Hidden Shadow – CH 189

Chapter One-Hundred-Eighty-Nine: I Want Her

Chu Dingjiang hurriedly left after receiving the letter.

Meanwhile, Sheng Changying had nothing to do all day but spend it all in Mo Sigui’s room. He brewed all the medicine for everyone there by himself, becoming a highly efficient “medicine apprentice.”

His memory was exceptional; he could find any of the hundreds of unlabeled medicine chests accurately the next time Mo Sigui mentioned them.

The room was filled with the aroma of herbs. Mo Sigui leaned against the couch, his face covered in herbal medicine, while Sheng Changying tended to more than ten medicine stoves. He bustled about with a fan, sweat beading on his forehead, but his heart finally felt at peace.

Seeing him so engrossed in his work, Mo Sigui could not help but say, “If you die one day, it will most likely be from overwork.”

Sheng Changying, while blowing air into the stove, replied, “Dying from overwork is more comfortable than dying from idleness. At first, I did it to survive, but later I always thought, in my lifetime, whether it is a hundred years or a few decades, I’ve accomplished what others would take two lifetimes to do. I feel incredibly rewarded.”

Mo Sigui, pressing the herbs on his face, got up from the couch, went to the stove on the far right, grabbed a small handful of Coptis chinensis, and was about to put it in when he heard Sheng Changying let out a long sigh.

“What’s causing this sigh?” Mo Sigui stopped.

Sheng Changying said, “I just realized Xuan Ren is truly a good girl.”

Mo Sigui’s face darkened, and he pursed his lips. “What do you mean?”

“Her family was destroyed; she was so pitiful, and with her meridians crippled, life in a place like the Konghe Academy was even more difficult! Seeing her struggle to survive, I felt her pain deeply.” Sheng Changying was lost in memories.

“Back then, my family was also destroyed, and I entered the Konghe Academy with Ah Zhi. Not long after, he was chosen, leaving me alone. I slept in the woodshed for three or four years. Winters in Bianjing are several times colder than here, and I only had one quilt. Ah Zhi gave it to me when he left. One time, I took it out to air it, and when I came back that night, it was gone. I do not know who did it. Later, I could only huddle in the firewood pile. Such a weak meridian, devoid of internal energy, cannot withstand even the slightest cold; all these ailments originated from that time.” Sheng Changying squinted his narrow eyes, slightly extinguishing the embers of a stove.

“I was a useless person in the Konghe Academy. Back then, Ah San, who was sweeping the floor, would roast sweet potatoes and share them with others. I was young and could not resist the temptation, so I asked him for some, only to be ridiculed by a group of people. Before I became the head of the storehouse, I was often teased. If someone gave me half a piece of steamed bun, I would remember that kindness for the rest of my life. Divine Physician, whether you offer help in times of need or add insult to injury is just a matter of a single thought for you. But for people like us, it is an eternal debt of gratitude.” His meaningful gaze fell on Mo Sigui’s hand, which was clutching the coptis.

Mo Sigui pondered for a moment, then asked seriously, “Changying, have you ever taken revenge?”

Sheng Changying shook his head.

“Then I am relieved.” Mo Sigui opened the medicine pot. He sprinkled a handful of coptis into it without any hesitation.

“Divine Physician,” Sheng Changying said, looking up, “Although Xuan Ren’s experience is similar to mine, I think her character is nothing like mine.”

Mo Sigui paused, then smiled. “I know her character. She’s usually too lazy to bother with trivial matters.”

Sheng Changying looked at him calmly. “I do not understand Xuan Ren as well as the Divine Physician does, but I understand Lord Chu better…”

An Jiu would not hold grudges with her friends; if she really angered her, she would simply kill them to silence them. However, Chu Dingjiang was the complete opposite. Whoever offended him, he would make sure they suffered every kind of pain imaginable.

Mo Sigui turned his face away. “Hmph! Come on then, who’s afraid of who!”

Sheng Changying wore a self-satisfied expression, poured the decocted medicine into bowls, and called several servants to deliver them to the various rooms.

