Chapter 1170: Watching (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Qi Shan arrived before Chen Tang.
When Shen Tang arrived, Kang Shi's tent was already full of people. Kang Nian sat in a corner, looking lost, while Qi Shan sat beside Kang Shi's bed, holding his hand tightly, his expression blank, seemingly lost in thought. When Shen Tang approached him, he didn't even react.
How is Ji Shou doing?
Shen Tang gestured to the others not to stand on ceremony, then lifted his robe and sat on a low stool beside the bed. The accompanying medical personnel and Qi Miao were taking turns checking pulses; their faces were grave, clearly indicating a serious condition. Qi Miao suppressed her emotions, trying to make her voice sound normal: "The heart pulse is weak and unstable, beating erratically… Just now, it showed signs of being rootless, tasteless, and lifeless… This pulse indicates the leakage of vital energy… a sign of a broken pulse…"
With great difficulty, Qi Miao uttered the words "extinct pulse".
Shen Tang felt her heart sink, as if an invisible force had drained all her strength. She was thankful that she was sitting; if she were standing, she probably wouldn't be able to stand.
She secretly took a deep breath.
Try to calm your mind.
She then asked, "How is Wei Heng doing?"
For ease of care, Yu Zi was placed on a bed behind a screen. Yu Zi's great-uncle sat beside the screen, his back hunched, his figure exuding a profound sense of death. Overnight, his hair had turned completely white.
Qi Miao lowered her voice: "The same."
The two showed signs of impending death almost simultaneously.
Anyone with a basic understanding of medicine knows that when the "absence of pulse" appears in a seriously ill or elderly person, it signifies a severe illness, an impending death, and an extremely slim chance of survival, beyond human intervention. Shen Tang naturally understood this common knowledge as well. At this moment, she only regretted her lack of strength, only able to sit here and offer a few meaningless words of concern.
She couldn't keep either Kang Shi or Yu Zi.
Shen Tang closed her eyes, forcefully suppressing the heat welling up in her eyes.
She suddenly thought of someone: "Where is the High Priest of Jimo?"
Qi Miao said, "I have already sent someone to invite them."
Actually, inviting them wouldn't have made much of a difference.
During the two days Yu Zi remained unconscious, Kang Shi sought out Ji Mo Qiu for her. Ji Mo Qiu's solution was to take it one step further. Taking another step would open up a vast expanse, while retreating would mean certain death. Even if he intervened, he could only turn Yu Zi into a corpse specimen.
Not only Yu Zi, but also Kang Shi as a bonus.
The only possible perfect ritual for these two is to live and die together.
To avoid interfering with Kang Shi's judgment, Ji Moqiu didn't point this out, but simply said: "I can't, the physicians can't, the only person who can save Lady Yu is Minister Kang. You just need to make the right choice and follow your heart."
Ji Moqiu was here yesterday, but he went out this morning on business. He said he was entrusted to help someone deliver a cow.
When he arrived, he still smelled of the cowshed.
The dirt on my hands hadn't been wiped off yet.
Seeing the scene inside the tent, he knew what was going on.
The physicians accompanying the army often discussed the merits and demerits of Gu techniques and medical skills with him, as well as their combination strategies. They were quite close, and when they saw him approaching, they would immediately make way for Ji Moqiu to check on the two unconscious patients. Ji Moqiu frowned upon seeing them.
Qi Shan finally came to her senses and grabbed his wrist.
"High Priest, you can do it, right?"
“I can understand Qi Zhongshu’s feelings. However, our clan’s view on life and death is very different from that of ordinary people.”
He simply could not offer Qishan any guarantees.
If Kang Shi and Yu Ziga were to die, he could help their souls open a small door in the realm of the gods, so that death could also be a rebirth.
However, no one really wanted to hear that.
"I ask for nothing more than for them to live."
Ji Moqiu asked earnestly, "Any shape is fine?"
Those present couldn't help but think of Gong Shuwu's skeletal appearance.
Qi Shan, panting heavily, said, "Of course, as long as he—"
"Qi Yuanliang!"
Two male voices interrupted Qi Shan at the same time.
Yu Zi's great-uncle didn't speak further, but his eyes sharpened, revealing a hint of anger. He naturally wanted Wei Heng to live, but he knew even more clearly that Wei Heng couldn't accept reality. She didn't want to be a heretic, didn't want to lose her power and return to being an ordinary, lowly person vulnerable to being preyed upon. Forcibly keeping her would only drive her completely insane.
Kang Nian exhaled a breath of stale air, trying to calm himself down.
Let's show him some respect this once.
He said that, but his heart was bleeding.
He felt as if he were being pulled back into the nightmare of years past: the successive deaths of his father and twin brother, a wave of despair washing over him, and the sudden pressure of being entrusted with a heavy responsibility. Everyone was counting on him, but he himself had no confidence whatsoever. That feeling of fear and unease still haunted him in his midnight dreams years later.
