Immortality, Immortality

Chapter 29

When Young Master Pan saw the newcomer, he smiled gently.

In an instant, the dew turned white and the wind was clear; north of Shenxiang Pavilion, ten miles of peach blossoms piled up on the branches.

"Zhong Hang, you may leave," Pan Xijin said calmly as he turned around.

The middle-aged man glanced at Ye Changsheng warily. "Young master! This person..."

"Get down..." Pan Xijin lifted his robe and slowly stood up, his slender fingers tracing across the table. "Don't make me say it a third time."

"Yes..." The middle-aged man was none other than Zhong Hang, a highly trusted retainer of Pan Zhongxun, a Daoist from Sichuan. Even the Grand Tutor would show him deference. He was highly accomplished in both martial arts and scholarship, and although he had only been in the Pan household for about three years, he held this Ninth Young Master Pan in great respect. Although Zhong Hang was unwilling, he patiently withdrew—though he glared fiercely at the "uninvited guest" by the door before leaving.

Ye Changsheng, his face full of apology, watched Zhong Hang leave, then slowly walked forward, put down the package in his hand, and smiled slightly at the man in the thin clothes in front of him, saying, "Ninth Young Master, it's time to take his pulse..."

“Chang Sheng…” Pan Xijin suddenly leaned forward, his clothes still carrying a faint medicinal fragrance. His fingers gently brushed Ye Chang Sheng’s long hair, his dark, deep eyes fixed on hers. After a long while, he slowly rolled up his sleeve, revealing his slender, fair arm, and said with a smile, “Please, doctor…”

Ye Changsheng's heart skipped a beat. He trembled slightly as he took Pan Xijin's hand and began to take his pulse without changing his expression.

The two chatted casually, and time flew by; before long, it was already Chenshi (7-9 AM). Changsheng was tidying up when his eyes glanced at a new painting on the table. Suddenly, he looked up and asked, "Why hasn't the princess come today?" Pan Xijin was reading a book. Hearing this, he paused, looked up, and smiled lightly, "Doctor, do you know Xuanci?" Changsheng shook his head; they had only met once, so he shouldn't consider them acquaintances.

Pan Xijin smiled, her eyes and brows full of gentleness: "She doesn't come every day."

Ye Changsheng smiled and nodded repeatedly. It was not hard to see that Princess Xuanci was deeply in love with Pan Xijin, and her admiration and care were evident in her words. However, this young master Pan seemed unwilling to mention her at all. Ye Changsheng understood perfectly and felt that she had figured it out. It was probably just unrequited love on the part of the princess. The goddess was in love, but the king was not interested.

Pan Xijin put down the book in his hand, stood up and went into the inner room. He came out a moment later with a box in his hand. He walked up to Changsheng, chuckled softly, and said in a deep, pleasant voice, "This is a box of candied fruit with a secret recipe from the palace."

Ye Changsheng pointed to himself: "Give it to me?"

“Hmm…” Pan Xijin looked at her and smiled gently.

Chang Sheng took the exquisite little carved box, looked up and smiled, said thank you, and didn't wonder how he knew she liked candied fruit.

The leaves of the sycamore trees fall, a cool breeze blows like water, and the autumn scenery is boundless.

It was a quarter past noon.

Ye Changsheng lingered at Pan Xijin's place all morning. When she returned, ravenously hungry, to have lunch with the Pan family, Pan Zhongxun suddenly coughed and casually recounted something that utterly shocked her, causing her to drop her chopsticks in a state of utter dread and disbelief—the Grand Tutor said, "The Divine Physician's master has arrived—and is currently resting in the side hall." Pan Zhongxun glanced at Ye Changsheng, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, and sighed with a mixture of doubt and admiration, "The Divine Physician Ye's master… truly possesses the art of preserving youth…"

Ye Changsheng inwardly groaned. He hadn't even finished his meal before rushing toward the side hall. Along the way, maids kept surging toward that direction, their faces flushed but their steps swift. When Ye Changsheng finally squeezed through the sea of people to the front, he saw a bewitching, languid man in a white robe with gold patterns sitting quietly in a chair drinking tea. His brows twitched twice, his mind went blank, and the bitterness in his heart was worse than bitter herbs.

