Chapter 18
"What! He's dying?"
Lu Huaiwei slammed her hand on the table and stood up, flipping over a teacup with her sleeve, spilling scalding tea all over the floor.
Ji Wanshu pulled out a chair and sat down, saying, "The news from the palace should have been circulating for a few days now."
Lu Huaiwei said in disbelief, "How could this be... She was perfectly fine when she left."
Ji Wanshu picked up the teacup and instructed her disciple to sweep it clean. She said, "I don't know. I only heard that she is seriously ill and the sect leader has invited many famous doctors from the martial arts world to the palace to treat her."
“Something must have happened on the way back,” Lu Huaiwei said with a worried look. “Uncle Shen only has this one daughter left, and it was so hard to find her. What are we going to do?”
Ji Wanshu pondered for a moment, then his tone suddenly turned cold: "If there really was an accident on the way, then it can only be related to one person."
Lu Huaiwei reacted quickly: "You mean... Wen Chaoyu?"
"I suspect it's some kind of underhanded poisoning scheme again," Ji Wanshu suddenly stood up. "No wonder I haven't been able to find her lately, and I heard she was seriously injured. She must have blocked my master's path and was injured by him. I'll go find her now and get to the bottom of this!"
Seeing that she had made a hasty conclusion in just a few words, Lu Huaiwei quickly dissuaded her, "Senior sister, don't be hasty. You are only guessing. If it has nothing to do with her, going to her door like this will only get you caught by the Ziwei Sect."
“The scoundrels of the Demonic Cult don’t have that ability,” Ji Wanshu said dismissively. “I’ll kill them one by one.”
Lu Huaiwei reached out and grabbed her, saying, "We'll be setting off back to the palace in the next couple of days. It's better to avoid trouble. Senior Sister, please calm down. We'll find out what happened when we get back."
Ji Wanshu was slightly impatient: "What do you mean by 'better to avoid trouble'? Do you think I'm afraid of the Ziwei Sect?"
“That’s not what I meant,” Lu Huaiwei said after a moment of silence. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. “In my opinion, Junior Sister’s serious illness is just a pretext. Didn’t our sect leader say before we went down the mountain that she planned to spread the news after finding Junior Sister to lure Uncle Shen out? Now it seems that’s the case.”
Ji Wanshu paused for a moment, then asked, "When are you leaving?"
Lu Huaiwei pondered, "Let's wait two more days. Meng Jing coughed up blood again last night, so he probably won't be able to travel."
"Troublesome brat," Ji Wanshu scoffed, picked up his sword and left, "I won't wait for you, I'll go first."
Lu Huaiwei hurriedly chased after her: "Senior Sister, are you going back to the palace, or...?"
Ji Wanshu stopped in the courtyard and turned back, her expression cold: "So you're going to interfere with me now," she said, but still answered, "I need to go back to Jincheng."
Jincheng? Lu Huaiwei instantly felt relieved and smiled, "Then, when you return, please give my regards to your parents."
Ji Wanshu gave her a perfunctory reply, then grabbed her sword and climbed over the courtyard wall.
Lu Huaiwei turned around and went back to the hall. Before she could sit down, she heard hurried footsteps coming from upstairs. Looking up, she saw Meng Jing running down, clutching the hem of his robe.
After a period of recuperation, Meng Jing's complexion had improved considerably. He changed into clean robes and tidied himself up, looking quite handsome.
"Why are you running so fast?" Lu Huaiwei asked.
"Who were you shouting was going to die?" Meng Jing asked as soon as he opened his mouth.
Suffering from a heart ailment, he couldn't practice martial arts in this inn, nor did he have any books to read. He spent his days eating and sleeping. He had just taken a short nap upstairs when he heard Lu Huaiwei shout downstairs in his sleep. He vaguely heard her mention Yin Qiu. Meng Jing immediately woke up and strained his ears to listen for a while, but he couldn't hear clearly. He had no choice but to hurry downstairs to ask her.
“Nobody’s going to die,” Lu Huaiwei said calmly. “You misheard.”
Meng Jing frowned and shook his head, saying, "No, I'm sure I didn't mishear. You clearly mentioned Yin Qiu. Is she going to die?"
