Chapter 73

The night at Shuyu Courtyard is quiet and gentle.

Su Zhelan fell into a deep sleep under the effects of the calming powder. The gentle glow of the wall lamp enveloped his peaceful sleeping face, and the slight pain in his chest seemed to be soothed by the aroma of the medicine and the warm mist.

The night dew in the herb garden condensed into tiny pearls under the moonlight, and the only sounds in the air were the occasional crackling of charcoal fires and the faint chirping of insects in the distance.

Inside the pharmacy, the oil lamp flickered dimly. Su Yan's tall figure was elongated by the light, cast against the wall filled with medicine cabinets, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

His brows were furrowed as he flipped through the thick pharmacopoeia spread out in front of him, his fingertips anxiously tracing lines of ink.

The air was filled with the dry, bitter scent of herbs, and a barely perceptible... restlessness.

In the shadows of the corridor outside the door, Sheng Xuan stood like a stiff black stone statue, pressed against the cold wall, even his breathing was deliberately light and slow.

He has been lingering here for almost half an hour.

The scene of injuring Su Zhelan that afternoon kept burning in his mind: Su Zhelan's pale face, the silent tears streaming down her face, and the warm, raw touch of his own fingertips—it was like a brand, making him restless. He wanted to do something for Su Zhelan, anything! But when he thought of Su Yan's icy face and those piercing, all-seeing eyes, all his courage deflated like a punctured balloon.

"Squeak—"

The pharmacy door was suddenly pulled open a crack, and Gu Linzhao came out carrying an empty tray. He didn't seem to notice Sheng Xuan in the shadows, and only left the door slightly ajar.

Through the crack in the door, Su Yan's suppressed, irritated voice could be heard:

“Xu Gu Lan… It’s Xu Gu Lan again! Damn it!” Accompanied by the heavy sound of turning pages, “The atlas says that it is potent and can open up the heart meridian, which is correct, but at this time, we are just missing this one ingredient…” His voice was low, with a rare sense of frustration, “Su Zhelan’s heart meridian is severely congested due to old injuries. If we want the warming and strengthening medicine to truly dissipate and flow more smoothly, to repair those hidden damages in a gentle and moderate way… the current prescription is just not enough!”

Sheng Xuan's heart skipped a beat! *Xu Gu Lan*? For Su Zhe Lan? They're missing this one ingredient.

"That godforsaken place, Yinrujian..." Gu Linzhao's voice was tinged with helplessness and even deeper frustration. "It rained heavily a few days ago, and the stone walls are as slippery as if they've been slicked with oil! Even if we don't manage to find anything and fall and get seriously injured, it's still not worth the risk!"

He paused, as if putting down the pharmacopoeia, his voice filled with worry, "Ze Lan's body can't take any more time. His breathing is always a little labored at night. His pulse looks stable, but the underlying fire is still burning. If the medicine isn't strong enough, the old wounds will grow back like weeds in the spring breeze..."

Sheng Xuan only vaguely heard what was said after that. He only caught a few words—Su Zhelan's heart meridian was injured and she needed the Bone-Regenerating Orchid, and Yin Rujian was missing this one ingredient… missing this one ingredient!

The door seemed to be closed even tighter, and the voices inside became muffled.

Sheng Xuan, hidden in the shadows, his chest heaving violently. Those indistinct whispers, the anxiety and helplessness in Su Yan's tone, pierced his heart more vividly than any rebuke.

He injured Zelan, causing her to tremble in pain. But deep within Zelan's body lay an even deeper, old wound, like a ticking time bomb…

He suddenly straightened up, his movement so fast it created a gust of wind.

Yinrujian! Xugulan!

He felt as if he had finally grasped a lifeline, or as if the heavy word "almost" had ignited a flame of recklessness within him.

He turned silently and swiftly, slipping into the deep night like a ghost, heading towards the side room where the young medicine boys often stayed.

His heart pounded like a drum, not because of the danger he was about to face, but because of the possibility of making amends and protecting—even if it was just a drop in the ocean, even if it was just an outlet he found to slightly quell the overwhelming guilt in his heart.

The night was as dark as ink, pressing heavily on the steep, shady ravine.

The rain poured down! Large raindrops pounded violently against the rugged rock face, creating a deafening roar. The icy rainwater coalesced into muddy streams, rushing and washing along the cliff face. The air was thick with the smell of earth and the chill of the ground.

A dark figure clung tightly to the wet, cold cliff face, moving with difficulty like a gecko.

Sheng Xuan's thin, fitted clothes were already soaked through with rain and sweat. His heavy boots trod on the wet, moss-covered stones, each step slippery and apprehensive.

