lava

Chapter 21

“Master,” she said clearly and loudly, “Since it is Master and the divine physician who have made the decision, this humble servant has no right to speak. This servant only asks to do one more thing.”

"What's the point of your efforts? Just stay put." Nie Chengyan didn't even listen and directly rejected him: "Now that Yan Shan has been exposed, Lin Yang's remains have been found, and the Green Snow Poison has also appeared, there's nothing for you to do. You just stay here in this courtyard and don't go anywhere. If you get bored..." He paused, somewhat reluctantly, "If you get bored, I'll have that little brat move into this courtyard to keep you company."

Han Xiao was somewhat surprised. Han Le liked to stick close to Nie Chengyan, which had started after they came down the mountain. However, once they were on the mountain, Nie Chengyan was extremely reluctant to let Han Le come to this courtyard. Occasionally, when Han Le came over and clamored to play with him, he would be sent away early. He never expected that he would be willing to let Han Le move in now.

She was naturally delighted to have her younger brother move in with her, so she quickly thanked him, saying, "Thank you, mistress. I'll go and talk to my brother in a bit."

Nie Chengyan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and nodded. Han Xiao continued, "But this servant still has to do her part."

"What? You're being ridiculous again." Nie Chengyan raised his voice, showing he couldn't afford to be careless with her.

“Doctor Yan was exposed because he wanted to kill me. Now that he is on his deathbed, the person behind him must be extremely anxious. They are worried that he will betray them, and they are also worried about my situation. If I continue to actively seek opportunities, the person behind the scenes might reveal their true colors.” What she said made sense, but Nie Chengyan refused to listen.

He waved his hand and said, "Don't interfere in this matter anymore. I have my own plans with that old man."

Han Xiao still didn't give up, kneeling forward a step: "Master, the poison testing isn't urgent. Let me try again to lure the snake out of its hole, or perhaps we can get the person behind it to show themselves. Then we can interrogate them and find out if the medicine is real or fake. What do you think of this approach?"

"No way! You're not allowed!" Nie Chengyan, the master, gritted his teeth and replied.

“Your Majesty knew I was in danger, but you still put me in the spotlight. Now that things have come to this, it would be easier for you to achieve your goal if I continue to use myself as bait. If we give up now, wouldn’t all our efforts be in vain? Rather than taking someone’s life to test the poison, it would be better to let me try again.”

Are you blaming me?

"This servant wouldn't dare; this servant is only thinking of my master."

"All you've said is that you're afraid that the stone ear will be poisoned." Nie Chengyan slammed his hand on the bed, his anger blazing: "You'd rather put yourself in danger than let him die?"

"This servant would rather put herself in danger and find out the truth for my master without harming the innocent." Han Xiao said calmly and clearly, "Even at the bottom of the cliff, this servant did everything she could to save Doctor Yan, thinking that if he didn't die, there would be a chance to find out the truth about my master's murder."

Nie Chengyan gritted his teeth. What she said was all true, but he had finally managed to rescue her from the bottom of the cliff. For a time, he thought she was dead and would never be found again.

"Master," Han Xiao said again, "This servant is a blessed person. Everyone in Baiqiao City and Yunwu Mountain knows that this servant is a lucky star." She knelt forward a few steps and grasped Nie Chengyan's hand, "This servant promises to be careful in everything she does. This servant will write the family precepts a hundred times every day, and she will definitely remember them well. Master has also sent someone to monitor, no, to guard this servant, so this servant will definitely be safe. This servant still has a master and a younger brother to take care of. This servant will remember the family precepts, really."

"What family precepts?"

"Isn't it just 'mind your own business and stay away from danger,' or 'avoid disaster first, protect yourself above all else'? I am a servant of my master's household, so aren't my master's words the family precepts?" Her circling words about her servant and master somehow made him a little happy. His words were her family precepts, and she would remember them well, which made him feel somewhat at ease.

He coughed lightly twice, watching her kneel upright without a trace of servility. She was pleading with him, yet he felt completely controlled by her. He coughed again, and she stared at him with wide eyes, stubbornly waiting for his answer. He knew that even if he disagreed, given her personality, she wouldn't obediently follow his instructions. He thought for a moment, then said, "You mustn't act rashly. I'll think about it some more and then give you my orders."

