Chapter 66 The Eldest Princess
The quiet yet sharp eye that suddenly appeared amidst the vibrant plum grove was like a speck of gray suddenly appearing in the snow, quite incongruous.
Lin Chengye frowned. She didn't like this strange feeling; it seemed as if something was out of place or misaligned, hence the oddness in everything she saw. Although it was her first time meeting the Princess, she felt that such an eye had absolutely nothing to do with gentleness.
“Aunt, this is someone Jingchen met in Bingzhou. Her name is Aye. She is very knowledgeable, skilled in chess, and has traveled to many places at a young age. We hit it off immediately and had a very pleasant conversation, so I brought her back to the capital to be my retainer.”
Wei Jingchen was puzzled as to why the Princess seemed so interested in Lin Chengye. His heart skipped a beat, but fortunately, he had prepared an explanation beforehand.
"Your Highness, due to a family tragedy when I was young, my face was disfigured in a fire. Children would cry when they saw my face, and knowing that I was ugly, I have always covered my face since then."
Lin Chengye bowed slightly and replied.
"Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"Isn't that similar to what I am?"
With a forceful tug, the thick golden gauze around the pavilion was suddenly torn off, carried by the wind in the air, seemingly outlining the shape of a sky full of wind. When the wind stopped, the golden gauze slowly fell down again, and somehow, it landed right on Lin Chengye's head. She reached out and grabbed it, the soft and thin golden gauze brushing against her face and being held in her hand.
On the other side, most of the princess's face was covered by a mask, with fine gold threads winding like vines across her face, outlining the shape of a dragon on one side. Only her left eye and slightly pale lips were visible.
Her robes were embroidered with intertwined sunburst patterns in dark gold thread, and a long, crimson-gold robe flowed down like molten flames, with a black obsidian stone hanging from the slightly open collar. She made no attempt to conceal the sharpness she exuded, almost stinging the eyes of those who looked up at her.
The eldest princess seemed to be smiling as she looked at Lin Chengye, holding the same piece of gauze in her hand as she did.
"My appearance was ruined by villains during the global upheaval, and even my voice was damaged. I have searched for famous doctors all over the world, but they all say there is no way to restore it."
The princess suddenly tugged at one end of the golden gauze. Lin Chengye, who dared not let go easily, was pulled so hard that he staggered.
"Why are you hiding so far away? Come closer."
Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow, forced to bite the bullet and move forward, while constantly rolling up the golden gauze in his hands. The roll grew larger and larger until it was almost too big to hold.
What should have been just a few steps felt like an hour to Lin Chengye. Her shoulders seemed to be past Wei Jingchen, closer to him than she was. In the end, she was practically standing still.
The eldest princess suddenly let out a low chuckle, seemingly finally satisfied, and her hoarse voice slowly rang out.
"Alright, just stand there. Do you think I'm that scary?"
"Your subject dares not. However, I have been traveling a long distance for many days, and the snow on my body has chilled me to the bone. I am afraid that Your Highness's precious body may bring you cold."
Lin Chengye stood under the pavilion, looking up at the eldest princess on the stone steps.
"If you wish, I will take these few days to bathe and change my clothes, and then come to see Your Highness."
"She does know how to talk..." The princess raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly losing interest in an instant. She loosened her grip and flicked her finger, causing the golden gauze to fall directly onto Lin Chengye's face once again.
This person definitely did it on purpose.
Lin Chengye busied himself rolling up the gold gauze, and even took a moment to subtly glare at Wei Jingchen.
"How awful is his personality?" Lin Chengye angrily squeezed the gold-threaded gauze in his hand into a ball, pretending to pinch Wei Jingchen's forehead, and secretly vowed to only believe a fraction of what this man said next time.
How have you been feeling lately?
Wei Jingchen never expected this situation. He awkwardly touched the tip of his nose and stiffly changed the subject.
"Jingchen finds this Bodhi Hermitage rather cold and deserted. Would you like to add some more heaters? At Jingchen's residence..."
"It's alright, I just often feel tired after winter started, it's an old problem, nothing serious. I'll have the imperial physician take a look at me another day."
The princess yawned, her eyes half-closed, hidden by her wide sleeves, and lay back down on the soft couch. A maidservant brought her a quilt embroidered with plum blossoms in gold thread and covered her legs with it.
