"A good name." The young master looked at the broken sword in his hand and said, "A good sword." He put it back in its sheath and returned it to its original place.
“Young Master Wushuang—” Mr. Mu looked at him, his face expressionless, but his eyes flashed with extremely complex emotions.
"What are your orders, Mr. Mu?"
Her gaze shifted to his legs. "Four years ago, rumors spread that the Gao family's treasure had reappeared in the world, and people in the martial arts world fought to the death for the treasure map. On the top of Mount Tai, in order to stop Ye Sanshao and Yu Feiren, who were the most skilled martial artists at the time, from killing each other, you endured two blows to separate them and proved that the treasure was a complete fabrication, thus finally quelling a catastrophe. But you were seriously injured and your legs were crippled."
The young master listened quietly without interrupting.
"Qingyantai is one of the three holy lands of the martial arts world. It is extremely strict in selecting its disciples. In the past ten years, only you and the Holy Maiden Shui Rongrong have shown their faces. Shui Rongrong married the emperor and became his concubine, so you became the only representative of Qingyantai in the martial arts world. You resolved such a catastrophe as soon as you entered the martial arts world. People in the martial arts world are grateful to you and respectfully call you Young Master. And in the past four years, your actions have indeed lived up to the name 'Peerless'."
The young master smiled slightly and said, "It seems that Mr. Mu knows a great deal about me."
Do you know Lord Jialuo?
"Of course, he's an extraordinary person." Even the young master sincerely praised him when he was mentioned.
Mr. Mu said, “Indeed, he is an extraordinary man. Born into royalty, he disdains wealth and honor; he disregards etiquette and law, yet is compassionate. He gave away all his wealth to save the people, leaving himself impoverished and wandering, yet he never took credit for it or boasted. People in the martial arts world do not know his good intentions and spread rumors that he is a spendthrift and a dissolute. Even though he is misunderstood by the world, he does not defend himself, but still smiles like a spring breeze, open-minded and gentle, making everyone who meets him feel comfortable from the bottom of their hearts.”
Seeing her praise Jialuo Langjun so highly, the young master felt a little curious: this woman may seem cold, but there are many secrets hidden in her eyes; she specifically asked him to come and beg her, but then said so many unrelated things. What is her intention?
Mr. Mu stopped and looked at him, saying, "Are you trying to ask me why I suddenly mentioned him?" Before he could answer, she suddenly smiled. This smile caused a huge change in her, making her seem inexplicably wicked and resentful. Her dark eyes also held a lot of unfathomable light.
She reached out and grabbed his collar, drawing closer to him. Their eyes met, and with a slight smile, she said, word by word, "I'd like to see how long you're going to keep this up!"
She let go, and the young master involuntarily leaned back in his chair, his expression changing slightly.
No one has ever dared to speak to him like that!
Seeking fame and fortune? This is the first time someone has described him this way.
Yet, looking at her, he felt no anger, only a strange, overwhelming shock that washed over him. When their eyes met, he had seen his own eyes reflected in her pupils. In that instant, countless images flashed through his mind like lightning, vanishing before he could even comprehend them.
Strange, had he offended her? It was clearly their first meeting, so why was her face full of hatred?
Mr. Mu turned around and said coldly, "There is half a poem on the table over there. If you can match it, I will go with you."
The young master turned his wheelchair and walked over. On the table lay a sheet of Xuan paper, weighed down with crystal paper. The handwriting was like a sharp knife, each stroke carrying a deep pain; it was also like a thousand-year-old ice, so cold that it was difficult to melt.
The young master couldn't help but turn around and glance at Ms. Mu again. He saw her standing quietly by the window, seemingly lost in thought. The dim light outlined her extremely thin back, as if she stood alone in the world.
Was this woman born so eccentric, or did something happen that turned her into this? Looking at the half-finished poem on the paper, every word stung his eyes.
"The morning breeze rustles through the lush forest, its form like water, its shadow following closely. The traces of its sweep have faded, leaving only a few strokes, like the brows of a late autumn sun." This is from "The Swing Rope."
The young master picked up his brush and wrote the second half of the poem without much thought. Only after finishing it did he feel slightly surprised, as if the words and phrases had been stored in his memory for a long time and had spontaneously emerged.
A hand reached out and took the paper. The young man stared at the hand, somewhat lost in thought. This woman was really thin. Thinness usually stems from one of two reasons: poor health or a bad mood.
