Chapter 9
"Doctor, what kind of poison has he been poisoned with?" Lu Huaiwei stood by the bed and asked the doctor who was taking his pulse.
There weren't many people in the room, only two disciples attending him. Meng Jing was breathing weakly and lying on the bed with a pained expression. The doctor was examining his condition, while Man Jiangxue was sitting at the table pouring tea.
Before long, the doctor stopped and said, "I didn't find any signs of poisoning, but the child is very weak and has been ill for a long time."
"Not poisonous?" Lu Huaiwei was greatly surprised.
“But that woman clearly fed me a pill.” Meng Jing also found it strange.
The doctor took his pulse again and then said decisively, "Anyway, I didn't find any poison in your body. You just have a heart ailment that you were born with. It has been a long-term illness without treatment and has been getting worse. Your emotional turmoil has only added fuel to the fire, which is why you are coughing up blood."
Upon hearing these words, Meng Jing's expression turned extremely shocked: "What did you say... a heart ailment?!"
He had indeed been ill since childhood, and his health had never been very good. Unfortunately, his family was destitute, and his parents could only make a living by farming and hunting, which did not earn them much money. Over the years, although his parents had tried their best to find doctors for him, they could not afford any good doctors. They were all unqualified folk healers, and no one had ever told Meng Jing that he had a heart disease.
The doctor prescribed some medicine, gave some instructions, and then said, "Your illness requires rest and you will need to take the medicine for several years to come. You need to be careful in your recovery and avoid any major emotional fluctuations. Try to keep a calm mind, otherwise you may easily fall ill. You also cannot do any strenuous physical work to avoid shortness of breath. There is nothing else to worry about. You should also avoid spicy foods and absolutely no alcohol."
Meng Jing was struck dumb, barely able to catch his breath, and stammered, "You mean... I can't practice martial arts anymore?"
The doctor said, "Learning some simple self-defense techniques to strengthen your body is fine, but don't learn internal martial arts. If you make a mistake, your body won't be able to handle it."
If I can't learn martial arts, how can I avenge my parents?
Meng Jing had only asked Ji Wanshu to take him along because he wanted to learn martial arts, but he never expected that fate would play such a cruel joke on him.
For a moment, Meng Jing felt utterly hopeless.
After seeing the doctor off, Lu Huaiwei breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, there was no poisoning. It seems that person was just deliberately exaggerating to try and trick you, Uncle."
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, saying nothing more than, "Take good care of them."
Lu Huaiwei nodded: "Don't worry, Uncle-Master, I will take good care of him."
In the other room, Yin Qiu sat on the edge of the bed, feeling uneasy and constantly looking towards the door.
Upon returning to the post station, Lu Huaiwei immediately sent someone to fetch a doctor to treat Meng Jing. Yin Qiu dared not follow them, fearing that Meng Jing would get angry again if he saw her, so she had to go back to her room alone to avoid the situation for the time being.
She didn't know what kind of poison Meng Jing had been poisoned with, or if there was any way to cure it. If even the doctors were helpless, Meng Jing's hatred towards her was a small matter; what worried Yin Qiu the most was that he would die because of it.
It was almost nightfall, and Man Jiangxue still hadn't returned to find her. Yin Qiu sighed repeatedly, feeling the house was cold and deserted. Without Man Jiangxue's company, she felt helpless and lonely.
Since they met, Yin Qiu and Man Jiangxue had always been inseparable. This was the first time they had been separated like this. Yin Qiu was restless and decided to go and see what was going on. Before she could get up, she saw Man Jiangxue's figure already appearing outside the door.
Yin Qiu quickly jumped out of bed, opened the door first, and hurriedly asked, "How is he? Is he alright?"
"He's alright," Man Jiangxue said succinctly.
"Are you alright?" Yin Qiu asked, puzzled.
“Wen Chaoyu did not poison him,” Man Jiangxue said.
"She was lying on purpose!" Yin Qiu suddenly realized.
Man Jiangxue looked at the untouched food on the table: "Why aren't you eating?"
Yin Qiu lowered her eyes and said softly, "I can't eat..." She paused for a moment, then let out a long breath, "Luckily, Meng Jing wasn't poisoned, otherwise I don't know how I would face him in the future."