In his middle age, he thought he had emerged from the shadows.
But unexpectedly, his younger brother was also leaving him.
He was perfectly healthy and had the best years of his life ahead of him, yet Kang Jishou, out of a sense of guilt, wanted to abandon his blood relatives. How cruel and willful! He would rather Kang Jishou had died on the battlefield, or had died somewhere after running away from home, than witness this scene before him.
If Kang Nian were to forcibly retain Kang Shi, he dared not imagine how disappointed the latter would be after waking up, feeling as if he were being slowly tortured to death.
A single sentence triggered Qi Shan's outburst.
"What respect? Respect for what?"
What respect can Kang Jishou talk about when he's plotting something evil?
We must let him live. Let Kang Jishou dare to die and see what happens!
The crowd rarely saw Qi Shan in such a violent and out-of-control state, and they were all stunned for a moment. Gu Chi rubbed the throbbing veins on his temples, his inner turmoil more intense than ever before. Yet, he couldn't show it and had to remain vigilant towards these people.
What should we be wary of them for?
Be wary of them starting a fight on the spot.
Qi Shan's eyes flashed with ferocity as he said, "Let them live!"
Ji Moqiu said gently, "Let's wait a little longer."
Qi Shan: "What are we waiting for? For these two corpses to get cold?"
"Let's wait until their ritual fails completely. If I act now, it's like taking their exam papers away." It would be too unjust for them to die like that, and Ji Moqiu wasn't willing to do something so wicked. Qi Shan was speechless at Ji Moqiu's words.
He could only pace anxiously in circles, restless and agitated.
Seeing that everyone seemed to disrespect the parties involved, Gu Chi brought up the old issue again: "How about we follow my suggestion and cripple them both? That way, we can at least save their lives, and we can figure out how to restore their cultivation later. What do you think?"
It's better than letting Ji Moqiu turn those two into non-humans.
Gong Shuwu's appearance was undeniably cool, but it didn't fit current aesthetic standards. It was alright when he was in the military camp, but if he went out on the street, he'd scare a bunch of people to death. Then, he got glared at by Yu Zi's great-uncle.
Unable to make up their minds, everyone looked at Shen Tang.
Shen Tang asked Ji Moqiu, "Are they still taking the assessment?"
Ji Moqiu nodded: "Yes, it doesn't seem to be going very smoothly."
Shen Tang asked again, "Can you see it?"
"If Your Highness is concerned, I can use the 'Dream Induction Technique' to help." The "Dream Induction Technique" that Ji Moqiu mentioned was using divine power to project memories from a person's mind. In the Ministry of Justice, this kind of verbal incantation was the ultimate method of interrogating prisoners, with a rather domineering effect, and the prisoners being tortured simply could not resist it. Prisoners with weaker minds might even be unlucky enough to develop dementia.
Kang Nian objected: "How can that be?"
In the public's perception, how can an innocent person be punished?
When Ji Moqiu assured him that the technique would have no harmful side effects, Kang Nian, looking at his younger brother Kang Shi with his eyes closed and lips turning blue, could only nod in agreement. After hesitating for a moment, Yu Zi's great-uncle also agreed: "Perform the technique, let me see her one last time."
Ji Moqiu: "..."
He didn't say that everyone should gather around to watch.
Seeing that His Highness also misunderstood, Ji Moqiu had no choice but to play along. As he cast the "Dream Induction Technique," countless wisps of illusory silver threads emerged from the tops of Kang Shi and Yu Zi's heads, appearing at first glance as if smoke was billowing from their heads. Before long, these silver threads gathered in mid-air into a small cloud. The cloud took on a strange one-eyed shape. Ji Moqiu drew a shallow crack on the one-eyed cloud with his wooden staff, as if a small slit had been revealed in a human eye.
Both of their single eyes snapped open.
The two scenes were strikingly different.
What they have in common is that both scenes seem to be about searching for someone.
"Whose perspective is this?"
Who else could it be?
The answer is obvious.
There are not only visuals, but also indistinct sounds.
The only strange thing was that—they thought it was Kang Shi's memory, and the buildings in the scene depicted were Kang Shi's ancestral home, but the voices were Yu Zi's. The scenery shifted constantly, and the viewer was searching for something while moving across the rooftops. After a while, the viewer stopped. The perspective settled on a wooden building draped with colorful silks. The windows on the second floor were wide open, and the sounds of laughter and chatter drifted out, mixed with the laughter of a young boy…
Kang Nian's expression suddenly turned strange.
He naturally recognized the building.
When he was young, he was the one who came here to catch people a few times.
Who they'll arrest goes without saying.
His younger brother, who frequented casinos and nightclubs.
I feel uncomfortable if I don't gamble a few rounds a day.
