Chapter 116: Not Dead, Just Don’t Want Me Anymore
Qing Guiyu took a step back.
It’s hard to say, it’s really hard to say. I wish I could just tear off all this clothes and jump into the river and float away downstream.
"Since the news of your death came out," Huo Erniang ignored the look of despair on her face and said to herself,
"He came to Yuzhou. He rented the largest house in the west of the city and stayed indoors all day, not seeing anyone. The people from the Tianji Pavilion surrounded the house like an iron barrel, and not even a fly could get in."
Qing Guiyu had originally held onto some hope, but these words completely destroyed it.
She held onto a last glimmer of hope and struggled, "He... he's so distracted right now, I'm afraid... he doesn't have the heart to care about anything else."
"He's in a state of disarray?" Huo Erniang sneered. "Miss Qing, you underestimate him too much, and overestimate your romantic affairs. Master of Heaven's Secret, our Yuzhou City is where three rivers converge, a strategic point between north and south. He chose this place to be hurt by love. Do you really think he's just here to mourn your death?"
Qing Guiyu stopped talking.
Yes, a mastermind is always prepared for every move. He might have had his reasons for choosing Yuzhou, but she didn't want to understand them, let alone get involved.
Seeing her like this, Huo Erniang comforted her and said,
"Of course, I've heard those rumors about you. How he committed suicide for you, disfigured himself for you, went crazy and killed people for you... Humph, just listen to the infatuation of a man."
She felt a little uneasy in her heart.
People along the way just thought it was a strange story, and even he himself was sure that it was due to the changing emotions caused by the needles. But he suddenly remembered Chen Yan from a few days ago. He was a real madman who could prescribe medicine and dispense drugs.
Walking here, I always feel vaguely that Shen Jiansheng might really be capable of such things. Although the needle of chaos has been removed, he has indeed been taught to be crooked in the cold pond prison for twenty years.
Tsk. She had another headache. It was hard to say. It was really hard to say.
"Sister, you don't know," she explained with a bitter face in her unfamiliar hoarse voice, "I didn't cure a patient, I cured a living ancestor. With his current attitude, let alone asking him to come out of seclusion, I'm afraid that if I show up, he'll tie me up and lock me away in his Tianji Pavilion, never letting me see the light of day again."
"We have to try." Huo Erniang slammed the table, shaking the tea bowl. "The autumn flood is approaching, and there's no time to lose. Since he's in Yuzhou, it's a godsend. You stay put, I'll go deliver the invitation."
*
Qing Guiyu really settled down there with peace of mind.
Peace of mind at all.
She wore the face of a young doctor named "Yu Gui" and paced the backyard of the Cao Gang branch every day, trampling the few patches of moss on the ground until they were tender. Her heart was in turmoil.
Huo Erniang was a man of swift action, always moving forward. That very day, she dispatched a trusted confidant, prepared valuable gifts, and politely delivered a visiting card to the Tianji Pavilion's residence in Yuzhou City—the "Tingzhu Waterside Pavilion" overlooking the river to the west of the city.
The post was written by the Cao Gang in the name of its headquarters. It was extremely sincere and the words were firm. It only said that there was a shocking matter that endangered the safety of the Southern Dynasty and needed to be discussed with Master Jin Sheng in person.
The post was sent in politely.
It was politely returned intact.
The gatekeeper only said coldly: "The Pavilion Master said that all things in the world are matters after death. I will not see you."
Huo Erniang frowned.
Qing Guiyu was listening nearby, crossing his arms and silently humming a "huh" in his heart.
His expression remained calm, and he said in a hoarse male voice, "As expected."
Huo Erniang was obviously not as calm as her. The next day, she selected the elite soldiers from Lintang and went there in person.
The post was submitted again. This time, the favor of Tongchifang and the help of Xiaoluodu were mentioned.
Didn't even go through the door.
“Then… the people from Tianji Pavilion said that Shen Tianji said that the old friend is gone and there is no worldly business to discuss. No one in the world of the living will acknowledge it.”
"Little sister," Huo Erniang said when she came back, her face not looking too good, "Your love poison must have made him stupid. Is he going to stay with you forever?"
Qing Guiyu held his forehead and felt his headache getting worse.
She had also thought that the person who tied the bell must be the one to untie it. But what bell was she tying? It was Young Master Jin Sheng who had tied the rope around his neck himself.
He was torn between his conscience and his desires. He cursed Shen Juansheng three hundred times, and even cursed himself a few times.
Seeing Huo Erniang pacing around the room anxiously, he also started to get scared.