Ye Changsheng glanced around. The maids in the room were already mesmerized, silent and staring blankly at the man's face. Just as she was feeling anxious, Li Huangyin suddenly turned around, her eyes slightly moving and the corners of her mouth curving into a smile. She beckoned to her, her smile widening: "My dear disciple, come here. Your master has been looking for you for so long..."

Fallen flowers at the end of the season

The autumn sky is high and the wind is clear; the warm sun casts a hazy glow.

Li Huangyin gently lifted the lid of the teacup, blew away the tea leaves floating on top, and slowly took a sip. By this time, everyone in the hall had left, leaving only him and Ye Changsheng. The two of them chose to remain silent, and the room was quiet, the scene slightly awkward.

Li Huangyin stared at Ye Changsheng for a long time, then smiled and said, "Sect Leader Ye, are you here to visit relatives? I just saw the Grand Tutor looking radiant and full of energy—Sect Leader Ye, you've had a smooth and successful life, living a vibrant life in the past six months."

"Not at all..." Ye Changsheng smiled faintly, "I came to the Pan residence to treat Young Master Pan Jiu's illness and earn some consultation fees. Master Li is overthinking it."

Li Huangyin raised an eyebrow, glanced at her indifferently for a moment, then calmly put down her teacup and said softly, "Sect Leader Ye, do you know that the martial world has changed drastically in the past six months? Ye Junshan was forced to lose his position as the leader of the martial arts alliance after several attempts to restrain him, the Ye family's shadowy influence has been almost completely eradicated, and the other six major families have successively severed ties with him. Do you know all this...?"

Ye Changsheng showed no surprise whatsoever, and said with a smile as if nothing had happened: "It is the cycle of cause and effect, the result of retribution, which is not something that a mere itinerant doctor like us can talk about."

Li Huangyin stopped interrupting and sat silently for a while before saying softly, "Recently, a major event has occurred in the martial world. I heard that of the thirty-nine survivors from Luoyang Mountain, twenty-seven have been murdered within a month, all killed with a single blow to the neck, without any sign of struggle. And the rumor is that they were all killed by Li Huangyin of Luoyang Tower. The relatives and sects of those twenty-seven have issued an order to kill Li Huangyin no matter what, to avenge the three thousand martial arts heroes and the twenty-seven who have fallen on hard times."

His unfathomable eyes gazed intently at Ye Changsheng. Seeing her nod repeatedly, he smiled gently: "If the martial world were peaceful and uneventful, it wouldn't be the martial world; if Master Li killed them, he wouldn't be Master Li either—who exactly killed these twenty-seven people? Such baseless rumors always have some origin. I suggest Master Li think carefully about who she has recently made a great enemy of, lest she be used as a tool by others and end up taking the blame."

"Is that so?" Li Huangyin raised an eyebrow and smiled, clearly understanding Ye Changsheng's reasonable words, whom he had a "deep friendship" with. He flicked his long sleeves and said lazily, "So—I've come to seek refuge with Sect Leader Ye."

"I am ashamed... I am just a humble doctor in the martial arts world, how could I possibly protect Master Li from the wind and rain?" Ye Changsheng said humbly, bowing his head.

Li Huangyin's lips curled slightly, still carrying the bewitching charm she always had: "Actually, I have always admired Grand Tutor Pan. Now that I am in the Pan residence in Bianliang, I naturally want to have a long chat with him. I suppose he is very eager to know where Pan Yuerong is..." He deliberately emphasized the word "chat" very clearly.

"Heaven has a benevolent heart," Ye Changsheng said suddenly, changing his tone. "I have known Lord Li for a long time, and we have a deep connection. Now that Lord Li is in trouble, how could I stand idly by and watch?"

