Chapter 190 : Seeking A Cure
Xuan Pei’s expression suddenly changed, and he took a few steps back in shock- it was as if the earth and sky had turned completely upside down- as his expression slowly changed from joy to sorrow. As Xiao Shao closely took in his changing expressions, he began to frown.
Eventually Xuan Pei recovered from his tangled emotions. He looked at Xiao Shao, and Xiao Shao suddenly felt as though he was looking at an illusion, as if standing before him was not an immature young man, but rather an old man who had been through innumerable ups and downs in his life. The corners of Xuan Pei’s curved lips seemed to show that he had finally taken control of his emotions, but at the same time there was a tinge of bitterness. He looked at Xiao Shao and said slowly, “I want to see her.”
Xiao Shao replied in a low voice, “Okay.”
“Ming Yue, Chao Yang.” Xuan Pei suddenly called out, and the two maids guarding the door rushed in. Xuan Pei restrained his emotions, and his tone became extremely icy in an instant. “I’m going out of the palace. Before I return, do everything possible to keep this matter secret.”
“Your Highness, you shouldn’t” Upon hearing this, Chao Yang cautioned anxiously, “It’s a big crime to privately leave the palace without permission. If His Majesty asks for you… at present, there are so many people in the palace watching you. Your Highness, you must not give them a handle to use against you.”
“Am I the master or are you the master?” Xuan Pei asked back. “If you can’t even handle this matter well, you need not stay by my side.” There was no room for negotiation. Chao Yang suddenly remembered that the young man in front of her remained indifferent even when he watched the maid who had been with him for more than ten years die by flogging in front of his eyes. He was not an ordinary young man. At this moment, his tone was so chillingly cold that Chao Yang shivered. Frightened by such cruel eyes, she couldn’t speak anymore.
Xiao Shao watched coldly from the side, and without saying a word, he calmly signaled Ming Yue with a look. When Ming Yue saw this, she said to Xuan Pei, “Don’t worry, Your Highness, this maidservant will settle everything in the palace well..” Afterall, it was Xiao Shao who was instigating Xuan Pei’s departure from the palace, therefore, Xiao Shao would not stand by without lifting a finger to help. Furthermore, Xuan Pei and Jiang Ruan seemed to have a very close relationship, which meant that he would not let anything untoward befall Xuan Pei.
His own maid was following someone else’s orders. Xuan Pei grimly smiled, and simply grabbed his cloak before saying, “Let’s go.”
* * *
In the Jinying w.a.n.gfu, Xia Qing had just checked Jiang Ruan’s pulse. After drinking the medicine, she had finally calmed down early in the morning and had fallen into a deep sleep. It’s just that all the people in the w.a.n.gfu had no intention of having a good rest themselves, and thus had dark circles under their eyes. As a doctor, Xia Qing had racked his brains to find a way to detoxify the poison in Jiang Ruan, but after a whole night of research, he felt powerless, not to mention Jiang Xin Zhi, who had stayed with Jiang Ruan throughout the night. Although unaware of what he had heard from Jiang Ruan’ mutterings, when everyone saw his face in the morning, he was looking absolutely desolate, as if he had aged ten years overnight.
Qi Feng was sitting at the entrance of the courtyard, and Guan Liang Han and Mo Cong were beside him. Guan Liang Han said, “This girl from the Jiang family is usually so lively and vivacious, and her foresight and acts of subterfuge are a league above most people, so how could she have fallen prey to someone’s machinations. Back then she was a little girl; how could anyone be so cruel as to poison such a little girl? ” Being born into a military family, Guan Liang Han’s nature was open and straightforward, thus, to him such backyard dirty tricks were extremely disgusting.
Mo Cong always viewed Jiang Ruan as someone difficult to handle, but now he too felt quite uncomfortable and said, “Although I used to think that Third Sister-in-law was too competent and intense for a woman, I would rather have her be as arrogant as before than having her lie pathetically on the bed now.” He looked at Qi Feng to one side, and asked, “Fourth Brother Qi, why do you look so preoccupied?”
