Hidden Shadow – CH 114

Chapter One-Hundred-Fourteen: The Stunning Beauty of Physician Mo

His face was sallow, his temples graying, his cheeks sunken from thinness, and his wide robes hung loosely on his body, making him look as if a gentle breeze could cause him to stagger.

In just over half a month since their parting, he had transformed from a handsome young man into an emaciated figure, leaving An Jiu speechless for a long time.

“I’ve heard that physician Mo is a young and talented man, and I am honored to meet you today…” Hua Rongjian poked his head out, but upon seeing Mo Sigui, the rest of his words caught in his throat. After a moment, he stammered, “A pleasure to meet you.”

Mo Sigui gave him a perfunctory bow, glaring at An Jiu. “What are you looking at? I think I’ve gained weight, so I’ve been dieting recently. Do not look at me like you’ve seen a ghost!”

Mo Sigui dismounted and got into the carriage. Even this simple action left him breathless, but he seemed to be in relatively good spirits.

He excitedly pulled An Jiu close, looking her up and down. “You are still alive!” Being alive lessened his guilt.

An Jiu wanted to tell him that Mei Jiu was actually dead, but her gaze fell on his sallow face. She moved her lips but did not speak.

“How did you get like this?” An Jiu asked.

“Speaking of this, I have a feeling it will be the greatest shame of Mo Sigui’s life.” Mo Sigui suddenly became animated, saying angrily, “A crazy woman from Liao poisoned me, and it took me eight days to concoct the antidote!”

Being caught by a woman to test poison and taking eight days to concoct the antidote—for an ordinary man, the former would certainly be considered more shameful. Once the antidote was found, he would not dwell on how many days it took. But Mo Sigui clearly felt the latter was far more serious.

“A madwoman from Liao?” Hua Rongjian’s attention was drawn to this. “Could it be Ning Yanli from ‘Southern Mo and Northern Ning’?”

Mo Sigui was displeased. “What Southern Mo and Northern Ning! Do not compare me to a madwoman.”

He had just said he looked down on Ning Yanli, but then his face turned sinister. “Hmph. I recently concocted some little tricks. If she can concoct the antidote in eight days, I will kowtow to her.”

“She’s dead.” An Jiu, seeing his fanaticism for medicine, suddenly felt hatred and maliciously wanted to shatter his obsession and madness on this path. “She died while shielding you from an arrow.”

An Jiu did not say her name; she knew Mo Sigui would understand.

Mo Sigui froze, staring into An Jiu’s dark eyes for a long time, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Mo Sigui!” An Jiu was shocked, not expecting this to be such a huge blow to him.

“You are still alive.” Mo Sigui uttered these four words before fainting.

His dream was chaotic. It was all about Fourteenth Young Lady; one moment she was crying pitifully, the next she was as cold as ice, and in the end, they were all mixed up, and he could not tell which one had moved him.

Was Fourteenth Young Lady really dead? He could not figure it out.

When Mo Sigui woke up, he found himself lying in soft bedding. Opening his eyes, he saw An Jiu standing by the bed, head bowed, staring at him thoughtfully.

Seeing that he was awake, An Jiu said softly, “I am sorry.”

“It’s my turn to say that,” Mo Sigui’s voice was dry.

A long silence followed.

Knock knock knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Mo Sigui said, “Come in.”

Through the bed curtains, he vaguely saw a tall young man push open the door and enter, followed by a servant and several maids.

They reached the bed curtains. The servant stepped forward and lifted the curtain.

The man wore a dark blue robe, his hair was tied in a bun and crowned with a black jade ornament, and his face was sharply defined. With sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, he exuded an imposing aura.

“My name is Hua Rongtian.” The man’s gaze swept lightly over An Jiu, giving a slight nod. A perfunctory greeting, his eyes quickly shifting to Mo Sigui. “Is the Divine Physician settling in comfortably here?”

An Jiu, however, scrutinized him a few more times. This was the legendary youngest Privy Councilor, indeed possessing a formidable official air. Hua Rongjian had described her elder brother as a deeply affectionate man, but from this stern demeanor, not a trace of tenderness or affection could be discerned.

Mo Sigui struggled to sit up, but Hua Rongtian strode to the bedside and personally helped him up.

“I must thank the Privy Councilor and Second Young Master Hua for this,” Mo Sigui said.

