Voluntary poisoning
Qi Guanlan felt a chill in his heart. He held her waist tightly and hurried towards the temple. On the way, he met Gu Yu and, without caring about the whereabouts of the robbers, asked him to lead the way to find the itinerant doctor.
"Old man, why is she vomiting blood after taking your medicine?" Qi Guanlan shouted without even dismounting.
As the horse approached, the traveling doctor covered his face with his sleeve, his mustache twitched, and his eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing in them. "She ate it? That's poison."
Why didn't you say so sooner!
Qi Guanlan suddenly panicked and unconsciously loosened his grip. Wen Ruo, now free, was about to fall when he realized what was happening and quickly pulled her back, anxiously urging, "Quickly get the antidote."
The traveling doctor rummaged through a bottle, poured out a pill, and Qi Guanlan, sitting on his horse, couldn't feed it with just one hand. Seeing his frantic efforts, Gu Yu rode to the side and helped feed it to him.
"This medicine only temporarily suppresses the poison in her body."
Qi Guanlan stood there, stunned. He had only made a casual joke, "Is there no antidote?"
The traveling doctor stroked his beard and asked in surprise, "This is a newly developed medicine that just came out of the oven. I don't have time to prepare an antidote. This medicine can indeed boost your strength and refresh your mind at first, but after an hour, the poison will penetrate deep into your bone marrow. I have said not to get angry. Why did you upset her? The little girl seems quite smart. Why did she actually take it?"
What does the old man mean?
Did she know it was poison?
Qi Guanlan looked down at Wen Ruo, unable to understand what she was thinking. Knowing she couldn't win, she could throw the person far away in an instant to buy time.
Even if she wanted to get the whistle, she didn't have to go through all this trouble. She's so smart, couldn't she just pretend?
Inside the temple, Shiliu Niang stopped chanting the sutra, quickly got up by pushing herself up from the floor, and staggered to the door.
Wen Ruo lay pale in Qi Guanlan's arms, dressed in unfamiliar and rough clothes, her hair disheveled and unresponsive. Her occasional whimpers seemed to tell those around her that she was only clinging to life.
The traveling doctor glanced down and realized it wasn't a young couple. It was an orphan and widow with a leg ailment. He had assumed they had run away together and were now in dire straits. He clicked his tongue, unable to bear seeing her anxious, and said directly, "She encountered a group of robbers. She caught a cold, had allergic symptoms, was poisoned, and was weak, so she fell ill."
Shi Liu's mother grabbed the itinerant doctor's hand, her expression anxious, and said, "Are you a doctor? Please save my daughter."
"No problem!" the traveling doctor said, squinting.
Along the way, Pomegranate Girl kept looking back. The doctor followed behind her with his hands behind his back, his eyes fierce, and he said with a stern face, "Hurry up, or I won't take care of you anymore."
Qi Guanlan carried her back to her residence. Fortunately, he had brought some charcoal, which Zhang Tingjia delivered to her. He and Qi Guanlan waited outside the door together.
Half an hour later, Wen Ruo lay on the bed with her head covered in silver needles. Shi Liu Niang helped her take off her dirty and stiff outer clothes and saw the ill-fitting vest worn over her underwear. She paused for a moment, then quickly took it off and hid it under the covers.
An hour later, following the doctor's instructions, the monks brought the bath tubs, along with buckets of hot water, into the room, and Qi Guanlan also brought over the heater from his own room.
The small room had two heaters, and the steam from the water tank veiled Wen Ruo's face. Wen Ruo sat inside with her eyes closed, the hot water reaching above her collarbone, her dark hair clinging to her ears.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Shiliu Niang's forehead. She rolled up her sleeves and used a handkerchief to wipe her body, washing away the mud splatters in her hair.
Wen Ruo was in a daze, as if she had fallen from the clouds. The fine rain was pattering on her face, which felt comfortable but not strong. Her eyes were slightly moving, as if she were half-awake. She only felt empty and afraid. Was she going to die?
They worked until midnight, and the lights in the room never went out.
Qi Guanlan had just finished washing up and was about to leave when Gu Yu blocked his way. He was anxious and quickly raised his hands in surrender, saying:
"Once she wakes up, I'll go back and face the punishment. I saved the villagers and even brought the robbers to your doorstep. General Gu, you wouldn't refuse such a small thing, would you?"
Gu Yu: "Those who died were just small fry. The one who ran away was the boss. Do you know where he is?"
"How would I know? I'm not a god. But it's getting late. Without Xiaobai, he definitely can't get back to the village on his own two legs. Zhuxi Village and Huangshi Village are the closest two villages. I just don't know if he dares to go."
"By the way, there's also a second-in-command in the village. I've told you everything, there's no secret."
Gu Yu nodded in satisfaction, "You've made some progress."
A hint of joy flashed in Qi Guanlan's eyes as he tentatively asked, "Does that mean I won't have to get beaten anymore?"
Gu Yu shook his head, "You left without permission, and I haven't added another crime to your list; that's already being merciful."
Qi Guanlan's lips curled into a sneer, her face instantly falling. "Alright, can I leave now?"
"Did she coax you out with her?"
"Just wanted to relax." Qi Guanlan glanced sideways, as if asking, "Does it matter? He's about to get beaten up anyway."
"Why does the general have time to care about this?"
Gu Yu's gaze deepened, and he scrutinized him for a moment before shaking his head. "It's good that it has nothing to do with her. You're lucky this time."
