"Did you bring it back?"
The Mystic Physician's tone was uncharacteristically urgent. Hearing this, Song Yu quickly retrieved a camphorwood box from his sleeve and handed it over.
The Mystic Physician took it, opened it, and saw it was the desired gu insect.
He looked up at Song Yu. "We still need the Princess's fingertip blood."
"What kind of method is this? Will it really work?"
Song Yu couldn't help but ask.
"It's the only method."
"Can my blood be used instead?"
The Mystic Physician gave Song Yu a look that said, 'Who do you think you are?'
Song Yu was indignant.
Who was he?
He was the Crown Prince, the princess's father!
But Song Yu ultimately fell silent, watching helplessly as the Mystic Physician led Song Shihuan into the room. His hands still ached from the earlier exertion.
"Your Highness, you should go back and clean up first." It was Shen Qingping's voice.
The two equally haggard men exchanged a glance. Song Yu patted Shen Qingping's shoulder and forced a smile. "It's fine. I'll wait right here."
The rain continued to patter down. Song Yu's thoughts began to drift.
He had suffered quite a bit on this trip to Miaojiang.
The Miaojiang Saintess was eccentric. Even with the Mystic Physician's letter, he had been trapped for a long time in a valley shrouded in mist, with only one winding, narrow path.
He followed the path up to the mountain peak.
As night deepened, he lost count of how many times he had fallen.
Finally, upon reaching the summit, he met the so-called Miaojiang Saintess.
But she was unwilling to give him the gu insect.
He was ordered to shed his fine robes, stand barefoot in simple clothing beside the stone statue in front of the Miaojiang sacred ground, exposed to sun, rain, and poisonous insects, with no one paying him any mind.
Just as Song Yu felt he could no longer hold on and was about to faint, he saw the Miaojiang Saintess again.
"Do you know what you are asking for is our Miaojiang's Guardian Sacred Gu?"
Song Yu shook his head.
"If I give the Sacred Gu to you, within ten years, my Miaojiang may be ravaged by plague. You, as the Crown Prince of Great Qi, the future Son of Heaven, would you choose to take advantage of our weakness and destroy Miaojiang, or would you offer aid?"
Song Yu's mind exploded with realization. Such a precious thing—what could he offer to gain the Saintess's trust?
No wonder the Mystic Physician had insisted he make this trip to Miaojiang himself.
"I beg the Saintess to bring the Blood Gu. I, Song Yu, swear a blood oath: within ten years, I will not invade or harass Miaojiang. When necessary, I will provide aid to Miaojiang."
If he broke the oath, the Blood Gu would take his life.
Later, the Miaojiang Saintess gave him the Sacred Gu but did not administer the Blood Gu.
She only said, "The debt owed to the Qingyun Sect is now repaid."
In that moment, Song Yu felt a sudden enlightenment: Heaven was always fair.
This life of his, where he gained a precious daughter and transformed from a dissolute prince into the Crown Prince, was exchanged for the life of the Qingyun Sect Leader.
Therefore, he should pay some price to save the Qingyun Sect Leader. Fortunately, it was only some physical suffering.
He rushed back to the capital at full speed, more certain than ever that the Qingyun Sect Leader would live.
Creak—
The door opened. Song Yu's scattered thoughts slowly gathered as he offered a smile to the person emerging.
Song Shihuan, her fingertips bandaged, walked straight to Song Yu and then gestured for him to squat down.
"Ouch—"
As he squatted, Song Yu cried out in pain.
......
"Father is injured."
Song Shihuan held an ointment and began applying it to the bruises on Song Yu's face.
"Minor injuries," Song Yu boasted bravely.
"Teacher Shen said when you were little, aside from getting beaten by Grandfather Emperor, you would complain for a long time over the slightest injury." Song Shihuan said with a serious expression. "Now you're covered in wounds, yet Father only calls them minor injuries."
Song Yu felt a bit embarrassed. Shen Qingping had completely sold him out.
Looking at Song Shihuan, Song Yu had much he wanted to say, but it all condensed into one sentence:
"Be good. Saving that old man is what matters now."
Song Shihuan applied the ointment gently, but Song Yu still grimaced in pain.
"Princess, please leave His Highness to Physician Mei."
Shen Qingping, looking at the bandage on Song Shihuan's hand, handed the Crown Prince over to Mei Zhilin without a shred of guilt.
Couldn't he see the Princess's hand was injured?
Song Yu was so angry he wanted to shake his fist at Shen Qingping, but he wilted upon seeing the dark circles under Shen Qingping's eyes. Fine, he was magnanimous.
Several heads waited in the courtyard for a long time. It wasn't until dawn the next day that the Mystic Physician finally emerged from the room.
"I'm preparing to return to Qingyun Realm."
"My master..."
"He'll wake up on his own in a couple of days. The old man over there can handle the rest." As the Mystic Physician spoke, he pointed in Mei Zhilin's direction.
Mei Zhilin stiffened his neck. You're the old man, your whole family are old men.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.
"Mystic Physician, shall I escort you?" Gu Mingning's voice suddenly rang out from outside.
The Mystic Physician, however, reacted as if he had seen some monstrous beast. Without even eating, he hurried to leave. "No need. Although my nature is like the wind, I don't like the feeling of flying."
Gu Mingning didn't understand and could only scratch his head twice to ease the awkwardness.
"Wonderful! Master is saved."
Song Shihuan clasped her hands together. The persistent drizzle also finally stopped, and the sky welcomed long-awaited sunlight.
The Qingyun Sect Leader indeed woke up two days later.
Upon waking, he held onto Song Shihuan's hand and wouldn't let go, as if afraid she would disappear the next second.
"Master, look. I'm alive and well, and even a princess now."
Song Shihuan blinked at the Qingyun Sect Leader. Since his awakening, she had returned to being that happy little princess.
"Yes, being alive is what matters."
The Qingyun Sect Leader spoke softly, his eyes full of affection as he looked at Song Shihuan.
Both master and disciple avoided mentioning the events of their past life.
But the Qingyun Sect Leader understood clearly that his Ah Huan had been reborn with the memories of her previous life.
A few more days passed before the Qingyun Sect Leader fully recovered, becoming the cheerful old man he was before, even able to bicker with Emperor Yuanyou.
"It's truly good. You have no idea how worried I was during that time."
Emperor Yuanyou said with lingering fear. "From now on, you can come to my palace whenever you wish. After all, we're both old now. Who knows how much time we have left? It's good to talk more often."
"Don't say such inauspicious things."
The Qingyun Sect Leader's face was still pale, but his spirit had improved greatly. "I intend to live at least until Ah Huan is twenty-four."
"Then I shall also live until that time."
As they spoke, the two old men began arguing again, this time over who would live longer.
Wu Qi flicked his horsetail whisk, thinking to himself that it would be best if they both lived a hundred years.
......
Song Shihuan wrestled with her thoughts for a long time before seeking out Song Yu again.
"Father, do you have time tonight? I'd like to talk with you."
She had previously hidden from her father the fact that she knew about her past life. Her master's illness had forced her true form into the open.
Whenever she thought of the slap her father had given her that day, her heart felt as if it were being squeezed, unbearably painful.
Song Yu's hand, holding a brush, paused. His agreement was straightforward and swift. "Alright."
But that night.
Two cups of clear tea on the stone table grew warm, then cool, then warm again, yet Song Yu's figure was nowhere to be seen.
For the first time, Song Yu broke his promise.