With his right hand gripping a sharp dagger, he aimed for a crevice in the rock and thrust it in with force, using the momentum to his advantage. His left hand clung tightly to the protruding, relatively dry rock, his knuckles bulging with veins and his skin scratched raw by the rough rock.

The cold rain washed away the mud and sweat from his face, but it couldn't extinguish the almost burning stubbornness in his eyes.

He remembered the medicine boy's words: "...the steepest cliff in Yinru Ravine is halfway up...the doctor said it's incredibly slippery..."

A blinding flash of white lightning tore through the darkness! Instantly, the light was dazzling! It also precisely illuminated the target—in the middle of a near-vertical cliff, in a slightly concave crevice of rock that had been washed exceptionally clean by the torrential rain, a few faint, icy blue fluorescent lights stubbornly pierced through the thick curtain of rain!

With its unique flower shape, seven petals spread out, and swaying violently in the wind, it is indeed the Seven Star Continuing Bone Orchid!

Hope surged through his body like molten lava! Sheng Xuan took a deep breath of the cold air, which smelled of rain and earth, and abruptly released his left hand from the rock above, his body instantly suspended in mid-air! All his weight and hope pressed down on his right arm and the dagger deeply embedded in the rock crevice! His muscles tensed to their limit, and his bones groaned slightly as he felt the strain.

Using this sole fulcrum, his body swung like a pendulum, striving to reach the dreamlike, deep blue light above and to the side!

My fingertips finally touched the cool, supple flower stem! An indescribable excitement rushed to my head!

However, just as he clenched his fingers and forcefully pulled the blue flame up—

"Snap—crack!"

The massive, soft, moss-covered rock beneath their feet, a crucial point of leverage, along with the weathered rock beneath, could not withstand the sudden upward force. It cracked and collapsed with an ominous sound!

The feeling of weightlessness was like a pair of cold, ghostly claws that suddenly seized my heart!

A close call!

Sheng Xuan's pupils contracted sharply! Without the slightest hesitation! In the instant before his footing completely disappeared and his body was about to slide downwards, he used the remaining momentum and his instinct for survival to forcefully twist his waist, like a whip being lashed out, and his left foot slammed into a smaller, wetter protruding rock to the side! At the same time, his right hand drew a dagger!

His body abruptly changed direction in mid-air, narrowly missing the edge of the crevice and loose moss, before suddenly lunging towards a steeper cliff face covered in slippery moss, but which had not yet collapsed!

"Bang!"

His body slammed heavily against the cold, moss-covered stone wall! The enormous impact made him see stars and felt a tightness in his chest.

But what's worse is that, in order to stabilize himself on the slippery cliff face, his left hand instinctively grabbed a sharp-edged rock next to him!

"Sizzle—"

The sound of tearing fabric was barely audible in the wind and rain, but a sharp pain shot through the outside of his left forearm! The sharp edge of the rock instantly tore through his sleeve and flesh, leaving a shallow but three-inch-long gash! Warm blood gushed out instantly, and when washed away by the cold rain, it mixed with the green of the moss, leaving a winding red trail on the stone wall.

The excruciating pain caused him to groan and gasp for breath.

But it was this instinctive grab and support that allowed him to barely maintain his balance and avoid sliding down with the collapsing rocks and mudflow! He clung to the slippery, steep cliff face like a gecko, his left arm wound burning with pain, and his heart pounding like a drum.

He immediately looked down at his chest—the Seven Star Bone-Continuing Orchid was tightly protected by him. Although its dark blue petals were somewhat disheveled from the intense collision, they were miraculously intact!

Ignoring the stinging pain in his left arm and the cold sweat covering his body, Sheng Xuan gritted his teeth, carefully wrapped the herbs inside his clothes, and pressed them against his chest. He was breathing heavily, and the cold rain washed away the fear and sweat from his face.

Below was a dizzying abyss, and the wind howled like the wailing of ghosts.

He looked up at the even steeper cliff face beside the collapsed area. He couldn't delay any longer; he had to leave this place as soon as possible.

Enduring the persistent stinging pain in his left arm, he gripped the dagger tightly again and, in a slower and more cautious manner, searched for every tiny protrusion or crevice in the rocks where he could find leverage. Using both hands and feet, he moved inch by inch towards a safer area above amidst the raging wind and rain.

Each time the dagger pierced the crevice, each time his fingers gripped the slippery rock, the wound on his left arm was forced to strain, bringing waves of pulling pain.

The icy rain seeped in everywhere, making his teeth chatter and his vision often blurred; he could only hold on by sheer willpower.

