Chapter 69 Asura Yaksha "Your subject Huan Xun... pays respects... to Your Highness..."
The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of Yongxing Temple.
The night was as dark as ink, and the lanterns in front of the door cast flickering shadows.
Cuiwei got out of the car first, then turned around and helped Yu Nie, who was wearing a veil, down from the car.
Royal ladies rarely show their faces in public; it's the rule. Yesterday, while visiting Yongxing Temple, she felt the veil was cumbersome, but she couldn't remove it, and felt suffocated the whole way.
It was past the beginning of the Xu hour (7-9 PM), and the gates of Yongxing Temple were already closed.
The accompanying guards knocked on the door, and after a short while, a young monk came to open it.
The guard explained his purpose, and the monk, having received the message, glanced at Yu Nie below the stone steps and stood aside to greet him.
Yu Nie lifted her skirt and stepped onto the stairs. As she went inside, she told the guards accompanying her to wait outside, saying that she would come out in a moment.
The guard obeyed and agreed.
Upon entering the temple, the monks sent one of their men to summon Abbot Huiran, while bowing to Yu Nie and saying, "Princess, do not worry. I will have my junior brother call a few more people to help you find the jade pendant."
Knowing that he was trying to cover something up, Yu Nie felt a little guilty and thanked him profusely.
The monk, carrying a lantern, led the way, guiding her toward the main hall. As they walked, he said, "Let's start searching inside the hall first. I'll have my fellow monks search the rest of the place separately."
The monk said, "Although we didn't find the jade pendant while cleaning today, it must have been left somewhere. Don't worry, Princess, with so many people, we can find it quickly."
Yu Nie followed with small steps, nodding in response, "Thank you all for your trouble."
The main hall was not far from the temple gate. In no time, Abbot Huiran, wearing a kasaya, hurried over from the direction of the meditation room.
On the way here, a young monk had already informed Yu Nie of his purpose.
Upon arriving before Yu Nie, Hui Ran clasped her hands together and said, "May the princess be well."
Yu Nie bowed in return, his tone apologetic: "Abbot, I am truly sorry to bother you so late."
She explained, "That jade pendant was originally a keepsake from my mother, which is why I was so anxious to find it. I hope the master will understand."
Hui Ran said, "The princess is showing her filial piety; how could this old monk blame her?"
After speaking, he turned to the disciple beside Yu Nie and asked, "Have you sent people to look for the inscription and the ancient tree?"
The monk replied, "This disciple was just about to send someone."
"Then let's hurry, it will be late and the dew will be heavy soon, and the princess will have to return to her residence."
"Yes, it's Master." The monk didn't dare to delay and turned to call for help.
Hui Ran led Yu Nie into the main hall.
The main hall is always lit by candles, so even at night, the hall remains as bright as day.
As soon as Yu Nie stepped into the hall, he exchanged a glance with Cui Wei.
Cuiwei understood immediately and quickly said, "Princess, please speak with the abbot. This servant will go and look over there."
"If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way," Yu Nie solemnly instructed, "Be careful, don't miss a single detail."
Cuiwei bowed and replied "Yes," then bent over and carefully searched along the pillars and offering table.
Hui Ran saw this and immediately instructed the disciples standing on both sides to help search.
After everyone had dispersed, only the two of them remained standing quietly at the grand palace gate.
At such a perfect moment, Yu Nie glanced at the people around her. She had already prepared her words on the way here, and now was the perfect time to subtly probe.
She sighed, her tone tinged with regret: "Yesterday it was all my fault for being so engrossed in admiring the scenery of the temple and talking to Minister Wang and the Jie envoy that I didn't even realize where the jade pendant had fallen from."
Hui Ran lowered her eyes and listened to her words.
She paused, and seeing that Huiran's expression remained calm, she casually asked, "Speaking of which, yesterday the Jie envoy mentioned looking for a traveling doctor, but there really hasn't been any news about him since?"
Fearing her purpose would be too obvious, she added, seemingly unintentionally:
"I've also heard that the Jie ethnic group's special agent is seriously ill and is hoping that the itinerant doctor can leave behind some methods. If he can really cure them, it will also show the superior medical skills of Beiye."
As a princess, it is understandable that she would have such thoughts about the country.
Hui Ran did not suspect anything, and put his palms together in a gesture of respect, saying, "Amitabha, I understand the princess's intentions. However, apart from a medical book, Lady Dugu has left nothing else."
"A medical book?" Yu Nie suddenly felt as if she had seen a brighter hope.
If the medical book contained specific methods for diagnosing and treating scurvy, she could simply follow the instructions without even having to conduct experiments.
Hui Ran nodded.
Yu Nie's heart skipped a beat, and he pressed on, asking, "Since the medical book is here, why doesn't the abbot hand it over to the Jie envoy?"
“It’s not that I’m stingy with the gift,” Huiran sighed and explained, “It’s just that the medical book is written entirely in coded language, which is like a book written in heaven to others. Even the envoy was helpless with it. Even if I gave it to him, it would be useless.”