Qi Feng came back to his senses and smiled wryly. “I’m fine.”
Seeing this, Mo Cong patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. “I know. With your intelligence, for you to not be able to figure out how and through what scheme led to Third Sister-in-law’s poisoning, you must definitely be blaming yourself. But it’s not your fault. Maybe Fifth Brother Xia will be able to make the antidote today, so don’t be sad.”
Qi Feng smiled and said nothing; Mo Cong didn’t know what he was thinking as he looked at Jiang Ruan lying on the bed with a pale face. Listening to her distressing and heart terrifying rambles, Qi Feng felt shocked once again. Previously, he had never liked women weeping or wailing and he admired Jiang Ruan because of her courage. However, when he accidentally heard her grief filled questioning last night, he felt an indescribable pain in his heart. He wanted to comfort her, but he could only watch from a distance. He hated himself for being useless and powerless, for being unable to be of any help in this situation.
Everyone was preoccupied with their own thoughts, consequently not immediately realizing that Steward Lin had led Xiao Shao back to the courtyard in a hurry. Moreover, there was another person behind him. Everyone felt this was a little strange. At this juncture, Xiao Shao was still bringing another person into the w.a.n.gfu– wasn’t he afraid of making matters even more chaotic? When they looked closely at the person trailing behind Xiao Shao, they saw that he was attired magnificently in brocade robes and was not too tall. And, as he drew closer, he revealed a delicate and beautiful face, as if he was a young master of some n.o.ble family. Everyone felt he looked familiar.
“Thirteenth Prince!” Mo Cong called out first. He looked at Xiao Shao, then at Xuan Pei, and asked, “Third Brother Xiao, why did you invite Thirteenth Prince?” Mo Cong was usually bold and unrestrained, but his first thought had nothing to do with the trouble that Xuan Pei would cause because he had privately left the palace without permission. Rather he felt baffled as to why Xuan Pei had been invited over at this juncture whilst Jiang Ruan was in this predicament. He couldn’t remember if Xuan Pei and Xiao Shao shared a friendship, and as for Jiang Ruan, it was even more impossible to have any sort of relationship with Xuan Pei.
“You can head in,” Xiao Shao said to Xuan Pei. “She’s inside.”
Xuan Pei glanced at him, and said, “Thank you.” His expression was full of complex emotions, and the people around were puzzled by his expression. At that moment, they felt that this did not seem to be a conversation between a grown man and a young prince, but a man to man conversation of two individuals of equal status; and a promise between men.
After Xuan Pei entered, Guan Liang Han finally couldn’t help but say, “Lao San, what the h.e.l.l are you doing? Why did you invite Thirteenth Prince over here? If the Emperor finds out about this, you will be adding another layer of trouble.”
“He had to come.” Xiao Shao said lightly, “There are some things that only he understands, and that only he knows what’s going on.”
After Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao left the room, Xuan Pei closed the door. He seemed a little afraid to approach the bed, and stopped a few steps away. Jiang Ruan slept peacefully and quietly, her face was a little pale. Xuan Pei looked at her, before he finally took a few steps forward until he was at her bedside. Suddenly he knelt down with a ‘plunk’.
The boy’s back was straight, like a truly proud n.o.bleman, yet his eyes were filled with tears, but ultimately as more came, he could no longer hold them back. Hot tears dripped onto the back of Jiang Ruan’s hand. His delicate and beautiful little face was scrunched up, and his usual mature face was now childlike, as if a young child who had been pretending to be strong had finally seen his mother, and the long-standing facade was suddenly stripped away and all that was left was a belly full of pent up grievances ready to be unleashed.
“Mother Consort.” Xuan Pei choked up and said, “Is it really you? Mother Consort, have you returned as well?” He slowly grabbed the woman’s hand on the bed. Those hands still seemed to be as warm as in his memory, and he pressed her hand against his own cheek. As he beamed with joy, his lips naturally curved into a big smile. “Do you still remember Pei’er? Pei’er is so happy, Mother Consort. When will you wake up?”
