She had originally come for Shen Queshan, wanting to cause some trouble for him. Who would have thought that the moment she stepped inside, she would be dazzled by the sheer extravagance, inexplicably mingling with the crowd and enjoying herself for most of the night?
She gulped down cup after cup of wine. Just as she was getting thoroughly drunk, she suddenly sensed a strange aura.
This aura very likely belonged to Shen Queshan.
Only then did she remember the purpose of her trip. Slipping out of some random private room, she followed the aura through countless twists and turns until she reached the quietest depths of Wanchun Pavilion, where she stumbled upon a barrier.
With the alcohol rushing to her head, she didn't care about the consequences. Swaying on her feet, she tore open a gap in the barrier and stepped inside.
Hidden behind the barrier was a secret door. Pushing it open revealed a flight of stone steps leading downward.
The stone walls on both sides were densely plastered with yellow paper talismans.
At the end of the stairs, the space suddenly opened up into a crude stone chamber that was a stark contrast to the extravagance above.
The four walls were carved with dark red sealing patterns. Countless dark iron chains, covered in runes, hung from the ceiling and wrapped tightly around a stone chair in the center of the room.
Shen Queshan was sitting right there. His wrists and ankles were securely locked by the iron chains, which chafed against his skin and left stark red marks.
Hearing her footsteps, he slowly raised his eyes. His gaze lingered on her face for a brief moment before his lips curled upward. Looking at her with an unprecedented, highly amused expression, he said, “Oh dear, what should I do? Our Yao'ao found out.”
Song Yao could not remember what happened after that. She only recalled that when she woke up, she was already in the most elegant private room of Wanchun Pavilion, with Shen Queshan sitting right beside her.
He was as cold and indifferent as ever. Glancing at her, he hoisted her straight out of bed, threw her out, and then instructed the manager, “From this day forth, Song Yao is forbidden from setting foot in Wanchun Pavilion.”
The Shen Queshan from the night before was a far cry from his usual self.
When Song Yao pressed for details, the manager only smiled warmly and told her that she had gotten drunk the previous night, barged into a guest's room to cause trouble, and was knocked unconscious by Shen Queshan before being carried back. That was why Shen Queshan was so angry.
She had been far too drunk at the time, so her memories of that night were hazy and incomplete.
She hadn't thought much of it, assuming she had simply had a dream where Shen Queshan's personality had completely changed.
But looking back now, it probably hadn't been a dream at all. It had actually happened.
If that was the case, what was wrong with Eldest Senior Brother?
Did he have a split personality?
She muddled through these thoughts for a while before a dull ache throbbed in her head, and her consciousness faded once more.
-
She had no idea how long she had been unconscious.
She didn't know how many dreams she had drifted through.
When she finally woke up, she was lying on a cold jade ice bed. Her eyes opened to a simple, elegant, and unfamiliar room.
Faint sunlight filtered through the window lattice and fell upon her body. A cool, crisp scent of medicine drifted through the air, bitter yet soothing.
Song Yao's muscles and bones felt incredibly stiff from lying down for so long. It took her quite a while to push herself up into a sitting position on the bed, letting out a yawn.
Just as she was about to swing her legs down to the floor, the door was pushed open from the outside.
Ji Duchuan walked in carrying a black lacquered tray. On it sat a bowl of decoction and a roll of silver needles. Wisps of white steam were still rising from the medicine.
Upon seeing Song Yao, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and a flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes. “You're awake?”
Song Yao opened her mouth, but her throat was so dry and tight that she couldn't make a sound. Even her ears felt as though they were stuffed with cotton; she could only barely guess what he was saying by reading his lips.
Ji Duchuan didn't have time to worry about anything else. He quickly set the tray down on the table, turned, and rushed out. “Drink your medicine first. I'll go get Master.”
Song Yao's mind sluggishly processed this.
Ji Duchuan's master... wouldn't that be the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley?
Could she actually be in Medicine King Valley right now?
How on earth did she end up here?
She slowly slid off the bed and walked over to the table. Quite naturally, she slipped the roll of silver needles from the tray into her spatial pouch, then picked up the medicine bowl, hesitating slightly as she looked at the tray.
