3. Rumors
"A female thief broke into Doctor Ying's house last night! A notorious womanizer!"
"What's that sound? It sounds like it's coming from Doctor Ying's house!" The villagers all got up and rushed to see the painter Ying after hearing the shout.
The most anxious family was the Huang family next door. Uncle Huang hurriedly pushed open the door and shouted, "What happened! Doctor Ying, Doctor Ying, are you alright? If nothing's wrong, just say so!" "Oh, what are you dawdling for! Go in and see!" Aunt Huang pushed him inside and handed him a kitchen knife.
So Uncle Huang brandished his kitchen knife and limped to the front, followed by several strong men, determined to capture the thief!
Unexpectedly, he bumped into Ying Jianhua, who looked flustered. Uncle Huang quickly sheathed his knife, looked him up and down carefully, and asked, still shaken, "Dr. Ying, are you alright? Where is the thief?"
"A thief?" Ying Jianhua had only been awake for a short while, and the red marks on his face from the bamboo pillow were now irrefutable evidence of the brutal attack. The villagers beat their chests and stamped their feet, shouting, "This is the most handsome young man in our Wuling Village!" Their desire for revenge was at its peak, and before the host could speak, they swarmed into the room.
Ying Jianhua snapped out of her daze and was about to speak up to stop him, but it was already too late.
"Take this punch! My god, it's...it's a female thief?!"
Hearing the off-key screams behind him, he slowly closed his eyes.
Where's the monster? Why doesn't the monster come out and eat him?
————
"Have you heard? A female thief broke into Doctor Ying's house last night! A notorious womanizer!" "Oh dear, your information is inaccurate. It was clearly a fox demon! The kind that sucks people's life force! It's terrifying!" "Wrong, wrong, all wrong! My nephew saw it with his own eyes this morning. It was a deathly pale female ghost with a tongue that was—long..."
Wuling Village is isolated from news, and the villagers have no other way to pass the time. They talk about the same old stories from three generations ago over and over again. Now that there is finally something new, how can they not embellish it and spread it around? Therefore, although Ying Jianhua tried his best to clarify, it was to no avail.
He walked quickly past, head down, without saying a word. Some villagers who had missed the morning's commotion asked, "Does Dr. Ying need any help? Is everything alright at home?"
He forced a smile and flatly refused, "No need, it's fine."
Some people, still unwilling to give up, insisted on watching the spectacle: "My son's stomach hasn't been feeling well lately, he'll come to you for a checkup later."
Without even looking up, he said, "If your stomach is upset, don't move around. I can come and check on you."
Having successfully deterred wave after wave of curious villagers from gathering, he finally carried the firewood home. Wuling Village is located in the south, where the demand for firewood is low in winter, so some could be gathered in the spring. Previously, he used hot water for everything, but now with another patient, the consumption of dry firewood had increased dramatically, and his previous stockpile was used up in just two days.
Du Zhijin woke up when Uncle Huang pushed the door open and entered. Even though Ying Jianhua immediately closed the door, she still overheard some rumors.
"Have I caused you any trouble?" She belatedly realized that the sudden appearance of a strange face in such a remote village, especially since she was seriously injured, could very likely cause fear among the villagers, and even Ying Jianhua might get herself into trouble.
The knife at home was a bit dull, making chopping wood quite strenuous. Amidst the chopping sounds, Ying Jianhua replied, "Then you'd better get better quickly, settle the doctor's fee, and leave as soon as possible." After saying that, he rubbed his wrist, which was sore from the chopping, and began to think about which angle to chop from to save energy.
Noticing his predicament, Du Zhijin offered, "Use Awakening Moon." As soon as he finished speaking, Awakening Moon flew to his side. He looked at the swordsman's sword; its blade was as smooth as a mirror, clear and pure, seemingly able to reflect the finest details of everything.
Ying Jianhua didn't take the painting, and continued to use his knife: "Your sword shouldn't be used to chop wood."
She retorted, "There's no right or wrong. A woodcutter's knife can kill, but it's just a sword, an inanimate object."
He had no intention of arguing with her, letting Xingyue stubbornly remain around him. After a long while, he called out to the people inside the house, "Put your sword away; you just took the medicine this morning."
The implication is that we should avoid unnecessary trouble.
The room was silent. He glared inside, and Xingyue vanished instantly.
After a while, Du Zhijin's hesitant voice came from inside: "Or, shall I start a fire for you?"
She felt bad about eating and drinking for free at Doctor Ying's house. The sword cultivator had nothing of value and couldn't offer anything good to repay him in a short time, so she could only make things convenient for him, such as starting a fire and fetching water.
Seeing that Hua had agreed, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Dinner was still just plain porridge, vegetables, and an egg, but Ying Jianhua had explained to her beforehand, "This egg was borrowed from the neighbor. If you don't want it, I'll return it to you as is." This completely dispelled her idea of sharing half with him.
The meal passed without a word. As usual, he washed the dishes and dried himself in the yard. Du Zhijin had been lying down all day, and his mind was even clearer than during the day. He pulled out a tattered roll of bedding, threw it on the ground, and lay down fully clothed.
He probably only had one quilt at home, and he was covered with an outer shirt, which looked very thin.
She said, "It's cold at night, why don't you come up and sleep here?"
"No need." Ying Jianhua turned her back to her, her tone as cold as the early spring night.
Moonlight streamed through the half-papered window, casting a pale glow on his long hair and giving him a cool, luminous appearance. The night was still and dust-free, the moonlight as silvery as silver. The long-neglected wooden door creaked open in the wind. This was his home; he was used to everything here, yet tonight he couldn't fall asleep.
