In the courtyard of the Gu Family’s estate.
"Are all the women in this village so frightening?" Qi Jingyi had finally let out a sigh of relief, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. His cold sweat had started to drip; had he not been afraid of being blamed or giving his enemies, including the Crown Prince, grounds to accuse him of senselessly killing common folk, he would have genuinely desired to kill that woman just now.
"You’ll know once you visit a few more times." Gu Qingheng laughed teasingly, "What brings you here?"
"Am I not welcome?" Qi Jingyi raised his eyebrows slightly, "It’s hot as blazes, and I’ve walked quite a distance..."
"You mean you spent a long time watching the excitement, right?" Gu Qingheng couldn’t help but curl his lip.
"Heihei, it’s all the same..." Qi Jingyi touched his nose out of habit.
"How could the young ladies of the Shen Family bear to let you go?" Gu Qingheng said, laughing dishonorably, "And now there’s another who can’t bear to see you leave."
"Gu Qingheng, you’re unprincipled," Qi Jingyi sat down on a wooden stool brought by someone from the Feng Family and then shot Gu Qingheng a look, "You should know, those women aren’t what I want, but I had no choice. Honestly, just the sight of a woman gives me a headache now..." His eyes suddenly brightened, "How about I send a couple your way?"
Gu Qingheng just shook his head with a smile: "I’m not so fortunate."
"All for the firewood girl next door?" Qi Jingyi slightly raised his eyebrows, "Though she’s not ugly, she’s certainly no beauty, and what’s more, she’s so fierce..."
"I like it that way!" Gu Qingheng retorted in a provoking manner.
"Fine, you win!" Qi Jingyi had nothing more to say.
"You didn’t come to argue with me, did you?" Gu Qingheng, not particularly keen to discuss Yang Ruxin with others, quickly changed the subject.
"There’s a letter from the capital." Qi Jingyi eagerly switched to the serious topic as well, pulling out a letter from inside his robes and handing it over, "The Crown Prince is very pleased and has already sent Weng Qing to Yunmen Mountain personally."
Gu Qingheng nodded, took the letter, then handed it to Gu Yao. A glimmer of hope flickered in his heart. He had searched for so-called famous doctors to diagnose the poison in his system, but many physicians couldn’t even identify the toxin, let alone cure it. If the poison remained uncured, his eyes and legs would never recover.
The Elder Dao Xuzi of Yunmen Mountain was said to be a descendant of the Divine Doctor Bian Que. The legend had it that as long as the patient was still breathing, this individual could cure any ailment. Regrettably, Dao Xuzi, who had once devoted his youth to healing the world, for some reason had ceased doing so and now lived in seclusion; no one could meet with the elder anymore.
However, it was said that the late Empress, the Crown Prince’s birth mother, had once done Dao Xuzi a favor; in return, Dao Xuzi had promised to grant her a request in the future. Now, for his sake, the Crown Prince had invoked this promise.
To be honest, Gu Qingheng felt deeply moved in his heart. Whether or not Dao Xuzi could be persuaded to come, whether or not he could be cured, he would be eternally grateful.
Next door, Yang Ruxin was already having breakfast with her siblings. They had all grown accustomed to the old residence’s way of life, so everyone settled down quickly, even feeling it wasn’t as tough as before.
"Big sister, are you sure you don’t need me to go with you?" Sanni asked while eating, looking up for confirmation. The result of brandishing the kitchen knife earlier was that she felt hungrier than usual, already starting on her second bowl of rice.
"No need," Yang Ruxin shook her head, "I’ll make a quick trip. If Dabao and the others are alright, I’ll bring them back to take care of them. I’ll also bring back Doctor Wang to give mother a follow-up examination..."