Hurried footsteps approached from outside. A white-haired but energetic elderly man quickly walked in behind Ji Duchuan.
It was impossible to tell the old man's exact age. He had an ebony medicine gourd tied to his waist, and his expression was exceptionally bright and hearty.
He was none other than the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, Xuan Qingzhu.
Seeing her standing there perfectly fine, Xuan Qingzhu stroked his beard and smiled. “You're finally awake! Quick, sit down and let this old man check your pulse to see how you're doing.”
Noticing Song Yao staring at him blankly, he quickly added, “Don't be scared, don't be scared. Your master and your senior brothers and sisters just happened to have some matters to attend to. They were guarding you day and night before this, never leaving your side. Who would have thought they'd be away today of all days, right when you woke up?”
“Let me examine you first, and then I'll send them a message to let them know so they can come accompany you. Come, sit down.”
Song Yao still did not budge. Her brow furrowed, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
Only then did he realize something was wrong. “What's the matter?”
This sentence was relatively short. Song Yao managed to read his lips. She covered her ears, opened her mouth, and shook her head.
Ji Duchuan realized what she meant. “You can't hear? And you can't speak?”
Song Yao read his lips and nodded.
Xuan Qingzhu's brow furrowed. With a flick of his wrist, two thin threads of spiritual energy flew out and wrapped around her wrist to check her pulse. After a brief moment, his expression softened slightly. “You severely overexerted yourself before, pushing your body to the very brink of death. Now that you're awake, your five senses will slowly recover. Don't worry, you'll be fine.”
Song Yao couldn't hear him clearly. As she stared intently at his lips, her entire face scrunched up, giving her the distinct illusion that she was trying to solve a difficult exam question.
Xuan Qingzhu thought for a moment and said to Ji Duchuan, “Send a message to Fusheng and tell them to get over here quickly. In her current state, without her own people around her, she probably feels very insecure.”
Ji Duchuan hesitated.
With her personality, she didn't look like someone who would ever feel insecure.
Usually, she was the one making other people feel insecure, wasn't she?
But given the extraordinary circumstances, it was hard to say.
He gently pressed Song Yao down into a seat at the table, carefully exaggerating his lip movements. “Drink the medicine first.”
Then, he quickly left the room.
Song Yao stared blankly as she held the medicine bowl.
Since she couldn't hear clearly and had only just woken up, her brain was still functioning rather slowly.
Seeing her sitting there, her slender frame enveloped in her white Daoist robe looking terribly pitiful, Xuan Qingzhu suddenly recalled Fusheng mentioning that although this child wasn't afraid of bitterness, she always needed candy after drinking her medicine.
He hadn't expected her to wake up today, so he hadn't brought any candy.
Feeling a sudden wave of tenderness, he wrote a quick note, handed it to her, and followed Ji Duchuan out.
Song Yao lowered her gaze to look at the note. Written on it in a flamboyant, sweeping script were a few words: “I'm going to buy candy.”
She was slightly startled, and when she snapped out of it, she found it rather amusing.
It wasn't as if she absolutely had to have candy to drink her medicine.
It was just that after being unconscious for so long, her mouth was dry and her throat was sore, so she wanted to wait a moment to catch her breath before drinking it.
People on the outside always said that the residents of Medicine King Valley were incredibly snobbish, especially the Valley Master, who supposedly disliked interacting with outsiders. But looking at it now, that didn't seem to be the case at all.
Then again, it might just be out of respect for her master or Eldest Senior Brother.
Thinking of Eldest Senior Brother gave her another slight headache.
She had no idea what was going on with him, nor did she know if the person making such a massive fuss looking for her in the Tianshu Realm was actually him.
But he had said earlier that the Great Demon of Qianhuang was dead.
How did the Great Demon of Qianhuang die?
Even though Song Yao had nearly killed her, with the Great Demon of Qianhuang's capabilities, she should have been able to survive as long as a single breath remained.
Who could have killed her?
Song Yao's mind was in complete disarray, so much so that she didn't even notice another person had entered the room.
By the time she realized, the medicine bowl had already been taken from her hands.
Zhu Zhao looked down at her, bringing a spoonful of medicine to her lips. “Drink.”
Rate on N.U.
