Medicina alquímica

Capítulo 103

The woman boarded the carriage, and for some reason, turned to look at him. Realizing he was still watching her, she nervously ducked back into the carriage.

He wanted to go forward, but restrained himself and stood still.

"Nephew?" Ye Zhang called out to him a few times when he saw him in a daze.

Lian Zhao snapped out of his daze, looked at Ye Zhang, still somewhat bewildered.

"Nephew, is there something wrong?" Ye Zhang asked, his expression somewhat tense.

Lian Zhao steadied himself, smiled, and shook his head. "No, please."

Ye Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, walked to the carriage, gave a few instructions, and then opened the city gate to let everyone leave.

Lian Zhao stopped looking, turned around, and silently walked back.

...

After he returned to the Ye residence and entered his room, he finally let his heart pound. He sat down on the edge of the bed and closed his eyes. The image of the woman before him still lingered, that smile refusing to leave his mind. He opened his eyes, sighed softly, and felt a sense of helplessness.

He got up, walked to the wardrobe, and opened the door. In the third compartment, there was a sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), an account book, and a bundle of clothes.

He reached out and gently stroked the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), a smile on his face.

“…The last time…” he began, speaking softly to himself.

He pondered for a moment, picked up the items, found a wooden box, and put them inside. Then, he led a fast horse out of the Ye residence.

...

...This is the dividing line indicating that the next part is an action scene = =+...

After leaving the city, the carriage traveled at a rapid pace. It took about an hour before it slowed down.

June weather is unpredictable. Around noon, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and faint rumbles of thunder echoed across the land. Suddenly, before the last rays of sunlight had faded, large raindrops fell, stirring up dust. In an instant, the rain intensified, and the world was plunged into a vast expanse of white, obscuring the road ahead.

The carriage had to stop at the pavilion by the roadside for a rest.

Earlier, Xiaoxiao sat in the carriage, barely daring to breathe, her mind a complete mess. Heaven knows how nervous she was at the city gate. This disguise was so incomplete! It was just a change of clothes, a bun hairstyle, and a few more layers of powder! At the very least, she should have been given a real face mask!

When Lian Zhao looked at her just now, her heart was in her throat. She only calmed down after getting off the carriage. She walked into the pavilion, sat on the railing, and looked at the vast expanse of rain.

She shouldn't have given anything away, right? But why is he staring at her like that? Has she been recognized? Probably not, if he had, he wouldn't have let them leave the city in the first place... Or, as Ye Li said, did he really let her go on purpose?

For some reason, at that moment, she actually hoped that Lian Zhao had recognized her...

"Xiaoxiao, what are you afraid of? It's alright!" Ye Li said when she saw that Xiaoxiao had been silent. "We're already quite far from the city!"

Xiao Xiao timidly looked up, and the two maids accompanying her were naturally dressed up by Li Si and Ye Li.

She thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you think I might have already been recognized?"

Li Si and Ye Li stared at her for a while, then exclaimed in unison, "Impossible!"

I was slightly startled.

Li Si was dissatisfied and said, "My makeup skills can turn Dong Shi into Xi Shi, and I guarantee your parents won't recognize you!"

“Yes!” Ye Zhihui interjected from the side, “When I first saw you, Sister Hero, I didn’t recognize you either! My father always said that a woman with makeup looks completely different. You can rest assured, Sister Hero!”

A slight stiffness. Why does that sound so awkward?

Ye Li blinked her bright eyes and smiled, "Wouldn't it be better if you recognized me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately agreed.

Ye Zhihui was even more curious, "Sister Heroine, did you really start a relationship with Brother Lian and then abandon him?"

Before Xiaoxiao could answer, Ye Li interjected, "Really! It's a pity that Young Master Lian is still so deeply in love; perhaps his love has truly turned to hate...tsk tsk..."

Hearing this conversation, Xiao Xiao knew that if she didn't change the subject, she would only be the one being teased. She looked up and saw Yin Xiao, dressed as a servant, standing by the pavilion looking at a map, along with several other grooms and servants. Suddenly, she thought of something and blurted out, "Senior Sister Ye, when we were in the East Sea, didn't we see a lot of people? Why are only a few of us leaving the city today? Won't they be alright staying there?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Li sighed and said, "You mean them... they're not from our Qu Fang. They're just here to lend a hand. They're just ordinary people normally, and now they're naturally going back to their own lives."

