Changling hadn’t expected Ye Qi would actually take the initiative to bring this up.
Unfortunately, with a wall between them, she couldn’t see the fleeting tension on Mo Daoyun’s face. Facing Ye Qi’s drifting gaze, Mo Daoyun put down the file in his hand and said: “That matter—didn’t Your Lordship already ask about it years ago?”
“It’s been too long. Some peripheral details aren’t clear anymore.” Ye Qi changed his stance. “After all these years, Director Mo and I can be considered colleagues serving the same court, yet we’ve rarely had such an opportunity to chat ‘privately.'”
“I wonder what questions Your Lordship has yet to resolve?”
“After I escaped from the cave that year… I hadn’t yet managed to bring reinforcements for you, and later I heard news of the Young Master’s death.” Ye Qi paused. “I know His Majesty arrived in time to save you. Unfortunately, the Young Master ultimately passed away, leaving only a personally written letter of authorization. Director Mo was the last and only survivor by the Young Master’s side before his death… but you said you don’t know how Guan Bo died…”
A few threads of coldness flashed in Mo Daoyun’s eyes. “At that time, I was knocked unconscious by the smoke in the cave. Afterward, His Majesty and General Jing rescued the Young Master and me. They said your family servant had inhaled too much poisonous miasma and couldn’t be saved in time. Your Lordship already knew all this.”
“I know. I just don’t understand… When I left, the Young Master was seriously injured, Director Mo was also covered in blood wounds all over, but Guan Bo had no damage. Yet in the end, you all survived that calamity—how could he not survive?”
Mo Daoyun said: “Perhaps your family servant was advanced in years and couldn’t withstand it?”
Ye Qi nodded, deeply agreeing: “That he couldn’t withstand it is understandable. Director Mo and the Young Master both fell into a coma, but the Young Master was able to wake earlier than Director Mo and entrust his personal letter and military seal to His Majesty. These things are also within reason. But it seems we’ve all overlooked… who can be certain that what’s within reason is definitely the truth?”
Mo Daoyun finally couldn’t sit still. He stood up and walked out of the shadows, stopping one step away from the window, saying in a heavy voice: “Marquis He, eleven years ago you were also in that cave. The Young Master entrusted you with his most important possessions. This matter… only you know and I know. But since I, Mo Daoyun, promised the Young Master to keep the secret, no matter how much time passes, I will certainly keep my promise. If I intended to make things difficult for you, I could have revealed it to His Majesty at any time. Would you still have the leisure to ask me these questions now?”
“This statement is even more correct.” Hearing these words, Ye Qi said: “So I have never questioned Director Mo’s loyalty and righteousness to the Yue family.”
A thin layer of murderous aura emerged on Mo Daoyun’s face. “If that’s the case, why are you suddenly bringing up these old matters?”
When he said this, his right hand’s knuckles unconsciously trembled. Ye Qi saw this and was instead startled. “I was merely chatting casually. Why is Director Mo so nervous?”
“I’m not.” Mo Daoyun placed both hands behind his back. “Now the martial examinations are imminent, and after the martial examinations comes the Martial Arts Convention. I only hope… that Your Lordship won’t create unnecessary trouble at such a time, otherwise Western Xia and Great Yan could take advantage at any moment.”
Ye Qi didn’t pick up this thread, but suddenly smiled. “Senior Mo, you’ve changed a lot.”
Before he could react, the window had already been closed. The young marquis could only be heard saying: “I need to rise early tomorrow. Director, finish your work and go home early.”
Mo Daoyun was stunned. When he pushed the window open again, there was no one outside.
Coming out the south gate and turning right, there was a lane called Wuzi Alley. Every evening at this hour it became especially crowded, with all kinds of snacks, tangerines and wild fruits, brocade silk, and obscene bookstalls everywhere. Students from the Imperial Academy or Qingcheng Academy could be seen wandering about.
Changling’s body walked on the street, but her heart was still floating in those words she had just heard.
So when her poison flared, Elder Brother was still alive.
Originally he… could have survived.
Shen Yao really… really used such methods to completely deceive Elder Brother’s trust, then “accepted responsibility in crisis” and completely took the Yue family army as his own.
But what about the end? In the end, Elder Brother… exactly how did he die?
Ye Qi silently followed behind Changling for quite a while, finally unable to hold back and speaking first: “Have you eaten dinner?”
Changling didn’t respond. Ye Qi quickly stepped in front of her, pointing to a barbecue stall not far away: “Want to eat skewers? That place has good roasted sauce.”
“He Yu.” Changling glanced at him coldly and indifferently. “When did you start following me?”
“Shh, when out and about call me Ye Qi, and I prefer this name.” Ye Qi wasn’t serious. “I wasn’t following you. I was just idle, raising my head to admire the bright moon when I accidentally saw a beautiful figure in the trees…”
Before he could finish his nonsense, Changling quickly stepped around him. Ye Qi exclaimed “Aiya” and hurriedly caught up, saying: “I really wasn’t following you. I just felt you might go to the Sanqing Hall, so blind cat stumbling on a dead mouse… oh, I’m not saying you’re a dead mouse, I mean…”
“Why did you come to Qingcheng Academy?”
