The hardships, grievances, and fear mingled with confusion about the future surged up, all at once, in Xiao Lian Hua’s heart. She silently wiped away her tears, pulling out the other small bird eggs from her pocket one by one and placing them into the big bird’s nest, along with the remaining fruit. Finally, she turned her pocket inside out, shaking it at the two big birds. It was empty, all gone, leaving only her, with nothing left.
The more she thought, the more sorrowful she felt. Xiao Lian Hua’s tears silently streamed down her face, continually wiping them with her dirty sleeve, yet the more she wiped, the more they flowed.
She always dared not think about it. She had to listen to her mother’s and father’s words, to find the clan uncle. But those people were so fierce, she was so afraid—perhaps her parents and brother had already... then what was the point of heading north...
The two big birds were stunned, slowly folding their diving wings. Seeing the nest full of small bird eggs, which were usually caught as snacks by them, along with a fruit, and then the little girl shedding silent tears with her red eyes, they lost their hostility. Tilting their heads to observe, they exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat at a loss.
"Snap" came the sound from below the tree, followed by rustling, like footsteps crushing dried leaves. The two big birds flinched, immediately flying out to circle above, letting out sharp alarm cries.
Through tearful eyes, Xiao Lian Hua looked down and spotted a person through the dense leaves, her eyes widening in terror, hands tightly covering her mouth, not daring to make a sound. The tears in her eyes were too scared to fall.
The person called Brother Shunzi turned out to return silently. If it hadn’t been the snapping of the dry branch, neither she nor the two big birds would have noticed.
Xiao Lian Hua held her breath, her heart pounding fiercely, her whole body tensed up, sensing immense danger. This person was coming for her, surely suspicious of something, intending to strike a lethal blow.
Underneath the tree, Guo Shun looked up, seeing the two big birds fly out, recognizing them as the birds from before. He didn’t pay them any heed, scanned the surroundings once again, failing to find any signs of humans as he had anticipated. He frowned, could he truly have been mistaken?
Previously, when he heard movements from the tree, although the birds flying by dispelled his concerns, he saw a shallow indentation in the thick fallen leaves before leaving, suspecting someone was hiding, yet he didn’t alarm anyone and left casually.
Feigning departure, he circled back quietly from another direction, observing from the shadows for a while. Except for hearing a bird call, there was no other sound, nor a sign of any humans.
Having inspected again, Guo Shun was thoroughly relieved, confirming there was no one hiding in the forest, perhaps the indentation was made by some animal. Thus, he no longer hid, boldly walked out and took another look around.
He thought he had been overly cautious, finding nothing in the forest except for the pair of birds. He assumed they had built a nest hence their vigilance. The pair of birds were Sparrowhawks, specializing in hunting small birds, snakes, mice, pheasants, and rabbits, being extremely perceptive. When he returned before hiding properly, their fierce bird cries alarmed him.
After ensuring everything was covered, he strode forward, calling out, "Go!"
Not far from the previous direction of departure, several voices echoed, responding to Guo Shun’s call, following his departure as they quickly caught up, vanishing into the forest.
Xiao Lian Hua, weakened and stiff all over, leaned against the tree trunk as if stunned, feeling entirely drained of strength.
A quarter of an hour passed...
Two quarters of an hour passed...
Only when the pair of birds flew back, and once there was no more sound beneath the tree, she took a deep breath, panting deeply as if surviving a calamity.
Once her weak arms and legs recovered, Xiao Lian Hua apologized to the two big birds and, without minding anything else, immediately climbed down the tree, fleeing in another direction, carefully choosing solid paths with no traces, learning to hide herself this time.
The pair of birds kept staring at the direction Xiao Lian Hua left. Only after she vanished from sight did they look back at the nest. Seeing the additional bird eggs, their round eyes filled with confusion—was the little girl delivering food for them?
Main Hall of Canglan Court.
"Divine Doctor?..." full of tension.
"Shhh..." Divine Doctor Huang gestured for silence, eyes fixed on the person in a deep sleep, only when the person fully calmed did he hesitantly stroke his beard, pondering.
The eyeballs moved rapidly, accompanied by cold sweat, pulse beating fast yet now slowing and calming, symptoms of being trapped in a dream too deeply, unable to wake, while reactions in the dream manifest in reality.
"What dream is this?" to cause such a reaction, he was utterly baffled.
Divine Doctor Huang had not imagined that the little girl he treated as a traveling doctor years ago would meet again, now as a consort in the palace, carrying the imperial heir, vital to the state. The responsibility now weighed heavier than back then indeed. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel•fire.net
Huang Zude had mentioned this illness to Divine Doctor Huang two days ago, and he already found it somewhat familiar upon hearing of it, pondering rather than thinking deeply.
This kind of disease stems from the heart, incredibly difficult to cure. He had treated someone with heart ailments not long ago, and here he encountered another, even more severe, heart disease turning into a calamity, becoming a demon.
He had originally been watching the lantern festival, alas.
Long story short, tonight, Divine Doctor Huang rarely found leisure, wishing to enjoy the thriving peace brought by prosperity with his wife, watching lanterns. Midway through, a team of horses stopped and dismounted outside the crowd, startling the public. Shortly after, they hurried over, handing him a letter upon seeing him.
The letter was from Huang Zude, warning of the consort’s illness in the palace flaring prematurely.
He was alarmed, immediately apologizing to his wife, having the mounted team send her home while fetching his medicine chest, before rushing into the palace.
Upon seeing the person on the bed, he instantly recognized her as the pitiful little girl with the heartache turning into a demon seven years ago. Fate truly worked this way, for he had even gone to seek her long after those years, wanting to see how she was, only to find out the family had moved away two years prior.
Divine Doctor Huang frowned and rose, not entangled in what dream the person was having. In any case, the person was trapped by a heart demon, unable to awaken.
He glanced at the people inside the chamber, stroking his beard, addressing the bright yellow figure beside him, "The situation is much better than seven years ago. Back then, the little girl was physically and mentally exhausted, raging fever refusing to subside, delirious and nightly seizures and sleep-talking, as if she wouldn’t relent until her vitality was depleted, also harmed by quack doctors turning a minor into a major illness, almost crippled. Now it’s merely nightmares, which can be considered an improvement."