He stood up, slowly lifted the blanket, and his eyes first fell on Ye Qinghua's face.
She let out a soft breath.
Ye Qinghua's face was pale and bloodless, blood still flowing from her forehead, and her lower lip was also bleeding from being bitten; fortunately, otherwise she was alright. Ye Laoqi brought hot water, gauze, and medicine to bandage Ye Qinghua's wounds, while Hua Chongyang cleaned up the mess in the room; after Ye Laoqi left, she sat down by the bed, looked at Ye Qinghua who still had her eyes closed, hesitated for a moment, and softly spoke:
"Blue and white porcelain... what kind of poison is it?"
Ye Qinghua kept her lips tightly closed.
Hua Chongyang hesitated, her voice trembling as she tentatively probed:
"Was it... poisoned by Lan Wuxie?"
This time, Ye Qinghua answered quickly:
"no."
"What about the antidote?"
"There is no cure."
"The antidote is in Lan Wuxie's hands, isn't it?"
Ye Qinghua fell silent. Hua Chongyang persisted, asking further:
"You and Lan Wuxie have always had a relationship, haven't you?"
"……"
He poisoned you and blackmailed you.
"……"
"Blue and white porcelain, tell me if you nod or shake your head."
Ye Qinghua closed her eyes tightly: "I'm tired."
After pausing to catch her breath, she opened her eyes, frowned, and slowly said:
"It has nothing to do with Lan Ying Palace. It was someone else's doing."
Hua Chongyang wiped the cold sweat from her pale face with a damp cloth, stood up, and walked out. Ye Qinghua heard her footsteps and suddenly looked up:
"Stop! Where are you going?"
Just then, Ye Laoqi walked in carrying a tray of hot porridge. Hua Chongyang glanced at the dishes on the tray, then turned and smiled at Ye Qinghua:
"There's an old doctor in the alley near Huajianyuan who knows a little about poisons. I'll go and ask him to come and take a look at you."
It was already completely dark outside.
Hua Chongyang leaned against the railing by the door, lost in thought. After a long while, as soon as Ye Laoqi came out, she grabbed her, gestured, and lowered her voice:
"Shh--How is it?"
"Much better." Old Ye's eyes were still streaked with tears. "You scared me to death. It wasn't this bad when the poison flared up last time—"
"Last time?" Hua Chongyang frowned. "When was the last time?"
"It was the time the host went to find you on the pleasure boat," Ye Laoqi hesitated, as if he was about to say something but then said nothing, "...The host told me not to tell you."
"Tell me, if I don't tell her," Hua Chongyang frowned, lowering his voice even further, "is it related to Lan Ying Palace? Was it the poison Lan Wuxie administered?"
Old Master Ye looked back at the door, hesitated for a long time before nodding:
"The original poster never mentioned it. But I think it probably is. The original poster clearly hates Lan Ying Palace to death, but before, they would meet with people from Lan Ying Palace every now and then."
Hua Chongyang didn't answer, but after a long while, he softly said "Oh".
In front of the brothel's main entrance, four pairs of gilded red lanterns hung down in succession, illuminating the entrance as people came and went, and the area in front of the brothel was bustling with people.
Hua Chongyang, dressed in red, stepped out of the brothel's main entrance. The wind ruffled her clothes, and her long hair was slightly disheveled, but beneath the women's clothing, her deep and stunningly beautiful face could no longer be concealed. Everyone coming and going in the brothel was watching her, but no one dared to take a step closer to her.
She walked along West Lake until she reached the water's edge, only then did she feel that the night breeze was slightly cool.
Turn the corner, and across the street is Banlianzui.
She stood by the stream, listening to the gurgling water under the stone bridge, momentarily lost in thought.
It's so early; I wonder if Banlianzui is open yet. Banlianzui always only lifts its curtains at midnight.
But when she hesitated to stand in front of Banlianzui, she found that the delicate bamboo curtain of Banlianzui was hanging high in the bustling crowd, and the glass lanterns under the curtain had already been lit.
Like waiting for someone.
She clenched her fingers and walked straight into the doorway.
The tables and chairs in the tavern had been removed, and the counter was still covered in dust. She stood there for a moment, then walked over and pushed open the back door.
The door opened as soon as I pushed it open.
It's like they're deliberately waiting for someone to push them.
