Chapter 23 You and your older brother aren't very familiar with each other? ...
Jiang Geyun, wrapped tightly in her cloak and huddled up, nodded and said, "Yes, I happened to run into him while I was patrolling the mountain. He was coming up the mountain to find you. His name is Cheng Xi, right?"
Cheng Jiao pondered for a moment and replied, "There is indeed such a person."
Hua Biezhi interjected, "What's wrong? It sounds like you're not very familiar with your own brother?"
Cheng Jiao explained, "When we were little, the two of us fled with our mother and depended on each other for survival, but that was so long ago."
"In order to inherit the family's traditional Chinese medicine clinic, I often accompanied my teacher to see patients and did not stay at home often. My elder brother was in poor health and did not go out much, so we rarely saw each other. I never expected him to come looking for me."
Hua Biezhi leaned back in her chair, playing with the bandages, and said listlessly, "You two sound like the children of an ordinary family turned upside down."
Cheng Jiao smiled and said, "Isn't Miss Biezhi the same?"
Hua Biezhi stopped playing with the bandage, sat up again, looked at Jiang Geyun, then at Cheng Jiao, and said, "Amazing."
Cheng Jiao pointed to the peony on Hua Biezhi's clothes and asked in confusion, "Why are you sighing like this? Recognizing the Hua family's emblem is not a rare thing."
Oh, really? You can recognize it that way? Well, the Cheng family's dagger sheaths also have insignia. Come to think of it, these families would have such things.
As Jiang Geyun pondered, the accumulated chill reached a certain threshold, causing her to suddenly shiver from the cold.
She thought to herself, "I'm not wearing too little clothing, so why am I still so cold?"
She rubbed her cloak with her uninjured hand to regain some warmth, then turned to look at Hua Biezhi, who was speaking.
Hua Biezhi said with a serious expression, "You know what I'm talking about. Knowing my given name and knowing that I'm a member of the Hua family are two different things!"
Cheng Jiao asked blankly, "The Cheng family can heal all people in the world. I have prepared medicine for the Hua family before, and I know the name of the Hua family's youngest daughter from the prescription they sent. Is there a problem?"
Don't say that, maybe I can use it to trick her later...
Jiang Geyun felt a pang of regret, but she couldn't take back what Su Guang had already said.
Seeing Hua Biezhi's relaxed expression as she looked over, Jiang Geyun coughed lightly twice, smiled nonchalantly, and acted as if she didn't care.
Jiang Geyun quickly suppressed her smile and stopped their conversation, saying, "Enough of this small talk. I have important business to discuss with Su Guang."
Cheng Jiao nodded obediently, looked at Jiang Geyun, and said earnestly, "Please speak, Ayun."
Jiang Geyun pointed to the shackle mark on her neck and said, "Xuan Dujian now suspects me of being the murderer. I want to ask about the details of that day so that I can clear my name."
"Master You believes that the unclean spirit is attached to the incense burner in the Lingguan Hall. Does Su Guang know the origin of that incense burner?"
In fact, Jiang Geyun's goal, besides clearing herself of suspicion, was also to avenge Su Guang.
But if she said that, Su Guang would definitely not cooperate. She would have to use the fact that she was in deep crisis to persuade Su Guang.
Cheng Jiao pondered for a moment and said, "Many of the items in the temple were donated by pilgrims. I vaguely remember that incense burner; it was delivered after I came up the mountain."
Jiang Geyun arrived late and had no idea that the incense burner had been replaced. Upon hearing this, she said, "The timing seems deliberate." After a moment's thought, she added, "Suguang, do you remember if the strange occurrences in the temple started after the incense burner was replaced?"
Cheng Jiao nodded, "Now that you mention it, yes, speaking of those strange things, A-Yun, you are surrounded by death energy, which looks very dangerous. Considering that people with mental breakdowns are easily affected, I always take you with me to cultivate. I was afraid that you would be frightened if I told you about this, so I never explained it to you."
Let's leave aside the matter of death for now.
"The incense burner was replaced after you arrived, and you were the only one involved in the accident... Something's wrong," Jiang Geyun asked, her tone very pointed. "Su Guang, have you offended anyone?"
Cheng Jiao thought for a moment and answered seriously, "I am kind to everyone and have never offended anyone."
Yeah?
Thinking of Su Guang's standards, Jiang Geyun disagreed. Suppressing the urge to shiver and cough from the cold, she slowly asked, "What does Su Guang think of Master Peng?"
Master Peng was the one who made sarcastic remarks about Su Guang earlier on the day Su Guang died.
