Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 168
The old man placed a slice of ginseng under Sikou Xunxiang's tongue, then glanced thoughtfully at Zi Jin, who was still holding Sikou Xunxiang's hand tightly: "Girl, when I pull out the hidden weapon later, you must hold him down. This hidden weapon is extremely vicious, called the Thousand-Layer Blade, with barbs on each edge. It will be excruciatingly painful when it is pulled out."
Zi Jin's face was unusually pale. She raised her head, glanced at the old man, and nodded. She lowered her eyes and whispered in Si Kou Xunxiang's ear, "It might hurt a little... Think of Le'er and... Yu Luo and her child, they are waiting for you to go back... Just bear with it, just bear with it." She looked up at the old man again, her eyes filled with determination.
The old man glanced at Zi Jin, his eyes filled with admiration, then focused intently on the corner of the hidden weapon, slowly pulling it outwards. Bright red blood trickled out, and Si Kou Xun Xiang's body stiffened and trembled, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The hidden weapon was gradually revealed, but Si Kou Xun Xiang's face remained as white as paper.
Seeing him like this, Zi Jin felt as if her heart was being torn apart; her chest ached, and she could hardly breathe. She stared intently at Si Kou Huan Xiang's face, her eyes wide open, without blinking.
The old man pulled out the hidden weapon with a sudden burst of force, and a spurt of blood gushed out. Sikou Xunxiang jerked his body up, then slumped back down.
Zi Jin's eyes were filled with tears, which she forced back, staring blankly at Si Kou Xun Xiang's body covered in blood.
The intense pain made Si Kou Xunxiang open his eyes groggily. He weakly grasped Zi Jin's hand, a faint smile appearing on his pale face: "You... didn't leave..." He then fell into a deep sleep, but the faint smile remained on his face.
Zi Jin's face stiffened, and tears streamed down her face. She carefully withdrew her hand, trying to suppress her trembling hands, picked up the strips of cloth that had been boiled in water, and began to clean Si Kou Xunxiang's wounds.
Zi Jin carefully sprinkled the hemostatic medicine on it. When she caught a glimpse of the vicious hidden weapon out of the corner of her eye, a bitter smile appeared on Zi Jin's lips. So... Wu Tong never intended to let her go from the beginning. When did she start to hate her so deeply?
"What's the girl's name? Is he the girl's sweetheart?" The old man examined the hidden weapon in his hand, which was full of blades, and asked seemingly casually, concealing the light in his eyes.
Zi Jin stiffly turned her face to look at the old man: "Zi Jin... I don't know what you mean, sir?"
The old man glanced at Zi Jin casually, playing with the Thousand-Layer Blade in his hand and chuckled, "This young master severed eight major bloodlines in one fell swoop, which should have been certain death. Fortunately... this young master has high internal strength and encountered this old man. However... even if his life is saved, I'm afraid he will be a cripple from now on... Will the girl find him repulsive?"
Zi Jin's hand, which was wiping the sweat from Si Kou Xunxiang's forehead, froze. She slowly closed her eyes, her trembling hand gently stroking his wet silver hair: "Old man, don't frighten me. He only injured his blood vessels, not his tendons."
“If his meridians are damaged, he'll at most be crippled. But with eight major bloodlines severed, he's already lost all his martial arts. Even if we could save his life, he'd be extremely weak, weaker than a woman, and unable to withstand wind, heat, or illness… If he's doing this for you, girl… this favor wouldn't even be enough to repay with your own body… Besides… saving his life won't be easy… this…”
Zi Jin lowered her eyes, walked step by step to the old man's side, and knelt down: "I know you have a way, old man. As long as you can heal him, I will do anything you ask. It's not that I'm unwilling to repay you with my life... He was injured so badly for me, it's my duty to repay him... But... he and his wife are so deeply in love, and now his wife is six months pregnant. He is so devoted to her. I'm afraid he would rather lose his life than abandon his wife... So I beg you, old man, please heal him. Otherwise... I will have no choice but to give my life... I don't ask that his martial arts skills be restored, I only hope that he can be like a normal person... As long as you can save his life, I am willing to be your servant to repay your great kindness."
