Chapter 102 102 Not a thing x.

Jiang Ling'er's long eyelashes suddenly trembled, and the hand that was gripping the boy's throat suddenly lost control, almost strangling him to death.

"Cough cough...cough cough cough...If you don't want him to die, you'd better let me go now."

The boy... or rather, the girl with Jin blood turned pale, her gray-blue eyes staring intently at Jiang Ling'er with a mixture of anxiety and forced composure.

Jiang Ling'er let go of her.

The moment the girl gained her freedom, she didn't even have time to catch her breath; the moment her feet touched the ground, she darted away like a rabbit.

In truth, Jiang Ling'er didn't take the girl's words to heart, or rather, she had no intention of listening to what she was saying. She leaped to the young Taoist's side in a few bounds, placed the young Taoist's head on her lap, and with a tremor that she herself didn't even realize, quickly searched Pei Xuan's body.

There are no wounds.

That can only be... an injury sustained previously.

It's still an internal injury.

Such severe internal injuries could not have occurred overnight. She had thought that in the worst-case scenario, Pei Xuan might never be able to recover his internal strength in this lifetime, but she never expected that his internal injuries were so severe, and that he had been keeping it from her all along.

He had kept it from her all along.

She began to regret bringing him to the martial arts tournament; she should have let him stay at the inn... No, she shouldn't have invited Pei Xuan in the first place.

She was wrong.

She is the one who caused him to end up like this... If he were still on Dagushan Mountain, he would still be the respected junior master Xiaoyaozi Zhenren of the Lingxiao Sect. Even if he didn't want to stay in the Lingxiao Sect, at the very least, he would still be the most unruly and carefree rogue Taoist in Qingshi Town at the foot of Dagushan Mountain.

It would never be like today, where I have to fight with vicious dogs for food, and lie unconscious in this cramped, damp woodshed, my life hanging in the balance...

Pei Xuan's entire body was burning hot, his face as pale as paper. She could feel his breath gradually weakening. Having removed the Heart-Connecting Gu, she could no longer see the three flames on his body. Of course, the so-called "three flames" were a hateful deception, but that didn't stop her from feeling Pei Xuan's life rapidly slipping away...

Jiang Ling'er panicked for the first time. She grabbed Pei Xuan's hand and shook it:

"...Hey, you filthy Taoist priest, don't scare me! Wake up, wake up!"

However, Pei Xuan did not answer; his hand simply slipped limply from her palm and fell to the ground.

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

She could barely hear his breath anymore.

Jiang Ling'er's hand, still gripping Pei Xuan's, remained frozen in mid-air. She looked at the young Taoist's pale, bloodless face, as if he were asleep...

Jiang Ling'er's lips were pressed together until they turned white, and her face looked extremely pale.

"Get out of the way!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice, accompanied by rapid breathing, rang out. It was the girl with half-Golden blood who had returned.

She came running up hurriedly, carrying a bunch of miscellaneous things in her arms. Jiang Ling'er looked up and paused slightly:

"…What's this?"

"Changshan, Zaojia, Guadi, Lilu... Hey, stop asking, go to the side!"

Without waiting for Jiang Ling'er's reply, she pushed her aside. Jiang Ling'er watched as she knelt beside her, fiddling with the bottles and jars she had brought. Knowing what she was about to do, and seeing her boldly mix all the medicinal powder from the bottles and jars into a ball to stuff into Pei Xuan's mouth, she reached out and stopped her.

"You know medicine?"

"I'm a veterinarian, specializing in mules and horses, but I've also treated cats and dogs."

Jiang Ling'er: "..."

As soon as she finished speaking, a dog came running at the sound, circling the girl affectionately. Jiang Ling'er recognized it; it was the vicious dog that had fought with her for the steamed buns earlier.

The vicious dog's mouth was still greasy, and it clearly recognized her, baring its teeth at her.

Jiang Ling'er: "…………"

The young girl was eager to feed the unconscious Taoist priest medicine, but Jiang Ling'er's hand, held in front of her chest, was like an impenetrable wall, making it impossible for her to get any closer. Especially when she saw Jiang Ling'er looking at her beloved dog with a hesitant expression, she paused, then chuckled.

"What, you look down on veterinarians? Afraid I'll kill him?" The girl slammed the open bottle shut again. "I, Ma Qingmei, am a well-known veterinarian in Jinling City. You look down on me... I don't even want to treat you!"

Ma Qingmei turned to leave, but Jiang Ling'er grabbed her arm. The burning pain in her wrist hadn't subsided, and she instinctively raised her hand to protect her head and face, both startled and frightened.

"Don't think that just because you're skilled in martial arts, I'll be afraid of you! If I shout and attract the Jin soldiers, not only will the person lying on the ground die here, but you will too!"

The vicious dog was also barking at Jiang Ling'er from the side, but unexpectedly, Jiang Ling'er only scratched her once and then quickly let go.

"Miss Ma, please save him... save him."