Knowing he harbored resentment towards Yin Qiu, Lu Huaiwei initially intended to keep it a secret, but seeing Meng Jing's serious expression, she thought it wouldn't hurt to tell him anyway, since it wasn't true. So she replied, "It is her, but you didn't hear the whole thing. Actually, she..."
"Why would she just die?!" Meng Jing interrupted Lu Huaiwei halfway through her sentence, his emotions running high. "I haven't even gotten my revenge on her yet, and she dares to kill herself?"
Lu Huaiwei had anticipated his reaction, but she couldn't explain it to him in time. After all, Lu Huaiwei herself didn't know the real situation, so she comforted him, "Don't worry, it's not clear whether the person is really going to die. We'll only know when we get back to the palace."
Meng Jing clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, saying, "She can't die yet... When can we go back?"
Lu Huaiwei said, "Let's talk about it when you're feeling better."
"I'm all better now!" Meng Jing exclaimed impatiently.
“Whether it’s good or bad isn’t up to you,” Lu Huaiwei said. Although she was easier to talk to than Ji Wanshu, she wasn’t without principles. “Please have the doctor examine her before making a decision.”
Meng Jing tried to struggle, but Lu Huaiwei said firmly, "Be obedient."
Meng Jing had no other choice but to give up.
·
“I’ve already inquired,” Fu Xiang said to Yin Qiu as she entered the courtyard. “It’s strange. Everyone says you’re terminally ill, and many doctors have come from outside, but they all went to Mingguang Hall. They should have come to see you by now.”
Yin Qiu squatted by the well, washing clothes, and looked up to ask, "What about the others?"
“That’s it,” Fu Xiang said. “Could it be that someone else has the same name as you?”
Yin Qiu said, "Maybe, anyway, I'm not sick."
Fu Xiang bent down to help Yin Qiu wring out her clothes, then thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you go ask Uncle Man? She should know what happened."
Yin Qiu's hands were red from the cold. After hanging up her clothes, she fetched hot water to soak her hands and said somewhat dejectedly, "I haven't seen her for many days, and I don't know how to find her."
The two carried the wooden basin back to their room. Fu Xiang said, "Why don't we ask Senior Sister Ye? She's the sect leader's eldest disciple, so she should know the reason behind it."
Yin Qiu agreed, so the two of them went to find Ye Zhilan together. However, after searching the disciples' courtyard, they couldn't find her. New disciples couldn't leave the courtyard without permission, and besides, the news of Yin Qiu's serious illness had caused quite a stir. Many famous doctors had come to the palace, and the supervision of the disciples was stricter than usual, so there was no chance to sneak out.
The martial arts lessons were the same old routine: running and horse stance training. But the disciples were much more used to it than in the first few days. After class, each of them was given a small iron sword. After many days of training, everyone was excited to finally receive a weapon. After dinner, many of them practiced their skills in the courtyard. Fu Xiang was among them. Yin Qiu followed along and swung around a few times. Remembering that he hadn't finished his homework, he went back to his room to practice calligraphy.
Halfway through her practice, the door was gently pushed open. Yin Qiu turned her head and saw that it was Man Jiangxue, whom she hadn't seen for many days.
"Uncle-Master!" Yin Qiu was overjoyed and quickly dropped his pen to run over and hug Man Jiangxue tightly.
"How have you been these past few days?" Man Jiangxue hugged Yin Qiu back and led her back to the table.
"I miss you so much." Yin Qiu choked up, wishing she could stick her whole body to Man Jiangxue.
“I went down the mountain these past few days,” Man Jiangxue said, “so I haven’t been able to come see you. How is your study going?”
"I'm very serious." Yin Qiu, like a child asking for praise, first showed Man Jiangxue a horse stance, and then held up the homework on the table in front of Man Jiangxue.
Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "Your stance is quite steady, and your handwriting has also improved. Not bad."
Overjoyed at the praise, Yin Qiu happily threw herself into Man Jiangxue's arms and whispered, "I thought you would ignore me after you returned to the palace."
Man Jiangxue said, "How could that be? I came to see you."
After being separated for many days, Yin Qiu finally felt at ease in the familiar embrace. She looked up and asked, "Where did my martial uncle go?"
“Go investigate the Ziwei Sect,” Man Jiangxue said, taking out an oil paper package from her sleeve. “This is for you.”
