It's still snowing outside.
Xue Ziye sat in the dark, listening to the sound of snowflakes falling, and felt the man under his hand was still trembling slightly. After a whole day, his voice was hoarse and his resistance gradually weakened.
She stood up and lit a censer of incense. The refreshing aroma filled the dark room, calming the restless person.
After a long time, at dawn, he finally woke up.
This time he did not do anything extreme. No one knew whether it was because he felt it was useless or because he was extremely weak. He just lay quietly on the couch, slightly opened his eyes, and looked at the ceiling in the dark.
"Why don't you kill me?" he asked after a long while.
She smiled slightly: "Doctors don't kill people."
"Then why did you save me? I don't have the Huitian Order." He asked blankly and was silent for a moment. "I know you are the miracle doctor of Pharmacist Valley."
"Yes." She nodded, "I also know that you are a killer from the Great Guangming Palace."
She picked up a white jade mask in the dark and put it on her face. It was something she had sent people to search the fir forest outside the valley and brought back. In the forest over there, the snow buried twelve bodies. Through Huo Zhanbai's description, she knew that these were the twelve silver-winged assassins under the Kunlun Great Light Palace.
The one leading this group of top elites in the world of light is the number one killer in the Demon Cult: Tong.
—The bloodthirsty Shura whose legendary assassination skills were unparalleled in the world and shocked the Central Plains martial arts world.
She put on his white jade mask in the dark. When she put the mask on her face, he looked sideways, and suddenly sat up suddenly—he stretched out his hand like lightning and grabbed the mask before she could react!
Then, as if the action had exhausted all his energy, his fingers stopped there, staring at her, breathing heavily, his body shaking.
"Who are you? Your eyes... your eyes..." He stared at the two deep holes in the mask and murmured in a dreamy voice, "It seems... it seems I have seen them somewhere..."
The reason why he stopped above the ice lake just now was because he saw a pair of eyes like this!
Xue Ziye smiled slightly - Have you forgotten it
Maybe he couldn't recognize her face, but he should still remember her eyes, right
She grabbed his hand, pressed it gently, and put it back under the quilt: "I recognize your eyes too."
Tong was breathing rapidly and silently in the darkness, looking at the eyes behind the mask, and suddenly he felt a splitting pain in his head again. He let out a low cry, hugged his head and fell back on the couch, but the murderous aura and hostility that permeated his body finally subsided.
"Don't worry," he heard her say softly beside him, "I will definitely heal you."
"I will never let you be locked in the dark again."
-
The second round of diagnosis and treatment began in darkness.
The aroma of Daigo lingered in the room as she inserted silver needles into his twelve acupuncture points.
What was surprising was that although he was unconscious, the man's muscles subconsciously caved in the moment the silver needle pierced him, and the acupuncture point moved an inch away in an instant.
—The Great Shift of the Universe
Xue Ziye looked at the killer of the demon sect in astonishment. No wonder Huo Zhanbai fell into his hands. But... how did that child survive, and how did he become like this
She sighed slightly, sat down cross-legged, and began the real treatment.
In any case, nothing can be asked unless the pain in his brain is relieved.
This was an unprecedented challenge - because what needed to be healed was not a physical injury. She had no experience in how to treat the confusion and madness caused by pupil skills. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded secretly. In this case, then, let's try the "mind-viewing" which has the same origin as pupil skills!
Observing the mind is the "art of treating the mind" and is used to treat epilepsy and amnesia.
After the silver needles were successfully inserted into the twelve acupoints, she leaned over, pressed her hands on his temples, approached his face, stared into his eyes quietly in the darkness, and said softly: "Can you hear me?"
The man responded vaguely. The effect of the Daigoka incense caused Hitomi to fall into a deep coma. Her eyes were open, but her mind was still in a state of disorientation.
"What's your name?" she continued to ask softly.
"Tong." He moved his body and suddenly twitched in pain. "No, my name is not Tong. My name is... my name is... I can't remember..."
The first question was an obstacle. But she was not discouraged. She stared at him and spoke slowly:
"Isn't it Mingjie?"
The painful trembling under his hand suddenly stopped, and he was unable to answer, as if something was preventing him from recalling.
"Mingjie..." he repeated in a low voice.
"Mingjie, where are you from?" She stared into his half-open eyes, her voice low and gentle.
Where did he come from? Where did he come from... He suddenly felt a shock all over his body.
Yes, it was a place with snow and dark houses all year round. He came from there... No, no, he didn't come from there - he just tried his best to escape from there!
He suddenly screamed and covered his eyes with his hands: "Don't... don't dig my eyes out! Let me out!"
At that moment, blood trickled down from behind his ear like a small snake. He collapsed to the ground in dejection and silence.
