Chapter 91 I'll trade you my lantern: I need to find a doctor to cure your strange ailment
That night, the Lingzhi Pharmacy in Fuzhou was ransacked. The intruders made too much noise and even injured the night watchman while fleeing.
The night watchman was walking along the road when he was startled and shoved. He hit the back of his head on the alley wall and yelled, "A thief is robbing us!" which immediately woke up many people.
Because of the war, the people of Fuzhou no longer cared about minding their own business. Anyone who could move grabbed whatever weapons were at hand, including hoes, machetes, and sticks. As soon as the door opened, they would ask, "Where are the thieves?!"
The commotion spread to the General's Mansion, where Xi Congshuang, who was reading medical books under the lamplight seeking a solution to the poison, also heard the noise.
Who's making noise?
Without her saying anything, Hongdou, who was dozing off at the table with her chin propped up on her hand, suddenly opened her eyes and flew out the door like a little butterfly.
Xi Congshuang was somewhat bothered by the sudden accident. After a moment's thought, she put down the ancient book in her hand, put on the outer robe draped over the back of the chair, and slowly walked out the door.
She didn't rush out of the nameless courtyard, but stood at the door waiting for Hongdou to return.
Hongdou left in a hurry and didn't close the courtyard gate. Standing at the main gate, she could see the dark night outside the courtyard through the skylight.
After waiting for a long time, Xi Congshuang did not see Hongdou return, but instead encountered someone unexpected.
The person who arrived was dressed in red, with neat clothes and accessories. A few strands of hair hung down beside his face. He didn't look like he was dressed up to go out, but rather like he had just returned from outside.
And he was riding a fast horse all the way, so much so that his tightly bound hair fell out.
Xi Congshuang hadn't expected to see her at this hour and remained silent for a moment.
The person who came spoke first: "I knew you weren't asleep yet. What are you doing standing at the door like an idiot so late at night?"
Xi Congshuang tightened her grip on the door frame slightly and said, "Waiting for someone."
As the other person stepped over the high threshold and walked into the courtyard, she said, "It's a bit noisy outside, so Hongdou has gone out."
Hearing that she was alone, Xun Suihuang strode closer, saying as she walked, "I know you don't know. If you did, you wouldn't have sent your maid to the front yard to inquire."
Then she stopped at the bottom of the steps, looked up and asked Xi Congshuang, "Why don't you ask what happened outside?"
Xi Congshuang also stepped out of the brightly lit room, bathed in the cool moonlight. She approached and said, "I dare not ask, for fear that you will doubt me."
She spoke very softly.
From the moment Xun Suihuang appeared, she knew that Xi Congshuang would notice: "So you admit that the owner of Lingzhi Pharmacy is your person? It's fine to tell you directly. Lingzhi Pharmacy was smashed, burned and looted, and now it's just an empty shell."
Xi Congshuang didn't seem to react much: "It sounds like everyone around Lingzhi Pharmacy is safe and sound."
Xun Suihuang was truly unreliable, and she refused to tell Xi Congshuang the truth: "It's getting late, Sect Leader Xi, you should rest early. I'll be leaving now."
It seems like he came all this way just to annoy Xi Congshuang and spread a lot of gossip.
Then she couldn't move. Her sleeve, which was hanging down, was tugged. Xun Suihuang turned around and saw that the moonlight filled the eyes of the person behind her, making them look exceptionally gentle.
Xi Congshuang said gently, "It's getting late, General. Please take care. I won't see you off. Good night and sweet dreams."
Xun Suihuang: "..."
She forgot how she answered the other person, but she remembered straightening her back and walking out of the courtyard with the posture of a general, looking very promising.
He didn't forget to close the door after leaving the courtyard. He walked quite a distance in the night wind before being called back by his subordinate.
"The general just returned. Is she being too tight-lipped, making things difficult?"
Xun Suihuang's face turned cold, and she said to her deputy, "It wasn't her."
Her subordinates were also busy. She wiped her face and nodded, saying, "If not, then the people tonight are indeed not from our dynasty."
Xun Suihuang glanced at her: "Has Gu Daifang returned?"
The subordinate shook his head: "General Gu has chased after him outside the city and won't be back for a while."
Xun Suihuang seemed preoccupied and gave a lukewarm "hmm".
The subordinate was puzzled: "They're so far away, we can't catch them. The barbarians are cunning. I don't know why they were willing to use our informant in the city tonight, only to cause trouble for a doctor. But it's a good thing, it saves us from wasting time and effort searching for a needle in a haystack. They've all run away on their own."
