6. Good at sleeping
"Is Junior Sister really okay? She's lying on the bed and looks like she's dying."
It was Ming Jinshu's voice. What did he mean by dying? Hua Lang thought dazedly.
"This little bit of poison won't kill you. But you're giving me a headache. If you keep yelling, I'll make you lie down with my junior sister."
An unfamiliar voice sounded, and it was impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
"Hey, don't prick me. I won't say anything anymore. Keep your little broken needle away. Watch out, Junior Sister. I'm going to the Monster Tower to catch that enchantress and give her a good beating."
"Why rush? The demon is at the bottom of the tower and can't escape. In my opinion, you should go and capture that little disciple."
"Yeah, how did that Xie know that my junior sister was poisoned? No, I have to question him thoroughly."
As Ming Jinshu's footsteps faded away, the room finally became quiet.
Hua Lang felt a dull pain all over his body, as if someone had covered his head and hit him hard with a stick. He couldn't help but cough twice and opened his eyes.
"Awake? That's great, drink the medicine yourself." With a clang, the huge bowl was thrown on the table next to the pillow. The dark medicine swished again and again, but in the end, not a drop was spilled.
Hua Lang frowned and looked at the strange man who was looking at her with his arms folded beside the bed.
This man had a gorgeous face with a hint of gloom. Although his facial features made it difficult to tell whether he was male or female, he was extremely tall and thin. He was wearing a complicated red and black robe. He looked like a poisonous snake standing upright, ready to give its prey a fatal blow at any time.
Hua Lang felt that the clothes looked somewhat familiar. After looking carefully, she could see the light background underneath the colorful embroidery. It was Huanguang Brocade. Was this one of her senior brothers?
Seeing that she didn't move, Gong Huaqiu picked up the bowl and pushed it in front of her.
A strong bitter smell rushed straight to Hua Lang's forehead. She could even see the leg of an unknown insect floating in the medicine bowl that was pressed against her face.
vomit--
Hua Lang turned his head away, quickly pushed the bowl away, and huddled under the quilt. Before Gong Huaqiu's face darkened, he asked,
"Wait, wait, what's wrong with me? Why do I suddenly need to take medicine?"
Gong Huaqiu shook his head, his androgynous voice tinged with regret, "What a fool! He didn't even know he was poisoned."
"Poison?" Hua Lang was stunned and asked, "I'm poisoned?"
Gong Huaqiu stepped back, revealing the dark night outside the window and the candlelight outside the tent. Holding the medicine bowl, he said, "Otherwise, you wouldn't think that your ability to sleep for ten hours is because you have a natural talent in this area, right?"
Hua Lang raised her eyes and stared out the window in disbelief. She had slept until dark again?! Last time, she had thought it was just from exhaustion and hadn't given it much thought. But it turned out to be poisoning?
Hua Lang asked quickly, "What kind of poison is it? Can I still be saved?"
"It's not a big problem. Come, drink this bowl of medicine first." Gong Huaqiu came over again.
The medicinal soup was thick brown and black, and there was an unsettling bitter, sour and smelly smell in the air, as if it was emitting resentment. It was a complete loss of color, fragrance and taste.
Hua Lang looked embarrassed, "That..."
Gong Huaqiu was understanding and said, "I'm fifth, just call me Senior Brother Gong."
"Um, Senior Brother Gong, there's a bug leg in my bowl. Can you exchange it for another one?"
Gong Huaqiu couldn't pretend any longer and immediately frowned. The pale blue phosphorus at the end of his eyes was eye-catching, making him look even more like a colorful venomous snake. "What insect leg? This is a priceless louse. One leg is equivalent to your annual salary. Stop whining and drink it!"
Just like that, Hua Lang was forced to drink a bowl of medicine that was unsatisfactory in both appearance and taste, and he felt nauseous both mentally and physically.
She leaned dejectedly against the head of the bed, staring blankly at Gong Huaqiu as he took back the empty bowl.
She had never drunk such a bad-tasting medicine!
Gong Huaqiu took the towel and wiped his hands, not forgetting to threaten her sinisterly, "Don't spit it out. I spent a lot of spirit stones on this medicine."
Hua Lang suppressed his nausea and spoke tremblingly, "Master... Senior Brother, will I be fine after drinking this medicine?"
Gong Huaqiu threw the towel back into the basin, flicked her head, and said, "What are you thinking? There's no such good thing. To detoxify, we have to find the charm demon."
Hua Lang was incredulous, "Then what's the use of this medicine?"
Gong Huaqiu suddenly smiled and said, "Of course... to strengthen the body, replenish qi and nourish blood."
She looked Hua Lang up and down again, and added in surprise, "You're the second person who drank a whole bowl of centipede soup without vomiting. You inherited this from your senior sister."
Hua Lang was stunned for a moment, then reacted and was shocked, "You lied to me?"
Gong Huaqiu was calm and composed, showing no sign of guilt. He folded his hands and said leisurely, "How can I call this a lie when it comes to being a doctor? This is all for the good of the patient."
Hua Lang thought again of the "centipede soup" he had just mentioned. How many insect legs were there in the soup where she couldn't see?
Just imagining it made his scalp tingle and the feeling of nausea came back. Without caring about his aching limbs, Hua Lang stumbled off the bed and retched into the empty basin.
After finally suppressing the feeling of nausea, Hua Lang turned around and met Gong Huaqiu's face.
Gong Huaqiu blinked and said, "See, I told you this medicine works. You're feeling much better now, and you can even get out of bed on your own. Let's go to the Demon Tower and get rid of the poison as soon as possible."
Hua Lang: ...
