Maestro de la ambigüedad

Capítulo 19

Han Xiao didn't dare move and stood there frozen for a while. Then she heard someone groaning and cursing loudly down the slope. Han Xiao listened and thought the voice sounded like Shi Er's. She shouted, "Who's down there? Is it Brother Shi?"

A moment later, Shi Er replied, "It's me. You didn't die from the fall?" Han Xiao didn't know how to answer. She had already spoken, so of course she hadn't died. It was foolish of her to keep saying she wasn't dead. She heard Shi Er cursing loudly from below, saying things like, "Why are you so nosy and meddlesome? She's not dead, but you're half-dead."

Han Xiao looked up. She was quite a distance from the cliff face, which was steep and dangerous, making it impossible to climb up. So she looked down and asked loudly, "Brother Shi, how are you? Are you injured?"

"I can't move my arm?"

Han Xiao carefully climbed outwards, looked at the terrain below, and asked, "Was it Doctor Yan who fell down with you?"

"right."

"How is he?"

There seemed to be the sound of stone ear twigs crawling below, and then he replied, "That kid is covered in blood and isn't moving. Let me rest for a bit, then I'll go kick him to death." He was panting, and it seemed like he was pulling at his mouth, and he started cursing again.

Han Xiao carefully examined the terrain and saw a long string of vines leading down to the ground, but the view below was blocked by green plants, so she couldn't tell what kind of terrain it was. She peeked out for a while and finally saw Shi Er sticking her head out of the hay. Han Xiao quickly asked, "Is it safe there? Is there anything to cover you? Be careful not to fall again."

Shi Er shook his head: "This area is a big slope, not as steep as the one above, so you can find a foothold."

Upon hearing this, Han Xiao looked her up and down carefully and, confirming that she couldn't climb any further, decided to go down and meet up with Shi Er. Shi Er frowned as she watched her carefully climb down the vines, and complained angrily, "Damn it, you fell, and I fell too, but you're fine while I hurt my arm."

Han Xiao, after a series of harrowing moments, descended to the slope where Shi Er had landed, panting as he comforted her, "Heaven spared me so you could heal your injuries."

Upon arriving, they discovered that tall weeds and greenery blocked the view of the slope, below which lay a sheer cliff, even more dangerous than the one at the top. Yan Shan lay on her side not far away, her chest and legs covered in blood, it was impossible to tell if she was still breathing.

Han Xiao didn't go over. She first looked at Shi Er's arm. There were some small cuts from stones and branches, but no blood was flowing. It was just that his arm was dislocated, which was why he couldn't move and was in a lot of pain.

Han Xiao helped him sit down, securing him against the cliff face. Then, with a pull and a push, he reconnected him with a snap. Shi Er let out a painful scream, about to complain, when he realized he could move again. He tried it a few times and chuckled, "Hey, I didn't expect you to actually know something else besides sticking needles into people's hearts."

"You've just been reattached, so you'd better not move around too much. Use a belt to tie your arm tight, in case it doesn't help with recovery later." After confirming that he was alright, Han Xiao walked over to Yan Shan.

Yan Shan had lost a lot of blood. Based on Han Xiao's experience, she could tell from this that his condition was very bad and that he was unlikely to jump up and hurt anyone again. So she approached him with peace of mind and turned him over to lay him flat.

Yan Shan had a large wound on his chest, blood gushing out continuously, and a cut on his leg. Han Xiao pulled a dagger from his boot, slashed open his clothes, and examined his injuries. Shi Er came over and kicked him: "This guy is probably done for. Heaven really does have eyes."

Han Xiao didn't speak. He casually picked up two stones from the side, cut a piece of Yan Shan's pants to make strips of cloth, pressed the stones against both sides of Yan Shan's leg wound, and tied it tightly with the cloth strips. Shi Er frowned as he looked at the leg wound, which had stopped bleeding, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I can't let him die." Han Xiao said as he untied Yan Shan's belt, rolled it into a ball, and pressed it against the wound on Yan Shan's chest, trying to stop the bleeding.

"What's wrong with you?" Shi Er exclaimed anxiously, "This guy wants to harm you, he wants to kill you, and you still want to save him?"

"He's dead. Who will tell us the truth? Why did he kill me? Why did he kill you? Why did he harm his master?"