Han Xiao hesitated for a moment, then agreed. Not long after, she happily said she wanted to see her younger brother and told him she could move into the yard. He frowned, thinking to himself that he had only asked Han Le to move over because he had told her to stay in the yard, but now, looking at her, he seemed reluctant to take back his word. So he waved his hand as if he had agreed.

But Han Xiao added that she wanted to visit Shi Er and Yan Shan on her way, since they had all escaped death together at the bottom of the cliff, and she would just visit them. Nie Chengyan frowned even more this time. Han Xiao smiled gently and patiently waited for a reply, as if she had only made a small request to go for a walk. Finally, Nie Chengyan nodded stiffly, Han Xiao thanked him, and left.

Han Xiao went out the door, and He Ziming immediately came in and bowed: "Your subordinate has left."

"Stay close to her and don't let her make any more mistakes."

Han Xiao knew someone was following her, even though she couldn't see them. She went to Han Le's small house first and told him about the move. Just as Han Xiao expected, Han Le was so happy he almost fell off the bed.

"Can I sleep with the city lord?"

"cannot."

"Can I play with the city lord?"

"It depends on his mood."

"He will also teach me to read, just like my father did. He taught me in the city."

"We'll ask him then."

Will he play beanbag toss with me?

"You guys play your own games, I'm not going to pick up the beanbags for you." What are you two lame and unable to walk going to play beanbag throwing?

Han Le chuckled and quickly told Lian Qiao to help him pack his luggage. Han Xiao chatted with him for a while, then said she had some errands to run and would pick him up later.

Han Xiao went to find Shi Er, who was currently under house arrest at Xi Clinic, not far from Su Medical Clinic. Upon seeing Han Xiao, Shi Er hurriedly said, "Hey, I thought you were imprisoned too."

Han Xiao told him he was fine and no one was bothering him. Shi Er couldn't help but sigh at the different fates of people. He himself had been thoroughly interrogated after climbing the cliff, and then couldn't go back to his own room, forced to stay in this courtyard and not even allowed to step outside. Seeing Han Xiao's worried expression, he comforted him, "Although I do regret meddling, it's good that we're both alright now. They'll release me once they've investigated, so don't worry."

Knowing he shouldn't linger, Han Xiao pulled out a map and said directly to Shi Er, "Brother Shi, they want to use you to test the Green Snow Poison. If you have a chance, escape."

Therefore, a maze was set up.

"Test Green Snow?" Shi Er's face turned pale. He still remembered the miserable state of the servant who tested Green Snow. After the young master was poisoned by Green Snow, it took him more than three months to recover. He didn't think he had the young master's skills or a divine physician grandfather. If he took Green Snow, he would surely die.

Han Xiao hurriedly said, "I heard that the skeleton is the remains of Doctor Lin. He fell to the bottom of the cliff while carrying a green snow. The divine doctor could not distinguish the authenticity of the green snow, so he had to find a medicine servant to test it for poison."

Shi Er's legs went weak, and he slumped into a chair, cold sweat pouring down his face: "I've seen many medicine servants die from poison testing. I pray to Guanyin every day to protect me from this day, but it still happened. This time, I'm definitely going to be the one tested. I have the strongest resistance to poison among all the medicine servants, and I've been dragged into this matter. Whether it's to test the poison or to silence them, it's me no matter how you look at it."

Han Xiao handed him the map: "Brother Shi, you should escape. You have no ties on the mountain, and you should have saved up some money over the years. You can live well even if you leave here."

Shi Er seemed startled. Ignoring Han Xiao, she stood up and paced back and forth. "If only I hadn't bothered with you! Why would I be so foolish as to care about you? You fell and survived, but I hurt my arm, got interrogated, and now I'm almost dead. It's true what they say, you can't be a good person, you can't do good deeds. In places like this, self-preservation is the most important thing. Why did I care? If only I hadn't seen Doctor Yan coaxing you to the back mountain! If I had seen you, I wouldn't have bothered shouting. And why did I rush over? Right, he found me. I figured he'd kill me to silence me, so I might as well kill him first. If only I hadn't shouted that! Look, you're lucky. You didn't die from the fall, and a whole bunch of people were lining up to rescue you. You came out like nothing happened. I'm so stupid. This is the stupidest thing I've ever done..."

His incessant rambling made Han Xiao impatient. She grabbed his arm and shook it hard, saying, "Brother Shi, calm down."