*
The demon tower was built atop a rocky cliff. The rocks emanated a ghostly azure light, making the area look like a purgatory. From afar, the tower stood tall and precarious, the cliff wind gusting fiercely, as if it would collapse at any moment.
The grass beside the tower was withered and yellow, and there were jagged rocks standing tall. The temperature was obviously extremely freezing, but there was not a trace of ice or snow.
Hua Lang saw two figures in front of the tower from afar. One was tall and bright with a white-gold color, standing out in the dark. It didn't take a closer look to tell that it was Ming Jinshu. The other was wearing a black robe that covered him from head to toe, almost hidden in the darkness. The cliff breeze made his figure look particularly thin.
Ming Jinshu was lowering her head, using her spiritual energy to pull out the weeds that she thought were ugly one by one. In a short while, a pile of dead weeds piled up around her.
Ming Jinshu looked up when he heard the voice and saw Hua Lang. He quickly waved and said, "Hey, Junior Sister, here, here!"
As soon as Hua Lang landed on the ground, Ming Jinshu pulled her into his arms, looked left and right, and fortunately, she was not missing any limbs.
"Your senior brother Gong didn't bully you, did he?" Ming Jinshu looked suspiciously at Gong Huaqiu, who seemed to be in a good mood.
Hua Lang burst into tears, tightly grasping the warm palm of his senior sister, choking with sobs,
"He... gave me centipede soup!"
Ming Jinshu was horrified, "He actually gave you centipede soup?!"
Hua Lang nodded heavily.
Ming Jinshu's face darkened. Under Hua Lang's expectant gaze, he walked towards Gong Huaqiu, who was standing behind her playing with a needle. Then... he patted his shoulder firmly and said with relief, "Junior brother, I knew you'd grown up after your experience outside. Now you'll take good care of me. I was right about you."
Under Hua Lang's incredulous gaze, she took her hand and walked into the tower, saying, "Junior sister, this is a good thing. No wonder you're so lively now. I'm relieved now. You can take revenge on your own later, and I won't interfere."
Hua Lang was dragged forward. Ming Jinshu took very big steps, so she fell behind by half a step and entered the tower in the blink of an eye.
The structure inside the tower is unique. The entire tower is wrapped in wood, and several ring grooves are filled with candles, forming circles of light. As you walk around, light and dark alternate.
Hua Lang looked at the huge copper bell above his head, then at the words engraved on the ground, and when he looked to the side, he met a snow-white face under a black hood.
Hua Lang: ...
Hua Lang tugged at Ming Jinshu's hand and whispered, "Why is he here too?"
Ming Jinshu understood what she meant immediately. He let go of Hua Lang's hand, pointed forward, and then grabbed Gong Huaqiu, who was still walking forward, and said, "Just keep going inside and you'll be there. You two go ahead. Gong Huaqiu and I will wait for you here."
Hua Lang:?
Ming Jinshu winked at her and said, "Don't worry, I understand."
Hua Lang stretched out her hand to keep him, "Senior Sister, please don't go. If you want to leave, don't take Senior Brother Gong with you!"
Ming Jinshu thought she was just waving goodbye, so he pulled Gong Huaqiu and retreated several feet away in the blink of an eye. He smiled widely and waved back to Hua Lang.
Hua Lang took a deep breath and didn't want to look at his senior sister anymore. Detoxification was more important right now.
The crackling of the candle wick was like a feather brushing against the ear, and the footsteps of the two were inaudible. The passage became taller and narrower as they went in. As the distance got closer, Hua Lang could even hear Xie Hanjing's steady breathing.
Xie Hanjing spoke first, he said softly,
"You and I are both poisoned... Why did Junior Master choose to give me the coal briquettes?"
Hua Lang didn't expect him to ask this suddenly, so he answered casually, "Because it's too dark, I don't like it."
A light laugh echoed in the narrow passage. Hua Lang was stunned and immediately turned his head to stare at Xie Hanjing.
Although it was just a faint smile, his facial features were extremely cold and beautiful. In the past, his upper eyelids always outlined an indifferent arc, coupled with his sharp and carved eyebrows, showing a beauty that could freeze people. But now his eyebrows were stretched, his eyelashes were slightly drooped, half hidden by the hood, and the breathtaking beauty was no longer frozen.
He actually laughed?
He actually laughs!
Xie Hanjing's smile quickly disappeared, and the corners of his mouth that were slightly raised were straightened, returning to his cold expression.
Hua Lang looked away and took heavier steps.
Only then did she realize that she no longer remembered much of the original novel's plot. She only remembered Xie Hanjing, the cold-hearted and emotionless man who had cultivated the ruthless way at the end. She had completely forgotten the young Xie Hanjing who could still smile at the beginning of the novel.
Xie Hanjing felt the active demon pill and said, "The coal ball can cure all kinds of poisons. Junior Master shouldn't give it to me... You are Qinglai's Junior Master, much more important than me."
Hua Lang almost tripped over herself when she heard that. She widened her eyes and asked, "You mean... it can cure the poison I'm in?" Besides, how come you were poisoned too?
Xie Han nodded in surprise, then realized that Hua Lang couldn't see him because of his hood, so he said, "Well, if the charm demon can't cure the poison, Junior Master, take the coal balls back. Although it's slow to cure the poison, it doesn't have any side effects."
Hua Lang glanced at him. The black robe outlined the boy's thin skeleton, which looked neat and lonely.
Hua Lang didn't see the coal balls and asked, "Where are the coal balls? Where did you put them?"
Xie Han was surprised and said, "If you don't like it, I didn't bring it."
?
Hua Lang wanted to lift his hat to see what he was thinking. He blurted out, "You know it can detoxify, but why don't you take it with you? If I didn't like you, would you also lock yourself in your room every day?"
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