Shi Er was taken aback. That's right, Yan Shan was only the thirty-second disciple of the Cloud Mist Elder. If he wanted to inherit the mountain, he wouldn't be in line. If it was for love, he hadn't been seen getting close to any of the female doctors and servants at the Su Medical Hall. Could it be that there was someone behind him?

Thinking this, Shi Er panicked: "Yes, yes, he can't die! Spare his life and make him confess the real culprit!" He reached out to check Yan Shan's pulse; it was weak and feeble. Seeing how much blood he had lost, he feared he was going to die. In a fit of rage, he slapped Yan Shan twice across the face, yelling, "Wake up! Wake up! Tell me quickly, who ordered you? Who was it?"

Yan Shan was indeed awakened by the beating. He groaned in pain, opened his eyes slightly, but didn't say anything before closing them again. Shi Er was furious and was about to make another move when Han Xiao stopped him: "This won't work. We should quickly think of a way to save him."

Shi Er jumped up and down: "What can we do? He's in this state, how can we save him? I'm just a test subject, not a doctor."

"I'm a doctor!" Han Xiao shouted in a moment of panic.

Shi Er was stunned: "Oh, then take the needle and poke his heart again."

"Don't make things worse, let me think, let me think." Han Xiao pressed hard on Yan Shan's wound, anxiously looking around. This person can't die, she must dig out the truth.

Shi Er was silenced for a moment by the shout, then started pacing again: "He's probably not going to make a living like this. Even the legendary physician Bian would have to work on him, let alone in this desolate wilderness. What can a lowly servant like you do? Even if you're blessed by good fortune now, it won't help. Don't think that just because the young master dotes on you, makes you happy, and gives you a medicine box, he's a doctor..."

"Shut up!" Han Xiao said sternly. When she mentioned Nie Chengyan, Han Xiao became even more anxious. Her master had said that he wanted to live to know the truth. Now her master was alive and well, but Chengyan was about to die. She couldn't let the truth disappear before her eyes. She had to save him.

"Medicine box, if only I had my medicine box." The blood flowing from his palm was slowing down, but his body temperature was dropping little by little. This Yan Shan was probably really not going to make it.

"I think I saw a medicine box where I fell..." Shi Er hadn't finished speaking when Han Xiao suddenly turned to look at him. Shi Er scratched his head and said, "Okay, okay, I'll go look for it, I'll go look for it."

He ran back to where he had just been standing, and after a while he came back carrying a medicine box: "Is this yours?"

"Yes, yes, open it quickly and give me the needle."

"Oh dear, are you really going to stab him in the heart? Is this the only way you can save people?" Shi Er muttered to herself as she pulled out a needle case from the broken box.

Han Xiao released his hand from Yan Shan's wound, quickly took the needle, pulled out several thin needles from the needle drawer, and swiftly inserted them into several acupoints. Shi Er stared in astonishment as Yan Shan's bleeding slowed down.

Han laughed and said, "Besides the heart, I'll insert it into other places as well."

"And then?" Shi Er glanced at the little girl a few more times. Could it be that her stories of saving people weren't just based on luck?

"And then?" Han Xiao cut open Yan Shan's clothes with scissors and saw the horrific wound. His heart sank. "Then I'm afraid I really have to pray for good fortune to come my way."

Rescued

Shi Er peeked out and said, "Tsk tsk, the injuries are so severe, there's no hope. Don't bother. Let's think about how to get up. Few people come to this cliff entrance. If we're trapped here, our own lives are in danger."

"He's not dead yet." Han Xiao turned around and tossed him a dagger.

Shi Er took a step back: "You mean you want to stab him and give him a quick death?"

Han Xiao turned and glared at him: "I mean, as long as he's still breathing, we absolutely cannot give up on saving him. If he dies, not only will we lose all the clues, but we'll also alert the culprit, who might hide even deeper. We absolutely cannot let him die."

"You're quite determined..." Shi Er was interrupted by Han Xiao before she could finish speaking: "Stop talking nonsense, go, quickly get the dagger and find some red thistle. I just saw some growing there."

"Hey, you little brat, how dare you order me around..." Shi Er's words were interrupted again, and Han Xiao waved his hand to shoo him away: "Don't waste time, hurry up."

Shi Er was taken aback by the shout. Seeing that Han Xiao was busy with his own things and ignoring him, he thought about it and actually went to find Sheng Hongji.

