Chapter 135 [VIP]

"And mine too."

The bearded man said in a simple and honest manner, "If Tian Shou's blood is all given to Xi Zi, there won't be enough for him. Miss, you can take half from him and the rest from me. I'm strong, so it won't matter if I lose a little blood."

Gu Zhizhuo was taking Qiongfang's pulse and couldn't be distracted, so he gave her a wink.

Qiongfang went over and helped Sun Tianshou up.

"I can give her all my blood." Sun Tianshou's face was streaked with tears. He looked left and right, picked up a piece of broken tile from the ground, and slashed his wrist. Thump! A small pebble struck his hand precisely, and the tile flew out of his grasp.

The stone was kicked by Qingmei.

"Nonsense." Gu Zhizhuo put down his hand that was taking her pulse.

Master said that people can be born through blood transfusions, but not everyone's blood is suitable for transfusion to others. Even Master doesn't understand the difference.

My master also said that if the blood of two people is not compatible, then the person who receives the blood of another will die.

The chances of success are only about 10%.

These explanations are too complicated, and they might not understand them. Gu Zhizhuo simply said directly, "Blood is the soul of a person. How can it be exchanged? If you insist on exchanging blood, it will only kill her."

"Stop arguing."

Gu Zhizhuo frowned deeply.

She examined the wound on the little girl's neck. The area around the wound was clean, without any signs of tearing or scratches. It was as if something special had been used to pierce the little girl's neck and bleed her.

"Qingmei, help me hold her." After instructing, Gu Zhizhuo looked at Sun Tianshou and said earnestly, "I'll try."

Sun Tianshou nodded repeatedly.

He was so frightened that his hands and feet convulsed; his palms were icy cold and damp with sweat.

Gu Zhizhuo took out the yellow paper and cinnabar he always carried with him. After pondering for a moment, he picked up his brush and drew a talisman with flowing strokes.

With a snap, she stuck the talisman on the girl's forehead, then brought two fingers together like a sword and pointed them at her in mid-air.

Zhuyou is an ancient medical art, profound and mysterious, requiring practitioners to have both Taoist and medical talents, and very few have been passed down to this day.

Gu Zhizhuo wouldn't have done that in her previous life.

Now, her master is slowly teaching her.

This talisman is called the "Soul-Binding Divine Talisman," and as its name suggests, it can summon back wandering souls.

The girl only had this one injury, and it wasn't fatal. But blood is the soul of a person; excessive blood loss can destabilize the soul.

The biggest problem is that she has just learned how to use this talisman and it's her first time using it, so she's a little unsure of herself.

She muttered to herself, her expression growing increasingly solemn, all her thoughts focused on the little girl. Therefore, her keen senses failed to notice that from a private room in the building across the street, someone was watching her intently from a window.

The air in the private room was filled with the sounds of string and wind instruments, and the musicians sang melodious and graceful tunes.

"good."

Prince Jin praised her, saying, "However, she still falls short compared to Lady Gui. Lady Gui has a beautiful voice and excellent zither skills, especially those captivating eyes that are mesmerizing and unforgettable. It's a pity..." If her face hadn't been disfigured like that, he would have considered taking her into his household.

"A real person..."

Seeing that Changfeng did not respond, the Prince of Jin asked with a smile, "Master, what are you looking at?"

Changfeng pointed downstairs with his whisk and asked, "Your Highness, do you recognize this young lady?"

Following his gaze, the Prince of Jin suddenly widened his eyes and blurted out, "Gu Zhizhuo!"

"Gu?"

Changfeng turned to look at him; the surname sounded familiar.

Prince Jin lowered his voice and said, "Do you still remember the remains I sent to Shangxu Temple a few years ago?"

"Of course I remember." Changfeng pondered, "The Duke of Zhenguo?"

“The Duke of Zhenguo’s surname is Gu.” The Prince of Jin stared down at the crowd, his tone completely unchanged. “The Duke of Zhenguo has a son and a daughter, and she is his eldest daughter.”

I see.

No wonder. Changfeng understood. No wonder she was filled with hatred for him the last time he saw her.