“It’s been so long, I’m so scared.” Xuan Pei held Jiang Ruan’s hand tightly. “I thought I was the only one here, and that I had come back alone. I wanted to avenge you, but I did not know what to do. I’m slowly gaining a foothold in the palace, only in this way can I help you. Later when I saw you, Mother Consort, I thought you were not the same as before, and that you no longer remembered me at all. Pei’er also thought that it was okay that you did not, and that this time allow Pei’er to protect you…” He suddenly stopped, but slowly, slowly began to sob. “But it turns out that you are still my Mother Consort.”
“It would have been great if I could have recognized you earlier, Mother Consort. In this life, we have had to overcome so much before finally being reunited. I don’t want to be apart from you, Mother Consort. Don’t leave Pei’er alone again, okay?” The young man’s humble appeal floated in the air before dispersing. The young man who was so arrogant and vicious in the palace also had such a fragile side, if anyone were to see him now, it would be anyone’s guess as to what their impression of him would be. However, Xuan Pei was still immersed in both his own sorrow and the joy of regaining his mother after losing her previously, so much so that he was indifferent and uncaring about anything else.
* * *
But even after Xuan Pei arrived, things didn’t get better. On the contrary, after Jiang Ruan fell asleep, there was no sign of waking up again. Everyone was anxiously running in circles, and Jiang Xin Zhi was so anxious that his eyes had turned red. At night, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Xia Qing finally walked out with his head hung low, and stated dejectedly, “Third Brother, it is not possible, I can’t neutralize this poison.”
As soon as he finished speaking, someone grabbed his collar, but it wasn’t Jiang Xin Zhi, it was Xuan Pei. Apart from Xiao Shao, everyone was gaping at him for acting completely unexpectedly. Xuan Pei said, “The so-called Jinling Divine Physician has turned out to be a quack doctor. Now I will tell you clearly that if you can’t cure her, I will report you to Imperial Father and will appeal to him to demolish your medical clinic and chop off your head. My Great Jin doesn’t need such a divine physician when reality does not live up to the name[1]!”
[1] 名不副实 (míngbùfùshí) – the name does not reflect the reality (idiom); more in name than in fact / Reality does not live up to the name. / Excellent theory, but the practice does not bear it out.
His tone was fierce, like a trapped beast in a desperate situation, making everyone feel startled. Xia Qing was so overwhelmed by the young man’s savage appearance, he even forgot to get angry, and just stared at him blankly. Qi Feng frowned. He didn’t know why, but Xuan Pei’s eyes felt familiar, and he didn’t know if it was his imagination just now, but he felt that Xuan Pei’s angry expression was exactly the same as Jiang Ruan’s. This was of course impossible, and Qi Feng shook his head, cutting off his rampant thoughts.
“Your Highness, don’t oppress others.” It was Mo Cong who couldn’t bear it, and came out to defend Xia Qing. “Although my Fifth Brother is Jinling Divine Physician, he is not an omnipotent immortal, otherwise no one would die in this world and why would we need so many coffins?”
“I forbid you to talk about coffins!”
“Shut up.”
Two voices rang out in unison. One was Xuan Pei’s, obviously fl.u.s.tered and exasperated. The latter was Xiao Shao’s, who glared at Mo Cong, and the warning in his eyes instantly silenced him. Jiang Xin Zhi compelled himself to suppress the anxiety in his heart, forced a smile, and asked, “Dare to ask Divine Physician Xia, if the poison in my meimei’s body can’t be neutralized by you, then is there any alternatives?”
Xia Qing flinched, and Xuan Pei reluctantly released his grip on Xia Qing’s collar. He (Xia Qing) glanced at Xiao Shao, and met with his frigid gaze replied in bewilderment, “I am under the tutelage of Teacher Ba Qi, the most intelligent person in the world. I can’t find a cure for this poison, but Shifu[2] may be able to solve it. If Shifu can’t solve it, then no one in the world can.” He looked at Xiao Shao, “Third Brother, why don’t you take Third Sister-in-law to Mt. Jianan, Shifu should be out of seclusion now.”