"No," Huo Erniang slammed the table, "No ordinary method will work. I'm going to ask Old Gang Leader Long to come out!"
Gang leader Long is the pillar of the Cao Gang. Although he is sixty years old, he is still very strong, with a voice like a bell and a generous personality. In his time, he was as famous as the leader of the Tianji Pavilion, Shen Yan. He was the most influential person in the entire martial arts world.
In fact, Young Master Jin Sheng should be his nephew.
Huo Erniang explained the pros and cons of the matter to the old gang leader. The old man remembered the birthday banquet and immediately made the decision to go there in person.
This is a huge honor.
Qing Guiyu also became nervous and hid by the window on the second floor of the teahouse. He watched from afar as the old leader Long brought the two hall masters of Linshe and walked to the door of Tingzhu Water Pavilion.
This time, the door of the water pavilion was opened.
The one who came out was Fuxi in red clothes. He still looked as carefree and elegant as ever, but with a hint of haggardness in his eyes. He bowed to the old leader Long, politely yet distantly.
"Master Long, you are so honored to be here. I'm sorry for not welcoming you."
"Master Fuxi," said the old leader Long in a resounding voice, "I have come here today not for matters of the Jianghu, but for the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Yuzhou City. Please meet me, my dear nephew."
Fuxi smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Old Boss, it's not that I'm unreasonable. It's just... the Pavilion Master... won't see anyone. Please go back and don't make things difficult for me."
The attitude was polite, but the meaning behind his words left no room for maneuver.
Old Gang Leader Long was a man of such high status that he felt a bit embarrassed to be rejected so bluntly. But after seeing Fuxi's expression, he sighed, shook his head, and returned.
Qing Guiyu listened from afar, feeling mixed emotions.
She pulled out the needles in the hope that he would regain his clarity of mind, but she didn't expect him to become so clear-headed that he would become a monk, and she certainly didn't want him to act like a chaste widow.
"This won't do, and that won't do," Huo Erniang irritably picked up the dagger on the table and then put it down again. "Do we really have to send all the Cao Gang out to surround his shabby house?"
"It's no use surrounding him," Qing Guiyu sighed, leaning weakly on the table. "If he doesn't want to see you, even if you tear down the house, he'll just think it's just a strong wind."
He said it with such confidence, but his heart was growing increasingly uncertain. The needle had been removed. Could it be that Young Master Jin Sheng had truly seen through the mundane world and was prepared to remain a widow for the rest of his life?
For three consecutive days, they tried all methods, soft and hard, using human relations and considering seniority, but all ended in vain, and there was no sign of Shen Juansheng.
That day, it was raining again, casting a gloomy mist over Yuzhou City. Huo Erniang was pacing anxiously in the house when her disciple suddenly came in with a report.
"Master! Master! Urgent news!" The disciple was soaking wet, his face pale. "News has come from Lihua Bay upstream. There are no fewer than thirty Northern Dynasty speedboats hidden in the bay! The hulls are covered with oilcloth, but the draft is very deep. They'll be able to sail down the river as soon as the autumn flood arrives!"
Huo Erniang's expression changed. "The autumn flood...isn't that less than a month away?!"
Qing Guiyu's heart sank to the bottom. With poisoned grain as bait and warships as the main weapon, this venomous scheme, which was linked together, was already on the verge of being launched.
Just as Huo Erniang was about to say something else, the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
A Cao Gang disciple rushed in, tumbling and crawling, his face full of surprise and panic, unable to speak clearly.
"Hall...Hall Master! There's...there's news!"
Huo Erniang picked him up and said, "What news? Tell me!"
The disciple panted heavily, pointed in the direction of the west city, and shook his head violently, "No... It's not Tingzhu Waterside Pavilion! It's Doctor Meng's clinic!"
Qing Guiyu's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously stood up straight.
"Speak clearly!" Huo Erniang shouted.
"Yes!" The disciple swallowed his saliva and spoke very quickly, "The brothers in our gang met Shen Tianji in the inn outside the Northern Frontier Pass! It's true! He... he also forced the brothers in our gang to recite a few wedding congratulations for him and... and a girl in green!"
Qing Guiyu felt as if a breath was blocked in his chest, and his vision was getting darker.
"...He said," the disciple added hastily, "he recognized that face! He would recognize it even if it turned into ashes! He said that Shen Tianji is currently in Doctor Meng's clinic! He's there every day!"
Huo Erniang slowly loosened her hand.