"Do you recognize it or not..." He was searching when Han Xiao suddenly shouted at him, making him turn around angrily and yell, "I recognize it! Isn't it just red artichoke? I recognize it! It's anti-inflammatory and hemostatic! Not only do I recognize it, I've even eaten it!" He turned back and started digging, angrily saying as he dug, "This thing looks so ugly, how could I not recognize it? I'm a man from Yunwu Mountain, after all. If I don't recognize it, wouldn't I be a laughingstock? Okay, I'd better be more polite. I recognize it."

He dug up a few artichokes and took them back, only to find Han Xiao had already started a fire and was stuffing pills into Yan Shan's mouth, pinching his throat, and pouring some unknown medicinal liquid down his throat, forcing him to swallow. Han Xiao wasn't considered a doctor in Yunwu Mountain, and his medicine box had pitifully little medicine. Shi Er scoffed, thinking, "He still wants to save people with all this?" He had just put down the artichokes when he saw Han Xiao point ahead: "There are wild onions over there, go pick some."

Shi Er muttered to herself as she left, and when she came back, she said, "Let me make this clear first, I don't eat human flesh, no matter how delicious your cooking is, I won't eat it."

Han Xiao ignored him, took the scallion segment, picked up a thick one, cut it open at both ends, took out the hollow scallion leaf segment, and placed it aside. Shi Er looked at her suspiciously, wondering what she was going to do. Han Xiao tossed him two stones: "Don't just stand there, wipe the stones clean with your clothes, and mash the red artichoke into a paste, quickly."

Shi Er took the medicine and reluctantly began to grind it. He watched as Han Xiao gently opened the wound and quickly cleaned out all the dirt inside. Then she turned her head to look at the medicine in Shi Er's hand, beckoned him over, and asked him to help open the wound.

The wound was full of blood. Even Shi Er, who dealt with doctors every day, felt dizzy looking at it and quickly turned her head away. But Han Xiao seemed unaffected. She took a hollow scallion leaf and slowly sucked out the blood. As the blood decreased, the wound became clearer. Han Xiao then took a clean cloth from her medicine box and stuffed it into the wound. Shi Er noticed that there weren't enough cloths in the box, so she had come up with the idea of using a scallion leaf to suck out the blood.

There were several small wounds inside. Han Xiao heated the knife over a fire and gently burned the small wounds to seal them together, stopping the bleeding. Shi Er was secretly shocked. This girl really dared to do that.

The crushed medicine was wrapped in a cloth, and the juice was squeezed out and applied to the wounds. One by one, the small wounds were miraculously healed, but the longest and largest external gash was beyond help. In this desolate wilderness, where could they find sutures? Shi Er didn't dare to breathe, as she was almost at the final step of stitching, and it seemed too wasteful to fail like this.

But then he saw Han Xiao reach out and pull out a few strands of her long hair, spreading them out on the box to pick out suitable ones. Shi Er gasped, wondering what kind of brain she had that in her head. He didn't dare disturb her, but he saw Han Xiao frowning as she carefully examined the few strands of hair, seemingly dissatisfied. She reached up to her head to pull out more, so Shi Er quickly said, "Mine will probably be thicker and stronger than yours."

Upon hearing this, Han Xiao glanced at his hair and, without hesitation, reached out and plucked a few strands. Shi Er winced and cried out in pain, but Han Xiao ignored him, only looking at his hair carefully before finally nodding in satisfaction.

With a few strands of long hair and two needles, Han Xiao finally stitched up the wound. The most difficult part was over. The leg wound was much simpler in comparison, since it hadn't hit any vital organs; it was just a rather large and frightening-looking wound. After Shi Er contributed a few more strands of hair, it was finally finished.

Seeing Yan Shan lying there quietly, not knowing how much longer she could hold on, Shi Er looked up at the top of the cliff and said, "What do we do now? I reckon I can't climb up. If we wait for someone to rescue us, we'll probably be skeletons by then."

“There really is a skull up there.” Han Xiao said as he wandered around, picking up some dry branches and digging up some medicinal herbs. “We need to make the fire bigger, burn some herbs to make some black smoke, and send a signal to the mountain so that someone will come to rescue us.”

"You wish! This is the back mountain. Look, it's getting dark soon. No one will come. They won't even see the smoke you're burning."

Han Xiao carefully tended the fire: "We still have to keep it burning. It'll get cold here at night. Even if the two of us can hold on, Doctor Yan won't be able to. While we can still see, I'll go find some more herbs, just in case." After she finished speaking, she took the dagger and went to work.

