Twenty-two: The Crescent Moon Like a Hook - Part Three
Inside the city, the rain drizzled incessantly. After Mingjin entered, Jizhen looked up at the world through the crack in the closed door. It was now completely dark, and the raindrops on the ground didn't seem large, but once inside, with the wind blowing and the rain blowing, not only was his head under the umbrella wet, but even the back of his hand holding the umbrella was dripping wet.
“You came here because you were worried that my spiritual veins would also be damaged,” Ban Rui said to Ming Jin, who was putting away his umbrella, while sitting on the bed and holding a bowl of hot porridge. “I have to thank you.”
"The squad leader didn't wake up until after dark, so your timing is perfect." There was an extra bowl of porridge for the patient, and when Ji Zhen saw Ming Jin rushing over in the rain, he gave Ming Jin his own bowl.
Although Mingjin had gotten a little wet, he wasn't hungry at all, so he pushed the porridge towards Jizhen: "Master, you eat it. I'm not hungry. Don't let the porridge get cold. But Master Ji, I don't doubt your medical skills. I just thought of this by chance, and I haven't come to see the squad leader yesterday or today, so I rushed over."
“You’re still telling me all this,” Ji Zhen said calmly. “But the fact that you could think of this shows that all my rambling over the years hasn’t been in vain.”
"Elder, why did it take you so long to wake up? I heard from Jingyun that you are not even thirty years old this year. Is there some other problem?" Mingjin asked, sitting at the table.
“It’s just that my body is too weak, and my recovery from injuries is much slower than other cultivators,” Ban Rui said helplessly. “I’ve been weak since I was a child. My parents originally sent me here to cultivate when I was young, hoping that I could train with them and grow stronger. But even with my master’s simplest cultivation, I developed a fever and had to stay in bed for seven or eight days after doing it for a while. Over the years, my body has improved a bit, but it’s still not as good as yours, which is why I went to cultivate metal arts. If my spiritual veins are damaged, it won’t affect me as much as it does other cultivators, since I don’t have much cultivation to begin with. My original skills aren’t even enough to fight a few evil spirits.”
"No matter what the situation is like outside, don't think like that."
Having practiced medicine for many years, Ji Zhen is most averse to patients giving up easily. Although Ban Rui's condition is not a serious illness, a bad mindset can lead to a sudden decline in physical condition.
Banrui finished his bowl, straightened the clothes he was wearing with one hand, and walked to the table and sat down: "I feel like I had a good sleep, and I feel much better. You haven't told me about the situation outside yet."
Mingjin briefly recounted the events of the past few days, and Banrui understood the gist of it. However, when Mingjin mentioned using her metal magic in front of the evil spirit and talked about not being able to detect scents while casting spells, Banrui rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "Scents... that's a bit tricky. I hadn't thought of that before, it was my oversight... but where should I improve it?"
"Don't talk about these things now, and don't think about them," Ji Zhen said helplessly, waving his hand in front of Ban Rui to interrupt his thoughts. "You've just recovered from a serious illness, and thinking too much won't help you recover. You need to pay attention to your mind and not overthink things."
Just then, a tiny glowing light flew through the window, drawing the attention of the three people.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was Ya Zai who had flown back despite the rain.
"You're back," Mingjin said, taking Yazai from him. "How's it going outside?"
Just recalling her experiences over the past half-day, Ya Zai was so exhausted that she let out a groan.
When she arrived, Mu Ning was in the courtyard keeping Xu Bingjun company while he enjoyed the cool air.
The weather in the south was hot and humid, and it hadn't rained for days. Even as a magical artifact, Ya Zai was feeling the heat and was flying sideways. It couldn't find the courtyard that Mu Ning had mentioned earlier, but Mu Ning noticed a glimmer of light on Ya Zai's tail feathers first.
"What did you see?" Xu Bingjun sat on the bamboo chair and noticed Mu Ning's gaze as he changed the tea, so he looked over as well. "I didn't expect to see fireflies here."
Xu Bingjun did indeed collapse, but it was due to old age and his body gradually weakening, not because of any illness. When Mu Ning arrived, Xu Bingjun had just started taking his medicine. After taking it a few times, he felt much better and decided not to stay in bed anymore. Seeing his disciple of many years come to visit him, he pulled Mu Ning aside to talk in the courtyard. When Ya Zai arrived, he saw the old man drinking tea and admiring the moon, and he could hardly detect any signs of illness in him.
