Hidden Shadow – CH 360

Chapter Three-Hundred-Sixty: Awakening

“How is he?” Chu Dingjiang asked.

Mo Sigui immediately became wary. “Let me tell you, you are not allowed to touch him. Killing someone in my room is not the act of a hero. If you are so capable, go outside and fight him when he’s better.”

Chu Dingjiang, his expression unchanged, found a stool and sat down. “When have I ever killed someone and then talked nonsense?”

Mo Sigui thought about it and realized it was true, so he relaxed. “Anyway, I will not let him die in this room. As for the rest…”

“Shortened lifespan?” Chu Dingjiang glanced at the person on the bed, whose breathing was weak.

“Logically speaking, that is how it would be, but since he saved Ah Jiu, I will give him a few years of lifespan.” Mo Sigui sat on the ground, his body almost submerged in the pile of medicine, his posture casual, but once he said this, no one could question it.

After he finished speaking, he asked suspiciously, “Are you not always concerned about the country and its people? Why did you not kill him?”

Chu Dingjiang was a man who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. If he wanted to kill someone, there would be no reason to stop him.

“I have withdrawn from the Konghe Army and am no longer a subject of the Great Song.” This was only one reason; Chu Dingjiang’s thoughts ran far deeper. He had not acted when he had the chance to kill Wei Yuzhi, and he would not now either. Without Wei Yuzhi, the Liao Kingdom would quickly unify, and that would truly be a nightmare for the Great Song.

Mo Sigui neither confirmed nor denied his explanation, nor did he press further, as it was not important to him. “Wei Yuzhi will wake up tomorrow, but Ah Jiu… Sigh! I cannot say for sure.”

She might wake up quickly; she might lie there for ten days, half a month, or even years; or she might never wake up again. This was Mo Sigui’s first attempt to nourish someone with a damaged mental force using blood. According to medical books, it was theoretically effective, but reality was not always so. Mo Sigui was not one to blindly believe in medical texts; he had been repeatedly verifying and refuting the information left by his predecessors. He was also beginning to accumulate his own experience.

“It will be useful.” Chu Dingjiang did not know if he was comforting himself or speaking to Mo Sigui; his tone resolute, as if he had personally confirmed it. He paused for a moment, then reminded him, “Just because I will not harm Wei Yuzhi does not mean everyone else will not. Do not forget, this is the Hua Mansion.”

It’s the residence of the Prime Minister of the Song Dynasty! Hua Rongjian and Mei Jiu often came to visit An Jiu.

“I know.” Mo Sigui lit a cigarette, the aroma of medicine spreading with the smoke. He leaned against the edge of the bed, squinting at Chu Dingjiang. “I never thought we could live under the same roof peacefully. It is only because I am a good person; otherwise, I would have poisoned you a thousand times over.”

Chu Dingjiang said calmly, “Thank you for your mercy, Divine Physician.”

“Tch!” With a sneer, wisps of smoke escaped Mo Sigui’s mouth. “What do you know?”

“I know you are enduring this to gain a favor so that one day you can save Lou Mingyue from danger,” Chu Dingjiang said.

Lou Mingyue had ventured alone into the Liao Kingdom; sooner or later, she would be discovered. Once that happens, there would be no escape. Only a master of the Transcendent Realm had the ability to bring someone out amidst such danger.

Mo Sigui raised a pair of peach blossom eyes. “I really do not understand how you and Ah Jiu, both such boring people, could become a couple.” Chu Dingjiang remained silent. Their humor was something others could not understand.

Mo Sigui finished a cigarette, a hazy sleepiness clouding his eyes. Chu Dingjiang quietly went out and returned to the room, lying down beside An Jiu. He quickly fell into a deep sleep as well.

In the six months since An Jiu had been in a coma, Chu Dingjiang had never slept so well and even had a dream.

In his dream, he was in the State of Zhao. The countryside was a sea of ​​pink and white peach and apricot blossoms, the sun shining brightly. He was napping on a woolen blanket, the falling petals almost burying him.

He opened his eyes, the light blinding. He vaguely saw someone standing beside him with arms crossed, watching him. His vision cleared for a long time, but the person’s features remained blurry.

“Are you awake?” a slightly hoarse voice asked.

Chu Dingjiang abruptly opened his eyes. Bright sunlight streamed in through the window, and An Jiu stood by the bed, arms crossed, her back to the light, looking down intently at him.

Perhaps the sunlight was too dazzling, but tears suddenly slid down Chu Dingjiang’s cheeks.

An Jiu leaned down and hugged him.

Chu Dingjiang was filled with emotion, thinking that An Jiu had been bedridden for so long, and finally understood the coldness of human relationships. This time, she actually took the initiative to hug and comfort him; it was truly precious.

As he was thinking this, An Jiu sighed, “You’ve suffered so much these past years.”

“These past years?” Chu Dingjiang asked, puzzled.

An Jiu released him, touching his face and the white hair at his temples. “I’ve been bedridden for at least ten years, and you’ve aged so much.”

An Jiu was indeed deeply moved, thinking that Chu Dingjiang’s ability to care for a living dead person for so many years was truly love.

Chu Dingjiang sat up, rubbing his temples and chuckling wryly, “You are infuriating the moment you open your eyes.” After calming himself for a moment, Chu Dingjiang turned to An Jiu. “You’ve only been in a coma for about half a year.”

An Jiu slightly opened her eyes. “In just over half a year, you’ve gone from being an uncle to a grandfather! Why the rush?”

