Chapter 30 Seeing it with my own eyes, I finally knew the truth.

Li Minghua moved swiftly and soon arrived near the "Jishetang" pharmacy in the west of the city.

From afar, she spotted the familiar figure standing on the street corner, eagerly waiting.

Xiao Ju, who was hiding behind a pillar across the street, recognized Liu Yiyi at a glance. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she dared not breathe, only peeking out half of her head to watch nervously.

Liu Yiyi was wearing a cloth dress that looked even more worn than when she was at the Tang residence. Her hair was slightly disheveled, her face was haggard, and her eyes were sunken. She really looked like she was overwhelmed with worry.

The moment she saw Li Minghua's tall figure appear at the street corner, her eyes lit up.

She practically ran towards him, tears streaming down her face before she could even speak, as if she had suffered a great injustice and finally found a savior.

"Heroine! You...you really came! Yiyi knew you were kind-hearted and would never stand by and watch someone die!"

Liu Yiyi cried with tears streaming down her face, her voice deliberately high-pitched with sorrow, attracting the attention of several passersby.

She even made a gesture as if she was about to kneel down and perform a grand salute.

Li Minghua frowned slightly. Just as her knees were about to touch the ground, he quickly reached out and gently supported her elbows. The force was light but firm, preventing her from actually kneeling down.

Li Minghua's gaze was calm as water as he swept over Liu Yiyi's tear-streaked face before sharply looking at the plaque of Jishetang next to her.

Her tone was businesslike, without the slightest hint of emotion:

"There's no need for that. How is your mother's condition?"

Which doctor treated me? Let me see the prescription.

Her voice was cool and steady, more like she was dealing with a routine request for help than addressing a tearful person's plea.

Liu Yiyi's sobs were momentarily choked by the calm question, her shoulders stiffening almost imperceptibly, as if she had never expected Li Minghua to react so detachedly.

She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, her movements somewhat hurried.

Then he pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his sleeve and handed it over with slightly trembling hands:

"This, this is the prescription...it was written by Doctor Wang from Jishetang..."

He said it had to be 'bloodless blood', otherwise...

Otherwise, my mother... I'm afraid she won't make it through this winter..."

As she spoke, she choked up violently again, and even took a moment to secretly glance up at Li Minghua's expression.

Li Minghua took the prescription and quickly glanced at its contents. The paper and seal were indeed from Jishetang, and it clearly stated "three qian of blood-staining medicine" and its usage.

She raised her head, looking directly at Liu Yiyi, her question direct, calm, and without any beating around the bush:

"'Blood Dragon' is very valuable, and even I would find it difficult to raise a large amount of cash in a short time."

The wages you earned at the Tang family mansion, plus the travel expenses given to you by the young lady when you left, should amount to a considerable sum, enough to support your ordinary medical expenses for several months.

Why did it run out so quickly?

Why is it that this one rare medicinal herb is specifically lacking?

Her questioning was logically sound, hitting the nail on the head every time.

Liu Yiyi's face paled instantly at the question, her eyes darting around in a panic. She avoided Li Minghua's gaze and stammered:

"...Mother...Mother's illness came on fiercely this time, with a persistent high fever. Before...before, all the money...was spent on treating several famous doctors in the city in turn, and...and on procuring those precious medicinal herbs to keep her alive..."

I scraped together every penny I could, emptied my savings, and borrowed from every relative I knew… This 'blood-draining medicine' was truly… truly the last lifeline, and also… the last straw that broke Yiyi's back; she couldn't afford it anymore…

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, her confidence clearly waning.

Li Minghua remained unmoved, and his next suggestion was even more unexpected to Liu Yiyi:

"If that's the case, where does your mother live now?"

Take me to visit the patient.

Seeing is believing.

She stepped forward, her gesture clearly indicating that she was about to leave immediately.

"Ah? No... there's no need to trouble you, heroine!" Liu Yiyi was so shocked that she took a small step back, hurriedly waving her hand, her face drained of all color.

“My mother…my mother is seriously ill and emaciated, making it inconvenient for her to receive guests. Moreover…moreover, our dwelling is truly shabby and dirty, located in the most…most chaotic back alley in the west of the city. We really dare not offend the eyes of the heroine…”

She stammered, trying to find an excuse, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

“It’s alright.” Li Minghua’s tone remained calm, yet carried a compelling force. “Only after confirming the diagnosis can we find a solution.”

If the illness is indeed critical, I can try to find medicine or provide some financial assistance to purchase it; if there is any falsehood..."

She paused, and although she didn't explicitly state the consequences, her cold gaze pierced through Liu Yiyi's heart. The chilling warning contained within it made Liu Yiyi shudder. The rest of the message was self-evident.

Liu Yiyi completely panicked.

Her carefully prepared tears and explanations crumbled under Li Minghua's icy interrogation and demands for evidence.

How could she dare to actually take Li Minghua back?

Her mother did occasionally catch a cold and feel unwell, but it was far from the point where she needed "blood depletion" or "wouldn't survive the winter."

This was nothing more than an excuse she had racked her brains to come up with so that she could get close to Li Minghua again and even evoke a trace of pity for her past feelings.

Looking at Li Minghua's flawless face, as if scrutinizing a case, Liu Yiyi felt a surge of despair and panic.

"Heroine...you...you don't believe Yiyi?" Liu Yiyi's voice trembled.

