He Sui’an stood at the open door for ventilation and looked inside, seeing Zhong Liang’s father, thin to the bone, like a skeleton covered with wrinkled, dull skin.
This skin was also festering.
Blood and pus covered his entire body.
Zhong Liang brought over the cooled medicine from the table, lifted the old man, and tried to feed him.
The villagers of Hongye Village had no time to ask where He Sui’an and his companion came from or what they were doing in Hongye Village. After a few words, they turned their attention back to the small wooden hut, more concerned about Zhong Liang’s father’s well-being.
Someone suggested that Zhong Liang go up the mountain to find Sanshan Zhenren to come down and treat his father.
They had sought help from Sanshan Zhenren before.
The doctors in Qingzhou were also from Qingzhou and did not welcome the villagers of Hongye Village. They often politely refused to come to Hongye Village for treatment, so the villagers could only turn to Sanshan Zhenren, who was a doctor before becoming a monk.
For the past ten years, whenever the villagers of Hongye Village felt unwell, they sought help from Xuanmiao Temple, and Sanshan Zhenren would personally come to treat them.
The medicine was also prescribed by Sanshan Zhenren.
Unfortunately, their bodies were weak, and as soon as one illness was cured, another would arise.
Zhong Liang gently fed the old man a few sips of the medicine.
The old man drank it weakly.
Qi Buyan tilted his head and softly asked, “What illness does he have?”
As soon as he spoke, he drew everyone’s attention again. The villagers of Hongye Village, with their unattractive appearances, couldn’t help but feel ashamed in front of the handsome young man and didn’t like outsiders interfering in the village’s affairs.
Uncle Zhong knew that Qi Buyan had shown kindness to Zhong Liang, so unlike the villagers who didn’t want to talk to outsiders, he took the initiative to respond, “We don’t know either.”
Qi Buyan fiddled with the butterfly silver chain on his wrist, “Didn’t Sanshan Zhenren tell you?”
He Sui’an also wanted to ask.
But why would Qi Buyan be involved in this matter? She knew he was a person with a strong sense of purpose, and there must be a reason for his actions.
“Sanshan Zhenren only said it’s a rare disease,” Uncle Zhong shook his head. “It’s not recorded in the books; it’s a strange illness.”
Qi Buyan murmured, “A strange illness.”
He then asked, “Are there only this many people in your village?”
Uncle Zhong replied, “No, ever since the outbreak of the plague ten years ago, the villagers of Hongye Village have been frequently falling ill. The year before last, Sanshan Zhenren took away some of the severely ill villagers.”
“Where are those villagers now?”
Uncle Zhong was at a loss for words, “We don’t know. Sanshan Zhenren will surely take good care of them.”
He Sui’an couldn’t understand, “None of you know? Haven’t you ever thought of visiting those villagers?”
It’s not that they hadn’t thought about it.
But Sanshan Zhenren said those villagers’ conditions were unstable and not suitable for visits. They naturally believed him and regarded his words as sacred.
Zhong Liang finished feeding the medicine.
He put down the medicine bowl and looked at them, “Does the young master also know medicine?”
Zhong Liang had been listening to their conversation while feeding the medicine.
Qi Buyan slowly smiled, “I don’t know medicine, but I can tell that he won’t live through today. I can help extend his life by a month, but I have a condition.”
In the past, when people sought a deal with him, they had to offer the most important thing, which also had to be something he wanted.
Now, he could change that.
It didn’t have to be the most important thing, as long as it helped him get what he wanted.
Since Sanshan Zhenren wanted to kill him, he must bear the consequences of his failure. Some people are not afraid of death, but they also have things they fear losing. What did Sanshan Zhenren fear losing?
Qi Buyan thought he might have guessed.
He wanted to see Sanshan Zhenren lose what he cherished most, making him suffer more than death. That should be a very satisfying sight.
He Sui’an’s eyelids twitched as she listened.
She realized he was about to make a deal with the villagers of Hongye Village. Could it be that Qi Buyan intended to use a Gu to help extend Zhong Liang’s father’s life? But what could he possibly want from the villagers of Hongye Village?
The villagers of Hongye Village looked at each other in confusion.
Five days ago, Sanshan Zhenren had also come down the mountain to see Zhong Liang’s father. He said that he would pass away within a few days and told them to prepare for it.
Zhong Liang’s eyes lit up. Even extending his father’s life by a month was good; he wanted more time to spend with his father, even if it was just one more day. He immediately stepped out of the small wooden hut and said, “I agree.”
Qi Buyan smiled warmly.
“Not asking what my condition is?”
Zhong Liang replied, “As long as it is not something that harms the heavens or reason, I, Zhong Liang, will certainly do it.”
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if Qi Buyan could extend the life for a longer period. People are greedy; hearing that a life could be extended for a month makes one wonder if it could be extended for a year.
Qi Buyan smiled faintly but replied coldly, “No, I can only extend it for a month.”
Zhong Liang had to accept this.
*
Thus, He Sui’an temporarily stayed in Hongye Village. The unity of the villagers was evident here; for the sake of extending Zhong Liang’s father’s life by a month, they tacitly allowed them to stay.
When Qi Buyan used the Gu to extend Zhong Liang’s father’s life by a month, everyone needed to be dismissed.
He Sui’an was allowed to stay in the small wooden hut.
A candle burned on the table.
