Médecine traditionnelle chinoise

Chapitre 72

Xiao Xiao was completely puzzled and asked: Why would you hurt someone for no reason?

The master frowned and said: Wasn't I just giving an example?

Xiao Xiao frowned and said, "Then why don't you give me something more practical?"

The master was speechless. After a long while, he said angrily: Enough said, let's eat!

Back then, she had won a small argument and felt secretly pleased for a long time. But now, the feeling was completely different. Holding her rice bowl, she found it hard to swallow. She never knew that she would actually have a day when she resented her master. Why did he have to break into the Lian family, the Divine Arrow Master? Why did he have to blind Zhu Chenyan? Why… did she have to be the disciple of the "Ghost Master"…

She glanced cautiously at Lian Zhao. He noticed her gaze, smiled slightly, and casually picked up his chopsticks to serve her some food. This gesture drew a lot of teasing from Lian Ying.

Xiao Xiao lowered her head, a sudden pang of sadness gripping her. She had come here to finally give up, but why was she finding it increasingly impossible? She was the disciple of the Ghost Master "Han Qing," an unchangeable fact. If the Lian family knew this truth, would they still treat her so gently? Could she do it? Deceive them for the rest of her life?

At that moment, she finally understood what it meant to be utterly devoid of flavor... and she finally realized that she simply didn't have the talent to be a con artist...

...

Nine Turns and Twists

That night, Xiaoxiao tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep no matter what she did. She got up and let out a long sigh.

She reached for the sanxian beside her pillow and hugged it to her chest. Her fingernails traced the strings, producing a soft tinkling sound. She immediately pressed down on the strings, suppressing the lingering resonance. She nuzzled the sanxian with her head and whispered, "Master..."

She closed her eyes, pondered for a moment, and then got out of bed. She walked to the dressing table and looked at her reflection in the bronze mirror.

She reached out and pointed at herself in the bronze mirror, saying, "Zuo Xiaoxiao! You shameless person!"

She took a deep breath and continued, "Do you possess unparalleled beauty? Are you skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? Are you a good match for me in terms of social standing? Have you ever shown me sincerity?! You're a liar! You've never told a single truth! With your qualifications, you think you can be the young mistress of the Lian family?! And you even resent your master for something like this? You have no conscience! You're worse than an animal, you'll be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"

After her little scolding, she nodded in satisfaction and smiled, "That's more like it! Why doesn't anyone say that?"

She took a deep breath, smiled with relief, and then began to dress. Throwing on her robe, fastening the buttons, and tightening the belt—all her movements were fluid and swift, without the slightest hesitation. She tied her hair up and tossed her head. Then, she neatly folded the clothes given to her by the Lian family and placed them beside the bed.

She picked up her bag from the table, took out a packet of dried plums, picked one up, and put it in her mouth. The sourness made her squint, and her mind instantly cleared.

She shouldered her bag, picked up her sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), and carefully put away the tokens one by one. When her fingers touched the bone buckle, she paused quietly. She picked up the bone buckle and smiled.

It's time for her to wake up from her dream.

She turned around deftly, opened the door, and walked out.

Emerging from the small room, she turned left, circled a covered walkway, and found Lian Zhao's room less than a hundred paces away. It was past midnight, and everyone in the Lian residence was sound asleep. Xiao Xiao stood quietly outside the door for a while, then squatted down, about to place the bone clapper on the ground.

Suddenly, someone spoke from behind.

"Little one?"

Xiao Xiao was startled and turned to look at the person who spoke.

Lian Zhao held a longbow in his hand and carried a quiver of arrows on his back. In the moonlight, the sweat on his forehead was clearly visible.

"You... how come..." Xiao Xiao asked in surprise.

Lian Zhao smiled slightly, "I couldn't sleep, so I got up to practice archery..." He looked at Xiao Xiao's attire, his expression showing surprise, "...What are you dressed like?"

She took a few steps back, pressing her back against the door. "I..."

Lian Zhao took a few steps closer and asked anxiously, "Has something happened?"

Xiao Xiao looked at him silently.

Lian Zhao sensed something was wrong. "Xiao Xiao, what's wrong?"

She avoided his gaze for a long time before finally saying, "Lian Zhao, I cannot marry you."

Lian Zhao was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "What did you say?"

Xiao Xiao lowered her head, mustered all her courage, and said earnestly, "I'm a liar... I've been lying to you from the very beginning. Yin Xiao didn't kill my parents; I have no grudge against him whatsoever. Back in Hero's Fortress, the other accomplice of Yin Xiao in the tunnel was me, and the person you shot was also me... Inside Jiyu Manor, I wasn't ordered by my martial uncle to investigate the underground palace at all; the people who went with me were Yin Xiao and Mo Yun..."

After listening, Lian Zhao calmly said, "I know..."

Xiao Xiao raised her head and looked at him in surprise.

Lian Zhao's expression was incredibly gentle. "When I saw the protective armor on you in the underground palace of Jiyu Manor, I knew..."

"You know..." Xiao Xiao stammered, "You know, and..."

“I’ve already said…” Lian Zhao looked at her and said earnestly, “I forgive you.”

Xiao Xiao stood there, speechless.

