Twenty-four: The Great Dream and the Great Awakening - Part Three
Upon hearing that it might be necessary to find a doctor for Mei Chong, Ming Jin's first thought was Wan Xia, the leader of Juxia Sect. However, although Wan Xia possessed exceptional cultivation, he was extremely busy with affairs of state, and Mei Chong's illness was unrelated to magic. It was uncertain whether Wan Xia was skilled in magic, and acting rashly might put Pei Xuanzhen in a difficult position.
So she went to invite Meng Xi.
"Get ill?"
When Mingjin visited again, Mengxi was peeling lotus seeds under the eaves. He said that he had eaten too much of the meat that had been cured during the winter festival a few days ago, and he was feeling a little unwell recently. He wanted to change his diet.
“The flowers in the south bloom earlier, so I went and picked some,” Meng Xi said, bringing another small stool from inside the house. The two of them sat under the loquat tree and worked together. “Why didn’t you go to Sheng’er? She would definitely be willing to help you, right?”
“Ji’er has been coughing a bit lately. Wenzhi said it’s a minor illness, but she needs careful care. Yucheng and Wenzhi are too busy. I thought about going to Huicheng to find another doctor, but the guards at the city gate know Yucheng, and they’ve gotten to know me since I’ve been there so many times. I’m worried they’ll see me and tell Yucheng, making her worry.”
"How is the illness?" Meng Xi asked.
“She has been in a coma for a month or two since that day. She can only lie in bed every day. When I’m lucky, I can catch her waking up, and when I’m even better, I can hear her speak. The rest of the time she is in a coma. I am not good at medicine. I only know that the elders on the mountain have tried their best, but they have not been able to figure out what the illness is. They have only been able to keep her condition up with medicine. Now I feel that this can’t be delayed any longer, so I came to seek medical help outside the mountain. I thought that your medical skills must be excellent, so I came to ask you for help.”
"We haven't been able to figure out what the illness is..." Hearing this, Meng Xi was also puzzled. "Was it the best doctor on your mountain?"
"Yes, he is still the patient's mentor. The elder has read through all the books several times, but still has not found a cure."
“It shouldn’t be her master’s turn to see her,” Meng Xi thought to herself. “Never mind, I’ll go myself. I don’t have anything to do lately. But, it doesn’t cost much to see me.”
"That's natural."
When Ji Zhen heard Meng Xi's name, he couldn't believe it for a moment.
"Meng Xi from Huicheng?" She even confirmed it with Ming Jin.
Back when Hong Junyu was the sect leader, he would hold a lecture hall in the capital city every year, inviting all cultivators interested in wood magic, medicine, and healing spells. Generally, the disciple hosting the gathering would attend, but Meng Xi behaved strangely and never showed up at any of the lecture halls, so Ji Zhen, representing Kongyun Mountain, naturally couldn't see her. In his spare time, Ji Zhen chatted with the other cultivators at the gathering, overhearing a whole host of rumors. For example, Meng Xi was said to be disrespectful to her master, neglectful of her junior brothers and sisters, never returning home after marriage, never discussing conflicts, and always resorting to violence against her husband's family, always emerging victorious in her fights. Later, Meng Xi divorced her husband because his family dared not speak ill of her publicly, only saying that the couple had been childless for many years and "had no choice but to divorce."
However, Meng Xi stayed in Huicheng for several decades before leaving. The reason was simple: she was one of the top figures in Huicheng in both magic and medicine, and she saved many people despite her cold and sarcastic remarks. Moreover, she only caused trouble for those people and had nothing to say to outsiders. She mainly provided amusement for the ordinary cultivators and people of Huicheng, so no one had much prejudice against her.
When Meng Xi finally left Huicheng, rumors began to circulate that Meng Xi's cultivation had far surpassed Hong Junyu's, so she no longer needed to consider Hong Junyu's feelings and could do whatever she wanted.
