Chapter 24 The Danzhou matter is settled, the moon shines with the fragrance of medicine.

Demon-Suppressing Pavilion.

Zhang Xuan lay on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, his body still surrounded by the protective spiritual energy transmitted by Wen Chuan—without this spiritual energy, he would die very soon.

Qin Tianshu, standing to the side, looked at Chen Shu and asked, "Doctor Chen, are you saying that you can't save Zhang Xuan?"

The middle-aged man opposite the scholar bowed upon hearing this, "Young Master Qin, that's not what I meant."

He looked at Zhang Xuan, whose face was ashen, and spoke in a deep voice.

"Young Master Zhang's poison, on the surface, appears to be caused by spiritual energy entering his body and damaging his lungs and internal organs. In reality, it is multifaceted and unlike that of ordinary poisons. It seems to leave traces, yet it is difficult to grasp."

Chen Shu paused, then frowned and pondered, "This poison is intertwined with Young Master Zhang's own spiritual power within his body. It is difficult for others to accurately determine its root cause. Only when Young Master Zhang himself details the abnormal changes in his spiritual power, and there is a medical practitioner who understands Young Master Zhang's spiritual meridians present, can we dare to send spiritual energy into his body and truly prescribe the right medicine. Otherwise, even if we exhaust all medical theories and cultivation methods, it will be difficult to find a way to break the poison."

This is troublesome, the scholar thought expressionlessly.

He looked at the weak Zhang Xuan on the bed. If the young man did not receive medical treatment, he would inevitably suffer from a chronic illness, which would hinder his cultivation.

Chen Shu also sighed. As soon as he returned, Bai Lang pulled him over to save people, saying that Zhang Xuan's identity was special. However, it was true that he couldn't cure the poison in the young boy himself.

“I heard that Young Master Zhang is from Shengjing. All the most powerful cultivators in the world gather at the Demon Suppression Pavilion in Shengjing, and medical cultivators are no exception. Perhaps you should set off back to Shengjing as soon as possible.”

After saying that, he said helplessly, "I will go and prepare some medicinal herbs to make medicine packets, which will be given to Young Master Zhang every day to temporarily alleviate the poison in his body."

Qin Tianshu nodded, and Chen Shu quietly withdrew.

Zhang Xuan lay on the bed, forcefully opening his eyes. Wen Chuan was not there, and the blue spiritual energy was gradually weakening, unable to protect him for long. The young man looked at Qin Tianshu, who was guarding him beside him.

His voice was soft, and he looked extremely weak, "Back to Shengjing... I know who can save me."

The scholar frowned slightly. Zhang Xuan had entered the painting because of him, and he had to see Zhang Xuan safe and sound.

"Let me help you into the carriage first."

Zhang Xuan nodded slightly, trying to get up, but found that the blue spiritual energy around him had become stronger, and he had more strength.

Wen Chuan slowly walked in and helped Qin Tianshu lift Zhang Xuan up.

Qin Tianshu: "Why are you only getting back now?"

Wen Chuan: "It was raining, so we walked a little slower."

Qin Tianshu: "Help Zhang Xuan into the carriage. I'll go to Chen Shu to get the medicine. If Zhang Xuan can't be cured here, we'll go to Shengjing immediately."

Wen Chuan nodded and took Zhang Xuan. Zhang Xuan was still surrounded by his faint blue spiritual energy. It was better for the boy to be with him now.

Qin Tianshu turned to get the medicine, while Wen Chuan and Zhang Xuan walked out of the Demon Suppression Pavilion.

The rain has stopped, but there is still some water on the ground.

"Splash, splash—" A series of splashing sounds rang out.

Wen Chuan and Zhang Xuan encountered a person who was soaking wet and wearing armor, rushing towards them.

It is worth mentioning that he was also holding Shen Dongsheng's body in his arms.

Wen Chuan and Zhang Xuan looked at him and realized that this man was Shen Qi, who had welcomed them into the governor's mansion when they first arrived in Danzhou.

However, Shen Qi looked quite disheveled at this moment. He had been running in the rain, his body constantly soaked with rain and sweat, while the white-clad youth in his arms had already lost his life.

The tall and strong Shen Qi held him, his arms trembling, and he hurriedly ran into the Demon Suppression Pavilion, calling out Chen Shu's name.

Wen Chuan and Zhang Xuan didn't look at him again.

When someone dies, someone has to collect the body.