Qi Guanlan was immediately dissatisfied. What did he mean by being a fortune teller? How could he look down on people like that? "Since you're still going to get beaten up, I won't hide it from you anymore. The robber you encountered was someone who lured you into a trap and delivered your head to you. Shouldn't you give her some reward?"
"And then there's Xiaobai. If it weren't for her, I would have had to walk back. All of this is thanks to her strategic planning. If we're talking about rewards, nine-tenths should go to her, and the remaining one-tenth should go to that itinerant doctor. Not to mention, she can do all this with ease. I think she's even better than that talkative, cursing strategist next to you."
Gu Yu: "Really?"
"Would I lie?" Qi Guanlan said arrogantly, embellishing her story about how she managed to sow discord among the robbers despite her illness, and how she and the traveling doctor manipulated the group of people with great skill, praising her to the skies.
Gu Yu raised his eyelids and looked in the direction where Wen Ruo was, a playful smile curving his lips. "She really is a genius, what a pity."
It would have been better if he hadn't praised her; the moment he did, Qi Guanlan was instantly enraged. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Wen Ruogui was too cunning, didn't know how to take care of his health, and was stingy. He actually got so angry over gold that he was poisoned. After a barrage of complaints, he couldn't stop talking and started bringing up old grievances, listing Wen Ruogui's crimes in court one by one.
Gu Yu couldn't help but glance at him again, "You're quite tolerant."
What could he do if he couldn't bear it? Qi Guanlan sighed, said nothing, and left with a gloomy face.
As he passed the inn, it seemed that Yan'an Temple had welcomed new pilgrims. The room lights went out as soon as he passed by, plunging the road ahead into darkness. Qi Guanlan's lips curled into a smile. Who cared? It was as if he absolutely needed this little light to guide him.
Reaching Wen Ruo's door, Qi Guanlan found the scholar who delivered charcoal still standing guard. Could he be an acquaintance? Qi Guanlan sized him up, then shook his head slightly. Even Yang Shen couldn't compare; where did this ugly fellow come from? "Who are you? Why aren't you resting?"
Knowing his identity, Zhang Tingjia felt somewhat guilty as he spoke, bowing his head and saying, "I have received much care from Aunt Shiliu and Miss Wenruo. Now that Miss Wenruo's life is in danger, I am very worried and want to see if I can help."
Qi Guanlan leaned against the window, looking curious: "How did you two meet?"
"Aunt Shiliu is very kind and generous. I only gave her a few books. I can't say we know each other. I just heard that Miss Wen is in poor health. I only have a little money and I really can't help her."
Qi Guanlan gave an "oh" and lowered her eyes secretly. "Since it was my fault, I will ask someone to help her recover. It's late and the dew is heavy, you should go back."
Zhang Tingjia's face stiffened, and he stammered, "That's not what I meant. Miss Wen is very determined, and no one can force her to leave the temple. I know that very well."
Qi Guanlan waved his hand. What he hated most now were scholars—weak, sanctimonious, and full of bad intentions. He dismissively began to shoo them away.
After the scholar left, Qi Guanlan knocked on the door and introduced himself. A moment later, Shiliu Niang came out of the house with a solemn expression, gently closed the door, let out a long sigh, and her old eyes glistened with tears.
"What's wrong? Is her condition worse again?" Qi Guanlan craned his neck. If the mountain in front of him hadn't been so immovable, he would have rushed in to see for himself. What kind of behavior is this, stammering like this?
Unable to get an answer, he truly believed that Wen Ruo had fallen ill again. In a moment of panic, he left immediately, saying, "I'm going to find a traveling doctor."
Pomegranate Mother quickly stopped him, frowning as she explained, "The doctor has come and the medicine has been taken, but the patient has started talking nonsense, and I can't understand him."
At this point, Shiliu Niang was overcome with grief and began to wipe away her tears, muttering to herself, "What about taking the golden walnuts? What about killing Xi You? If I had known, I wouldn't have brought her to this temple."
"It's all my fault. I made her get stuck in a rut. She's never been this sick before."
Did she even know what she was saying? Qi Guanlan's fingertips were freezing cold, and his brows were furrowed like mountains, but now was not the time to explain. Shiliu Niang came to her senses, hung the bundle on her wrist onto Qi Guanlan's hand, and began to shoo her away.
The familiar touch... it was his disguise. Qi Guanlan's lower lip trembled slightly. If he explained, would they believe him?
Shiliu Niang reminded him in a barely audible voice, "Men and women should not touch each other. Just consider that you had no choice but to save her today. Return the items to their rightful owner and let's not mention this matter again."
Qi Guanlan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that it would be better to explain, "She was unconscious from the cold at the time, and that's when I changed her clothes. I didn't see anything, but it's better not to tell her about this."
Shi Liu Niang's expression softened slightly. "Thank you, Young Master Qi, for your kindness."
It was so dark you could barely see your hand in front of your face. Qi Guanlan rubbed his hands together and hesitated outside the door for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. The wind was strong at night, rattling against the windowpanes, but the person inside remained unconscious.
A sliver of clothing peeked out from behind the unseen artificial hill. Zhang Tingjia, arms wrapped around himself, lips white with cold, breathed on his palms and shivered as he said, "I'm so sorry, Miss Wenruo, I'm afraid I won't be able to wait for you to wake up."
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