[2] 师父 (Shīfu) – Master/Teacher.
Xiao Shao was startled, and suddenly remembered the last time he went to Mt. Jianan to see Teacher Ba Qi. Back then, Teacher Ba Qi had asked him if there was any special person around him. At that time, he didn’t understand whom Teacher Ba Qi was referring to, and he couldn’t grasp a single word he said. At that time Teacher Ba Qi said that this person came with vengeance and also to pay a debt of grat.i.tude, and that his fate was entangled with this person. Thinking about this incident, could this person be Jiang Ruan? That’s right, Teacher Ba Qi also said that he would have a chance meeting with this person. Isn’t it now?
Seeing Xiao Shao’s eyes flickering, Jiang Xin Zhi was unsure about what he was thinking of to be so lost in thought, so he patted Xiao Shaoon the shoulder and said, “Xiao w.a.n.gye.”
Xiao Shao came back to his senses, glanced at Xia Qing, and said, “I’ll leave first thing in the morning.”
“I’m going too!” As soon as the words fell, Xuan Pei stood out. Seeing that everyone was looking at him strangely, Xuan Pei was startled, and tried to cover up his misstep by saying, “This prince and Hong’an Junzhu can also be considered as siblings. Now that Hong’an Junzhu is suffering misfortune, this prince can’t just stand by and watch with folded arms. In any case, this is a matter involving a royal family member, hence this prince is qualified to take care of it.”
She was just a junzhu who was adopted halfway, and had no blood relationship with him at all. What kind of sibling was this? The eyes of the crowd clearly showed their disbelief. Xiao Shao replied coldly, “No.”
“You—” Xuan Pei still wanted to speak, but he heard Xiao Shao’s calm and emotional words. “You have been out of the palace for a long time. The servants can’t hide your absence anymore, and if word gets out it will implicate her.”
Xuan Pei fell silent when he heard that Jiang Ruan would be affected. He clenched his fists, and said after a while, “Okay, I’ll go back to the palace, but if there is any news, you must send me a message.”
Xiao Shao didn’t promise him but nor did he refuse him, meaning he had tacitly agreed. Seeing this, Jiang Xin Zhi said, “Then I will follow. I don’t have to stay in the palace, and I am Ah Ruan’s elder brother after all, so I can’t feel rest a.s.sured if I’m not with her.”
“There is an eight-ring formation on Mt. Jianan, you are not a disciple of this sect, so you cannot break through.” Xiao Shao said lightly, “If you go, it will only delay time.”
Jiang Xin Zhi was at a loss for words. Qi Feng smiled and said, “Fifth Brother Xia and I will go with Third Brother Xiao. Fifth Brother Xia knows medical skills, so he may be able to help Shifu. I also have some things I want to ask Shifu. Second Brother Guan and Seventh Brother Mo should stay in the capital so that if there are any unusual changes, at least they will be able to deal with them.” He said, “We will find a way to have Third Sister-in-law see Shifu as soon as possible.”
Xiao Shao glanced at Qi Feng, but did not refute his words. He turned around and walked into the house, “Let’s do as he says.”
* * *
Mt. Jianan was covered with snow all year round. The mountains were high and its valleys were deep. One could see the scenery of the northern country all year round, with broken ice protruding and flowing water gurgling. From the foot of the mountain to the top, there were eight plum blossom formations in total, which were intricately interlocked with each other- truly a matchless exquisite work of art.
The scenery at Lu Yang Villa, which sat at the top of the mountain, was different from that at the foot. Even though it was deep into the winter, there were still colorful flowers blooming, and it was warm like early spring. The green parrot at the gate of the villa flapped its wings and screamed. An old man in gray clothes was sitting in the yard looking at the chessboard on a stone table in deep thought. The match had become a convoluted mess and there were no more possible moves to be made. The green parrot chirped cheerfully as the old man shook his head. Then he remarked, “Linglong, our guests have arrived!”