Xun Suihuang said, "Doctor Liu is, after all, a divine physician of Fuzhou. Since Doctor Man couldn't save the critically ill king, he set his sights on her."
The subordinate was shocked, then exclaimed in astonishment, "I had completely forgotten that he was still alive. The general has practically stripped him naked, yet he's still alive. He's really resilient."
Xun Suihuang: "Alright, you're shocked too. Quickly question all those around these people, those close to them, and those with whom you have long-term contact. The ones who ran away are just the ones on the surface; they're taking advantage of your loopholes."
The subordinate's expression turned solemn: "Understood!"
*
Having overheard the news, Hongdou returned to the nameless courtyard and told Xi Congshuang everything.
"Luckily, Doctor Liu left quickly, otherwise I would have been terrified tonight." As a fellow member of Yihaotang, Hongdou felt the same way. After hearing the description from the general's servants who had returned from leaving, she was even more shaken.
She might not be afraid, but Doctor Liu is a genuine doctor with no martial arts skills whatsoever. If she were really captured, she would definitely meet with misfortune.
Xi Congshuang closed the ancient book and carefully put it away: "It's a coincidence, but it's faster than I expected. News will come from outside Jiashan Pass in less than five days."
No one knew Doctor Liu's whereabouts better than Xi Congshuang. Liu Jinniang had closed her business at noon under the pretext of catching a cold, then changed her appearance and left the city under the guise of visiting relatives, never to return. These people did not know that Doctor Liu was not at home and only came up empty-handed.
Not only did they miss their target, but they also smashed up most of the pharmacy in a fit of rage, alarming the night watchman and then the general's guards patrolling nearby, which is why the matter became such a big deal.
A faint smile played on Xi Congshuang's lips, a stark contrast to the gentle composure she displayed in front of Xun Suihuang; it was a genuine sneer: "Things have come to this, so we can only accept our bad luck."
Hongdou didn't understand, only feeling that the sect leader seemed to be gloating.
As Xi Congshuang had predicted, within five days, a major event occurred outside Jiashan Pass.
Unable to find a doctor or receive effective treatment in the city of Yeman, the Yeman King passed away. Even on his deathbed, he could not let go of his ambitions. His cloudy eyes were always looking towards the direction of Yongchao. He died unwillingly, without even leaving a single word about who would inherit the throne.
This seemed like some kind of signal; the princes were killing their own brothers and were acting like madmen, wanting to sit on the jewel-encrusted throne covered with wolf skins.
The struggle among the princes finally ended with the second prince killing all his brothers and, with the assistance of the Grand Tutor Yeman, ascending the throne.
The young king still coveted the rich Yongchao. Anyone who had seen the splendor of Yongchao could never forget the feeling of having inexhaustible resources.
However, the cattle and sheep that froze to death in last year's blizzard could not support the king's ambitions. With Xun Suihuang's obstruction, a large number of warriors starved to death on their way to the battlefield. The young warriors of the thirty-six tribes needed time to grow up. On the advice of his ministers, he decided to negotiate peace with Yongchao.
The signal for peace talks, like dandelions, was carried by the southward wind across Fuzhou and reached the prosperous and extravagant Yongdu.
The emperor was overjoyed and readily accepted the peace request. He also agreed that the new king would visit Yongdu next year—and even if the other party suggested not going, the emperor would still give a token gesture of agreement.
The newly appointed barbarian king sent envoys to Fuzhou to sign a peace treaty within the city.
On the third day after the incident, Hongdou heard the news of the old king's death and the ascension of the new king.
On the fifth day, people in the manor were discussing the news that the envoy was on his way.
The timing was perfect, it's truly amazing.
*
As news of the truce arrived, the envoy was indeed on his way and would soon arrive.
The city of Fuzhou was filled with the joy of the New Year, with lanterns and decorations everywhere. The people were celebrating spontaneously and planned to hold a lantern festival in a few days.
The weather was also kind to us, with several days of sunny and breezy days.
It was at this moment that the seemingly non-existent supervising eunuch suddenly sprang to life, pulling out a bright yellow scroll from the pile of luggage, claiming that he had come by imperial decree to oversee the peace negotiations.
When the imperial decree was being read, Gu Daifang was right behind Xun Suihuang. She held back as much as she could to keep her fist from hitting the eunuch's face.
Having finally endured the departure of the arrogant eunuchs, Gu Daifang and his subordinates stood up, holding their breath, and looked at Xun Suihuang in unison: "General, this is simply outrageous..."
Xun Suihuang interrupted, "Alright, are you all free? Go and get busy. Arrange patrols for me these next few days. Be extra cautious, especially when things are about to happen. Go."
