Broken Linglong (19)
As Qin's mother entered the room, a faint scent of incense wafted from Qin Zhiqing's bedroom, as pure and noble as Qin herself. Qin's mother glanced at the girl lying on the bed, then moved forward and sat down at the bedside, taking her hand with a worried expression.
"Why is it so hot..." Qin's mother was startled by the temperature from her hand. She quickly used the damp, cold handkerchief next to her to wipe Qin Zhiqing's face.
Feeling the chill, Qin Zhiqing slowly opened her eyes, her gaze unfocused as she looked at the woman beside the bed, softly calling out, "Mother..."
"I'm here," Qin's mother replied, her hands still moving. "The doctor said you've been overworked and caught a cold, which is why you have a high fever. What have you been doing for the past month? How did you get yourself into this state?"
"I..." Qin Zhiqing's voice was weak, "I have some things I must do. If I don't finish them, the marriage with the Qi family will be ruined..."
Upon hearing this, Qin's mother paused, her gaze towards Qin Zhiqing becoming complex. She looked at the girl before her with a mixture of heartache and helplessness, her heart filled with conflicting emotions, yet she didn't know how to respond.
Finally, she said with difficulty, "If it really doesn't work, then forget it."
“You’ve done enough. I won’t blame you, and neither will she.”
Qin Zhiqing suddenly opened her eyes wide. She was somewhat surprised, and the words of emotion in her heart were on the tip of her tongue, but she ultimately couldn't say them.
After a moment of silence in the room, Qin Zhiqing suddenly asked, "Are you doing well at the Qin residence? Has your aunt made things difficult for you?"
"I'm fine." When the aunt was mentioned, Qin's mother chuckled. "She's pregnant again. The master had someone do a divination, and it said this time it's definitely a son."
Qin Zhiqing saw the mocking smile in her eyes, and with all her might, she raised a finger to touch her mother: "Do you need me to help you leave?"
“No need.” Mother Qin’s gaze was gentle yet firm. “She’s just a mortal who can’t even gather Qi. No matter how much she struggles, she can only accept her fate.”
This is the Qin family's rule: to suppress everyone except the family head equally, and no one can gain any benefit from it.
Qin Zhiqing looked somewhat dazed. She opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again. As for the Qin family, her mother understood it better than she did, so anything she said would be superfluous.
"Alright, put all those worries aside. The doctor said you need to rest." Qin's mother wiped her chin one last time, then gently closed her eyes. "A good night's sleep is more important than anything else..."
Qin Zhiqing drifted off to sleep again, and in her hazy dream, she returned to the time when she first met Qi Shuojun. At that time, she and Qi Shuojun were just two underage children. Qi Shuojun came to visit the Qin family with his father, and Qin's father told Qin Zhiqing that this fair-skinned little boy was her future husband.
At that time, the Qin family still had some connections and wealth, and the betrothal to the Qi family was one of the best options. Out of customary courtesy, Qin Zhiqing accompanied the young master on a stroll through the garden. Chi He quietly followed behind them, listening to their casual conversation.
"What do you usually do?" Qi Shuojun asked casually.
"Practice martial arts, read books."
"So boring?" Qi Shuojun clicked her tongue. "Are you planning to attend the Gathering of Heroes?"
Qin Zhiqing nodded: "I want to win first place at the gathering of heroes."
"That's hard to say."
"Why?"
Qi Shuojun raised her eyebrows smugly and grinned: "My brother is the young master of the Lingyun Alliance. You know the Lingyun Alliance, right? The number one swordsman in the world comes from there."
"So what?" Qin Zhiqing scoffed. "His family's power doesn't mean he's powerful."
"Hey, everyone says he's incredibly powerful. He's already formed his core before he even reached adulthood, and he's the same age as me. Wouldn't you call him a genius anywhere?"
Qin Zhiqing was speechless for a moment. Being the same age as Qi Shuojun meant being the same age as her. She was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and it was indeed a bit risky for her to catch up with him before the next Heroes Gathering. She bit her lip and pondered, her expression serious.
Qi Shuojun had only mentioned it casually, but she hadn't expected Qin Zhiqing to be so nervous. So she considered her feelings and said, "You're not entirely without a chance. I've heard that the Yanqing Sect in Lizhou has something called the Ninety-Nine Beast Tokens. Each token corresponds to a top-grade magic weapon that the Yanqing Sect crafts uniquely. You could try to get one and use it at the Gathering of Heroes?"
He was afraid that Qin Zhiqing didn't know the power of top-grade magic artifacts, so he added, "Top-grade magic artifacts from the Yanqing Sect are extremely rare and hard to come by. There are even treasures that can kill someone regardless of their cultivation level."
Qin Zhiqing exclaimed in surprise, "Is it really that exaggerated? Can it even kill a half-immortal who is just one step away from ascending to immortality?"
"I don't know about that," Qi Shuojun shrugged. "I haven't heard of anyone trying it."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Qin Zhiqing asked suspiciously. "If I really get a magic artifact, won't your brother's first place be in jeopardy?"
"So what?" Qi Shuojun said nonchalantly. "He's my brother, and you're still my fiancée. If you two really go head-to-head, I can open a betting pool and make some extra money."
What a shrewd businessman… Qin Zhiqing glanced at him disdainfully. This Qi Shuojun probably only had his head on how to make money.
Qi Shuojun was quite frank: "If you really get the magic weapon, I'll bet double on you winning."
Where is your brother?
