âDisciple, my good discipleâ¦â
Qi Yue was making rounds in the courtyard when she heard her adoptive masterâs voice.
She hurried to welcome him into the room and closed the door behind them.
Seeing Huang Zaiâanâs face reeking of alcohol, she said unhappily, âI thought you, old man, were going to drink with that Hu guy all night and wouldnât show up.â
Huang Zaiâan quickly went to the door to take a look around.
âYou girl, why are you speaking so recklessly? Should you be calling out Mr. Hu like that?â
Qi Yue snorted.
âIf not?â
Huang Zaiâan glared at her and admonished, âIâve told you, child, Hu Chengxuan is not as easy to fool as his son. Youâd better be careful.â
âAlright, I got it. Iâm not stupid,â Qi Yue picked up the tea from the table and poured a cup, placing it in front of Huang Zaiâan, âNow hurry up and tell me, how are they? Did anyone cause trouble for them?â
âThis âtheyâ youâre talking about, who could that be? I have no idea,â Huang Zaiâan said casually as he picked up the teacup and gently sipped at it, his face showing a smug expression.
Qi Yueâs lips twitched, âZhao Xiyan, the Zhao Family! Happy now?â
Only then did Huang Zaiâan take a satisfied sip of tea, making a pleased slurping sound.
âI know youâre anxious, and as your master, didnât I come right away?â
âHmph.â Qi Yue disdainfully handed him several Hangover Liver Protection Pills.
âYouâre of such an age and still donât take good care of yourself.â
Sniffing the pills in his hand, Huang Zaiâan swallowed them down with a joyous look on his face before he finally began to recount the events.
âThe day after you left, I went to your place. I did good, right?â
On hearing âyour place,â Qi Yue felt a strange sensation in her heart.
âStop telling stories, just get to the point, to the outcome.â
Upon hearing this, Huang Zaiâan tugged at his white beard and said straightforwardly, âThe outcome is that the Zhao Family is safe, and Zhao Xiyan is safe.â
âThatâs it?â
âIsnât that what you wanted, the result? Thatâs the result!â Huang Zaiâan said blowing his beard and glaring at her.
Qi Yue suddenly felt that the liver pills were wasted on the old man.
But she quickly realized that she was also to blame. Knowing that they were safe was enough, what use was there in knowing more?
After all, the people of the Zhao Family, their lives, had nothing to do with her anymore.
She sat silently by the side, not making a sound for a long while.
Suddenly, she heard Huang Zaiâan start to ramble on about the events following her departure.
âYou girl really have a way with predictions. On the night of the day you left, a group of people dressed in blue came. They turned the Zhao Family upside down, searching for something, God knows what.â
âFortunately, with those odd cows and tigers, they didnât gain any advantage.â
âAfter they left, the natives came again, but were repelled by Zhao Xiyan.â
âAfter you healed his leg, he was practically indistinguishable from a normal person. He slaughtered the natives with no mercy left, and itâs said he killed hundreds.â
âThe boy has a ruthless hand. In this old manâs view, you shouldnât call him War God; heâs clearly a God of Death.â
âYour mother-in-lawâ¦â
For some reason, listening to Huang Zaiâan talk about these matters made waves of sorrow wash over Qi Yueâs heart.
But she was a restrained and clear-headed person, and would never cry in front of anyone.
Knowing that the people of the Zhao Family were all right, Qi Yue felt at ease.
Anyway, the White Rhino was in her possession; as long as she returned to Northern Ridge, she could cure him.
But given the current situation, it was obviously impossible for her to leave Huang Zaiâan behind and return to Northern Ridge alone, so she had to treat Hu Keqingâs leg first.
âMaster, now that we donât have the White Rhinoâs horn, how do you plan to treat Hu Keqingâs leg?â
A sly look flickered across Huang Zaiâanâs face at those words.
âThat horn, did you really not get it?â
Qi Yue raised her eyebrows, âOf course not, you can ask Zhang Fang if you donât believe me.â
Huang Zaiâan huffed in frustration.
âWhy should I ask him? Heâs not my disciple.â
âThere you have it,â Qi Yue said indifferently, âthereâs none to be had.â
Huang Zaiâan shook his head speechlessly.
âYou girl, always so cunning, hiding and hoarding everything. Fine, I wonât ask anymore. If thereâs none, then thereâs none. But Iâd like to see how you plan to treat your manâs leg?â
âHeâs not my man.â
Huang Zaiâan snorted, âJust be stubborn.â
âYeah, Iâm just a dead duck being stubborn.â Qi Yue squinted her eyes, appearing nonchalant, but in reality, her heart was tied up in knots.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âAlright, letâs not talk about this,â Huang Zaiâan, waving his hands with a serious look, said, âdisciple, you didnât use up all of that dragon last time, did you? This time, Hu Keqingâs leg might need it for the treatment to work.â
Qi Yueâs lips curled into a slight smile at his words, âMaster, didnât you say that Panlong Seven was a gift for becoming your disciple? Why are you asking for it back now?â
After pausing for a moment, she said seriously, âBesides, Iâve used it all up for Zhao Xiyanâs medicinal bath. Now not even the dregs are left.â
Huang Zaiâan almost passed out with exasperation. Why did he have to take on a disciple like this?
âYou, you unfilial disciple, that was something over a thousand years old, and you really had the heart to do that! Did it really take that much for just one leg?â
âOf course, it wasnât just for one leg.â Qi Yue smiled faintly, âI used that Panlong Seven to temper his sinews and bones, enhancing his physique. Even with just one leg, heâd move as if on flat ground.â
âYou, youâ¦â Huang Zaiâan pointed at her, rendered speechless for a long time before suddenly bursting into wails.
âWhat am I to do now, my life is over!â
Through Huang Zaiâanâs explanation, Qi Yue began to understand the whole affair.
A little over a year ago, Hu Chengxuan suddenly sought him out and requested his help to treat his son, Hu Keqingâs leg.
At that time, Huang Zaiâan had no interest in dealing with someone like Hu Chengxuan and declined, claiming he had no medicine and couldnât treat him.
But ten days later, Hu Chengxuan found him again and said he had found Panlong Seven in a valley.
Learning about such a large Panlong Seven, Huang Zaiâan instantly grew covetous. He personally visited the valley only to discover it was a Panlong Seven that had grown for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, requiring only one more year to gain a miraculous healing ability.
He then plotted and finally, with some persuasive coaxing, convinced Hu Chengxuan to wait another year before harvesting the Panlong Seven.
However, on the day scheduled for harvesting the herb, Hu Chengxuan did not show up, but Qi Yue did, and she dug it up.
That Panlong Seven alone would have been enough to cure Hu Keqingâs leg with some to spare, but in Qi Yueâs hands, she thoroughly utilized it, sparing nothing, using it all on Zhao Xiyan.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yue had an epiphany.
âNo wonder that medicine was so mild and effective, Zhao Xiyan absorbed it all without notice; it really was truly refined!â
âWhat refined, it was the medicineâs effects combined with the energy of heaven and earth! You unfilial discipleâ¦â
Huang Zaiâan began scolding again as he gasped for breath.
Seeing that he was genuinely struggling, Qi Yue quickly checked his pulse by grabbing his wrist. After a moment, she took out a bottle of Spiritual Spring Water from her embrace and, with a pained expression, tossed it into Huang Zaiâanâs hands.
âHere, drink this.â
After drinking a mouthful, Huang Zaiâan instantly felt his breath smooth out and his lungs stopped wheezing.
âGood disciple, where on earth is this from? This is clearly water, yet it has a nourishing effect unlike any ordinary water.â