"But they're just some old-fashioned pedants. They keep repeating the same few ingredients over and over again, and I remember them all."
Suddenly, the man seemed to have thought of something interesting. A sly glint appeared in his eyes. He pressed his finger to his forehead and looked at Lin Chengye slowly.
"However... I've heard there's a legendary healer in the martial arts world... what's his name...?"
With a slight movement of his thin lips, he slowly uttered two words between his teeth.
“Bian, Yi”.
Suddenly, Lin Chengye lowered her head awkwardly, reaching up to adjust her mask. A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek from her hairline, then dripped from her chin into the snow between her feet. Fortunately, the mask concealed her face, and where no one could see, her throat bobbed as she swallowed a mouthful of horrified gasp.
She truly never expected to hear this name from the Princess.
Was it just a coincidence? Why would the Eldest Princess suddenly mention... Bian Yi? Lin Chengye bit her cheek, feeling somewhat dazed. She dared not make any guesses, yet she also dared not easily deny any possibility.
"Ah Ye, you've traveled to many places, have you ever met this miracle doctor? Is he really as miraculous as the rumors say? Is he capable of making even the King of Hell bow down?"
The eldest princess seemed genuinely curious, and even slightly raised her upper body.
"Your Highness, rumors circulating in the martial arts world should not be taken at face value. Life and death are predestined; how could mortals possibly change them at will? They are merely exaggerations."
Despite the turmoil raging within him, Lin Chengye remained calm on the surface and replied indifferently.
"I did meet that divine physician once, and her medical skills are indeed superb. However, she is elusive and has no fixed abode, so I cannot find her. But if we happen to meet again, I will definitely invite her to the palace to examine His Highness's health."
"I'd like to meet her too, but unfortunately, it's not the right time yet."
The princess shook her head regretfully, lay back on the soft couch, and casually picked up the object placed at her feet to play with.
Lin Chengye then realized that the broad-bladed, long-handled object he had seen through the golden gauze was actually an axe.
"Sigh, never mind, never mind. People in the martial world love... freedom. If she is truly a skilled physician, and I don't want her to leave, I'm afraid even a fortune of gold and high office wouldn't be enough to keep her. I hate people like that the most."
The princess yawned, seemingly having lost interest. She gently raised her hand, and a maid behind her immediately stepped down, bowed respectfully, stood beside Wei Jingchen, and whispered.
"Your Highness, Miss Aye, please follow me. The room is ready."
"Alright, I'm tired. Jingchen, you can stay here for a few days and return with me closer to the New Year. This Miss Aye is also interesting. Since she is Jingchen's guest, she can stay here as she pleases."
Just as Lin Chengye was about to step out of the moon gate, the princess's languid and husky voice, carrying the intoxicating fragrance of the plum grove, seemed to come from behind him, mixed with a soft laugh. Yet, it was as if a haunting golden veil had wrapped around his head again, making it hard to breathe.
"Jingchen, remember to visit your aunt often."
...
From the very beginning, the eldest princess held the initiative in this meeting; she was merely being led by the nose.
As the snow fell heavily and the weather turned freezing cold, Lin Chengye walked far away from the plum grove in a daze before suddenly realizing that his back was soaked with sweat.
Just now, she was standing straight, but Lin Chengye felt as if her soul was kneeling, crawling and struggling at the feet of the princess, until she was far away from that person and far away from that blood-red plum grove, only then did she come back to life.
"This is the first time I've ever been so unable to see through someone."
Lin Chengye rubbed his temples and quietly used his internal energy to send his words into Wei Jingchen's ear.
This woman was unlike anyone she had ever met before. Her lips were pale, as if she were ill but not particularly sorrowful. She held an extremely respected position and wielded considerable power, and her eyes seemed to hold a bottomless sea.
"It's so strange. I don't know why, but I've never felt this way when I met my aunt before." Wei Jingchen frowned deeply. Nothing had changed, yet he felt that nothing was the same as before.
The young maid led them to another courtyard next to the plum grove, called Deep Forest Residence. In spring and summer, this place would be filled with the gentle shadows of bamboo, extremely elegant. But now, only withered yellow leaves remained, making it look somewhat desolate.
Wei Jingchen looked around, clearly dissatisfied. The little maid was also quick-witted; seeing Wei Jingchen frown, she lowered her head somewhat fearfully and said...