"Sect Leader Ye is indeed a man of great wisdom and foresight—" Li Huangyin smiled, "However... how can you bear to watch your master search for you across the country for nearly half a year?"

Ye Changsheng smiled slightly, and looked back to see the sycamore trees outside the courtyard swaying in the autumn wind, and the low clouds spreading out a patch of sunlight. She said softly, "I just want to travel to more places and see more people in my lifetime—if I leave one day, I will be fine alone."

Li Huangyin glanced at her, her expression blank, her bright eyes half-closed, her brows slightly furrowed as if lost in thought.

Silence fell again. Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a charmingly dainty young man in brocade robes slipped in. He blinked, and without a word, sat down next to Ye Changsheng with a beaming smile. He looked at "Ye Changsheng's master" with great interest—clearly, he was stunned when he saw Li Huangyin's alluring face. After a long while, he turned to look at Ye Changsheng, pointed at Li Huangyin, and stammered, "So, Elder Zhong looks so young after shaving his beard?"

Ye Changsheng's brow twitched, and he swiftly pulled down the finger that Young Master Jia was pointing at, chuckling awkwardly, "Master Zhong taught me medicine, but this master taught me... uh... needlework... yes! needlework!"

"You know needlework?" Jia Ling looked at Ye Changsheng suspiciously.

“Of course, of course…” Ye Changsheng nodded repeatedly, his face full of sincerity, “I never lie.”

"I believe you..." Young Master Jia clearly didn't believe the words in front of him, giving her a very suspicious look: "I'd be a fool to believe you..."

Jia Ling stood up and stared straight at the man opposite her. He was very handsome, perhaps even more beautiful than any woman—but he also gave off a very uncomfortable feeling, a sense of oppression, a sense of dread—even when he smiled, the smile was cold and unapproachable—it felt like he was tearing your life out.

With a wave of her folding fan, Jia Ling asked with a smile, "May I ask this master's surname?"

Li Huangyin squinted and carefully examined the young man in brocade robes before her. After a long while, she softly uttered a single word, "Li".

Young Master Jia nodded and was about to ask another question when Ye Changsheng grabbed him and said gently, "Master Li, please sit down for now. I have important matters to attend to and must take my leave." As soon as she finished speaking, she dragged Jia Ling out of the side hall.

The two walked through the garden.

Jia Ling twirled her fan in one hand, then suddenly looked up and stared at Ye Changsheng for a long time. Ye Changsheng followed half a step behind her, touching his face. "What is it?" Jia Ling said, "There's something I can't figure out." Ye Changsheng frowned and asked, "What is it?" Jia Ling said, "The one sitting in the side hall, she's said to be no older than you or me, and in terms of looks, she's probably less beautiful than even the most beautiful woman in the martial arts world. Her brows are full of bewitching charm; she doesn't seem like a proper master..."

Ye Changsheng frowned even deeper. "What do you mean?" Jia Ling's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Listen carefully! What I mean is, before you fabricated the reputation of a divine doctor, weren't you a lowly maid in a brothel? You've never told me about your past—you were poisoned and injured, were you beaten by the madam when you escaped from the brothel? Was that the young eunuch who taught you embroidery and fire-making just now? You're not letting me continue asking, maybe because you don't want me to dig up old stories."

Ye Changsheng choked and coughed, "If I were just a lowly maid, why would these brothel owners go to such lengths to find me, and why would they wait until now? You, you mustn't forget, the poison I've been given is deadly. What brothel owner would use such a precious poison on a kitchen maid..." Jia Ling thought for a moment, "That makes a little bit of sense..."

As the two were chatting along the way, a woman in yellow gracefully walked over. She was adorned with a magnificent crown and beautiful clothes, exuding an elegant demeanor. She held a light blue veil in her hand. It was none other than Princess Xuanci.

