“I saw Mei Jiu,” An Jiu repeated.

Mo Sigui paused for a moment before slowly saying, “Do you know what I was just thinking?”

An Jiu shook her head.

“I was thinking that choosing the path of medicine was a mistake from the beginning,” Mo Sigui sighed. “I should have pursued the Dao instead. The mysteries of life and death are beyond a doctor’s comprehension, aren’t they?”

Mo Sigui had planned to dedicate his entire life to researching how to preserve life. He knew how difficult it was, but some people seemed to defy the laws of life and death. The dead suddenly coming back to life made him feel as if his pursuits were child’s play.

“Why do you want to understand life and death?” An Jiu sat down beside him. “I always thought you were seeking to control them.”

Mo Sigui pondered for a moment, then sighed and wiped his hands with a cloth before pouring himself some water. “Your perspective makes me feel much better. How is she now?”

“She married Hua Rongtian,” An Jiu replied.

“Cough!” Mo Sigui choked on his water. “M-married who?”

An Jiu asked, puzzled, “Hua Rongtian. Is that strange?”

“So, she was resurrected in the body of one of the Emperor’s women?” Mo Sigui realized An Jiu didn’t know the full story and explained, “The Mei Shinian that the Emperor betrothed has already died. Hua Rongqian said that she was replaced by a woman who had served the Emperor, also from the Mei family.”

“I see.” An Jiu indeed didn’t recognize that face.

Mo Sigui observed her calm expression and couldn’t help but say, “Hey, could you be a little more surprised? Look at how nonchalant you are!”

“What’s there to be surprised about?” An Jiu replied.

Mo Sigui stared at her and exclaimed, “Mei Jiu suddenly coming back to life, isn’t that extraordinary? The Emperor gives a woman he’s slept with to the Hua family as their eldest daughter-in-law, isn’t that going too far? The relationship between the Emperor and the Hua family is already at a breaking point. Isn’t that terrifying?”

“I’m more concerned about the relationship between the Emperor and the Hua family,” An Jiu pondered. Given the tense relationship between them, Mei Jiu probably wouldn’t have an easy life after marrying into the Hua family. “It seems the saying ‘good people are rewarded’ is a lie.”

An Jiu had initially thought Mei Jiu’s resurrection was a reward, but it seemed her life wouldn’t be so pleasant after all.

“With the Emperor’s antics, the Hua family will rebel even if they didn’t plan to,” Mo Sigui muttered to himself.

An Jiu knew that a woman’s chastity was highly valued here, but she couldn’t understand it. “Your customs are strange.”

“What’s strange about them?” Mo Sigui looked perplexed.

An Jiu rested her chin on her hand. “Why can a man be with many women in his lifetime, but a woman can only be with one?”

“That’s not the same thing!” Mo Sigui was no longer surprised by anything she said, but no matter how many times he heard it, he couldn’t understand her twisted logic.

Wait… Apart from her choice of words, something else seemed off…

“Is it mating then?” An Jiu asked.

“…”

Seeing his discomfort, An Jiu explained, “I’ve heard that only on a spiritual level can the relationship between a man and woman be elevated to love. As far as I know, those people don’t even know what their partner looks like before marriage. The initial purpose is to procreate. Ah, you’re right. It seems ‘mating’ is indeed a more appropriate term…”

“I never said that,” Mo Sigui couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. “Stop talking nonsense. Let’s discuss something important. Are you planning to find Mei Jiu?”

“Why would I do that?” An Jiu asked, confused.

“…”

Mo Sigui took a big gulp of tea and continued preparing medicine. “I have nothing more to say to you. Whether you go to find her or not is none of my business. In any case, Mei Jiu being alive is a good thing. At least I won’t have to feel guilty for the rest of my life.”

“Her being alive is heaven’s arrangement, not because of you. But she did die for you,” An Jiu earnestly advised. “You should still feel guilty.”

“An Dajiu, don’t talk to me anymore,” Mo Sigui said wearily.

An Jiu silently watched him for a long time before finally saying, “You have a strange temper.”

Mo Sigui took a deep breath and buried himself in his work with the medicine.

After a while.

“Let’s begin,” Mo Sigui pointed to the couch.

An Jiu wordlessly stripped off her clothes and lay down.

Previously, Mo Sigui had always intended to give An Jiu strong medicine, but when the time came, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. This time, he had adjusted the formula significantly. It might be more painful, but it would be beneficial for An Jiu in the long run.

As An Jiu lay on the couch, she heard the tinkling sound from outside and asked, “Do you have bells here too?”

Mo Sigui’s movements paused slightly. “Yes, quite a few. They wanted to remove them, but I didn’t let them.”

“Why?” An Jiu looked at the side of his face that wasn’t in shadow.

“I don’t know. I’ve always had more compassion for the dead,” Mo Sigui pointed at her chest. “You’ve grown. Congratulations.”

An Jiu snorted lightly. “I don’t even know when I’ll die. What’s there to celebrate about growing breasts?”

“Just when I thought we could have a decent conversation, you started ruining the mood again,” Mo Sigui grumbled as he applied medicine to her body with a bamboo strip.

Soon, An Jiu was wrapped up like a dumpling and placed in the hot medicinal bath.

The pain gradually enveloped her entire body.

Outside, the night was quiet, with the clear or muffled sounds of bells carried by the wind in waves.

On a vast, endless snowy plain, a group of people trudged through the snow, which was already up to their thighs. Four strong men carried a sedan chair high above their heads, from which occasional coughs could be heard, muffled by the wind and snow.

The leader, wrapped in fox fur with only cold, piercing eyes visible, was a woman.

“Master, Ghost Shadow is almost here,” a large man reported.

“Mm,” the fur-clad leader, a woman, responded. “Pause and wait.”

The large man, having received the order, turned and shouted, “Rest for a moment!”

The entire group came to a halt.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, these people had almost turned into snowmen. Finally, they saw a figure rushing towards them.

The person wore white clothes, covered in snow fox fur, with a white mask on their face, almost blending in with the snow.

A woman standing next to the female leader had deep purple bruises on her face, as if frostbitten. She squinted at the “Ghost Shadow” for a while. When the ghost was within fifty paces, she suddenly cried out, “Kill him!”

The people around were caught off guard and hesitated for a moment. By then, Ghost Shadow’s blade was already approaching the female leader.

The female leader’s beautiful eyes were cold, reflecting the chilling sword light.

The sword tip was only three inches from her forehead. At this critical moment, a hidden weapon suddenly flew out from the sedan chair with thunderous force, bursting through the snow screen and striking the sword tip!

Ghost Shadow was repelled by this force and floated backward, retreating hastily on the snow. The fox fur hood on his head was blown off by the gust, revealing a head of graying hair.

The female leader’s eyes widened slightly, finally showing a trace of shock. “You dare! You removed the blood from your heart on your own!”

The person in the sedan chair coughed several times, either from hearing this news or from using their inner strength earlier.

“Don’t kill him. I want him to suffer a fate worse than death!” the female leader said coldly.