Canción nocturna

Capítulo 68

Qi Xiao told me about her experiences over the years.

She said that the night we separated, she was taken away by the matchmaker.

I was shocked. "Human traffickers? Trafficking women and children?"

Qi Xiao nodded solemnly.

I said, "How come I didn't know? Why didn't you call for me when you were taken away?"

Qi Xiao smiled nonchalantly, "Back then, I thought we had stolen someone's purse and the servants had found out and come looking for revenge. Since you weren't feeling well, I covered you with thatch to hide you."

She took a sip of wine and said that she was later sold to the capital to work as a dancer. During this time, she asked someone to go back to Yangzhou to look for me, but they couldn't find me. A few days ago, she heard about my marriage to Master Du, so she packed her things and slipped away, embarking on a long journey to find her family.

Qi Xiao calmly and casually recounted the past in just a few words, as if he were telling someone else's story.

I looked at her, and the lights on the opposite bank fell into her eyes. She turned around and smiled at me.

In that instant, I remembered Qi Xiao from when I was little. She hugged me tightly and said, "Sister, Xiao Xiao is here with you."

Qi Xiao picked up a pebble and threw it into the river, splashing a water droplet.

The painted boats on the river parted the water, creating ripples. The night market was bustling, the lights were like gold, and the air was filled with a misty haze.

I said, "Xiao Xiao, come back to Medicine King Valley with me."

Qi Xiao, resting her chin on her hand, asked me, "Do you like that Young Master Xia?"

I nodded.

She said seriously, "Actually, I really want to ask, you and him..." She paused, gave me a meaningful look, and then said meaningfully, "...or...?"

I said, "Huh?"

Qi Xiao unfolded his paper fan, raised an eyebrow, and leaned close to my ear to say, "You two, a man and a woman, have been alone in Medicine King Valley for so long, has anything happened between you two?"

I said shyly, "Ah...no, no, it's still early."

I asked her again, "Actually, I'd also like to ask, you've been a dancer for several years, have any young men... um... you?"

Qi Xiao gazed into the distance for a while, watching the painted boat shrouded in mist, with a singing girl on board singing a folk song without saying a word.

I was somewhat worried that my suspicions might come true, and I would truly have no face to face the ancestors of the Qi family and my parents whom I had never met. Then I thought about it again, and realized that Qi Xiao and I don't actually share the surname Qi; to be precise, I don't even know if we share the same surname.

In the beginning, when we were wandering the streets of Yangzhou, I called her "little sister," and she called me "older sister." As time went on, I realized that "older sister" and "little sister" were generic terms. If I called out "little sister" in the market, it would attract the attention of many people, young and old. Also, madams in brothels liked to call themselves "older sister" and call the girls who wore perfume "little sister." So, I picked an auspicious day and officially gave us both names.

When I was young, I admired three people the most: the Monkey King, Erlang Shen, and the Seven Fairy Maidens. So, I picked out a surname that sounded like a surname: Qi.

I patted her on the shoulder. "Xiao Xiao, is that the person you like?"

She nodded slightly, then smiled brightly, "No, no, it's still early."

I wasn't sure if Qi Xiao's nod was an answer to my previous question or the one before that, but given the sensitive nature of the topic, I felt embarrassed to press further.

The song drifted on the wind with the thin mist, while the moonlight and the stone bridge were reflected in the river, hazy and indistinct.

We drank and shared our innermost thoughts by the river.

Qi Xiao winked at me, "Young Master Xia is quite something. He's a good doctor, a good calligrapher, good-looking, and he's even interested in you."

Regarding my master, I only described two things to Qi Xiao: First, he is my master; second, I entered Medicine King Valley three years ago to become his disciple.

I was surprised that she could draw so many meaningful conclusions from those two sentences.

I said, "How do you know what he means to me?"

Qi laughed and said, "I called him brother-in-law just now, and he didn't deny it."

I lowered my head. "But he didn't admit it either..."

Qi Xiao pondered for a moment, then said, "He acquiesced."

A burning passion ignited within me. Whether my master tacitly agreed or silently denied it, I chose to believe my sister's words.

I raised the wine pot and drank with her.

At the entrance of the alley paved with bluestone bricks, the number of people gradually decreased, many restaurants turned off their lights, and only the lanterns in front of wealthy families cast a dim light.

By the light of the lamp, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of the paper fan in Qi Xiao's hand, and upon closer inspection, I saw that it was also adorned with a cluster of peach blossoms.

I suddenly thought of the ever-popular peach blossom fan in Lou Xiyue's hand. After he got married, he probably didn't use that fan much in romantic settings.

The faint sound of a flute might drift from the misty lanes, carrying with it the sorrow of parting.

I squinted and seemed to see Lou Xiyue, her robes fluttering, leaning against the railing of the painted boat, her long eyes slightly narrowed, a jade flute in her hand resting on her lips.

"elder sister."

Someone tugged at me, and I snapped back to reality, looking at Qi Xiao. "Um, what did you just say?"

She asked me, "Are you going back to Medicine King Valley this time to find the antidote for wolfsbane to treat Lou Sanjian?"

I nodded.

She said, "I know the antidote for this poison."

I asked, "Is there an antidote for this poison?"

Qi Xiao pondered deeply, "It seems that using the blood of the nine-tailed snow fox, combined with the red dragon embracing the pillar, and adding a deer antler lingzhi, could cure this poison."