So, is she unwell physically or emotionally?
"I would gladly travel the world to drink with you, though it is dusk, we still have wine cups. If this life could always be like our first meeting, even if it meant exchanging a thousand years, let us not hasten our passing..." Mr. Mu's voice was already hoarse, and when she read the second half of the poem, she almost choked up. Her fingers loosened, the paper fluttered to the ground, and she seemed to be stunned.
The young master looked puzzled, bent down to pick up the paper, and Mr. Mu's gaze was unfocused on the distance, his voice murmuring, "Morning Breeze... Morning Breeze..."
"Mr. Mu?"
Mr. Mu trembled, turned his face somewhat blankly, and looked at him. A thousand thoughts surged in his eyes in an instant, like fireworks, brilliant for a fleeting moment.
Then, silence returned.
“I’ll go with you,” Mr. Mu said. “I’ll go with you to Emerald Manor.”
A brocade curtain hung low, and the fragrant aroma of musk and ambergris wafted from the incense burner. An eight-foot ivory bed, a jade-inlaid rhinoceros horn pillow, a five-colored dragon-whisker mat, and a felt rug with silver embroidery edges. A woman lay wrapped in the quilt, her eyes tightly closed, her face sallow.
The boudoir of this Miss Gu is so exquisite and meticulously designed that it's astonishing.
No wonder, if you ask who is the richest in the world today, the Qian family is number one, the Liu family is number two, and the Emerald Manor is number three. The Liu family has gradually declined since the death of its young master, Liu Shumei, while the Emerald Manor is booming and its influence is growing, showing signs of directly catching up with the Qian family.
Gu Mingyan is the finest of jade.
After meeting her, Mr. Mu understood why so many people in the martial arts world were infatuated with her.
She wasn't stunningly beautiful; many were more beautiful than her, such as Qian Mingzhu, the eldest daughter of the Qian family, who was known as the most beautiful woman. However, if Qian Mingzhu stood next to her, people might be initially dazzled by Qian Mingzhu's dazzling beauty, but once they saw Gu Mingyan, they couldn't look away. It was a bewitching beauty that made every man who saw her fall helplessly in love, like seeing a cup of poison when thirsty—knowing that drinking it would lead to death, yet still unable to resist drinking it.
A beauty. Mr. Mu thought, this woman can only be described with two words—a beauty.
Seeing her staring blankly at her younger sister, Gu Yucheng impatiently asked, "Mr. Mu, what exactly is my sister's illness?"
Mr. Mu turned around, but he wasn't looking at him; instead, he was looking at the young master behind him. She took out a small black cloth bag from her bosom and spread it out on the table, inside which were neatly inserted more than a hundred silver acupuncture needles.
She looked at the young master and said, "This set of needles also has a name."
"oh?"
"It's called Jinluqu."
The young master smiled gently, “It seems Mr. Mu enjoys naming his things, and usually he names them after poetic forms.”
Mr. Mu's lips moved a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but he held back. She walked to the bedside, removing the needles as she said, "All of you, get out."
Gu Yucheng was taken aback. "Can't I even watch from the sidelines?"
"I don't like having other people present when I'm treating patients."
"But……"
Mr. Mu turned around, his gaze icy. "You or me, keep one. You choose."
Gu Yucheng was immediately furious, and stormed out with a flick of his sleeve. The others, not daring to further displease the divine physician, also withdrew.
"That arrogant woman!" Gu Yucheng was furious in the side hall. "If it weren't for Mingyan's illness, if it weren't for the fact that she's a doctor... she'd better cure Mingyan's illness, otherwise, hmph!"
Everyone remained silent, wisely refraining from responding.
Gu Yucheng paced a few steps, then suddenly turned back to the young master and said, "Wuhen, I'm sorry to have wronged you!"
"Huh?" The young master looked up.
"This woman must have embarrassed you a lot, right? How did you manage to get her back?" He wouldn't be surprised if she made Wuhen kneel down and kowtow to her.
The young master smiled slightly and said, "No."
"No?" Gu Yucheng couldn't believe it.
"She just asked me to finish writing a poem called 'The Swing Rope' before she came with me." The situation was actually quite awkward, but he didn't want to dwell on it. It had nothing to do with saving face or honor; he simply didn't want to talk about it.
