5. Jewelry
◎【The dark-skinned guy has arrived! Sorry, Amo, forgive me for switching allegiances】◎
Upon hearing "Dr. Ying is back," the children, who had been chattering away, looked at each other, and then, at someone's command, shouted "Run!" They all took off running towards home, clutching something tightly in their hands.
Only Honghua remained standing. She greeted Ying Jianhua politely, made an appointment with Du Zhijin to come again tomorrow, and then skipped away, carrying the small wooden carving.
Looking at the dense wood shavings at her feet, Ying Jianhua spoke with a barbed tongue: "A dignified Daoist priest like you is doing carpentry for a child? If Xingyue could talk, she would have cried out for justice long ago. And why do you always want to come out? Can't you stay in the house and recuperate?"
He didn't understand, he simply couldn't understand. If someone were to wait on him hand and foot, he could lie in bed for the rest of his life. Yet Du Zhijin had repeatedly "escaped"—was the sword cultivator really mentally unstable?
Du Zhijin sat on a low stool. Two of the stool's four legs were missing, but now they had all been replaced with new ones, and the stool didn't wobble when he sat on it.
He gave a soft hum, his expression softening slightly. He does have some skill; his hard work in chopping firewood wasn't wasted.
Du Zhijin sincerely apologized: "But Doctor Ying, it's so stuffy in here, and I have nothing to do. If I stay here any longer, my bones will rust." She had never had such an easy life before. In the past, when she was on Dengxian Mountain, she would get up at dawn to practice her sword. When she went down the mountain to train, she would not rest for days and nights. She could only rest in peace after eliminating her opponent.
During her days in Wuling Village, she felt like a fish struggling against the current suddenly finding itself in a calm stream. The light, colors, and sounds around her slowed down countless times. With no natural enemies and no worries about food, she actually felt bored, something she hadn't experienced in a long time.
Ying Jianhua hadn't expected her to have such thoughts and was momentarily stunned. After a moment of contemplation, he pointed to a low wooden cabinet against the wall: "There are a few medical books in there. Pick one you like to read." Although a sword cultivator might not like reading the "Huangdi Neijing," "Shennong Bencao Jing," or "Shanghan Zabing Lun," these were the only books he had.
"Scallions and white honey should not be eaten on the same day... Why is that?" "The former is warm in nature, and the latter is neutral. They don't seem to clash, but combining them can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. In more serious cases, it can even disrupt the flow of qi and blood." To his surprise, Du Zhijin was engrossed in reading and occasionally asked him questions about things he didn't understand. In more than ten years, this was the first time someone had discussed medical books with him, which felt quite novel.
He was brewing medicine in the courtyard, while she was reading inside. They were at peace with each other, with only the muffled gurgling of the medicine stove.
Ying Jianhua sat on the small stool she had repaired, watching over the fire. The breeze was gentle and the sun was warm, and she couldn't help but squint her eyes.
Suddenly, he heard someone inside the room ask, "Doctor Ying, why did you add red marks under this line of text? Is there a deeper meaning behind it?"
Ying Jianhua: "What word?"
Du Zhijin read aloud: "Ink has a pungent taste and is non-toxic."
He suddenly opened his eyes.
Ah... she's reading the *Kaibao Materia Medica*...
"...That's my mother's book. Amo is the nickname she gave me."
Perhaps it was because the voice had made it clear from the beginning that when Du Zhijin was told this name, he felt no ripples in his heart, and even a sense of "finally" relief.
In this situation, he couldn't help but ponder. Was that monster truly just a monster? Or was it a deity capable of foreseeing the future?
To be honest, that voice has never appeared since Du Zhijin regained consciousness.
————
Today's medicine was more bitter than before, and Du Zhijin had reason to suspect that this was Doctor Ying's secret revenge.
Dr. Ying scoffed, "Spend money to get revenge on you? Are you crazy or am I?"
Du Zhijin: She still misses the original Dr. Ying, who never said a word of nonsense to her...
A few dregs of medicine remained at the bottom of the bowl, emitting a strong bitter smell. She glanced up at him, saw him busy cleaning up, and asked softly, "Shall I go wash the dishes by the well?"
Ying Jianhua nodded slightly, and upon hearing the sound of water beside her, she abruptly spoke: "Life here must be quite boring. If you hadn't said it, I would have almost forgotten that I ever had such thoughts."
"Day after day of cooking smoke, year after year of farming. No new people ever come in, it's like a stagnant pool. Even if you throw in a huge stone, it won't make a ripple. People living in boring days naturally become boring themselves."
There was no reply from behind, and even the sound of water stopped.
A bold bird was pecking at grass clippings at his feet. He lowered his eyes and waved it away, thinking to himself, "Ignorance is bliss."
"Since you said that you became boring because you were living a boring life, have you ever thought about leaving?"
"leave?"
Du Zhijin nodded and swung his sword into the courtyard. Instantly, a gust of wind rose, carrying away the fine sand and creating patterns on the ground.
She introduced them to him one by one: "Liulijing, Yunzhongcheng, Wufangyu, and even Dengxianshan. I can take you there anytime you want."