The person on the bed was probably the same. Perhaps accustomed to sleeping in a soft red silk curtain, they simply couldn't adapt to a simple straw mat. He speculated somewhat maliciously.
After a while, he finally felt sleepy and vaguely heard her say, "...Sweet dreams, Doctor Ying."
Everything will be alright...
————
The next morning, Ying Jianhua got up early as usual and went up the mountain to collect herbs and firewood.
Perhaps it's due to the difference between immortals and mortals, but Du Zhijin recovered much faster than he expected. In just two days, most of her fatal wounds had healed. No wonder she's a sword cultivator who's the protagonist of countless stories. Next, he'll need to treat her external injuries and burns; various herbs might come in handy.
On the way, we met some villagers who were hunting in the mountains. They said that there was almost no good game left in this area, and if we wanted to have a good catch, we had to go deeper into the mountains.
Ying Jianhua warned, "There are bears in the deep mountains, you'd better not go there." He saw bear droppings a few times, and never went to those places again.
The old hunter also advised him, "We know. You too, Doctor Ying, it's fine to walk around the area, but whatever you do, don't go inside! There might be a big tiger that jumps out and eats you."
He nodded to indicate that he understood, but because he had been lingering in the same few places, he had little to show for it today, only seeing a few scattered herbs that pharmacies would buy.
If things continue like this, he won't even be able to support himself, let alone get medical treatment.
His mood suddenly turned heavy. He stood by the stream and stared blankly at his reflection for a while.
The stream babbles, and every now and then a fish, the size of a palm, swims beneath the surface, looking very tempting.
He emptied the bamboo basket and tried to scoop it up several times, but all his attempts were unsuccessful.
The aunt washing clothes advised him: "Dr. Ying, this won't work! You need to cast a net or bait a spot with lots of rocks. In a couple of days, when the tide goes out, it will be even harder to catch fish."
He thanked his aunt for her kindness, but what he was thinking was, where did they get the net and bait? They even had to split an egg in half.
After walking around and stopping to try to catch fish, Ying Jianhua returned, covered in sweat, and smelled a rich, meaty aroma from afar.
The smell was too overpowering, especially when he was starving. He quickened his pace, pushed open the courtyard gate, and the aroma of medicine filled the room, which finally relieved his discomfort.
"You're back? It seems you're back later today than yesterday. Are you tied up with something?" Du Zhijin appeared out of nowhere, with medicine scattered all over the ground.
Seeing her standing in the middle of the courtyard, sweat beading on her forehead, Ying Jianhua's heart skipped a beat, and his mind went blank. Coming to his senses, he strode over, grabbed her hand, and while taking her pulse, scolded, "Who told you to get up? Didn't I tell you to rest and not move around recklessly?! You..." "I can still do this much work. Back in the mountains, even if I was seriously injured, I would still practice my skills the next day," she said. "Look, isn't your pulse very normal?"
He frowned, carefully taking her pulse twice. After confirming there was nothing wrong, his tone softened slightly: "Then you can't disregard the doctor's orders. Moderate activity is fine, but no excessive activity, no swords or spears, no..."
He went on and on about all the things she was forbidden to do, which Du Zhijin found quite intriguing. Doctor Ying was truly considerate; when she was injured, the medical practitioner would at most give her two porcelain bottles and let her treat herself as she saw fit.
This was the first time she had been treated with such care since her master left.
Her gaze shifted, catching a glimpse of the seaweed-stained corner of his shirt, and she suddenly suggested, "Is there a river nearby? Let's go catch some fish."
"Catch the fish and grill it."
The topic changed so quickly that Ying Jianhua couldn't keep up and let out a confused "Ah".
————
As dusk falls, the setting sun casts its last rays upon the water, half of the river shimmering green, the other half crimson. The rolling mountains on both banks, bathed in the afterglow, take on a bluish-gray hue, their reflections shattered in the river.
Ying Jianhua forbade her from going into the water, ordering her to watch from the shore, while she rolled up her trousers and waded into the cool river, holding Xingyue's hand, unsure of where to begin.
A fish slid past his leg, and just as he was about to move, he stumbled and narrowly avoided falling into the water.
He wasn't a very good swimmer, otherwise he wouldn't have spent ten years in the countryside without learning how to catch fish.
“I’ll do it.” Receiving his cold glare, Du Zhijin quickly added, “I won’t go into the water, I’ll stand on the shore.”
"Ha, how can you catch fish without going into the water?" He handed Xingyue back to her, saying this, but his eyes were fixed on her movements.
"What if I get caught? Want to make a bet? If I win, you give me half a day off to get some fresh air; if I lose, I can't leave the house for the next three days."
It seemed like he wouldn't lose out either way, so after thinking about it, he nodded in agreement.
Du Zhijin smiled slightly, and upon sensing movement underwater, quickly took action. Xingyue plunged into the stream like an arrow released from a bow. Before long, a faint crimson hue spread, only to be washed away by the stream and return to its clear state.
"How is it?" she asked, showing off her sword with two gutted grass carp skewered on its tip.
The sharp, divine weapon was now absurdly strung with two dead fish, and as she turned around, her eyes shone especially brightly in the twilight, like stars in the sky.
A faint fishy smell wafted on the night breeze, a smell that was hardly pleasant, but Du Zhijin seemed oblivious, and smiled at him:
"Dr. Ying, you have to accept the consequences of your bet."
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