condemn
Mu Jin supported Su Baiwei as they slowly walked forward. She couldn't help but glance back at Tiao Tiao's closed door. After much hesitation, she finally mustered the courage to speak, "Miss, I have something to ask... Mu Jin isn't sure if she should ask."
Su Baiwei didn't stop and said calmly, "Ask if you want to."
"You..." Mu Jin bit her lower lip, turned her head, and her eyes fell on Su Baiwei's quiet profile. The original shyness quietly turned into a trace of heartache, "You...are you right about the young master..." The last few words eventually dissipated between her lips and teeth and could not be uttered.
Su Baiwei paused mid-air, her voice unable to discern whether she was happy or sad: "Why do you ask that?"
"Because you treat the young master... so differently." Mu Jin's gaze followed Su Baiwei's slightly drooping neck. "I've never seen you care so much for someone, so... flustered. In the past, if you encountered a patient who didn't care for himself, you wouldn't even prescribe a prescription, simply saying, 'If a person doesn't care for himself, no medicine will help.' But today, for the young master, you broke the rules and dragged your sick body to see his injuries with your own eyes."
Mu Jin saw her shoulders tremble, knowing she had hit the nail on the head. She could no longer hide the heartache in her voice. "Also, I've never seen you cry before, nor have I ever seen your hand tremble even a little while holding a knife. But in the past two days, you've cried for him twice. Last night, when you were cutting out the rotten flesh in the cell, your hands... were shaking."
Those last words were like a needle, piercing Su Baiwei's forced calm. Her head drooped, as if bent by a heavy burden. Silence permeated the two of them, filled only by the chirping of cicadas.
When Mu Jin thought she would never get a reply for so long, Su Baiwei finally twitched the corner of her mouth in self-mockery, her voice dry: "A person like me... full of sins..." She clenched the corner of her clothes with such force that her fingers turned white, "...how can I dare to hope...to like him..." Her voice became lower and lower, and in the end it was almost inaudible.
"Miss!" Mu Jin's heart sank as she interrupted her anxiously, "Don't underestimate yourself like that! You're very good, better than many people in this world! You don't know," she recalled the tense confrontation in the cave, her words tinged with indignation, "that day in the cave, the young master had a huge argument with the Purple Cloud Sword Master to protect you. He..."
"What?" Su Baiwei suddenly looked up. Her eyes, usually as still as a pond, were now like still waters suddenly breaking. Surprise and sadness swirled, yet at the very bottom, a hint of hidden joy quietly seeped through. Several intense emotions swirled in her eyes, threatening to break through the thin layer of mist.
The afternoon sun filtered through the window lattice, casting tiny specks of light across the floor. Several people sat around the table, the atmosphere heavy with emotion. Lan Tu meticulously recounted the events leading up to Su Yuanshan's creation of the mind-controlling Gu. As she finished speaking, the room fell silent, the only sound being the cacophony of cicadas outside the window.
After a long while, Doudou shook his head and sighed heavily, his face filled with regret. "Alas, this man's knowledge of pharmacology is truly astonishing! If he could use it for righteous purposes and save the world, what a wonderful sight it would be! What a pity! Such a kind thought has led to such a catastrophic disaster."
Dada's face was also shrouded in a haze, and his voice was low: "What worries me most is his innocent daughter who suffered so much. In order to protect the lives of others, she was forced to become the key to perpetuating this evil, suffering day after day in a sea of suffering, and ultimately led to even greater suffering. This torment is hard to imagine unless you have experienced it firsthand."
Hongmao's gaze was profound, and he spoke slowly, "Miss Su is truly no ordinary woman. Despite carrying such a heavy burden, she has always maintained a compassionate heart and honed her medical skills to such a high level. Her tenacity is truly admirable."
"What are you talking about so seriously?" Daben's booming voice suddenly rang out. He pushed open the half-closed door and strode in, instantly shattering the gloomy atmosphere.
Seeing that only Daben came in, Lantu's heart moved, and she asked softly, "Daben, where's Sally? Isn't she with you?"
"Hmm!" Daben waved his hand and sat down. The wooden bench beneath him creaked. "Sally ran off to find Miss Su by herself and didn't let me follow her. Who knows what she's up to?"
Blue Rabbit and Rainbow Cat exchanged a quick glance, each seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes. Rainbow Cat said solemnly, "This matter is extremely important. Sally must be informed as soon as possible."
"What's the urgent matter?" Daben's curiosity was immediately aroused.
"I'll let Hongmao tell you later." Lantu's mind raced as she made a plan. "Miss Su and Tiaotiao are very close. Since Tiaotiao refused to let Doudou treat him, maybe he'll ask Miss Su to check on his injuries. I'll go talk to Miss Su right away; I'm sure she won't refuse." She looked at Hongmao. "If I run into Sally on the way, I'll have her come back to you immediately. Hongmao, you must tell Sally and Daben everything about Hall Master Su."
"Okay." Hongmao responded solemnly, "I will let her know the whole truth."
Doudou stood up and said worriedly, "Lantu, I'll go with you. Firstly, Miss Su needs a follow-up checkup, and secondly..." His tone became a little more serious, "I also want to ask her if she knows the true extent of Tiaotiao's injury."
"Okay." Lan Tu nodded. Without saying anything more, the two turned and left.
Mu Jin supported Su Baiwei and just as they reached the bedroom door, an angry voice suddenly rang out.