What happened? Xue Ziye's face changed: Mind reading is a gentle inspiration and temptation, used to gradually uncover forgotten memories, it is impossible to lead to such a result! This blood... Could it be? She reached out and touched the back of his head very lightly. Under the soft long hair, she could vaguely feel a cold and hard metal.
She didn't dare to touch it again, because the golden needle was deeply inserted into the death point of Yuzhen. She carefully touched along the middle seam of the head and touched two identical golden needles at Lingtai and Baihui points.
Her face changed: Golden needle seals the brain!
Could it be that his memory had been sealed by someone? What kind of memory was that... What kind of secret did it involve? Who... Who slaughtered the entire Moga clan and killed Xue Huai
She held the silver needle, looked down at the face sleeping in pain, and suddenly a bright light appeared in her eyes.
―
Snowy lake under the moon. The face frozen in the water is still so young, retaining the appearance of a sixteen-year-old boy, while the woman crawling on the ice is already in her twenties.
She lay on the ice, mumbling to the smiling boy.
Xue Huai... Xue Huai, you know what? Today, I met someone we both know.
Do you still remember the child who was locked in the dark room? For so many years, I was the only one who talked to you. It must have been lonely, right? You must have felt very happy when you saw someone you knew? Although he no longer remembers him, after all, he was your former companion, my brother.
You were so close and so good to me.
So, don't worry, I will do my best to cure Mingjie.
No matter what, I will find out the truth and avenge the entire Moga clan!
―――――――――――――――――
He threw the pill in his hand, and the Snow Kites swooped down and caught it, bringing it back to him, cooing proudly.
Throw it out again. Pick it up again.
After playing this game for the twenty-fifth time, Huo Zhanbai finally felt bored.
After he was stabbed by the flying needle, he slept like a dead person for two whole days. However, when he woke up, there was no one around him. There was only a plate of cold food on the small table beside the couch, which was very different from the treatment he had received in the past. However, he knew that the woman always did things strangely, so he did not ask. He slept when he was full, ate again when he woke up, and played games with Xue Yao when he was free.
Three more days passed like this.
His patience was finally exhausted, and he began to look around, hoping to find one or two maids in the hall to ask where the damn woman had gone and why she had left such an important dying patient of his here to die.
The nine reclaimed resurrection orders were hung on the wall. He still had one that he had kept for eight years. He should have seen all the patients this year, but where were the people here? Where did they die? He was in a hurry to return to Lin'an to save Mo'er!
It was a pity that even Lu'er had disappeared. He asked the maids who came to deliver food, but could not get any information from them. He had seen how strict that damn woman was in controlling her maids over the past eight years.
He has been stuck here for three whole days.
"Where are the people? Where are the people?" He finally couldn't help but yell, causing the dust to fall. "Xue Ziye, if you don't come out, I'm going to tear this place down!"
"Oh, the Seventh Young Master has such a bad temper." The Lion's Roar Technique was indeed effective, and the main target was immediately shocked out. Xue Ziye appeared for the first time in five days, pushed open the door and walked in leisurely, holding a set of silver needles in his hand: "Want to get acupuncture?"
His temper disappeared when he saw her.
"Hehe... I missed you." He smiled humbly, knowing that he was still a fish on the chopping board. "Where have you been these days? Didn't you say you would give me another acupuncture treatment? If you don't come again-"
"Hmm?" Xue Ziye picked up the needle, snorted coldly and glanced at him.
"If you hadn't come again, the wound would have healed on its own!" He continued to smile.
Without even looking at him, she turned her hand and threw five silver needles into his chest, causing him so much pain that he was speechless.
"Almost recovered. Just a few more days of rest and you can get out of bed." After taking his pulse, she concluded expressionlessly, tapping his chest, "You're almost thirty years old, and you still get beaten up like this all the time - are you really as good as you claim to be? Don't brag and deceive me, a woman who never leaves the house."
"Haven't you seen how heroic I am when I conquer the world with one sword... I was taught the Mohun Sword by the master of Dingjian Pavilion!" He rolled his eyes.
"I think you're the best at taking a beating in the world," Xue Ziye didn't want to joke with him. He just carefully reached out his hand to his back and touched the part of his spine under his shoulder blade, frowning slightly. "You've been injured here again. Don't look for me if you become paralyzed next time. I'm not kidding."
She was even more familiar with this scarred body than he was: there were several long scars on his back, neatly crossing the entire back, as if the wings were cut off with a swish. That was her masterpiece three years ago - when he came to Yaoshi Valley from Southern Xinjiang through the Central Plains with the Seven-Leaf Mingzhi, she dug out a full cup of arsenopyrite from his back.
Her fingers tapped lightly on the fourth vertebra, and the pain shot through her back like lightning into her brain.
He blurted out a loud cry, cold sweat pouring down his body.
"Don't try to show off." Xue Ziye sighed, showing a gentle expression for the first time, "Your body has reached its limit - you want to save people, but you also have to think about yourself. I can't always help you."