"General...!"
Xun Suihuang said impatiently, "Does someone this big need to be breastfed? Stop yelling like that. If you don't leave, I'll have Aunt Ruo chase you away with a broom."
The group had no choice but to leave reluctantly.
Aunt Ruo, who had been hiding behind the hall, slowly stepped forward. Her eyes, clouded by the passage of time, looked in the direction where everyone had left, as if she were seeing her younger self: "They don't know, General, please don't be upset."
If she were younger, she would have been even more indignant than Gu Daifang, but when she was young, the old general would never have encountered such a thing. Both the Holy Ancestor Emperor and the late Emperor relied heavily on the old marshal.
Xun Suihuang grinned: "You're too kind. I think Aunt Ruo is also a beauty in our Fuzhou, just as good as me."
Aunt Ruo immediately lost her composure upon seeing her talkativeness, shaking her head and saying, "No wonder the old general always worries about you. You've always been like this since you were little, never taking these things to heart..."
As people get older, they like to reminisce about the past and ramble on, which is something Xun Suihuang avoids like the plague. She quickly slipped away.
In the end, he only left one sentence: "Don't prepare dinner tonight, I'm going outside to see the lantern festival."
When she went outside, it was already late. She didn't ride a horse today, but walked out onto the long street, where she was suddenly greeted by a bright and beautiful sight.
Not far away, the street was bustling with people and brightly lit.
In Xun Suihuang's eyes, setting off fireworks was almost the same as Yongdu. She would never admit that she favored Fuzhou so much that she praised it blindly.
She didn't consider herself a general, and like a fish swimming into the crowd. She was past the age of enjoying playing with lanterns; she only liked watching others play, not playing herself.
Aunt Ruo has a habit of reminiscing about the past, and now she has also picked up this habit. She remembers that when she was a child, her mother beat her and took away the imperial glass bottle, giving her a glass lamp instead.
There are six sides in total, each depicting a different scene, all of them paintings of beautiful ladies with ethereal appearances, with inscriptions beside them.
At that time, Xun Suihuang could only read characters and was not old enough to fully understand the meaning of poems, so he only focused on looking at the paintings and remembered the six-sided painting of ladies very clearly.
Xun Suihuang liked it very much and kept it on the table but refused to play with it. Later, the glass lamp was broken. In the same year, she put on armor and went to the battlefield.
I remember that the shape of that glass lamp was a bit... Xun Suihuang, with the idea of searching for old dreams, looked at the dazzling array of stalls and accidentally bumped into someone's shoulder.
Xun Suihuang subconsciously turned around: "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going..."
Turning around, she came into view of a painted mask, with a black background, deep red and angry eyebrows, several paint marks on the face, and fangs showing on the lips.
The girl was slender with wide sleeves, and she was holding a large crab lantern in her hand. This one was more exquisitely made than any she had seen along the way, and she probably bought it at a high price.
What a terrifying ghost mask! It almost startled Xun Suihuang. Her gaze swept over the other woman's shoulder, and she saw that the mask stall behind her was missing people and wasn't a real ghost. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She said to the wealthy heiress, "Excuse me, I wasn't looking where I was going."
The masked woman chuckled and said, "It's alright, I wasn't really looking where I was going either."
Xun Suihuang: "?"
The voice sounded familiar, and the height and style of dress reminded her of someone she knew.
She instinctively raised her hand to remove the mask, but her fingertips touched it. The masked woman pressed her hand down with her other free hand, which was a little cold.
An inexplicable disappointment flashed through Xun Suihuang's mind, and she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I was presumptuous."
Since both are women, there's no need to worry about their reputations.
Xun Suihuang wore her hair in a bun today, with two strands of hair hanging down on either side of her ears like rabbit ears. Even though she was dressed neatly and wore wristbands, it was easy to tell that she was a woman.
"What's so abrupt?" The masked woman still didn't let go. Instead, she pressed Xun Suihuang's hand to the side of her face and said to the stunned man, "There's a rope tied behind my head that holds this mask. Can you untie it for me?"
The eyes beneath the mask were bright, reflecting all the brilliance of the lantern festival. Xun Suihuang raised his other hand, reached behind her head, pulled down a rope, and loosened his grip.
Xun Suihuang's hand was held, and the mask on the person's face was removed, revealing a familiar beauty mark.
They were standing in the middle of the long street, with people coming and going, chatting and laughing as they walked forward. All the liveliness became mere background in Xun Suihuang's eyes. The only thing that was clear in her eyes was the woman in the moon-white dress.
Xun Suihuang's first question was: "What are you doing here?"