Several times, he slipped on loose moss or wet stones, his body was suspended in mid-air for a moment, and he barely managed to keep steady by gripping the cracks in the rocks or the hilt of his dagger with one hand! Each time, he was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat, his adrenaline surged, and the injury in his left arm was aggravated by the pain.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally managed to navigate around the collapsed area and climb onto a relatively gentle, rocky slope covered with low shrubs. His feet touched the relatively stable ground, but his body could no longer support him, and he collapsed to his knees, utterly exhausted.

"Huff... huff..." Sheng Xuan gasped for breath, as if his throat was filled with sand.

The icy rain continued to pelt his body relentlessly. The blood from the wound on his left arm had long since been washed away, turning pink, but the pain remained vivid. He curled up, leaning against the cold rock, feeling as if all his strength had been drained away, every joint aching.

Looking at the orchid that had survived so many dangers and was stained with bloodstains of both old and new, and feeling its faint vitality intertwined with the throbbing pain in his left arm, Sheng Xuan managed to force a relieved, weary yet determined smile onto his extremely tired face.

Su Zelan...the medicine...has been collected...

He braced himself with his uninjured right hand, gritted his teeth, and endured the burning pain in his left arm and the aches throughout his body as he struggled to his feet. The cold rain washed away the dirt on his face and the wound on his left arm, bringing waves of stinging and numbness.

He dared not delay. He discerned the direction blurred by the torrential rain, and dragged his exhausted but hopeful body, trudging step by step along the muddy and slippery mountain path.

Every step he took aggravated the wound on his left arm. The pain reminded him of the difficulty of his journey, but it also strengthened his resolve to return.

The sky was just beginning to lighten, and the downpour had just stopped.

The general's mansion was completely silent, with only the sound of rain dripping from the eaves.

The pharmacy door was tightly shut. A faint glow from the oil lamp shone through the crack in the door.

A figure, soaking wet and covered in mud and dark red blood, staggered across the wet stone path and finally struggled to the entrance of the pharmacy.

Sheng Xuan's black outfit was already tattered and covered with mud, moss stains, and pink blood diluted by rainwater seeping from the wound on his left arm.

His hair was disheveled and stuck to his forehead, and his face and hands were covered with tiny scratches and dirt, as if he had just struggled out of a mud pit. Every breath he took was accompanied by the pain in his ribs and the metallic taste of blood in his throat.

He stopped in front of the closed pharmacy door, his body trembling slightly from the cold and exhaustion. The three-inch-long wound on his left arm burned with pain in the cold wind.

Sheng Xuan took a deep breath, clenched his still-movable right hand into a fist, and with an almost desperate determination, slammed it heavily on the cold wooden door of the pharmacy!

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The knocking sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet morning, carrying an urgent quality that could not be ignored.

Inside the pharmacy, Su Yan, who was irritably grinding medicinal herbs in a mortar and pestle, was interrupted by the sudden knocking on the door.

His brows furrowed instantly, his face filled with impatience and irritation at being disturbed. He abruptly looked up and roared towards the door, "Who?! Are you trying to knock on my door this early in the morning?!"

There was no answer from outside the door, only the faint sound of heavy breathing.

Su Yan's anger flared instantly. He abruptly put down the pestle, rushed to the door, and yanked it open with all his might, a furious curse already rising from his lips: "Who's the blind fool... coming to bang on the door so early in the morning?! I..."

The door was pulled open!

The scene outside the door was like ice water, instantly extinguishing all of Su Yan's roars that were about to burst forth!

The slightly chilly morning air, carrying a heavy dampness, the smell of mud, and a faint stench of blood, wafted towards us!

Standing at the door was Shengxuan!

He was soaking wet, looking like a mud-covered figure just pulled out of a swamp, standing there in a disheveled state. His dark-colored outfit was so stained with mud and dark red bloodstains that its original color was no longer visible.

His hair clung messily to his pale face, and rainwater mixed with sweat slid down his forehead, leaving winding mud trails.

The most glaring sight was his left arm—a large tear in his sleeve revealed a wound beneath, the skin and flesh turned inside out and slowly bleeding! Although the wound wasn't extremely deep, its grotesque twist and the glaring blood were exceptionally clear in the morning light!

However, what truly choked Su Yan's angry outbursts was not Sheng Xuan's wretched and miserable appearance, nor the still-bleeding wound.

Instead, Sheng Xuan's uninjured right hand was raised high, palm up, carefully holding something!

A plant covered in mud, with slightly damaged petal edges, yet still stubbornly radiating a faint, icy blue light in the morning light—the Seven Star Bone-Continuing Orchid!

