Ye Qi only felt an extremely faint fragrance emanating from Changling, mixed with the fresh sweetness of oranges, making him feel dizzy and intoxicated. His heart was beating so fast that he could barely control it, and he forgot how to breathe.

He thought he must be terminally ill and experiencing hallucinations, but that soft and delicate sensation was far too real—so real that even though her lips had already left, the lingering warmth remained.

After quite a while, he finally regained some semblance of consciousness. “You…”

Before he could finish saying “you what,” she suddenly grasped his hand and gently placed it against her chest where her heart was pounding wildly. He heard her say with curiosity, “Look, my heart is beating so fast. Is this what that charlatan Ji said is ‘heart flutter’?”

He stared blankly at her deep brown eyes. For a moment, it felt as if a flower had bloomed at the very tip of his heart. Before he could open his mouth to speak, his chest suddenly tightened. A piercing pain spread through his internal organs. Ye Qi quickly pushed Changling away and turned his head aside. He tried to hold it back but ultimately couldn’t—he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Changling was horrified. Seeing his body tilt to one side, she instinctively caught him. “You… what’s wrong with you?”

Ye Qi didn’t respond. After vomiting that mouthful of blood, he had already lost consciousness. In her panic, Changling grabbed his wrist to check his pulse. What she felt made her heart sink—this pulse was so chaotic and weak, exactly like it had been outside Dazhao Temple that day.

How could he be fine one moment, and suddenly on the verge of death the next?

Changling barely gave it a thought before pressing one hand against his back, intending to transfer her true qi to him. Then, remembering what Ji Beilan had said, she quickly lifted the carriage curtain and called to the driver, “Your young marquis has fainted—go to Beizhai Pharmacy! Quickly!”

By the time they reached the pharmacy, Ji Beilan had just laid out his bedding and was preparing to retire for the night.

When he saw Changling carrying the young marquis by his collar, blood staining her clothes, he was thoroughly startled. He quickly had her help lay the young man flat and swiftly pulled out silver needles with lightning speed.

After Changling exchanged a few brief words with the driver, the driver rushed off urgently to notify Seventh Uncle at the He residence. When she returned to the pharmacy, Ji Beilan had already administered a round of acupuncture.

Ye Qi’s clothes were soaked through with cold sweat, yet he remained unconscious. Seeing Ji Beilan’s solemn expression, Changling couldn’t help but ask, “How is he?”

“He won’t die just yet.” Ji Beilan wiped the thin layer of sweat from his own forehead. “Sigh, I’ve been controlling the young marquis’s condition very well these past few days. What did he do to suddenly end up like this?”

Changling thought back and said, “There was a martial arts banquet tonight. He and I went on stage and sparred for the duration of an incense stick. We exchanged martial techniques.”

“Exchanged martial techniques?” Ji Beilan’s brow furrowed. “Did you injure him?”

“No,” Changling replied. “Throughout the entire exchange, we barely used any internal power at all.”

The old charlatan stroked his beard thoughtfully and then poured himself several mouthfuls of tea. “Then by all logic, it shouldn’t have led to this…”

“Oh, right, there’s also this,” Changling suddenly remembered something. “On the way back, I kissed him.”

“Pfft—” A perfectly good mouthful of tea was wasted.

Ji Beilan coughed several times before recovering. His finger trembled as he pointed at Changling. “You, you, you… what am I supposed to say about you? Haven’t I told you about Ye Qi’s illness? How could you be so heartless…”

The highly respected divine physician finally managed to swallow back the word “mouthed.”

Changling looked at him with straightforward confusion. “You only said before that he couldn’t let go of matters concerning me and therefore couldn’t cultivate Shimo true qi. You never said I couldn’t kiss him!”

Ji Beilan found the young lady’s repeated use of the word “kiss” truly unbearable to witness. But thinking it over, she used to be a renowned young master, so perhaps this manner of speaking wasn’t entirely inappropriate. He pulled over a chair and sat down. “Now that things have reached this point, there’s no meaning in old me continuing to hide things… Second Young Master, have you ever heard of bone-scraping needles?”