A perfectly healthy young girl, yet the malevolent aura emanating from her was so thick it was impossible to dispel; no wonder the heavens disliked her.

"This girl is quite fierce," Prince Jin said with a smile. "I originally wanted to invite Lady Gui, but she's taken over all of them."

"With the backing of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and being Prince Chen's fiancée, she is now one of a kind in the capital. Who would dare to hit her? Even I, the Prince, have to give her some leeway."

"Hey, Real Person, what is she doing?"

Changfeng remained silent, his narrow eyes fixed on Gu Zhizhuo below, the silver threads of his whisk entwined around his fingers.

There were too many people around, and Prince Jin couldn't see clearly for a moment, so he sent someone down to check.

A moment later, the attendant returned, cupped his hands, and reported, "Your Highness, it's a little girl who seems to be injured and about to die. Miss Gu is trying to save her."

"Does she know medicine?" Changfeng asked.

"Yes, I heard the Duke of Wei mention it. A perfectly good noble lady, instead of learning music, chess, calligraphy and painting, insisted on degrading herself to study medicine."

The Prince of Jin couldn't help but sigh softly.

Unexpectedly, she even cured Xie Yingchen, that sickly man.

If Xie Yingchen hadn't died, all these problems would have arisen for no reason. Otherwise, who could possibly rival the Third Prince?

"I don't know what the Emperor was thinking at the time..."

Just as the Prince of Jin was about to speak with him, he noticed that Changfeng hadn't even turned her head. He craned his neck to look as well, and heard Changfeng suddenly exclaim, "This girl is actually a member of the Taoist sect?!"

The Prince of Jin asked in surprise, "How did you know, Master?"

The wind is silent. The scenery is unlike anything ordinary people can see.

In Changfeng's eyes, the crimson aura surrounding Gu Zhizhuo surged violently, stretching wildly in all directions like tentacles.

A faint light, like that of a firefly, accompanied by a prayer, entered the little girl's body.

Chang Feng smoothed his sleeve and said with certainty, "The girl is alive."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from below, echoing through the sky.

"He's alive! He's alive! He's alive!"

"Very good."

"It's true, she can move now."

"..."

Prince Jin didn't care whether an ordinary commoner lived or died, and casually remarked, "This Miss Gu is indeed quite capable."

Changfeng's thin lips were tightly pursed, and his slightly thin face had very few wrinkles.

He pondered, "The art of incantation?"

"Master, what is the art of incantation?"

Before the Prince of Jin could finish speaking and before Changfeng could explain, the door to the private room opened, and Xie Jing and the Duke of Wei walked in.

Prince Jin turned around and immediately stood up to greet them, warmly saying, "Third Young Master, Duke of Wei, you've finally arrived! I've been waiting anxiously. Please come in."

Today, the Prince of Jin is hosting a banquet at Changfeng, and he has specially invited Xie Jing and the Duke of Wei to accompany him. In fact, he also intends to take this opportunity to wait for the Duke of Wei's reply.

The old fox, Duke Wei, is very cunning. Last time, he was vague and unwilling to give me a clear answer, which led to him being unable to win against Xie Yingchen in the Wenyuan Hall, allowing Xie Yingchen to temporarily take over the regency.

It's been several days already; by now, you should have thought it through.

If the Duke of Wei is willing to cooperate with him, the two of them working together, with the help of a real person, will surely be able to ensure that the Third Prince ascends to that throne.

If the Duke of Wei relies on his own initial allegiance to the Third Prince and refuses to share the spoils with him, then the only option left is to find a way to eliminate the Duke of Wei first.

Despite his thoughts, the smile on his face remained unchanged: "Lord Duke, you're late. Come quickly and punish yourself with three cups."

"No, no, no, I arrived a long time ago and was watching the excitement from below."

Having witnessed how much blood the Grand Secretary Song vomited after drinking, the Duke of Wei, considering his own age, now only drinks three cups at any banquet he attends, not a drop more.