Ji Zhen was several years younger than Meng Xi, and back in Huicheng, he only regarded her as a bully. Although he admired her abilities, he never dared to meet her. He had only seen Meng Xi's portrait on the paper scraps that were passed around, and even then, the painting was not very skillful.
However, when Ji Zhen first saw Meng Xi outside the Medicine Sect, he recalled the dusty portrait that had been passed to him many times, because her whole aura and eyes were exactly the same.
Meng Xi hadn't changed at all. She arrived at the entrance of the Medicine Sect, but instead of healing and saving lives, she felt that this was a newly established sect, with its roofs and walls still brand new.
"You know so many people outside?" Huang Jing, Pang Ming, and Ming Jin stood together at the door of Meichong's house, and couldn't help but ask after Ji Zhen and Meng Xi entered. "Where did you meet them?"
Upon hearing this, Mingjin hesitated to answer: "This senior enjoys hunting and selling meat. I bought my venison from him before, so we have some connection."
"I hope the senior can cure him with his miraculous skills," Pang Ming said worriedly. "I'll go to the front to prepare tea."
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Huang Jing said, pulling Ming Jin to sit down outside. The two cats circled around their feet before quietly lying down. “Master has treated many patients over the years, how could there be an illness that even she can’t figure out the cause of?”
"Perhaps it's because we've never encountered this before," Ming Jin said, seeing Huang Jing's bad expression, trying to find something to comfort her. "At worst, we can find all the famous doctors in the world. Senior Sister Yu is still in the capital, so we can go out and take a look."
"Stop when you see this doctor."
Unlike Mingjin, who was busy outside, Huang Jing, who had been focusing on Mei Chong's illness, was already deeply exhausted and might find it even harder to endure the long journey of seeking medical treatment than Mei Chong.
The two were too exhausted to speak, and a moment of silence fell over the surroundings, followed by the sound of footsteps. Pang Ming carried a tea tray, with Gao Dai and Chi Hui beside him. The three of them sensed something was wrong from afar, so they walked over cautiously. There were four stools by the door, but thinking that Ji Zhen and Meng Xi would come out soon, Pang Ming placed the tea on a small table and stood under the eaves with the other two.
The group of people had blank stares, some looking up at the sky, others looking down at the ground, their minds preoccupied with what was happening inside the room.
After a while, Meng Xi came out through the door.
Ji Zhen had been busy for many days. Her face was already quite pale, and her conversation with Meng Xi inside the house failed to change her expression. Everyone began to feel uneasy.
"In that case, I'll take my leave." Meng Xi reached out to stop Ji Zhen, telling her not to see her off any further.
"Thank you very much for coming today, Senior Meng. Ji Zhen expresses his gratitude."
After hearing Meng Xi's words, Ji Zhen was unwilling to go against her wishes.
“Taking care of patients takes a lot of energy, so you should take care of yourself no matter what,” Meng Xi thought. Perhaps it was just a stranger who came to see a doctor, and a doctor who was usually fierce. Meng Xi couldn’t come up with any words of comfort that would move heaven and earth, so she prepared to leave quickly. “Tian Guang, take me out of here.”
"yes."
After bidding farewell, Ming Jin followed Meng Xi out of the Medicine Sect's gate and headed down the mountain. Although he could simply ask Huang Jing upon returning, Ming Jin couldn't contain himself and asked along the way, "Senior Meng, may I ask what illness my junior sister suffers from?"
“It doesn’t matter what illness she has; what matters is that she can’t be saved,” Meng Xi said bluntly.
Why are you so sure?
Upon hearing Meng Xi's words, Ming Jin was alarmed and quickly ran to Meng Xi's side to hear what was happening.
“To be honest, I don’t know what this illness is either. I’ve never seen it before, it’s not mentioned in any books, and I can’t diagnose it right now,” Meng Xi said, seeing Ming Jinzhao hurriedly stepping in front of her. “However, one thing I’m very clear about is that the girl lying in bed, in her current condition, won’t survive any course of treatment. Her body is so weak that the medicine can hardly be absorbed. If she continues in her current state, she might live a few more days in a daze. If we give her medicine, it will probably hasten her death.”