Huo Zhanbai was panting heavily, holding the quilt in his hands, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
"What do you mean?" He looked up at her and found that her face was a little pale after not seeing her for a few days. She was no longer as lively and fierce as before. He felt a little uneasy. "What happened? Are you in trouble?"
She pulled her hand out from under the quilt, just smiled and tucked her hair behind her ears: "No, because if you get the antidote, you don't have to come here and be scolded by me... You can't afford such a high consultation fee, so you should be more careful next time."
He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled: "Why wouldn't I come? I paid off the debt with my body."
Xue Ziye pulled the corners of his mouth to smile, but there was no smile in his eyes - what would he do if... if he knew that the prescription eight years ago that brought together all the rare treasures in the world was just a scam
Mo'er's illness was brought from the womb. Qiu Shuiyin was displaced when she was pregnant, and suffered a great blow. This premature child was born with congenital deficiencies and could not survive beyond the age of ten. Even she could only temporarily hold the child's life with all her strength, but was powerless to save him.
But at that time she had just started practicing and was still soft-hearted. She could not withstand his pleading, nor did she want to let them despair, so she had no choice but to prescribe an almost impossible prescription - any of the herbs in the prescription were rare in the world and were treasures that everyone in the world dreamed of.
She just gave him a chance to try his best without feeling guilty.
—Because that child would surely die while he was traveling so hard to collect medicine.
However, she didn't expect that year after year, this man would pursue the prescription so persistently and recklessly, and bring all the herbs on the prescription to her. And under his careful care, the child has survived to this day. All this is nothing less than a miracle in the eyes of her, a miracle doctor.
Is there someone in this world who is more stubborn than me
She sighed softly. Now... what should she do
Now that she told him the truth, she simply couldn't imagine how Huo Zhanbai would react.
"It hurts! What's wrong with you?" When she was distracted, she heard him ask in surprise. She was startled to find that she had unknowingly pressed the silver needle that was pierced in his chest straight to the bottom.
"Ah!" she cried out in surprise, "Don't move! I'll pick it out right away, don't use your true energy!"
Huo Zhanbai looked at her in surprise. In the past eight years, he had never seen this tough woman so panicked. He felt a little uneasy: she must have encountered something but refused to say it.
Having known each other for so long, they have almost become the most familiar people to each other. This lonely woman has many secrets, but she has never mentioned them. But after all, there are some things that cannot be hidden from the eyes of an old man like him: for example, he has seen her lying on the frozen lake and mumbling more than once, and under the lake, there is a person who has been dead for many years.
He looked from one side but didn't go over.
He never even asked her these things - just as she never asked him why he was so persistent in seeking medical treatment.
For eight years, he fought desperately. Every time he rushed through the battlefield with blood and flesh flying everywhere, she would be waiting at the end of this bloody road... He owed her so much.
My wish is about to be fulfilled. Is there any way I can do something for her
"Well, let me tell you," he watched her carefully use an embroidery needle to pick out the hole, and then took out the needle that was accidentally pushed in. He endured the pain and said, "To celebrate my recovery, how about having a drink together tonight?"
Xue Ziye was stunned for a moment, then raised his head, looking extremely tired, but suddenly smiled: "Okay, who's afraid of who?"
―
Before dark, before going to the drinking and gambling appointment, she went back to Qiu Garden once.
Behind the heavy curtains, the aroma of the dead is lingering and someone is in a deep sleep.
The bleeding behind the brain had stopped, and the first golden needle on the Yuzhen acupoint had been taken out and placed on a golden plate beside it. The sharp needle was clotted with black blood, as if it had been pulled out of the bloody memory.
The darkness wrapped around him like an iron shroud.
Illusions emerged one after another.
Where is this... Where is this? Is this... where he came from
His hands and feet were hung on the wall, and there was no light around him. He hugged his knees and huddled in a dark corner, feeling that his mind was as blank as the house in front of him. No one came to see him. He was the only one in this small, cold wooden house.
Outside, I could faintly hear the laughter of my peers and the sound of wind blowing.
There was a voice as sweet as a silver bell. He could tell it by tilting his head: it was the little Han girl, Sister Xiaoye - the only pair of black and white eyes among all the light blue eyes in the village.
During the long time he was locked up in this dark room, everyone avoided him. Only Xiaoye and Xuehuai came to comfort him from time to time and talked to him through the wall. That was the support that allowed him to endure for so long.
"Don't worry, patients shouldn't wander around," she said with a smile as she looked over through the small hole in the wall. "Mingjie, you'll be well soon and you'll be able to come out and play with us soon!"