"I'll just have to put down a small bet for him, anyway, I won't lose money no matter which side wins." Qi Shuojun said with a sly smile.
Qin Zhiqing sneered: "Then just wait and see how long you can keep laughing."
After that, Qi Shuojun lived with his father at the Qin residence for a while. Qi Shuojun didn't like to hang out with adults, and Qin Zhiqing was the only girl his age around him, so he went to Qin Zhiqing's courtyard every day. One day, Qi Shuojun walked into the courtyard but couldn't find Qin Zhiqing. He only saw the little maid who always followed behind her silently sweeping the floor with her back to him.
Qi Shuojun was a little curious, so she leaned closer and asked, "Hey, where's your young lady?"
Chi He was startled by him, and the broom fell to the ground with a "thud". She turned around in a panic and happened to see Qi Shuojun's handsome face. Her mind went blank and she stammered for a long time without being able to say a word.
"Huh?" Qi Shuojun asked, puzzled. "Can't you speak?"
Chi He quickly shook her head, but then, sensing something was off, she nodded again. This back-and-forth of denial and affirmation confused Qi Shuojun. He looked at Chi He, bewildered, and asked in surprise, "Are you really mute?"
Chi He didn't know how to face him, so she turned her face away. Unexpectedly, Qin Zhiqing witnessed this and frowned, shouting, "Chi He!"
Upon hearing her mistress's voice, Chi He immediately looked towards the door. She wanted to run over, but Qi Shuojun blocked her path completely. Seeing this, Qin Zhiqing strode over, grabbed Chi He's wrist, pulled her aside, and sternly scolded, "What are you doing here? Go help in the kitchen!"
Chi He bowed her head and answered yes, then fled in panic.
Qin Zhiqing's face was full of anger. That night, for the first time, she didn't chat with Chi He and just sulked alone with her back to Chi He. The next day, Qi Shuojun set off back to Yuancheng, and the matter was left unresolved.
Startled awake, Qin Zhiqing was panting heavily, covered in sweat. She could clearly hear her heart pounding abnormally fast, thump-thump, thump-thump... The sound was like a death knell, each beat stimulating Qin Zhiqing's fragile and taut nerves.
She forced herself to sit up, her body burning with fever, and looked around. It was late at night, and everything was dimly lit and indistinct. The air was thick with the smell of Chinese medicine, mixed with a hint of calming incense, making her feel drowsy.
Zhique was asleep on the table next to her, and she didn't even notice when the person in bed got out of bed and started to change her clothes.
Qin Zhiqing changed into her night clothes. She touched her forehead; it was still burning hot. So she grabbed a damp cloth from the side and wiped her face. Under the cover of the dead of night, when no one was around, she set off again.
As night fell, Qin Zhiqing's cheeks were flushed, each breath feeling like it was spitting out flames, but she didn't stop for a moment, running towards the ancestral land against the howling cold wind. Sweat dripped from her forehead, blurring Qin Zhiqing's vision. The pain from the high fever swept through her body, making her suffer unbearably, but Qin Zhiqing still gritted her teeth, refusing to let the pain consume her consciousness.
This is the last time! Qin Zhiqing told herself in her heart that no matter what the outcome is this time, she will accept it.
The next day, inside the Lingyun Inn. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating every corner of the inn. Ye Yingying stepped out of her room and stretched lazily. She had slept well last night, a rare occurrence, and was in a good mood.
With Qin Zhiqing currently bedridden and Qi Shuojun busy inquiring about ancestral lands from his father, Ye Yingying has nothing to do for the time being. She's exhausted from working non-stop for several nights in a row, and yesterday she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she got back to the inn, not even having dinner.
Now that she'd finally had a good night's sleep, she felt incredibly refreshed. Ye Yingying stretched her body, her gaze falling on Yun Yanqiu's door, and she couldn't help but recall her previous agreement with Yun Yanqiu.
She couldn't stand him up again, so Ye Yingying moved to Yun Yanqiu's room and gently knocked on the door: "Senior Yun?"
The door opened with a click, and Yun Yanqiu's tall figure appeared before Ye Yingying. Ye Yingying raised her head, her eyes slightly narrowed, gazing at his sharply defined face, a smile unconsciously playing on her lips: "Senior Yun."
Yun Yanqiu lowered her eyes, a hint of displeasure in her voice: "Do you still have to call me that?"
"Eh." Ye Yingying's eyes widened immediately, her expression slightly embarrassed.
She was so used to calling him that that, she'd never used a more affectionate name even in her past life. If not that, what should she call him? Yanqiu? Ayan? Ugh… either way was so cheesy.
Seeing Ye Yingying's conflicted expression, Yun Yanqiu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Then think about it some more, just don't keep me waiting too long."
"Mmm." Ye Yingying nodded obediently, crossed her arms behind her back, and looked at him with slight nervousness. "What about the promise we made to go and collect the Azure Nether True Fire together..."
"Of course I'll go with you." Yun Yanqiu smoothed the stray hairs at her temples and said softly, "Let's go downstairs and get something to eat."
Yun Yanqiu suddenly became so gentle, so gentle that Ye Yingying was a little at a loss. But she quite liked this feeling, as sweet as honey.
The two walked downstairs and ran into Zhao Yuxiao, who was serving dishes. Zhao Yuxiao was overjoyed to see them coming down together: "You two are back together!"
Before Ye Yingying could reply, Qi Shuojun rushed in from outside, his expression grave. In his panic, he looked up and met Ye Yingying's eyes, immediately shouting, "Something's happened! Zhiqing is missing!"
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