On the eve of the war
The dusk was like molten gold, pressing down heavily on the earth.
The heavy city gate swung open with a groaning sound on its hinges. Rainbow Cat and Blue Rabbit rode their horses in front, the setting sun gilding Ranchen's battle robes with a bloody golden edge.
Between his brows, the fighting spirit had not faded, but there was also a deep sense of fatigue.
Behind him, his silent subordinates filed into the city. The dull echo of horse hooves hitting the bluestone pavement formed a huge contrast with the deafening cheers in the city.
"Rainbow Cat! Blue Rabbit! Rainbow Cat! Blue Rabbit——!"
The roar was like a tsunami and almost overturned the city wall. The people on both sides of the street were so excited that their faces turned red and they shouted at the top of their lungs. Every face was filled with fanatical admiration for those who had survived the disaster.
Hongmao pulled the reins sharply, and the steed beneath him reared up with a neigh. His inner strength was concentrated, and his clear voice pierced through the tumultuous crowd: "It's getting late, folks, please go home!" However, his pleas to return were instantly drowned out by the even greater wave of enthusiasm.
Lan Tu tilted her head, a helpless smile forming on her lips: "It seems that they won't disperse unless we leave." The two of them tacitly squeezed their horses' bellies, and the crowd in front automatically separated into a passage.
At the moment when this roaring glory reached its climax—
A green shadow, wrapped in biting coldness, shot down from the clouds like cold lightning tearing through the dim sky, straight towards Rainbow Cat.
Rainbow Cat's weary eyes suddenly focused, and he raised his arm with lightning speed. The spirit pigeon, dusty from the journey, landed on his arm armor, flapping its wings rapidly and making an uneasy "cooing" sound.
"Waiter?" Hongmao's brows suddenly furrowed, his fingertips pausing on the cold pigeon tube. "A jumping letter? He actually took the initiative..."
"It must be an urgent matter!" Lan Tu's expression turned stern, and he shook the reins, driving the horse close to Hongmao's side.
Rainbow Cat quickly untied the pigeon tube and unfolded the letter. Blue Rabbit looked at it intently. On the thin letter paper, the handwriting was lively and flying, but the force was so strong that it could be seen through the paper:
"The medicine man has found a way to save them. Hurry and reunite with the Ghost Seer. Escort the female doctor, Su Baiwei, to Beimang Mountain to break the formation!"
"Great!" Lan Tu's eyes flickered with joy, then faded. "The Holy Fire Hall's great threat... has finally turned around!" Then, her brows furrowed slightly. "Su Baiwei? That name... seems to have sounded familiar?"
Hongmao rolled his thumb heavily over the edge of the letter, his eyes sharp, "There are indeed rumors in the world about the 'Holy Hand Medical Immortal' Su Baiwei. She has superb medical skills, but her whereabouts remain a mystery." His voice lowered, with a cold scrutiny, "The name 'Holy Hand' is used to save the world, but she appeared in such a sinister place like Ghost-Seeing Sorrow..." The lines of his jaw tightened quietly.
The light in Lan Tu's eyes froze for a moment, turning into a deep vigilance: "Are you worried... that the disaster that happened to Ma Sanniang will happen again?" The unforgettable lesson was silently spread when their eyes met.
Hongmao nodded slightly: "Things are out of the ordinary, so caution is the best approach. When we get to Ghost-Seeing Sorrow and meet this 'Medical Immortal', it will be clear whether he is a human or a ghost." Doubts were suppressed, leaving only icy calmness and hunter-like determination.
"I'll send a message to Daben and Sally." Before Lantu finished speaking, she had already taken out the letter paper and charcoal pencil from the saddle bag.
Rainbow Cat cast his gaze towards the last vestiges of crimson in the sky. "I'll send a message to Doudou, asking him to notify Dada immediately. Liuqi Pavilion isn't far from the Ten-Mile Gallery. Spirit pigeons are flying back and forth. We must make it to our appointment with Guijianchou!"
The candlelight flickered with difficulty in the thick medicinal mist, and the bean-sized halo of light spread out dimly, with occasional "crackling" sounds, adding to the stagnation and depression.
Tiao Tiao and Su Baiwei sat cross-legged facing each other, regulating their breathing and practicing Qigong. Their feeble Qi flowed with difficulty through their damaged meridians, each breath straining their internal organs and bringing a tearing pain. Their figures, cast by the candlelight on the mottled wall, became eerily elongated, like a dying lamp.