Is that so... He recovered quickly? But what disease did he have? Did anyone tell him what disease he had
He looked at the eyes behind the small hole in a daze. After not seeing her for many years, Xiaoye should have grown up, right? But he couldn't see her. He could hardly remember what she looked like, because for seven years, he could only see her eyes through the small hole: bright, warm, concerned -
Ever since he killed someone at the age of seven, everyone was afraid of him and called him a monster. She was the only one who kept calling her brother.
The laughter outside continued, making him feel annoyed. Who was she playing with? Why didn't she come to talk to him yesterday? Now... What season is it outside? Can I go to the glacier to play with tops? Can I go to the ice to scoop fish? It's been so long, why is he still locked up here
Did he do anything wrong! He wants to go out... He wants to go out!
Because of anger and despair, the child's eyes in the darkness suddenly flashed with a bright light, as bright as glass.
"Crack—" a crack appeared in the wall next to it. A movable wooden board was pulled out and then pushed back. On it was a dried fish and a bowl of rice, everything was the same.
"Little monster, eat!" the man outside shouted in a hoarse voice, full of disgust.
That was Hu, his caretaker for seven years.
After the incident when he was six years old, he was locked in this dark room without light, with his hands and feet locked and nailed to the wall for seven years. Listening to the wind and laughter outside, the usually silent child suddenly exploded, and suddenly swept his hand horizontally, and all the utensils shattered to the ground.
"Little monster!" The guard heard the voice from inside through the wall, poked his head in and glared at him, "Are you looking for death?"
However, at that moment, with just one look, his body went limp.
In the darkness, the child kept his eyes glued to the opening where the food was delivered and looked out. He shook the chains vigorously and roared, "I want to get out! Let me out! Let me out quickly! Damn it, let me out!"
Following his voice, the collapsed guard actually stood up again, but his eyes and movements were straight and slow, and he walked to the sealed door with a click, took out the key, and inserted it woodenly.
The sudden light stung the child's eyes in the dark, and he shrank back, only to see the ferocious man walk in expressionlessly, lean over without a word, and untie the chains on his hands and feet.
Hey, this guy... what's wrong with him? Why are his eyes so fixed
However, the thirteen-year-old boy had no time to think. He just cheered and rushed out of the door that had imprisoned him for seven years. The wind outside blew on his face. He raised his arms in the dazzling sunlight and cheered to the children from the same village who were playing in the distance: "Sister Xiaoye! Xuehuai! I'm out!"
Who cares? Just let bad guys like Hu die. He is free!
However, just as this ecstatic thought flashed through his mind, he heard a scream coming from the room behind him.
He turned back in horror and saw an extremely horrifying scene—
That Mogahu actually inserted the iron key into his throat bit by bit! His expression was extremely painful, but his hand seemed to be controlled by a demon, pushing it bit by bit, inserting it into his throat and twisting his flesh and blood.
He was so frightened that he stepped back repeatedly, sat down on the ground outside the door, and rubbed his eyes.
No way? This must be an illusion, right
How could Hu suddenly do such a thing... Just like the two runners at the post station, strangling themselves to death!
Could it be... just because he subconsciously said "Go to hell"
"Ah! Murder! Monster... Monster is killing people!" The children in the distance turned around and saw this horrible scene. They screamed together and ran away in a hurry. The Han girl was wrapped in the crowd and disappeared in the snow in an instant.
Xiaoye... Xiaoye... I managed to escape with great difficulty, why did you run away when you saw me
He came to his senses and subconsciously wanted to chase after him, but suddenly he was hit hard on the back of his head and everything in front of him went dark.
"You little bastard, you actually dared to run out!" Someone behind him was holding a big stick and picked him up.
He was dragged into the clan's ancestral hall. Many people gathered around him, talking loudly in panic: "The last time we killed the official, it was easy to cover it up, but this time we killed a villager! What should we do?"
"There's another monster in our tribe! Our ancestors said that the reason we were expelled from the Kushan Kingdom a hundred years ago was because such a monster appeared in our tribe! It's the Demon Eye!"
"Everyone, stop arguing. He is still a child... He had no choice but to kill the escorting officer last time." An old man's voice sounded, sighing, "But now he can kill people if he wants to. What can we do?"
"Chief, you can't be soft-hearted anymore. The appearance of the demon pupil will bring disaster to the entire clan!" Countless voices suggested, and the crowd was surging. "It seems that just locking him up is not enough. We have to dig out his eyes and put an end to the disaster!"
The old man pondered, his hands trembling a little, and he tried to light the flint several times but failed.
He had always believed that the legend that the Moga clan was expelled because of the devil in their blood was false. However, unexpectedly, at this moment, in the eyes of a child, all the tragedy was repeated.
The Moga tribe, who lived deep in the mountains, had eyes of light blue and dark black that were never seen in the Central Plains or the Western Regions, but they did not appear to be abnormal at all on a normal day - they were not like the demons in the legend who had killed people with a single glance and caused chaos throughout the Kushan Empire.