He tried to get out of bed but was stopped by Hua Rongtian. “I’ve long heard of the divine physician’s reputation for healing the sick and saving lives. If anything were to happen to him, it would be a misfortune for the Song Dynasty. I hope the divine physician does not mind our meddling.”

Even though he knew Hua Rongtian was only intervening because of Mo Sigui’s medical skills, these words were still much more agreeable. An Jiu recalled Hua Rongjian’s words and suddenly felt, “They both have the surname Hua; how can there be such a huge difference in our character?”

“Please sit, Your Excellency,” Mo Sigui said.

“It seems a bit inconvenient today, so I will not sit. Seeing that the divine physician is unharmed, I am relieved.” Hua Rongtian’s gaze shifted slightly, seemingly looking at An Jiu.

Hua Rongtian knew there were women inside before he entered. Although the customs of the Song Dynasty were somewhat conservative, there was still some degree of contact between men and women; at least, occasional encounters were not considered a big deal. In such situations, women would usually quickly move away, but Hua Rongtian had not expected An Jiu to stand there so casually, showing no intention of avoiding them, so he could not stay any longer.

Mo Sigui glanced at An Jiu, then said to Hua Rongtian, “Then we will go and thank the academy another day.”

Hua Rongjian simply said, “You are too kind, Divine Physician,” and turned to leave, leaving the maids behind.

One of the maids knelt by the curtain and said, “Divine Physician, Lady Mei, the eldest son sent us to serve you both.”

“I know, you can go now.” Normally, Mo Sigui would have teased them, but he was too weak to do so.

Spring arrived quickly. In just a few days, Bianjing was already ablaze with peach blossoms and willows. Boats and pleasure boats crisscrossed the river, and bustling crowds chasing spring broke the silence of winter.

People gradually emerged from the shadow of the two massacres, but the attack on the Lou and Mei families left the court reeling for a long time.

Especially the current Emperor, who finally felt the immense threat from an unknown enemy.

The person secretly manipulating this situation clearly had been plotting for a long time, possessing terrifying strength and ruthless methods, managing to wipe out two of the four major families within the Konghe Army in a short period! They also successfully sowed discord between the Emperor and his ministers, nearly causing the entire Konghe Army to collapse.

The Emperor, while sending people to protect the remaining families and appease the Mei and Lou families within the Konghe Army, was also overwhelmed with his usual political affairs. He fell seriously ill as soon as the weather warmed up, but the matter remained unresolved, forcing him to rely on elixirs to keep going despite his illness.

On the surface, the Ministry of Justice launched a high-profile investigation into the two horrific cases of Mei and Lou, but the true investigation was conducted by the Konghe Army. After more than two months, the Ministry of Justice finally produced a plausible investigation report, while the Konghe Army also made progress.

The investigation process was simple; their starting point was the astonishingly large number of “Half-Baked products,” which led them to Ning Yanli, who was actually a physician in the household of Yelu Huangwu of the Liao Kingdom.

They also took the opportunity to learn about Ning Yanli’s background. She was an orphan, found on a beach by the young Yelu Huangwu, who took her back to her mansion. Because she called herself “Ningzi,” Yelu Huangwu named her Ning Yanli, meaning a lone goose separated from its flock. Ning Yanli’s medical talent began to show within six months of entering the mansion. Yelu Huangwu admired her extensive knowledge and excellent memory, so she took her in as a companion and focused on teaching her medical books.

After living in the Hua mansion for more than half a month, Mo Sigui had become plump and healthy, even more beautiful than before.

In the bright spring sunshine, the courtyard was a mess. An Jiu, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, was sawing wood, preparing to modify a small crossbow for herself.

The stone table was piled high with medicinal herbs. Mo Sigui was engrossed in preparing two kinds of herbal decoctions. Seeing his reflection in the cup, he muttered, “That woman Ning Yanli must be ugly, so she deliberately tried to ruin my handsome face. Her intentions are malicious, but I will not let her succeed!”

The only response was the creaking sound of An Jiu sawing wood.

“But that woman’s got some tricks up her sleeve; she actually wasted eight days of my time!” Mo Sigui was still fixated on those eight days; they were practically a thorn in his side.

An Jiu immediately felt uncomfortable hearing this. “How long is eight days? If you keep nagging, I will cut your tongue out and use it as a snack!”

“Easily angered, be careful not to die young.” Hua Rongjian’s smiling voice came from the doorway.

An Jiu, using a short knife to smooth the wood, did not bother to look at him. “I cannot guess when I will die, but I am sure you will die before me.”