Chapter 87
Yin Qiu put the exchanged silver back into the storeroom and locked it. In the courtyard, the shadows of flowers swayed and the snowflakes fluttered. She stood in the corridor waiting, a brocade robe draped over her arm.
A moment later, the wooden door behind her opened, and Man Jiangxue emerged from the bathhouse, her entire body exuding the fragrance of a post-bath, shrouded in a faint mist. She took the brocade robe from Yin Qiu's hands, but instead of draping it over herself, she draped it over Yin Qiu's shoulders, saying, "You're wearing too little, aren't you cold?"
Yin Qiu rubbed her hands together, breathed out warm air, and followed Man Jiangxue down the steps, saying, "How can it not be cold? It's just that wearing too many clothes makes it feel tight and inconvenient to move around, but it's alright, I can withstand the cold."
The two entered the small building together and returned to their room. Yin Qiu had placed a hot water bottle in the bedding beforehand, and it was warm now. She closed the window, added hot tea, and said, "I sent that letter only two days ago, and my uncle has already arrived. It seems he was in a hurry on the way."
Man Jiangxue downed the cup of hot tea in one gulp and hummed in agreement: "I came on horseback, and after two days of bumpy rides, I'm a little tired and exhausted."
Yin Qiu said, "It's not even noon yet, the fire in the kitchen is still cold. I'll go outside and buy some food. Uncle, you can eat something before you go to sleep."
"No need for that, I'm not hungry." Man Jiangxue took off her clothes, put on her boots, and lay down on the couch.
"How can you not eat?" Yin Qiu sat down on the edge of the couch, thought for a moment and said, "Why don't you wait for me, Uncle? I'll go start a fire and cook some dishes. It won't take much time."
Man Jiangxue leaned against the headboard, glanced at Yin Qiu after hearing this, and said, "Forget it, it's more troublesome to start a fire and cook at this time." She tucked the blanket in, then suddenly stretched out her hand and pulled Yin Qiu into her arms, "Come on, sleep with your uncle for a while."
While Yin Qiu was thinking about what to make for her to eat, she leaned against Man Jiangxue without any warning. Through her undergarments, Man Jiangxue's body temperature instantly reached Yin Qiu's chest and back. The quilt was warmed by the hot water bottle and was not cold at all. Man Jiangxue casually lifted the quilt and wrapped her arms around Yin Qiu, covering her up.
Yin Qiu's head was covered, and her vision immediately became dim and dark. She threw herself into Man Jiangxue's arms and laughed, her tone containing a hint of helplessness: "Uncle, stop messing around. I'm a grown-up, why do you always play these kinds of games with me?"
When she was young, around the time she first went to Jingyue Peak, Man Jiangxue picked out a room for her, right next to the bedroom of Chenxing Palace.
Yin Qiu thought about how she used to sleep with Man Jiangxue every time she came to Jingyue Peak. Now that she had finally left the disciples' courtyard, Man Jiangxue actually arranged a room for her. Wasn't that unnecessary? So every night she would happily run to Man Jiangxue's place, and she couldn't be driven away no matter what.
At first, Man Jiangxue didn't say anything and let her do as she pleased. But as time went on, Man Jiangxue became unwilling and repeatedly taught Yin Qiu that she had to learn to sleep alone. Yin Qiu always agreed obediently and always pretended to be deaf and dumb, rolling onto Man Jiangxue's bed and refusing to move.
That night, when Yin Qiu once again carried her little pillow to Chenxing Palace, she found that the main hall door had been locked from the inside by Man Jiangxue.
Yin Qiu peered through the crack in the door in disbelief and saw Man Jiangxue sitting languidly in a rattan chair covered with soft satin, holding a book in her hand and reading intently by candlelight.
Yin Qiu pouted and called out towards the door, "Uncle-Master!"
Upon hearing her voice, Man Jiangxue didn't even blink, maintaining her head-down posture, and lazily replied, "Hmm?"
Yin Qiu put a small pillow on her head and cried, "Uncle-Master, you're so mean! I don't like you anymore!"
Man Jiangxue's gaze fell on the scroll, but her mind was on the door. She said calmly, "No disciple sleeps with his master and uncles every night. Go back to where you came from."
Yin Qiu said, "But I'm afraid of the dark, Uncle-Master, have you forgotten?"
Man Jiangxue said, "But I can't emit light. Why don't you light a lamp to sleep?"
Yin Qiu said, "I can't even turn on the light. I'm scared to sleep alone."
Man Jiangxue said, "Then you should call out and tell your senior brother to guard outside your door. No monster can take you away then."