Fearing he might urge her to drink, the Duke of Wei changed the subject, saying, "Miss Gu is simply amazing. Last time, when Prime Minister Song was vomiting blood all over the ground, she saved him. And this little girl is the same. I heard that somehow, she almost bled out of her body and even stopped breathing, but she still came back to life. Her medical skills are probably unique in the capital."

"To live after the blood dries? What a joke..."

Just as the Prince of Jin was about to make a few jokes, he paused, his tone rising slightly: "A little girl who has lost too much blood?" His gaze secretly glanced at Changfeng.

The attendant only mentioned that the person was injured, and many people below couldn't see the specifics of the injury.

"Tell me quickly," the Prince of Jin urged impatiently.

"I didn't hear much either..." When the Duke of Wei arrived, the little girl had already been surrounded by a group of people, so he only heard bits and pieces of what he heard. "They said that all the blood in her body had been drained, and her brother wanted to give her his own blood... Is that right, Third Young Master?"

Duke Wei turned to ask Xie Jing, only to find Xie Jing and Changfeng each standing by a window, staring intently outside, completely oblivious to the music and beautiful women in the elegant room.

He laughed and said, "The Third Young Master is still young and has the heart of a child."

He chuckled awkwardly for a while, but no one responded.

Huh?

He looked to his left and saw a strange Taoist priest standing by the window, looking down at Miss Gu.

Looking to the right, Xie Jing was also standing by the window, looking down at Miss Gu.

Looking at the middle, the Prince of Jin's face was gloomy, as if shrouded in a dark cloud, without the slightest hint of a smile.

Duke of Wei: ?

I always felt like I didn't fit in with this group. Now that I regret it, is it too late to switch sides and join someone else?

Why.

"She's awake!"

"Quick, quick. This girl said she wants a bowl of water, does anyone have a bowl?"

"I have some at home, I'll go get it."

Xie Jing stared at the person diagonally opposite him. He used to think that Ji Nanke would always be the most dazzling and eye-catching person in the crowd.

Unbeknownst to her, Ke'er had changed.

Gu Zhizhuo, whom he had previously paid no attention to, now shone like a bright star.

Just like now.

She saved the little girl's life, and everyone's face was filled with smiles—surprise and admiration. They all wanted to and loved to surround her.

Xie Jing touched his forehead, pressing his fingers firmly against it. What had made him think that Gu Zhizhuo was unruly, ignorant, and vulgar, with only a pretty face to look at?

He's really blind.

Gu Zhizhuo tilted her head slightly. Perhaps it was because of the hot weather, but she hadn't worn a veil much lately. Her face, bathed in sunlight, didn't have the fair and rosy complexion that Ke'er had developed from being secluded in her boudoir, but it was full of heroic spirit, as if it were glowing.

"The water is here!"

An old woman hurried over with a bowl of water in a rough porcelain bowl, and the crowd spontaneously made way for her.

The old woman handed over the bowl: "Girl, is this enough water?"

Gu Zhizhuo only asked for about the bottom of the bowl of water. She looked at it and said, "That's enough. Thank you, Grandma."

She took the talisman from the girl's forehead, burned it to ashes, and then dissolved it in the water.

"Here. Drink it."

The little girl obediently agreed and drank all the talisman ash water in one go.

Gu Zhizhuo returned the bowl to the old woman, thanked her, and said, "Her life has been saved for now. She will need to replenish her blood and qi, and since her vital energy has been severely depleted, she will need a lot of tonics."

Highly nourishing medicines, like century-old ginseng, represent real money.

A month of gentle tonics would cost at least several hundred taels of silver.

Sun Tianshou hurriedly said, "Miss, I have money. I'll go catch it."

He pulled a handful of copper coins from his pocket.

"Qiongfang," she beckoned, "I'll read out a prescription. Go to the clinic up ahead and get seven doses."

She read out the names of the medicinal herbs one by one, and even someone who wasn't a medical professional could tell just by listening that these herbs were all expensive and not something ordinary families could afford.

Sun Tianshou's lips trembled. He knew that his money was definitely not enough, and he was so anxious that he was about to cry.

After reading the prescription aloud, Gu Zhizhuo added, "Have the shopkeeper bring out an extra ginseng root, sliced, to be taken orally. It must be at least a hundred years old."