Writing lyrics? What's going on? Turns out she just admired Wuhen's talent and used it as an excuse to get close to him. Gu Yucheng sneered, "So another admirer. Her tricks are quite novel." "A gentleman as jade, unparalleled in the world." When the news of his engagement to his sister spread, countless girls cried their hearts out, regretting not being the lucky Gu Mingyan. Even so, many still refused to give up. This Mr. Mu's behavior is strange; he'd better keep an eye on him to prevent his sister from suffering.
Gongyu ignored his words, gazing thoughtfully at the closed door. After a long while, he suddenly said, "Someone come here."
A servant came running at the sound of the call.
"Go to Wuliu City and tell them that the chrysanthemums are in full bloom, and respectfully invite Young Master Ye to come and admire them."
Gu Yucheng asked curiously, "Why did you suddenly invite Ye Mufeng here?"
"I just wanted to confirm one thing." Without saying another word, the young master turned his wheelchair and left.
Two hours later, Mr. Mu opened the door and said to the maids waiting outside, "You may come in now."
The maids hurried inside to tidy up, and Gu Yucheng followed. Seeing his sister still unconscious, he panicked, "Why hasn't Mingyan woken up yet?"
Mr. Mu slowly washed his hands in the basin of water brought by the maid, and said indifferently, "Normal."
"What illness does she have?"
You wouldn't understand even if I told you.
Gu Yucheng said angrily, "Then tell me, is there anything you've said that I could understand?"
“Yes,” Mr. Mu said. “If you don’t trust me, you can find someone else.”
Gu Yucheng waved goodbye and left for the second time.
The maids' eyes widened. This woman was so...powerful! No one had ever dared to contradict the young master like this, and no one had ever gotten away with it. The young master's bad temper was notorious throughout the martial arts world.
After washing his hands, Mr. Mu asked, "Where's the towel?"
The maid quickly handed him a hot towel. "Mr. Mu, your room is ready. Shall I take you to rest?"
"Need not."
Need not?
"I live here, so I don't need to prepare another room."
The maid was deeply moved upon hearing this. This divine physician was a bit eccentric and seemed rather cold, but she was so dedicated, staying by her mistress's side day and night. In that respect alone, she was far better than any doctor she had ever seen before.
He immediately went to report to the young master of the manor. Gu Yucheng was also taken aback when he heard this, and finally waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Let her do whatever she wants, let her be!" This woman was really troublesome and gave him a headache. She had better not make any mistakes. If she dared to kill Mingyan, he would make her pay! But now he needed her help, so he should just bear with it.
And so, Mr. Mu settled into Gu Mingyan's boudoir.
That night, the moonlight was as clear as water.
Suddenly, a melody of a zither drifted from Mingyan Tower, flowing smoothly into everyone's ears. Those who heard the music were stunned.
The music first resembled a mischievous sprite, dancing lightly under the moonlight, possessing the most ethereal grace and the most joyful spirit; then it became a melancholy young woman, leaning against a railing in the rain, anxiously awaiting her lover, yet knowing deep down that he would never come; finally, the melody shifted, transforming into a detached and proud noblewoman, meticulously dressing before the mirror, then whispering: Forget it, forget it…
As the final melody, seemingly melancholic, wistful, indifferent, and unwilling to recall, came to an end, the music finally ceased. The world fell silent, and everyone held their breath, their hearts pounding throughout the performance, only able to relax at this moment.
Gu Yucheng let out a sigh of relief and said, "This is not Mingyan's music."
Liu Ye said, "I'm afraid the young lady hasn't reached such a high level of skill yet."
Gu Yucheng frowned. "Could it be that Mr. Mu?"
"It should be." Besides her, who else would dare to touch Miss Gu's zither without permission?
Sure enough, Gu Yucheng began to go berserk, "This woman! How dare she touch Mingyan's zither without permission? Doesn't she have any manners? Doesn't she know that you can't touch other people's things without their permission?"
A maid behind him whispered a reminder: "But the young master instructed that Mr. Mu can do whatever he wants, it's up to him."
"Huh? Did I say that?" Uh, he seemed to have actually said something like that... but when he said it, he didn't really mean he'd allow her to do whatever she wanted. Now, it's too late to take it back. "Wuhen, don't you think this woman is too..." He was about to complain to his future brother-in-law when he realized that Wuhen was already standing beside him. "Huh? Where's Wuhen?"
Liu Ye lowered her eyes and said, "Young Master has left."
When did you leave?
"He left as soon as the music stopped."
Why didn't you go with him? Where did he go?