“It’s not your fault,” Man Jiangxue said. “Don’t blame yourself.”
“But I think what he said makes sense, it’s all because of me…” Yin Qiu lowered her head.
“You’re both right,” Man Jiangxue reached out and touched Yin Qiu’s forehead. “Does it still hurt?”
Yin Qiu shook her head: "It hasn't hurt for a long time."
Man Jiangxue looked at her and then gently stroked her wound with her finger.
Yin Qiu immediately gasped in pain and instinctively dodged away.
“You still say it doesn’t hurt,” Man Jiangxue said. “Why are you pretending?”
The words were simple, but they moved Yin Qiu deeply, and she felt tears welling up again. Yin Qiu quickly suppressed her inner grievances and said, "It will get better. This little pain is nothing."
In the dim candlelight, Yin Qiu looked tired. Although her complexion had improved a lot, she did not look relaxed. The little girl had a melancholy in her eyes that was not appropriate for her age. However, when she spoke, she showed strength and relief, appearing both weak and calm.
Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while, then pulled her to sit down beside her and said gently, "Let's eat first. We have to get up early to travel tomorrow, so go to bed early tonight."
Yin Qiu had no appetite, but she had gotten used to Man Jiangxue arranging her daily life, so she obediently ate her meal.
After taking their medicine and washing up, the two turned off the lamps together and fell asleep in each other's arms.
·
Originally, she planned to set off for Yunhua Palace the next day, but Ji Wanshu did not return for a whole day and night. Considering that Meng Jing should not travel too much at this time, Man Jiangxue changed her mind and decided to stay a few more days before leaving.
That day, Yin Qiu had another nightmare in her sleep. She dreamed that Meng Jing's parents came to take her life, and that Meng Jing seemed to have died from poisoning, bleeding from all seven orifices, and came to ask her for revenge. The three of them chased after her desperately, and gleaming knives stabbed her hard. The intense pain was so real that it went deep into her bones, and Yin Qiu screamed in pain and woke up in a cold sweat.
Outside, a biting wind howled, like the wailing of lonely ghosts in a dream. The entire inn was shrouded in heavy snow. Yin Qiu gasped for breath amidst the desolate and noisy wind, and it took her a long time to recover.
Man Jiangxue had already left, and Yin Qiu didn't know when she left. The winter morning was gray and the visibility in the room was very low. It was pitch black. Yin Qiu slowly sat up, stared blankly for a while, and then shrank back into the quilt and began to sob.
After hiding and crying, Yin Qiu felt much better. She got dressed, got out of bed, washed her face with cold water, and was about to go out when she suddenly heard the door being pushed open.
Thinking it was Man Jiangxue returning, Yin Qiu immediately turned around expectantly, only to see a glimpse of a blue skirt, which turned out to be Ji Wanshu, who had not returned all night.
"Where is my martial uncle?" Ji Wanshu was clearly surprised that Man Jiangxue was not there, so he asked Yin Qiu.
Yin Qiu hadn't spoken more than a few words to her, and for some reason, he was inexplicably afraid of her, so he said cautiously, "I don't know, I just woke up."
Ji Wanshu had nothing to say to Yin Qiu. After receiving a reply, she turned and left. Yin Qiu quickly followed her and went downstairs together.
As luck would have it, just as the two stepped into the hall, they saw Man Jiangxue walking over from the backyard, her Frost Condensation Sword still dagger in her hand, indicating that she had gone to practice her sword early in the morning.
"You're back?" Man Jiangxue spoke first as soon as the three met.
"She's lucky she ran fast." Ji Wanshu was extremely annoyed.
Man Jiangxue seemed to know that she would not be able to catch up with Wen Chaoyu, smiled silently, and waved to Yin Qiu.
Upon seeing her, Yin Qiu immediately forgot about the nightmare he had just had and skillfully stepped forward to embrace Man Jiangxue, gently inhaling her pleasant, light fragrance.
Ji Wanshu, holding her longsword, snorted coldly and said with great resentment, "This time it was because she was more familiar with Qingluo City than I was; otherwise, I would never have let her escape."