Ma Qingmei paused, her grey-blue eyes blinking rapidly behind her hands. Hesitantly, she slowly lowered her hands and saw Jiang Ling'er kneeling before her, her face deathly pale, looking almost as bad as the one lying on the ground. Her eyes were red, covered in crimson spiderwebs, her voice hoarse, and her almond-shaped eyes staring straight at her, each word distinct:

“I’m willing to do anything, like be an ox or a horse, as long as you can save him… as long as you can save him.”

Ma Qingmei seemed taken aback by Jiang Ling'er's actions, and stood there stunned for a long time before saying:

"...Get up first."

Seeing that the woman was reluctant to get up, Ma Qingmei was immediately at her wit's end. She quickly helped her up, glancing at her one last time and muttering to herself:

"Is this still... the Jiang Ling'er of the past...?"

--

Ma Qingmei fed Pei Xuan half a bottle of medicine, but Pei Xuan showed no reaction for a long time. She first put her ear to the young Taoist's chest for a while, then took his pulse. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her face was not good.

Jiang Ling'er had been observing Ma Qingmei's expression. Suddenly, she remembered the old doctor's words, and her hands, resting on her knees, clenched her sleeves tightly, each word seemingly squeezed out through her teeth:

"Is he... beyond saving by medicine?"

"Yes...no." Ma Qingmei nodded, then shook her head. Her silence was due to her astonishment at Pei Xuan's profound inner strength at such a young age. "It's remarkable that he's survived such severe injuries; anyone else would have died countless times by now."

The old doctor said the exact same thing.

Jiang Ling'er clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, and she bit her lower lip, faintly tasting the sweet, metallic flavor of rust.

Ma Qingmei's tone suddenly changed: "To deal with this kind of reckless madman, you can't treat him like an ordinary person."

Jiang Ling'er paused, looked up at Ma Qingmei, and while she was stunned, Ma Qingmei suddenly made a ruthless move, not only pouring all the remaining powder into the young Taoist's mouth, but also suddenly taking out a fine acupuncture needle from her sleeve and inserting it directly into the young Taoist's heart meridian!

Pei Xuan suddenly vomited a large amount of blood!

His face, already as pale as paper, instantly turned even paler, his breath faint and bluish.

"what you do!"

Jiang Ling'er was shocked and pushed Ma Qingmei away with a palm!

Ma Qingmei was pushed to the ground, this was the second slap she had received today. She hissed in pain, rubbed her aching chest, and then burst into laughter:

"It's better to vomit out the old, stagnant blood!"

The vicious dog that had been pacing anxiously beside Ma Qingmei saw Jiang Ling'er push Ma Qingmei, let out a hiss, and suddenly pounced on Jiang Ling'er!

Ma Qingmei was stunned, almost speechless:

"Big Yellow, are you looking for death! Come back here!"

However, things happened suddenly. In the blink of an eye, she could only watch helplessly as the big dog pounced on Jiang Ling'er and bit her wrist hard!

Jiang Ling'er frowned deeply, her face turning deathly pale, but she let the vicious dog bite her wrist without letting go. While holding Pei Xuan's pulse, she bent down to listen to the heartbeat in Pei Xuan's chest. She only felt relieved when she heard that faint heartbeat. At the same time, the cuff of her sleeve that had been bitten by the vicious dog immediately turned red.

Blood dripped and splattered on the straw.

Ma Qingmei stood there stunned, momentarily ignoring the vicious pain from the two slaps she had just received. She was shocked by what she saw before her: "You..." But she quickly recovered and angrily cursed the vicious dog, "Stupid dog, let go!"

Da Huang whimpered and reluctantly relented, retreating behind Ma Qingmei.

At this moment, Jiang Ling'er noticed that Pei Xuan's heartbeat and pulse were gradually becoming steady and strong, which put her at ease. At the same time, she realized that she had misunderstood Ma Qingmei. She cursed herself in her heart in annoyance and went to help Ma Qingmei, who had been pushed to the ground, but was avoided.

Ma Qingmei dodged her outstretched hand and coldly uttered:

"I don't need your help."

Turning around, she led her dog out of the woodshed. Just when Jiang Ling'er thought she wouldn't return, Ma Qingmei came back, bringing herbs and strips of cloth. With a cold face, she walked to Jiang Ling'er's side, intending to roll up Jiang Ling'er's sleeve, but found the long sleeve stuck to her flesh. She had no choice but to tear the sleeve off. Seeing Jiang Ling'er frown and hiss softly, she paused, then sneered:

"I thought you weren't afraid of pain."

As if to vent her anger over being slapped twice by Jiang Ling'er earlier, Ma Qingmei's blows were incredibly heavy. Peeling off the blood-soaked sleeve felt like peeling off a layer of skin. Jiang Ling'er's forehead was instantly covered in cold sweat, and her face was pale and drenched in sweat. But she didn't cry out in pain again and gritted her teeth to endure it.

After taking off her sleeves, Ma Qingmei saw the two bleeding wounds that Da Huang had bitten off. She raised an eyebrow slightly, then readily sprinkled on the medicine powder, tied the cloth strips, left two steamed buns, and turned to leave.

Jiang Ling'er looked at the two clean white steamed buns on the haystack and felt even more ashamed. Just as Ma Qingmei was about to lead Da Huang out the door, she couldn't help but call out to her:

"You...aren't you afraid I'm wanted by the Jin army? Why are you helping me?"

