48 Crisis
"I...can't sleep."
In this situation, Jiangwei couldn't help but recall a certain night.
His eyelashes fluttered, and he tugged at Ying Jianhua's sleeve with two fingers, saying weakly, "Perhaps... there's some misunderstanding..."
Zhao Zhonggan: "Misunderstanding? No, my senior sister and I practiced all night!"
Jiangwei: "...Is that so? You must be very thirsty. I'll go find the waiter to refill the pot of water..."
On his way downstairs, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
So that's what Young Master Amo thought when he first saw him!
Ying Jianhua was unaware that Jiangwei held him in high esteem. Passing Zhao Zhonggan, he saw Du Zhijin sitting blankly by the couch, her eyes open, but with a certain clarity within them, which only she herself knew.
He could tell at a glance that she was still feeling the effects of last night's alcohol. Honestly, she had clearly sworn never to drink again; how could a cultivator be so frivolous and fickle!
Du Zhijin finally overcame the dizziness in his eyes, and when he looked up, he saw Ying Jianhua's slightly furrowed brows.
Now I'm completely sober.
"Amo..." She opened her mouth to explain, but the other person only left her with a stiff back.
And there's the glaring.
A moment later, just as she thought Ying Jianhua was going to get a little angry and was starting to think about how to apologize, she returned.
He was also carrying two bowls of dark, hangover-relieving soup.
Zhao Zhonggan leaned closer and sniffed it, his face showing a bitter expression: "Young Master Amo, what is this?"
Ying Jianhua said calmly, "Poison."
Zhao Zhonggan choked on his words: "Um...should I laugh?"
Ying Jianhua: "Ah."
Du Zhijin: "It's hangover soup, drink it quickly." After saying that, he took the lead and drank the hangover soup in one gulp.
The hangover soup seemed to reflect the chef's emotions; it was three parts bitter, three parts sour, and four parts spicy—in short, the taste was quite unpleasant. The moment I drank it, my facial features involuntarily scrunched up, and my tongue felt like it had been punched; the indescribable, strange taste went straight to the top of my head.
Du Zhijin was speechless, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked pitifully at Ying Jianhua.
Ying Jianhua gave a soft hum, took out a small piece of hawthorn from her medicine pouch, and placed it in her palm.
The sweet and sour taste of hawthorn masked the bitterness in her mouth. She let out a long sigh, her eyes curving into a slight smile, and rubbed against his still-held fingers, as if to say something.
Don't be angry.
The moment their fingertips touched, he immediately turned his face away, but the earlobe on the side exposed to the sunlight turned slightly red.
After a long pause, he withdrew his hand and said in a completely unconvincing tone, "This is the last time."
She smiled and nodded gently.
Zhao Zhonggan was also suffering from the bitterness of the hangover soup. His tongue was sticking out in a bitter way, and he spoke unclearly: "Master Mo...do you still have hawthorns?"
Ying Jianhua calmly put away the medicine pouch and lied through her teeth: "No."
"But I clearly saw the mud!" "I said no, and that's it. Bitter medicine is good for you."
It wasn't until Jiangwei returned with a pot of clear tea that the bitterness in Zhao Zhonggan's mouth was relieved.
His tongue finally regained sensation, and he could speak normally again. He grabbed Jiangwei and asked, "Little Red, do you think Young Master Amo has a problem with me?"
Do you have a problem with him?
Jiangwei shook her head and hesitated, "Young Master Amo... he has a rather cold personality, he's like that with everyone, it's not just you."
Zhao Zhonggan: "But he treats Senior Sister differently. Could it be that Young Master Amo is someone who admires strength?"
How should I respond to that...? Before Jiangwei could speak, Zhao Zhonggan slammed his hand on the table, having made up his mind: "That's it! Senior Sister is not only highly skilled in martial arts, but also very adept at dealing with people and situations! I should strive to learn from her good qualities."