A disciple brought over a medicine box. Man Jiangxue took out medicine for external injuries and bandages to change Yin Qiu's dressing. Upon hearing this, she said, "So what if we caught him?"
Ji Wanshu frowned and said, "She owes me an explanation."
Man Jiangxue said calmly, "If she wanted to tell you, she would have done so back then. She wouldn't be keeping quiet about it now."
Ji Wanshu remained silent.
Man Jiangxue added, "You are impetuous and lack composure. I advise you not to waste too much energy on her; it will be a loss."
Ji Wanshu remained silent for a moment before her expression softened and she said, "Uncle-Master is right." After speaking, she finally remembered Meng Jing and asked, "How is that kid?"
“He wasn’t poisoned, but he has a congenital heart condition. We’ll wait until he’s better before he sets off back to the palace,” Man Jiangxue said.
"I'll do as my master says. I'll take my leave now." Ji Wanshu cupped his hands in greeting.
Man Jiangxue nodded, and Ji Wanshu went upstairs. Yin Qiu only vaguely understood their conversation and asked curiously, "That Wen Chaoyu, she knew you before, right?"
“She also entered Yunhua Palace at the same time as my senior sister and me, and was the master of Wanshu,” Man Jiangxue said.
Wen Chaoyu is actually Ji Wanshu's master?!
Yin Qiu was taken aback: "Then how did she end up at the Ziwei Sect?"
Man Jiangxue removed the bandages for her and carefully applied the medicine powder, saying, "She was originally a member of the Ziwei Sect. She came to Yunhua Palace as a secret infiltrator to inform the Ziwei Sect. She played a crucial role in the affair between your mother and Yin Xuan. After the Ruyi Gate incident, Yin Xuan died, and she left without saying goodbye. Only later did she reappear as a protector of the Ziwei Sect."
Yin Qiu understood: "So when she said she was good friends with my dad, she wasn't lying to me."
No wonder Ji Wanshu reacted so strongly when she saw Wen Chaoyu, and even said that Wen Chaoyu owed her an explanation. It turns out there was such a reason behind it.
"Was Wen Chaoyu involved when my parents had their accident?" Yin Qiu asked.
“No, she did not reveal that she was a spy,” Man Jiangxue said.
"Then why did she suddenly leave?" Yin Qiu asked, puzzled.
Having infiltrated Yunhua Palace with a mission, painstakingly disguised herself for years without being exposed, Wen Chaoyu should logically continue to lie low. Why would she voluntarily return to the Ziwei Sect? Wouldn't that be a waste of so many years of time and effort, a complete failure?
“That’s what we’ve always wanted to know,” Man Jiangxue said, “especially about the late sparse leaves.”
Ji Wanshu must find it hard to accept that her trusted master was actually a protector of the demonic sect, and that he abandoned his disciple without a word. That's why she relentlessly pursued her, determined to get a clear explanation.
It seems that Wen Chaoyu must have felt guilty towards Ji Wanshu, otherwise why would she have chosen to give up twice because of Ji Wanshu?
Yin Qiu was pondering this when she heard Man Jiangxue ask, "Why are your eyes so red?"
Yin Qiu was taken aback, avoided Man Jiangxue's gaze, and pretended nothing was wrong, saying, "Maybe I didn't sleep well last night."
Man Jiangxue looked at her for a while and said, "Have you been crying?"
"No..." Yin Qiu didn't know why she didn't want to admit it, "I just had a nightmare."
Seeing that she didn't want to talk about it, Man Jiangxue didn't press her. She put away the medicine bottle, closed the medicine box, and got up, saying, "I have something to do and need to go out for a while. You stay at the post station and don't wander around."
Yin Qiu immediately stood up: "Can't I go with you?"
“Let’s get down to business,” Man Jiangxue said. “It’s not about going out to play. You’re still sick, so try to avoid going out in the cold wind.”
Yin Qiu wanted to beg her again, but she held back the words.
Yin Qiu has never had a stable place to live since childhood. She has survived to this day thanks to her talent for reading people's expressions, which has saved her from a lot of suffering. Over the past few days, she has come to understand Man Jiangxue's temperament. She knows that although Man Jiangxue is kind and friendly on the surface, she is not always accommodating and will not indulge anyone. She is a person of her word and has her own principles.
