Once again, fire...
Amidst the endless flames, she saw that man seated before the palace, with kneeling royals prostrated at his feet.
"I said the Marquis of Pingjing must die."
"Since you refused to listen, you’ll all have to join him in the afterlife."
Splash, splash, splash!
One after another, fountains of blood gushed from severed necks. By the end, he seemed exhausted, so he simply drove his blade into Prince Yu’s throat and twisted it.
Prince Yu’s eyes widened, collapsing before a scream could escape his lips.
The entire palace became a sea of blood, a hell on earth.
She watched as the man waved his hand: "Cut off all their heads and hang them on the city walls. Lure out those loyal ministers and kill them one by one."
"If you don’t uproot the weeds, they’ll sprout again with the spring breeze. Every last member of the Murong Family, and every official who supported them, must be wiped out—"
...
"No!"
Chu Ruoyan jolted awake, her throat flooded with the metallic tang of blood.
Instinctively, she tried to clamp her mouth shut when a familiar voice cut through the haze: "Little blind girl, don’t move! This Young Master’s blood is far too precious to waste!"
Dazed, she turned her gaze toward the red-robed, white-haired master of the Hundred Knowledge Pavilion standing by her bedside, his wrist extended as if dripping something into her mouth.
"Yan’er, don’t be afraid! Young Master Lang is here to save you!" Chu Huaishan reassured her before asking anxiously, "Young Master, how much longer? I fear my daughter’s body—"
"Relax. If she’s awake, the cold ailment is suppressed for now."
Young Master Lang withdrew his wrist just as the figure on the bed slowly sat up.
Chu Ruoyan’s face was deathly pale, her forehead slick with cold sweat, yet her breathing gradually steadied.
She swallowed the blood in her throat: "You—"
"Save your gratitude. Though my blood can neutralize ten thousand poisons, your cold ailment is congenital. This is merely a temporary reprieve, not a cure." Young Master Lang then called out, "Old man, have you arrived yet? At this rate, you’ll have trampled every ant on the road!"
The room’s occupants turned to see a white-bearded, spry old man grumbling as he shuffled in.
"Coming, coming! Must you rush me? Eight hundred years you forget this old man exists, and the moment you remember, it’s to treat some illness—ah, you heartless brat, just like your mother—"
His words abruptly cut off as his eyes landed on Chu Ruoyan. He darted to her side like he’d spotted a rare treasure: "You’re still alive, girl?"
Chu Huaishan’s expression darkened at the remark.
But Chu Ruoyan met the old man’s gaze: "What do you mean by that, Elder?"
"Your vitality is depleted, your constitution icy and frail—you were never long for this world. Yet somehow, you’ve clung to life using some toxin-countering method. But now, with these external injuries and cold pathogens invading your body, it’s a miracle you’ve lasted this long..."
His diagnosis mirrored Chief Physician Zhang’s, yet he’d instantly discerned her reliance on the Anxi Pill’s poison-neutralizing properties—far more perceptive than the physician.
Chu Huaishan stepped forward urgently: "I beg you, Divine Healer, save her!"
The old man snorted: "I won’t."
Stunned silence followed until he added, "She’s not dead yet—what’s there to save? With Lang boy’s blood in her, she’ll last half a year at least. Come find me when she’s actually dying!"
He turned to leave, but Young Master Lang’s lazy taunt stopped him: "Could it be... the legendary Divine Healer can’t cure her?"
The old man whirled around, beard quivering with indignation: "Who says I can’t? I could snatch souls back from the King of Hell himself—ugh, out of my way!"
He stormed back to Chu Ruoyan, seizing her pulse and swiftly inserting needles.
A sharp pain pierced her forehead, followed by a surge of warmth flooding her organs, thawing her perpetually chilled limbs.
But when the old man’s needle met resistance at a certain point, he frowned.
"Eh? This..."
He tried another meridian—same obstruction.
After two attempts, his expression grew grave: "This is congenital. I underestimated the severity. A true cure... is beyond me."
Young Master Lang’s eyes shadowed, but Chu Ruoyan spoke first: "Thank you, Elder. I already feel much better."
"That ‘better’ is an illusion. Until this cold ailment is eradicated, you’re a powder keg waiting to ignite. Here’s what we’ll do—leave me some blood to study. I’ll devise a solution!"
His certainty was a balm compared to Chief Physician Zhang’s earlier despair.
Chu Huaishan hurriedly offered payment, but the old man ignored it.
Chu Ruoyan glanced at Young Master Lang: "And the Pavilion Master? Will you also refuse compensation?"
Young Master Lang paused: "Someone already paid your fee before I came."
"Who?" The question escaped her before she realized—if not her father, only the Yan Family remained.
"They still have silver to spare?"
Young Master Lang smiled enigmatically.
As the old man collected her blood samples and prepared to depart, Young Master Lang lingered at the threshold: "Remember, little blind girl—you still owe me one favor."
A shiver ran down Chu Ruoyan’s spine, but before she could respond, he vanished.
Silence settled over the room.
Chu Ruoyan met her father’s gaze: "I’ve worried you, Father."
Chu Huaishan’s eyes reddened: "You knew I’d worry! Then why didn’t you think before acting? What is the Yan Family to you, that you’d risk your life for them?"
She lowered her eyes, the picture of contrition.
This only fueled her father’s frustration: "You’re always like this—outwardly obedient, yet stubborn as a mule underneath. I’ll let other matters slide, but answer me this: what’s this about a divorce letter? Did Third Yan dare cast you out?"
"A misunderstanding!" Chu Ruoyan hurried to explain. "Fifth Sister-in-law’s family demanded the letter, and with the Yan Family in peril, he issued them to shield us from involvement... cough—!"
Her coughing fit alarmed Chu Huaishan, who hastily brought her water. "Enough, enough! Even if Yan Zheng had noble reasons, it’s over now. Put the past behind you and focus on recovering. I’ll search for more rare medicines!"
Once her father left, Chu Ruoyan steadied her breathing and asked softly: "Has... no one from the Yan Family come?"
Yulu sniffled: "The Marquis visited, but the Duke was furious and barred entry... So he stood at the gates awhile before leaving."
"Just... left?"
Chu Ruoyan froze.
After all they’d endured together, was this their farewell—without even a meeting?
A bitter ache bloomed in her chest, yet she understood: the divorce decree had severed all ties between her and Yan Zheng, between her and the Yan Family.
Whether for propriety or imperial politics,
their separation needed to be absolute.
She drifted into uneasy sleep, only to be roused later by commotion—Nanny Zhou had returned from her hometown mourning.
The old nurse’s voice soon boomed across the courtyard: "What nonsense are those bastards spreading outside? How dare they slander our young lady’s virtue!"