Lian Zhao lowered his eyes. "I really didn't expect you to tell me this yourself..." A faint smile appeared on his face. "However, don't mention a word of it in front of my family... It's okay to keep lying like this..."

Xiao Xiao never imagined such words would come out of his mouth. Honest as he is, would he really lie to his parents?

"I..." her voice trembled slightly, "I'm not a good person..."

Lian Zhao nodded, "Indeed, it doesn't count."

Xiao Xiao felt a tightness in her chest; she looked at him, unable to look away.

Lian Zhao hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and gently stroked her cheek. "Whether you're a good person or not doesn't matter. Didn't I tell you? I've made up my mind about you. Wholeheartedly, willingly." He smiled and said, "It's late, go back to sleep..."

The warmth made Xiaoxiao tremble slightly. Suddenly, she flung his hand away and turned to run away.

Lian Zhao was startled and took a few steps forward to stop her.

"Little..."

Her small voice, still trembling, said, "...I can't marry you!"

Lian Zhao was taken aback by her intense reaction. "Xiao Xiao, what's wrong with you?"

"I am the disciple of the Ghost Master!"

When Xiaoxiao shouted those words, a sudden silence fell over the surroundings. It was as if everything had been destroyed and vanished...

Xiao Xiao didn't dare to look at him, but she could feel the hand that was holding hers slowly loosening...

Xiao Xiao suddenly shook off that hand, jumped out of the veranda, leaped onto the roof, and ran for her life.

She dared not turn back, dared not stop, and didn't even have the courage to hear his answer. A nameless fear clouded her judgment; at that moment, she knew only one thing: escape, as far away as possible. And then, treat it all as a dream, and forget it completely…

Hearing the commotion, the people inside the Lian residence came out one after another.

When Lian Ying arrived, she saw Lian Zhao standing with his back to her, staring blankly at the roof.

"Zhao'er? What happened?" She stepped forward and asked.

Lian Zhao didn't turn around, he just shook his head.

At this moment, Zhu Chenyan also groped his way over. "Judging from the voice, is that Miss Zuo?"

Lian Zhao was silent for a moment, then turned around and said, "Hmm."

Lian Ying looked at him and frowned. "Did you two have a fight?"

Lian Zhao didn't answer, and at that moment, more and more people arrived. Lian Yi walked up to Lian Zhao with a serious expression and asked, "What exactly happened?"

Lian Zhao raised his eyes and said, "...She came to me, saying she had urgent business to attend to. I refused, and that's how the argument started."

"What's the matter that's so urgent?" Lian Ying asked.

"It's so late, and she still insists on leaving. It must be something important," Madam Lian said. "Zhao'er, you should be understanding of her. How can you quarrel with her?"

Lian Zhao remained silent.

Lian Yi looked around and said, "It's alright, everyone go back to your rooms." He walked over to Lian Zhao, gently patted his shoulder, and walked away without saying anything.

When everyone had left, Lian Zhao remained standing in the same spot, the longbow slowly slipping from his hand and falling to the ground…

...

...I am the dividing line representing how fast and far Little One runs = =+...

Shanghai Pu is located at the mouth of the Chun Shen River. After the capital moved south, the imperial court placed greater emphasis on waterway shipping, and this originally inconspicuous port also received imperial favor and became prosperous.

As dusk fell, Wen Su stood on the harbor pier, his brow furrowed.

Today is the final deadline of the five-day agreement. However, he has been standing here for two hours and still hasn't seen the person he's waiting for.

"Senior brother." Lin Zhi, the disciple from the East Sea, stepped forward and said, "The ship has arrived. Should we wait any longer? Perhaps our junior nephew..."

Wen Su said coldly, "She will come."

Lin Zhi shut his mouth, obediently walked away, and continued to arrange the ship's departure.

Wen Su's brows remained furrowed as he muttered to himself, "...Impossible..."

As darkness fell, the crowd gradually dispersed. Wen Su's expression grew increasingly cold. He looked up at the moonlight, turned, and walked towards the shore.

"Senior brother, where are you going?" Lin Zhi asked as he caught up with him.

"The Lian family of divine archers." Wen Su's voice remained icy.

Lin Zhi was puzzled and was about to ask more questions.

Suddenly, a pile of dry grass in front of them collapsed, accompanied by a mournful sound.

"Oh dear..."

Wen Su and Lin Zhi both took a step back, watching the girl who slid down with the hay.

"Xiaoxiao?" Wen Su's surprise was evident in his voice.

The girl who kept exclaiming in surprise was Xiao Xiao.

The little girl lay pitifully on the ground. When she heard someone call her name, she suddenly looked up and jumped up when she saw Wen Su. "Uncle-Master!"

Looking at her disheveled appearance, covered in dry grass, Wen Su frowned and asked, "When did you arrive?"

Xiao Xiao picked at the dry grass in her hair and said, "Last night..."

"Last night?" Wen Su looked at the pile of hay.

Xiao Xiao noticed his gaze and smiled, "I got tired of waiting for you and wanted to take a nap... I didn't expect..."

Lin Zhi laughed after hearing this.

Xiao Xiao chuckled dryly, watching Wen Su's expression.

Wen Su turned around and said, "Let's set sail and return to the East Sea."

"Yes, Senior Brother," Lin Zhi replied, then turned to look at Xiao Xiao, "Let's go, Junior Nephew."