Even if Yin Qiu were to act spoiled and insist on going out with her, Man Jiangxue would not be angry with her, but she would never agree to her wish.
Knowing she couldn't be a follower, Yin Qiu obediently said, "Alright then, don't forget to wear your outer robe," and then added, "I'll wait for you to come back."
Man Jiangxue patted her head. Soon, Lu Huaiwei arrived with several disciples. They all passed by Yin Qiu one by one, imitating Man Jiangxue's actions by patting Yin Qiu's head. The group chatted with Yin Qiu with smiles before leaving the post station in an orderly manner.
·
It was dark by the time Man Jiangxue and Lu Huaiwei returned, and Yin Qiu was so bored that she could only stay in her room and play.
When it was time to eat, she ate with her disciples and waited in her room for a long time, but Man Jiangxue never showed up. So she took her clean clothes and went to the hot spring to bathe.
There was someone to take care of the hot spring, so there was no need to worry about not having hot water. Yin Qiu carefully stepped on the snow to avoid slipping. Just as she reached the corridor, she saw someone push open the door and lift the curtain to come out.
Upon recognizing the person, Yin Qiu froze, unable to contain her panic.
The paper lanterns hanging from the eaves swayed in the wind. Under the light, Meng Jing's face was as cold as ice, radiating a chilling aura, and he glared at Yin Qiu with a fierce look in his eyes.
"You jinx!" Meng Jing blurted out a curse.
Yin Qiu didn't want to argue with him, so she silently moved to the side. She was trying to avoid him, but in Meng Jing's eyes, her actions were clearly because she felt guilty and wanted to run away.
"What are you hiding for?" Although Meng Jing's complexion looked even worse than Yin Qiu's, he was surprisingly strong and grabbed Yin Qiu in one go.
He gripped Yin Qiu tightly with both hands, his fingertips digging into her flesh with increasing force. Yin Qiu couldn't shake him off and could only endure the pain, saying, "Let go..."
"You can't even handle this?" Meng Jing sneered. "Can you feel more pain than when my parents died?"
The hatred in his eyes was overwhelming, like knives about to slice Yin Qiu's flesh from the air. Yin Qiu looked into his eyes and felt that she had never seen a child with such eyes before. She also remembered the kick Meng Jing had given her yesterday and was even more frightened. She whispered, "If you keep doing this... I'll call for help."
"Go ahead and shout!" Meng Jing was not afraid at all, but became even bolder, pushing Yin Qiu to the ground with a palm.
"Don't think I'm afraid of you just because someone's backing you up!" Meng Jing looked down at Yin Qiu. "Since they won't let me hit you in front of them, then I'll do it behind their backs. Even if you shout, it won't matter. No one will see me hit you. I can say you're faking it and trying to frame me. Let's see what they can do to me!"
Yin Qiu rubbed her arm, leaning against the cold ground. She didn't have the confidence to argue with him, and only said, "You can leave. I won't tell anyone. Don't make things difficult for me."
"I hate you!" Meng Jing said, grabbing Yin Qiu's braid and forcibly pulling her up. "Didn't you want to take a bath? Then go take a bath!"
He dragged Yin Qiu along until they reached the edge of the pond in the yard, where a thin layer of ice had formed. Then, with a shove of his hands, he forcefully pushed Yin Qiu into the icy water.
With the sound of thin ice cracking, Yin Qiu plunged into the icy water, soaking wet, and immediately let out a scream.
The pool wasn't deep enough to drown anyone, but rolling in like that would inevitably cause someone to choke on water. Meng Jing coldly watched Yin Qiu struggle in the water, and when she tried to climb out tremblingly, he reached out and pushed her back in.
After repeating this several times, Yin Qiu gradually lost her strength. She was cold and scared, but she still had her senses and did not want to make a big fuss, so she endured it without making a sound. She could only stay inside, trembling, and no longer move.
With her silence, Meng Jing lost his chance to continue tormenting her.
Meng Jing initially intended to let Yin Qiu soak in the water and let her cool off for a while, but worried about being discovered, so he spat at Yin Qiu and left with his head held high.
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