"So he'll be in pain for the rest of his life?" Hua Chongyang was practically sharpening his knife at a pig or sheep. "Since he's forgotten the past, why does he still have a headache? Aren't you a miracle doctor? Can't you cure him?"
Zu Xian snorted and raised an eyebrow:
"I'm only doing this because you're Hua Chongyang. If you weren't so beautiful, I would have left without even looking back, based on what you said."
"It was my fault, it was my fault," Hua Chongyang quickly admitted his mistake, walking closer to the bedside and taking Lan Wuxie's hand. "As long as you can heal him, I'll apologize however I want!"
"You said that?"
Hua Chongyang looked impatient:
"I never go back on my word."
"As long as I heal him, you'll never ask about the past again?"
"no way."
Zu Xian breathed a sigh of relief and called over the orchid plant beside him:
"Hey, did you hear what she just said?"
Lan Cao nodded repeatedly: "Of course, of course!"
"Then I'll tell you the truth," Zu Xian touched his nose and looked at Lan Wuxie, "At that time, he used his internal energy forcefully, causing the extremely cold and hot energies within his body to alternate chaotically; in addition, he may have been subjected to some kind of stimulation, so he lost his focus for a moment. After returning to Lan Ying Palace, I tried many methods, and then, and then--"
"And then the Pavilion Master didn't recover," Lan Cao continued briskly, "but then one day, the Pavilion Master suddenly woke up on his own, but he forgot everything that had happened before."
"...That's how it is, that's how it is." Zu Xian stammered, "But actually, this, ah--"
Hua Chongyang stared intently at him, his gaze icy, his teeth clenched:
"...Hurry up and tell me."
"Well, it's like this... Actually," Zu Xian said, walking closer to Lan Wuxie, lifting his long hair from behind to reveal behind his ear, and pointing to a spot, "You'll see here... and you'll understand."
Hua Chongyang squinted, and the orchids drew closer.
Once she could see clearly, the orchid whispered:
"...Are they silver needles?"
On the earlobe, there is a tiny silver glint, barely noticeable unless you look closely.
Zu Xian let his hair down and nodded:
"yes."
Hua Chongyang narrowed his eyes: "So?"
"...So, I tried acupuncture on him to see if it would work. Unexpectedly, as soon as I inserted the needle here, he woke up shortly afterward... but he forgot everything that happened." Zu Xian looked somewhat aggrieved. "I think, forgetting is better than being stupid; besides, this person's heart is always burdened with too many worries, forgetting might not be a bad thing for him..."
"So," Lan Cao continued, "you've kept that needle in there all this time, without doing anything for the Pavilion Master? His headaches when he thinks about the past, is it because of that needle?"
"...80%."
Lan Cao sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "My esteemed healer, you've gone a bit too far!"
"People only know me as a miracle doctor, and they want me to cure all sorts of bizarre illnesses! I'm not a real god! It's already good enough that I was able to bring him back to his senses! What more do you want?"
"Mr. Zu, do you know what medical ethics are?"
"What makes you think I lack medical ethics?"
"……"
The two were arguing when Hua Chongyang, who had never been born, suddenly spoke up:
"If you remove the needle, will he still be conscious?"
Zu Xian glanced at her, thought for a moment, and then said:
"To be honest, I'm not sure."
Hua Chongyang remained silent once more.
The three of them were speechless for a moment.
In the silence, Lan Wuxie, lying on the bed, slowly opened his eyes. He first saw Hua Chongyang, then Zu Xian. He frowned and let out a soft breath:
"Zu Xian."
Zu Xian was startled. He turned around and saw that Lan Wuxie had woken up. He quickly asked:
"How are you feeling?"
Hua Chongyang also turned around, released his hand, and then hesitantly asked:
"...Does it stop hurting now?"
"It's alright." Lan Wuxie sat up, still looking at Zu Xian, clearly having overheard their conversation. "Can the needle behind my ear be removed immediately?"
"……"
The three remained silent again.
After a while, Zu Xian spoke:
"……Can."
Hua Chongyang, however, was the first to object:
"no!"
Lan Wuxie didn't even glance at her, his eyes fixed on Zu Xian:
"Then let's do it while I'm still awake."