“Hm? Do you think I’m omnipresent?”
Changling suddenly stopped and turned around: “I want to hear the truth.”
Ye Qi was walking too hastily and nearly collided with her head-on. Seeing Changling’s clear gaze looking at him, all the lies in his belly were forcibly swallowed back. He coughed lightly: “Because… you’re here.”
Changling stood frozen for a moment, seemingly completely unprepared for such an answer: “I only decided the day before yesterday on impulse. How did you know I’d be here?”
“What a coincidence—I also made the decision yesterday on impulse.”
“Then why did you ask Mo Daoyun those questions?”
Ye Qi saw Changling’s expression was tense and couldn’t help but say: “I thought… you might want to know.”
His voice was gentle, and hearing it, even while in this noisy street, one’s spirit unconsciously calmed down.
“You care very much about… the Young Master’s affairs. I thought that perhaps you came to Qingcheng Academy for this reason… so…” What ‘so,’ Ye Qi didn’t continue. He sighed. “Next time, don’t be so reckless. Mo Daoyun is no simple character.”
Changling heard in this statement a certain kind of concern that wanted to reproach but didn’t dare to.
She turned her back and continued walking, this time more slowly. She didn’t continue speaking. Ye Qi slightly shifted position, secretly staring at her figure, lost in thought.
The person in his memory was very tall, requiring him to look up when gazing at her. No matter how many heroes and outstanding figures surrounded her, she remained proud and unrestrained, as if nothing in heaven or earth entered her eyes.
But the person before him… didn’t seem so tall anymore. Her shoulders weren’t particularly broad either, her nape white and slender. Under the lantern light, one could even faintly see a layer of fine down. Though she always had this ice-cold appearance, seeing her walking alone like this, he couldn’t help but want to step forward and walk alongside her, unwilling to let her drift alone.
Thinking this, his feet had already quickly slid forward a step. He smiled at Changling: “Shall I take you somewhere?”
The Beizhai Pharmacy wasn’t far from Qingcheng Academy, just three streets away. Through two narrow alleys, you could see the storefront.
Completely opposite to the bustle of Wuzi Alley, nine out of ten shops on this entire street were closed. In front of the Beizhai Pharmacy’s large wooden door also hung a wooden sign saying “Proprietor has traveled afar, may we meet again by fate.”
Changling looked at the street so deserted not even a dog could be seen. “What did you bring me here for?”
Ye Qi gave her a look that said “I definitely won’t cheat you,” stepped forward to the door, and called: “Old Man Ji, it’s me.”
He knocked on the door with a certain rhythm. After just a moment, the door bolt inside moved slightly, opening a small crack. One eye warily glanced outside, and an old man’s voice drifted out like a ghost: “Ye Qi, how many times have I told you? When you can use the back door, use the back door. Aren’t you afraid of people hearing you shouting like this?”
Changling was startled—this was the first time since entering Jinling City she’d heard someone call him “Ye Qi” instead of “Marquis He.” The old man humphed and turned around on his own. Ye Qi quickly opened the door wider and made a “please” gesture. Changling glanced at him lightly and stepped into the shop.
This shop was no different from ordinary pharmacies. There were old-style medicine cabinets with labels on each drawer, a long counter displaying various medicine jars, pestles, copper scales, and such. A small stove was built in the corner, its pot lid gurgling and jumping—who knew what medicine was being brewed. On the wall hung a couplet: “Prescribe correctly to cure minor ailments, for resurrection please seek gods and Buddhas,” with a horizontal inscription: “No credit given.”
The entire shop was pervaded with an atmosphere of impending bankruptcy.
The old man, leaning on his cane, limped to sit at the desk. Seeing Changling standing there with hands behind her back looking around, he was quite displeased and tapped the table with his knuckles. “Are you seeing the doctor or not? Sit down.”
Changling was puzzled. “See a doctor?”
Ye Qi pulled out a stool. “I haven’t had time to introduce—this is Mister Ji Beilan.”
Ji Beilan, known as the “Can’t Find North Divine Physician,” had been famous in the jianghu for decades, yet his whereabouts were elusive. Whether he treated patients depended entirely on fate. Anyway, throughout Changling’s years traveling the jianghu, she had only heard his name but never seen him.
Only now did Changling re-examine this old man before her. A head of crane-white hair, a grayish robe draped over his shoulders—he appeared at least past the age of eighty or ninety. Yet his complexion was ruddy and his spirits vigorous, leaving no doubt he could live another twenty or thirty years.
“Mister Ji is usually impossible to find, but we’re lucky. Recently Doctor Ji accidentally broke his leg while gathering herbs, so for the time being he can’t run around…”
Ye Qi was busy explaining to Changling when Ji Beilan glared at them angrily. “You’re happy this old man broke his leg?”