Seeing that she was determined not to let him into the house, Yin Qiu was a little unhappy. She sat down at the door with a small pillow on her head and said, "I'm not leaving. If my master doesn't open the door, I'll sit here all night. If I get sick tomorrow, my master will have to worry about me."
Man Jiangxue said, "Oh, then please sit down."
Yin Qiu was furious, but she couldn't do anything to her martial uncle, so she could only sit at the door without saying a word.
The senior brothers, squatting on the maple tree, laughed loudly and shouted towards Chenxing Palace, "Uncle-Master! We're bored, how about we throw Xiaoqiu in the snow and bury her!"
Man Jiangxue said, "Okay."
The senior students jumped down from the tree to catch Yin Qiu, but Yin Qiu dropped his small pillow, climbed up the pillars to the roof beam, and said, "I'll sleep up here! It's none of your business!"
The eldest brother scolded her: "You're spineless! You don't want to be a good little junior sister, but instead you want to be a thief. I'll teach you a lesson for your uncle!"
Yin Qiu burst into tears, crying, "It hurts...it hurts!"
The next moment, the hall doors opened, and Man Jiangxue appeared in the doorway.
The senior students were dumbfounded: "Hey, no one hit her! They haven't even made a move yet!"
With her back to the candlelight in the hall, Man Jiangxue was enveloped in the enchanting glow. She sighed and beckoned to Yin Qiu, "Why are you getting more and more mischievous? Come down."
Yin Qiu said, "Then will you let me in?"
Man Jiangxue said, "You haven't learned anything else, all you've learned is how to bargain. I'm going to beat you up today."
Yin Qiu burst into laughter through her tears, quickly leaped down, and darted into the hall like a mischievous monkey, not forgetting to bring her little pillow along the way.
The senior brothers laughed heartily and retreated, bending forward and backward. Man Jiangxue turned and entered the hall, waving her hand to close the door in mid-air. Yin Qiu lost a shoe and huddled in the rattan chair, looking at her in horror.
Man Jiangxue wanted to laugh, but her face remained stern. She didn't say a word, reached out and scooped Yin Qiu up from the chair, tossing her onto the couch like a tossing embroidered ball.
Yin Qiu said, "Adults can't hit children; it's against the law."
Man Jiangxue said, "You're twelve years old. How young is that?"
Yin Qiu pinched her index finger and thumb together, leaving a small gap, and said, "So small."
Man Jiangxue chuckled, deftly stripped Yin Qiu of her clothes, then loosened her own. She pulled back the covers, lay down, grabbed Yin Qiu by the back of her neck, tucked her to her side, and then extinguished the light with a flick of her palm.
Yin Qiu was extremely guilty and dared not move, saying, "I can't breathe..."
“Hold it in,” Man Jiangxue said ruthlessly. “From now on, if you want to sleep with me, this is how it will be. You can decide for yourself.”
Yin Qiu thought for a moment and said, "Can't I leave my head outside?"
Man Jiangxue said, "No."
Yin Qiu thought her martial uncle was really domineering and had a way of dealing with her, but then she thought that as long as she could sleep with her martial uncle, she would do anything, so she endured it.
Man Jiangxue truly kept her word. From then on, whenever Yin Qiu went to Chenxing Palace, Man Jiangxue would wrap her in a blanket to prevent her from peeking out. At first, Yin Qiu wasn't used to it, but later she got used to it. As she grew older, she naturally became less dependent on Man Jiangxue and knew to go back to her room to sleep on her own.
On the contrary, whenever Man Jiangxue saw her later, he would take her to bed, cover her up completely, and not let her move.
Of course, my uncle would never admit to bullying anyone.
·
With the windows closed, the light in the room seemed somewhat ambiguous, and the window paper was filled with chaotic snow shadows, like a swarm of moths flying around the candlelight.
Man Jiangxue tucked the blanket in tightly, a slight smile playing on her lips, and said, "You're only sixteen. How old are you?"
Hearing her heartbeat and feeling the familiar warmth emanating from her, Yin Qiu said, "Don't you know how old I am, Uncle-Master?"
Man Jiangxue pulled her into his arms, slid down, and lay flat, saying, "You look tired, you must not have slept well. Shall we sleep for a while together?"
Yin Qiu wanted to reply that she had some things to do and didn't have time to sleep, but the words that came out were: "Okay, I'll sleep with my martial uncle for a while."
Man Jiangxue responded and lifted Yin Qiu up a bit, bringing her out of the quilt. She lowered her eyes and looked at Yin Qiu for a while, then closed her eyes slightly without saying anything.