Kang Nian regretted watching these things; Kang Jishou would die without a clear reputation. He prayed that the scene would pass by as soon as possible, but the perspective of the person in charge did not go his way, and with a leap, they hid next to the second floor of the building.
I cautiously peeked at the scene inside.
Although it was daytime, the interior architecture exuded an air of decadent elegance. A screen partially obscured the view, revealing a thinly dressed young man with a boyish figure. He stood with one foot on a table, shaking dice in his hand. Opposite him were four or five heavily made-up women, huddled together whispering. The boy threw the dice.
Unsurprisingly, they lost.
The boy, exasperated, exclaimed: "There's something wrong with these dice!"
Several women smiled and said, "Young master, you'd better stop playing around. If you keep going, you might end up leaving with nothing but your trousers and naked. We know you're worried about us giving you money, but this isn't how you be a spendthrift..."
The boy got even angrier: "Again! Again!"
The woman said, "Let's try a different way of playing."
The boy perked up his ears: "How do you play?"
The woman tore off a fragrant handkerchief and blindfolded the young man, laughing, "We've heard that you have amazing hearing, sir. Why don't you try to catch us sisters? If you can catch them within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, you win; if you can't, you lose. What do you say, sir?"
The boy tied the handkerchief tighter: "Okay!"
The person, of course, was not caught.
Kang Nian had already covered his eyes with his hands.
He knew his younger brother was a womanizer, his two greatest hobbies being gambling and admiring beautiful women. As long as he didn't stay overnight and didn't ruin his health, losing a little money was no big deal. But he never expected these shameful things to be made public! Just then, he heard the young man say: "[I've got my wife—wait, sister, why is your waist so thick?]"
Do you want to see who I am?
Immediately following was a cold, unfamiliar male voice.
Everyone else was unfamiliar with this, except for Ning Yan, who was very familiar with it.
She suddenly looked up, her pupils contracting sharply.
The young man then gave another, slightly older youth a bear hug, ripped off his handkerchief, and quickly pushed him away, looking utterly dejected: "Xingning, you've really kept me waiting—"
Yan An: [I rushed over as soon as I received your message. I'm late, it's your fault for choosing such a hard-to-find place. It wasn't easy for me to avoid so many people. If my father and future in-laws find out…]
His legs could be broken.
The young man lazily leaned against the armrest and sat down: [Is a marriage proposal being arranged?]
She is the matriarch of the Ning family.
Yan An smiled serenely, clearly showing his genuine affection for his fiancée. The young man tossed the dice up and down with a carefree posture, while the women had already left, giving the two of them space.
Looking at his unruly and dissolute behavior, Yan An sighed: "I've heard a little about what happened at the manor... but your seeking pleasure during your mourning period... is truly outrageous. Didn't Kang Bo Sui beat you?"
The boy pointed to his cheek: "He knocked two of my teeth out."
Yan An, being tactful, changed the subject and asked him why he had come to see him.
Do me a favor.
Yan An didn't rush to agree: "What kind of help?"
The young man raised his eyes, revealing dark, murderous eyes that betrayed no trace of the gambling spree he had just engaged in: "That family wants a better future for their eldest son and has always hoped to become his disciple. I hope to use your name to get him released!"
After saying that, he gestured as if he were slitting his throat.
Yan An only asked: "How many do you want to kill?"
[Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor; I want his and his son dead!]
Yan An thought for a moment and then took off the private seal from his waist.
This private seal is about as important as his personal monogram.
Take it, remember to return it after you're done.
Yan An didn't like lingering in such places, nor could he bear to see the young man wasting his life here: "Have you thought it through? Come to the capital. Your father has always had high hopes for you; your talent shouldn't be wasted like this."
The boy avoided eye contact: "Let me think about it."
Yan An continued, "You should avoid places like this. I know you think it doesn't matter who you lose money to, and that coming to them will only help you a little if you lose to them. These women don't want to be in brothels; they each have their own reasons, but what you're doing isn't the right way."
The boy said, "Stop talking about teaching me."
Yan An: [If you truly want to change, come to the capital to study.]
The boy pouted: "You talk like you know me so well. I just enjoy looking at colors and I like gambling, but I don't have any of those so-called motives you're thinking of. A person's life is only about 20,000 days. What's wrong with doing what you like?"
He said, "Being a playboy is pretty happy too."
Yan An said, "But your father is gone, and you can't continue being a spoiled brat. The current head of the Kang family is Bo Sui; you should consider him too. How many of his prematurely gray hairs were turned white by your anger?"
The boy denied it: "That was clearly something he worried about!"
Yan An didn't hold it against him.
After Yan An left, the boy played with the private seal.
After a long while, he turned his head and looked directly at the source of the view, laughing: "Where did this little thief come from, spying on your grandpa here?"
|ω`)
Sobbing, I carefully pressed the stitches that had been pulled up back into place using tweezers.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