The old man remained silent for a while, glancing at Zi Jin's increasingly pale face and then at the unconscious Si Kou Xun Xiang on the bed. He stroked his beard and smiled, "This little girl isn't bad-natured. We met by chance by the woods today, and we seem to have hit it off. I've roamed the martial world for decades, but I still haven't found a successor. If you're willing to become my disciple and pass on my life's skills... hehe, I'll certainly do my best to heal him."
Zi Jin shook her head slightly, her face showing difficulty, and said with difficulty, "Senior, I should not refuse your kindness, but I have always been weak and was poisoned since childhood. I am really not up to your expectations and I am afraid I will disappoint you. If you can cure him, I will be eternally grateful and at your service."
The old man's large eyes blinked a few times, and he chuckled, "I don't do business that loses money. If the little girl is willing to become my apprentice, then as her master, I can't very well refuse. As for your health... I've already felt your pulse; it's just minor ailments. Besides, there are things about you that I find appealing. Otherwise, why would I insist on having you as my apprentice?... If the little girl isn't willing... then he..." The old man glanced meaningfully at Sikou Xunxiang on the bed, then hesitated.
Zi Jin glanced at Si Kou Xunxiang, then lowered her eyes, lost in thought.
Seeing Zi Jin hesitate, the old man added fuel to the fire, saying, "Girl, you'd better think it over quickly. If you drag this out any longer, I won't have to worry about his bloodline anymore. Just throw him to the back mountain to feed the wolves."
Zi Jin gritted her teeth, knelt down and kowtowed to the old man, saying, "Master, please accept my bow. I hope you will save my friend's life. From now on, I will wholeheartedly study my skills and live up to your expectations."
"Hehe, good child, I knew you would agree. My medical skills and martial arts are unparalleled in the martial world. Even if someone comes to me for a single move or two, it would be enough to benefit them for a lifetime." The old man smiled broadly and continued, "Since you have accepted me as your master, I will tell you my name. In the future, when you travel the martial world, you will have something to say about me. My name is Cheng Qingsong, and I was known in the martial world as the Unruly Lone Wanderer. We are currently in a place called Rouge Valley. For the past ten years or so, I have been in seclusion. I never thought that I would be able to accept a disciple today after only a few days of seclusion. Haha, hahaha!" Cheng Qingsong laughed more and more arrogantly, and he seemed to be more and more satisfied with Zi Jin. "Girls are easily looked down upon when they travel the martial world, but you are the disciple of the Unruly Lone Wanderer, so naturally you cannot be looked down upon. How about this, I will think of a more impressive name for you. From today onwards, you will be called Cheng Zi Jin, the rightful successor of my Cheng family."
Zi Jin frowned: "Master, I originally became your apprentice, not a member of the Cheng clan. Can I just change my surname like that?"
Cheng Qingsong's beady eyes widened: "Who says I can't change? I'll keep changing my master... I'm the master, so I get to decide!"
The old man's demeanor and mannerisms gave her a strange sense of familiarity. Without thinking much of it, Zi Jin frowned and glanced sideways at Si Kou Xunxiang on the bed. At this moment, she no longer cared about what Cheng Qingsong had said and readily agreed...
Love and hate leave no trace, deep affection is hard to wait for; the descendants of the gods, three lifetimes of karmic entanglement, their fates altered on the Stone of Three Lifetimes (Part Two)
Changing Fate on the Stone of Three Lives (Part Two) Over the course of several days, Cheng Qingsong went up the mountain to collect herbs during the day. After returning, he went straight into the pharmacy and made a whole bowl of dark and extremely smelly soup, which he had Zi Jin feed to the unconscious Si Kou Xunxiang.
Zi Jin stayed by Si Kou Xunxiang's side without leaving for a moment, taking meticulous care of him, from feeding him medicine and meals to changing his clothes and socks, attending to every detail.
Cheng Qingsong often sighed: If he didn't already have a virtuous wife at home, he should really marry you.
Whenever Zi Jin heard this, she would remain silent, her heart filled with unbearable bitterness and pain.
Zi Jin slowly and deliberately fed Si Kou Huan Xiang the medicine, spoonful by spoonful. Even in his unconscious state, he remained remarkably quiet. He ate most of what was fed to him, with only a small amount spilling out. Zi Jin put down the bowl of medicine, wiped Si Kou Huan Xiang's lips, and stroked his eyebrows, his eyes, and his lips: "You've been asleep for so many days, aren't you going to wake up?"