Man Jiangxue seemed truly exhausted. Before long, Yin Qiu heard her breathing become long and even, her sleeping face peaceful, and she had fallen asleep so quickly.
The fragrance lingered at the tip of her nose, lingering for a long time. Yin Qiu lay there in a daze for a long time without moving. After a while, she tried to call out to Man Jiangxue. Seeing that Man Jiangxue did not respond, Yin Qiu quietly got up and got off the bed.
She lit a charcoal fire, placed the brazier under the window, and then opened the window slightly to let in some air. The room was warm and cozy, filled with the unique scent of Manjiangxue.
Yin Qiu took a deep breath and looked at the person sleeping on the bed, her feelings were still somewhat complicated.
She has been very busy these past two months, and she only thinks of Man Jiangxue when it is late at night. Since coming to Yao Dingcheng, perhaps because this is where she and Man Jiangxue first met, she has been thinking about her more these past two days.
Yin Qiu really didn't expect that Man Jiangxuezhen was the one she thought of.
Even though her martial uncle kept her in suspense and didn't tell the truth, Yin Qiu knew very well that her martial uncle had come to see her.
A secret joy and pleasure welled up inside her. Yin Qiu smiled to herself, walked to the bedside, lowered the curtains, and quietly pushed open the door.
·
Meng Jing compiled a list of the names and numbers of the sick refugees and hastily drafted it.
She recorded everyone's symptoms in great detail, roughly calculated the medicinal herbs needed, and was about to call two disciples to go to the pharmacy to purchase them when she suddenly heard a loud voice behind her shout, "Where's Yin Qiu! Why hasn't she arrived yet?"
Meng Jing put away her writing implements and turned to look at the source of the voice. A disciple immediately whispered in her ear, "That's Miss Duan, the one I mentioned to my senior brother before."
Meng Jing had only been in Yaoding City for a morning. During her consultations, she had heard the name Duan Ning countless times from the refugees and had also heard about the events of the past few days. When she saw Bai Ling going up to greet her, she asked, "What does she want with Yin Qiu?"
“Isn’t it because the Ziwei Sect has withheld the refugees’ household registrations in Cang County?” the disciple said. “Without household registrations, the government won’t let people into the city. The Duan family has connections with the prefect, so Yin Qiu asked this Miss Duan to forward the refugee list and urge the government to investigate the household registrations. Senior Sister Lu has been sick these past few days, and Yin Qiu has been in charge of things, so of course she had to go to her.”
Meng Jing understood.
Bai Ling was already talking to Duan Ning, so Meng Jing lifted his leg and said, "Let's go, let's find the biggest pharmacy in the city."
Several disciples quickly put down what they were doing and followed her toward the city gate. However, after taking only a few steps, they suddenly heard a vomiting sound behind them. Meng Jing stopped and turned around to see an elderly man lying on the ground behind her, looking pained, with a puddle of filth in front of him.
"Why did you suddenly start vomiting?" Meng Jing quickly walked over and helped the old man up.
"Ouch...it hurts!" The old man clutched his abdomen, and a layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.
"Where does it hurt?"
The old man's breathing was unsteady, and he said weakly, "My stomach... my stomach hurts."
Meng Jing frowned and immediately took the old man's pulse. After a moment, she withdrew her hand, a hint of doubt flashing across her face.
One of the disciples quickly asked, "Senior Brother Meng, what's wrong?"
Meng Jing straightened up, observed the old man's face for a moment, and did not answer quickly. After a while, she took a medicine bottle from the medicine box and said, "Feed this to him."
Upon seeing the medicine bottle and smelling its aroma, the disciple's expression immediately changed, and he exclaimed, "Antidote pills...?"
"Don't make a fuss yet." Meng Jing glanced at him quickly, signaling the disciples around him not to shout.
The disciple hurriedly fed the pill to the old man, then whispered to Meng Jing, "Are there signs of poisoning?"
Meng Jing frowned and hummed in agreement: "It's not just a sign of poisoning, it's that they've already been poisoned."
Upon hearing this, the disciples all looked surprised.
They had just arrived here from Liaoping County this morning. They had already checked the pulses of each refugee and found no poison in their bodies. Most of them had just caught a cold, were weak and powerless, or were suffering from hunger due to lack of food and clothing. Overall, they were all fine. How could someone suddenly be poisoned at this time?
Meng Jing glanced around discreetly and said, "Quickly show the others as well."
Several disciples quickly called over their companions and entered the shed to take the pulses of the refugees. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they saw that many more people suddenly felt unwell, just like the old man before, vomiting and complaining of stomach pain.