Sheng Xuan stood at the door, his chest heaving violently, each breath carrying thick white vapor. His face was deathly pale, his lips slightly purple from blood loss and the cold, but his eyes were unusually bright, fixed on Su Yan, burning with an almost obsessive, utterly exhausted yet undeniable determination and... a glimmer of relief.

He held the blood-stained orchid high, his voice hoarse and dry, as if he had used all his strength, yet it pierced the morning silence with crystal clarity, striking Su Yan's eardrums and heart:

"...Sir...the *Herbosa chinensis*...has been harvested..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Xuan's body swayed violently, as if he would collapse at any moment. But he gritted his teeth and held the herb tightly, as if offering the most precious sacrifice, stubbornly waiting for Su Yan's response.

The pharmacy was filled with a strong smell of blood, strong liquor, and the bitter aroma of herbs.

Sheng Xuan leaned back in his chair. The gruesome wound on his left arm had been quickly and roughly cleaned by Su Yan. The movements still revealed impatience, but the stitching was exceptionally precise. A thick layer of dark brown hemostatic and tissue-regenerating powder was applied, and then it was wrapped and secured with clean gauze. The abrasions and contusions on the rest of his body had also been given simple treatment.

His face was pale, and his eyes were half-closed in exhaustion. He had not yet fully recovered from the exhaustion and cold, but at least he was conscious.

Su Yan stood with his back to the bed by the basin, vigorously scrubbing the blood and mud off his hands.

The water in the basin quickly became murky. He scrubbed hard, his shoulders tense, silent as a cold stone. Only the sound of rushing water echoed in the room.

His eyes were vacant, his mind replaying the scene from the moment the door opened—the disheveled yet stubborn figure holding the herbs high, the glaring wound on his left arm, and the shocking, old and new bloodstains on the pale blue petals of the herb…

Gu Linzhao carried in a bowl of warm ginger soup and gently placed it on the small table beside the couch. He glanced at Sheng Xuan, who was leaning against the couch, looking exhausted but clearly relieved, and then looked at Su Yan's stiff back.

"The herbs are intact, the prescription for Ze Lan is complete." Gu Linzhao's voice broke the silence, carrying a hint of subtle reminder.

“…I won’t die.” Su Yan’s voice suddenly rang out, hoarse and still with its usual hard tone, but beneath that hard tone, there seemed to be an extremely complex emotion, as if he was suppressing something churning inside.

He didn't turn around, his gaze seemingly sweeping over the clean, yet pure blue-glowing orchid in the white porcelain plate beside him, its petals broken but still radiating a deep blue light. "...Just...recklessly courting death!"

After saying that, Su Yan suddenly turned around, his body reeking of blood, mud, herbs, and lingering fatigue, and strode toward the door, his movements so fast they created a gust of wind.

"Where to?" Gu Linzhao asked.

"Prepare the medicine!" Su Yan said without turning his head, his voice resolute, as if he were challenging himself. "The medicine for Zhelan... is only missing this one ingredient! What are we waiting for? What are we dawdling for!"

As he reached the door, he abruptly paused. With his back to Gu Linzhao and Sheng Xuan on the couch, his shoulders seemed to stiffen for a moment.

Then, he swiftly pulled out the small, lustrous white porcelain bottle—the Jade Skin Cream—from his pocket. Without turning around, he tossed it towards Gu Linzhao with lightning speed, as if trying to get rid of something burning hot.

Gu Linzhao caught it steadily.

"Give it to him!" Su Yan's voice came from outside the door, filled with even more impatience and almost exasperation. "Just apply it to that cut on his arm! So it doesn't fester and get infected, and then he can blame it on Su Zhelan! ...It's an eyesore! And..."

Before he could finish speaking, he abruptly added, his voice extremely low, carrying an undeniable forcefulness and... a clear attempt to cover something up:

"...Don't mention me! Do you hear me?! Not a single word! Or I'll set the pharmacy on fire!"

Bang!

The door was slammed shut, making the door frame vibrate and completely shutting out the room.

Gu Linzhao looked down at the white porcelain bottle in his hand, his thumb stroking the warm glaze, and gently pulled off the cork.

An extremely clear and refreshing medicinal fragrance, carrying a strange and invigorating energy, instantly filled the room, domineeringly overpowering all other smells.

A faint, yet knowing smile slowly curved Gu Linzhao's lips. He walked to the bedside, looked at the weary Sheng Xuan, and his gaze fell on the bandaged wound on his left arm.