"Then this servant will go first..."
"Wait, what's your name?" Lin Chengye suddenly asked.
"Replying to you, young lady, my name is Qingshi."
"Qingshi... do you know if there's anything unusual happening outside Yongfo Temple lately?" Lin Chengye asked, looking into Qingshi's eyes with a gentle tone.
Qing Shi suddenly lowered her head. Although she had tried her best to restrain herself, she was still caught off guard by the question. The panic that flashed in her eyes did not escape the eyes of the two men.
"This servant does not know."
"lie."
Wei Jingchen suddenly said coldly.
"I don't have that much patience. I'll give you one last chance."
"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! This servant... this servant didn't mean to not tell."
Qing Shi immediately knelt down, his face deathly pale, and prostrated himself in the snow, trembling all over. The lively emotions that had been in his eyes were now ashes, leaving only fear.
It was as if Wei Jingchen's casual remark was a white silk noose around her neck. Lin Chengye turned her head away uncomfortably. After all, the soldiers in the Lin family were close-knit, and such an atmosphere was rare. The closer she got to the palace, the more she realized how cruel the system of order truly was.
"The Princess is weak and cannot bear to hear such horrifying things, so she forbids anyone from mentioning it... This servant is afraid..."
"It's not a secret, but every year around this time, this strange illness appears, called... the ghost illness. It's just that this year it's particularly severe, which is why it's spread. But... but it's never happened at Yongfo Temple before, so as long as Your Highness and Miss Aye stay at Yongfo Temple, there will be absolutely no problem."
"What exactly is this 'ghost illness'?" Lin Chengye leaned down and patted Qing Shi's shoulder to calm her down. She felt that if Qing Shi continued like this, she would scare herself to death.
“Those who have that disease are no different from ordinary people in normal times, and they are only discovered when the disease strikes. Suddenly, bulges will swell up under their skin, like living things... and they will be in unbearable pain. They will let out a shrill wail and die a gruesome death... As for the others, the other servants don’t know either.”
"Alright, let's go." Wei Jingchen flicked his sleeve.
"Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness." Qing Shi hurriedly got up. The white ribbon around her neck finally disappeared, and she seemed to be able to breathe again. She stumbled and ran away.
"Your Highness."
Just as Qing Shi's figure disappeared at the courtyard gate, Jiang Heng, who had been nowhere to be seen, suddenly appeared behind the two of them.
"Did you hear what she said? How is it different from what you found out when you went out to inquire?"
"They are basically the same. The people of the Thousand Buddha Kingdom are very reluctant to mention this matter. I have also learned that the tragic deaths all have one thing in common: a bloody hole will appear on their bodies."
It turned out that Jiang Heng had already been sent to inquire about this matter. Lin Chengye clapped his hands and sincerely praised him.
"Indeed, Your Majesty is extremely meticulous in your work."
"...What kind of image do I have in your heart?"
Wei Jingchen looked at her with a puzzled expression.
"That's not important. What's important is that you've suddenly become much more important to me."
"Hey, what do you mean?"
Once they finally relaxed, they both became itchy to talk and started arguing childishly.
"Asking so clearly is a bit much..."
Before Lin Chengye could even utter the word "meaning," a shrill and extremely sharp wail suddenly pierced the sky, the sound like a blood-soaked knife tearing open eardrums.
Lin Chengye was almost unable to think at this moment, and for a moment he couldn't even be sure if the message was sent by a person.
Lin Chengye and Wei Jingchen's expressions changed. They exchanged a glance and headed straight for the direction from which the sound came.
...
Qing Shi was startled and glanced worriedly in the direction from which the sound came from, which seemed to be on the street next to Yongfo Temple.
"Your Highness..."
"What did you ask?"
The man seemed not to have heard the piercing scream.
Qing Shi was kneeling behind the princess, massaging her shoulders. After a moment of surprise, he immediately responded.
"You asked...about that ghost illness. I didn't want to..."
The princess gently raised her hand and flicked her index and middle fingers together. Qing Shi, realizing he had spoken out of turn, shuddered violently and immediately fell silent, burying his head in his work, though his fingertips were visibly trembling slightly.
"Well, let them do what they want."
The eldest princess seemed to have thought of something, gently shook her head, and smiled.
"Jing Chen is such a busybody."
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