Mu Ning heard the toothy cries a few times and understood what Ming Jin had entrusted to her.
"What's wrong?" Xu Bingjun asked, puzzled, as Mu Ning suddenly sat up straight.
"Teacher, I have to go now," Mu Ning said seriously. "My disciple needs to come back to me."
"Go quickly, go quickly. I'm quite content with the time you've spent with me," Xu Bingjun said, slowly rising as he watched Mu Ning stand up. He took Mu Ning's hand as she prepared to put on her luggage. "Don't rush on your way back."
At this moment, Ya Zai was talking at the table, while Mu Ning carried Zhou Wei to Wan Xia's side. Duan Shuxuan and Zhang Xu had both been saved, but only temporarily; whether they would wake up again was still uncertain.
Chai Wang took out two bamboo pillows from his pouch and placed them under Duan Shuxuan's head: "Master, what should we do?"
“There’s no reason for them to stay here now,” Wan Xia took Zhou Wei’s hand and quickly used a healing spell. “Jing Chu, send a message to Jing Ming and tell him to send a few ships over as soon as possible. Their current condition is not suitable for them to return using magic.”
"Sect Leader Wan, how is he?" Mu Ning asked worriedly, supporting Zhou Wei opposite Wan Xia.
"He treated his injuries from the lightning strike himself, and he's healed, but he hasn't recovered from the damage. He must have been exhausted in the forest, and he's passed out from exhaustion. As long as he takes good care of himself, he won't be in any danger in the future."
The sacred pine tree, struck by lightning, now leans precariously, unexpectedly forming a canopy. Chen Du gathers up the remaining lanterns and hangs them around the perimeter. The dark clouds lighten in color, the rain intensifies, and the environment softens.
Zhou Wei Wanxia touched Zhou Wei's forehead and neck, and used a handkerchief that was wet with rain to wipe away the bloodstains on Zhou Wei's face, but some of the bloodstains had already dried, and the wet handkerchief could not completely clean them.
"Master..." Zhou Wei managed to utter a few words in his half-conscious state, but Wan Xia and Mu Ning, who hadn't been paying attention to him, didn't hear him clearly.
“Master,” Chai Wang returned and squatted down next to Wan Xia, “My senior brother has replied, saying that he will immediately start calling for a boat and that we should also prepare.”
"Then let's get ready."
The group of four ships arrived at the dock of Juxia City around dawn. Guo Hao, Wan Xia's eldest disciple and who had been acting as the sect leader for some time, personally waited for the ships with a lantern. Because they had also sent several patients to the clinic where Ming Jin and Du Gewen were recuperating nearby, a cultivator had knocked on the door half an hour earlier.
Xi Xiangfeng had been up all night and hadn't fallen asleep when he pushed open the door and saw Guo Hao standing there. After learning the truth, he was so frightened that his soul almost flew out of his body. He quickly washed his face, changed his clothes, and followed his senior brother's orders to get ready.
The commotion outside woke Mingjin, who had been sleeping very lightly lately. Startled awake in the middle of the night, Mingjin also felt a headache, so he put on his clothes and went out to see what was going on. He saw Xi Xiangfeng and several other cultivators bustling around and quickly asked what was happening.
“The imprisoned evil spirit has been rescued. Several elders and senior brothers were injured while trying to stop them. The sect leader asked us to prepare rooms for them to recuperate,” Xi Xiangfeng said, downplaying the seriousness of the situation. He wanted to persuade Mingjin to go back and rest first. “Sister Tianguang, you should go back and rest first. It might be a bit noisy outside. But if the senior brother finds out that you’ve been busy outside, he’ll definitely scold me.”
"Alright, I'll go back to my room first." Mingjin felt there was nothing she could do here, and they certainly wouldn't want her to help, so she followed Xi Xiangfeng's arrangement.
It was still noisy outside, and Mingjin couldn't fall asleep. Lying in bed, she was very worried about how the others outside were doing. Yazi said that she had invited Master Mu over, but after that she came back and knew nothing more.
She stared out the window with her eyes open, still able to hear the soft patter of rain at night. She tilted her head to look out, but her neck quickly began to ache, and coupled with her already exhaustion, she finally drifted off to sleep.