Shi Er caught his breath and stopped. Han Xiao shoved the map back into his hand, lowering his voice, "This is a map down the mountain. You've never left, so you probably don't know it. Take this, find an opportunity, and with your savings, escape down the mountain. Once you leave Baiqiao City, there's nowhere in this vast world you can't find refuge. Escape!"

Looking at the map, Shi Er felt panicked and confused: "I... I don't know anything. I can't stand simple meals. My savings aren't enough to buy a house or servants. What will I do if I spend all my money?"

Han Xiao glared at him: "Then die." She unconsciously adopted Nie Chengyan's expression and tone.

Shi Er glared back: "I don't want to die."

"Then show some backbone! You're old enough to be perfectly capable, young and strong. How could you not support yourself? I carried my younger brother on my back when I was twelve and still managed to get by. You think you're any worse than me? Have some backbone, will you?" She really wanted to give him a good beating, or at least be able to scold him with half the authority of a master.

Shi Er hesitated for a moment: "I... I've been on the mountain for ten years. I don't know what it's like outside anymore."

Han Xiao understood this confusion and fear. If it weren't for her younger brother, she probably wouldn't have dared to run away back then. She thought for a moment, then took out a piece of paper and a jade pendant from her bosom. The jade pendant was engraved with the words "Mu Yuan." She handed the two items to Shi Er: "These are tokens left to me by General Mu, who came up the mountain to seek medical treatment. He said that if I were in trouble in the future, I could go to him. Now, it's not me who's in trouble, but my savior. So it's the same. Take these. Go to the General's Mansion and ask them to give you a job. At the very least, you can support yourself and live a good life."

Shi Er looked at the jade pendant, then at Han Xiao, and dared not accept it. His eyes widened. "Miss Han, how can you give away something so precious so easily?" This jade pendant belonged to that young general, meaning she had the general's mansion as her backer. Having this item would undoubtedly bring convenience when traveling, and even seeking refuge at the general's mansion would be an excellent option. What would happen to her if she gave it to him?

“It only shows its value when it’s used; otherwise, it’s just an ordinary item at the bottom of the cabinet.” Han Xiao, despite her young age, was quite open-minded. “You go and find a way to help me first. If I ever encounter trouble in the future, I can just go to the General’s Mansion for help, right?” Han Xiao stuffed the item into his hands: “Brother Shi, when you came to me that day, you said that if something really happened, one of us would have to die, and you would definitely push me out. But now that things have come to this, you’re willing to stand up for me…”

"I was just confused for a moment, and now I really regret it to death."

Han Xiao was amused by him and smiled, then said, "What I wanted to say was that Brother Shi is not as heartless as he claims, and neither is Master. Please don't blame him, Brother Shi."

Shi Er looked at her for a long time, still thinking about these things even in this state. He sighed and said in a deep voice, "Girl, if you have the chance, you should escape from here. You have a kind heart and a talent for medicine. I watched you save people from below the cliff. Your methods were ingenious and practical, much better than those doctors who just copy from books. They don't know what to do if they lose a piece of cloth. If you really want to be a doctor and heal the sick, this Cloud Mist Mountain is not a good place."

Han Xiao felt sad. She was leaving this place, and it wasn't just because of her younger brother that she was tied down. But now was not the time to think about those things. She nodded to Shi Er and said, "I have to go. Take care of yourself after you leave."

She turned and walked towards the door, but Shi Er called out to her, "If I leave, what will you do?"

"I want to try to lure out the person behind this, so that we can have a chance to stop the divine doctor from testing the poison on people. Once we catch the person, we can find out the truth and know whether the poison is real or fake."

Shi Er was worried: "In that case, you are in great danger."

"Don't worry, I have my master to protect me," Han smiled and comforted him.

"Hmph, you still expect the young master to help you? I told you long ago, even if we are important to our master in normal times, we can be abandoned when it comes to crucial moments. Isn't this a clear example right now?"

Han Xiao didn't want to waste her breath arguing with him, and simply said, "Well, I still have a lucky star protecting me." She smiled and said, "Brother Shi, even good people can have evil thoughts, and bad people can do good deeds. Although I only care about the good, I still have a good eye. Otherwise, how could I have raised my brother to this day? Go in peace. To avoid being seen, I won't come again. Take care."