"Ah... um!" Although she didn't know where he came to this conclusion, Jiangwei felt that he was right. Her benefactor did indeed have many good qualities that were worth learning from!
For the next half day, Zhao Zhonggan clung to Du Zhijin like a fledgling bird to its mother, never leaving her side and chattering incessantly with questions:
"Senior sister, senior sister, where are we going?" "Senior sister, senior sister, is it true that the person on the street can breathe fire?" "Senior sister, senior sister, have you met Master Tianshui? What does he look like? Does he have a long, white beard?" "Senior sister..."
Ying Jianhua was so annoyed by him that she lost her mind and started calling him "senior sister" as well.
"Master... could you please let him shut up for a bit?"
Du Zhijin looked at Zhao Zhonggan, who immediately made a shushing gesture, indicating that he would obediently listen to her.
However, just as Ying Jianhua was haggling with the shopkeeper, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior sister, are you short of money?"
Du Zhijin wanted to say that they weren't actually that strapped for cash, and that haggling was purely Ying Jianhua's personal hobby. But then he thought of Zhao Zhonggan's gleaming golden sword sheath, and changed his mind: "...Well, I'm saving up."
"I see... Senior Sister, don't worry, I have a way!" After saying that, he waved his hand at the shopkeeper and generously slapped on a bank note. "Shopkeeper, do you recognize Ruifeng Bank or Tongyu Bank?"
The shopkeeper cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Sir, we are a small business, so it would be more convenient for us to accept Yuzhuang's services."
Zhao Zhonggan nodded, put the original bank draft back, and after rummaging through the brocade pouch with gold embroidery, finally picked out a bank draft from Tongyu Village: "Here, put it all on my account."
"Alright!" With a big customer in hand, the shopkeeper beamed with joy and worked even harder to promote Ying Jianhua. Zhao Zhonggan finally found an opportunity to show off, and looked at Du Zhijin expectantly, his eyes practically screaming, "Praise me, praise me!"
Du Zhijin thought his expression was very similar to Ah Huang from the Honghua family, especially since Zhao Zhonggan's black hair was well-maintained, shiny and smooth, making people want to reach out and touch it.
But she restrained herself, suppressing her restless desire with the self-control honed over ten years of cultivation.
Not receiving the expected response, Zhao Zhonggan looked disappointed, his lips slightly pursed, and he asked cautiously with a hint of grievance, "Senior sister...did I do something wrong?"
That expression is just like Ah Huang's. She thought, but didn't show it on her face: "No. Your heart is good, it's just that we might not need it."
unnecessary?
Following her gaze, Zhao Zhonggan saw Ying Jianhua's back.
He had only a piece of blue cloth in his hand, and he examined it carefully, not missing even the edges and corners.
He asked, puzzled, "What is Young Master Amo looking at?"
Du Zhijin: "We're speculating on which type of fabric is more fashionable in Rurikyo."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhonggan became even more curious: "Is this something we could guess? It takes more than ten days to travel from Wanze City to Liuli Capital. Could it be that he, like Senior Sister, possesses some kind of extraordinary skill?"
Du Zhijin shook his head in denial, his tone containing a hint of barely perceptible pride: "He doesn't. But he can see the extraordinary in the ordinary details."
Perhaps it's a casual remark from a passerby, a difference in the expression of a passing merchant, or a change of script by a theatrical troupe one day... These seemingly insignificant details, easily overlooked, all become a point of reference in Ying Jianhua's eyes.
Food, clothing, shelter, and daily necessities—these are things that cultivators who practice fasting and meditation don't need to worry about, and these are also a form of cultivation. Ying Jianhua undoubtedly deserves to be called a leader in this cultivation.
“But what’s the use of guessing which fabrics are in fashion?” he continued.
Du Zhijin: "Then you can buy low and sell high, Amo says that's called making a profit from the price difference."
Zhao Zhonggan quickly said, "No need for that! Senior Sister, I have money! If you want it, I can give it to you! Consider it my tuition fee!"
