Yet once again, Chi Yan broke his promise.
Three days later, in the backyard of Ningchun Hall.
The bitter scent of medicine had nearly tainted the newly blossoming peach flowers with its acridity. The door to Chi Yan’s room was tightly shut, thick curtains hanging low, allowing only a glimpse through the cracks of the person lying silently on the bed and Gu Ning, who was applying acupuncture needles by his side.
Gu Ning withdrew the needles, her expression so dark it seemed as if water could drip from it. She tilted her head slightly and asked, “A Qi, didn’t I tell you to keep a close eye on him? How could you not even know where he went?”
“Please forgive me, Miss!” A Qi replied, feeling wronged. “The angelica root at the clinic ran out, and the eldest young master sent me to buy more. Who knew that as soon as I turned around, he was gone? When I returned, he was already…”
In this state.
The person on the bed lay with his eyes tightly shut, brows furrowed as if trapped in a nightmare. His frown deepened, and he muttered incoherent, fragmented words. Gu Ning held a handkerchief, carefully wiping the cold sweat from Chi Yan’s forehead.
His face was gaunt, the outline of his jawbone clearly visible beneath skin so pale it seemed translucent. Yet his thin lips were an unusually vivid red, tinged with a faint, ominous shade of purple. Once his lips turned completely purple, Chi Yan’s life would be over.
Gu Ning lowered her gaze, her fingers tracing his forehead through the thin silk handkerchief, pausing at his tightly furrowed brows. She recalled the first time she had seen Chi Yan fall ill.
“Master, Master,” little Gu Ning had tugged anxiously at the sleeve of the Spring Return Valley Master, tears glistening on her cheeks. “What’s wrong with Elder Martial Brother? Why hasn’t he woken up?”
Back then, Chi Yan had several silver acupuncture needles inserted into his body, his brows tightly knitted as he tossed and turned restlessly, seemingly in great pain.
The Spring Return Valley Master sat on the edge of the bed, checked his pulse, and sighed, saying only, “Once he finishes the nightmare, he’ll wake up.”
And so, for many years thereafter, whenever Chi Yan fell ill, Gu Ning would sit by his bed, applying acupuncture needles and quietly waiting for him to finish the nightmare that had repeated countless times.
Yet…
“Elder Martial Brother,” Gu Ning whispered softly, almost to herself, “what exactly are you dreaming of?”
Why… had he never mentioned it to her?
The person on the bed remained oblivious, continuously sinking deeper into the nightmare. Cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
Gu Ning gazed at Chi Yan and sighed softly, once again placing her fingers on his wrist. After a moment, she instructed, “A Qi, go to the kitchen and prepare the medicine. Use the same prescription as before.”
Her tone had softened considerably, and A Qi knew the matter was now behind them. He accepted the order and left.
The room fell into deep silence, broken only by the rhythm of breathing. Gu Ning sat quietly by the bed, tirelessly wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead.
“I shouldn’t have blamed A Qi earlier,” she murmured to herself. “Elder Martial Brother, why… did you lie to me again?”
The person on the bed breathed faintly, unaware, like an extremely thin string of a zither, uncertain when it might snap. Gu Ning’s gaze lingered on his slightly purple-tinged lips.
If Chi Yan were gone, she would have no home left.
That was why she had to find the Moon-silk Flower.
No matter what, she wanted him to live.
…
A light drizzle fell as dawn broke faintly. A thin layer of moss grew on the stone steps beneath the eaves. In the dim light, the door creaked softly—”squeak”—as Hong Yao pushed it open and entered quietly.
Gu Ning lay slumped over the desk, sleeping fitfully. Her jet-black hair cascaded down, loosely spilling over her shoulders and outlining her slender frame.
Hong Yao frowned, her heart aching. Yesterday, the young miss had insisted on keeping vigil for the eldest young master, saying his condition was still unstable. But the young miss’s own health wasn’t good either. Hong Yao sighed helplessly, gently shaking out the shawl in her hands and draping it over Gu Ning.
Yet the moment she drew near, Gu Ning stirred awake. Rubbing her eyes, she patted her cheeks to rouse herself. “What time is it now?”
“The third quarter of the hour of Mao.”
Gu Ning walked over to check Chi Yan’s pulse, feeling slightly relieved. She turned to Hong Yao and asked, “Still no news from Jiang Yingyue?”
“I was just about to tell you this,” Hong Yao said, pulling a note from her sleeve. “Miss Jiang’s maid just gave this to me.”
Gu Ning took it and read:
No trace of Moon-silk Flower at the Jiang residence. However, a customer at the medicine shop has some. This person comes on the fifteenth of every month. If Doctor Gu is interested, you may visit the Jiang family medicine shop.
“Miss, today is the fifteenth…”
Gu Ning’s gaze fell on Chi Yan, lying quietly.
“Go and call A Qi. You and he must take good care of my senior brother. The clinic will be closed today. If anything happens, have him come find me at the Jiang family medicine shop immediately.”
The continuous drizzle hung like mist in the air, and even with an umbrella, her skirt was soon damp halfway up.
Raindrops pattered from the eaves as Gu Ning closed her umbrella and stepped into the Jiang family medicine shop. Perhaps from the chill wind, her voice was hoarser than usual, and she coughed intermittently.
As soon as she entered, Manager Jiang approached, lowering his voice. “Doctor Gu, the young miss has instructed me. The person you’re waiting for will arrive shortly. Please wait in the rear courtyard’s side room.”
Gu Ning nodded and was about to lift the curtain to go inside when she caught Manager Jiang hesitating, as if wanting to speak but holding back.
“Manager Jiang, if you have something to say, please speak freely.”
“Doctor Gu, I… I wanted to ask for your help with the Fifth Miss…”
According to Manager Jiang, Master Jiang had once made an agreement with Jiang Yingyue. If she could reverse all the losses of the Jiang family medicine shop within three months, she would not have to marry Master Wang.
“As of yesterday, the shop’s losses have been reduced by forty percent,” Manager Jiang sighed. “There are still two months left in the agreement between the master and the young miss, yet the master insists she marry Master Wang within half a month. The young miss refused, so the master punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall. She hasn’t eaten a single grain for two full days now.”
Gu Ning furrowed her brows. No wonder there had been no word from Jiang Yingyue these past few days, and today’s note was delivered by a maid.
“How do you want me to help?”
“Actually, I’ve heard before…” Manager Jiang lowered his voice, sounding somewhat guilty. “You once made a medicine that could make a person’s pulse appear as if they were ill. I want the young miss to feign sickness.”
It took Gu Ning a moment to recall. She had indeed made such a medicine, helping the child next door skip class to rescue a cat and avoid the teacher’s punishment. Who knew that child would later boast about it, earning himself two rounds of bamboo rod strikes.
“It’s possible, but…”
The medicine had long since been used up.
“Here’s what we can do. I have a better idea,” Gu Ning thought for a moment, wrote a note, and handed it to Manager Jiang. “Take this to Hong Yao, and then…”
The more Manager Jiang listened, the tighter his brows knitted. “But if we do this…”
“Manager Jiang, I know what you’re concerned about,” Gu Ning sighed. “But given Fifth Miss Jiang’s current situation, I’m afraid she has no choice but to burn her boats and fight with her back to the river.”
Manager Jiang pondered for a long moment, gritted his teeth, and finally nodded.
“Is Fifth Miss Jiang here?”
Before their words had fully settled, someone suddenly closed an umbrella and stepped over the threshold. Gu Ning instinctively looked up.
Unexpectedly, she found herself locking eyes with Jia Xiangwei.