"How could this be..." Meng Xi's words struck at Ming Jin's worst fears, making it hard for her to accept. "Is it because I watched it too late?"
“No, that’s not it,” Meng Xi began to analyze the illness. “I think the illness was congenital, and she was destined to die young. If it had been discovered when she was young, around three or five years old, there might have been a chance. But now it’s too late. She can continue taking the calming medicine that Dr. Ji has been giving her, but I don’t think that medicine can prolong her life, but it can make her more lucid.”
"Are you so sure? Could it be that she's been here for the next few months?"
Hearing Meng Xi's diagnosis, Ming Jin couldn't help but feel sorrow for Mei Chong's future. Their years of affection might soon come to an end, a fact Ming Jin found hard to believe.
"Around the beginning of autumn."
After thinking it over carefully, Meng Xi replied.
"What?"
Although she roughly understood Meng Xi's personality, Ming Jin, who was still immersed in grief, was still brought out by her two sentences and wiped away her wet eyes: "Senior Meng, you are really straightforward."
“You speak so tactfully,” Meng Xi said, having been insulted by different people with different words along the way. “I’m not some compassionate doctor. I started out just to make a living. After all these years, I have no attachment to other people’s lives that cannot be saved. But you are all still young, so you should spend more time with her.”
"I understand."
“I’m planning to stay in town for a couple of days and wander around the area. Can you take me to an inn in town?” Meng Xi felt that she had said enough, so she continued walking forward. “I’ve never been here before. What are you busy with today? Are you still looking for those two?”
“I’ve been too busy lately and haven’t had the heart for this,” Mingjin said as he walked. “Boss Jiang said he didn’t know, and I don’t recognize any of the other spirits either. If I spend any more time going down there, it will only delay my important business. Zhui Lian’s original form is still with me. I plan to send it back to that pond soon.”
"I see," Meng Xi said. "That's fine too."
"I was deeply perplexed and distressed by the unsolved case. But as time went by, my initial passion faded, and I lost the will to pursue it."
"Anyway, we're just going to be hanging around here. We'll have a chance to run into each other again," Meng Xi said. "It's my own fault for not being able to save that girl. If there's anything I can do when I come here, don't hesitate to ask me."
Hearing Meng Xi say this, Ming Jin temporarily put aside the two troublesome matters from before and tugged at Meng Xi's sleeve: "This junior has something else I would like to ask Senior Meng for help with."
"You're really not being polite."
However, Ming Jin didn't say anything outside. Instead, he pulled Meng Xi and hurried to the inn. Once they were in the private room, he talked to Meng Xi about Chen Duan's desire to find more cultivators to study the "Da Gui Yi He" gold technique.
“That’s quite an interesting conjecture,” Meng Xi said, finding a comfortable position and leaning back in her chair. “I’ve never delved into these spells; I just use them. I never expected any cultivators to be involved in them. But why did you think of asking me?”
“Master Chen is worried that if we tell the cultivators on the mountain about this, they might not take their daily ghost hunting seriously. Moreover, practicing this metal technique requires a high level of cultivation, and I haven’t been able to successfully perform it even once. If that’s the case, then you are the most trustworthy person to entrust this task to.”
"show me."
Ming Jin handed over the scroll.
Meng Xi stared intently, reading it from beginning to end. Then she read it again, and as she finished the second reading and began the third, she said, "There are many experts on your mountain."
"Thank you for your praise, senior."
“You’re not one of them. Aren’t you still unable to cast this spell?” Meng Xi’s gaze was still on the scroll as she said with a smile, “This thing is quite interesting. I haven’t tried a new spell in a long time, so learning one wouldn’t be a big deal.”
"Then this junior will thank you in advance, senior."