This time, Han Xiao truly opened the door and stepped out of the house. Shi Er gripped the map and jade token tightly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. For a long while, he covered his face, feeling both like crying and laughing. He had come to the mountain at the age of eighteen and had been there for ten years. From being bullied at the beginning to later bullying others, he had seen too much of the backstabbing, power struggles, factionalism, and mutual exploitation.

What good are superb medical skills if patients are merely a money pit, a tool for doctors to showcase their skills, and a bargaining chip to curry favor with the legendary healer? Who cares about whom? If someone is kind to you, it must be because they are useful to you. Over the years, he has mastered this art. When Green Snow was first refined, and the medicine servants were required to test the poison, he heard that the poison was potent, so he tampered with it, causing the physician Lin, who was selecting patients, to choose someone else. Sure enough, that person died, while he escaped unscathed. His position as the chief medicine servant was not only due to his strong resistance to poison, but also to his usual methods.

But now, all that he learned in these mountains couldn't compare to the unwavering belief of a little maid. He was actually willing to believe that there were still people who treated others with sincerity, without taking advantage or scheming.

Shi Er looked down at the jade plaque with Mu Yuan's name on it and made up her mind.

Han Xiao left Shi Er's house and turned to another corner of the courtyard. This training courtyard was where the various medical servants and doctors studied. Those who couldn't stay with the divine physician would study here; it was like a school on Cloud Mist Mountain. Yan Shan, being a convict, couldn't be sent to the clinic to recuperate, so he was placed here and cared for by the lay doctors.

Han Xiao found Yan Shan's house. There were two guards at the door, one from Yunwu Mountain and the other from the Nie family. The guards did not stop Han Xiao from entering. Inside, two physicians were taking care of Yan Shan. Han Xiao recognized them but couldn't recall their names. The two physicians seemed somewhat uncomfortable when Han Xiao entered, nodding but remaining silent.

Han Xiao looked at Yan Shan quietly for a while, then suddenly said, "Could I be alone with Doctor Yan for a while? I have some questions for him."

The two doctors exchanged glances, and one of them said, "Doctor Yan's mind is not quite clear."

"It's alright, I understand." Han Xiao remained calm and insisted on asking questions. The two doctors exchanged another glance, then pursed their lips and left. Han Xiao turned and closed the door. The two doctors seemed somewhat uneasy, peering out and waiting for a long time before finally seeing Han Xiao emerge.

Han Xiao's expression was ambiguous, and she didn't greet them again before walking straight out of the courtyard. The two physicians quickly went inside to check on her; everything seemed normal. Yan Shan was awake, but weak and silent, before falling asleep again after a while. What had he said to Han Xiao? Why did she seem so confident? The two physicians whispered among themselves, wondering whether they should report this matter.

Han Xiao ignored them. Standing outside the courtyard gate, she suddenly turned back. If what Shi Er said was true, there was open and covert struggle in this mountain. Then this place, with its constant comings and goings of doctors, servants, and pharmacists, must be a place of gossip and trouble. The Cloud Mist Elder and Nie Chengyan's actions both had their purposes. Han Xiao felt that it was no coincidence that Yan Shan and Shi Er were both arranged here. She looked into the courtyard. Several people walked by, but no one met her gaze. Only Shi Er stood at the doorway, arms crossed, leaning against the door, watching her. Han Xiao nodded to him, smiled, and turned to leave.

In just one day, the news of Han Xiao's strange departure after his secret talk with Yan Shan spread throughout the mountains, starting from the Su Medical Clinic.

That night, the old man of the clouds ordered Shi Er to be released and allowed to return to his own room. But the first thing Shi Er did after being released was to force the other servants to keep watch for him, while he secretly ran to Yan Shan's residence in the medical hut and did something unknown. This matter quickly spread.

The rumors reached Nie Chengyan's ears. When Huo Qiyang came to report, Han Xiao was applying a medicinal fumigation to Nie Chengyan's feet. Nie Chengyan didn't dismiss her and let Huo Qiyang speak directly. As a result, Han Xiao also learned about Shi Er's movements, which made her secretly alarmed. She wondered what this guy was planning. He was trying to escape, but he still caused trouble.