When she woke up again, it was just past dawn, but it was quiet outside. Mingjin quietly changed her clothes, quietly pushed open the door and came out, trying to make as little noise as possible.
She first looked for Xi Xiangfeng in the vicinity, but couldn't find him. So, while searching around, she finally found Xi Xiangfeng's residence. No one answered her knocks, so Mingjin, feeling embarrassed, pushed the door open and went inside. She found Xi Xiangfeng lying on the bed, fast asleep, completely oblivious to her knocking.
Mingjin straightened her body and covered her with the blanket. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that Xi Xiangfeng's lips were dry and chapped, so she poured a small amount of water into a cup. Mingjin touched the teapot and found the water was cold, so she used her fire magic to slightly warm the water in the cup, then touched the lid with the water to moisten Xi Xiangfeng's lips. She couldn't pour too much water, so she used up the remaining amount in the cup and quietly withdrew.
The rain had finally stopped last night after a whole day. After closing the door, Mingjin heard the familiar chirping of a few birds flying around in the courtyard. The two cultivators who delivered meals to her every day pushed open the door and came in. They greeted Mingjin, "Daoist Ming, come and eat!" Mingjin responded and walked towards the dining table, where she saw a familiar face.
Chai Wang placed his hands together on the table, his eyes were bluish and his face was slightly pale, completely unaware that Ming Jin was approaching.
"Dinner's ready," said the aunt and uncle who brought the food, one carrying soup and the other carrying rice, preparing two portions for one person and placing them on the table. "This child is exhausted from working all night."
"Oh, thank you both," Chai Wang finally regained his composure as two figures swayed in front of him. He thanked them first, then noticed Ming Jin sitting next to him when he saw the two meals. "Tian Guang, you're awake so early."
"You didn't sleep well. You're tired after a long night. Go back and get some more sleep after dinner."
When Mingjin saw Chai Wang, he wanted to ask him for some information, but seeing that he looked so bad, he could only keep his mouth shut and use rice porridge to stop him from asking questions.
"I feel like I'm sleepwalking right now, I have no idea what I'm doing. Tianyi and Changqi are staying in the innermost room together, but when I got up to check, they were still asleep. Elder Mu is staying on the second floor."
Mingjin wrote it down carefully.
"How's your injury? Why are you up so early?"
“My master examined me last night and said there was nothing serious,” Chai Wang said, holding the bowl in his hands. “The evil spirit attacked last night and everyone was frightened. I heard about it. Luckily, you took precautions and invited Elder Mu over, otherwise we would have been completely defeated. It’s just a pity that the evil spirit was released.”
"What exactly happened last night?" Mingjin couldn't help but ask upon hearing this.
While the two ate, Chai Wang recounted what had happened from the night before, after Ming Jin left until their return. During the conversation, he mentioned the evil spirit releasing lightning and Zhou Wei being injured while chasing the evil spirit. Ming Jin's face showed obvious anxiety, but he was slightly relieved when Chai Wang quickly added that they were all alright.
"It still didn't work," Mingjin thought helplessly. "It would be terrible if something really happened to Changqi. I'm going to check on them."
"Tian Guang," Ming Jin said, carrying a bowl into the house, when he suddenly heard Chai Wang, holding an empty bowl, get up with him. "I have something I want to ask you. Does Elder Mu still accept disciples?"
"I don't know either. I've never heard of him voluntarily accepting disciples," Mingjin asked curiously. She wondered if there were other similar models outside of Kongyun Mountain. "What? Does Juxia also allow disciples to undergo secondary training under elders other than their own masters, just like Kongyun Mountain?"
"That's not it..."
As Chai Wang was pondering how to explain, he heard two people's footsteps coming down from the second floor. Du Gewen and Mu Ning walked over quietly before they saw Ming Jin and Chai Wang.
"Master, how are you upstairs?" Mingjin looked at Du Gewen with surprise, but thinking about the commotion last night, she couldn't sleep, let alone Du Gewen.
“I’m getting old. I couldn’t sleep at all last night because I was up all night. I got up early this morning to ask Wupeng about your situation yesterday. Well, I’m glad you’ve accomplished something. It’s a great achievement.” Du Gewen patted Mingjin on the shoulder as he walked by, then straightened his clothes and sat down.
"I really didn't do anything; it was Ya Zai who delivered the message. Master Mu, you rushed over yesterday, is your master alright?"
