【Chen Zixi×You】Live towards death 1
You were picked up and brought home by Chen Zixi.
When you opened your eyes, you found a young man in a green jacket and white brocade robe about to take your pulse. Your first reaction was to pull your hand back, but then you felt that was impolite, so you quickly grasped his fingers with yours, stopping him.
Chen Zixi was stunned. He looked at you, seemingly unaware of your true intentions. “Girl?”
This action seemed a little ambiguous, so you lowered your eyelids and retracted your hand: "Sorry."
"Why apologize?" Chen Zixi didn't care at all, thinking you were on guard against him. He said softly, "I'm sorry for being rude. I just wanted to feel your pulse and understand your physical condition. You don't have to be nervous."
When you were out and about, you never let anyone take your pulse, and this time was no exception. You smiled at him and declined politely: "Thank you, sir, but it's not necessary. I know my physical condition well."
He was about to persuade you again, but you looked into his eyes, which were filled with concern: "Sir, I am a disciple of Wuxin Valley, and I am also proficient in medicine, so I really won't be a problem."
"Wuxin Valley..." Chen Zixi suddenly realized. "So this sect really exists. I'm so ignorant." He looked at you, his concern unwavering. "But, the young lady fainted on the roadside earlier, and now she doesn't look well. Is there anything I can do for you?"
You are just suffering from a temporary attack of poison in your heart, which is not a big problem, so you dictate the prescription to him, he writes it down for you, and then helps you get the medicine.
Halfway through writing, he paused for a moment and looked at you hesitantly.
You sat at the table, looked at his handwriting on the paper, and praised him earnestly: "Your handwriting is really good, the best I have ever seen among the Qingxi disciples."
Chen Zixi couldn't help but laugh, then shook his head worriedly: "No, I mean...this prescription..."
This is a strong medicine, you know it. Moreover, the combination is quite toxic, and it is reasonable to say that you intended to poison yourself.
"Don't worry, sir, I'm not trying to poison myself. This is the recipe from our Wuxin Valley," you said, smiling reassuringly. "And it always works, making it perfect for my condition."
Chen Zixi looked at you worriedly, obviously very concerned, but considerately didn't ask any more questions, nor did he offer to take your pulse again. "I'll send someone to get some medicine and boil it. Please wait a moment, young lady."
You thanked him politely, and he smiled and said, "You're just a small favor, it's nothing to be proud of. Since we're acquainted, you don't have to be so polite as to call me 'Young Master'. My name is Chen Zixi, so you can just call me by my first name."
You thought the name sounded familiar, so you asked him his age and found out he was seventeen years older than you.
...He doesn't look thirty-four at all, does he? He looks like he's just come of age. It seems the feng shui of Jiangnan is good for health.
You thought about it for a while, but couldn't remember any specific impression of this name, so you gave up and adjusted your address to call him "Brother Zixi".
Chen Zixi's family must be a wealthy one. He did not live with his family, claiming that he had two older brothers. Apart from his eldest brother who inherited the family business and lived in the main house, he and his second brother moved out to live on their own.
Even if he lives alone, this residence is very large, ten times larger than the wooden house you lived in when you were a child. It has its own door and yard, with flowing water, rockery and bamboo in the yard, which has its own unique scenery.
Not to mention his gold-embroidered clothes. Although they looked low-key and casual, even the decorative bells were made of pure gold, which was delicate and luxurious.
He laughed and said that he was the only one at home except for the servants, and he was bored, so he invited you to stay for a while so that he could discuss medical prescriptions with him.
—It was probably an excuse. His medical skills seemed far superior to yours, a practitioner of both medicine and poison. Why would he even need to discuss this with you? You knew it well and accepted his kindness.
Chen Zixi loves to drink, and you can hold your liquor pretty well, so to thank him, after finding out about his hobby, you took out your own collection of wine and invited him to drink with you.
Chen Zixi took a sip, and his eyes lit up. "It tastes very familiar, hmm... like Qinghe's tears of separation, but with a different flavor mixed in?"
You explained: "I brewed it myself, as long as Brother Zixi likes it."