Almost instantly.

They passed each other by, but neither paid any attention to the other.

...

Wen Chuan and Zhang Xuan boarded the carriage. Qing Yu had changed into a dry, plain dress. She stood by the window on the right, quietly admiring the streets of Danzhou after the rain.

She rarely wore such a simple and unadorned gray cloth dress, and even her hair was simply tied up with a plain hairpin. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her gentle smile seemed to possess the graceful beauty of an orchid, simple and pure.

The wind chimes rang, and the girl turned around.

She frowned slightly, looking at Zhang Xuan, whose face was still ashen.

Why are you still the same old you?

Zhang Xuan: "..."

He couldn't help but cough twice. Why was Qingyu always able to say things that made people feel breathless with such a natural and sincere attitude?

Zhang Xuan smiled at her, indicating that no matter how poisonous his body was, it couldn't compare to the poisonousness of Qing Yu's words.

Wen Chuan patted Zhang Xuan's shoulder helplessly. This carriage was made by the power of the original painting. Zhang Xuan could suppress the poison inside. Now that Zhang Xuan was in the carriage, the boy's condition was gradually improving.

Looking at Zhang Xuan's weak appearance, Qingyu clicked her tongue twice, "What are you trying to do now? Can't the medical practitioners in Danzhou cure you?"

Zhang Xuan pursed his lips, walked to the Luohan bed, and sat down to regulate his breathing. "That's about enough. Let's go to Shengjing now."

"Shengjing?" Qingyu also knelt on the futon beside the long couch, her plain dress folded on the carpet. She looked up at Wen Chuan. "Go now?"

"Um."

Wen Chuan nodded, sat on the long couch, picked up the teapot on the table, and poured himself a cup of tea.

At Qingyu's request, the couch was made to be extra long. The part by the window was for reclining and resting, while the rest was for sitting. There was a table in front of it.

Wen Chuan: "We were just about to go to Shengjing anyway, we've been delayed in Danzhou for a long time."

The implication was that they would set off immediately upon Qin Tianshu's return.

Qingyu breathed a sigh of relief, "Well, at least I've explored almost the entire city of Danzhou."

Then she became interested again and said to Wen Chuan beside her, "Before leaving the city, I want to buy a few bags of Haoweiji pastries."

Wen Chuan nodded and poured Qing Yu a cup of tea as well. Just then, the tinkling sound of wind chimes rang out outside.

Qin Tianshu led in a box.

As he passed the bookshelf, Cai Cai called out to him, "Goo-goo-da!"

Qin Tianshu patted Cai Cai's head, then walked over and placed her on the table by the medicine cabinet.

The scholar looked up and smiled at Zhang Xuan, his tone kind, "Your medicine has arrived. Do you want to start taking it today, or will you take it later?"

Zhang Xuan: "..." He felt the malice of the world.

Qingyu chuckled, and Wenchuan smiled faintly as well.

Qin Tianshu lowered his head and curled his lips. He opened the top of the box, picked up a packet of medicine, and then leaned back on the daybed with a "hey". He placed the medicine on the small wooden table in the middle of the daybed.

The medicine paper was spread out, and a bitter, herbal scent wafted out. The scholar smiled and discussed the taste of the medicine with Zhang Xuan.

Qingyu held the hot tea in both hands, sipping it gently, thinking about what she needed to buy before leaving the city. The girl quieted down for a moment, savoring her last moments in Danzhou City.

She knelt on the prayer mat, while Wen Chuan sat on the couch beside her.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was pleasant, with only the boy's soft laughter and whispers and the gentle breeze outside. Wen Chuan got up to drive away.

When no one was watching, he paused in his act of getting up, his gaze fixed on the girl's soft, black hair beside him.

He lowered his gaze and concentrated for a moment, then his long, slender, pale fingers gently approached her hair.

At this moment, the wind was gentle and the rain had stopped, and the sky was ablaze with red clouds. The two horses in front of the carriage, which had been ignored for a long time, looked up together, gently raised their hooves, and purred softly.

The car swayed very, very slightly.

Qingyu paused, almost choking on the tea in her mouth.

She coughed and suddenly straightened up. Zhang Xuan and Qin Tianshu, who were sitting on the same side, turned around and glanced at her. The girl sat there alone, drinking tea and clearing her throat with coughs.

The two turned back to their discussion about the taste of various medicinal herbs, while secretly mocking Qingyu in their hearts—he could even choke on water.