Shi Er watched her back and wondered where this girl got her energy from. It seemed inexhaustible. In this desolate wilderness, with cliffs and no one to help, no water or food, a skull above his head and a half-dead man at his feet, even he, a grown man, felt scared. But this little girl was doing everything as if nothing was wrong.

Just then, Han Xiao suddenly turned back and said to him, "I forgot to mention earlier, that smoke should be kept burning; it will definitely work. I don't know about others, but my master will definitely come looking for me if I don't go back. The coachman knows I've returned to the mountain. If my master can't find me anywhere, he'll naturally think of the back mountain. We can just go hungry for one night; if we can hold on until tomorrow, someone will surely come to rescue us." She looked at Yan Shan, "That's the troublesome part. I don't know if he can hold on until tomorrow in this condition. I'll go gather herbs; I must revive him." After she finished speaking, she ran off again, saying as she ran, "You keep an eye on the fire, and also Doctor Yan."

Shi Er picked at his ears. It was understandable that he was looking at the fire, but what was so interesting about Yan Shan? Did he think some wild animal would come out and carry him away? Neither Shi Er nor Han Xiao noticed that a red-headed eagle circled above their heads for a while before finally flying away.

Han Xiao had originally planned to wait until the next day, but unexpectedly, reinforcements arrived that very night. It was already dark, with a bright moon in the sky. Han Xiao was telling Shi Er her story of seeking medical help with her brother, comforting her not to be impatient, but to be optimistic, assuring her that someone would come to rescue them. Just as she finished speaking, she heard someone calling from the cliff: "Miss Han, Miss Han, are you there?"

Shi Er jumped up and desperately shouted for help, but the person above was still calling for Miss Han. Shi Er was so anxious that he really wanted to jump up and fight him. Wouldn't they save him without Miss Han? Han Xiao quickly responded from the side, "Brother Huo, it's me, I'm here." She waved a lit stick, hoping the person above would see her.

As expected, it was Huo Qiyang who arrived. He loudly inquired about Han Xiao's condition, presumably considering how to rescue her. Han Xiao answered his questions one by one, and heard Huo Qiyang tell them not to panic and to wait patiently. Han Xiao excitedly pulled Shi Er, jumping up and down, saying, "Look, look, I told you Master would come to save me!" Shi Er scratched his head, finding it somewhat unbelievable.

The sounds from the cliff grew louder, indicating that many people had arrived. They passed torches and threw long ropes. After several twists and turns, Han Xiao was finally rescued and brought to the top of the cliff by Huo Qiyang. The number of people on the cliff top exceeded her expectations. The torches made her eyes hurt, but she immediately spotted Nie Chengyan sitting in a wheelchair.

Only now did she realize she had narrowly escaped death and began to feel a lingering fear. She almost didn't see her master again. There were many people around, and she didn't look at anyone else, but she didn't dare to rush up to Nie Chengyan either. She could only bite her lip and stand there, holding back her tears.

Nie Chengyan stared at her for a long while before finally extending a hand to her. Han Xiao quickly went over and carefully took his hand. In the crowd, all that could be heard was his soft voice saying, "Let's go back."

"Brother Shi and Doctor Yan..."

"You dare to tell others what to do?"

Han Xiao trembled with fright and quickly grabbed his hand with both of hers: "No, we won't. Let's go back, no matter what others do."

Nie Chengyan waved his hand behind him, and a servant-like figure whom Han Xiao had never seen before pushed the wheelchair. Nie Chengyan turned to the side and said, "Keep a close eye on them. No one is allowed to die."

Han Xiao responded, and when she saw that Huo Qiyang and He Ziming were both there, she vaguely felt that the situation was serious. She dared not think any further and obediently followed Nie Chengyan back to Yanzhu.

The servants outside Yanzhu had been replaced; they were actually from the Nie family down the mountain. It seemed that there had been quite a commotion inside Yanzhu during the half-day she had been missing.

Once inside, everyone left as ordered. Nie Chengyan shook off Han Xiao's hand and shouted, "Stand still!" Han Xiao obediently stood still.

Are you injured?

"It's just a minor bump or scratch, nothing serious."

He stared at her for a long time: "Turn around and let me take a look."

