Chapter 137 The Departure of the Half-Immortal (Part 2)
"Did Empress Fu send you to see me one last time?" Guo Jia asked again.
I was speechless, so preoccupied with pitying his frail health that I seemed to have forgotten that he was Cao Mengde's top strategist, the brilliant strategist Guo Fengxiao.
"Yes, Tuanzi told me you were sick." I composed my face, which was contorted with shock, and nodded. I insisted on saying Tuanzi, not Empress Fu.
In my heart, Tuanzi will always be Tuanzi, not that woman trapped in the deep palace.
"She's a good child," Guo Jia said softly, patting Xiao Mao.
I remained silent. If Tuanzi knew that she was seen as a "good child" by Guo Jia, should she cry or laugh?
"Tuanzi likes you." After holding it in for a long time, I finally confessed on Tuanzi's behalf.
"I know." Guo Jia smiled, a faint smile appearing on his pale face.
I wiped my sweat. Even a blind man could see through Tuanzi's exaggerated behavior, let alone Banxian, who was only nearsighted.
“Tell her not to have any more thoughts of killing Brother Mengde, cough cough…” Guo Jia coughed for a while, “Otherwise, she will be in danger.”
“Go tell him yourself,” I said through gritted teeth, seeing how badly he was coughing.
He just kept coughing softly.
"I'm afraid I can't go back..." he said softly after a long while, his lips stained with blood.
"What nonsense are you talking about?" I said lightly, but my words were completely unconvincing.
“That child is too kind; she is no match for Brother Mengde,” Guo Jia said with a faint smile. “Those who achieve great things must have a cold and hard heart.”
A cold and hard heart?
Was Cao Cao's heart cold?
“She wasn’t ruthless enough. When she told you about my serious illness, she had nineteen spies in the army, and they were all killed…” Guo Jia said, slightly out of breath, as if he was extremely tired and could barely sit up.
"Are you worried about her?" I asked in a hoarse voice, thinking of the woman trapped in the deep palace who couldn't even see him one last time.
"Yes, she's a good girl," Guo Jia smiled faintly. "When you weren't in Xuchang, she stayed with me, often worrying about my health, and would even cry secretly, cough cough... Her cooking is delicious too..."
“If you…” My nose tingled, and my voice trembled, “Tuanzi will cry…”
“Yes, when someone dies, someone will always cry,” Guo Jia said with a smile. “I cried when Ruoruo died.”
I turned my head away and remained silent.
“The dead are gone, and it is often the living who shed tears and grieve,” Guo Jia murmured to himself, then looked at me. “I remember… you told me that Ruoruo was happy with Zhongying, right?”
"Mm." I nodded.
"What kind of place is your hometown?"
"...Well, there are very tall houses, but the prices are very high, and most people can't afford them...There are elevators, so you don't have to climb stairs...There are refrigerators, so you can eat ice cream in the summer...And there's air conditioning, so it's like spring all year round..." I sat down against the tree, looked up at the sky, and saw a clear sky without a cloud in sight. Even the air seemed to be filled with fragrance, and white flowers occasionally drifted down from above, like snow.
"Is there a horse-drawn carriage?"
"No, there are bicycles, motorcycles, cars... and airplanes, and people can fly in the sky too..."
"Are we going to war too?"
"No."
"That's wonderful... If Brother Mengde can unify the world and win the hearts of all, then there will be no need for war..."
The radish had been gnawed down to a small piece by Xiao Mao. Guo Jia put the radish down, patted Xiao Mao, and then leaned against a tree, trying to stand up.
His pale, slender hands gripped the tree as he gasped for breath, unable to stand up.
The brilliant strategist Guo Jia, who should have been full of vigor and ambition, was actually so sickly.
My heart ached slightly, and I rushed forward to help him. Under his wide sleeves, he was so thin it was heartbreaking.
"I wonder when Brother Mengde will return in triumph..." With my help, he stood up, leaning against the tree, gazing at the distant sky, a faint hint of resentment in his clear eyes.
The seemingly frail man before them possessed an astute ability to see through people's hearts. He had remarkable courage and strategy. Accompanying Cao Cao on his campaigns, he calmly analyzed the enemy's psychology and offered timely advice. Such strategies always raised the risk factor to the highest level, yet they always managed to win Cao Cao the greatest victories.