"Grandpa, don't dig out Mingjie's eyes, don't!" Suddenly, a young man's voice became louder, and he broke through the obstruction desperately, "Please, don't dig out Mingjie's eyes! He is not a bad person!"
"Xue Huai, you have nothing to do with what the adults are saying, get out of the way!" The old man pushed his beloved grandson away mercilessly and scolded him. He was even more annoyed when he saw the Han girl rushing up with him. "Xiao Ye, get out of here too - outsiders have no right to interfere in the affairs of our Moga clan!"
—If it weren’t for this foreign Han girl, Mingjie wouldn’t have become what he is today.
"Lock him up first, and hold a clan meeting in three days!"
The moment he opened his eyes, darkness enveloped him again. He shook the chains on his hands and feet desperately and screamed.
Don't dig my eyes out! Let me out! Let me out!
"Mingjie." A soft voice suddenly came from the wall behind.
He threw himself on the wall in ecstasy, and looked out from the small gap, seeing a pair of black and white eyes: "Sister Xiaoye! Are you here to see me?"
"Those bastards said your eyes can kill people, but why was it okay for me to look at them?" Those eyes were filled with tears, and they were about to cry. "You were locked up for me - Xue Huai and I have already said that if, if they really dig out your eyes, we will each dig out one for you!"
Looking out from the cave entrance, tears were falling from those eyes, which were clearly black and white.
He was mesmerized. He had been locked up in the black room since he was six years old, and he had never seen her in the seven years since then. Even during his brief escape a few days ago, he had never seen her current appearance clearly. To him, Xiaoye was just the pair of bright eyes that appeared in the gap every day: bright, gentle, caring, warm... Clearly black and white, just like the white mountains and black waters in the north.
Sister Xiaoye... Xue Huai... At that moment, he, who had been imprisoned for seven years but never showed weakness, burst into tears in the darkness.
Where are you from
A voice in the darkness asked him, Mingjie, where are you from
Fake... Fake... All of this is fake! He just fell into another illusion similar to the pupil technique!
At the moment when that voice resounded through his mind, and when his eyes became increasingly blurred, he shouted to himself in his heart, trying his best to resist the images that kept appearing in his mind. It's fake! Absolutely, absolutely don't believe it... It's all an illusion!
"Mingjie, Mingjie!" Someone called out his name and held down his hands that were grasping the back of his head. "It's okay... It's okay. Don't be like this, it's all over..."
He opened his eyes in the darkness and saw a pair of bright eyes close to him, with clear black and white.
"Sister Xiaoye?" The memory suddenly overlapped with what was happening before his eyes. He grabbed the hand of the person in front of him. Suddenly, he felt tired and sleepy, and murmured, "It's all fake... It's all fake..."
"It's not fake. It's me, it's really me," she held his hand tightly in the dark, "I'm back."
"…" His mind was still in the dream. He just opened his eyes and looked at her blankly. He stretched out his hand as hard as he could, as if to touch her cheek to confirm the reality of this existence. However, his hand slipped away halfway and he fell into a deep sleep again.
Xue Ziye stood up, added a handful of Dihu incense into the golden Suanni's incense burner, and turned his head to glance at the sleeping person.
The golden needle on the golden plate was shining with a faint light - she had unlocked a part of his sealed memory. However, before his body recovered, he probably couldn't rashly pull out all three golden needles at once, otherwise Mingjie might go completely crazy because he couldn't bear such a shock.
It seems that we can only move forward step by step.
She settled the patient and prepared to go to the drinking and gambling appointment.
――――――――――――――
In Mohe in the far north, the sky is always gray even during the day, and the sun hangs pale and tiredly in the sky.
Xue Ziye directed the maids to dig out the jar of "Laughing in the Red Dust" buried last year from the snow under the plum tree. In the waterside garden of the Winter Pavilion, a small red clay stove was warming up a pot of amber wine. The aroma of the wine filled the air, making the snow kite on the shelf grumble and scratch with its claws.
"Let it have a sip first." Xue Ziye smiled and poured out a cup, then tossed it. The cup flew out in an arc, and the Snow Kites swooped down with a puff, caught a cup, and flew back to the shelf contentedly, tilted its neck back, and gulped it down, making a happy gurgling sound.
"That's amazing," she couldn't help but exclaim, even though she had seen it several times before, "What kind of bird do you have!"
"Like master, like bird." Huo Zhanbai took the opportunity to boast about himself.
Before he finished his words, the cup fell into the snow with a thud. Snow Harrier swayed drunkenly for a few times and fell headfirst. When he was about to fall off the shelf, he caught it with his right foot in time, and then he began to swing like a Western clock.
"Of course, the master can drink a thousand times better than him!" he quickly added.
The two of them lay on two couches under the plum tree and began to drink and chat - he loved drinking, and so did she. The "Laughing Red Dust" brewed in Pharmacist Valley was a rare delicacy outside, so over the past eight years, every time his injuries improved, he would be eager to ask for it, and as the host, she would gladly serve him the fine wine to accompany him.