His expression was sincere, his tone earnest, and he began to untie his overflowing brocade pouch. Du Zhijin refused, saying, "I cannot accept your money. I cannot accept a reward without merit; otherwise, it would disrupt the karmic order."
Rejected again, Zhao Zhonggan wasn't as disheartened as the first time. But watching Du Zhijin and Ying Jianhua's retreating figures, a new question arose in his mind.
Isn't the relationship between my senior sister and him a case of disrupting karma?
Ying Jianhua was giving the shopkeeper a perfunctory answer while listening to the conversation between the two. When he heard "If you want it, I can give it to you," he gripped the cloth too tightly, almost snagging a thread.
"...This one will do." He lost interest in choosing any more and bought it hastily. After leaving the cloth shop, Zhao Zhonggan went to the wine shop to buy osmanthus wine, leaving him and Du Zhijin as the only three left.
Du Zhijin casually placed the bolt of cloth on the carriage. Seeing that he had only bought one bolt, he was quite surprised: "Is the fabric from that shop very poor?"
He shook his head: "No, this piece of cloth isn't for sale. I've thought about it, and Liulijing shouldn't be lacking anything, so even if I bought it, I wouldn't be able to sell it."
Even if he carefully selects his items and ends up earning a hundred or a thousand taels, how much money couldn't Zhao Zhonggan produce with just a flick of his finger?
Compared to him, I came from a poor, remote area and was extremely stingy with every penny.
But he didn't want to show weakness in front of Du Zhijin, and after a while, he started to feel inexplicably annoyed.
Du Zhijin, Zhao Zhonggan, the money couple... He had previously mocked the name for being full of the stench of money, but after a day, he realized that he was superfluous.
Yes, she was originally a hermit, unburdened by worldly possessions, with two swords in hand and no worries about money. The only hardship she had ever experienced was probably these past few months with me.
He suddenly felt utterly ashamed. Perhaps compared to Jiangwei, he was the one who truly repaid kindness with ingratitude.
He forcibly interfered with her cause and effect, disrupted her original life trajectory, and tried to make her depend on him... But he had very little to offer. Medical skills? She was so strong that she was almost invincible; appearance? Jiangwei's appearance far surpassed his; temperament? Zhao Zhonggan shared her interests, was chivalrous and generous.
After several comparisons, he was utterly defeated.
According to what the thing in his mind said, Du Zhijin will meet many more people in the future, all of whom are outstanding young talents, whose appearance and temperament will only get better.
What is it about him that makes Du Zhijin want to stop and look at him?
He didn't know.
Ying Jianhua clearly understood that Du Zhijin was only willing to stay by his side now because of the "life-saving grace." Once that affection faded, what would be left between them?
He began to feel apprehensive.
Du Zhijin could sense that Ying Jianhua was in a bad mood, but her attention was completely drawn to the flashing red dots on the map, so she had to put it aside for the time being.
The map left by her master has seven red dots, representing seven powerful demons. She had already eliminated two of them, including the Flame Demon, and another one disappeared automatically when she took action. Including the Illusion Demon of Wanze City, there are three remaining on the map.
One of them appeared in Rurikyo.
However, this red dot was very unstable, appearing and disappearing intermittently. She tried many methods, and even went to ask Master Jun, but still found nothing.
It seems we'll have to wait until we get to Rurikyo to make any plans.
Du Zhijin put away the map and was about to sit down to rest when suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door.
Um, is there some bramble in front of her door?
She naturally recognized the footsteps outside as belonging to Ying Jianhua, but she never expected it to be this kind of Ying Jianhua!
The boy's black hair fell down, revealing his thin clothes and the faint outline of his delicate collarbone and slender waist.
Most importantly, he opened his dark, moist eyes, pursed his lips repeatedly until a thin layer of pink appeared, and then uttered a few words:
"I...can't sleep."
Du Zhijin: Huh?
Why? ? ? ! ! ! !
[Author's Note]
*Nepeta cataria, catnip
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