She could only resort to her tears once more, trying to move people with her emotions. Tears streamed down her face, filled with a desperate sorrow, "If Yiyi has uttered even half a lie, may she be punished by heaven..."

“I believe in evidence.” Li Minghua’s answer was as cold as a thousand-year-old stone, unwavering in the slightest.

She could even feel the small purse containing her monthly allowance that Tang Xiaoning had given her in her sleeve was slightly warm, reminding her of the anxious, worried figure in the courtyard.

The persistent pestering of Liu Yiyi instantly fueled her impatience and longing to return home.

"If there's nothing else, I'll head back." Li Minghua cupped his hands neatly and made as if to turn around, his movements swift and decisive.

"Wait, heroine!" Seeing that this last move had also failed, Liu Yiyi's heart finally snapped.

She disregarded all restraint and calculation, blurting out the words in a sharp, slightly distorted voice:

"Yiyi... Yiyi's heart for the heroine is as clear as day! It's not just about the medicinal herbs!"

Yiyi just... just wanted to find an excuse to see the heroine again!

Since leaving the Tang residence, I have longed for you day and night, my heart filled with longing. I only wish to be by your side, my heroine, even if it means serving you as a servant, bringing you tea and water, I would do it willingly! I beg your mercy, my heroine…”

As she cried out, in her desperation, she reached out and tried to grab the corner of Li Minghua's sleeve.

Just as her fingers were about to touch the fabric, Li Minghua subtly shifted his body, taking a half-step back without leaving a trace, as if avoiding filth, without moving his sleeves.

Liu Yiyi's hand grasped at empty air, frozen in mid-air, looking extremely embarrassed and desperate.

A clear hint of impatience and aloofness finally flashed across Li Minghua's usually cold face, and his brows furrowed even more.

"Be careful what you say." Li Minghua's voice was not loud, but it contained an unquestionable authority and a clear sense of boundaries.

"Miss Liu, please have some self-respect. The past is over, let each of us accept our fate. Don't make things worse for yourself." Her words were like a cold, ironclad rule, completely severing all of Liu Yiyi's hopes.

You're focusing your attention in the wrong place.

Li Minghua's gaze swept past Liu Yiyi, who was in tears and stunned, and then swept over Xiao Ju, who was hiding behind a pillar not far away, covering her mouth and staring wide-eyed, signaling her to follow.

Then, she stopped looking at Liu Yiyi and walked away as if she were just an inconspicuous rock by the roadside.

Her pace quickened as she arrived, her blue dress billowing in a clean arc in the bleak autumn wind. Her mind was focused, her thoughts already drifting back to that little courtyard filled with warm sunshine and a certain restless yet charming figure.

That was the only place she wanted to go and longed to be at that moment.

Xiaoju was startled by Li Minghua's last cold glance and quickly jumped out from behind the pillar, jogging to keep up with Li Minghua's rapid pace.

She couldn't help but look back, only to see Liu Yiyi still frozen in place, her hand still outstretched as if to grab something, her face showing an expression as if her soul had been completely ripped away, leaving only a deathly pale look of despair and disbelief.

The autumn wind swept up a few withered leaves from the ground, swirling past her and adding to her desolation.

Xiaoju shrank back, not daring to look any longer, and quickened her pace to catch up with the tall and resolute figure ahead, thinking with lingering fear:

Miss Li looked so scary just now!

However, she walked very fast, as if she had some extremely urgent matter to attend to...

Perhaps it's because the young lady is waiting?

Li Minghua stopped, turned around, and looked at Liu Yiyi, who was in tears. There was no disgust in his eyes, nor was there any emotion from being moved by her sincere confession. There was only a cruel clarity in his eyes.

“Miss Liu,” her voice remained steady, carrying a calmness that penetrated everything.

"I saved you out of a sense of duty;"

The Tang family took you in out of kindness.

Between us, all debts of gratitude have been settled, and we owe each other nothing.

As for the rest,” she shook her head very slightly but with unwavering determination, her tone resolute and leaving no room for negotiation, “absolutely impossible. Take care of yourself and don’t cling to this.”

After saying that, she stopped looking at Liu Yiyi's face, which had turned deathly pale as paper and seemed to have been drained of all color, and ignored the utterly shattered despair in her eyes.

Liu Yiyi stood frozen in place, like a porcelain doll about to shatter in the autumn wind, watching the figure in green disappear into the crowd at the street corner without turning back. She felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen into ice shards.

The last glimmer of hope vanished completely.

It turns out that no matter what methods she used, what schemes she employed, or how much dignity she abandoned, the heroine's heart was like a piece of cold iron buried deep underground, unmelted for millennia, and could never be warmed.

Meanwhile, in the small courtyard of the Tang family mansion, Tang Xiaoning was practically the embodiment of an anxious ant frantically spinning around on a hot pan.

"Why aren't they back yet! It's been so long!" She paced anxiously back and forth in the middle of the courtyard.

Fine beads of sweat dampened the stray hairs on his forehead, and his gaze seemed to be drawn in, involuntarily turning to the silent moon gate every few breaths.

"Is that Liu Yiyi up to some shameless trick again?"

He clung to her legs, crying and wailing, not letting her leave?

Or should I just fake fainting or a medical episode and need to be carried back?

The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She stomped her feet in anger, almost wearing the bluestone slabs under her feet down until they were shiny.