Canción nocturna

Capítulo 85

The three ministers said, "Life is like morning dew; the years do not give it to me."

I thought for a long time, then stared blankly at the Third Prince, "Huh?"

When I was cleaning the master's house, I saw that xylophone.

Upon closer inspection, the character "紫" (purple) is carved on the top of the instrument, and the character "辰" (Chen) is carved on the tail. They are embedded in the ebony and have been there for many years. When you run your hand over them, you can see several deep engravings that hurt your fingertips.

The sun sets in the west and rises in the east.

Perhaps the master had timed it perfectly; on the day the lotus blossomed, he finally returned.

I had only ever seen this flower in my master's notes, but I never imagined that this rare treasure would look so ordinary. The flower has two petals, and it is so blue that it looks like it is about to rain.

The master picked flowers to prepare the medicine, and I took a mortar and pestle and pounded the medicine for him.

A small pot of ginseng was stewing on the stove.

A breeze rustled through the bamboo grove outside the window, creating ripples on the spring pond.

During the break, the master took a sip of tea and then wrote down the prescription.

He looked up and asked, "Xiao Xiang, how have you been lately? Have you taken your medicine?"

I paused for a moment, then added some firewood to the stove and nodded, saying, "They've all eaten."

The master put down his brush, stood up, added the lotus to the medicine burner, looked at me with unfathomable dark eyes, and said in a deep voice, "You didn't eat it."

I was horrified. The ten-leaf eyelash medicine prescribed by my master was very effective. Every time I took it, I would feel dizzy for a whole day and night, unable to see clearly, covered in cold sweat, and my body would feel sticky. It was really uncomfortable.

I had only tested the medicine for my master, and since it was fine, I lazily put the ten-leaf eyelashes aside.

I mumbled, "I'm in good health. I figure I won't need to take it once I'm better."

The master looked down at the stove and said, "Don't think you can get away with this. You're a doctor, and you can't even take care of your own body, how can you treat others?"

Although his tone was indifferent, it was very serious. In all the years I've been by my master's side, I've never seen him speak to me like this before; there seemed to be some displeasure brewing inside.

I was frozen in place and could only stammer, "Then I'll get the medicine later."

Early the next morning, my master, along with me and the Third Master, went to the ice kiln in the Western Hills, which truly broadened my horizons.

The kiln opening was visible beneath the peach wood covering.

I followed the master inside, and saw that the walls of the cave were all ice, with a few icicles hanging down. The cold air was thick, as if a veil had been stretched out, shrouding the ice kiln in a hazy mist.

The cave was very deep. After walking for about half a cup of tea's time, I gradually felt my strength failing. I felt dizzy, and my limbs were freezing cold, with a chill seeping into my bones.

My foot slipped, and I almost fell. My master turned around and steadied me, frowning slightly. "Are you alright?"

I shook my head, supporting my mental center. "I'm fine."

The master tapped my wrist with his fingertips, his eyes hardening. “There is a warm jade pool inside the kiln. Come with me. For the next forty-nine days, soak in this pool for half an hour each day.”

As expected, the ice kiln was a world of contrasting ice and fire. Deep inside the kiln, there was an ice bed, on which lay a girl with a beautiful face and closed eyes. Her skin was very white, her hair was like crow feathers, and she had red lips and moth-like eyebrows. She looked to be about eighteen years old. The clothes she wore were very different from those of the girls from the Li Kingdom that I had seen before. They were wide robes with large sleeves, and a purple ribbon was tied around her waist.

I glanced at Third Master's wife, then glanced at Third Master again.

You were born when I was already old. I wonder if Third Sister will be happy or sad when she wakes up and sees Third Master with his temples turned white.

I gradually understood why the Third Master was so anxious a few days ago. Perhaps he didn't know how to face the fact that the girl in his heart was still as young as a flower, while he himself was covered with the marks of time.

Beside the ice bed was a deep pool, emitting a faint blue light, like the moonlight falling in autumn. I walked closer, squatted down, and touched the water with my hand. The water was warm and comforting.

There was a rack by the pool with two plain-colored cloth shirts hanging on it, which looked like the master's clothes.

A sudden thought flashed through my mind, and I stammered as I asked the master, "Master, you...you've soaked in the Warm Jade Pool here before?"

The master said calmly, "I came here when the poison took effect earlier."

I jumped up and down, saying with a sigh, "No way."

The master looked up and asked, "Hmm?"

I said, "What if Third Sister wakes up once in the middle and sees Master taking off his clothes to bathe..."

The Third Duke coughed a few times.

The master turned his face away, "...I didn't take off my clothes."

The master examined San Niang's pulse, released her acupoints, and gave her the antidote; then San Gong carried San Niang out of the cave.

Following my master's instructions, I soaked myself in the warm jade pool, fully clothed, to cool off.

Smoke swirled around me, and I don't know how long I'd been soaking. Feeling a bit drowsy, I lay down on the stone steps by the pool and fell asleep.

When I woke up, it was three days later.

When the master took me out of the ice kiln, I had been soaking for half a day, and the skin on the back of my hands was wrinkled.

I asked him, "Where is the master?"

The three officials said, "He hasn't slept for two nights; perhaps he's catching up on sleep."

I looked around. "Where is my third aunt?"

After a moment of hesitation, the three officials said, "Let's go."

I looked at the Third Master in surprise, "Did he scare you away?"