Five years on the line
His consciousness was like sinking into deep water. In the chaos and mist, a warm liquid slid into his throat, carrying a bitter medicinal fragrance, which pulled Tiao Tiao to swallow instinctively.
His eyelids twitched, and what greeted him was a bright, delicate face, as beautiful as a lotus. Her skin was fairer than snow, her eyebrows were as black as ink, her lips were as beautiful as cherry blossoms, and especially her eyes, playful and lively, glittering like stars. As he opened his eyes, the corners of the girl's mouth curved, her eyes crescent-shaped in a smile, a radiant glow flowing through her, a spirit that was compelling.
"Miss, Miss, he's awake!" The voice was as clear as a yellow oriole singing in the valley.
Before she finished her words, a pale green figure arrived in front of the couch. She wore a simple, elegant long dress, her long black hair loosely tied and secured with two hairpins: one pure white jade, the other a delicate silver hibiscus flower. Thin, folded, silver petals shone in the dim light, shimmering like morning dew. Her eyebrows were lightly drawn, her eyes as clear as autumn water. Unadorned by makeup, they shone with a radiant light, like a drop of morning dew condensed on the tip of a lotus leaf, crystal clear and full of elegance.
Tiao Tiao tried to sit up, but Su Baiwei held him down gently with her outstretched hand: "Sir, don't move. The broken bones have just been reconnected. If you move rashly now, all your efforts may be wasted." Her voice was calm, but it was filled with unquestionable concern.
His heart felt slightly warmed, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Thank you, ladies, for saving my life."
"It's a doctor's duty. Young Master, don't worry." Su Baiwei nodded slightly. "Remember, you can't leave the bed for three days, and you can't use your Qi recklessly for a month. Let me take your pulse again."
"Thank you."
Su Baiwei sat down beside the couch, her slender fingers lightly touching her wrist pulse. The moment her fingertips touched skin, a flash of extreme surprise flashed deep in her eyes.
The pulse diagnosis took an unusually long time. For a moment, you could hear a pin drop in the room, as if everyone was holding their breath. Mu Jin also sensed the tense atmosphere and waited with bated breath.
Su Baiwei finally slowly withdrew her fingers.
"How?" Mu Jin asked anxiously.
"Young Master's pulse..." Su Baiwei said slowly, her eyes calm, "It's much calmer and stronger than expected. The speed of recovery is rare. So I took his pulse repeatedly to confirm it."
"That's good, that's good!" Mu Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hibiscus," Su Baiwei turned her gaze towards her, "Have you collected the gentian that was drying today?"
"Oh! I forgot!" Mu Jin exclaimed and left in a hurry.
Tiao Tiao was so perceptive that she had already noticed the worry between Su Baiwei's brows. "If you have anything else to say, please feel free to speak up. To me, apart from life and death, everything else is trivial."
"Sir, do you know," Su Baiwei raised her eyes, looked him straight in the eye, and spoke softly and clearly, "you only have... five years left to live?"
Tiao Tiao's heart skipped a beat, and then a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips. "Heh... a little shorter than I expected."
"Young Master... you don't seem worried?" Su Baiwei showed a little surprise.
"Why worry?" Tiao Tiao's eyes were as calm as water. "Life is life, death is death, just follow the will of heaven." His brows suddenly frowned slightly, as if he thought of something, then relaxed again. "There's only one thing... I think there's enough time. Miss, don't worry. Everyone has their own destiny. It's late, go to bed early."
Su Baiwei stared at him for a moment and shook her head gently: "In that case... please rest up, sir. If you feel uncomfortable at night, just call me. I'll be next door."
She turned and tried to leave.
"white……"
Su Baiwei stopped and looked back.
"...I'm sorry for your trouble, young lady." He changed the subject, his gaze suddenly becoming as sharp as a sword, piercing Su Baiwei's eyes. "Young lady, you are a master of medicine. Since you have examined my injuries, you must have seen some clues. Could it be that... you don't want to know who I am? And who is trying to kill me?"
Su Baiwei didn't shy away from the sharp scrutiny, her expression as calm as still water. "A doctor's eyes only focus on the patient's injuries. Everything else has nothing to do with me, and I have no intention of knowing."
"Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble and being implicated by me?" Tiao Tiao asked with a sharp gaze.
Su Baiwei's eyes were bright, and every word was clear: "Life and death are determined by fate, but I hope to have a clear conscience."
"What a 'clear conscience'!" Tiao Tiao stared intently at the clear, resolute light in her eyes. It felt as if a heavy hammer had struck a part of his heart, its hard shell quietly cracking. He was stunned for a moment, his voice trailing off. "Thank you."
Su Baiwei said no more, simply lighting a censer of calming incense on her desk. Curls of green smoke rose, carrying a soothing aroma. She gently closed the door, her figure blending into the darkness outside.
Tiaotiao's gaze lingered on the closed door for a long time, deep and unfathomable. The only lingering sound in the room was the faint scent of soothing incense and the flickering light of the candlelight.
Three days later, the morning light began to shine.
