19 Blood Hatred
She left nothing behind.
Steward Zhang stubbornly believed that Doctor Mo was not up to the task, but the prince's health was indeed getting better and better under his care.
By the third day, the symptoms of drowsiness and vomiting blood had almost disappeared, and when he was in good condition, the prince was even able to get out of bed and take a walk.
After this experience, Prince Chengduan trusted Doctor Mo even more, and with Steward Wang occasionally saying a few good words for him, Prince Chengduan even considered keeping him around.
Ying Jianhua, of course, would not agree. He created a false identity so that he could leave unscathed and continue to remain in Wuling Village as an unknown doctor. Fortunately, in everyone's eyes, Doctor Mo was an eccentric person; after all, a highly skilled person is bound to have a bit of an odd temper.
However, he did not completely reject Prince Chengduan. Prince Chengduan wanted to keep him because he was worried that one day he would also contract an incurable disease and have no one to treat him. Ying Jianhua had no choice but to "reluctantly" give him two miraculous pills.
Exactly two, no more, no less. One for the seriously ill prince, and the other...
"Store it in the warehouse and guard it closely!"
Today, Ying Jianhua, as usual, performed acupuncture on the Crown Prince and also prepared a bowl of medicinal soup with a special herb.
From brewing the medicine to administering it, Prince Chengduan oversaw the entire process to ensure that every servant handling the medicinal herbs was one of his trusted confidants.
Of course, the herbal decoction was also examined by other doctors.
After taking his medicine, the Crown Prince fell into a deep sleep and did not wake up until sunset. Prince Chengduan was furious and ordered Doctor Mo to be thrown into the dungeon. Ying Jianhua remained indifferent, much to the dismay of Steward Wang.
At midnight, the prince awoke, his mind clear and his steps brisk. The first thing he said to Prince Chengduan was that he wanted to see Doctor Mo.
His health had completely recovered, and he was even healthier than before. Knowing that his father had misunderstood his savior, the prince quickly explained that he had fallen into a deep sleep because the elixir was too potent for his mortal body to handle.
Such a remarkable person, if kept against his will, would likely cause unnecessary trouble. Therefore, Ying Jianhua was released after being "wrongfully accused." Prince Chengduan was ashamed to face him, and was seen off by the Crown Prince and the Prince's steward.
The prince grasped his hands, tears of gratitude streaming down his face: "Thank you so much, divine physician, for your help. I am deeply grateful!"
"Your Highness is too kind. Good people are always blessed by Heaven. It was merely a small favor for me." Ying Jianhua withdrew his hand without showing any emotion, a fleeting look of disgust in his eyes.
Steward Wang escorted him out of the mansion. Once outside the city, he dismissed everyone around him and quietly asked, "Does Doctor Mo still have any of those miraculous elixirs?"
Ying Jianhua said, "Even Steward Wang knows it's a miraculous elixir; it's not something so easy to obtain."
"I know, I know." Butler Wang chuckled and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, slipped over a thick stack of silver notes.
He raised an eyebrow.
This fellow squeezed out Steward Zhang to take charge of the entire Prince's Mansion in just a few days, yet he made such a huge fortune.
Butler Wang rubbed his hands together, his face full of flattery: "Your healing skills are miraculous, your abilities are boundless. After taking the elixir, not only did the young master recover, but even the prince is now full of energy and in excellent health!"
Ying Jianhua nodded to himself. The speed was even faster than he had expected, which showed how impatient Prince Chengduan was.
"I know I am not worthy of such a miraculous medicine, divine physician, please give me some ordinary pills."
He accepted the silver note and gave him a black pill. Upon receiving it, Steward Wang was overjoyed at first, then carefully hid it away, as if it were his entire fortune.
Ying Jianhua gave a mocking smile and said to him, "No need to trouble Steward Wang, just leave it here."
Having achieved his goal, Butler Wang stopped nagging and left with a beaming smile.
The carriage continued onward, traveling further and further away. As night fell, Ying Jianhua gave the driver some money and told him to go home.
The driver agreed, but halfway there he couldn't help but turn back, only to be horrified by what he saw.
A raging fire suddenly broke out in the deep of night, its flames menacing and thick smoke billowing out.
Amidst the raging flames, a blurry monster appeared and disappeared, its dark silhouette twisting and swirling, occasionally extending its ghostly claws to tear at the flames. The coachman, terrified, turned deathly pale, oblivious to the fact that he had lost his straw sandals in the process, shouting as he ran, "A ghost!"
Ying Jianhua emerged from the shadows, his face expressionless in the firelight.
He took out the round bead and whispered it to the moonlight.
"Mother, Father, Amo has avenged you."
After ten years, the great revenge was finally achieved.
————
With only a few days left until the highly anticipated Orchid Bathing Festival, even the most remote Wuling Village has become lively. In addition to the wedding of the Liu family's daughter, there are several other young men and women waiting to meet.
Normally, this is the time when Uncle Zhou is most active, and he would visit Ying Jianhua every few days to persuade him to meet the girl and consider when to get married. But this year, he didn't visit Ying Jianhua even once.