Such invincibility.
Born Guo Fengxiao, he must have longed to be by the side of a wise ruler, riding side by side, and working together to conquer the world. And his wise ruler was Cao Cao. He followed Cao Cao on his military campaigns for eleven years, but now, as Cao Cao marches into the desert to unify the north, his thin figure is missing. How desolate this must be.
"It'll be quick, just wait a little longer," I said hastily.
"I'm afraid...cough cough...I'm afraid I won't be able to wait..." Guo Jia lowered his head, his smile tinged with bitterness, "It's a pity...I won't be able to see Brother Mengde achieve his great cause..."
"I'll go get the medicine, I'll go get the medicine. You'll feel better after taking the medicine. I'll go get the medicine for you..." I turned around, not wanting to see his sickly appearance, and hurried off to get the medicine.
My hand tightened slightly. I turned around and saw that he had grabbed my hand; his hand was very cold.
“Pei’er… I’m about to leave, please let me go.” Guo Jia smiled faintly, “That medicine… is too bitter…”
"Good medicine tastes bitter!" I slapped his hand away and insisted on turning around and going back to my room to get the medicine.
As soon as I turned around, I heard a dull thud behind me. I turned around in surprise and saw him with his eyes slightly closed, unconsciously falling backward...
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. He collapsed beneath the tree, scattering fallen petals across the ground. The white petals clung to his clothes, his hair, and his lips...
"A demigod!" I exclaimed in surprise.
"What's wrong!" Hua Yingxiong heard the noise and rushed out of the room, quickly carrying Guo Jia on his back and taking him back to his room.
Watching Hua Yingxiong take my pulse, I sat by, feeling restless and uneasy, while Baozi paced back and forth with me.
"Sit down," Hua Yingxiong said, turning around because he felt dizzy from my spinning around.
"I can't sit down!" I was very frustrated.
After a while, Hua Yingxiong stood up and walked out of the room without saying a word.
I hurried after him, "How is he? Can he be cured?"
Hua Yingxiong stopped, looked at me, and shook his head.
"How could this happen?! You've always touted yourself as a miracle doctor! How could you ruin your reputation like this?!" I stomped my foot and yelled.
“I’m a doctor, not a god.” Hua Yingxiong, unusually, didn’t argue with me. He looked at me and said in a very calm voice, “You should know history. Guo Fengxiao died in the twelfth year of Jian’an.”
I froze.
"History, history, it's history again! Why do I have to live in history! Why do I have to watch helplessly as the people around me leave!" I gritted my teeth.
"Xiaoxiao, Xiaoxiao..." Hua Yingxiong saw how agitated I was and reached out to press my shoulder. "Pei Xiao! Listen to me!"
I stopped struggling and looked up at him blankly.
“Birth, aging, sickness, and death are the natural order of things, especially in this era…” Hua Yingxiong paused, “You have to learn to face everything on your own. I can’t be with you forever to help you… Being sad and upset won’t help.”
"My steamed bun... must he also be part of this history?" I asked Hua Yingxiong cautiously, my heart filled with fear.
Hua Yingxiong looked at me without saying a word.
Perhaps I was too concerned about Guo Jia's illness at the time, or perhaps I was too concerned about Baozi's fate... Perhaps Hua Yingxiong had always been so close to me all these years, within my reach, so I had become accustomed to his presence, and because of this accustomedness, I had never cherished him... Therefore, at the time, I did not delve into the deeper meaning of his words...
“Even if he has to die in the twelfth year of Jian’an, it’s only spring now,” I said, taking Hua Yingxiong’s hand. “Your medical skills are so good, even if you can’t cure him, can you extend his life so that he can see Cao Cao’s triumphant return?”
Hua Yingxiong turned and left.
I stared at his retreating figure, motionless.
"I'll go brew the medicine," he said, before heading into the kitchen.
"Great!" My eyes lit up, and I caught up with him. "Do you need my help?"
"No!" Hua Yingxiong refused resolutely.
"Why? Am I that annoying?" I asked him, as was my habit.
"You're too noisy," Hua Yingxiong said, glancing at me sideways.
I was so angry I was practically fuming.
"Go keep Fengxiao company. He's so good-natured that he can't stand your nagging."
I turned around, strode out of the kitchen, and ignored him.
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