“…” Chu Dingjiang stared at her speechlessly for a long time, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.

She was so thin; even with one arm around her, it felt empty.

“Master Chu, Madam Hua has come to see Ah Jiu.” Mei Yanran knocked on the door from outside.

“Come in!” Chu Dingjiang was in a great mood.

Mei Jiu was nine months pregnant, nearing her due date, but she still insisted on coming to see An Jiu every day. She entered, supporting her belly, and paused, stunned, when she saw An Jiu standing by the bed.

Mei Yanran was also taken aback.

“How did you get so fat!” An Jiu thought Mei Jiu, this aristocratic lady, had become too carefree and plump! But then she remembered that Mei Jiu had been pregnant before she fainted.

Mei Jiu burst into tears of joy and was about to rush over to hug An Jiu when she suddenly froze. “Mother, my water broke!”

Mei Yanran immediately called out, “Someone, come here!”

A group of servants rushed in. The woman at the head, upon hearing that Mei Jiu’s water had broken, quickly ordered her to be carried into the delivery room.

Mei Jiu was about to give birth and had been running around all day. Hua Rongtian was worried about unexpected situations, so he had prepared three delivery rooms in the mansion, one of which was next to this small courtyard.

“Lie down and rest for a while. I will go prepare some food for you,” Chu Dingjiang said.

Upon hearing the word “food,” An Jiu’s stomach rumbled. Having been standing since waking up, she was now sweating slightly and had no choice but to lie down obediently.

Chu Dingjiang went to Mo Sigui’s room first, finding him lying among piles of medicine, reading medical books. He said in as calm a tone as possible, “She’s awake!”

Mo Sigui jumped up, and before Chu Dingjiang could ask An Jiu what she could eat, he rushed out like the wind, leaving a shoe on the threshold without even returning to pick it up.

The woman was lying in bed anxiously waiting for food when a madman kicked the door open. Seeing she was indeed awake, he grabbed her and howled.

“Mo Sigui.” An Jiu recognized him only by the scent of medicine on him. Luckily, she had been lying in bed for so long that her body’s reactions had become sluggish; otherwise, she would have already struck him down!

Chu Dingjiang sighed, went to the kitchen, and found that Mei Yanran had already cooked white porridge, so he took the pot and bowl away.

Inside the room, Mo Sigui was already sitting on a stool, taking An Jiu’s pulse.

“Her qi and blood are insufficient; she should not talk much for the next two weeks,” Mo Sigui told Chu Dingjiang with a dark face.

Chu Dingjiang knew perfectly well that this had nothing to do with blood and qi; An Jiu had probably offended him again with her words. So he did not reply, simply saying, “The kitchen has cooked porridge; have some first.”

Mo Sigui touched his stomach and went over to get a bowl. “I will have some too.”

The three of them ate a pot of porridge around the bed while Mei Jiu next door screamed her lungs out.

At first, the news came in so many waves that Mei Yanran was a little confused. Then, seeing that An Jiu was alright, she went to Mei Jiu’s side.

“She’s screaming so terribly; is she alright?” An Jiu asked.

“She’s screaming with such vigor; what could be wrong?” Mo Sigui smacked his lips twice. “If only there were some pickled vegetables.” Mo Sigui had checked Mei Jiu’s body; her baby was in the correct position, and she was taking good care of herself, so there should not be any problems.

After dinner, An Jiu went to the bathing room to wash up, then felt a little dizzy. She quickly fell asleep after returning to her room.

Mei Jiu, on the other hand, would rest for a while and then scream again, her voice becoming hoarse.

Mo Sigui calculated the time; Wei Yuzhi should be waking up soon.

He picked up the things he had scattered on the floor as he rushed over and returned to the house.

“Physician Mo,” Wei Yuzhi said.

“Huh, you woke up earlier than I expected.” Mo Sigui tossed the things in his basket and put on his shoes.

“I just woke up.” Wei Yuzhi’s voice was slightly weak. “Who is shouting?”

“The First Madam of the Hua family is giving birth. You just woke up, so do not talk too much. The pervert next door woke up, ate, and even took a bath. I’ve never seen anyone more energetic than her!” Mo Sigui sat back on the couch, picked up the book, poured a bowl of medicine from the stove, and held it to Wei Yuzhi’s lips, sticking a straw in the bowl. “It will be easier to drink with this.”

Wei Yuzhi smiled faintly, did not ask anything, and drank the bowl of medicine with the straw.

The medicine was brewed by Mo Sigui beforehand and kept warm on the stove; it was just the right consistency for drinking.

After taking his medicine, Wei Yuzhi felt a bit better. “I slept very well last night.” It was the best sleep he’d ever had in his life.

Previously, his sleep quality was very high, so even if he slept little, he could still get the necessary rest. But this time was different. He knew he had slept for a long time, and when he woke up, his body and mind felt more relaxed than ever before, as if all burdens had been lifted.

“Of course,” Mo Sigui said without surprise. The medicinal smoke he had smoked last night was from a newly changed prescription. Even someone like him, with severe insomnia and strong drug resistance, could sleep well, let alone an ordinary person.

“I can prolong your life by a few years, but you know that heart’s blood is the essence of the body’s vital energy. Your appearance is much older than before,” Mo Sigui said.

Wei Yuzhi had a gentle demeanor and fair skin and did not look much different from before, except that his once black hair was now completely white, even his eyebrows.