Jia Ling glanced at her, paused for a moment, then nudged Ye Changsheng and whispered, "It's her, it's her!" Ye Changsheng looked in the direction Jia Ling pointed and saw Princess Xuanci with a slightly furrowed brow, looking quite worried. Strangely, she was alone, without any maids accompanying her. Ye Changsheng quietly asked, "What's wrong with her?" Jia Ling replied, "She's the woman in yellow who suddenly ran out of the artificial hill that day." Jia Ling clicked her tongue in amazement. This woman was highly suspicious; she didn't even try to escape, but instead wandered around the Pan residence—she certainly had some courage. "Oh," Ye Changsheng nodded knowingly, pointing to the woman, "She is Princess Xuanci of the current dynasty." Jia Ling paused again, "Princess? Then why did she kill someone…?" Ye Changsheng shook his head, "Perhaps she didn't kill him?"

Jia Ling pouted: "Then she can't escape responsibility either. She was the first to see the body—and she just ran away without even calling for help..." Ye Changsheng gave him a deep look. He wanted to say that he was also hiding in the artificial cave, but he held back and turned his head away to look at the flowers and plants.

Seeing that Princess Xuanci had walked quite a distance away, Jia Ling suddenly grabbed Ye Changsheng's hand and chased after her without saying a word. Ye Changsheng was completely confused, wondering what this young master was up to now. Suddenly, he heard his voice from beside him: "If we follow her, we'll eventually find some clues."

Xuan Ci, in a daze, finally arrived at the west courtyard via the bluestone path. She stood in front of the side room, tightly clutching a handkerchief in her hand, pacing back and forth for a full half hour. Jia Ling, who was behind the rocks, was almost about to jump out and push her through the door. Finally—with a creak, the door opened, and a man wearing only a single layer of clothing stood by the door, his expression indifferent. When he saw Xuan Ci, there was not a ripple in his eyes.

He stood at the doorway, showing no intention of making way, and looked calmly at the woman before him. She gazed at him with tearful eyes, seemingly wanting to speak but holding back. With a soft sigh, Pan Xijin finally spoke, his voice clear and pleasant: "Does the princess have something to say?" Xuan Ci hesitated for a long time before remaining silent.

Jia Ling nudged Ye Changsheng and whispered, "This Ninth Young Master Pan is really disrespectful, even blocking the princess at the door." Changsheng asked softly, "Do you know him?" Jia Ling paused, then nodded, turned around, and was about to take a few steps forward when Xuan Ci suddenly pulled something from her sleeve. Pan Xijin smiled slightly, not even glancing at it, but still stepped aside. Xuan Ci went inside and closed the door behind her.

Ye Changsheng frowned, greatly surprised. Why would the princess suddenly go to the west courtyard alone the day after witnessing Pan Nanshuang's death, and even disregard etiquette to enter a man's bedroom? Since Pan Xijin initially did not want to see guests, why did he give way after Xuan Ci showed him that item? What exactly was in Xuan Ci's sleeve...?

The Mysterious Thousand-Foot Canopy

Pan Xijin's view from his window.

Jia Ling crept furtively beneath the railing, her other hand tightly gripping Ye Changsheng's belt, afraid that she might escape at any moment. Just moments before, he had spent considerable effort patiently and earnestly teaching Ye Changsheng the thought-provoking and profound principle of "nothing ventured, nothing gained." He had finally succeeded in luring her to the wall of Pan Xijin's bedroom.

Silence reigned inside the window, and Jia Ling, feeling a surge of curiosity about what the two were doing, turned around and looked intently at Ye Changsheng, as if a rush of passion was about to surge within her. Ye Changsheng felt a sudden sense of foreboding, and before she could speak, Jia Ling abruptly stretched out a finger, about to poke it into the gleaming white paper windowpane.

Thump—crash—

The first sound was Ye Changsheng's heart pounding, followed by the sound of the window they were peering through opening. Pan Xijin, who had been standing silently through the window, raised an eyebrow, looking at them with a gentle yet unsettling gaze. "You two are just passing by the window, not coming in?"