—Of course, the agreed price was fifty taels per jar.
"You can drink quite well," Huo Zhanbai, who prides himself on being a heavy drinker, couldn't help but admire him, thinking back to the two previous drinking contests that ended in a draw. "I didn't expect you to be so good at this."
"I fell into the Mohe River when I was fourteen and caught a cold, so my lungs have been in bad condition ever since," she drank a cup by herself, "The wine in the valley is made from medicinal herbs, and my master told me to drink a pot a day to invigorate the blood and nourish the lungs."
"Oh." He looked at the lake in the distance thoughtfully, as if it was unintentional, "How did you fall in?"
Xue Ziye raised his eyebrows, snorted, and did not answer.
Knowing that he had hit a wall, Huo Zhanbai sighed helplessly, drank a few cups in silence, and had to change the subject: "You have never been out of the valley, right? When I finish this matter, I will take you to the Central Plains to broaden your horizons, so that you won't always doubt my strength."
"Oh," she drank the second cup, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I originally came from it."
Huo Zhanbai was slightly surprised, but said sarcastically: "Central Plains can actually produce a hero like this girl..."
"I was originally from Chang'an. When I was seven, I was exiled to the northern border with my mother." As if he had drunk some wine, Xue Ziye's mouth was no longer as tight as usual. He shook the wine glass and looked up at the sky. "Have you heard of the Xue family in Chang'an?"
Huo Zhanbai clenched the wine glass with his fingers, took a deep breath, and hummed, so as not to show too much shock.
How could I not have heard of it!
The Xue family, a national master in Chang'an, is a famous medical family with a history of hundreds of years. They live in the imperial capital and have always been the royal doctors. The head of the family has been the chief of the Imperial Hospital for generations. However, unlike the Mohists in Dingjian Pavilion, the Xue family has a high self-esteem and rarely interacts with people from the underworld. The only precedent is that a woman from the Xue family once diagnosed the owner of Tingxue Tower a hundred years ago.
"That year, the ten-year-old prince died. His grandfather, who treated him, was beaten to death in court, and his family was confiscated and exterminated. The men were beheaded, and the women were exiled 3,000 miles away to be slaves to armored men." Xue Ziye murmured, his eyes seemed to see far away, "How ridiculous... The court conspiracy, but they claimed to the outside world that the imperial physician made a mistake in prescribing medicine. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. A hundred years of honor and favor can be ruined in one day."
She swirled the wine in her glass and looked at her own eyes reflected in it: "At that time, I really envied the Mohist school who was living in the wilds of the world."
"Did you meet the master of Pharmacist Valley during your exile?" he asked, suppressing his surprise.
"No." Xue Ziye leaned on the couch and looked up at the sky. "My mother and I were escorted and passed by a remote village called Moga. Later..." She suddenly stopped talking here, turned her head as if she had discovered something, and looked straight at Huo Zhanbai: "Why, are you trying to trick me?"
He was stunned by the question, and after a moment's silence, he just said, "I want to know how I can help you."
"Hmm?" Xue Ziye seemed a little surprised. He raised his chin and looked at him. His expression changed, and he suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Okay, then you should make more money quickly and pay back the 600,000 yuan consultation fee. There are a group of people in my valley who are waiting for the rice to cook!"
This question stumped him, and he scratched his head awkwardly: "Well... you can actually make up for it by just seeing a few more patients! If you are so stingy with money, why don't you see a few more patients a year?"
"That," she grabbed a preserved fruit and threw it into her mouth, "my body can't handle it."
He fell silent with a bit of surprise: He had always had the impression that this woman was strong and active, able to stay up all night to take care of patients, treat wounds more agilely and steadily than a first-rate swordsman, and command a large group of maids around her. Even the head of the Dingjian Pavilion and the abbot of Shaolin had to obey her when they were in front of her.
—No one can tell that this doctor himself is actually a patient.
"Besides, I don't like these gangsters," she continued to mutter, completely ignoring the one lying next to her. "People who waste their lives on meaningless fights are not worth saving. If I have that time, I might as well take care of the people in the surrounding villages who are suffering from colds and fevers!"
Huo Zhanbai was somewhat flattered: "Then... why are you willing to save me?"
"Well..." Xue Ziye held the wine glass and looked up at the gray sky. Suddenly, he bent over with laughter and stretched out his hand to scratch his face, "Because your face is quite pleasing to the eye! The valley is full of women, how boring!"
He looked at her burgundy cheeks helplessly, knowing that this woman had been cleverly avoiding the topic.
He sat up from the couch and patted the couch. The Mohun sword beside him made a long and loud sound and jumped out of the sheath into his hand. He tapped his toes and the whole person turned into a beam of light and flew out.