Zi Jin gazed silently at Si Kou Huanxiang's sleeping face, her heart far from the calm she outwardly appeared to be. Days passed, and on one hand, she wanted Si Kou Huanxiang to wake up, but on the other hand, she feared him waking up… How would she face him if he did wake? If she spoke of hatred, she felt no hatred left; if she spoke of love, she no longer had the right to say so. Si Kou Huanxiang and Xiao Bai both loved Yu Luo; after that incident at the cliff edge, she shouldn't have harbored any more illusions…
Si Kou Xunxiang, Xiao Bai, you shouldn't have had such fantasies... you shouldn't have had such fantasies about love that wasn't meant for you. Now that you've saved my life, I will do everything in my power to heal you, and we'll be even... from now on, we'll owe each other nothing...
"I've been feeding you medicine for half an hour now, and I think you're just trying to slack off!" Cheng Qingsong's roar came from outside the window.
Startled, Zi Jin stood up, but accidentally knocked over the medicine bowl. She hurriedly righted the bowl, glanced back at the still-sleeping Si Kou Xun Xiang, and quickly ran outside.
Perhaps the sound of porcelain clashing startled Sikou Xunxiang, for he frowned slightly in his unconscious state, and his fan-like eyelashes trembled twice.
"Chop wood! Cook!" Cheng Qingsong roared at Zi Jin.
Zi Jin pursed her lips, muttering something under her breath, and secretly rolled her eyes at Cheng Qingsong.
"Do you want him to have no medicine to drink?" Cheng Qingsong asked fiercely, looking at Zi Jin's appearance.
Zi Jin quickly grabbed Cheng Qingsong's sleeve, her expression changing as she looked up, and said with a fawning smile, "Master, don't worry, your disciple will do it right away." What kind of lawless lone wanderer is he? He's nothing but a scoundrel who only knows how to threaten and bribe!
Cheng Qingsong glanced at Zi Jin with a "you know what's good for you" expression, then turned around and swaggered into the pharmacy.
Zi Jin walked hesitantly to the tree stump, picked up the large axe that weighed at least twenty pounds, and began chopping wood, starting a fire, and cooking. Looking at the thick calluses on her hands, Zi Jin secretly shed tears. She wasn't particularly pretty to begin with, and now her hands were covered in calluses, as rough as old tree bark!
As dusk settled, Zi Jin, carrying a bowl of rice porridge, walked shakily into the bamboo hut, collapsing onto the table and refusing to get up. After a while, Zi Jin dragged her weary steps, lit the oil lamp, and then, with trembling hands, picked up the bowl, gently blowing on the porridge, and sat down on the edge of the bed: "We need to change your dressing today, so you should eat more..." As she was talking to herself, Zi Jin looked up and met a pair of eyes as beautiful and dazzling as diamonds. She stood there, stunned, gazing at those warm, clear eyes, just like those in her memory...
His silver hair was slightly disheveled, his jade-like face was glistening with sweat, and his clothes were in disarray from prolonged bed rest. He gazed silently at Zi Jin's face for a long time, then his lips curled slightly into a faint, flawless smile, a smile as breathtaking as a fleeting glimpse of a fleeting shadow: "Little Zi..."
Zi Jin's heart suddenly began to pound uncontrollably as she stared blankly at his smiling face, which had appeared in her dreams a thousand times. For a moment, she felt lost and disoriented... She held her breath, her chest aching, and dared only to gaze at him, just gaze at him... It was alright.
His dark, warm eyes gradually misted over, filled with longing and grievance. He stared intently at Zi Jin for a long time, then said, "I miss Xiao Zi... I miss her so much... Xiao Zi is heartless... she doesn't want me..." His voice was hoarse and choked with emotion, barely audible.
Her eyes stung and ached. Zi Jin stared unblinkingly at the person before her, her voice trembling as she said, "Little...Little Bai..."
Seeing Zi Jin's unmoved expression, Xiao Bai lowered her eyes slowly: "Xiao Zi, you still... don't like it, right?..."
Zi Jin drifted into a dreamlike state. She slowly reached out and gently stroked Xiao Bai's face. Her fingers trembled slightly as she traced his forehead, his eyes, his brows, his lips, over and over again. Tears she had held back for so long silently streamed down her cheeks: "Xiao Bai...you're back..."