Jia Ling froze, a wave of regret washing over her. She hadn't expected Pan Xi to be so perceptive. If that were the case, wouldn't she have been caught red-handed eavesdropping? Not only would it expose his lack of manners as a refined young man, but if Princess Xuanci was truly suspicious, wouldn't they have given themselves away? Even worse, what if Pan Jiu Gongzi was also an accomplice? Then they would be trapped in a den of wolves and tigers.

Blinking, Jia Ling quickly grabbed Ye Changsheng and said with a smile, "We've come to borrow from you, young master—" Jia Ling squinted and pointed inside, "It!"

Pan Xijin didn't speak, but turned to look in the direction Jia Ling was pointing, a smile playing on his lips as he suddenly realized, "You want to borrow my bed?"

Jia Ling choked up for a moment, coughed a few times, and nodded stiffly. Pan Xijin looked at him and then at Ye Changsheng, and chuckled, "Since that's the case, why don't we go inside and talk?"

Jia Ling snapped her fan shut, grabbed Ye Changsheng's sleeve, and slipped inside through the left-hand door without a word. As soon as she entered, she peeked around, her burning gaze seeming to scorch a hole in the room. Ye Changsheng, however, sat properly in his chair, his smile unwavering: "I'm ashamed... I'm ashamed... I've disturbed Young Master Jiu..."

Pan Xijin didn't seem to mind. He put on his outer robe and said softly, "Princess, come out."

After a while, a woman in yellow slowly walked out from the other side of the screen. She looked somewhat shy, but she still maintained a proper posture and had the air of a princess.

The scene became somewhat strange. Jia Ling frowned, her folding fan opening and closing repeatedly. Instead of hiding or protecting him, Pan Xijin directly pushed Xuan Ci forward. What was he trying to say? What did he want him and Ye Changsheng to do? Had she been wrong about everything before?

"Ah..." Ye Changsheng patted his forehead and said sincerely, "So Your Highness is here too. I'm ashamed, I'm ashamed. We've been presumptuous."

Xuan Ci sat down, looking somewhat awkward, but still nodded in response. Jia Ling swung her folding fan, making a loud "whoosh" that startled Xuan Ci. The young master Jia hopped up in front of Xuan Ci, staring with his large, round eyes, and asked, "I wonder what brings the princess here, a lone man and woman in this secluded courtyard?"

"How dare you..." Xuan Ci was taken aback at first, then shouted in a trembling voice, "This princess is...is..."

“She’s here to return something to me,” Pan Xijin said slowly, rolling up his sleeve and revealing a deep green jade pendant. He sighed softly, sat down, and his eyes and brows were full of tenderness: “The princess came to me because of this.”

Ye Changsheng looked at the jade pendant in Pan Xijin's hand with great interest and asked with a smile, "Does the Ninth Young Master have a habit of wearing jade?" Pan Xijin replied gently, "Yes..." Changsheng asked again, "Does the Ninth Young Master's sweetheart have the surname Zhong?" Pan Xijin was taken aback, clearly confused by Ye Changsheng's two irrelevant questions, and slowly shook his head after a moment.

“Young Master Jiu’s constitution is weak and cold, so he should wear jade—” Ye Changsheng asked in confusion, “But this is a cold jade, with an icy and cold texture—how can Young Master Jiu bear such a cold object?” She then pointed to the large character “钟” on the jade pendant and smiled slyly, “This character is beautifully carved… could it be that Young Master Jiu’s surname is Zhong?”

Pan Xijin did not refute, but looked at her calmly for a while. Then, without saying a word, he picked up the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, looked up at Xuan Ci, and said in a soft but unyielding voice, "Princess, please leave first." Princess Xuan Ci, who had been silent, suddenly shook her head frantically and pointed at Ye Changsheng, saying, "What are you going to do! You want to force him... You, do you want to harm Xijin?" Ye Changsheng looked gently at the princess in front of him, whose expression was agitated and whose face was flushed, and said slowly, "Princess, do you know that I knew you were involved in this matter because you remained silent after seeing Pan Nanshuang being murdered? Today, you came to see Young Master Pan alone, and your words just now further confirmed this."