"Lan Wuxie!" Hua Chongyang shouted at him, raising an eyebrow. "Think carefully! What will happen to me if you die? What will happen to your son, Lan Fushun? And what about this one in my belly—it's a daughter, she hasn't even seen you yet, you, you—"
As she spoke, tears suddenly streamed down her face: "If you're not good to me, I'd rather you didn't remember me at all—"
She spoke, but knew perfectly well that she was uttering nothing.
She knew Lan Wuxie's nature better than anyone else; she would never be controlled by anyone—and certainly not by a tiny silver needle.
He looked at her tenderly at that moment.
His gaze was almost exactly the same as before, but then he turned to Zu Xian, signaling him to make a move.
Zu Xian did not hesitate any longer and immediately wrote a prescription for Lan Cao:
"Get the medicine prepared according to this prescription, decoct it immediately, and send it over."
He rolled up his sleeves and slowly pushed his palms along Hua Chongyang's back and neck, channeling his inner energy.
Lan Wuxie straightened up, then turned to look at Hua Chongyang, smiling for a long time:
"Go outside and wait there."
For the first time, Hua Chongyang listened to him so much. He turned and walked out the door. He sat restlessly in the courtyard for a while, but when he didn't see Lan Cao return, he couldn't help but want to go out and look for her. However, he was also worried about Lan Wuxie in the room. Finally, he couldn't bear it any longer and got up to return to his own courtyard.
Ye Laoqi, who was looking after Lan Fushun, lowered his voice when he saw Hua Chongyang return:
"After lunch, I played until I was tired and then went to sleep."
"Yeah, thanks for your hard work, Seventh Brother."
"Is Master Lan's illness serious?"
Hua Chongyang stood there for a moment before shaking his head:
"It's alright."
She approached the bed and looked at Lan Fushun, who was lying inside, sleeping peacefully.
Long eyebrows, long eyes, thick and long eyelashes resemble her, but those thin lips and the naturally curved smile at the corners of her lips are like a replica of Lan Wuxie.
Hua Chongyang sighed softly and removed his long robe:
"Seventh Brother, close the door. I'm tired too, I'm going to take a nap."
She lay on her side outside Fu Shun and closed her eyes.
I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my mind went completely blank, and I fell asleep instantly, drifting off into a series of sweet dreams.
In her dream, she returned to the half-drunk night, a night of heavy snowfall, and saw the brazier in the octagonal pavilion. Lan Wuxie, draped in a fur coat, no longer remembered who she was. He looked at her with slightly drunken eyes and asked in a hoarse voice:
"……Who are you?"
She gazed at him silently and only answered:
"It doesn't matter if you don't remember, it doesn't matter if you can't remember at all. Seeing you here puts my mind at ease."
A cool breeze carried his familiar fragrance, and she turned back with a sense of relief. She was happy, but tears kept streaming down her face, wetting her cheeks and clothes.
Tears streamed down her face. She slowly opened her eyes and realized that it was just a dream, and she had woken up crying from it.
It was already dark outside.
The room was lit by candlelight, a warm, dim light. Seeing that Fu Shun was still fast asleep, she carefully tried to turn around and sit up.
Only then did I realize that something was pressing down on my waist.
A delicate fragrance lingers around the nose, as if the scent from the dream has not yet dissipated.
She slowly lowered her head.
An arm was wrapped around her waist, and the phoenix feather ring on that hand looked very familiar.
Hua Chongyang almost stopped breathing.
She heard barely audible, slow breathing beside her ear—how long had it been since she'd heard it? She turned her neck slightly and saw a familiar face and forehead. Lan Wuxie was nestled against her back, eyes closed, fast asleep.
She gently touched his cheek and whispered:
"Lan Wuxie?"
Lan Wuxie's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She called softly again:
"Lan Wuxie?"
He lifted the arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. His voice was still low and hoarse, and his eyes were hazy with sleepiness.
"...Chongyang Festival? I'm a little tired, stay with me and sleep a little longer."
The candlelight flickered, filling the blue silk bed curtains, and on the blue silk pillow, the two people's hair was intertwined.