—You did indeed brew this with inspiration from the Tears of Separation. You were born into a lesser-known family, so you were intimately familiar with the brewing process. Later, you left home to make your own, contracting a strange poison with an uncertain death date. Fearing to return home, you hid your identity and brewed a medicinal wine, similar in flavor to the Tears of Separation. You carried it with you, drinking it whenever you felt homesick or felt cold, to warm your body and soul.
"I like it," he looked at you, his expression dazed for a moment. "I have a friend who settled in Qinghe. The taste of this wine reminds me of him."
You don't like to mention Qinghe, after all, not being able to go home is not a good experience. So, you take the initiative to clink glasses with him, comforting him: "Although friends can't meet, I am also a friend of Brother Zixi. Wouldn't it be nice to drink together?"
These words clearly touched his heart. He looked at you with a smile and said, "You're absolutely right. I won't leave until I'm drunk."
You sat in the courtyard and drank a whole jar before stopping. You thought you could hold your liquor well, so you took the initiative to help Chen Zixi: "Brother Zixi, let me take you there."
Chen Zixi was at a loss for words: "I should be the one to take you there. Are you feeling dizzy? Do you want to vomit?"
"I'm fine," you said firmly. "If you don't need my help, do you want me to make some hangover soup?"
Chen Zixi shook his head: "Let me cook it. I have my own special recipe, I guarantee you will like it."
So neither of you went back to rest, and you two went to the kitchen together.
After sending the cook away, Chen Zixi asked about your dietary restrictions and then actually started making the hangover soup himself. The kitchen was instantly filled with steam, and the sweet and sour aroma wafted through the air, making your mouth water.
You couldn't help but praise him: "Brother Zixi is amazing. He has beautiful handwriting, is good at both literature and martial arts, can heal illnesses, and can even make hangover soup."
Chen Zixi laughed: "You know how to coax me."
You joked seriously, "I live with Brother Zixi, eat his food, wear his clothes, and use his things. If I can't make you happy, what use am I?"
Chen Zixi smiled and tapped your forehead: "You are still useful. I don't need you to coax me. Having you here with me and avoiding the boredom of daily life is already very useful."
He reminded you of this, and you suddenly remembered a question that had been bothering you for a while: "Since Brother Zixi enjoys fun, why don't you go out and explore the world? With your martial arts skills, that shouldn't be a problem."
The smile on Chen Zixi's face faded a little. "It's not like I haven't been on the road before. When I was young, I followed a friend and traveled all over the country. I also challenged many veterans in the martial arts world and gained some fame. Later, a girl from a friend's family went missing and entrusted me to find her. However, I traveled all over the country and didn't get any good news. In the end, I could only entrust this matter to my fellow disciples in the sect. I hope they can find out something when they travel around to practice medicine."
...It sounds very sad, and he looks very worried about that "girl from a friend's family".
You couldn't bear to see his expression like that, and thought he should be smiling, so you comforted him: "Young people are full of energy and are out and about. It's normal for them to not get any news for a while. No news might be good news."
Chen Zixi's gaze fell on your face and he sighed softly: "...I hope so."
It was on a snowy night that he discovered your secret.
The chill of a snowy night, the cold poison entering your body, intertwined with the various toxins in your system, is often the most unbearable moment. You've been in this state for a long, long time, no longer feeling any pain, just a slight numbness, coupled with a general lack of strength, and symptoms similar to a cold. You came to the south of the Yangtze River precisely to nourish your body with its warmth.
Chen Zixi knocked on your door, intending to invite you to try Fenghechun, a famous Jiangnan wine. You tried to hide it, but when you opened the door, he noticed something was wrong with you and asked anxiously, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
He reached out his hand to your forehead, which was cold and covered in sweat.
Without blinking, you start to lie: "It's just a cold. I have a cold constitution, so it's easy to get irritated in rainy and snowy weather."
Chen Zixi frowned and asked, "Do you want to confess yourself, or should I take your pulse myself?"
You had never seen him act so overbearing. Ever since you met, he had basically always spoken to you with a smile, and he was gentle and patient. You couldn't help but be stunned.
Seeing that you were silent, he stepped forward, picked you up horizontally, brought you into the room and placed you on the bed, then forcibly held your wrist and began to feel your pulse.
You felt a little guilty for a rare moment and quietly huddled under the quilt.
Chen Zixi's brows furrowed tighter and tighter. After taking your right hand, he took your left hand with a heavy expression.