Yin Qiu was overjoyed and quickly reached out to take it, asking, "What is it?"
“Some food,” Man Jiangxue said.
Yin Qiu carefully opened the oil paper package and found that it contained a lot of snacks that children like, including dried fruit, candy, and candied fruit, all sorts of things, and it smelled sweet and cloying.
The food in the palace canteen was quite good, with a full range of vegetables and meats, and sometimes even delicious sweet soup, but this was not available.
Looking at the food, Yin Qiu felt a surge of tenderness in her heart, and the sorrow she had been deliberately suppressing for the past few days dissipated.
Unexpectedly, Man Jiangxue remembered to bring her snacks after coming down the mountain. Yin Qiu put down the oil paper package and hugged Man Jiangxue's neck again, sincerely saying, "Thank you, Martial Aunt."
A small wooden table was lit by an oil lamp, its dim candlelight casting a soft glow on Man Jiangxue's face, illuminating her delicate features and revealing a unique gentleness.
“If you’re practicing calligraphy, use more lamps,” Man Jiangxue said. “Don’t skimp on this; it’s bad for your eyes if it’s too dark.”
Yin Qiu obediently agreed, snuggling into Man Jiangxue's arms and rubbing against her like a puppy.
"Your braids are also well done," Man Jiangxue said, patting Yin Qiu's head. "You're more skillful than me."
"Actually, I don't know either," Yin Qiu said a little embarrassedly, "Fu Xiang taught me."
"It seems you two get along quite well," Man Jiangxue said. "Has anyone bullied you?"
Yin Qiu shook her head and said "no," then remembered something and quickly said, "But there's something strange that I was just about to ask you."
"What's up?"
"These past two days, there have been rumors in the palace that I'm going to die... Does Uncle-Master know what's going on?"
Reminded by her, Man Jiangxue realized that she had forgotten to inform her and replied, "It's fake. It was my oversight. I was in a hurry to go down the mountain and forgot to tell you."
"Why?" Yin Qiu looked at her, puzzled.
“It’s to lure your mother out,” Man Jiangxue said. “If she were still alive, she would come back to see you after hearing the news.”
Yin Qiu was surprised at first, then lowered her head: "But it's been quite a few days, will my mother come?"
"I don't know either." Man Jiangxue didn't want to lie to her.
“If she doesn’t come…” Yin Qiu said softly, “does that mean she’s gone?”
Man Jiangxue looked down at her, and after a moment said, "Perhaps."
Regarding the mystery of her mother's life and death, Yin Qiu was already mentally prepared. Although she wanted to test the truth by taking advantage of her mother's serious illness, Yin Qiu did not have much hope. Over the years, she had hoped for it countless times, but each time she was disappointed. Now, she was not so concerned about whether her wish could come true.
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. Although Yin Qiu is still young, she understands this principle better than anyone else.
·
It hadn't snowed for the past few days, but the winter nights were still chilly. Yin Qiu was lost in thought and didn't speak for a long time. Man Jiangxue was the same. The two of them sat on the wooden bench, embracing each other, both slightly lost in thought.
"When can I go and visit my martial uncle?" Yin Qiu suddenly asked.
Man Jiangxue said, "Another day, I'll pick you up another day."
Yin Qiu looked up: "Is it not possible today?"
“It’s very late,” Man Jiangxue said. “I’ll stay with you a little longer; you should go to sleep.”
Yin Qiu hadn't expected her to agree, but she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed and asked again, "Then can you stay and sleep with me?"
Man Jiangxue patted her back: "Still not used to it?"
Sensing that she didn't seem to be refusing, Yin Qiu quickly said, "No, I'm afraid of the dark, but I won't be afraid if my martial uncle is with me."
Man Jiangxue saw through her feigned fear and asked, "So how have you been sleeping these past few days?"
Without hesitation, Yin Qiu replied, "I was too tired the past few days and fell asleep before I could even be scared."
"Aren't you tired today?"
"I'm not tired."
"Why aren't you tired anymore?"
“Because I saw you,” Yin Qiu said earnestly, “when I saw you, I wasn’t tired at all.”
Man Jiangxue laughed upon hearing this: "But then I started to get scared."
Knowing that Man Jiangxue had seen through her little scheme, Yin Qiu smiled shyly and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Just this once, okay, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue just looked at her without saying a word.