“Wait, wait!” Mo Sigui left An Jiu’s bowl of medicine. “Anyway, it was not she who offended me; let’s brew another bowl.”

Sheng Changying raised the corners of his mouth, poured the medicine into a wooden basin, and picked up the medicine again.

In Yu Mansion.

Chu Dingjiang sat in the seat of honor in the warm pavilion. Yu Pianfei personally brewed a pot of tea for him. “Let’s toast Brother Chu with tea instead of wine.”

“Cheers,” Chu Dingjiang replied.

After finishing the cup, Yu Pianfei said, “Thank you, Brother Chu, for your help in escaping danger for my sister and enabling the Yu family to acquire part of the Feng family’s assets.”

“Not everyone dares to reach for a flower on a cliff,” Chu Dingjiang said with a faint smile. “Chief Yu has not disappointed me either.”

In this battle, the Feng family was the victim, but with their third-in-command, Qin Zheng, still at sea, the two Feng family heads, feeling guilty, quickly sold off several riverside docks. These docks were small, a drop in the ocean for the Feng family, but combined with the two docks the Yu family already owned, they could control the vital waterway of Huainan East Road. With Yu Pianfei around, the entire waterway would soon fall into the Yu family’s hands.

Yu Pianfei was indeed very bold, gambling with the entire Yu family, like snatching chestnuts from a fire.

The gamble paid off, but the Yu family had also offended Piaomiao Mountain Mansion. Yu Pianfei’s invitation to Chu Dingjiang was for this very reason.

“We will be relying on Brother Chu from now on. If Brother Chu has any requests, as long as the Yu family can fulfill them, we will do our best.”

Chu Dingjiang’s willingness to take such drastic measures against Piaomiao Mountain Mansion, regardless of whether he had powerful backers, demonstrated his formidable strength, making him a worthy ally. Chu Dingjiang’s presence indicated his intention to cooperate, but since he had extended an offer to the Yu family, he must have something in mind.

“In that case, I will be frank,” Chu Dingjiang said, toying with his jade cup. “I want Zhu Pianxian.”

Plop! Zhu Pianxian, who had been eavesdropping outside, grimaced as she scrambled to her feet. Knowing the commotion had given her away, she pushed the door open, straightened her back, and declared, “This lady is a member of the Zhu family, no longer a daughter of the Yu family. Why should the Yu family be in charge?”

Yu Pianfei remained calm and silent for a moment, then said, “Brother Chu, my sister is already a withered flower…”

Zhu Pianxian rushed to his side like a whirlwind, slapping him hard on the back of the head. “You brat, how can you talk about your own sister like that? You are the one who’s a withered flower!”

Yu Pianfei raised a hand to rub the back of his head. “Brother Chu’s tastes are truly peculiar.”

“It’s not my taste.” Chu Dingjiang put down his teacup and looked at Zhu Pianxian. “My companion admires Madam Zhu. She does not have many friends, so I hope Madam Zhu will return to Bianjing with us. She can talk to her often to relieve her boredom. As for Madam Zhu’s other affairs, we will not interfere.” The first time Chu Dingjiang saw An Jiu tease someone, he knew she must have found it amusing. At that time, Chu Dingjiang decided to take Zhu Pianxian with him when they returned to Bianjing.

“Is that so…” Zhu Pianxian immediately changed her demeanor, adopting a gentle and demure appearance, just like when they first met. “After all, it is such a long journey; I need to think it over carefully.”

Yu Pianfei sighed. This older sister was driving him crazy! Had she forgotten that these two people had bought her life from Piaomiao Mountain Mansion?! Were people who treated other people’s lives like a game so easy to deal with?!

“We will depart in seven days. Madam Zhu can take her time to think it over.” Chu Dingjiang stood up, glancing slightly at Yu Pianfei. “If you receive any news, leave the letter at Fulai Restaurant.”

Yu Pianfei rose to see him off, but Chu Dingjiang had already disappeared from the room.

He turned and saw Zhu Pianfei tiptoeing away; he shouted, “Stop right there!”