Chapter 29 Who will save whom?
They had been in Beichen City for two days.
This place truly lives up to its reputation as the capital of Southern Qi; it's more than ten times more bustling than Penghua City. Moreover, the local customs are quite open. Unmarried boys and girls wear light clothing, with gauze draped over their shoulders, like a spring forest, creating a picturesque scene. They run wildly through the streets, their ribbons fluttering, yet no one utters a word of disrespect.
Both of them wore clothes in the Lai Kingdom style, which was too flashy. So on their first day in the city, Lin Chengye took Bian Yi to a clothing store to buy clothes.
Neither of them were particularly flamboyant, carefully selecting two less fashionable outfits. Bian Yi remained in white, but the hem of her dress was stained light pink. She, on the other hand, found a dark blue-black dress embroidered with silver pine trees and mountains quite nice, added two veils to conceal her face, and then lavishly tossed down some silver and ran off.
So what is the purpose of this veil?
Bian Yi wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
The thin roll of paper tucked in my arms felt incredibly hot, hotter than the blazing August sun overhead.
Now she understands. It doesn't have to be so strenuous, fighting until you're exhausted and covered in injuries.
Lin Chengye's revelation was earth-shattering; now, wherever they go in Beichen City, they are surrounded by onlookers.
The only problem is that her words are unpleasant to hear, even more so than the third most potent poison in the world that she carries with her.
"Oh, oh, is that them? The ones who posted the results today..."
"They say one is black and one is white... Sigh, sigh, isn't that right?"
"Sigh...these two look so young, how come they..."
"Oh dear, those ignorant and arrogant江湖人 (jianghu people)... Actually, three people had previously lifted the ban on this doctor, but... Oh well, let's not talk about it."
Bian Yi was too lazy to pay attention to him. He propped his head up on the table with his hand and kept pouring himself tea.
"What's wrong? Don't you like the food? The food in Southern Qi is quite different from that in Lai."
Lin Chengye remained unaffected, smiling as he watched Bian Yi wistfully chugging water, occasionally touching his own chest.
However, she felt that the weather had been so nice these past two days since they arrived in Beichen City that she had a great appetite. She bought some pastries from a local shop and then ordered a delicious meal at this wooden restaurant. Dishes included lotus leaf chicken, perch...
Bian Yi has never eaten much, which surprised Lin Chengye. He tried to get Bian Yi to eat a few more bites.
The man looked at her with a complicated expression and said that it was normal for someone her age to eat a lot, while he himself was no longer at the age where he needed to grow. Lin Chengye suddenly remembered that Bian Yi was already over thirty-seven, so he had no choice but to give up.
It's a pity that such a fine meal wasn't paired with good wine; I reckon it won't be long before someone takes them to the palace. Lin Chengye shook his head regretfully.
"You're so insecure about your medical skills? Didn't you claim you could make even the King of Hell knock on your door..."
"After you've been wandering the martial arts world for two or three years, I'll spread this kind of... title around for you too."
Bian Yi waved his hands repeatedly, quickly interrupting Lin Chengye, and then whispered.
"I am a human, not an immortal, and naturally not as divine as the rumors suggest. If the illness has truly penetrated to the bone marrow, there is no cure and I can only hold a funeral for him."
"Who says otherwise? Besides... I didn't really expect you to save me."
Lin Chengye picked up a piece of lotus leaf chicken and pointed at Bian Yi's chest from a distance.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Bian Yi paused for a moment.
"This summons is Chu Wuding and Ji Gongyun's invitation for you to enter the palace. As for whether the seriously ill person is the Empress Dowager... it's not certain."
Lin Chengye shook his head.
"Ji Gongyun is still young when he came to power, and the military and state affairs of Southern Qi are all controlled by the Empress Dowager. The true nature of their relationship is still unknown, and Ji Gongyun may not necessarily do so for the Empress Dowager."
She put down her chopsticks, looked intently into Bian Yi's eyes, and continued.