“How could that be? I’m happy to see you, Mister.” Ye Qi pulled Changling to sit down with him. “This young lady was hit with the Soul-Numbing Powder from the Five Poisons Sect last month. She’s taken the antidote, but only recovered some of her cultivation. Please help take a look.”
Changling looked at Ye Qi in surprise. Even if he knew from the broken temple incident that she’d obtained the antidote, she had never mentioned that her cultivation hadn’t fully recovered. “How did you know my cultivation hasn’t been restored?”
Ye Qi smiled. “Because I’m omniscient.”
Ji Beilan pushed the pulse-taking cushion forward. “Give me your hand.”
Before Changling could react, Ye Qi supported her wrist and extended it. Ji Beilan had originally looked completely uninterested, but the moment he touched her pulse, his eyes suddenly widened, staring at Changling with an expression of disbelief.
Almost at the same instant, Changling snapped back to awareness—even Chu Tiansu could detect the abnormality in her true qi, let alone Ji Beilan, the world’s foremost divine physician?
She quickly withdrew her hand, pretending nothing was wrong as she looked away. “I’m fine. My cultivation will gradually recover on its own.”
“Whether you’re fine or not, you need to listen to the doctor.” Ye Qi looked toward Ji Beilan and asked: “Mister Ji, what do you think… is there a way?”
Ji Beilan drew both hands back into his sleeves and slowly stood up: “The Soul-Numbing Powder is quite different from ordinary paralyzing drugs. It doesn’t emphasize momentary numbness, but rather seals qi by sealing the dantian acupoint. It’s like saying imprisonment can use both tangible cages and intangible ones… The Soul-Numbing Powder is the intangible kind.”
Changling didn’t quite understand. Ye Qi blinked: “Could you explain more plainly?”
“Fish can’t live without water, but people can’t stay underwater long. Being hit with Soul-Numbing Powder is like forcibly taking a fish out of water. At first you lose strength, and over time it becomes unsustainable… Don’t panic.” Seeing Ye Qi’s expression change, Ji Beilan added: “However, this young lady took some antidote at the very beginning of her poisoning, allowing some true qi to circulate. Her life is naturally not in danger. It’s just that her remaining internal energy has been resisting the Soul-Numbing Powder all this time, and after so long, it’s inevitably shifted position somewhat…”
Changling: “What does that mean?”
“It means most of your internal energy left the dantian acupoint on its own, but because the Soul-Numbing Powder follows like a shadow, you can’t sense it.” Ji Beilan, leaning on his cane, walked to the medicine stove and extinguished the fire. “The antidote you took only targeted the sealed dantian acupoint, so…”
Ye Qi’s eyes brightened. “If we dispel the Soul-Numbing Powder from the other acupoints, can she fully recover?”
“That’s right. But when I examined the young lady’s pulse just now, aside from a blockage in the heart meridian, all other major acupoints are unobstructed…” Ji Beilan limped back to the desk. “From this we can see that the remaining internal energy is mostly sealed in the heart meridian. The heart meridian acupoint is the most difficult to unseal—the slightest mistake becomes a matter of life and death.”
“You’re talking in circles and confusing me,” Ye Qi said. “Just tell me directly—is there a way to solve it?”
“This method of detoxification is actually not difficult, and there’s more than one way…” Ji Beilan pulled out a handkerchief from his chest, handed it to Changling, and looked at her seriously: “Cry.”
Changling was stunned. Ye Qi also stuttered: “C-cry?”
“If once isn’t enough, cry twice.” Ji Beilan said: “If twice isn’t enough, cry three times. Cry out all your unhappiness, grievances, and anger. Once the heart meridian clears, that internal energy will naturally break free from its prison.”
Hearing this, Ye Qi breathed a long sigh of relief. “That’s easy, it’s just…”
“What’s the second method?”
Ji Beilan didn’t seem surprised that Changling directly skipped the first option. His gaze deepened as he regarded her for a moment, then put the handkerchief away, sat back down, and answered tangentially: “Does the young lady have any family members still living?”
Changling’s eyes dimmed slightly. She shook her head: “No.”
“Then… does the young lady have a beloved?”
The question came so suddenly that Changling was stunned. “What?”
Ye Qi instinctively glanced over sideways, his face showing a barely perceptible concern. He heard Changling say: “No.”
“Has the young lady ever had a beloved?”
“No.” Changling asked: “Does this relate to the detoxification?”
“Heart meridian blockage is itself a heart ailment. Heart ailments require heart medicine. The young lady’s heart defenses are so solid, with nowhere to find relief, naturally there’s no medicine that can solve it.” Ji Beilan leaned back against his chair, smiling with something of a “matchmaker’s” intent. “But if the young lady develops another attachment in her heart, has love in her heart, over time she may open her heart and be cured without medicine.”