Bai Ling had finished talking with Duan Ning and asked her to wait for Yin Qiu. Hearing the commotion on Meng Jing's end, Bai Ling walked over, puzzled, and asked in surprise, "What's going on?"
Meng Jing said, "He's been poisoned."
Bai Ling was shocked: "Poisoned? How could someone suddenly be poisoned?"
Meng Jing asked, "Has anything like this happened in the past few days?"
Bai Ling replied without hesitation, "No, everything has been normal since they arrived in Yaoding City. I haven't seen anyone poisoned. So... what's going on?"
As the conversation continued, more and more people vomited in the shed. Soon, the shed was filled with filth and a foul odor permeated the air. The refugees collapsed to the ground, sweating profusely and screaming incessantly. The scene quickly descended into chaos.
Although the disciples were surprised by the sudden situation, they did not panic. They calmly fed the others antidote pills and cleaned up the vomit on the ground. They all seemed quite composed.
This scene naturally caught Duan Ning's attention. She walked over to Bai Ling with curiosity, peeked out with her hands behind her back, and exclaimed, "Wow! It stinks! Why are these people vomiting like this?"
“The porridge and rice are cooked fresh, and the medicine is also brewed fresh,” Bai Ling said. “The food and drinks are all handled by the disciples themselves, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”
Meng Jing pondered for a moment, then took out a silver needle from his medicine box and said, "Whether there's a problem or not, we'll have to try it to find out."
After she finished speaking, she plunged the silver needle into the remaining porridge. When she took it out, she was surprised to see that the tip of the needle had changed color and was covered with a thin layer of gray-black.
Everyone present widened their eyes upon witnessing this scene.
"Oh no, how could there be poison in this porridge?"
"That shouldn't be the case. The rice and water were transported from the post station and were prepared last night. No one touched them when we set off today."
"What are we going to do? Who is so heartless as to poison people like this?!"
Amidst the murmurs, Meng Jing tried the medicinal soup and the dishes sent by the Duan family. He saw nothing unusual about these two items, but the porridge was poisoned. Although the dosage seemed small, these refugees had been exposed to the elements for many days and were mostly elderly, weak, women, and children with pre-existing illnesses. Drinking the poisoned porridge only made their condition worse.
In addition to vomit, there were now several pools of blood in the shed.
Meng Jing threw away the silver needle and watched his disciples frantically feeding the people medicine. He said, "This won't do. We must take them to a clinic for treatment. The conditions in this refugee hut are limited, and we don't have nearly enough medicine. If we don't get into the city soon, these people will be in danger of losing their lives if we delay any longer."
Bai Ling pondered for a moment, then immediately summoned her disciples, intending to arrange for the refugees to enter the city. However, Duan Ning, who was standing nearby, spoke up: "Without the permission of the government, do you dare to let people into the city on your own? I know that your Yunhua Palace is the number one sect in the martial arts world, but even if you are powerful, you still have to abide by the rules, right?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Jing finally turned his gaze to Duan Ning and said in a deep voice, "When it comes to matters of life and death, can't you distinguish between what's important and what's urgent?"
Since arriving at the city gate, Duan Ning had only been talking to Bai Ling. Even now that she had come over, she had never looked at Meng Jing. Only after hearing Meng Jing's words did she turn her gaze to her.
The young man was dressed in a blue robe, with a handsome appearance and a calm demeanor. His fair and clear face was even more eye-catching than that of a girl.
Duan Ning's eyes lit up, thinking to herself that Yunhua Palace was truly remarkable, having taken in so many outstanding disciples. She had always admired and been tolerant of good-looking people, so when she noticed that Meng Jing's gaze was slightly cold, she didn't hold it against her.
Facing those intimidating eyes, Duan Ning, apart from Yin Qiu, once again felt inexplicably reserved in front of someone.
Meng Jing remained silent, his gaze fixed on her without wavering.
Duan Ning couldn't help but avoid the gaze, scratching his head as he said, "Why are you glaring at me... I'm not an official, you can come in if you want..."
Author's Note: Here's a quick note about Qiuqiu's age. She's ten when she first appears, turns eleven when Man Jiangxue celebrates her birthday, and then turns twelve after the new disciple assembly the following year. So, in the first volume, Qiuqiu is at most twelve years old. This winter, she'll have another birthday and turn seventeen, meaning about five years have passed. Ji Wanshu will emerge from seclusion later. As for where Teacher Wen has been all these years, Little Ji will have to search the world for her! (Just kidding!)
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