Half of Qi Buyan’s face was shrouded in shadow as he took out a dagger and heated it over the candle flame before cutting open the old man’s wrist.
The old man was so sick and disoriented that he couldn’t even open his eyes. Even if Qi Buyan used the Gu right in front of him, he wouldn’t know.
He Sui’an watched nervously from the side, worried that something might go wrong.
A Gu, the size of a fly, crawled from Qi Buyan’s palm and into the old man’s cut. After the Gu went in, he used a Heavenly Silk thread to cut his own wrist. He Sui’an instinctively grabbed his hand.
“I need to use blood as a guide,” Qi Buyan said calmly.
He Sui’an let go, watching as the sharp yet delicate Heavenly Silk thread cut open his wrist, already scarred from previous wounds. Bright red blood flowed from his wrist, dripping into the old man’s body.
For three consecutive days, blood had to be fed to the old man to make the life-extending Gu effective. Each person can only use the life-extending Gu once in their lifetime, and its effect lasts only a month, with no way to extend it further.
The butterfly silver chain was pushed up above Qi Buyan’s wrist, and the blood continued to drip down.
He Sui’an’s heart tightened as she watched.
It was done.
Qi Buyan withdrew his hand, and she immediately wrapped his wrist with a handkerchief.
The still-bleeding wrist dampened the handkerchief, and He Sui’an could almost feel the pain. Qi Buyan’s expression remained unchanged, though he was slightly displeased by the initial weakness in his hand after each wrist-cutting.
He Sui’an gently bandaged Qi Buyan’s wrist with a clean handkerchief.
She looked down at his wound while Qi Buyan gazed at her profile.
Her skin was so delicate that one could see the faint peach fuzz, and the silk strands hanging over her shoulders made her face look even smaller.
“Don’t let the wound get wet,” He Sui’an said, tying a knot to secure the handkerchief.
Qi Buyan never bandaged his wounds, and no one else would bandage them for him either.
He looked at the bow on his wrist and tugged at it with his other hand. He Sui’an’s eyes widened, “What are you doing?”
“Nothing,” the young man replied, letting go.
They walked out of the small wooden hut.
As soon as they opened the door, Zhong Liang and the villagers of Hongye Village crowded around. Zhong Liang anxiously looked inside the hut, “How is my father? Is there anything else we need to do?”
He Sui’an repeated what Qi Buyan had told her inside the hut.
She omitted the part about using the Gu, only saying that apart from today, it would take two more days to successfully extend Zhong Liang’s father’s life by a month.
The villagers of Hongye Village were curious about how they were extending Zhong Liang’s father’s life, but they also knew that some things weren’t meant to be known. Curiosity killed the cat.
The young man had no reason to lie to them.
Even if he wanted to lie, he couldn’t.
After all, whether Zhong Liang’s father could survive today would be the best proof. The villagers gradually dispersed, and Zhong Liang expressed his gratitude repeatedly before going inside to take care of his father.
He Sui’an also left the small wooden hut and went to the hot spring river because Qi Buyan wanted to bathe.
He didn’t like the smell of medicine.
Qi Buyan could tolerate a bit of medicine on his wounds but couldn’t stand the smell of medicine all over his body. The small wooden hut reeked of accumulated medicinal odors, even permeating his hair.
She followed him.
The surface of the hot spring river shimmered, the water was crystal clear, and the willows swayed in the wind.
Qi Buyan sat by the river, untying the silver ornaments from his hair. He wanted to bathe and wash his hair. He Sui’an went over to help, laying a handkerchief on the ground to place the silver ornaments on.
Up close, she could smell his warm fragrance.
The warm scent mixed with a hint of the medicinal odor from the hut, yet it was still very pleasant.
The silver ornaments made irregular, pleasant sounds as they were untied.
Once all the ornaments were removed, Qi Buyan’s long hair fell to his waist, the ends naturally curling slightly, swaying in the wind. Ignoring the prominent Adam’s apple, his appearance was so striking that it was hard to distinguish gender.
He Sui’an carefully stored the silver ornaments in the handkerchief, knowing they couldn’t be lost as they were made of silver.
She said, “Let me help you wash your hair.”
Considering Qi Buyan had just cut his wrist, it was better for him to use his hands less. She certainly wouldn’t help him bathe, but washing his hair was within acceptable limits.
Reciprocating, since Qi Buyan had previously helped her tie her hair, He Sui’an felt she could assist him now.
“No need, I can do it myself,” Qi Buyan said, having encountered situations before where he needed to clean his body despite wrist injuries.
With that, Qi Buyan walked into the hot spring river and began untying his girdle.
He bathed and washed his hair simultaneously.
He Sui’an stood frozen, shocked that Qi Buyan didn’t wait for her to leave the riverside before undressing!
Qi Buyan didn’t place much importance on the human body; having seen He Sui’an before, he didn’t mind her seeing him. He had never avoided his pet Gu insects while bathing.
As the girdle was undone, his indigo robes opened, revealing a well-defined, smooth waist and abdomen.
He Sui’an quickly turned around to leave.
In her haste, she slipped.
Falling backward into the water, she splashed about, her hands flailing.
Instinctively, she grabbed onto something, which happened to be Qi Buyan’s slender, bare waist and abdomen. They had now seen each other in a completely “honest” manner.
He Sui’an quickly looked up, water droplets falling from her chin onto his waist and abdomen.
Qi Buyan shuddered slightly from the sensation.