The wind suddenly stopped.
When the wind started to blow again, the plum blossoms on the tree in the yard had already fallen quietly.
He turned around and landed gently back on the couch. He bowed slightly to her and extended the tip of his sword: on the sword, twelve blooming plum blossoms were neatly arranged, with a refreshing fragrance.
"Zi Ye," he looked at her and decided not to beat around the bush, "If you encounter any difficulties, please tell me."
That was the first time he called her by her name. Xue Ziye was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "A beautiful plum tree... it's really a waste of time. Are you trying to tell me that you are actually really amazing?"
He curled his lips: "It is."
"Okay." She agreed straightforwardly, "If I need you to help me, I will definitely tell you. I won't be shy."
"Sure?" He was a little worried because he knew that this woman always had a complicated mind.
"Of course." She smiled heartlessly, as if she was happy after drinking. She suddenly turned over and sat up, slapping the table, "Mr. Huo, didn't you want to trick me just now? What do you want to know? How about we do this--" She stretched out her hands and made a finger-guessing gesture: "As long as you beat me, I will answer you one question if you win once, how about it?"
Without having time to think about it, he agreed without thinking.
However, he regretted it the next moment, because he remembered a joke that was once popular in the underworld: Xuanyuan Sanguang, who was known as the king of gambling, had a finger-guessing contest with the owner of the Pharmacist Valley when he was receiving medical treatment there. As a result, he was driven out of the valley wearing only a pair of shorts after a three-day battle. It was said that in addition to the 100,000 yuan medical fee, he also lost all the millions of dollars he had earned over the years.
"Well, come on!" Seeing that he had been fooled, Xue Ziye narrowed his eyes like a cat, stretched out his hand with full energy, and shouted at lightning speed, "Three stars, five champions! You lose! - Quick, quick, drink some wine, I'll ask you a question!"
… … …
Huo Zhanbai couldn't remember how long the drinking session lasted. When he woke up, it was already dark, the wind was cold, the sky was dark, and there were faint snowflakes falling in the courtyard. The fire next to him was still burning, but there was no wine in the wine pot. The table was littered with cups and glasses, and Xue Ziye had sat on the couch next to him without knowing when, and was sleeping on the table.
Relying on his quick ears and eyes learned from learning sword, he had at least won more than ten cups from her. It seemed that this girl was no match for him.
But... But... He raised his heavy head and shook it in the cold wind, trying to recall what he had just said. He only vaguely remembered that he drank a lot of wine and was asked many questions one after another. Those questions... Those questions seemed to be things that he would not say on a normal day.
"Why are you unwilling to take over the position of Dingjian Pavilion Master? Hasn't the Mohun Sword been passed down to you?"
"Because... at that time Xu Chonghua also wanted to take over Dingjiang Pavilion... Qiushui came to ask me for help, so I..."
"So it was for a woman! But, it seems that the old Pavilion Master didn't pass the position to that guy named Xu in the end?"
"That's the second question. Let's play finger-guessing first!"
"Nine Links... Full House! I won again! Answer quickly."
"Well... because... none of the elders in the pavilion agreed. They said he wasn't open-minded and tolerant enough, and his martial arts attainments were not good enough. So... the old pavilion master didn't pass the throne to him."
"Oh... come on, row again!"
She asked directly and impolitely, and under the influence of alcohol, he no longer concealed the truth.
Besides, Mo'er's medicine will soon be prepared, and those things will eventually pass... There is no need to hide them anymore.
In fact, his life story is known to almost everyone in the Central Plains martial arts world:
He was originally the eldest disciple of Tianshan Sect. He was extremely talented and became one of the top martial artists at a young age. He was selected by the old Pavilion Master Nangong of Dingjian Pavilion to join the Pavilion and became one of the Eight Famous Swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion. Since he was fifteen, he had a one-sided love for his fellow apprentice Qiu Shuiyin. He had been deeply in love with her for more than ten years. However, Qiu Shuiyin married another of the Eight Famous Swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion: Xu Chonghua of the Xu Family of Runan.
He was a man of great affection and sentimentality. Although he was heartbroken, he still gave her everything she wanted. He even resigned from his position as the leader of Dingjian Pavilion for her and refused to compete with her husband.
However, Xu Chonghua was blocked by the elders and ultimately failed to take over Dingjiang Pavilion as he wished. With his narrow-minded and fierce personality, he killed and injured many elders who raised objections in anger, and rebelled against the Central Plains and joined the Great Light Palace of the Demon Cult.
He was ordered to hunt him down and killed him beside the Xingxiu Sea in the west of Kunlun.
From then on, he was given more important positions. The old Pavilion Master Nangong invited this young swordsman to join Dingjian Pavilion several times, but was rejected every time.
