“Why…Senior Sister…” The master knelt on the ground, his face full of disbelief.
Jiuchen looked down at him, his voice tinged with sarcasm, "Yan Wuli, do you really think that the half of my soul I gave you was a gift? That was the evil thought I deliberately left in you."
"It is because of it that you have been able to survive these five hundred years and become my most loyal chess piece."
The master's face turned pale instantly. He stretched out his hand tremblingly, "But... you said..."
"I've told many lies," Jiuchen interrupted him coldly, "and you were the easiest one to be fooled."
The master knelt on the ground, his face filled with shock. "Senior sister... didn't you say... you liked me? I also said I wanted to marry you."
"Marry me."
Jiuchen sneered and looked down at him, "That's just your wishful thinking. When I saved the head of the Shi family and met him, I knew that only a man like him was worthy of me."
"But he's the Imperial Master!" the master shouted excitedly, "For the sake of the people of the world, he still killed you in the end!"
Jiuchen's eyes flashed with a cold light, "Han Jingchen, let your foolish master see the truth, so that he won't die with regrets."
Han Jingchen silently took out the silver key. Jiuchen bit his finger and dripped a drop of blood on the key.
The silver key suddenly emitted a dazzling light, projecting clear images in the air.
In the picture, the young imperial teacher is lying on the bed, his face as pale as paper and his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.
His facial features are almost identical to Shi Heng's, except that there is a hint of vicissitudes between his brows.
Several imperial doctors stood by the bed, shaking their heads and helpless.
"The Imperial Master, in an attempt to divine the nation's destiny, forcibly pried into the secrets of heaven, and now he's being retaliated against..." a white-haired old man sighed, "I'm afraid..."
At this moment, the palace door was pushed open, and Zhang Yuanshi hurried in with a girl in red.
The girl was about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a string of simple silver bells hanging around her waist, which made crisp sounds with every step she took.
"Let me try." The girl's voice was cold, but her eyes were firm.
Zhang Yuanshi wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This is my niece Jiuchen. Although she is a disciple of the Wu clan, but..."
"Nonsense!" An elderly imperial physician slammed the table and stood up. "The life of the Imperial Master is at stake. How can we let a young girl..."
The imperial teacher on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.
His eyes were weak but clear, and slowly fell on Jiuchen.
With just this one glance, the hall suddenly fell silent.
"Let her...try." The Imperial Master's voice was weak, but with unquestionable majesty.
Everyone looked at each other, and finally retreated silently.
Jiuchen knelt down beside the bed.
She took off the silver bracelet from her wrist and gently placed it on the Imperial Master's chest.
When her fingertips touched his hot forehead, the girl couldn't help but hold her breath. This was the first time she touched a man from another race.
"Heaven and earth have the same origin, the soul returns to its place..." She chanted softly, and the five lines on the silver bracelet lit up one after another, emitting a golden light in the dim bedroom.
As the spell deepened, golden lines gradually appeared on Jiuchen's palm.
Those lines were like living things, wandering and interweaving on the forehead of the national teacher, forming a complex totem.
Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, but she didn't dare wipe them away, as the most taboo thing about witchcraft is interruption.
On the bed, the imperial teacher's pale lips gradually turned red.
In a trance, he saw countless fragments of memory:
On the altar under the moonlight, the little girl in red was pushed to the ground, and silver bells were scattered all over the floor.
In the training ground late at night, the girl bit her lips and made seals over and over again, leaving blood marks on her fingertips.
Standing alone on the cliff, she talked to herself facing the moon.
"Cough!" The Imperial Master suddenly choked on a mouthful of blood.
Jiuchen quickly stopped and the silver bracelet fell back onto his wrist.
"How do you feel, sir?" Her voice trembled a little.
The Imperial Master stared at the girl in front of him, and suddenly reached out to brush away the wet hair stuck to her forehead.
This unintentional little action made Jiuchen's ears turn red instantly.
"Thank you... Miss Jiuchen."
The Imperial Master's voice was hoarse, but his eyes were much clearer than before.
In the following days, Jiuchen came to perform magic every day.
The Imperial Master discovered that this girl always liked to stand outside the hall and take a deep breath before coming in.
During the treatment, he would unconsciously purse his lips, and when the treatment was successful, his eyes would light up for a moment and then he would pretend to be calm.
What Jiuchen didn't know was that whenever she was concentrating on casting a spell, the Imperial Master's gaze would always linger on her trembling eyelashes for a long time.
With day-by-day treatment, the Imperial Master's health gradually improved and he was able to get out of bed and walk.
He always liked to stand in the yard and quietly watch Jiuchen's back as he bent over to take care of the herbs.
That evening, Jiuchen was concentrating on grinding medicinal herbs when he suddenly heard familiar footsteps behind him.
"I saw your memory." The national teacher said softly.
Jiuchen's hand paused for a moment, but he didn't look up.
"Those who bully you... they don't understand how good you are." The national teacher's voice was very gentle.
Jiuchen finally raised his head and met the Imperial Master's gaze.
On that face was a sincere smile that she had never seen before.
"Stay here," the Imperial Master said, "Leave Xingyu Village. You shouldn't be trapped in that small place."
Jiuchen's eyes wavered for a moment, but soon returned to calm.
"Master Imperial Master, you're joking. I'll be going back once you're well."
"Call me Shi Yue," the Imperial Master said seriously, "The person standing before you now is not the Imperial Master, but... your friend Shi Yue."
And so, Jiuchen stayed.
As the days passed, the two of them got along better and better.
Shi Yue taught Jiuchen how to read and write, and Jiuchen helped him understand the properties of various herbs.
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