In the medicine cabinet, Mu Jin picked up each herb with her fingertips. In the center of the table, a small packet of dark red crystals, like coagulated blood, exuded a rich, sweet smell. It was the dragon's blood that the Holy Fire Hall had sent at noon.
Her fingertips accidentally rubbed against a little powder, and a dark red immediately spread across her skin, like an ominous drop of blood. The copper scale rod in her hand lightly brushed against the cold bracket, making a subtle but sharp "clang" sound that was as piercing as thunder in the dead silence of the pharmacy.
Half an hour later, Mu Jin brought two bowls of medicinal soup to Tiao Tiao and Su Baiwei. The strong aroma of the medicine filled the air, and they slowly finished their practice, simultaneously exhaling.
Su Baiwei picked up one of the bowls and shook it gently, her habitual movement. The inky liquid left a faint streak on the bowl's wall. She leaned close to the edge of the bowl, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed carefully. Her brows suddenly furrowed, and she quickly grasped Tiao Tiao's wrist. Her voice was as cold as ice: "Don't touch it! This medicine is wrong!"
The medicine soup just stopped at Tiao Tiao's lips. His eyes pierced the medicine bowl like a knife.
Mu Jin's face turned pale: "Miss?"
"Hibiscus," Su Baiwei's eyes were like torches, fixed on the medicinal soup, her voice was deep and cold, "Today, except for the dragon's blood jelly sent by the Holy Fire Hall, are the other herbs taken from the warehouse?" She always checked them herself, but today she was busy practicing martial arts and had no time to take care of it.
"Yes, we only used that packet of dragon's blood!" Mu Jin nodded hurriedly.
"Bring the rest." Su Baiwei's voice was calm, but it carried the pressure of impending storm.
Mu Jin rushed to the medicine cabinet, quickly took out the package of dark red crystals and handed it over.
Su Baiwei took it, pinching a small handful between her fingers. In the flickering candlelight, she examined the eerie blood-colored liquid, bringing it close to her nose for a deep sniff. Her gaze suddenly fixed, her fingertips delicately rubbing the edges of the crystal. Then, deep regret and icy anger welled up in her eyes. "Hundred-year-old dragon blood... was actually mixed with 'Heart-Eroding Powder'!" The murderous intent flashed, and then disappeared, leaving only a piercing chill. "This poison, like a blunt knife cutting flesh, specifically corrodes the mind... It's a direct descendant of their viciousness!"
Tiao Tiao rapped his knuckles on the table, a cold light flashing in his eyes: "It seems that the 'good show' at the mass grave has made them smell uneasiness and want to put on a chain." He glanced at the scarlet bag, his usual sneer rising on his lips, and his eyes seemed to casually sweep across Su Baiwei's pale cheek, "The Holy Fire Hall is only this little bit, and is only worthy of using such despicable means in the gutter." The last sentence was said with a chill between his teeth.
"Then...what should we do?" Mu Jin's voice trembled, her eyes instantly turned red, and she stared at the tainted treasure. "If we don't use it, your injuries... may not be healed within three days! If we use it, then..." Despair choked her throat.
Su Baiwei closed her eyes tiredly, and when she opened them again, her eyes were determined: "Discard it."
"Abandon...abandon?" Mu Jin looked up suddenly as if struck hard. Her face flushed crimson. She pointed at the packet of dragon's blood and cried out in deep hatred. "A hundred-year-old dragon's blood! It's priceless. How many lives could it have saved? And it's just...ruined!" She stamped her feet in anger, tears streaming down her face. "They...they even ruined this life-saving medicine!"
Su Baiwei said no more, quickly spreading out paper and dipping it in ink, writing rapidly. Before the ink had dried, two new prescriptions were handed over. "Re-boil it according to this recipe," she said in a steady voice, though her fatigue was barely concealed. "Remove the dragon's blood jelly and replace it with something else. It's about 70% as effective, but the effects will be slower..." She paused, her voice even lower, "But, at least it's non-toxic." The word "non-toxic" carried a heavy weight of compromise.
Tiao Tiao's eyes fell on Su Baiwei's trembling fingertips, then swept across her gloomy face. Anger surged in his eyes, and finally turned into an almost inaudible heavy breath.
Outside the window, the cold wind was howling, blowing up dead leaves and hitting the window frame madly, making a ghostly sound. A piece of torn window paper was torn open by the wind.
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