Moreover, wherever Doctor Ying appeared, no one dared to mention the Orchid Bathing Festival and kept silent.
As for the reason—
"I heard that Doctor Ying chased after her for dozens of miles at night, and even lost his straw sandals in the process!" "That's right, he looked so heartbroken when he came back...tsk tsk tsk, it was so pitiful to see him like that." "Hey, why do you think that girl wasn't satisfied with Doctor Ying? She's so pretty. If I were ten years younger, I would have pestered her to stay."
“Vulgar, you’re all so vulgar.” Honghua accompanied her mother to the stream to wash clothes. When she heard them talking about Du Zhijin, she was immediately displeased and determined to defend her sister’s dignity. “Is Sister Mu that kind of person? She’s a great hero, a hero who knows kung fu! A great hero should have the world in his heart and ambitions in all directions. How could he be so attached to the love between men and women?”
Honghua used to be the village's queen of the kids, a real show-off, always surrounded by a bunch of little followers. After Du Zhijin taught her some martial arts, she got even more excited, waving a small wooden sword around every day, saying things like she'd fight demons when she grew up.
Everyone just thought she was being childish and didn't take it to heart, laughing it off.
"It's a pity that Dr. Ying is so devoted," Aunt Zhao sighed, but before she could finish speaking, someone nudged her arm. Startled, she turned around and saw Dr. Ying, so full of affection, right in front of her!
Aunt Zhao was extremely embarrassed: "Doctor Ying, are you back from gathering herbs?"
Ying Jianhua nodded, as if she hadn't heard what they had just said, and turned to Honghua, saying, "Let's go, it's time for you to learn to read."
Upon hearing this, Honghua's face immediately fell, and she dawdled, reluctant to leave, holding her wooden sword. It was only after Aunt Huang flicked her forehead that she reluctantly followed.
A woman wanted to send her child to study with Ying Jianhua, so she asked Aunt Huang how much tuition fee she had to pay to get Doctor Ying's approval.
The village doesn't have the money to open a school, so it would be good if Ying Jianhua could teach him a few characters and how to collect herbs.
To everyone's surprise, Aunt Huang said she didn't want the tuition fee.
"How did he agree to that?"
Aunt Huang rubbed her clothes and said in a hesitant tone, "Because of Doctor Ying's deep affection."
Honghua, who was forced to learn to read, did not appreciate Doctor Ying's "deep affection."
If you like someone, how could you bear to see her friend suffer the hardships of studying? This is clearly hatred! Hatred extends to everything connected to the person you love!
"So you've learned to use the phrase 'hate the house because of the crow' now? Not bad, learn ten more characters today." She was smacked on the head, and looked up in disbelief, looking aggrieved: "If I did well, why am I being punished?"
Ying Jianhua, holding a scroll, said leisurely, "Because of hatred extending to the house and its crows."
Honghua: "...Dr. Ying, Sister Mu isn't here, aren't you bored?"
He was so bored that he made her write every day.
She made a casual remark, but it unexpectedly caught Ying Jianhua's attention.
He looked at the little boy diligently writing at his desk, but the image of Du Zhijin came to mind.
To keep her from getting bored during her illness, he once read several medical books with her. She was more eager to learn than Honghua, but she was also more difficult to teach, asking him about the source and meaning of every single word.
Surprisingly, he didn't find it annoying at all.
"...Disrespectful to elders, add ten more words."
"Ah!" Twenty big characters were like a bolt from the blue for the child! The heroine Honghua gave in and decided to endure the humiliation and bide her time. "Doctor Ying, I'll lend you the things my sister gave me for a day. Could you... could you waive ten of the big characters?"
She knew that Doctor Ying had been eyeing her treasure for a long time, and she wouldn't have lent it out unless she was desperate.
This move is risky, but the chances of success are high!
"What would I do with your things? It's just a firework tube," Ying Jianhua said dismissively, but his outstretched hand betrayed his true intentions. "Then I'll keep it for you for a day."
Dr. Ying is truly hypocritical. Honghua was indignant, but in order to avoid writing large characters, she obediently went back to her room and gave him the precious firework tube hidden under the bed, not forgetting to remind him, "Don't let it get wet."
Ying Jianhua hummed in agreement, casually placed the things on the table, and seeing her lingering gaze, tapped the table: "Focus on writing."
Honghua pouted, buried her head in writing for a while, then suddenly asked him as if she remembered something, "Dr. Ying, Sister Mu gave me a firework tube, what did she give you?"
Children are innocent and don't understand what "unrequited love" or "heartbreak" means. She simply felt that to Sister Mu, both she and Doctor Ying were her friends, so Doctor Ying naturally deserved a gift as well.
However, Dr. Ying's gift was definitely not as good as hers, otherwise why would he stare at her firework tube every day?
She meant no harm, but unexpectedly, she stumped Ying Jianhua with her question.
His fingertips touched the flare tube, and he felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
Because she left nothing behind.
There was nothing there.
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