She slowly turned around. He finished reading, remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "Go take a bath in the pool. Once you're clean, come out and kneel down, and write 'Don't meddle in other people' and 'Stay away from danger' a hundred times. You can only eat and sleep after you've finished writing it."

Han Xiao pouted, feeling very unhappy. She was clearly the victim; she had fallen off the cliff and was terrified, yet he hadn't said a kind word to her, nor had he given her a kind look, and had even punished her. Nie Chengyan turned his head away from her, only shouting, "Go now."

Han Xiao sniffed and dawdled off. When she came back after washing up, Nie Chengyan was leaning against the headboard reading a book. He didn't even look up when he saw her come in: "Go kneel down and write in the outer room. I think it will take you a few more times before you learn your lesson."

Han Xiao didn't speak, and went to the outer room with her head down. The writing implements were already laid out on the small table in the outer room, and a soft cushion was placed in front of the table. A servant from the Nie family smiled at her, pointed to the cushion, and then brought over the food and set it out, saying in a low voice, "Eat before you write."

Han Xiao glanced at the doorway of the inner room, picked up her bowl, and began to eat. She was truly hungry. The food was hot, which warmed her heart. No one dared to disobey their master's orders. The servant told her to eat first and then write, which must have been a roundabout way of instructing her. Thinking of this, she felt much better.

After eating her fill, Han Xiao knelt on the cushion to write. Huo Qiyang came in. He saw that Han Xiao had been punished, smiled at her, and went into the inner room. Han Xiao herself was already under punishment, and Nie Chengyan was furious. She didn't dare to ask any questions. She just tried her best to write the new family motto, "Mind your own business and stay away from danger." As she wrote, she became tired and sleepy, and finally fell asleep on the table.

In her drowsy state, she heard soft voices and heard someone holding her. She was so sleepy that she could barely open her eyes. She vaguely heard Nie Chengyan's voice say, "Give it to me." Then she felt herself being transferred from one person's arms to another. She was then enveloped in warmth; the embrace was wide, and the blanket was soft. She fell into a deep, comfortable sleep.

confusing

Perhaps frightened by the fall from the cliff, and exhausted from a day of turmoil, Han Xiao slept soundly all night. When she woke up, she found herself sleeping on her own couch in the corner of the room. She pondered the whispers and the warm embrace of the previous night, wondering if it was all a dream. Turning her head, she saw that the wall beside the couch was covered with blank sheets of paper she had written: "Mind your own business, stay away from danger." Han Xiao's eyes widened. Turning her head again, she saw that the screen beside the couch was also covered with the same phrase. Han Xiao sat there blankly for a long time, scratching her head and pouting, before finally getting up.

Walking around the screen, Han Xiao saw that Nie Chengyan was no longer in the room, and she felt a little panicked. She was used to sharing a room with Nie Chengyan and had no particular reservations; she rarely even unfolded the screen in front of her bed. Since Nie Chengyan had difficulty getting out of bed without help, she usually settled him in, put the bed back down, and then went about her own business. Now, with the screen up and no one in bed, Han Xiao felt a sense of loss. It seemed that a distance had suddenly grown between her and Nie Chengyan, or perhaps, Nie Chengyan was doing just fine without her.

Han Xiao went around the backyard, fetched water, went into the side room to wash up, and returned to the room. There she saw a servant from the Nie family come in and set out food for her: "Miss Han, it's past noon. The master doesn't want you to be woken up. Please eat first. The master is talking with the divine doctor in the front yard."

Han Xiao was taken aback. She thanked him and quickly finished her meal, wondering why Nie Chengyan hadn't called her. Had the murderer appeared and she no longer been needed? She hurried to the main hall in the front courtyard. The door was closed, and several servants and doctors from the Nie family and Yunwu Mountain were there. Even Lin Zhi was standing in the crowd, and the head steward, Bai Ying, was also there. Seeing Han Xiao arrive, they nodded slightly and waved their hands, signaling the masters inside not to let anyone in.

Han Xiao was a little uneasy, but he had no choice but to wait with the others. After standing there for a long time, the door finally opened. The old man from the clouds and mist came out first. Before the others could wait, Lin Zhi rushed over anxiously: "Divine Doctor, my father must have been murdered by villains. Please investigate and avenge my father."

Han Xiaonao was confused. Wasn't this about her, Shi Er, and Yan Shan? How did it involve Dr. Lin Yang? Did Yan Shan confess that this matter was related to Dr. Lin? And what was this about revenge?