Cheng Jiao said, "Master Peng is too obsessed with many things, but he is essentially a good person. He takes care of many things in the temple, and he works very hard."
His willingness to go to great lengths might not be out of kindness...
Jiang Geyun nodded.
This confirms it; there must be someone Su Guang has offended without her realizing it.
So who could it be? Who could have offended Su Guang, yet still know about her current situation? Who could obtain the problematic incense burner and safely deliver it to Yunshui Temple?
Hua Biezhi suddenly said, "If I were not in the garden and learned that you knew my nickname, I would try to kill you, no matter the reason."
Jiang Geyun looked on in silence.
Hua Biezhi told her such dangerous knowledge as soon as they met, probably because she really didn't intend to give her a way out.
Wait, if you think about it this way...
Jiang Geyun tentatively asked, "When you were seeing patients, did Su Guang ever encounter any patients who had an illness that they were reluctant to discuss?"
Cheng Jiao thought for a moment and said, "There is one thing, my teacher originally didn't want me to tell the patient, but if I don't tell him, sigh..."
A chill spread through Jiang Geyun, making her unable to say much. She could only ask succinctly, "Tell me about it?"
Cheng Jiao nodded, her voice calm and clear, "It is the magistrate of Jinghu County. The magistrate already has three wives and concubines, but none of them are pregnant. He has sought out many clinics to treat his wives and concubines. I happened to be seeing patients when he came to the magistrate's house, and I discovered that the magistrate is ill."
"The teacher must have seen it, but I don't know why he didn't say anything. I saw that the ladies were ruining their health by drinking the medicine, and the magistrate was still thinking of taking another wife, so I told the magistrate the source of the problem and told him not to waste his time."
"The magistrate was silent for a long time and asked me not to tell anyone. I said it was my duty as a doctor and I wouldn't say anything. Later, he even sent a lot of things to the clinic. Ah Yun, please don't tell anyone either."
Jiang Geyun asked, "...After that, you were sent to Yunshui Temple?"
Cheng Jiao was surprised, "Ayun, how did you know? It's like this—"
—The distinction between genders in the Great Zhou Dynasty was not very strict; there were many female emperors, and the same was true among the common people. Cheng's father did not originally have the surname Cheng; he only moved into the Cheng family mansion after marrying Cheng's mother.
The Cheng family had once encountered a calamity and had to flee. During the escape, the mother fell ill and died shortly after returning to her hometown. From then on, the father became the head of the Cheng family.
He quickly brought his mistress and her son, whom he had been keeping outside, into the Cheng family. Although the older generation was not satisfied, they had no choice but to turn a blind eye since Cheng's mother had passed away and the elders were getting old.
However, the Cheng family's medical skills still had to be passed on to Cheng's mother's children. Fortunately, Cheng Jiao was willing to endure hardship. Seeing that her brother was too weak to go out, she gritted her teeth and took on the role.
The elders of the Cheng family specifically instructed that she should not be given special treatment. She accepted all the hard work, such as identifying herbs, decocting medicine, keeping watch at night, and memorizing prescriptions, without any complaints.
When Cheng Jiao's teacher learned that Cheng Jiao had truthfully informed the magistrate of his illness, he immediately suggested to the Cheng family that Cheng Jiao go to the Yunshui Temple to cultivate for a while.
The Great Zhou Dynasty revered Taoism, and Yunshui Temple held a superior position in Lianzhou. With its abbot, You Qianqiu, in charge, even though the Cheng family's medical skills were renowned, given Abbot You's personality, it would not be easy for ordinary noble families to gain entry.
However, after a private conversation with Cheng Jiao's teacher, the abbot actually agreed, and Cheng Jiao began her cultivation at Yunshui Temple.
Is it really that difficult to enter the temple to cultivate? In Jiang Geyun's memory, she went up the mountain, met the abbot, explained her background and current situation, and the abbot let her stay. Presumably, the abbot had her own standards.
After hearing Cheng Jiao's explanation, Hua Biezhi became quite interested and asked, "Can we find out who gave that incense burner?"
Cheng Jiao said, "Master Peng should have a record of this."
Jiang Geyun sighed softly and said, "There won't be any more."
Moreover, according to the abbot, the origin of the incense burner will be investigated by the Jinghu County government.
How exactly the incense burner was delivered to Yunshui Temple, why Ge Sheng betrayed his master, why the initial "Cheng Jiao" in the last soul-summoning ceremony intended to identify her, and why so many bandits and demons were encountered on the way to Yunling Manor... all these questions now have answers.