As soon as the words fell, an urgent voice came from the gate of the villa, “Shifu—”
Xia Qing was gasping for breath as he rushed in. Being constantly on the move without a break for more than ten days had made it a bit difficult for him. Xiao Shao had been the leader of the Jinyi Guards for a long time, so such a short journey was not a problem for him. And though Qi Feng had struggled a bit, at least he had some basic martial arts skills. However, he was still a scholar who could barely truss a chicken. So in the end, although Xia Qing was knowledgeable in the art of Qi Huang, he did not know how to strengthen his own core. Nevertheless, Xia Qing was an excellent physician. He adhered to and upheld the medical pract.i.tioners code of ethics and practice, so he gritted his teeth along the way and did not complain once about being tired.
Teacher Ba Qi smiled slightly, “Little Five.”
Xiao Shao and Qi Feng appeared behind Xia Qing; Xiao Shao was holding Jiang Ruan in his arms. When Qi Feng saw Teacher Ba Qi, he greeted and said, “Third Sister-in-law has been poisoned. Shifu, please save her.”
Teacher Ba Qi’s eyes fell on Xiao Shao who was behind him, but he did not linger on him but for a moment before his gaze stopped at Jiang Ruan nestled in his arms. With a soft sigh, he declared, “The time for our fated meeting has finally arrived.”
Xia Qing rubbed his head, “Shifu, what are you talking about? I really can’t detoxify the poison inside Third Sister-in-law. Shifu, check and see if there are any other alternatives. Her life is at risk. Third Sister-in-law hasn’t woken up in many days, and your student thinks that this is not a good sign.
“Carry her to my room,” Teacher Ba Qi ordered.
After Jiang Ruan was carefully laid on the bed in the room, Teacher Ba Qi suddenly said, “Little Four, Little Five, you go out, Ah Shao and I have something to discuss.”
“Shifu, if you have something to say, we can talk about it another day. Right now, shouldn’t we worry about saving Third Sister-in-law first?” Qi Feng replied urgently. He had always been calm and wise, rarely so anxious. Now, seeing that Jiang Ruan’s health was getting worse by the day, he had completely lost his composure. Xia Qing pulled him along. “What nonsense are you talking about? Shifu is here, Third Sister-in-law is definitely no longer in any danger. Let’s go.”
Qi Feng was stunned for a moment, after all, although Teacher Ba Qi was usually gentle and tolerant towards his disciples, nevertheless it was ingrained in their bones the proper etiquettes and propriety between a master and his disciples. Just now, he had indeed spoked out of turn, thus he was immediately contrite. He said, “Pardon me, your disciple was overly anxious.” Then, after casting a perturbed gaze towards Jiang Ruan, he and Xia Qing withdrew together.
After Xia Qing and Qi Feng left, Teacher Ba Qi looked down at Jiang Ruan on the bed. He took out a cloth bag, but he was not in a hurry to open it. Instead he asked, “Ah Shao, do you understand now?”
After a moment of silence, Xiao Shao said, ” Shifu, please guide me.”
“Ah Shao, you are so smart, but why do you still not understand.” Teacher Ba Qi didn’t look at him, but continued, “The words that Shifu spoke to you at the beginning, you should understand a little bit now. Do you still want to make this decision?”
“Shifu thinks I shouldn’t make such a decision?” Xiao Shao asked back.
“As your shifu, I will always support your decision.” Teacher Ba Qi sighed. “It will be as you have spoken.”
“Okay,” Xiao Shao said, “then, I beg Shifu to save my wife.”
Teacher Ba Qi folded his hands, and said flatly, “Ah Shao, I remember telling you that you are not suitable to be a killer.”
“Shifu said my blood is not cold enough,” Xiao Shao replied.
“That’s right. Ah Shao, as a teacher, I knew early on that you would definitely make this decision. But Ah Shao, you have to understand,” Teacher Ba Qi said with a hint of compa.s.sion on his face, “your mortal relationship should have ended here. However, with the decision that you’ve made today your fate can never be reversed. With the fall of the Ziwei Emperor[3] star, your fate to be a monarch will fail even though success is in sight[4]. That said,” he abruptly changed the subject, “in this life, you will no longer have the fate of a lonely star[5].