As her words fell, countless cities, some magnificent, some beautiful, some mysterious, some orderly, slowly unfolded before him. Across the vast land, mountains, rivers, lakes, and seas, she told him that those who truly possess the world are not emperors, but travelers. And if he agreed, he too could become one of those "travelers."
Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, and it was this pain that kept Ying Jianhua conscious: "Why? Why are you taking me away?"
Du Zhijin: "You saved me, so you can ask me for anything."
That's not enough... far from enough.
He took a deep breath, his eyes reddening with an unusual glint: "What if I want you dead, or someone else dead?"
She didn't answer immediately, as if carefully choosing her words: "I can give my life back to you."
But he never mentioned the second half of his question.
However, Ying Jianhua already knew the answer. He looked at the bird that was still pecking at his feet after being chased away once, and his emotions gradually calmed down.
This time he didn't stop it.
After a hearty meal, the bird nuzzled affectionately against his trouser leg before fluttering its wings and soaring into the sky.
Du Zhijin noticed that he kept staring in the direction the bird had left and asked curiously, "If you like it, why don't you keep it with you?"
He shook his head and said calmly, "Now I know that listening to birds locked in a golden cage is not as good as their free singing in the forest. Forcibly confining birds that should yearn for the mountains and forests to your side, breaking their wings and clipping their flight feathers—don't you think that's too cruel?"
Du Zhijin thought that they should leave a nest for it in the yard, so it could come and go as it pleased, as long as they could enjoy the time they spent together. There were more than just two endings: "locked in a golden cage" and "flying away."
But seeing the sadness in his eyes, she ultimately didn't say anything.
"Mother! Mother! Look! There's a dead bird here, it must have crashed into something, right? Let's roast it and eat it!" "You gluttonous devil! Have you been starving all this time? Look at this bird, does it look like it crashed into something? It was clearly poisoned! Quickly, burn it!"
A fire was lit in the pile of weeds, and the corpse was reduced to ashes in an instant.
The embers drifted towards the horizon.
————
"Going to town again today?"
Ying Jianhua stopped packing her basket, turned around and nodded slightly to her.
Seeing her gaze fall on him, he asked, "Is there anything you need me to bring?"
She shook her head: "Can I come along?"
He refused: "No." He paused, then added, "We'll talk about it when your heart wound is completely healed."
Du Zhijin blinked, seemingly accepting the explanation, and stepped forward to help him fill the bamboo basket with medicine, casually asking, "How are the prices at the herbal medicine shops lately? How much can these sell for?"
Ying Jianhua glanced at her and said, "Why are you asking this? You can start fasting when I'm really penniless." He already knew that she didn't fast simply because she was greedy and had a strong appetite.
"Okay, Dr. Ying, I understand."
He nodded in satisfaction, but just as he stepped through the gate, a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.
Is her condition today... a bit unusual? Could her wound have worsened? No, I need to come back soon.
Yunji Pawnshop opens quite late, so why not try Yuanji? Although the shopkeeper is annoying, you can get the money to buy medicine faster.
Ying Jianhua made up her mind, hitched a ride with the Zhao family at the village entrance, and headed to the county town.
After watching him leave, Du Zhijin returned to the house, recalling the scene he had witnessed that morning.
She saw him carefully take a jade hairpin from the box, stroke it tenderly, and then tuck it into his sleeve. She had glanced at it just now; the hairpin was still in his sleeve.
Although she didn't know much about jewelry, she could tell at a glance that the hairpin was of excellent quality and subtly exuded a warm medicinal quality.
Jewelry, medicinal properties, and preciousness—these keywords combined make the origin of the hairpin self-evident. That jade hairpin was likely a keepsake from his mother.
He cherished even his mother's book so much, so why would he be willing to take the jade hairpin?
Du Zhijin couldn't help but recall the bowl of medicine from yesterday. Saying she'd been poisoned was obviously a joke; good medicine tastes bitter, and besides, she'd been recovering better and better lately...
She let out a long sigh and tapped her head through the scabbard.
Sword cultivators are utterly useless. They've already incurred a great debt by staying at other people's homes and eating their food, yet Doctor Ying is so selfless and compassionate. When will they ever be able to repay this debt of gratitude?
"Is Dr. Ying here? Dr. Ying?"
Hearing someone calling outside, Du Zhijin collected his thoughts and opened the door: "Doctor Ying has gone to the city. If you want to see a doctor, you'll have to wait until tonight."
The spring sunshine was warm and gentle. She had just recovered from a serious illness, and her face radiated a healthy glow after careful treatment. She raised her hand to touch her temple, and the medicinal fragrance wafted in the wind, lingering around her nose.
The person outside the door froze, their face suddenly turning bright red.
[Oh, oh, oh, the dark-skinned guy has arrived! Sorry, Amo, forgive me for having to climb the wall and kowtow to Pingzhou first.]
The eerie voice echoed in her mind again, and Ying Jianhua, who was waiting to enter the city, couldn't help but frown slightly.
Dark-skinned guy? Climbing the wall? Taking a sip?
[Author's Note]
Some authors may seem like they're obsessed with revising their work, but they're actually masters of improvisation (wiping sweat).
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