It's unclear to what extent the magistrate can accomplish, and whether she will encounter any strange events once she arrives in the capital.
However, it doesn't matter what the magistrate is like. Even if he didn't do these things and didn't implicate Jiang Geyun, the cause and effect had already been established, and a life should be repaid with a life.
Jiang Geyun lowered her head, concealing the emotions in her eyes.
Cheng Jiao was puzzled and was about to ask when Jiang Geyun interrupted her, smiling as she changed the subject, "I will plead this matter with Princess Zhengyi after I go to the capital. Speaking of which, Su Guang may not know that I am engaged to Su Guang's brother."
Cheng Jiao's attention was indeed drawn. She was silent for a moment, then smiled, and finally frowned. She said, "My brother is weak and might be a burden to A-Yun... A-Yun, you don't look well."
She was still noticed, and Jiang Geyun's voice was tinged with bitterness. "It might be due to the ritual, and I didn't drink the calming tea from Xuandujian this time."
"I really brought this on myself," Jiang Geyun sighed inwardly.
In order to seize this opportunity, she went ahead despite being poorly prepared, only having Hua Biezhi help her with the initial preparations.
Wasn't she supposed to be very talented? Why is she feeling so upset?
Cheng Jiao immediately said, "Then let's finish the ceremony quickly."
"But……"
As soon as she said it, Jiang Geyun froze.
But what is it?
But once the ritual is over, you will return to a state of death?
But then we won't be able to have a conversation?
Cheng Jiao said to Hua Biezhi, "Thank you for preparing some honey water and water for Ayun... Although I am not of much use, the Cheng family's recipe is still of some use. If you need anything, you can tell Ayun. I will answer her when she calls me again."
Hua Biezhi smiled. She would never have let Jiang Geyun die. This girl seemed so naive and simple-minded, yet she knew how to use "afterwards" to lure her.
Hua Biezhi replied lazily, "Okay."
Jiang Geyun wanted to interrupt Cheng Jiao, but she couldn't suppress her cough, so she let the two talk. After coughing a few times, she looked helplessly at the bloodstains on her sleeve.
Ultimately, there was no way to force it; we could only wait until we arrived at the Xuandujian to discuss it further.
Jiang Geyun staggered to her feet and came to Cheng Jiao, who was floating in the air. She was originally about the same height as Cheng Jiao, but now she had to look up at Cheng Jiao.
Cheng Jiao smiled slightly at her.
The Cheng siblings both have very gentle appearances, without any sharp edges, which makes people feel at ease when they see them.
Seeing that Jiang Geyun had not yet taken any action, Cheng Jiao said, "For me, I will see Ayun in the next moment, but Ayun will not see me for a long time. Ayun should hesitate."
Jiang Geyun smiled, knowing that Cheng Jiao was comforting her. So, she said "Goodbye" one last time and bent down to destroy the formation.
The spring suddenly dried up, the golden light dissipated, and Cheng Jiao's figure vanished into the void as in the previous ritual, plunging the room into darkness.
Jiang Geyun remained kneeling, not moving for the time being. The chill on her body had completely dissipated, but the feeling of being watched, whose source she didn't know, hadn't disappeared.
My natal fire, a warning against evil spirits... Could it be that evil spirits have appeared here at some unknown time?
That shouldn't be the case. Even if Hua Biezhi were just an ordinary person, Yaoji should have the ability to protect this place, as Hua Biezhi instructed.
Should we ask the system? Does it have that capability?
Before Jiang Geyun could stand up, she escaped from the darkness in front of her, a darkness that seemed to be either inherent to the room or caused by anemia.
Suddenly, Hua Biezhi lit the prepared candle.
Hua Biezhi said, "Now, it's time to talk about what happened between Miss Jiang and me."
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Author's Note: A huge thank you to all the readers! It's so wonderful that you remembered this book even though I update every other day. I'm so happy every time I see the clicks moving and new comments appearing. Love you all! [kissing emojis]
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Here's a little-known fact: Some people may have noticed that the narrator refers to Cheng Jiao as "Cheng Jiao" and "Su Guang" in two ways. Actually, when the narrator is in God's-eye view, Cheng Jiao will call her that, but in Yun's inner thoughts, she still calls Cheng Jiao "Su Guang".
Also: The numbers in the system messages are all lowercase because I found that the numbers generated by speech-to-text automatically turn to lowercase. Since then, I feel that lowercase numbers have a human-computer feel, so I made the system use them. When people speak, the text version will be used. Has anyone else noticed this? [Pity] (SZXY really does some little things that nobody cares about every day!)
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