"Did you hear that?" His voice was low, with a hint of barely perceptible mockery. "'Don't mention him'... Tsk, what a blatant attempt to cover something up."

Gu Linzhao deftly untied the gauze knot on Sheng Xuan's arm, revealing the edge of the stitched wound, and carefully applied the jade-white, priceless ointment around the swollen skin.

The cooling ointment brought a sense of comfort and relief to the burning wound, and Sheng Xuan's furrowed brows relaxed slightly involuntarily.

Watching Gu Linzhao focus on applying the medicine, and recalling Su Yan's extremely awkward words and the medicine bottle he had just thrown at him, the embarrassment he felt from the pain and humiliation was instantly overshadowed by a huge sense of satisfaction and a hint of barely perceptible pride.

This little injury is nothing! It's worth it! The herbs have arrived!!

He cleared his throat, trying to sit up straighter to appear less weak, and said to Gu Linzhao in a deliberately relaxed tone, "...Brother Gu, there's really no need to go to so much trouble. It's just...just a small scratch, it'll be fine on its own in a couple of days."

He even tried to move his bandaged left arm to prove he was "okay," but the moment he moved, the sharp pain from the pulled wound made his mouth twitch uncontrollably, and he quickly leaned back, but still forced a "no big deal" expression on his face.

Gu Linzhao was focused on applying the medicine when he heard this, and his hand paused slightly in the process.

He slowly raised his eyelids, and in those usually calm and deep eyes, he clearly saw Sheng Xuan's feigned innocence, yet slightly distorted by pain.

Gu Linzhao's lips curved upwards in an almost imperceptible, extremely subtle arc, carrying both a knowing mischievousness and a hint of an elder's "care" for a younger generation.

"Oh? A minor scratch?" Gu Linzhao's voice was low, his tone as flat as if he were discussing the weather, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

As he spoke slowly and deliberately, he seemingly casually pressed a cotton swab dipped in ointment onto the most swollen and sensitive spot on the edge of Sheng Xuan's wound!

"Agh—!!!" A short, shrill, and completely uncontrollable howl suddenly burst from Sheng Xuan's throat! His body jerked violently as if it had been branded with a hot iron! If Gu Linzhao hadn't anticipated this and hadn't firmly pressed down on his uninjured right shoulder with his other hand, he would have jumped off the bed!

A sharp pain shot through his body like an electric current, instantly shattering his feigned composure and declaration that it was just a "minor injury"! Sheng Xuan grimaced in pain, tears welling up in his eyes, his face contorted in agony, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

Gu Linzhao slowly withdrew the cotton swab, watching Sheng Xuan's disheveled appearance, her composure shattered instantly, and her gasps for breath in pain. A mischievous smile finally appeared on his face. He gently touched the spot he had just pressed with the cotton swab, his tone carrying an infuriating calmness and… a hint of unmistakable teasing:

"That's it?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze sweeping over Sheng Xuan's face, which was contorted with pain. "You can't even bear this little bit of pain and are screaming like this, yet you still insist that it's a 'minor abrasion'?"

He paused, looking at Sheng Xuan who was in so much pain that he couldn't speak and could only stare wide-eyed and gasp for breath, and slowly added, "It seems that this herb really can't be obtained from a 'minor scratch'."

Sheng Xuan was choked by Gu Linzhao's sudden "black hand" and merciless teasing, her face turning red with embarrassment and pain. She felt a lump in her throat and wanted to retort but was too weak from the pain. She could only glare at Gu Linzhao and make angry and aggrieved "hehe" sounds in her throat, just like a cat whose tail had been stepped on and was jumping up and down in pain.

The little bit of smugness I had just felt vanished, leaving only the immense embarrassment of being exposed on the spot and the throbbing pain of my wound.

Seeing his expression, Gu Linzhao's smile deepened, but his movements as he applied the ointment returned to their previous gentle and meticulous manner, as if the "ruthless" person from just moments before hadn't been him at all. As he carefully spread the cool ointment evenly, he said in a low voice, seemingly casually:

"Alright, behave yourself. This medicine works great, just bear with the pain, it'll heal faster." The last sentence carried a subtle, profound meaning.

Upon hearing these words, especially the name Su Zhelan, Sheng Xuan felt all his shame, anger, and pain temporarily subside. He pursed his lips, remaining silent, and simply turned his head away, presenting the back of his head to Gu Linzhao, his ears involuntarily flushing red.

Her body remained tense, as if silently protesting Gu Linzhao's "evil deeds" just now, but she had to admit that after the ointment was applied, the burning pain of the wound was indeed slowly covered by the coolness.