Leaving the disciple slumped on the ground, she turned her head and looked at the "Yu Gui" who was dressed as a young doctor beside her with an extremely complicated look.
Fortunately, the mud on her face was thick enough, so no matter how red her face was, there was no sign of anything unusual.
"Little sister," she said slowly, "it seems that your little lover is not here to cry at your grave."
*
The familiar streets, the familiar stone roads, and even the familiar smell of herbs and dust in the air are all the same as before.
Qing Guiyu lowered his hat and walked very slowly, step by step.
My heart was beating a little faster, and I felt like I was back to the nervousness I felt when I first sneaked into the Jade Pavilion.
I don’t know what I will face.
Is he a madman who has completely collapsed because of her "tragic death"? Or is he a master strategist who has regained his clarity of mind but has become even more cold-blooded and ruthless?
Either way, it's not good news.
The wooden door of the clinic was ajar, and the old plaque on the door with "Meng's Medical Clinic" inscribed on it had faded a little due to erosion by wind and rain.
She stood at the door and took a deep breath. The air was filled with the familiar smell of herbs.
I didn't dare go through the main gate.
When I pushed open the side door, the door hinge made a slight creaking sound, which was not clear in the sound of the rain.
Doctor Meng was sitting behind the counter, preparing medicinal herbs, but Qing Guiyu's gaze had already passed him and fell on the inner room of the pharmacy.
There was a person sitting there.
A young man in black clothes, with long hair tied loosely at his shoulders with just two strands of gold, had a thin profile and was looking down at a medical book.
Breathe a sigh of relief.
There were no injuries on his face.
That beautiful face that was like a disaster, that could suppress all the romance in the city and also made her upset, was intact, but pale.
There was a faint blue shadow under his eyes, which added a bit of sickly tiredness.
The madman who was hurt by love and destroyed his own appearance in the rumors was almost like two different people from the young man in front of him who was so quiet that he was almost silent.
Doctor Meng sighed and brought a bowl of steaming medicine to the young man behind the counter.
"Young Master," the old doctor muttered, "eat something. How can you get well if you don't eat or drink? That's what Qing was always saying when she was here."
The young man slowly raised his head and put down the medical book in his hand.
Only then did Qing Guiyu see his eyes clearly.
The eyes that were once clear and bright now seemed to be covered with haze and could no longer reflect any sunlight.
He took the bowl of medicine, but did not drink it. Only when he heard the three words "Qing Yatou" did his stagnant eyes sway slightly.
"She's not dead." Without a doubt.
Doctor Meng sighed again, as if he was used to hearing this kind of talk. "Young Master, the dead cannot be resurrected, so why bother..."
A faint smile appeared on the young man's face, surprisingly fragile, as if it was blown out of the thinnest glass.
"I carved a flute for her." He lowered his eyes, his expression darkening. "She doesn't like it, I know. She thinks it's too flashy, and she thinks... it's a gift from me."
"But when I woke up," he continued quickly, with a touch of tenderness, "the flute beside me was gone."
"She would like the flute."
The young man seemed to feel happy. He paused here for a moment, and there seemed to be a faint light in his eyes, a tiny spark that was enough to burn.
He lowered his head, speaking in a reserved and gentle manner, and repeated it again.
"Old man, she wants the flute."
——This made Qing Guiyu feel very sad.
She had fled in a panic, her mind in turmoil, thinking only that the flute could be used as a weapon, so she took it with her. She had never imagined that this unintentional act would become his only hope...
"Since she's willing to take my things," the young man said in a thin voice, looking down at his empty palms, "it means she doesn't want to have anything to do with me anymore. She wants to leave cleanly."
Doctor Meng was completely confused by his explanation. "Then...why didn't she explain it to you face to face? Why did she..."
Why let him think that she was dead?
Shen Juansheng raised his head, and the fire that had just ignited in his dim eyes was extinguished by pain again.
Then the young man in black slowly closed his eyes and smiled, a faint and dull smile, not sad, but desperate.
"She just..."
"...You don't want me anymore."
Young Master Jin Sheng sighed, stood up, and put the bowl of soup back on the counter.
Taking advantage of the opportunity when he turned around, Qing Guiyu saw it at a glance.
She was scared out of her wits.
At the end of the young man's left eyebrow, there was still a red mark that looked like a drop of blood.
It wasn't a mark left by the needles. When the needles were removed, the bloodstains from the qi stagnation should have dissipated long ago.
It looked as if it had been painted with the finest cinnabar, with great care, day after day, and with exquisite skill.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