Xiao Xiao then remembered that the group of people she had seen in the East China Sea were indeed dressed as ordinary people. She found it unbelievable and stared wide-eyed.

Li Si smiled and said, "Miss Zuo, the martial world is vast and full of wonders. You must have heard of the 'Breaking Wind Style' school, right?"

She nodded slightly. She remembered her master saying that if anyone asked about her martial arts style, she should say "Breaking Wind Style." This was the largest and most mysterious sect in the martial arts world. Rumor had it that its disciples were all over the world, but it didn't even have a proper storefront.

“Those people are the disciples of the ‘Breaking Wind Style’,” Li Si said with a helpless smile. “Sigh, but in my opinion, it’s best not to mess with these people…sigh…”

As soon as Li Si said this, Ye Li nodded frantically.

Xiao Xiao deeply agreed with this statement. As the saying goes, true masters often live in seclusion; these people who usually act like ordinary citizens must be incredibly capable... like her master...

Just as Xiao Xiao was thinking, Yin Xiao suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

Everyone stood up on guard, only to see Yin Xiao pointing at the map in his hand, his face ashen.

The map was drawn by Ye Zhang and given to everyone this morning. It was also checked at the city gate just now. There shouldn't be anything suspicious about it, but judging from Yin Xiao's expression, it's clearly something big.

"Matchmaker, come here!" Yin Xiao said, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Si walked over with a belly full of suspicion, carefully examined the map in Yin Xiao's hand, and then exclaimed in surprise.

Xiao Xiao was stunned. She cautiously stepped forward and asked, "Uh... everyone, what's wrong?"

The two men turned to look at her simultaneously, and said with grief and indignation, "Can't we just not go?"

"Huh?" Xiao Xiao blinked, puzzled.

Silver Owl lowered his head and said, "In my lifetime, I never want to step into that place again!"

Li Si held a sandalwood fan and fanned herself frantically, saying, "Oh dear, I should have known better than to mention it. It's true what they say, bad things always come true. Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey..."

Xiao Xiao was a little surprised. These two were usually arrogant and domineering, and didn't care about anyone. Why were they suddenly so nervous?

At this moment, Ye Zhihui stepped forward and said with a smile, "What are you two heroes talking about? That's just a tavern."

Li Si turned her head and asked, "Miss Ye, do you know anyone there?"

Ye Zhihui nodded, "Yes. The young owner of that tavern is my father's apprentice. By seniority, I call him brother."

Upon hearing this, Yin Xiao laughed. "Matchmaker, did you hear that?"

Li Si smiled and said, "Yes, that's a big favor."

Xiao Xiao was completely confused. A tavern? The young master? Favors? What was all this about? She couldn't understand a word...

Just as she was about to ask more questions, everyone around her fell silent, and the sound of rain seemed strangely peaceful at that moment.

Suddenly, several flashes of cold light appeared, and dozens of strangely shaped hidden weapons pierced through the rain curtain and attacked.

Li Si spun around and made a move, her red lines crisscrossing, deflecting all the hidden weapons.

Xiao Xiao stared in surprise at the vast, pouring rain before her. There was no one in the rain, which made it all the more eerie.

Yin Xiao drew his soft sword, took a step back, and stood protectively in front of Xiao Xiao and Ye Zhihui.

Ye Zhihui was startled by the sudden attack. She frowned and clenched her small hands tightly.

Xiao Xiao was also frightened. She listened carefully to the sounds around her and didn't dare to move an inch.

At this moment, the enemy launched another attack, unleashing a barrage of hidden weapons, several times more dangerous than before.

But Li Si was unfazed. She raised her hand, and the red thread, swift as a whip and lightning, once again knocked down the hidden weapons. At that moment, Yin Xiao raised an eyebrow, and a flash of snow-white silver light shot out, disappearing into the rain.

To everyone's surprise, a dozen or so men dressed in black suddenly appeared out of thin air in the previously empty rain.