[3]紫微 (Zi Wei) – lit. the Emperor Star or the Purple Star, a.s.sociated with Yin Earth, the leader – organizer, the senior, the monarch, stable development, benevolence, neutrality, wisdom, obligations, human society, power, position, material wealth, the capacity of healing and rescuing.
[4] 功败垂成 (gōngbàichuíchéng) – to fail within sight of success (idiom); last-minute failure / to fall at the last hurdle / s.n.a.t.c.hing defeat from the jaws of victory.
[5] 孤煞之命 (gūshāzhīmìng) – it refers to the fate of a person who is doomed to be alone all his life. Although the lone star of Tiansha is a great ominous sign, the ominous star does not affect the person himself, but presents a very evil trend to the people around him.
“I understand, Shifu. I beg Shifu to save my wife.” Xiao Shao’s expression was unmoved, and his tone was calm.
“If you go against heaven’s will to change your fate, something bad will happen to you. Your life may suddenly suffer a catastrophe. Even so, Ah Shao, won’t regret it?” Teacher Ba Qi warned.
“There is nothing in this world that is particularly worth cherishing for me,” Xiao Shao said lightly, “I want to protect her. I will never regret the decision I make today, regardless of fate or disaster.”
The young man’s appearance was peerless, his eyes were indifferent, his tone seemed to be as calm as usual, and he couldn’t even see a trace of affection. However, the determination and commitment he showed could move even the hardest-hearted person at the time. Teacher Ba Qi was slightly taken aback, and his eyes were a little dazed, as if he saw someone else through Xiao Shao. Many years ago, he also met someone who spoke these words in the same tone as Xiao Shao was using today, saying that he would never regret, but…
Teacher Ba Qi sighed- each person had his own fated relationship. He said, “Okay, I will save her. Her poison is not difficult to cure; it was made from a poisonous plant found in South Xinjiang and it has a hallucinatory effect on people. If there is a knot in one’s heart or an inner demon, as long as they feel a little unhappy on a daily basis, they will endure the torture in their heart every day, and they will see the scene they fear most in their life every day. While this poison is harmless to the human body, it will torture a person’s heart. Finally it will cause the person to die of heart failure after being tortured to death by their own inner demons.”
Xiao Shao was taken aback for a moment, then frowned. “It’s actually South Xinjiang!”
“Her inner demons are too strong.” Teacher Ba Qi said meaningfully, “In fact, she is in the most vulnerable state now, and the answer you want to know can be obtained from her at this moment. If you want to know the secret…….”
“No need, Shifu.” Xiao Shao interrupted him. “Even if I want to know her secret, she must tell me in person. I will never take advantage of her when she is not in a conscious state.”
“She is unlikely to ever tell you herself,” Teacher Ba Qi asked, “If she refuses to tell you this secret for the rest of her life, what will you do?”
“I will accompany her to guard this secret for the rest of my life,” Xiao Shao replied.
Teacher Ba Qi was stunned, and suddenly said seriously. “Ah Shao, I have always thought that you would not be the number one killer in the world, but now I feel that your inner demons are no less than hers. The demons in her heart are linked to her secret, but the demon in your heart is her.“
Once a heartless person finds love, he would be more strongly attached and committed than anyone else in the world. Since Xiao Shao was behaving as such, this made Teacher Ba Qi feel that the affairs of life were impermanent, otherwise why were the things that happened many years ago repeating once again. He thought he had seen through heaven’s will, but fate was always unpredictable, otherwise why would he not leave Mt. Jianan for the rest of his life? Because he would be punished if he revealed too many secrets. In this world, many things can be predicted and foreseen, with the exception of one thing. Love.
“If she is indeed my heart’s demon, then I would rather endure for my whole life than allow the shackles to break,” Xiao Shao said.