You didn't dare to breathe heavily as he finished taking your pulse and looked at you with suppressed anger: "Is this why you never let me take your pulse? Thirteen kinds of poison, two of which I've never seen before... Is this how you take care of yourself?"
You know, Qingxi disciples are the most compassionate, and they're also most annoyed when patients don't cherish themselves. You explained aggrievedly, "You don't understand. Ever since I was poisoned, Master has tried many methods, but in the end, he could only fight poison with poison... Each of these poisons was secretly concocted by Master to suppress the toxicity and prolong my life."
Chen Zixi stood up suddenly, walked a few steps in the room, and looked at you again: "Are you the young man that Junior Brother Zhai Xu mentioned?"
You didn't expect that they could communicate even though one was far away in Kaifeng and the other in Jinling. You looked at him in astonishment for a moment and nodded.
Chen Zixi stared at you in amazement. He understood everything: "It's Chao Sheng Mu Luo. The strange poison you're talking about is Chao Sheng Mu Luo?"
You didn't dare to lie anymore and nodded.
"Zhai Xu has followed our master in the Mist Hidden Forest for generations, disregarding life and death, yet he still hasn't found a solution..." Chen Zixi's voice trembled slightly. "Your body..." He paused, then asked more gently, "Where does it hurt? I'll give you acupuncture."
You cooperated, removing your outer clothes and lying down in them, letting him insert silver needles into you. His medical skills were indeed excellent, seemingly on par with your master's, and your discomfort subsided a lot.
"...I only knew you were straightforward, but I never imagined you'd be such a brave girl." Chen Zixi spoke to you while giving you acupuncture. "Did you sneak into the valley to dispel the poisonous fog and destroy the poisonous flowers? Was it painful and bitter?"
"I'm not suffering." You smiled, making light of it. "So many Qingxi seniors died under the poisonous flowers. It pained me so much. How could I retreat because of a little illness?"
In reality, no one in the martial arts world knew that the disciples of Wuxin Valley were essentially feeding on poison. Most of them had been exposed to the morning glory, and once the toxin entered their bodies, they needed to ingest more poison to balance the toxicity.
The toxicity of the morning glory is incredibly potent, and the poisons used to counter it are often the most potent. Each attack is accompanied by multiple toxins, varying depending on the type of poison. The more severe ones can cause excruciating pain worse than death. Master says your constitution is unique, offering a greater resistance to the morning glory, thus lessening your symptoms. By combining the twelve toxins, perhaps you can live as long as an ordinary person.
You are always very satisfied to be able to continue living, and strive to make yourself happy every day. In this way, even if your end comes one day, you will not feel regret.
So you smiled and comforted Chen Zixi: "Don't worry, Brother Zixi, I'm fine. I never think of myself as a patient. I only do what I want to do. I'm not afraid of death, and I won't regret it. Besides, my poison isn't as strong as you think, right?"
Chen Zixi took out the needle from your body. He was silent for a long time. Finally, under your confused gaze, he slowly took you into his arms: "Yes, I know. What I admire most is your temperament."
He recalled the moment he found you: the umbrella that had fallen beside you, the blood on the ground, and the bodies of the assassins from Xiujin Tower scattered about. The traces of battle were obvious; he could even imagine how you had swung your umbrella to kill them one by one, then twisted the handle to wipe away the blood.
——She was indeed a free and easy-going girl. Although she was poisoned, she never looked dejected or afraid. Most of the time, she just smiled slightly, calm and lovely.
Chen Zixi helped you put on your coat, straightened your hair, and sat beside the bed, looking at you with a smile: "I want to know your story, can you tell me?"
You think of Qinghe, Shenxiandu, and Buxianxian. These are the most relaxed and happy times in your memory, but you don’t want to mention them.
You smiled and told him your story in Kaifeng, about the senior you met who turned into a dream puppet and still tried to treat you, about how Zhai Xu didn't blame you for stealing the booklet when he saw you but panicked and took your pulse, about the Kaifeng furnace and the Tang Qian case, and then joked, "Luckily, I was poisoned and had the opportunity to seek medical treatment everywhere, otherwise I would have worked for the Zhao brothers for the rest of my life."
Chen Zixi also smiled with you, and there was a light flashing in his eyes.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