The moment Tiaotiao pushed open the door, a copper bell from the eaves shattered a ray of sunlight. He tried to move his shoulder blade, and the injured part throbbed faintly in the morning mist.
There was a sudden commotion coming from the direction of the clinic.
"Get out! Get out of here! I won't treat you today!" The rude shouts were mixed with the screams of the people and the sound of objects colliding.
"Ouch……"
"My medicine..."
"Hurry up, hurry up..."
The chaotic sounds of footsteps, pushing and shoving, and suppressed crying quickly faded away, and the entire clinic fell into a suffocating silence.
Tiao Tiao leaned slightly to the side and looked into the clinic through the crack in the door - only to see five ferocious-looking men with knives who had forced Su Baiwei into a dead corner in the medicine cabinet.
"The Demon Cult is asking for help, and is speaking with a knife?" She was still pounding the medicine, the rhythm of the stone pestle was not disturbed at all, and even her eyelashes did not tremble.
"Oh, how rude! Put it down!" The dark-faced man in the lead pretended to scold, then grinned, revealing his sharp white teeth. "These men don't know the rules. Doctor Su, please forgive us. Please forgive us. I, Ding Kui, apologize on their behalf."
"Three drops of my heart's blood on the fifteenth of every month, not a single drop missing. What else do you want?" The Bianstone string on Su Baiwei's wrist jingled crisply.
"Not enough," Ding Kui said, his smile unchanged, but there was no warmth in his eyes, "I need triple the blood this time."
"Three times?" She gritted her teeth, the stone pestle coming to a halt. "Three drops are enough to nourish the mother Gu. What exactly do you want?"
"Doctor Su, there's no need to worry about that." Ding Kui flicked his knife lightly, and a strand of black hair snapped off and fell into the mortar. "Don't let another skeleton fall into the medicine pond tomorrow and cause you grief."
A silver light suddenly appeared!
Su Baiwei's hands moved like lightning, and in an instant she had plucked the silver hibiscus hairpin from her bun. The tip of the hairpin flickered with a cold light, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, and pressed it against Ding Kui's neck. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, "Do you really think I dare not kill you?"
Ding Kui sneered, slowly pushing the silver hairpin away with his index and middle fingers. Su Baiwei's wrist strength increased dramatically, and the tip of the hairpin penetrated another half inch. He sneered, "Doctor Su has a bad temper... Don't forget, those people are now half-dead. Whose 'credit' is it?"
The tip of the hairpin trembled slightly. In a flash, a hand like an iron clamp gripped her wrist, twisting it backward. The mortar bowl slipped from her hand and shattered onto the bricks. Almost instantly, Mu Jin, standing beside her, flipped her wrist, a cold gleam flashing between her fingers—a silver needle shot like lightning toward Ding Kui's throat. Startled, Ding Kui tilted his head, and with a snap, the needle pierced the medicine cabinet, its tail humming and trembling as it narrowly missed.
"You little bitch, are you looking for death?" Ding Kui was furious and raised his knife to chop at Mu Jin. Mu Jin's face turned pale, but she bit her lip tightly, not taking a step back, staring at Ding Kui intently.
At this critical moment!
"Swish!" The blood-soaked bandage snapped instantly from the force of his internal energy. A green shadow swept across the medicine cabinet like a gust of wind. Tiaotiao swatted away the steel knife aimed at Mu Jin. His hand, which was meant to strike directly at Ding Kui's vital point, was distracted by the excruciating pain from an old rib injury, causing him to lose his aim and only manage to rip off half of the ear with the flame tattoo.
The excruciating pain made Ding Kui's eyes bloodshot. A flash of cold light flashed from his sleeve, and three poison-tipped caltrops shot out. Tiaotiao soared into the sky like a crane, flipping mid-air. Two of the caltrops grazed the old wound on his side, and the third sank into the beam with a "poof," exploding with a "bang" in a cloud of poisonous green mist. Every thrust felt like tearing the barely healed wound, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.
At this moment, Su Baiwei shook her wrist and broke free from the clamp, and the hibiscus silver hairpin pierced into the Quchi point behind Ding Kui's elbow with a cold murderous intent.
Tiaotiao used the rebound force of the medicine cabinet to kick the opponent's chest with his toes. The old wound between his ribs was completely broken. The warm liquid instantly soaked the bandage and underwear, and spread a dazzling red plum blossom on the blue brick. He grabbed the blade of another attacker with one hand, and his internal force surged. "Clang" broke it into three pieces, and knocked the attacker away with his backhand. Severe pain shot up to his temples, and golden light flashed before his eyes. He clenched his teeth, forced himself to swallow the fishy sweetness in his throat, and with a flick of his boot, a broken knife whizzed out and hit another minion in the tanzhong acupoint: "Oh, does the Holy Fire Hall only accept this kind of junk now?"
Su Baiwei suddenly raised her sleeve and swept the medicine bottle off the table. The moment a light mist rose, the last attacker collapsed to the ground like mud.
"Doctor Su's 'Soul-Loving Smoke' is perfectly formulated." Beneath her veil, Tiao Tiao's lips curled up in a cold arc, but that arc quickly stiffened slightly with pain. "It's even more limp than the wolfsbane flower from the Western Regions."