As he spoke, it was as if he were recalling some past events: "Besides, when Lady Dugu left, she gave instructions that only the person who could answer the question of the poem she left behind could take the medical book."
Upon hearing this, Yu Nie asked, "The poem? May I see it?"
Hui Ran did not stop him, but turned around and called over a junior disciple, ordering him to go to the bedroom and bring the box he had put in the drawer.
The young disciple ran without stopping to the meditation room and fetched a square book box.
The moment the box was opened, she noticed that the book inside was very thin.
Upon seeing the title on the cover, Yu Nie immediately understood it; written in small regular script, it was titled "The Book of the Solitary Physician."
It is concise and to the point.
Hui Ran reached inside and took out a book, which she then unfolded in front of her.
Yu Nie quickly moved closer, his gaze falling on the yellowed silk. He saw that the ink was neat and clear, and four lines of poetry were written on it:
The autumn rain is cold and gentle, and the pond is full of autumn colors.
The smoke rises and falls in the vast expanse of the sky.
The document presented a letter of introduction, and the letter presented a letter of introduction, which was presented as a form of traction.
No affiliation, no hometown, no cicadas.
As soon as his gaze fell upon those four lines of poetry, Yu Nie's heart jolted.
In a daze, I recalled the noblewoman who built "Jisi Zhai"—a noblewoman of radiant beauty whom I had never met—and the poems she had written on the desk in the Zhai, poems about solitary cranes crying in the frost.
So that's why... so that's why she...
As if a long wind had swept through her mind, she took the letter from Huiran's hand and murmured, "Jisizhai...is the owner of this poem...Dugu Loujun?"
"Does the princess know Lady Dugu?" Huiran was taken aback.
“I met her by chance a long time ago.” She couldn’t reveal that she had been to Huaiyuan, so she could only make up a reason: “She was at Shuoyang Temple at that time and recited this poem, so I have some impression of her.”
Hui Ran feigned understanding: "I see." He slowly exhaled: "It seems the princess truly has a connection with this medical book."
After saying that, he turned to the side, took the book box, and handed it to her: "According to what Lady Dugu left behind, whoever tells the true title of the poem can take the medical book. Now this medical book belongs to Your Highness."
Yu Nie paused slightly as she took the book box, her heart filled with surprise. She hadn't expected to obtain medical books so easily. Even more unexpected was that the verses she had once seen at Ji Si Zhai would come in handy today.
Dugu Loujun... what kind of person is she? She couldn't help but wonder.
However, it was already late at night, and Cuiwei, seeing that she had already obtained what she wanted, tactfully walked over and said that she had not found it.
Just then, the people from the Stele Forest came back to report, and as you can imagine, they didn't get anything back either.
Yu Nie turned around and apologized to Hui Ran again, saying that everyone had worked for nothing.
Hui Ran waved her hand, expressing her regret that she hadn't been able to find the jade pendant, and replied that she would have her disciple look for it again tomorrow.
After exchanging a few more words, just before she boarded the carriage, Huiran stepped forward and called her back, entrusting her to keep the medical book safe and, if she no longer needed it, to give it to someone who was destined to receive it.
Yu Nie agreed, thanked him, and bowed to enter the carriage.
Holding the light book box, she opened it and began to read the books inside.
Cuiwei stared at the small characters above, her head full of questions: "Does the princess recognize these characters?"
Yu Nie replied, "I recognize it. This is the secret script of my hometown. Ordinary people can't recognize it."
Although Cuiwei didn't know much about the "hometown" she mentioned, she did know that some places in the remote northern frontier still preserved ancient writing systems, so she didn't find anything wrong with it.
Knowing that she could understand these words, Cuiwei couldn't help but feel overjoyed: "Perhaps we can find a way to cure scurvy directly from inside, and then the matter of the princess canceling the marriage can be resolved smoothly?"
Yu Nie was also making the same plans in his mind, but at this moment his thoughts were more preoccupied with something else.
Now that she has the medical book, how will she negotiate this deal with the Jie people?
As she was deep in thought, the carriage suddenly began to jolt violently, swaying back and forth, and she nearly fell over.
Fortunately, Cuiwei reacted quickly and caught her firmly.
Once she was seated, Cuiwei called out to the outside, "What's wrong? What happened?"
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "thud" exploded overhead, making the roof of the car tremble.
Immediately afterwards, a chorus of shouts and clashes of weapons erupted outside the carriage: "Assassins! Protect the Emperor!"
In a short while, the outside was filled with the clashing of swords and the clanging of metal, clearly indicating that a fierce battle had broken out.
Yu Nie's heart sank suddenly. Just as she was about to lift the curtain to look, a crisp cracking sound rang out, and the entire roof of the car was cleaved open with a knife, startling her so much that her pupils contracted sharply.
Seven or eight masked men in black had surrounded them, each wielding a sharp blade, each move aimed to kill.
"Watch out!" Yu Nie grabbed Cui Wei's wrist and quickly dodged to the corner of the carriage, the blade grazing her hair.