As Qingyu calmed down, the girl looked towards the car door, the fleeting warmth above her head seeming like an accident that no one paid attention to.

As the evening breeze blew by, the last rays of dusk streamed into the car through the open doors and windows.

The boy sat quietly in the driver's seat, the horses' hooves clattering as they moved forward gently together.

...

They headed out of the city, stopping along the way to buy some things.

Qingyu went to Haoweiji and bought some delicious peach blossom cakes and jade cakes, while Wenchuan went to the market and bought a large whetstone. His carving knife had become a bit dull from use these past few days, and Wenchuan planned to sharpen it. Oh, Zhang Xuan also asked him to buy a large one, saying it was for sharpening knives.

The two met again along the way, and Wen Chuan and Qing Yu strolled around together for a while.

Qin Tianshu, on the other hand, didn't really want to buy anything; he just looked around as he walked.

The night was dark, and candlelight flickered along the street.

The scholar reached a bend in the road and tilted his head in silence for a moment.

That's where he buys books.

At that time, the scholar was carrying a large book basket. He took a fancy to a collection of poems on a street vendor's stall, but when he went to pay, he found that he had left his money bag at the inn where he had stayed before.

The scholar was embarrassed, but the stall owner was very cheerful and generous. He said that he had also been a scholar, and that he had a connection with Qin Tianshu. He had copied and memorized the poetry collection that Qin Tianshu had taken a liking to, so he would give him this copy.

The scholar, of course, could not agree. The two scholars argued and pushed each other in the street, and in the end, the scholar took the book and agreed to return it at the same time and place the next day.

Before leaving, Qin Tianshu was still thinking, no wonder this brother's business is not good. How can he do business like that? He says it's fate at the drop of a hat.

He smiled and sighed, not wanting the scholar to search for him again, he found him naked and dead in the street, his arms cut off, utterly humiliated.

Qin Tianshu only learned the stall owner's name then: Sun Zhiyan.

I have read countless books and seek knowledge from a hundred schools of thought.

The scholar waved his fan, casting a shadow in the moonlight. He lowered his head and smiled faintly, thinking that Brother Sun was indeed right.

You sold me a hundred collections of poems, I will repay you with the life of a murderer.

It was truly fate.

...

At the beginning of Hai hour, outside the city of Danzhou.

As night fell, the carriage continued its slow, uninterrupted journey.

The candlelight was dim, and Qingyu and Zhang Xuan were eating pastries on the small table on the daybed.

Qingyu: "Zhang Xuan, you complain about me wasting your time while eating the pastries I bought..."

"What's wrong?"

Zhang Xuan put down the peach blossom cake in his hand. The boy clapped his hands, deliberately stretched his neck weakly and squinted his eyes. Very good, the person who was already like a ghost now looks like a dead ghost.

"Alas--"

Qingyu was so disgusted by him that she kept backing away. When would this kid's face and mouth get better? It was terrifying.

She didn't want to eat anymore, so she put away the pastries and walked towards the long couch.

Qin Tianshu, who was standing by the bookshelf, chuckled upon hearing their conversation. He flipped through the books and glanced at the sky through the window. He thought to himself that it was almost midnight, and they had only traveled forty li outside Danzhou. No wonder Zhang Xuan said they were taking their time and weren't in a hurry.

Qingyu pouted. This was not her fault. Since leaving the city at dusk, Qingyu and the others had gone shopping, while Zhang Xuan was left bored in the car. Of course, he was anxious.

The girl paused when she reached the long couch.

After thinking for a moment, Qingyu walked towards the car door. She opened the door, and Wen Chuan sat in the driver's seat and drove the car.

Qingyu squatted down, sticking her head out, the girl's face turned towards him, "Have you and Qin Tianshu agreed on when to take turns driving?"

The night was still, the moonlight shone outside, and the girl's smiling face shone inside.

Wen Chuan looked at the road, his head turned towards Qing Yu. He unconsciously curled his lips and was about to speak when another sound of horses' hooves rang out.

Wen Chuan and Qing Yu were momentarily stunned, while Qin Tianshu looked up from inside the car.

On a moonlit night, a gentle breeze blows.

The girl's skirt was stained with mud as she rode alone on horseback, carrying a medicine box on her shoulder.

She glanced gently at the carriage in front of her, her expression a mixture of gentleness and aloofness.

"Excuse me, is Zhang Xuan in the carriage?"