“Bone-scraping needles? What are those?”

“It involves using needles as fine as ox hair to pierce into several major bones throughout a person’s body, stimulating the bone marrow to clear the meridians.” Ji Beilan let out a deep sigh. “This was originally a cruel punishment used by the imperial dungeons of the previous dynasty to torture serious criminals. Dozens of sharp needles piercing through critical bone points—this method can temporarily restore vitality to patients with severe blockages. I mentioned it to the young marquis before, but he was so afraid of the pain that even acupuncture scared him. He said he’d rather die comfortably sooner than live a few more days in such agony… But some time ago, the young marquis came to me and asked me to use the bone-scraping needles on him…”

Changling’s entire body trembled. “You used bone-scraping needles on him?”

Ji Beilan nodded cruelly. “The bone-scraping needle treatment consists of one hundred seventy-seven needles in total. For ordinary patients, enduring three to five needles per day, a full course of treatment would take over a month. But the young marquis said he couldn’t wait and insisted I give him fifteen needles a day. Ah, that pain is no less than death by a thousand cuts. However, this method has one impediment—aside from not being able to overexert oneself, one also cannot experience excessive emotional agitation… Otherwise, the more violently the heart beats, the more it shakes the unhealed bones and muscles near the chest cavity, and then… sigh, this is what happens.”

These words nailed Changling to the spot.

Only now did she belatedly recall that during the period before the military examination, there was a time when he would often appear and disappear mysteriously—either nowhere to be found, or when she did see him, he always looked simultaneously flushed with excess vitality yet exhausted and weak. So that’s when he had been secretly undergoing bone-scraping needle therapy without revealing even half of it to her. Every time they met, he would pretend as if nothing was wrong, accompanying her to instruct Zhou Qin in martial arts, bringing her various delicious treats during breaks, and even thoughtfully bringing her shoes to wear.

“Hey, Second Young Master… are you, are you listening?”

Changling took a deep breath and asked, “Then can he still be saved?”

Ji Beilan sighed and sighed again. Seeing that he didn’t answer, Changling added, “If it’s truly difficult, I can use my true qi to save him…”

“Absolutely not.” He waved his hands repeatedly. “As I said before, the method of transferring qi is extremely dangerous and cannot be used recklessly unless absolutely necessary…”

Changling interrupted him. “Master Ji, it seems my internal power has recovered somewhat.”

Ji Beilan froze.

After checking her pulse, Changling watched as Ji Beilan stared at her with disbelief for a long moment. She couldn’t help but ask, “Well?”

“It has recovered a little… You’re saying that after you two… that thing… you suddenly felt your heart meridian relax, so you… tried that thing again?”

Changling corrected him, “Yes, it’s called intimacy of flesh.”

Ji Beilan nearly choked on his own saliva and cursed, “That’s not called intimacy of flesh! That was just a kiss!”

Changling said “Oh,” then continued, “That’s not important. What’s important is, since my power has recovered a bit, if I transfer some to him, wouldn’t that both save his life and pose no mortal danger to me?”

Ji Beilan glared at her unhappily. “If it were that simple, would this old man be worried? Setting aside that the little bit you’ve recovered is merely a drop in the bucket, right now, even if you transferred all your power to him, he still might not be able to withstand it…”

“Why not?”

“He just underwent bone-scraping needle treatment, so his entire body is extremely weak. Your Shimo true qi is so domineering—if you forcibly inject it, his meridians might clear, but his internal organs couldn’t endure it…” Fearing that Changling might lose her composure and demolish the clinic, Ji Beilan quickly added, “Fortunately, you brought him in time, so the young marquis is in no great danger… My repeated sighs weren’t about the present, but about the future…”

Changling gave him a questioning look.

Ji Beilan continued, “When he came to me earlier for needle treatment, I was quite pleased, thinking he was finally cooperating with my treatment… As long as he cooperated, I could save him one day at a time. But based on what you just described, I don’t think he has any intention of being cured. Instead, it seems more like he’s…”

Changling immediately understood. “Buying time?”