Since that conversation, Nie Chengyan couldn't quite understand why he had become so cautious around Han Xiao, his words and actions becoming much more restrained. He would even condescend to spend time with Han Le, teaching him how to use an abacus and read. Han Le would happily shout as he learned, "Once I've mastered it, I can do the math for my brother-in-law who sells pork!"

The brother-in-law who sells pork? Nie Chengyan lost his appetite when he saw pork at dinner that day. However, what made him somewhat happy was that the investigation into the person behind it all had finally made progress before he used the rock tripe to test for poison.

Returning to Yan Shan's injuries, they were indeed quite severe, but thanks to timely treatment, he was not in mortal danger. However, after being rescued, he was depressed and anxious, and for some reason, his injuries did not improve after five or six days. Four ordinary doctors took turns caring for him, puzzled by his condition, but after reporting to the divine physician, the old man of the clouds and mist, who clearly did not care about Yan Shan's life or death, they simply let it be and did what they could.

That day, Yan Shan felt dizzy and disoriented. When he opened his eyes, he saw the person standing in front of his bed. He struggled to turn his head left and right, but there was no one else in the room. He thought and thought, feeling saddened, and finally couldn't help but say, "Zhizhi..."

Drug testing to track down the killer

"Why are you calling me now that you're in this state?" Standing before his bed was Lin Zhi, her face filled with sorrow, which, combined with her stunning beauty, made her look incredibly pitiful.

"I...I was wrong." Yan Shan's tone was extremely soft. His heart was pounding. He never expected that he would still have a chance to be alone with her after the incident.

Lin Zhi remained silent for a moment, seemingly unable to bear it, then sighed, and gritted her teeth, saying, "You are completely wrong!"

Yan Shan hurriedly said, "I heard about your father... Dr. Lin's matter. I really didn't know anything about it. Zhizhi, don't listen to slander. I really didn't know that Dr. Lin had an accident there. I chose that place only because it was remote and I thought no one would notice. I didn't know Dr. Lin..." He couldn't breathe after saying a few words and felt dizzy.

Lin Zhi looked at him, and after a long while, she said softly, "You know there are slanderous rumors, so why do you talk nonsense to others?"

"Nonsense?" Yan Shan asked, puzzled.

Lin Zhi sat down by his bedside: "What did you say to Han Xiao? And what did you say to Shi Er? Now there are rumors everywhere, and the Divine Doctor and the Young Master are avoiding people. I'm about to be killed by you."

"What did I say? I didn't say anything." Yan Shan thought and thought, but couldn't remember revealing anything to those two. Could it be that he talked nonsense while he was unconscious and unintentionally revealed something? But then he thought, that's impossible. If he had been talking nonsense, the mountain wouldn't be so calm. Besides, what could he have said? This was all his doing.

Linzhi clearly wouldn't listen to him. She said, "My mother died young, and my father raised me with great difficulty, but he was murdered by villains. I can't even find his remains. I'm an orphan with no one to rely on. If I can't live peacefully on this Cloud Mist Mountain, I'm afraid I'll only die in vain."

"No, no." Yan Shan became agitated, her limbs going numb. "Zhizhi, don't say that. You are exceptionally talented and skilled in medicine. You have always been the best candidate for the chief physician at the Mountain Vegetarian Medical Clinic. How can you be so pessimistic?"

“This isn’t something I can’t decide. With your outburst and your nonsense, Han Xiao, who’s already jealous of me, will definitely get me into trouble, regardless of whether I’m innocent or not. How am I supposed to survive on this mountain?”

Yan Shan was panting heavily and couldn't speak. Then Lin Zhi said, "Young Master is bewitched by this girl, and the Divine Doctor treats her differently. I'm suppressed at every turn, and my life was already difficult. Now that my father's remains have been found and are linked to the Green Snow poisoning case, my life will probably be even more uneasy. And then there's this matter with you..." Lin Zhi finally burst into tears, "If they believe that this matter is related to me, how will I survive?"

Yan Shan was extremely anxious. He quickly took a deep breath and said, "What does this have to do with you? I was the one who did it, what does it have to do with you?" He suppressed the discomfort in his chest and said, "It was my own idea, I did it myself. You are so wronged, of course I can't let her bully you anymore. This was all my doing, what does it have to do with you?"

Lin Zhi, her eyes glistening with tears, shook her head and sobbed softly, "That's what you say, but if they knew you did it for me, they naturally wouldn't think that way. They would definitely think I instructed you."