"Why did you ask to hunt him down?" The woman was half drunk, but she still had such a sharp mind. She asked drunkenly, "It's a thankless job... You know it."
He smiled bitterly and was about to say something, but his drunken eyes suddenly cleared and he fell silent again.
"Qiu Shui asked me to go..." Finally, he lowered his head to hold the wine glass and said this answer, "Because if someone else went... maybe, maybe they wouldn't bring him back alive. He has a very bad reputation."
"But... you didn't bring him back..." She murmured drunkenly, "You still killed him."
He suddenly raised his eyes and looked at her.
Although he was already drunk, his face gradually turned pale when he thought of this - he could never forget the duel on West Kunlun, which was the most difficult choice he had ever made in his life.
In the end, he returned to the Central Plains alone, brought back Xu Chonghua's sword, and gave it to Qiu Shuiyin as a relic.
Qiu Shuiyin gave birth prematurely upon hearing the bad news about her husband. She has been bedridden ever since and hates him deeply.
"Hehe... From what I heard, it seems like from the beginning to the end... you have nothing to do with it. My lover, my wife, my child... From the beginning to the end, who are you! Why are you working so hard..." After asking all the questions, Xue Ziye was already drunk. He leaned over the table and looked at him with a giggle. Such impoliteness hurt him, and suddenly punched him on the shoulder, "Huo Zhanbai, you are a... big fool... a big fool!"
Being drunk, she hit him harder than usual, causing him to cry out in pain.
However, as she laughed, she began to cry.
He was surprised to see her, who was always calm, fall on the wine-stained table, crying and laughing, mumbling to herself, but he could not understand anything. He wanted to know about her, but in the end, she talked about her past - she was smart, even if she lost the finger-guessing game just now, when he asked her questions, she cleverly avoided the questions in various ways.
He only knew some fragmentary details: for example, before she came to Yaoshi Valley, she had lived in a village called Moga; for example, the man under the ice died when he left with her... However, she never mentioned what happened that led to her leaving and his death.
Even in this situation, she still refused to release the pressure in her heart, but just cried and laughed inexplicably. Finally, she looked up at him and said "I'm sorry" seriously and repeatedly.
What was he sorry for? He was the one who owed her a favor.
Finally, she got drunk and stopped talking, and he also fell into a deep sleep due to the alcohol.
When they woke up, the moon was bright, and there was a faint snowflake falling in the night sky. The snow kite was still hanging upside down on the rack with its claws, swaying and humming. The fragrance of white plums floated in the air, and the flames in the red clay stove jumped quietly, reflecting their faces - everything between heaven and earth suddenly seemed quieter than ever before.
He lay quietly, his heart filled with a peace he had not felt for a long time.
—That was the peace and fulfillment that he had almost forgotten in the eight years of traveling around and fighting. The moon rose every year, and the snow fell every year, but he had never noticed it. Life should have been so peaceful and beautiful, but why was he still indulging in the distant past? From beginning to end, it had nothing to do with him.
Am I really a fool
“Hmm…” The person sleeping on the table moved, muttered something, and curled up.
He was immersed in the tranquility of the moment when he woke up with a start. Looking at Xue Ziye who was drunk and unconscious, he couldn't help but sigh and shook his head: This woman is not young anymore, but she still doesn't know how to take care of her body... On such a cold night, she actually fell asleep on the table.
He lifted her up from the table and wanted to move her to the couch. However, she tilted her head and leaned on his shoulder, continuing to sleep soundly. He was a little amused and helpless, so he had to let her lean on him, while he kicked up the blanket that had fallen to the bed with his toes, draped it over the sleeping person, and wrapped her tightly.
"Xue Huai..." Suddenly, she murmured, shrinking her body, "Cold... So cold..."
She trembled slightly and curled up in his arms like a cat afraid of the cold. In her sleep, her expression was more dazed and dependent than ever before, as if she was seeking warmth and comfort. He didn't dare to move, and just let her lean her head on his chest, rubbing against it, and then she sighed with satisfaction and continued to sleep.
He felt his heart suddenly skip a few beats, and then he immediately lowered his head guiltily, wondering if the woman who was used to teasing him was pretending to be asleep - but she was sleeping so quietly, with a lingering drunkenness on her face.
So he breathed a sigh of relief, wrapped her against his chest with a blanket, and stared at the moon in the snow in a daze.
The world seemed so empty and yet so full at once; even the falling snow seemed warm.
He looked at the woman sleeping beside him, and suddenly a warm feeling welled up in his heart.
If only it could always be like this… Life is a race with a heavy load, he and she are both exhausted, so why not stop for a moment and drink together all night? In this life, everything is illusory and impermanent, nothing is reliable, everything will change, even the deepest love in life cannot withstand the ravages and wear of time.
Only the steady breathing of the people around me at this moment is real, and only this night of hugging each other for warmth is real.
This feeling... is it what it means to depend on each other