Ding Kui struggled to get up, but Tiao Tiao spun around and delivered a fierce, whip-like kick, sending him flying. He crashed into the medicine drying rack like a broken bag, sending tangerine peel and angelica raining down like golden rain, creating a mess at Su Baiwei's feet. Tiao Tiao leaned against the counter, most of his weight resting on the cold surface. His boot tip casually rolled over the broken knife on the ground, and he spat out a single word: "Get out."
The word "get out" ripped the window paper apart with its internal force, like a sledgehammer striking his own wound. The excruciating pain blinded him, and his knuckles turned white from the strain he exerted on the counter edge. Ding Kui clutched his bleeding ear, veins bulging on the side of his neck as he roared, "You bastard! Tell me your name if you dare!"
“Click!”
The muffled sound of knuckles clacking against the counter's edge suddenly exploded. Tiaotiao leaned forward slightly, his mask lifted slightly by the hot breath of blood, revealing a faint glimpse of his delicate jawline. A faint, cold sneer escaped his throat: "You think you deserve it?"
Ding Kui stumbled back, knocking over the medicine furnace. Ashes flew everywhere, outlining the path of the four men's panicked escape. He retreated to the door and turned back suddenly. His red eyes seemed to want to rip Tiao Tiao into pieces. His voice was pierced with chill: "Good! Very good! The Holy Fire Hall will remember the humiliation of having your ear severed today! The mountains remain unchanged, the rivers flow forever. We'll see!" The resentful look seemed to carve Tiao Tiao's image into his bones.
"Wait!" Tiaotiao's eyes swept coldly over the limp minions on the ground, his voice a little hoarse from forcing himself to take a deep breath, "Take away the garbage from your Holy Fire Hall."
The five figures vanished completely. His strength drained away in an instant, and Tiao Tiao's legs gave way, his body swaying as he teetered on the brink of collapse. Just as he fell, Su Baiwei flashed by like a flash of lightning, steadying his slumping form. Her hand was already on his wrist: "Mu Jin, Tiao Tiao's Heart-Stabilizing Pill!"
"Yes!" Mu Jin responded immediately, turning and running towards the medicine cabinet. Before leaving, she glanced at the masked man's pale face. He had clearly not been injured, so how could he be so weak?
A thin white light suddenly shot out from Ding Kui's broken ear and hit Tiao Tiao's face.
Su Baiwei's eyes suddenly turned cold, and a silver light flashed through the air between her fingers. With a crisp "ding" sound, the object was nailed firmly to the pillar.
"Mother-child Gu?" She stared at the madly writhing transparent insect in the bottle, her brows furrowed, her gaze sweeping towards the broken ear on the ground. Blood shone a strange green at the severed end, but by the time it dripped onto the ground, it had returned to its normal red.
Carefully placing Tiaotiao on the couch, Su Baiwei unbuttoned her bloodstained shirt. A purple swelling and bruise appeared beneath his ribs, the result of the backlash from his forced Qi training. Concentrating and holding her breath, her hands flew, precisely inserting several silver needles into vital points like Tanzhong and Jiuwei. The needle tips trembled and hummed, guiding the raging Qi to slowly converge. Mu Jin was already standing by the couch, holding a pill and warm water. Su Baiwei poured out a brown pill, dissolved it in warm water, and fed the liquid to him.
The pills entered his stomach, aided by silver needles to smooth his nerves. Tiao Tiao's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. However, as the powerful drug's impact on his damaged meridians, his entire body trembled violently in his coma. His muscles suddenly tensed like iron, his teeth sank deep into his lower lip, and beads of cold sweat dripped down his temples. A suppressed churn in his throat, a broken groan emanating from his throat. His entire body felt like glass roasted in a blazing fire, on the verge of shattering.
Su Baiwei's brows furrowed, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the cool porcelain bottle, her gaze fixed on the glaring bloodstain on his lips. This "Stabilizing Pulse and Protecting Heart Pill" was a potent drug, specifically formulated to suppress violent internal energy and protect the heart meridians. While forcibly channeling his turbulent Qi was effective, it was like drawing a raging fire to burn his injured meridians, causing unimaginable pain.
After a long while, she picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and quickly wrote a few lines on a piece of plain paper. She handed it to Mu Jin and said, "Follow this recipe, boil it into a decoction, and keep it warm for later use."
"Yes!" Mu Jin took the prescription, folded it carefully and put it in her arms, then immediately turned around to prepare the herbs, her steps fast and steady.
That night, the dim candlelight cast a slender, lonely figure over Su Baiwei's desk. She flipped through the pages of the "Qing Nang Book" left by her father, its pages long yellowed and curled, its edges badly frayed.
Her fingertips gently stroked her father's vigorous handwriting, the ink traces still seeming to hold the warmth of yesteryear: "Mother and Child Gu, using blood and soul as a medium, live and die together. If taken, the host dies instantly; if kept, the Gu will devour the heart and veins, gradually withering..."
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