“Mm.” Ji Beilan stood up and paced a couple of steps. “Originally, the young marquis’s chronic illness isn’t unique to him—there have been others in this world who suffered from this disease and ultimately recovered.”

Changling’s eyes lit up at these words. However, before she could ask, Ji Beilan continued mercilessly, “Over these years, this old man has traveled across mountains and rivers and reviewed nearly ten thousand medical records related to meridian blockages. Looking at the past century, ninety percent of those afflicted with this condition were beyond help. Two cases survived safely.” He paused. “The first case involved taking the legendary Purple Gold Soul-Returning Pill and lived an additional twenty years. It’s said that this Soul-Returning Pill, whether for damaged meridians, severe internal injuries, or even incurable deadly poisons, has the effect of bringing the dead back to life.”

“Do you know the method to refine this pill?”

“The refinement isn’t difficult—what’s difficult is finding the catalyst. You need Liku grass that has been cultivated for over ten years using poisonous venomous insects, which can then lure out the century-old ice serpents from atop the Tianshan Mountains. The gall bladder of this ice serpent serves as the catalyst. But forget about whether century-old ice serpents even exist in this world—even if they do, finding Liku grass cultivated with venomous insects is already difficult. Moreover, the young marquis can only hold on for another month or two at most, so…”

A month or two wouldn’t even be enough time to travel to and from Tianshan, not to mention the time needed to refine the pill. It was clearly impossible.

Changling asked, “You mentioned earlier that there was another case—how did that person survive?”

“Regarding how this person survived, there are no detailed records. This old man only knows that when this person first sought medical treatment, he was just over thirty years old…” Ji Beilan said. “But in the end, he lived to be over one hundred fifty years old…”

Upon hearing “over one hundred fifty,” Changling’s head snapped up. “Could this person be… Wu Run?”

Fu Yanyang tiptoed past his family’s courtyard, looking left and right all the way, afraid his footsteps would wake people who shouldn’t be awakened.

Ever since he was admitted to Qingcheng Academy, he rarely came home. After the martial arts banquet, when Fu Yangui ordered him to return home early, he sensed his elder brother’s unfriendly tone. So, using the excuse of having another round of drinks with his colleagues, he delayed until the hour of zi before returning to the residence.

He calculated that his elder brother should be asleep by now. He only needed to hold out until tomorrow morning and leave early for Qingcheng Academy to achieve the effect of “I did come home but just didn’t run into you, big brother, so there’s nothing I can do.” Once enough time passed and his brother’s anger subsided, he could muddle through.

After all, at tonight’s banquet, the one who fanned the flames and supported letting Sister Ting fight one-on-one was none other than he, Second Young Master Fu!

Thinking of this, Fu Yanyang held his breath and successfully passed by his elder brother’s garden, sneaking quietly into his own bedroom.

Just as he closed the door without even taking another breath, he saw someone step out from the pitch-black room. “Finally decided to come home?”

Fu Yanyang gasped sharply. “El-elder brother?”

“I thought you weren’t planning to come home at all.” With a wave of Fu Yangui’s sleeve, several candles in the room instantly flared to life. “Sit.”

Fu Yanyang swallowed hard and consciously sat on a cushioned couch relatively far from his brother. “Um, elder brother, it’s so late—did you need something?”

“My younger brother passed the jinshi examination. As his elder brother, shouldn’t I come to congratulate him?” From behind him, Fu Yangui picked up a box over three feet long and walked forward, handing it to Fu Yanyang. “Open it and take a look.”

Fu Yanyang quickly accepted it. Opening it, he saw a gleaming golden precious sword inside. The blade was forged from black iron, emanating a thin cold light. Drawing it from its sheath revealed an edge that was truly as frosty as cold autumn itself.

Fu Yanyang’s expression brightened. “This… this is the Qiuhan Sword, the finest sword in all of Eastern Xia?”

“There is no ‘finest’ among swords—what matters is the swordsmanship of the one wielding it.” Fu Yangui said, “Since this precious sword has come into your hands, you should diligently practice and not bring shame to its reputation.”