"Su Baiwei!"
Su Baiwei looked in the direction of the sound. She saw Sally, dressed in a purple outfit, leaning against the old locust tree in the courtyard, her arms folded. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled spots of light on her, but it couldn't dispel the chill that emanated from her.
Sally's eyes were like knives, sweeping over Su Baiwei's body. A hint of sneer appeared at the corner of her lips. "Doudou said you were too weak to rest? Ha, you rushed to him as soon as you woke up, and even pretended to cry so pitifully. I really don't understand where your 'weakness' lies."
Mu Jin's face suddenly changed, and she subconsciously took half a step forward, protecting Su Baiwei behind her.
Su Baiwei's face remained pale, but her eyes were as still as water. She met Sally's sharp gaze and spoke in a cold voice, "The Purple Cloud Sword Master is waiting here. What advice do you have for me?"
"Teach me?" Sally snorted coldly, taking a step forward. A surge of sword energy suddenly erupted, shaking the locust leaves above her head and causing them to fall. Her eyes burned, fixed on Su Baiwei's face. "I ask you! How many years does he have left to live?"
Su Baiwei lowered her eyelashes, digging her nails into her palms, as if stabbed by these words. She immediately raised her eyelids, her gaze calm and unwavering: "Doesn't the miracle doctor know more about this issue?"
"A miracle doctor?" Sally sneered briefly, as if she had heard something completely absurd. "If he'd let Doudou feel his pulse, would I even need to ask you?"
"Since he doesn't want you to know," Su Baiwei's voice remained flat, "I can't say much." She pressed her fingertips lightly on Mu Jin's arm, indicating to leave.
"You..." Sally was completely enraged by her nonchalant attitude. Her voice suddenly rose and she shouted, "Stop!"
Su Baiwei stopped in her tracks.
The rage that had been suppressed in Sally's chest finally erupted. "Su Baiwei! Watching him get bruised and battered for you, watching him waste his lifespan for you! Watching the Seven Sword Brothers worry about him, unable to sleep or eat! Even... watching him argue and turn against me over you!" Her eyes burned with flames. "Are you satisfied? Is this what you wanted?"
Su Baiwei's body lurched, and she suddenly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently. Mu Jin's words, "I bear my own fate," echoed in her ears, and she could almost see the desolate expression on his face as he spoke. Her fists clenched in her sleeves, her nails digging into her flesh, oozing blood. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with silence. Without another word, she walked away.
"Answer me!" Sally shouted sharply, her purple figure passing by like a gust of wind, blocking Su Baiwei's way. The rage in her eyes threatened to burn the person before her to ashes.
Su Baiwei raised her pale face to meet that biting gaze, her voice so calm it made one's heart tremble: "So? Master Ziyun Sword, are you going to kill me to vent your hatred?"
"Do you think I don't dare?" Sally laughed angrily and turned her wrist.
clang!
The Ziyun Sword was unsheathed, filled with murderous intent, and the chirping of cicadas around suddenly stopped.
Mu Jin rushed forward and opened her arms to block Su Baiwei. Her legs were weak, but she was firmly fixed in place.
"Get out of the way!" Sally said in a cold voice.
Mu Jin's voice trembled: "Purple Cloud Sword Master, if you have something to say, please talk to me..."
Before she could finish her plea, Sally flicked her wrist, releasing a gentle force that gently pushed Mu Jin back a few steps and then struck her acupoint, rendering her paralyzed. The next moment, a flash of purple light appeared, and the blade, carrying a piercing chill, pressed against Su Baiwei's neck. The sharp sword energy sent the hair around her neck dancing wildly.
"No! Don't be impulsive!" Mu Jin was frightened to death, but she couldn't move and could only watch.
Su Baiwei just slowly closed her eyes, and there was even a hint of calmness almost like relief on her face, as if the long-awaited judgment had finally arrived.
Sally looked at her, ready to be killed, and the rage boiling in her chest seemed to hit an invisible wall, suffocating her to the point of bursting. After all, she couldn't really kill her.
"You..." Sally's voice shifted slightly in her fury. She suppressed the murderous intent surging within her, grinding each word through her teeth. "You deserve to die by the Purple Cloud Sword? He risked his life to protect yours, so live well!" His gaze pierced her face fiercely. "But Su Baiwei, remember this. If Tiao Tiao ever... if anything happens to him..." The horrifying scars on Tiao Tiao's body flashed before her eyes. Her sword grip trembled slightly, and she forced herself to swallow back a sudden sob. "Hmph! If he's fine, you're fine! If he's not..." Sally swung her hand back, and a sharp purple sword energy shot out, slashing fiercely at the stone table in the courtyard.
boom!
One of the broken stones scraped Su Baiwei's face, leaving a bloody streak. A drop of blood slid down, staining her light green dress with a glaring red.
"I, Sally, will have you dead! Or alive!" This final warning, swathed in sword energy and hatred, came crashing down. Without another glance at Su Baiwei, she resolutely turned. Her purple robe fluttered in the strong wind, and her steps stumbled. She forced herself to steady herself, then hurried away without a backward glance.
The cicadas chirped again intermittently.
Mu Jin looked at the bloodstains winding across Su Baiwei's face, and recalled the look on her face as she closed her eyes, waiting to die. Her heart ached suddenly. She looked just like those patients she had mentioned who "didn't want to save themselves"...
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