As the soft golden light of dawn illuminated the well, a man dressed in black silently slipped into the courtyard like a shadow. He moved into the main room and stood respectfully in a corner, hidden from view through the window.
"Reporting to you, sir, Miss Mei Lin did not go into the mountains but instead headed towards Anyang City," the man said. His sharp eyebrows, like finely chiseled blades, contrasted with his calm and steady gaze.
Murong Jing He's expression changed abruptly. He attempted to prop himself up, but his strength failed him, causing him to collapse back down.
"Stay where you are!" he commanded sharply, stopping the man from moving forward to assist him. He panted heavily, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, his gaze so intense it seemed as if it might pierce through.
She had left him... she had really left him.
"There's news from the capital," the man continued once Murong Jing He appeared to have calmed down. "The Crown Prince has been accused of colluding with foreign powers and plotting treason. He has been placed under house arrest."
"Xiyan has allied with Nan Yue and formally declared war on our country. They have already captured five cities, including Minshou, along the southwestern border. The court is currently in turmoil, debating who should be appointed to lead the army."
A cold, mocking smile curled at the corners of Murong Jing He's lips. He was about to say something when his gaze caught sight of the hunter approaching from a distance along the path. He paused, then decisively ordered, "Return to Jingbei."
It took Mei Lin three days of effort to finally locate the healer known as the "leper." She found him dozing in a rocking chair in the courtyard, basking in the sun. The healer was indeed around fifty or sixty years old, a true leper with a scalp covered in grayish-white scabs, some of which oozed yellow pus. Seeing this, Mei Lin hesitated, wondering if a man who couldn't even heal his own affliction could truly cure severed meridians. But she knocked on the door and entered anyway.
The healer squinted at her, and after assessing her with a disinterested glance, he closed his eyes again, as if losing interest.
Mei Lin said nothing. She scanned the courtyard and then took a small stool to sit beside him.
"Leave. I don’t treat the dying," the healer eventually said in a lazy tone.
Mei Lin, who had been leaning forward to pick up a short stick from the ground, froze at his words. The stick slipped from her hand, and she had to reach down to retrieve it.
When the healer didn’t hear her respond or see her leave, he finally opened his eyes in annoyance, glaring at the silent woman.
Mei Lin smiled, but when she heard her own hoarse voice, she paused awkwardly and began writing on the ground with the stick.
"I'm not dying; my meridians are severed. Please, I beg you to help," she wrote.
The healer’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly grabbed her wrist to feel her pulse. Mei Lin shook her head, trying to explain with her raspy voice that it wasn’t her who needed treatment, but he ignored her. After a moment, he released her wrist, sniffed the air twice, and sneered, "So you've been eating mandrake and ground-root like it’s food."
Pain surged through Mei Lin’s chest as she withdrew her hand. She didn’t want to respond but knew she needed his help, so she steadied herself and wrote another word on the ground: "Pain."
The healer raised an eyebrow, then lazily reclined back in his chair, reaching for a rustic pipe used by rural farmers. He didn’t light it, simply putting it to his mouth and sucking on it twice.
"Using those for pain relief... Heh, whoever gave you that prescription must really hate you. But I have to say, whoever thought to combine those two herbs does have some skill."
Mei Lin’s already pale lips turned even whiter as she recalled the warning from the old doctor in Anyang.
"Long-term use of ground-root and mandrake can cause permanent loss of voice. Be careful, young lady," he had said.
She had considered the possibility that the person who suggested the combination might not have known the severe consequences. But now, hearing the healer’s words, she realized that this wasn’t something an ordinary person would stumble upon by accident.
How much did he hate her to go to such lengths to trap her? This question plagued her throughout her journey back, but she found no answer, only a bitter self-mockery. After just a short period of depending on each other, she had foolishly thought it could last a lifetime. She deserved to be played for a fool. And the most laughable part? Even now, she still longed to see him smile proudly one day.
If someone wants to be foolish, there's no helping it. In that moment, she suddenly understood the truth in his words. She smiled bitterly, realizing she even remembered his careless words clearly.
She shook off those thoughts and wrote firmly on the ground, "I ask for your help, sir," without a trace of hesitation.
Although the healer seemed indifferent, he had been closely observing her expression the entire time. Seeing her resolve, he bit down on his pipe and said, "Since you've come to me, you must know my conditions."
Conditions? Mei Lin wondered, thinking that the healer had no set rules. According to the information she had gathered on her way here, this man was known for his willingness to treat anyone—human or animal—who sought his help. He didn’t even require payment from those who couldn’t afford it, accepting a simple meal of wild vegetables and coarse rice instead. It was precisely because of this lack of principle and his unattractive appearance that, despite his skills, he wasn’t well-known. Only a few nearby villagers knew of a healer who treated both people and animals. After all, those who could afford it wouldn’t want to see a healer who treated livestock.
"What are your conditions, sir? Feel free to ask," Mei Lin wrote, thinking that with his status and abilities, there shouldn’t be anything he couldn’t provide.
The healer reached up to stroke his beard, only to remember that he had singed it while stoking the fire earlier. His hand paused, and then he continued rubbing the stubble on his chin.
"I don’t have many faults, but I can’t stand waste," he said, half-closing his eyes to gaze at the bright sunlight. "It seems you don’t have many days left to live. Why not stay here and help me cultivate jade?"
Jade cultivation? Mei Lin was puzzled, though she didn’t concern herself too much with the suggestion that she didn’t have long to live. She didn’t believe such a matter could be settled with a few words, so she chose not to dwell on it for now.
"It means using your life force to nurture my jade veins," the healer explained patiently. His hand seemed unable to stay still, moving from his chin to scratch his head, causing flakes of skin to scatter.
Mei Lin frowned slightly, wondering if he wanted to exchange her life for his help. Before she could ask, the healer continued, "Taking your life wouldn’t benefit me. You’ll live as long as you’re meant to live." Despite his rustic appearance, his eyes were sharp, accurately guessing what she was thinking.
Upon hearing this, Mei Lin smiled faintly and nodded without hesitation. Even if he hadn’t asked for this, she had already planned to stay by his side to seek a slim chance of survival once Murong Jing He was healed.
As for everything else... as for Murong Jing He, they would go their separate ways.
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