“Thank you, elder brother!” Seeing that his elder brother not only didn’t righteously destroy him but even gifted him an excellent sword, Fu Yanyang was naturally delighted. “This sword is truly magnificent! It’s just a pity that I’ve been practicing soft swords recently…” Only after speaking did he realize his slip and quickly added, “But I will definitely work twice as hard and strive to be worthy of using it soon.”

Hearing this, Fu Yangui’s face showed no displeasure. He merely smiled faintly. “After you took the young marquis as your master, your manner of speech and conduct has become increasingly similar to his.”

“Where’s the truth in that? I’m just… taking others’ strengths to make up for my weaknesses.”

“Taking others’ strengths to make up for your weaknesses?” Fu Yangui said meaningfully, “Are you referring to giving your sister-in-law to your master?”

Fu Yanyang choked.

“Elder brother, that’s not fair. You lost the match yourself—what does it have to do with me…”

Fu Yangui suddenly slapped the table, startling Fu Yanyang so much that his hand shook and he dropped the sword to the floor.

“Yanyang, when I had you follow Changting, it was so you could gather information for me.” Fu Yangui said coldly, “Yet you learned the Lone Crane Sword Technique from her, and there was also the matter of her sneaking into the He residence at night—why didn’t you mention any of it to me even once?”

He stood up and looked down at Fu Yanyang from above. “Could it be that after taking a master, you no longer have an elder brother?”

The conflict and guilt in Fu Yanyang’s eyes flashed briefly. He slowly clenched his fists and stood up. “Elder brother will naturally always be my elder brother, but… my master will also always be my master.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“At first I followed Sister Ting because I was curious. Later I followed her because I admired her. It’s the same with the young marquis—it had nothing to do with you, elder brother, from the beginning.” Fu Yanyang raised his head. “Elder brother, if you truly had genuine feelings for Sister Ting, why would you need me to get close to her? Her identity was fabricated by you from the start. Your purpose was just to use her to bring down the Jing family, wasn’t it?”

Fu Yangui’s eyes flashed with considerable surprise. “You saw through from the beginning that she wasn’t Jing Nanxu?”

“Elder brother, think about it—throughout all the generations of our Fu family, when have we ever produced a fool?” Fu Yanyang said, “So whatever you want to fight for, fight for it yourself. Don’t think about using me, because you can’t.”

Fu Yangui stared at him for a moment, as if getting to know his younger brother anew. “So the one who’s been hiding the deepest is actually my younger brother.”

“Elder brother, you’re wrong again. I’ve never hidden anything—you just never asked.” Fu Yanyang picked up the sword and placed it on the table. “You refuse to marry and have children, and you’ve gone to great lengths to prevent me from learning martial arts. Isn’t it all to make His Majesty think the Fu family has no successors? Now your goal is almost achieved—why do you need to keep fixating on Sister Ting?”

“You think you know so much?” Fu Yangui’s face was expressionless. “You know nothing at all.”

“I indeed know nothing. I just want to learn skills myself so I can protect the people I care about in the future and live the life I want to live.” Fu Yanyang said earnestly, “As for your affairs, I’ve never had any interest in participating. However, your behavior at the martial arts banquet today has become increasingly incomprehensible to me. Elder brother, since when have you taken an interest in beauties?”

Fu Yangui took another step closer, looking at Fu Yanyang who could now meet his gaze at eye level. His pressed lips curved up slightly. “Fine. Since you dare to speak honestly, I might as well tell you—I, Fu Yangui, want both imperial dominion and the beauty. Moreover, I’m determined to have them both.”

Author’s Note:

Both Elder Fu and Second Fu actually have historical prototypes as references, but because I don’t want to spoil the ending, I won’t reveal who the prototypes are yet.

As for when Second Fu was won over by the young marquis, there will be an explanation later.

PS: The young marquis isn’t trying to gain sympathy. Sometimes illness isn’t necessarily a bad thing for the protagonist.

The Yanling Mountain arc is about to begin, and the so-called progression/leveling system will be unlocked. Feel free to look forward to it!