Her own life and death seemed to rest entirely in the hands of others. What was remarkable was that Feng Jiu’er could still keep her expression unchanged — not even a flicker of her brow.
Such steadiness and calm — was it an excess of confidence in her own medical skills, or had she simply placed life and death beyond her concern?
The veiled woman’s gaze came to rest on her face, the light in her eyes slowly deepening.
The maid’s voice remained cold: “Get out!”
She truly was unwilling to waste even a single superfluous word. Such commanding presence, such force of character — Feng Jiu’er found herself almost unreservedly charmed.
Yet a thorny problem lay before her: if the veiled woman refused her treatment, Emperor Qiwen would still have her killed.
Every time she entered the palace, nothing good came of it — either her life was threatened, or her life was threatened. Well, those were actually the same thing.
“My Lady…” Feng Jiu’er had intended to be polite, to say at least “please allow me to say a few words” — but on reflection she decided against it. Being too long-winded would only irritate the three people before her.
She said directly, “My Lady harbors great ambitions. Why not give yourself one more chance?”
“Silence!” One of the maids’ expressions darkened, and she snapped, “Get out!”
That made it three times she had been told to “get out.” Having been told off that many times, one’s face grows thick enough that actually leaving becomes impossible.
“If I fail to cure My Lady, I face a death sentence regardless. So even if My Lady wishes to kill me right now, I cannot simply leave.”
The maid immediately gathered her inner energy in her palm, ready to kill then and there — and truly showed not the slightest hesitation.
Feng Jiu’er had done no more than gamble. But as she said herself — leaving now also meant death, so she had no choice but to bet.
She simply had not expected the other party to be unwilling to waste even a moment on her — attacking without a second thought, without the slightest pause.
Feng Jiu’er summoned her own inner energy to her palm. Since persuasion was utterly useless, with no alternative, she had no choice but to fight back.
Yet no matter what she did today — fight or not — she was destined to lose completely. Once she walked out, Emperor Qiwen would not spare Feng Jiu’er or any of the people she knew.
What a calamity falling from the heavens!
The head eunuch, witnessing this, found himself powerless. Rarely did one encounter a divine physician, and just like that the person was about to disappear — but he had provoked the Lady’s anger, so what could he do? He could not afford the consequences either.
The head eunuch took two steps back — an outright surrender.
The maid’s true inner energy condensed in her palm, and the blow seemed on the verge of being delivered.
Feng Jiu’er also gathered her inner energy, bracing herself to receive that strike.
Then, all of a sudden, a cool and refined voice rang out: “You are no match for her — why humiliate yourself?”
At those words, the maid’s inner energy dissipated in an instant. She had not expected this seemingly refined and scholarly young person to be a martial artist of considerable skill.
In truth, Feng Jiu’er could not discern the level of the two maids’ martial cultivation, just as the maid had been unable to discern hers.
The white-robed young person’s inner breath was smooth and unhurried, bearing no resemblance to that of a martial practitioner at all — which was precisely why this person was a true master. Someone with no martial skill whatsoever would hardly stand so calmly and serenely before them.
The Feng Jiu’er of now bore no comparison to the Feng Jiu’er of before. Whether in combat skills or inner cultivation, she was on an entirely different level.
⑧bOOk.cοm
The maid’s inner energy withdrawn, Feng Jiu’er naturally let the inner energy in her own palm dissipate as well.
She glanced again at the veiled Lady, a flicker of curiosity rising in her heart — though she suppressed it well beneath her tranquil gaze.
This veiled woman was undoubtedly a person of supreme mastery, on yet another level entirely above the rest.
Now that the fighting had stopped, Feng Jiu’er immediately seized the moment and said, “My Lady, since others have long since concluded that your leg ailment cannot be treated — why not give me a chance to try? Even if—”
“Agreed.” The veiled Lady gave a slight nod.
Agreed?
The head eunuch was stunned. The two maids were stunned. Even Feng Jiu’er was stunned. Did that mean… she had consented?
Feng Jiu’er was the first to recover, and immediately retrieved her medicine kit, moving toward the veiled Lady.
“Insolence!” Still the same imperious maid, stepping forward to block Feng Jiu’er’s path.
“If you truly want My Lady’s legs to heal, then please do not stand in my way.” Feng Jiu’er replied coolly. Having a forceful personality was admirable — but being too forceful, too domineering, could truly ruin things.
“Let her through.” The veiled Lady seemed particularly easy-going in this moment — but Feng Jiu’er knew that if she truly failed to treat her and yet had the audacity to touch her legs, this Lady would strike with a ruthlessness that would surpass anyone else’s.
No need to analyze it further — she simply knew that this person was capable of being utterly merciless.
Because this woman’s dignity stood supremely high, tolerating no one’s trampling of it — not even that of an emperor such as Emperor Qiwen.
Speaking of which, that august gentleman was still waiting outside, not even daring to set foot inside the door — which was truly rather pitiable.
Feng Jiu’er walked over and crouched beside the veiled Lady’s legs, just reaching out to lift the hem of the Lady’s skirt when the maid’s expression immediately darkened.
“I have already said — if you truly want My Lady’s leg ailment to heal, please do not stand in my way. Your constant chattering will also affect my focus while treating a patient — and when I am not in the right state of mind, my medical skills suffer.”
“You—” How dare this person say she chattered — this young person truly had no fear of death!
The maid who had stood on the other side and said nothing the whole time made a single gesture with her hand, and the first maid immediately fell silent and stepped aside, as though afraid of her.
The senior maid cast a glance at the head eunuch, and the head eunuch, his heart lurching, lowered his head and retreated from the room without so much as a murmur of protest.
The people here — every single one of them more imposing than the last. Feng Jiu’er still could not understand who they were, or how they could appear even more exalted than the Emperor.
With the head eunuch gone and the two maids no longer blocking her, Feng Jiu’er at last lifted the veiled Lady’s skirt, then rolled up her trouser legs — under the watchful, tiger-like gaze of the two maids — and examined both of the veiled Lady’s legs.
After a long examination, Feng Jiu’er said, “My Lady’s leg tendons have been severed in an act of brutal cruelty. I suspect it has been several years now.”
The veiled Lady’s expression shifted slightly, though her aura remained unchanged. The two maids beside her, however, each drew a heavier breath than the other — clearly suppressing their rage.
So it seemed the injury truly had been inflicted upon her deliberately. And the person who had done it — they must share a deep and bitter enmity with this Lady.
A consort deep within the inner palace — how could this have come about? Could it be that conniving scoundrel Nanmeng Rong again, stirring up trouble? Yet this Lady’s martial skills appeared extremely high, and she was surrounded by masters. The most extraordinary thing of all was how much Emperor Qiwen seemed to revere her — which made it seem unlikely that Nanmeng Rong could have harmed her with any ease.
Who had destroyed her legs — and done so in a way that left the people around her seething with hatred even now?
“If you have any genuine intention of treating me, then rein in those wandering thoughts of yours and focus. Otherwise, I will be the first to come after you.”
The veiled Lady looked down at Feng Jiu’er crouched at her feet, her eyes narrowing slightly. “My methods — you certainly won’t want to try them.”