Pei Zirong listened with his heart surging, and nodded heavily.
"It's worth it, I agree!"
Being reunited as a family was his lifelong dream.
He immediately raised his hand and swore an oath to heaven.
"If Ye Chutang can save my mother's life and bring my son back to me, I will agree to her two conditions—whether it's murder or arson, or betraying the nation, I will do it. If I betray her, may my mother and son die without a proper burial!"
Ye Chutang saw that he was swearing on the people he cared most about, his mother and son, and believed him.
She walked over to Old Lady Pei, crouched down, and took her pulse, then examined her eyes.
Her pulse was faint, barely discernible, indicating a lesion in the brain.
Her pupils were dilated, her body cold—she didn't have much time left.
After sealing the old lady's heart meridian with silver needles, Ye Chutang said to Pei Zirong, "Help your mother sit up. I need to needle her head."
Pei Zirong warned with concern, "My mother's illness is in her head, and she shouldn't be moved—it could worsen her condition."
That was precisely why he hadn't carried her to a nearby clinic.
"Forget it. You're too hesitant. I'll do it myself."
Ye Chutang supported Old Lady Pei's head with her left hand and pushed her waist with her right, sitting her upper body upright.
Then she slid her left hand down, moved it forward, and lifted the old lady's chin.
She looked at Pei Zirong. "Watch my movements carefully, and come replace my hands."
Pei Zirong followed her instructions immediately.
Once her hands were free, Ye Chutang turned the old lady's head into a pincushion of silver needles.
She gathered her inner energy into her palm, pressed it to the back of Old Lady Pei's neck, and pushed upward.
The needles immediately began to tremble.
Before long, the old lady's complexion improved.
It shifted from a bruised purple to a pale green, then to white.
She slowly opened her eyes, looked at her tear-blurred son, and lifted a faint, weak smile.
"Zirong, you're crying again."
Pei Zirong couldn't wipe his tears with his hands occupied, so he tilted his head back and let the tears flow back.
"Mother, it was thoughtless of me to bring you out."
"It was I who wanted to come out. It's not your fault."
Old Lady Pei's head ailment had never been cured. The older she got, the more frequent the attacks, and she often lay bedridden.
Feeling her end was near, she wanted to get out and see the world while she still felt well enough.
She hadn't expected that just as she reached the pavilion and wanted to rest, the illness would flare up.
"Zirong, did I scare you again?"
With that, the old lady's complexion returned to normal, and the dizziness and vertigo vanished.
She looked down at the silver needle stuck near her heart, confused.
"What is this…"
Pei Zirong quickly said, "Mother, I've found a highly skilled doctor to treat you. You're going to get better."
Ye Chutang caught Pei Zirong's look and nodded.
"I can indeed cure this illness."
Pei Zirong's earlier words were just to reassure his mother, but unexpectedly, they came true.
He thought to himself, this must be fate.
Originally, he hadn't wanted any dealings with the Qi family, so he hadn't gone with Zhu Hong to greet them at the city gate.
Unexpectedly, he accompanied his mother to Luoxia Lake to see the lanterns that evening, and his mother fell ill, leading to a chance encounter with Ye Chutang.
A little earlier, or a little later, and they might have missed each other entirely.
It surprised Old Lady Pei that her doctor was a woman.
"Miss, your voice sounds young, but your medical skills are extraordinary."
"Ability has never had anything to do with age."
After saying this, Ye Chutang first removed the silver needle from the old lady's heart, then those from her head.
When the old lady got a clear look at her face, she was stunned by her beauty.
Pei Zirong watched Ye Chutang pack up her needles and asked, "Madam Qi, will my mother never suffer another attack?"
"Not quite. The old lady will need to take medicine for about five years before she's completely cured."
This news delighted Pei Zirong.
"Please, Madam Qi, give me the prescription."
Ye Chutang slipped the leather pouch of needles through her sleeve pocket into her hidden space, then stood up.
"General Pei, I need to think over the prescription. I'll give it to you tomorrow."
She put it tactfully, but Pei Zirong understood the implication: one hand delivers the winter clothes, the other hand delivers the prescription.
"Good. My mother won't have another attack before she starts taking the medicine, right?"
"No."
"Good. Until tomorrow—when and where shall we meet?"
"General Pei, a word in private."
Ye Chutang and Pei Zirong stepped aside.
She lowered her voice and asked, "It's summer now, so winter clothes aren't needed yet. Where are the troops' winter uniforms stored?"
Pei Zirong frowned at Ye Chutang and grew wary.
"Madam Qi, what do you mean by that?"
He wondered if she was trying to extract information to learn the camp's layout.
"Give me a specific location, and I'll have someone pick them up—no point moving them around and causing extra trouble."
"A hundred thousand winter uniforms fill two entire warehouses. How does Madam Qi plan to transport them?"
Ye Chutang smiled and said two words.
"The Ghost Thief."
Pei Zirong naturally knew of the "Ghost Thief" and knew it had deep ties with Ye Chutang.
But he never expected she would openly admit it.
"Madam Qi isn't afraid I'll leak this secret?"
Ye Chutang blinked, her eyes curving into crescent moons, but the smile didn't reach them.
"When everyone already believes it, is it still a secret?"
Pei Zirong let out a self-deprecating laugh, then told Ye Chutang the location where the winter clothes were stored.
The garrison's clothing was issued every two years—four sets per season. As long as there was no war, they could last ten years.
Soldiers typically kept only two sets to rotate, and brought new clothes home during visits.
The winter uniforms had been delivered last year, still new, and were meant to be distributed once winter arrived this year.
Ye Chutang noted the location and said, "In an hour, come to the inn to pick up the prescription."
"Good. I'll be there on time."
Ye Chutang's gaze fell on Pei Zirong's injured leg.
"General Pei, do you want to have your leg treated?"
Pei Zirong's leg injury came from suppressing bandits ten years ago. It flared up now and then, with pain that bored into the bone.
He could only soothe it with painkilling herbal decoctions—treating the symptom, not the root.
Hearing that Ye Chutang could cure his leg, he clenched his fists in excitement.
"Of course, I do. What are Madam Qi's terms?"
Ye Chutang said bluntly, "Swear loyalty to the current Qi family—and the future new emperor."
Pei Zirong refused without a second thought. "Then I'll pass on treating my leg."
"General Pei, from the moment you swore on your mother and son, you've already boarded my ship of thieves and placed yourself against the dog emperor. Understand?"
In other words, whether or not he treated his leg, he was already part of the effort to overthrow imperial authority.
Unless he was willing to abandon his mother and son!
Having realized this, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"A wise man excels at scheming; a fool can hardly defend against it—I concede defeat."
Ye Chutang raised an eyebrow. "So, what's your decision now?"
Pei Zirong looked at his right leg still aching faintly and slapped it hard.
"Since I'm already on the ship, I might as well reap the full benefits—treat it!"
This answer was within Ye Chutang's expectations.
"A wise man knows when to take the tide. General Pei's choice is right, but I don't quite trust you yet. Once you repay your two debts and pledge your loyalty, I'll treat your leg."
Pei Zirong could understand Ye Chutang's caution and nodded. "Fine."
"In an hour, we meet again."
With that, Ye Chutang waved at Qi Qingyu, who was not far away.
The two of them left Luoxia Lake together and returned to the inn.