She neither nodded nor refused, but Yin Qiu knew there was definitely a chance, so she clung to Man Jiangxue and became bolder, constantly acting coquettishly. Man Jiangxue had no choice but to agree because of her persistence.
“Finish the homework the teacher assigned first,” Man Jiangxue said. “Once you’re done, I’ll take you for a bath.”
Yin Qiu cheered and quickly picked up her pen again to write. After finishing her homework, Man Jiangxue led her towards the bathhouse.
At this time, there was no one else in the bathhouse. Most of the disciples had already washed up. The boilers that boil water before 9 PM would not be turned off, so there was plenty of hot water. Thick white steam filled the room, making it both humid and warm, as if one were under the warm spring sun.
In winter, one doesn't need to bathe every day. In fact, Yin Qiu had already come with Fu Xiang yesterday, but she kept quiet about it. She followed Man Jiangxue excitedly, closed the door, skillfully took off her clothes, and jumped into the pool with great joy.
Man Jiangxue was no faster than her. When Yin Qiu swam to the edge of the pool and sat down, Man Jiangxue was still standing by the clothes rack taking off her clothes.
As the layers of clothing were removed, Man Jiangxue's fair skin and graceful figure were gradually revealed. With the movement of her arms sliding down, her jade-like neck, smooth shoulders, straight back, and slender waist were all clearly displayed before Yin Qiu's eyes.
The room was filled with mist and fog, enveloping her completely. Man Jiangxue seemed to be draped in a soft veil, or shrouded in a warm moonlight. She appeared and disappeared, seemingly near yet far, a beauty that was ethereal and otherworldly.
Yin Qiu glanced at her a few times, and for some reason, a subtle ripple stirred in her heart. She felt that staring at Man Jiangxue so directly was somewhat inappropriate, so she silently turned her back and waited quietly.
A moment later, the pool water rippled. Before Yin Qiu could turn around, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder, and then heard Man Jiangxue's voice behind her, saying, "Let me wash your hair first."
Yin Qiu said "Oh," and quickly took off her braids, obediently letting Man Jiangxue do her hair. After cleaning her hair, Yin Qiu turned around, intending to take the wooden ladle and help Man Jiangxue.
The wooden ladle was placed on the edge of the pond diagonally behind Manjiangxue. Yin Qiu stretched out her arm to grab it, but couldn't quite reach it. She tried to stand up, but her foot suddenly slipped, and she lost her balance, falling forward and plunging headfirst into the water.
Seeing this, Man Jiangxue immediately supported Yin Qiu's waist.
Yin Qiu choked on a few mouthfuls of water in a daze. Her hands instinctively reached out to grab Man Jiangxue. Amidst the splashing water, Yin Qiu felt as if the back of her hand had touched something unusually soft. She wondered what it was and before she could even open her eyes to see it underwater, Man Jiangxue swiftly pulled her out of the water.
Yin Qiu coughed violently a few times, choking so hard that her eyes welled up with tears. Man Jiangxue took a handkerchief and wiped her face, saying, "Alright, cough less."
After a while, Yin Qiu finally calmed down, let out a long breath, and then touched the water ladle. While wetting Man Jiangxue's hair, she said, "I think I felt something in the water just now."
“Is that so?” Man Jiangxue said calmly.
Yin Qiu looked down into the water: "Did someone leave something behind when they were washing?"
Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while, then calmly said, "The water has been changed."
“Then what I just did…” Yin Qiu looked at the back of her hand, then looked up at Man Jiangxue.
The two stared at each other for a moment, and Yin Qiu suddenly realized something in a flash, his expression momentarily stunned.
Seeing her expression, Man Jiangxue couldn't help but chuckle softly, and looked at Yin Qiu, saying, "What's wrong?"
Yin Qiu's expression was complicated, and her feelings were particularly difficult to describe at this moment. She remained silent for a long time before finally stammering, "I...did I accidentally bump into you...?"
Seemingly amused by her embarrassment, Man Jiangxue smiled and said, "What do you think?"
Yin Qiu momentarily lost her breath: "Then...where did I bump into?"
Man Jiangxue repeated, "What do you think?"
Yin Qiu stood there, stunned, her face instantly turning bright red.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