In the chaos, a white-clad guard climbed over the carriage shaft and rushed in, shouting urgently in a deep voice, "Princess, run! I'll cover your retreat!"
Yu Nie knew that the most important thing at this moment was to get away, so he didn't have time to think about where the thieves came from.
Holding Cuiwei's hand, she took advantage of the gap in Bai Zhiwei's blocking and tumbled down through the broken car door.
The moment their feet touched the ground, another guard in white stood protectively beside them, shielding the two: "Princess! This place is not safe to linger. Stay close to me!"
"good!"
Busy as the three ran through the streets, the sounds of swords clashing echoing behind them.
As the guards beside her fought and retreated, one of them shouted to Cuiwei, "The government office is just east of the alley entrance. Go and report to the authorities immediately!"
Cuiwei's heart clenched, and she gripped Yu Nie's sleeve tightly: "Princess, what will you do?"
“Three targets are too big. Go and get reinforcements first, otherwise none of us will escape.” Yu Nie glanced back and saw the remaining men in black rushing towards him.
She pushed Cuiwei forward: "Go quickly!"
Looking at the determination in her eyes, Cuiwei knew that this was not the time to be stubborn. Finally, she nodded hard, turned around and staggered out, her steps so fast that she almost fell to the ground.
The group of men in black clearly didn't want to linger in the fight; they only wanted to kill her quickly and decisively, and they didn't even chase after Cuiwei.
The guards protecting her said urgently, "Princess, hurry! We're blocking the way here! Go west out of this road, then turn right. That's where the royal family lives. You'll be safe there!"
"Okay!" Yu Nie didn't waste any more words; staying here would only increase her danger. "I'll go get reinforcements. You hold on for now!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she slipped into a side alley.
Four or five men in black immediately gave chase, and the accompanying guards fought desperately to intercept them.
Her clothes were heavy and numerous, making it very difficult for her to run. But she dared not look back or up, only feeling several dark shadows hovering above her head.
The faster she ran, the heavier her regret became. If she had brought more blister powder, she wouldn't have had to keep running like this.
With a "whoosh," a sharp arrow flew past her temple and embedded itself in the stone slab in front of her.
Yu Nie cursed under his breath, but dared not stop.
What were these people doing here? Why was she being chased for no reason? As she ran, she couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Is the security in this capital really that bad?!"
She dodged left and right through the alley, completely losing her sense of direction.
The curfew was approaching, and the streets were deserted, with not a single pedestrian in sight. The imperial guards on patrol had not yet arrived.
Finding no savior, she ran frantically until her lungs ached, and could only hear her own heavy breathing.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, the night was gloomy, and in her panic, she ran to an abandoned old house.
The mottled vermilion gate was already rotten, and the house door was half open and half closed. Without thinking, she ran inside.
She had just staggered into the courtyard when she saw a figure standing in the center of the courtyard.
The moonlight, cool as water, cast a desolate shadow on the person's silhouette.
Before she could even see what he was doing or speak, she heard a muffled "thud" as someone in the courtyard grabbed a masked man by the shoulder and stabbed him in the heart with a knife.
Bright red blood slid down the tip of the knife, flowing into a stream and congealing into a puddle on the dusty floor tiles.
Before the masked man could even utter a sound, his body went limp and fell to the ground.
Upon witnessing this horrifying scene, Yu Nie felt as if someone had seized his vitals, holding his breath and standing rooted to the spot.
Hearing the noise, the owner of the figure pulled out the bloodstained knife, pushed the corpse aside, and slowly turned around.
The stars and moon were bright, and when Yu Nie finally saw the person's face, the shock on his face turned into joy.
"Zi..." Before she could finish calling his name, a burst of flames suddenly erupted outside the courtyard.
A dozen or so guards rushed in carrying torches, and upon seeing the scene, they knelt down, trembling.
Trembling with fear, he cried out, "Lord Huan, Lord Huan Xun, your subordinate is late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me."
The name "Huan Xun" was more devastating than a clear sky splitting open, piercing her ears with a fierce intensity.
Yu Nie froze on the spot, as if petrified, all color drained from her face, her delicate little face filled with terror.
Her cheeks, which had just been flushed with surprise, now looked like lifeless winter snow.
Her familiar face was reflected in the interplay of firelight and moonlight, sharp as a knife yet unreal.
Under the pale moonlight, the depths of his pupils were an unfathomable black, the blood on his knife was a vivid, beautiful red, and he grinned at her, looking like a demon from hell who devours ghosts.
He walked toward her, but she was so frightened that she couldn't move her legs and could only stand there blankly.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he stopped a step away from her, bowed slightly, and his voice, no longer the arrogant one of his youth, sounded like a death knell to her ears:
"Your subject Huan Xun..."
"Greetings... Your Highness."
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The author says: The poems inside are my own writings, and there is no source listed.
I'm not sure how good my skills are, so please excuse my poor attempt, everyone! [laughing and crying emoji]
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