Qiongfang has a good memory; she can remember everything after hearing it only once.

“Girl,” Sun Tianshou said with a heavy heart, “I’ll sell myself to you. I’ll be your slave.”

Gu Zhizhuo was examining the wound on the girl's neck, wondering how it had happened. Hearing this, he smiled and said, "No need."

“Every seven days, I come to check her pulse and then change the prescription. It should take about a month.”

"This month, try to move around as little as possible and lie down as much as possible. Especially in these seven days, you must not overexert yourself or get injured again. It's best to lie down and not move at all." Gu Zhizhuo glanced at the copper coin he was holding in his hand. "Eat more meat and make some soup."

She estimated that his family could only afford to buy meat for a few more meals at most.

She said, "You don't need to worry about the medicinal herbs."

Sun Tianshou mumbled, "How could I dare to accept such medicine and such a large sum of money?"

Seeing that he was quite ambitious, Gu Zhizhuo simply said, "You can pay me back slowly once you've earned enough money. You're only a teenager, are you afraid you can't afford to pay me back?"

Upon hearing this, Sun Tianshou's previously hunched spine straightened up again, and his face regained its vitality.

"Yes, yes. I will definitely pay it back."

He's going to earn lots and lots of money in the future.

The little girl smiled obediently: "My brother and I will return it together."

Gu Zhizhu smiled and said to those around him, "Who can lend a hand? Do you live far away? Take her home first, so she won't be out in the sun. She's as fragile as glass right now."

Many of the people were clearly familiar neighbors, and they all came forward to help.

Sun Tianshou held his sister's cold hand and deliberately scolded her with a fake face: "You can't run out of the house anymore, understand?"

"I didn't..."

“Xizi is a good girl. If you don’t let her go out, she won’t go out. It’s your father who lost so much money today that he brought a matchmaker to sell her.” A woman sighed.

Sun Tianshou's hand froze, his cheek twitched a few times, and then his face was filled with disgust.

"I'm going to kill him!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs and rushed back.

"Go ahead," Gu Zhizhuo said calmly from behind him. "A son who injures his father is executed by being cut in half at the waist according to the law. Your sister is all alone, with no one to prepare her medicine or take care of her. In less than ten days, she will be able to reunite with you. Do you believe me?"

Sun Tianshou stopped in his tracks.

He squatted down, covered his face with his hands, and cried helplessly.

“Oh, girl, you don’t know,” the bearded man said. “His mother died three years ago, and his father only knows how to gamble every day. Last year, he almost sold Xizi to a brothel. Finally, Tianshou agreed to give his father one tael of silver every month, and his father was not allowed to sell Xizi. With one tael of silver, he has to work from morning till night and can’t take care of Xizi anymore.”

So, even if she goes home, she can't properly rest and recuperate? She was pulled back from the brink of death; if she doesn't recover properly, she might die.

"How about this?" Gu Zhizhuo thought for a moment and said, "Qingmei, you take the two of them to the girls' school that Zheng Silang and his group run."

"You and your brother can stay at the girls' school for now. You can do some odd jobs there to pay your rent. We'll talk about other things after Xizi recovers."

Just a few days ago, Zheng Silang was excitedly saying that there were more and more girls in the girls' school, but there weren't enough staff, so he planned to hire a few more people.

Sun Tianshou seems to be of decent character, so let's do it this way for now.

"I'll have someone send the medicinal herbs over in a bit, and you can decoct the medicine yourself."

Gu Zhizhu gave a few instructions, and the bearded man picked up the little girl. Familiar neighbors surrounded them and they went away together.

She wiped the blood off her hands with a handkerchief and turned back.

Awu brought her some clean water to wash her hands.

Xie Danling asked anxiously, "How is it?"

"They've been saved."

Gu Zhizhuo continued, "But it's strange. I looked at the wound on her neck, and someone must have deliberately bled her. Who has a grudge against such a little girl? Why would they buy her and bleed her?"

*Smack*

Gui Niangzi almost dropped the pipa in her hand, and the artificial nail left a scratch on the back of her hand.

A note from the author: