Hooves clattered and wheels rolled, crushing over the cobblestone streets dampened by morning dew. The streets were now empty and desolate, with no trace of the bustling crowds that had gathered for last night’s ceremony.
Wei Xun sat with eyes closed in meditation inside the carriage, legs crossed in the lotus position, forming hand seals to circulate his qi and treat the poison. Wisps of white vapor rose from his head and shoulders. Bao Zhu sat diagonally across from him, carefully studying his face. She noticed his pale complexion was shrouded in a layer of bluish qi, bearing the same haggard look as when he had fallen gravely ill and unconscious before. Even his lips and fingertips had turned blue.
It was truly difficult to imagine that during the wedding procession, he had endured such a physical condition while drinking and fighting along the way, galloping east and west, leaping up and down through the air, without rest for an entire day and night.
Suddenly there was a sharp “clang” as a poisoned dart shot out from his back, embedding itself deeply in the carriage wall. Dark blood gushed from the wound. Bao Zhu craned her neck to peek at his back, covering her mouth tightly to suppress any cry of alarm, afraid that making noise would disturb his concentration.
Within the time of one incense stick, seven poisoned darts were expelled one by one. Wei Xun still didn’t open his eyes, continuing to form hand seals and circulate his qi, tensing his muscles to force the poison from his body. Dark poisoned blood flowed out in streams, and after a moment turned to bright red fresh blood. His back and shoulders were completely soaked through his clothing, blood spattering the walls like scattered stars. The carriage filled with the metallic scent of blood.
Only when most of the numb, itching sensation in the muscle fibers of his back had faded did Wei Xun restrain his true qi, returning it to his dantian, and slowly open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Bao Zhu’s tear-streaked face, her makeup smeared and the rouge on her lips blurred.
Wei Xun felt no pain from his wounds, only regret for involving her in this matter. Filled with guilt, he said quietly, “It’s finished now.”
Only then did Bao Zhu withdraw her concerned gaze from him, turning her face away to look elsewhere, stubbornly arguing, “My eyes were irritated by the poisonous smoke, it wasn’t because of you.”
The carriage was far less spacious than the imperial sedan in the palace. The two sat close together, and though they avoided eye contact, she could still smell the heavy scent of blood emanating from him. This smell forcibly evoked memories of her mother’s death from hemorrhaging. Penglai Hall had been filled with the same thick, bloody scent that even dragon’s breath incense couldn’t mask. Bao Zhu felt a dull ache deep in her heart and couldn’t bear to look at his blood-soaked clothes.
Wei Xun stared at her intently. In the past, when she was this stubborn, he would certainly tease and jest with her, but now he couldn’t say anything, his mouth filled with a metallic taste.
During that tackle in the green pavilion, her hairpin had been lost somewhere, her hair bun had come loose, and her skirts were stained with mud. The journey eastward had been dusty and arduous. She loved beauty and had rarely dressed up fully. When they left this morning she had been happy, bright, and radiant, but now he had left her in such a disheveled state, like peach blossoms trampled into muddy water.
He should have spoken his praise directly then, but because Huo Qi was there, his anxious mood prevented him from speaking, and he had missed the opportunity in vain. How many days did he have left? Why couldn’t he speak directly when he had something to say?
Thinking of this, Wei Xun stammered, “You… you looked very beautiful dressed up yesterday…”
Bao Zhu knew she looked bedraggled now and thought he was deliberately mocking her. She flared up in anger and was about to scold him, but seeing Wei Xun’s guilty expression, he continued, “It’s because I’m not strong enough, couldn’t maintain control of the situation, and caused you to be implicated.”
She hadn’t expected him to apologize so directly. Bao Zhu was momentarily speechless and too embarrassed to continue scolding him. After a long while, she said coldly, “You say you’re not strong enough? Are you trying to rebel against heaven? When you lifted that command banner pole, I saw the crossbow troops in the military camp had already tensed up and drawn their bows to aim. If you hadn’t been wearing the ceremonial robes of a wedding attendant, they probably would have mobilized the entire army to arrest you.”
Wei Xun forced a smile, thinking that in such a chaotic scene, only she could simultaneously notice the movements within the military gates. He praised admiringly, “Your eyesight is truly excellent.”
Bao Zhu recalled the attack in the green pavilion. If she had had her bow and arrows then, she might not have needed him to shield her with his body—perhaps she could have dealt with the enemies herself.
Wei Xun had once told her that weapons should be kept within easy reach, but she had never encountered such a perilous situation as this wedding with traps at every step, so naturally she hadn’t taken it to heart. Ever since her Hu clothing had been torn, she often wore skirts when going out. While beautiful, they provided no place to carry bow and arrows. By the time she received them from Shisan Lang and strung the bow, the opportunity had already been lost. Thinking of this made her even more annoyed.
Bao Zhu suddenly remembered something she hadn’t had time to mention in the green pavilion. “Speaking of eyesight, I saw that rude, dark-faced man from your sect mingling in the crowd of spectators. Since he’s operating under the guise of a traveling physician, perhaps he could help examine your poisoned wounds? Being a fellow jianghu person, he should be more skilled in such matters than ordinary doctors.”
Wei Xun had already anticipated this and wasn’t surprised. “I sent out a summoning order. Qiu Ren will arrive at the inn today, along with some other troublesome and annoying fellows. Don’t leave your room then, lest seeing them anger you.”
Bao Zhu was startled. “That Tuoba Sanniang is coming too? You’re injured—shouldn’t you avoid her?”
Wei Xun said calmly, “Even with one arm broken, I could still handle Third Sister. She’s probably the one avoiding me, not daring to come.”
Bao Zhu heard his tone was so confident that it didn’t sound like he was seeking help from his sect members, but rather like he was summoning them for questioning. She felt quite puzzled.
The carriage entered Lingbao County town. The sky had grown bright, and the streets echoed with vendors hawking breakfast foods. Neither of them had eaten anything all night. Wei Xun called for the driver to stop and stood up. “What would you like to eat? I’ll go buy it.”
Bao Zhu raised her hand to signal him to sit down and sternly commanded, “You’re not allowed to move! Those bloody clothes would frighten passersby to death. I’ll go buy food.”
Wei Xun was stunned, but she had already jumped down from the carriage briskly. Just from receiving a small injury, he could enjoy such special treatment? He felt surprised and rather flustered, not knowing what to say.
However, moments later, Bao Zhu returned empty-handed, her cheeks flushed, saying quietly, “I didn’t bring any money.”
With the noble dignity of the illustrious Princess Wangshou, she naturally couldn’t handle such mundane matters. Wei Xun was greatly amused and burst out laughing, which aggravated his wounds and made them throb with pain. While hissing in pain, he laughed, “Lucky you didn’t bring any. This minor flesh wound won’t kill me, but if I ate something you bought, Wei Da would probably lose his fortune and longevity, unable to bear such blessing, and would collapse dead on the spot.”
Bao Zhu felt both embarrassed and annoyed, hating his inauspicious words. But seeing that the bluish tinge had faded somewhat from his complexion and he had recovered his usual spirited appearance, with that familiar mischievous smile floating in his eyes, her extremely tense mood relaxed slightly. She also thought of how they had both been well-dressed and presentable when they left, but after barely one day, they were both equally disheveled. After a moment, she couldn’t help but break into laughter through her tears.
Returning to the inn, Qiu Ren, the fourth-ranked “Ghost Hand Vajra” of their sect, was already waiting there. Sitting across from him was a long-haired monk holding a tin staff, with an extremely imposing physique. Both men had fierce, menacing expressions typical of bandit heroes from the greenwood, sitting on the left and right in the main hall with murderous auras. Outside guests would retreat immediately after poking their heads in to look.
Though Qiu Ren carried a white banner reading “Miraculous Healing Hands,” it did nothing to diminish his sinister aura. Rather than a doctor, he looked more like a bandit who robbed homes and committed highway robbery. The innkeeper felt bitter inside but dared not say a word.
Seeing Wei Xun descend from the carriage, both men stood up simultaneously and respectfully called out, “Eldest Senior Brother.”
Bao Zhu looked up at the monk and was immediately startled, remembering she had seen this man at the blacksmith’s shop in the city. His majestic appearance had left a deep impression. She asked Wei Xun, “This is also from your sect?”
Wei Xun nodded. “That’s Fifth Brother.” He had no intention of making introductions between them and said to Qiu Ren, “Help me stitch up my back.”
Qiu Ren nodded in agreement, picked up his medicine box, and followed him to the room. Bao Zhu also followed close behind. Qiu Ren opened the medicine box drawer and laid out his needles and thread implements. Wei Xun loosened his belt and was about to undress when he saw Bao Zhu standing beside him, watching intently. He felt uncomfortable all over, and his back seemed to start itching again.
“Aren’t you going out? Go drink some water and see if Old Yang still has any breath left.”
Bao Zhu said strangely, “Why should I go out? Let me first see how badly you’ve been stabbed, then I can check on him later.”
Wei Xun’s eyes darted about, glancing at Qiu Ren before saying to her solemnly, “Fourth Brother’s medical techniques are secret arts of our sect. It’s inconvenient for outsiders to observe the treatment.”
Bao Zhu was startled, thinking this sect certainly had quite a few strange rules. But since there was such a rule, it would indeed be improper to intrude. Displeased, she snorted and turned to leave.
Qiu Ren, holding needle and thread, was also bewildered. He said strangely, “I’m just an ordinary doctor who treats injuries and wounds, though I learned a couple extra bone-setting techniques from our master. What secret arts do I have that can’t be observed?”
Facing his junior brother, Wei Xun had none of the patience he showed toward Bao Zhu. He said harshly, “If I say there are, then there are! No more questions!” He then removed his tattered ceremonial attendant robes and undergarments, revealing his scarred back.
Qiu Ren was confused but examined his back wounds. Most of the poison had been expelled—he just needed to apply some cleaning medicine and stitch up the openings. He immediately began working, sewing while thinking: If Wei Xun’s injuries weren’t on his back where he couldn’t reach them himself, requiring others’ help, no one could match Wei Da’s own skill at stitching flesh wounds. But why did he insist on deceiving that young lady out of the room?
Recalling Wei Xun’s gentle, soft-spoken manner when talking to her earlier—truly unprecedented to witness, making the hairs on his neck stand on end—Qiu Ren suddenly had an epiphany. Could it be that he was embarrassed to go shirtless in front of the girl?
Thinking of this, Qiu Ren almost laughed out loud. He stitched with thick needles and coarse thread, examining his handiwork afterward to see crooked lines like centipedes that would surely leave ugly scars. Qiu Ren frowned, thinking this was bad. If Wei Xun ever had the chance to undress for inspection in front of the girl in the future, with these centipede-like scars on his back, he would be mocked. Given this brat’s vengeful and ruthless personality, he would certainly come seeking trouble later.
Thinking of this was both amusing and frightening. Qiu Ren steeled his heart and said apologetically to Wei Xun, “Sorry, Eldest Senior Brother. Fourth Brother had a few bowls too many before coming, so my heart’s racing and hands are shaking. I stitched you up crooked. Please bear the pain and let me remove them to sew again.”
Without consulting him, he drew out a small surgical knife and began picking apart the stitches one by one to pull them out.
Hearing he would have to sew again, Wei Xun’s temple veins bulged as he angrily said, “Fat bastard, are you using me for practice?!”
Qiu Ren chuckled, “I just used ordinary sewing thread, which is quite troublesome to remove when the wound heals. Let me change to something better that won’t leave scars.” He took out his prized silver needles and gold thread from the medicine box, shook himself alert, and began sewing earnestly and meticulously.
Ordinary hemp thread would grow together with the muscle as wounds healed, and removing the stitches later would require tearing them out forcibly, inevitably leaving marks. Metallic silk thread was much gentler—one only needed to pick open one end and pull gently, and the entire thread would come out smoothly. With neat stitching, the needle hole scars would be barely visible. This set of silver needles and gold thread was specially used for wealthy households’ ladies who were accidentally injured. Using it now to stitch Wei Da’s back was truly laughable.
Moreover, getting this arrogant brat under his hands to stitch him twice was a heaven-sent opportunity for revenge. Seeing Wei Xun forcibly enduring without making a sound, his knuckles crackling as he clenched them, cold sweat continuously beading on his forehead, Ghost Hand Vajra’s dark face was beaming with joy. He suppressed his laughter until his features contorted, grateful that Wei Xun’s injury was on his back so he couldn’t see his expression. Otherwise, if he flew into a rage and attacked, it would be Remnant Lamp Hand against Remnant Lamp Hand, and today his Vajra Indestructible Body would surely be broken.
After bandaging the wounds, Wei Xun put on his own bamboo cloth blue robe again. Full of anger, he wanted to question Fourth Brother about why he had come to Lingbao County, but there were shadows moving outside the door—Bao Zhu was waiting outside and hadn’t left.
Wei Xun didn’t want her to worry, so he opened the door. Bao Zhu glanced at him, seeing he was properly dressed again, then walked toward Qiu Ren, inquiring carefully, “That’s it? What herbs should be prepared for detoxification medicine? What should be applied externally?”
Qiu Ren was startled and replied, “Eldest Senior Brother doesn’t need any.”
Bao Zhu’s brow furrowed as she began to doubt this man’s medical skills. “There should at least be some medical advice. This is a poisoned wound, not torn clothing to be mended. You can’t just sew it up and call it finished.”
Qiu Ren thought that jianghu people’s external injuries were indeed just like mending clothes with needle and thread. If he were seeing patients in a clinic, prescribing internal and external medicines to swindle some consultation fees would be unquestionable, but since they were from the same sect and everyone understood each other, there was no need to deceive her.
But this young lady was aggressively demanding answers with such an imposing manner that he felt compelled to respond seriously. Qiu Ren could only repeat the medical advice he usually gave to ordinary patients’ families: “Don’t use true qi for two or three days, lest residual toxicity enter the meridians and organs, leaving lasting ailments.”
Bao Zhu immediately turned to glare at Wei Xun, saying seriously, “Did you hear that? You must rest for two or three days without moving.”
Wei Xun was annoyed that Fourth Brother was causing trouble and glared at him fiercely. Qiu Ren was caught in the middle, facing difficulties from both sides, grumbling internally: Who could guess what this brat was thinking? While ordinary people would fear toxicity penetrating deeper, Wei Xun was already suffering from the incurable cold paralysis disease and wouldn’t live much longer—he simply didn’t care about adding a little more future trouble.
He didn’t dare explain and said humbly, “Whatever medical advice Senior Brother wants in the future, please instruct Fourth Brother in advance.”
Bao Zhu said somberly, “Don’t listen to him. Tell me what else needs attention.”
Qiu Ren glanced at Wei Xun’s gloomy expression, then at Bao Zhu, tucked his medicine box under his arm, left behind the words “drink more hot water,” and quickly ran away without looking back.