"The old man is in good spirits, don't worry about it. He was sitting right next to me when I delivered the letter yesterday, and he only left after he gave me permission." Mu Ning sat down next to Du Gewen and nodded to the two chefs who handed her the bowls.
"That's good, I'm relieved," Mingjin nodded, and as he turned to leave, he happened to exchange a glance with Chai Wang, so he asked, "Master Mu, there's something I'd like to ask you..."
"I have to go now, you all continue your conversation."
Feeling that he couldn't bear to listen to what Mingjin was about to say, Chai Wang greeted everyone and then jumped out of the door and ran away.
"What's wrong?" Mu Ning asked, bewildered. She picked up the bowl and was momentarily unsure whether she had started eating.
There were quite a few cultivators from Kongyun Mountain remaining in Juxia. Although Wan Xia replied to Pei Xuanzhen saying not to worry, the few who stayed behind were all preparing to return as soon as possible.
Ban Rui has recovered and is now fully under Wan Xia's care, allowing Ji Zhen to relax a bit. Du Gewen and Ming Jin's injuries are also almost healed. Zhou Wei's injuries were more severe, but fortunately he regained consciousness that same day. After seeing him, Ji Zhen felt he could set off by boat to Kongyun Mountain to recuperate. So they set a date and decided to wait until Pei Xuanzhen came to thank Wan Xia before leaving together.
During this time, Pei Xuanzhen temporarily blocked the news from everyone on the mountain, especially Deng Lin, only telling him that Zhou Wei stayed at Kongyun Mountain to help look after the other cultivators. Ming Jin and Shen Du, having some free time, happened to find the rain had stopped for a while, so they bought a lot of things in the city to take back and share with everyone. Nothing valuable, just food, toys for the children, a few rare books in the bookstore, and several fabrics from the cloth shop.
They hadn't planned to buy much, but there were too many people on the mountain, so they had no choice. However, Du Gewen saw them and gave them a couple of lectures: "You two, once you get the money, you can't stop it. It just flows out like water."
“Then there’s no need to guard the money,” Mu Ning, who hadn’t left yet, retorted to Du Gewen. “Just buy whatever you like.”
The two cultivators from Huicheng had set off some time earlier and were picked up by an elder Mingjin didn't recognize; she hadn't gone to see them. She was only thinking about Wei Jing's words. While writing to the people on the mountain, she hesitated whether to send a letter back to Meng Sheng. Later, worried about accidentally letting something slip, she only had Ya Zai send some of the gifts she had bought over. She figured that since Meng Sheng was still in the mood to stroll around Juxia City, he probably wouldn't even imagine that she was injured.
Inside the clinic, Xi Xiangfeng was busy caring for Zhang Xu and Duan Shuxuan, who could only briefly open their eyes, were unable to speak, and were unable to eat normally. He couldn't attend to Ming Jin for the time being. However, Ming Jin didn't mind. After all, there were priorities, and she was thinking about the evil spirits in Ping He's memories. Although Lu Yuzhu was dead, Ping He and Fu Xia had run away together, along with another cultivator. And those two fighting evil spirits—although their true forms couldn't be seen, their techniques should be familiar to the other cultivators.
Mingjin borrowed a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone from Xi Xiangfeng, placed the teapot and teacups on the table to the side, and laid out the paper to trace Fuxia's appearance from his memory. However, while thinking about the scene at that time, Mingjin suddenly remembered that when he turned his head to look for Lu Yuzhu following Pinghe's gaze, he seemed to see the shadow of a city in the distance.
However, Pinghe was familiar with the area, so he turned his head and glanced at it. Mingjin was also focused on Lu Yuzhu's face at the time, and only had a vague impression of what happened.
She tried to draw it several times, but it just didn't look right. So, of the five sheets of paper in her hand, except for one with a portrait of Fuchsia, she crumpled up the rest and threw them on the table.
Helpless, but Xi Xiangfeng was busy, and Ming Jin didn't want to trouble her with this matter, since the chances of her actually completing the painting were extremely slim. However, a few days ago when she went to hunt for antique books with Shen Du, she remembered that the shop seemed to sell writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. Although the paper was of good quality, the price was exorbitant, so she only eavesdropped briefly when others asked about prices before leaving. Thinking that the shop should still have some coarse paper, she sighed in the drizzling rain, opened her umbrella, and went out.
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