Upon seeing the hand holding the mask, the second question immediately popped into my head: "Where are your gloves?!"
Xi Congshuang remained calm: "I accidentally got it dirty, so I took it off."
Xun Suihuang sensed something was amiss: "Wouldn't it be easier to get your hands dirty if you picked them?"
Xi Congshuang truthfully replied, "Yes, so now I regret why I took it off, but I can't stand the feeling of being dirty if I don't take it off, and I can't wash my hands all the time."
As the two spoke, their hands remained clasped together. They wondered why Xi Congshuang's hands weren't frighteningly hot today, and tried to pull their hands apart.
Of course, it didn't work out.
Xun Suihuang: "...Why don't you tell me what strange ailment you have? I'll find a royal physician to treat you."
"I feel uncomfortable all over if I don't touch you. If you try to break free, I'll carry you all the way back to the General's Mansion and won't let go. I won't be able to stop the rumors from spreading."
Xi Congshuang said, "I am a doctor myself. I can't cure it for now, I can only satisfy the desire until the condition is relieved."
"..." Yes, she is a doctor herself.
The thought of that scene sent chills down Xun Suihuang's spine. It didn't matter to the master of the Xi Sect who had a few romantic entanglements in the martial world, but she would be impeached!
Although adding a few more books wouldn't hurt much, Xun Suihuang had never liked anyone, and his innocence was directly ruined by Xi Congshuang, which still felt strange.
She frowned and said, "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Xi Congshuang shook her head: "I'm not talking nonsense. Holding your hand was the result of my best efforts to restrain myself. Do you know what else I want to do?"
Amid Xun Suihuang's horrified yet curious expression, Xi Congshuang slowly leaned closer to her ear: "I want to hold you without any inhibitions, just like I would hold your hand."
The face in front of him slowly magnified and drew closer. Xun Suihuang saw Xi Congshuang's unnatural blush hidden under the warm lamplight.
At that moment, the thought that flashed through her mind was: even immortals blush.
It's a healthy red, not the sickly red of someone coughing up a bucket of blood from poisoning. It looks better this way than before.
Then, she heard what Xi Congshuang said in her ear.
"..."
Completely unprotected? Hugging?
Having been through countless battles, Xun Suihuang, who could even sleep soundly after exposing the barbarian king, was stunned and stood there, forgetting to resist as she was pulled along by the force in her hand.
When her back was pressed against someone's front yard, Xun Suihuang tried to struggle, but the weight in front of her pressed down and she felt the warmth of another person's body. She was like Sun Wukong under the Five Finger Mountain, instantly unable to move.
"It'll be ready in a moment, I'll do it as soon as possible."
Xun Suihuang barely regained some of her composure: "How did you get this possession-like bad habit?"
Xi Congshuang thought for a moment: "I lost both my parents when I was young and didn't receive love and care in time."
Given her family's situation, aside from parents who only care about grades and hiring nannies, there's little difference between them and parents who are both deceased.
"In building a sense of the world, it is impossible to be close to anyone, in the literal sense of physical intimacy."
"People who lack care and love."
Upon hearing just the first sentence, Xun Suihuang's chest heaved rapidly for a moment: "How could it be that both parents are dead..."
Before he could finish speaking, she fell silent the more she listened.
In a secluded alley, separated from the crowds, a dog lives in a courtyard separated by a wall. Occasionally, the dog is startled by the noise in the distance and barks a few times.
When things quieted down, Xun Suihuang said, "Alright."
I softened again.
Xi Congshuang was actually very curious about how someone could combine a soft heart with ruthlessness in killing enemies so perfectly, and have such a strong tolerance for all living beings, as if they were born to protect something.
Xi Congshuang didn't want to waste the opportunity, so she took advantage of her soft heart and asked, "I've known the General for so long, and you still haven't told me how to address you?"
Xun Suihuang felt uncomfortable and wanted to push the person away, but her eyes were drawn to the blue crab lantern in Xi Congshuang's hand: "What, how should I address you?"
“It’s inelegant to call someone by their full name. You’re unwilling to tell me your courtesy name? I told you on day one.”
Xi Congshuang noticed her gaze, raised the moving blue crab lantern in her hand, and tempted her, "Tell me, and I'll trade you this lantern. I got it by solving riddles at the stall. It's the biggest lantern, and even people who want to buy it can't."
“Who wants your lantern?” Xun Suihuang said, speechless and helpless. “…Chengzhi, my courtesy name is Chengzhi.”
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Upon discovering that her sect leader was missing, Hongdou was like: [question mark][question mark][crazy][bursting into tears]
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