“By the way, there’s something I need to remind you of,” Ming Jin said, not wanting to delay Meng Xi’s rest. Hearing this, Meng Xi remembered something and quickly said, “Although I don’t know if you care or not, it’s better to tell you anyway.”
"Please go ahead," Mingjin said, somewhat curious.
"Although spirits will return to their original forms when their cultivation is exhausted, they can cultivate again and transform into human form once more. However, plants and trees do not remember things like humans and beasts. When they transform a second time, they have no memory of the previous one at all."
"fine."
These two words were uttered by Mingjin without her realizing it. At that moment, she herself didn't know how she felt. Only a few days later, when she returned to that pond, it was raining. She held an umbrella and walked around the pond, returning to where she started.
The rain was continuous. Mingjin huddled under a tree on the bank, put his umbrella aside, took out the white porcelain bottle containing medicine, and poured out the lotus seeds inside.
Perhaps because it was familiar with the magic of spirits and monsters, Ming Jin changed the medicinal water for it twice at first, but then stopped caring about it. Unexpectedly, it still looked as smooth and shiny as it did at the beginning.
As he rubbed the bead in his hand, reflecting on his muddled journey through life, Mingjin suddenly realized that letting go was also a form of liberation, and he began to feel at ease.
She swung her arm high and threw the lotus seed with all her might, hoping it would land right in the middle of the pond. Unfortunately, she missed, but the sound of the splash, which started softly and then deepened, surpassed the sound of a light drizzle, and carried the lotus seed quietly to the depths.
As Mingjin prepared to leave, he turned to the side and found that the umbrella beside him was gone.
However, the fact that the umbrella hadn't been placed properly and the mud mark left by the handle when it slipped into the soil indicated that she wasn't in a daze.
Frustrated and confused, Mingjin looked around. Looking up, she noticed an umbrella growing askew on a branch above her head. It wasn't growing on a book, of course, but on a tree-trunk-colored hand. Following the hand upwards, she saw a man's figure leaning against the tree trunk, his face relatively clean, his gaze lowered, waiting for Mingjin to look up.
"That's my umbrella," Mingjin said, seeing that it was yet another spirit. He had no interest in causing any more trouble and wanted to get the umbrella and leave as soon as possible. "Please return it to me."
"You're so small, I didn't see you. I thought the umbrella was blown in by the wind."
As he spoke, the spirit slowly sat up on the tree trunk, then lowered the umbrella from above and gently floated it into Mingjin's hand.
Apart from the strange color of its hands, the monster's appearance and physique were no different from an ordinary person. When it straightened up, Mingjin saw its brown robes flutter. After the umbrella returned to Mingjin's hand, the monster also leaped down from the tree and stood on the muddy ground in front of Mingjin, wearing a pair of wooden clogs.
"Meeting is fate, why not chat a little longer?"
What do you want to do?
As he spoke, Mingjin changed to a more comfortable way of holding the umbrella, ready to act at any moment.
"I just want to know, what is the relationship between the young lady and the lotus seed?"
“It’s just a lotus seed,” Mingjin said, becoming even more cautious. “It was probably still alive, so I brought it to the water. Excuse me.”
The mud on the umbrella handle had dried somewhat. As Mingjin walked forward, she held the umbrella with her left hand and used her right hand to catch the rainwater and carefully wipe away the mud. Unexpectedly, before she had taken more than a few steps, the spirit, clattering in its wooden clogs, caught up with her.
"Wait, wait."
The rain intensified, and since the spirit was taller than Mingjin, Mingjin had to adjust her umbrella back if she wanted to see him. This caused the rain to blow onto her face with the wind, making her very unhappy.
"If there's anything you need to say, just say it."
"It's nothing serious, just some idle chatter."
The spirit seemed to have some unspeakable secret, and didn't know how to speak, so it just kept pacing around in place.
Mingjin frowned as he looked at him, but then remembered something: "Are you Shanliu?"
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