"So, who to save, and how to save them. You have to listen to me, okay?"
This is difficult for someone like Bian Yi.
Lin Chengye asked gently enough, but it wasn't in a tone of negotiation. As expected, after she said that, she saw Bian Yi fall silent, staring blankly at her cuffs with some hesitation.
It wouldn't be difficult for Bian Yi to kill someone directly; she's not a particularly compassionate person. The affair between Xie Xiyuan and Xie Shengmin, mother and son, is enough to illustrate this. Lin Chengye even felt that this person must be used to killing.
But she was a compassionate doctor, and it would be cruel enough for her to kill her patients in that capacity.
"...Okay, sure."
After a long while, Bian Yi responded softly, sounding somewhat forlorn.
“If Qingluan Medicine Valley still existed, I probably wouldn’t do this. But I have been expelled from the sect and have never referred to myself as a disciple of Qingluan Medicine Valley, so I wouldn’t tarnish the sect’s reputation… There’s no point in insisting on these things.”
Lin Chengye didn't ask further what it meant to be expelled from the sect. He simply gave Bian Yi a deep look and said...
"good."
What she did was for the ending they wanted, the ending they all desired.
Considering her previous statement that she would retire from the martial world and live a peaceful life after everything was over, her actions shouldn't be considered cruel.
...
Another half hour passed, and Lin Chengye put the last meal to her lips, about to open her mouth, when she suddenly put down her chopsticks. She coldly raised her eyes and touched Bian Yi, who was resting with her eyes closed to the side.
"southeast."
Bian Yi's eyelids trembled slightly, and her fingers picked up a chopstick from the table. As her eyes rolled, the veins on her hands bulged, and in an instant, the chopstick shot out like an arrow.
Bang! A sudden cracking sound came from a corner of the bustling restaurant, but it was cleverly masked by the noise and did not attract much attention.
"well."
At the innermost table in the southeast corner, a woman in elegant attire, seated in the center, let out a soft sigh of surprise. The woman was not strikingly beautiful; the marks of time were heavy, she was probably in her fifties, and while her figure was well-proportioned and robust, she was somewhat short. Her long, narrow eyes, like the cracks in an old tree trunk, made it impossible to discern the thoughts hidden within.
"Alright, alright, a few heads aren't enough for this white-clad swordsman to chop off."
She raised her hand to stop the guards behind her, who were disguised as ordinary people and were all on high alert, ready to draw their swords.
The chopsticks were embedded an inch deep in the wooden table in front of the woman, right between her index and ring fingers, a glaring warning.
The woman looked up and met Lin Chengye's cold and sharp eyes.
It didn't seem to suit her age. The woman thoughtfully twirled her fingertips, her gaze sweeping over the two of them.
Surprisingly, the young man in black was in control of the interaction. The white-clad swordsman beside him would unconsciously glance at the young man, waiting for his signal for the next move; the two worked together quite seamlessly.
"I've been watching you for a while now. We're new to Southern Qi, and this is far too impolite of you to treat us like guests. Why don't you come over and explain yourselves?"
Lin Chengye shrugged.
The woman gave him a very uncomfortable feeling. The woman narrowed her long eyes, and the smile on her face turned cold. She stood up and walked closer to Lin Chengye, stopping about three steps away, and bowed with her hands raised.
"I am Su Ningpei, a court official. I was just waiting for you two gentlemen to finish your meal, but His Majesty specifically instructed that we must not neglect you."
Su Ningpei's voice rose at the end, and was somewhat soft, sounding like the long fur of a fox brushing against the ear, tickling it a little.
"Lord Su, you flatter us. We are merely wandering travelers in the martial world; how can we keep His Majesty waiting?"
Lin Chengye tapped his finger lightly on the table.
"If you two are ready, please follow me into the palace. However..."
Su Ningpei smiled like a fox and then said.
"His Majesty has decreed that from this moment forward, the two of you must be blindfolded until you enter the Empress Dowager's palace."