Passing through the back door and standing on the steps, you first see a row of red lanterns of varying heights under the corridor, their candlelight glowing softly.
Before even stepping onto the corridor, Hua Chongyang's eyes already stung with tears. Before he could take a step, he heard a familiar voice behind him:
"Hua Chongyang?"
Hua Chongyang widened his eyes, forcing back his tears, and turned away with a smile:
Orchid.
Lan Cao looked at her, sizing her up, her face full of disbelief:
"Is it really you?"
"If it's not me, then it must be a ghost. Do you want to touch it and see?" Hua Chongyang smiled, looking at the medicine in her hand. "Just finished brewing the medicine? You must have worked so hard."
"What do you mean 'just finished brewing'? It's been reheated four times already. If we don't drink it soon, we'll just have to throw it away." Lan Cao sighed deeply, her expression a mixture of wanting to laugh but unable to, and looked at Hua Chongyang. "You—you've come to see the Pavilion Master, haven't you?"
Hua Chongyang smiled: "No. I came to chat with you. Want to go shopping together tomorrow?"
"……"
"Just kidding, why are you making that face?"
Lan Cao's lips twitched twice, and she hesitated for a moment:
"Are you... here to reconcile with the Pavilion Master?"
Hua Chongyang smiled casually: "What do you think?"
Lan Cao frowned, momentarily at a loss for words. What could she say? Judging from Hua Chongyang's appearance, he didn't seem like someone who had just broken up with his girlfriend; he looked more like someone who had come out for a walk.
Hua Chongyang was still smiling, a slight curl at the corner of his lips:
"Lan Cao, I need to speak with him. Go and inform your sect leader."
"No need for announcements." Lan Cao said, carrying the medicine. "We're not outsiders, why bother announcing anything? Just come with me."
She paused, then added:
"The Pavilion Master has been waiting for you."
After she finished speaking, she deliberately turned around to look at Hua Chongyang's expression.
But Hua Chongyang just smiled, as if he hadn't heard anything.
Spring was in full bloom, and the sparse bamboo groves on both sides of the long corridor burst forth with vibrant green. A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo, causing the lanterns beneath the corridor to sway lightly. Only after descending the corridor and seeing the lights in the house ahead did Hua Chongyang suddenly realize that the smile on his face was beginning to stiffen.
Lan Cao walked ahead, looking like she wanted to say something but didn't know what to say. She kept turning back to look at Hua Chongyang. When they reached the door, Hua Chongyang quietly raised his hand to his chest, stopped, and whispered:
Orchid.
The orchid turned its head and stopped in its tracks:
"What's wrong?"
"What...is he doing?"
"I sat alone in the pavilion for half the afternoon and drank some wine. I'm probably still sleeping now."
"...Are you drunk?"
"Drunk? What's there to be drunk about?" Lan Cao snorted, glancing at Hua Chongyang. "Don't worry, our Pavilion Master has a very high alcohol tolerance; he only showed signs of drunkenness after drinking three jars of strong liquor. He also won't pretend to be drunk and beat people up."
"……"
Are you going in or not?
Hua Chongyang felt he was about to stop laughing:
"You should go in and ask first. What if—Master Lan doesn't want to see me?"
The orchid, looking utterly defeated, shook its head.
"Fine, if you don't want to go in, then don't. I've never seen anyone as awkward as you in my life... except for our sect leader."
As Lan Cao pushed open the door and entered the house, Hua Chongyang stood at the doorway, quietly pressing his hand to his chest.
Standing here, she finally realized just how much she missed him.
The surroundings were silent. The door was ajar, and she stood outside, barely able to hear the sounds coming from inside. Lan Cao brought in the bowl of medicine, then stood at the door and gently knocked on the door, her voice respectful.
"Master...please get up and take your medicine."
There was no response.
Orchid knocked softly on the door again:
"Sect Master? Medicine--"
After a long while, there was a reply:
"...Let's leave it for now."
Hua Chongyang's heart trembled.
Lan Wuxie's voice was hoarse beyond belief.
Lan Cao went inside, put down the medicine bowl, and spoke in a low, somewhat indistinct voice:
"...It's been a few days...you still need to take your medicine..."
Intermittent coughing could be heard, and after a long while, a thin, broad-shouldered figure was projected onto the white window paper, with strands of hair draped over his shoulders.
She had seen this figure countless times, and now it looked incredibly familiar to her.