Japanese ninjas! Xiao Xiao was slightly startled. Japanese ninjas? That meant they were from the East Sea? How could they possibly have left the city? ...No, Japanese ninjas possess the ability to fly and disappear underground, and rumors even say they have the divine skill of invisibility. Perhaps they really could break through. So, the reason the people from the East Sea remained in the city was for her? That doesn't make sense either... Even so, she couldn't have been recognized today in disguise. Those ninjas clearly weren't here for her. If their identities were truly confirmed, then only…

Xiao Xiao glanced at Ye Zhihui… Yes, those people's target was the "Liquan Divine Spear" in Ye Zhang's possession. It seemed they intended to use the same trick again, capturing Ye Zhihui to threaten Ye Zhang. Ye Zhang had overlooked this step…

Thinking of this, she suddenly felt helpless. In other words, Ye Zhang really did possess the "Liquan Divine Spear"...

“Japanese ninjas…” Silver Owl gritted his teeth, his tone revealing murderous intent. He leaped into the enemy ranks and began to fight with his sword.

Li Si stood motionless in the pavilion, observing the situation before her.

The Japanese ninjas appeared and disappeared intermittently, taking advantage of the favorable weather to gain the upper hand. Silver Owl was no weakling, but he was at a disadvantage.

The remaining ninjas stopped engaging Silver Owl and attacked the people in the pavilion.

Li Si frowned and said, "Miss Zuo, these people are very troublesome. You should take Miss Ye and leave by carriage first!"

After she finished speaking, she joined the battle.

Xiao Xiao immediately did as instructed. The coachman was already in place, and once the two of them were on the carriage, he cracked the whip and gave a shout. The horse galloped away.

...

Xiao Xiao sat in the carriage, trying her best to remain calm. Ye Zhihui held her tightly, her eyes closed.

The only sound was the rain, yet Xiao Xiao's anxiety grew ever stronger. What should she do? If they really caught up, with her rudimentary martial arts skills, she'd barely be able to protect herself…

Suddenly, a noise came from the roof of the carriage.

Startled, she immediately pulled out her hairpin, using it as a weapon.

Just then, the sounds of fighting came from the roof of the carriage; presumably, the coachman and the newcomers were exchanging blows. Xiao Xiao held her breath and gripped the hairpin in her hand tightly.

The roof of the carriage couldn't withstand such an ordeal, and it collapsed in a matter of moments. The driver and the attacker fell down as well. Little Xiao, quick-witted and agile, spotted the black-clad ninja and stabbed him with a hairpin. The ninja, in pain, fled.

Just as Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, she saw that the coachman was injured and probably could no longer fight.

Once the two horses were out of control, they started galloping wildly without any direction. She didn't know how to drive, so she had to pull hard on the reins and finally managed to stop the horses.

Xiao Xiao loosened her grip on the reins, only to feel a sharp pain in her palm. She had used too much force, scraping her skin raw; her palm was now covered in blood.

However, the current situation didn't allow her to consider such things. She pulled out another hairpin, ready for battle.

Compared to before, the rain had subsided considerably, and visibility had improved. Xiao Xiao could see several figures moving through the rain, vaguely discernible yet elusive.

She glanced at Ye Zhihui, then at the injured coachman, and steeled her resolve. Fine! She'd see it through to the end!

She jumped off the carriage, stood up straight, and laughed loudly, "Hiding your head and tail, what kind of hero is that? The 'Three-String Heroine' is here, why don't you show yourself!"

Xiao Xiao naturally knew that this "Three-String Heroine" was even more popular than Ye Zhihui. Donghai had no reason to let her go. Upon hearing this, the blurry figures instantly became clear. Xiao Xiao immediately recognized that there were only three people. One of them even had her glass hairpin pierced into his arm.

Three people? Let's go for it!

She bent over to avoid the first blow, then grabbed one person's wrist. With a twist of her fingers, she pushed the person down and kicked them in the back.

This was supposed to be a killing move, but since Xiao Xiao hadn't cultivated internal energy, it wouldn't be fatal at all; it was merely a deterrent. She thought she was sure to succeed, but unexpectedly, the ninja flipped over and disappeared into the rain and mist. All that remained in Xiao Xiao's hand was a piece of her sleeve.

Seeing this, Xiao Xiao knew something was wrong. Several hidden weapons suddenly attacked from nowhere, and a cold wind rose behind her. She had no time to defend herself and was about to be hit.

But in that brief moment of surprise, a long sword suddenly pierced through the volley of hidden weapons. A flash of silver light streaked past, and the weapons fell to the ground. Before Xiao Xiao could even react, she was abruptly pulled aside, avoiding an attack from behind.