These words always stung. Bian Yi frowned, slammed down her chopsticks, and was about to get up to say something, but Lin Chengye pressed her back down.
Lin Chengye said with a forced smile, "Alright, then lead the way, Lord Su."
...
With their eyes covered by a black cloth, their perception of time became extremely blurry. Lin Chengye didn't know how long they had walked or how many turns they had made. He could only sense that the path beneath their feet had changed, with pebbles turning into smooth bluestone.
Perhaps the young emperor of Southern Qi, Ji Gongyun, had a particular fondness for osmanthus flowers. The fragrance was strong along the way, and occasionally soft petals brushed against her face.
The palace was eerily quiet; they heard almost nothing as they traveled.
Bian Yi didn't talk much, only occasionally using his internal energy to transmit a few complaints. Lin Chengye increasingly felt that internal energy was convenient; otherwise, he could at least chat with Bian Yi.
However, there's one more person who can help pass the time.
Lin Chengye thought for a moment and then spoke.
"Lord Su, may I ask you a few questions?"
"This... there's nothing to ask, it's written clearly on the warrant." Su Ningpei's voice came from her left.
Lin Chengye turned his head to the left and smiled. He grabbed Su Ningpei's hand beside him and took out a handful of silver from his pocket and put it in.
“Young hero, this is against the rules…” Su Ningpei’s smiling voice came from behind.
"For us江湖人 (jianghu people) who are entering the palace for the first time, we should know some etiquette, right? Lord Su only needs to give us a little pointer, and will not make things difficult for us."
Su Ningpei remained silent, so Lin Chengye asked on his own.
"I heard that three doctors have come before us? And all of them... never returned?"
"How did this rumor spread? Those three were not any kind of miracle doctors; they were just charlatans who even... made the Empress Dowager's condition worse, which is why His Majesty ordered them to be beaten to death."
Su Ningpei replied.
"How has His Majesty been lately?"
"There have been some issues in recent months..."
Su Ningpei changed the subject and continued.
"You two only need to treat the sick and save lives, please don't ask any more questions."
...
After an unknown amount of time, Su Ningpei announced that they had arrived. Lin Chengye and Bian Yi finally breathed a long sigh of relief. Although their eyes were covered, they could still sense the deathly silence within the palace.
With the blindfold removed, Su Ningpei bowed and withdrew. Lin Chengye adjusted to the light and quickly surveyed the room.
The interior of this palace is quite luxurious. Not to mention that all the utensils in the room are exquisite and hard to find elsewhere, the floor is covered with dragon beard mats, which are smooth, soft, fragrant and clean, warm in winter and cool in summer.
Three layers of curtains hung over the bed, embroidered with landscapes and plum blossoms, concealing the figure within.
As expected, Chu Wuding was also there. He stood at the corner of the bed with his eyes closed, holding a three-foot-long white bone club in his arms.
Besides Bian Yi, there was another person, Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow.
She never expected that Emperor Ji Gongyun of Southern Qi would be waiting for her in person right in front of her.
Ji Gongyun was only about sixteen years old. Her cheeks were still fleshy, but she was tall and slender, with sharp, piercing eyes that seemed to gleam with a cold light. She was dressed in simple, elegant clothes, with narrow-sleeved yellow silk embroidered with dark dragon and cloud patterns on the collar and a pattern of river cliffs and waves on the waist. At her waist was a gold-inlaid black jade plaque, with a dragon head carved in a small space.
Lin Chengye clasped his hands and bowed, addressing the emperor as "Your Majesty," while Bian Yi ignored him completely and simply stood aside.
"Since the two heroes have lifted the suspense, I will not waste any more words."
Bian Yi frowned and stepped forward, intending to examine him carefully, but Lin Chengye took a half step back in disbelief.
How could it be... her?
Lin Chengye's trembling eyes reflected the pale, lifeless face behind the curtain. Her body swayed violently, almost collapsing.
This is hardly an empress dowager.
Mi Fan!
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