"You...you're talking nonsense..." Xuan Ci's face turned deathly pale upon hearing this. "I only came to return the jade pendant..."

Ye Changsheng sighed: "That jade pendant was found by the princess next to Miss Pan's body, wasn't it..."

Xuan Ci shuddered, gripping her sleeve tightly, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes—"Do you know that with just one command from me, you can silence all of you..." Ye Changsheng smiled broadly: "...Princess, you are a royal princess, how dare we disobey your command... But...Princess, don't you want to know what this young master Pan Jiu beside you is doing? Why does he always keep you at arm's length, and why does he want you to leave now..."

Xuan Ci's previously forceful demeanor gradually softened, replaced by a look of confusion in her eyes, and an overwhelming weariness and dejection between her brows. She stared directly at Ye Changsheng, and stammered, "Why..."

Suddenly, with a "whoosh," a person flashed out of the window. A middle-aged man in a blue cloth robe stood there with a knife in his hand, staring at Ye Changsheng warily, as if he would cut down anyone who dared to make a move.

“This—” Ye Changsheng shrank her neck and smiled very kindly at the man in front of her to show that she had no ill intentions.

This person is none other than Zhong Hang, a Taoist priest from Sichuan.

"Someone come here—" Before everyone could react, Pan Xijin's calm voice rang out, "The princess is returning to the palace. Send her out of the mansion."

Before long, a maid in green entered through the door. She was petite and charming, and walked straight to Xuan Ci with practiced ease. She narrowed her eyes and said with a smile, "Please, Princess."

Xuan Ci didn't answer, but looked at Pan Xijin with despair, her eyes brimming with tears, and said, "You still don't believe me... It's been three whole years... What is it about me that makes you hate me so much... that you avoid me like the plague..."

"Pfft..." Just as everyone's gaze was still on the princess's loss of composure, the maid in green covered her nose and chuckled upon hearing this, "Princess, you're joking. You come to our young master's room every few days, either to play chess or to brew tea, and after painting, you have to make kites... The young master indulges you in everything, and has never avoided you like the plague..."

"You audacious servant! How dare you mock me!" Xuan Ci pointed at the maid in green, her voice trembling slightly, completely disregarding her composure and only scolding her. The maid, however, was not afraid at all, still smiling and apologizing, saying indignantly, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I was wrong, Your Highness, please calm down, please calm down..."—not even admitting her own fault.

"Ahem..." Pan Xijin waved his hand, seemingly quite troubled by the woman. "Peony, take the princess away..." The maid nodded repeatedly, gesturing to Xuan Ci that the young master had spoken. Xuan Ci slowly closed her eyes and walked out, her steps heavy as if each step required immense effort. She slowly turned the corner—without looking back. The maid in green named Peony smiled at everyone and followed them out.

Ye Changsheng was very curious about the peony-like girl, and could only sigh that a strong general has no weak soldiers under his command; even a maid under the Ninth Prince was so courageous. Just as she was pondering this, Pan Xijin raised his eyes and looked calmly at Zhong Hang, who stood with his sword drawn: "You should leave too. Walk out of this door, out of the Pan residence, out of Bianliang—I won't keep you any longer..."

"Young Master!" Zhong Hang stepped forward quickly and raised his voice, "I, Zhong Hang, swear that I will follow you for life, and if I break this vow, may I be torn to pieces! Please reconsider, Young Master, Zhong Hang swears that he will never leave you!"

“It was I who asked you to leave… so it's not a breach of oath… go, the world is vast, the martial world is far—you can go anywhere.” Pan Xijin explained in his gentle, polite, yet indifferent tone. He turned to look at Ye Changsheng and smiled slightly, “The doctor is right… that jade pendant is indeed not mine…”

Chang Sheng frowned slightly, his tone calm: "So he killed Pan Nan Shuang... and threw her into the pond, making people mistakenly believe that Miss Pan drowned in the pond."