an’s eyes were bloodshot.
She took the wooden bowl and drank the medicinal liquid in large gulps. Drinking it in small sips would make it more bitter, so finishing it quickly would shorten the bitterness. Hence, He Sui’an chose to drink it in large gulps.
Qi Buyan sat by the bed, watching He Sui’an drink the medicine. He could hear the sound of her swallowing.
Originally still sleepy, He Sui’an was now fully awake from the bitterness of the medicine. After finishing it, she did not go back to sleep but lay on the bed. She had sweated a lot in her sleep, and her body felt sticky.
Having sweated from the fever, she needed to wipe it off.
Otherwise, the fever might return.
Of course, He Sui’an wouldn’t let Qi Buyan help her wipe off the sweat. She asked him to turn around while she used a cloth to wipe herself. He looked at her for a few seconds and nodded in agreement.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, He Sui’an had finished wiping herself with some effort.
She lay back on the bed.
Qi Buyan also got on the bed.
He Sui’an moved further in, thinking that Qi Buyan must also be tired. He had taken her out of Hongye Village early in the morning, went to Qingzhou to find a doctor, and went through all the trouble back and forth. Only an iron man wouldn’t be tired.
He had the smell of boiled medicine on him, but it was only on the surface and would dissipate soon.
She lowered her head and sniffed herself, realizing that she was emitting a strong medicinal smell. She breathed into her palm to check the scent, finding it very strong. Feeling self-conscious, she wrapped herself in a quilt and rolled into the corner of the bed.
She rolled like a silkworm cocoon.
Just as she reached the corner, Qi Buyan pulled her back along with the quilt.
The young man’s arms were strong.
Qi Buyan used one hand to pull her back. He Sui’an looked at him in a daze.
“I smell like medicine,” she said a few words, realizing how close they were, and covered her mouth filled with the scent of the medicine. “I smell like medicine all over. You can sleep here; I’ll lie in the corner…”
But he lowered his head and kissed her.
He Sui’an’s eyelashes trembled.
His tongue slipped into her mouth, kissed for a moment, then withdrew. His lips were slightly red, glistening with moisture. “Now I have the medicine smell too. Can we sleep like this, He Sui’an?”
“Yes, we can,” He Sui’an felt her face burning again.
Qi Buyan lay down beside her.
The tree house fell silent, filled with the mixed scent of medicine and He Sui’an’s presence.
*
The sun rose, and the roosters crowed and dogs barked.
He Sui’an woke up, had the breakfast prepared by Zhong Liang, and climbed back to the tree house to pack her belongings. The medicine prescribed by the doctor was very effective. After drinking it and having a night’s sleep, she was completely cured.
She was lively and energetic again, just like before. Seeing her recovery, Qi Buyan decided to leave Hongye Village today; he had other things to find.
Thus, He Sui’an began to pack her belongings.
While packing, she accidentally bumped into the table behind her, causing the book “The Thirty-Eight Techniques of Bedroom Arts” on the edge of the table to fall into the pile of Gu books.
She turned back to look but didn’t notice anything and continued packing. By the time she was almost done, Qi Buyan had also returned to the tree house.
She asked him if he needed help.
Qi Buyan said no. He didn’t have much to pack, just the Gu books he brought and a few sets of clothes. Without even looking, he shoved the entire pile of books into his bundle and tied a knot, ready to leave.
Not wanting to keep Qi Buyan waiting under the tree house for too long, He Sui’an quickly tied her bundle and headed to the door, climbing down the ladder.
After they left Hongye Village, Zhong Liang went up to the tree house to tidy up and intended to find the book to throw it away.
But Zhong Liang couldn’t find the book.
It seemed to have disappeared.