The girl remained silent for a moment, rubbing her waist and chest. Knowing that Jiang Ling'er had held back, she still sneered:

"The Thunder Palm truly lives up to its name."

Jiang Ling'er suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze deep and intense:

"You know who I am..."

"Who in the entire city of Jinling doesn't know the young master of the world's number one镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who spends money like water and is arrogant and domineering?" Ma Qingmei rubbed the head of the big yellow dog beside her, glanced at her, and sneered, "Don't worry, the old镖师 has done me a favor. I saved you because of your father. Of course, you wouldn't remember a lowly horse slave veterinarian like me, the bastard of the Yellow-Headed Slave."

Jiang Ling'er was slightly taken aback by these words. Ma Qingmei glanced at the young Taoist priest beside her and said calmly:

"He's still in critical condition; whether he pulls through tonight is up to him."

He seemed unwilling to say more, and left after speaking, never to return for a long time.

--

Jiang Ling'er stayed by Pei Xuan's side while he was unconscious. Pei Xuan's body was burning hot. Jiang Ling'er was already very good at taking care of Pei Xuan.

She found some clean water, stripped the young Taoist priest naked from the waist up, and repeatedly cleansed him.

She then soaked a clean handkerchief in water and gently moistened Pei Xuan's lips, which were parched from the high fever. During this time, Ma Qingmei came by once, bringing a bowl of medicine dregs, but she couldn't get it into Pei Xuan's mouth no matter what she tried.

Jiang Ling'er didn't hesitate at all. She took a swig from her own mouth, then pried open the young Taoist's mouth and bent down to pass it to him.

Pei Xuan's long eyelashes trembled, but he didn't wake up.

He drank the whole bowl of medicine, sip by sip.

Ma Qingmei, who was standing to the side, was dumbfounded. When she finally left the woodshed, she covered Da Huang's eyes and looked back every few steps before reluctantly walking out.

After working on this back and forth for most of the night, the damned high fever finally showed signs of subsiding, and Jiang Ling'er was finally able to catch her breath, completely unaware that her head and face were covered in sweat.

She fell onto the straw stack that had been laid out beforehand, and turned her head to look—there was the sleeping young Taoist priest's jade-like profile.

Jiang Ling'er stared blankly at Pei Xuan's thick, long eyelashes and high, straight nose. Now, at this moment when she could finally catch her breath, she began to worry about the safety of the little monk Lian Sheng.

The crown prince, whom they finally found, was lost as soon as they got him...

Gazing at the young Taoist's incomparably handsome profile, she couldn't help but think of the innocent and weak-willed young monk, murmuring to herself:

"You'll scold me when you wake up, won't you..."

As I pondered, I finally succumbed to the overwhelming drowsiness that washed over me, and my eyelids drooped as I drifted into a hazy state.

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"Good boy."

Pei Xuan had a dream.

He had a long-forgotten nightmare.

In the dream, he wasn't a brilliant young genius, a carefree and unrestrained immortal. He wasn't a dashing and romantic fortune teller or Taoist priest at the foot of Mount Dagu; he was a puppet.

It's a killing machine.

It's a dog.

An obedient dog.

A boy with a blurred face collapsed to the ground, crawling away from him while screaming, using both hands.

Someone was speaking to him; it was a detached, weathered male voice.

"Kill him."

He saw his younger self step forward, expressionless, and plunge a sharp blade into the boy's chest.

The blood-stained blade was withdrawn, and the boy fell into a pool of blood.

He stood in a pool of blood, surrounded by corpses.

The indifferent male voice finally softened slightly:

"Good boy, you did a great job."

Suddenly, a familiar metallic smell surged in his chest. It was the flaring up of old blood stasis, the bloody and violent killing intent bursting forth from his body. He abruptly opened his eyes, only to be met with Jiang Ling'er's deep, sweet sleeping face.

His heart was pounding, his phoenix eyes were bloodshot, and he was breathing rapidly through his nose. He stared blankly at Jiang Ling'er's sleeping face so close to his, tracing the lines of her profile with his gaze, tracing each of her long, thick eyelashes, tracing her eyebrows that were more heroic than those of an average woman, tracing her straight nose and then her slightly pale lips...

It took a long time for the violent energy within him, which had long since subsided but was now reigniting, and the heartbeat that seemed about to leap out of his chest to finally calm down.

But soon another kind of clamor took its place.

He and Jiang Ling'er were extremely close, their breaths mingling, almost... sharing a pillow.

He stared blankly at Jiang Ling'er's slightly pale lips, which were just inches away, his heart pounding like a drum.

thirsty.

It's a symptom of high fever; I'm very thirsty.

If he takes just one more step, he can…

He stared intently, almost mesmerized, bewitched, and slowly moved forward as if possessed, only to stop abruptly at the last moment.

He froze for a moment, then collapsed beside Jiang Ling'er, turned over, stared at the spider web in the corner, panting heavily, and dared not look at his side again.

After a long while, he chuckled self-deprecatingly.

I'm laughing at myself.

It's not a thing.

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Author's note: There will be another chapter tonight.