In the far north, in Mohe, even during the day, the sky remained gray, and the sun hung in the heavens, pale and weary.
Xue Zi Ye directed the servants to dig out the jar of Laughing at the Dust that had been buried under the snow by the plum trees last year. In the lakeside garden of the Winter Pavilion, a small red clay stove was burning warmly, heating a pot of amber-colored wine. The fragrance of the wine filled the air, making the snow hawk on the perch mutter greedily, its claws scratching at the perch restlessly.
"Let it have a taste first," Xue Zi Ye smiled, tilting her head, and poured out a cup. With a casual flick of her wrist, the cup arced through the air, and the snow hawk swooped down with a flap, catching it perfectly. Satisfied, it flew back to the perch, raised its head, and gulped down the wine, letting out a happy coo.
"Impressive," she couldn’t help but marvel, even though she had seen it a few times before. "What kind of bird is this?"
"As the owner, so is the bird," Huo Zhan Bai boasted without missing a beat.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the cup fell with a thud into the snow. The snow hawk swayed drunkenly for a few moments, then flipped upside down. Just before it tumbled off the perch, it managed to hook its right foot on the edge, swinging back and forth like the pendulum of a Western clock.
"Of course, the owner’s alcohol tolerance is a thousand times better than its!" he quickly added.
The two of them lay back on the two couches beneath the plum trees, drinking and chatting. He loved wine, and so did she. Moreover, the Laughing at the Dust brewed in the Medicine Master’s Valley was a rare delicacy. So, every time his injuries improved, he would eagerly ask for it, and as the hostess, she was happy to bring out the fine wine and join him.
—Naturally, at the agreed-upon price of fifty taels per jar.
"Your alcohol tolerance is impressive," he couldn’t help but praise, remembering how their last two drinking contests had ended in a draw. Huo Zhan Bai, who prided himself on his ability to hold his liquor, was genuinely impressed. "I didn’t expect you to be such a fan of drinking."
"When I was fourteen, I fell into the Mohe River and caught a chill, so my lungs have never been well," she said, taking a sip from her cup. "The wine brewed in the valley is made from medicinal herbs. My master insists that I drink a pot every day to nourish my lungs and promote blood circulation."
"Oh." He gazed thoughtfully at the distant lake, seemingly indifferent. "How did you fall in?"
Xue Zi Ye raised an eyebrow, snorted, and said nothing.
Realizing he had hit a wall, Huo Zhan Bai sighed in resignation, silently drank a few cups, and then shifted the topic: "You’ve never left the valley, have you? Once I’ve finished what I’m working on, I’ll take you to the Central Plains to see the world—so you’ll stop doubting my abilities."
"Heh," she downed her second cup, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I’m originally from the Central Plains."
Huo Zhan Bai was a little taken aback, though he responded sarcastically, "The Central Plains can still produce such heroic women?"
"I’m originally from Chang’an. When I was seven, my mother and I were exiled to the northern frontier." Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Xue Zi Ye’s usual tight-lipped demeanor loosened. She swirled her cup and looked up at the sky. "The Xue family of Chang’an—have you heard of them?"
Huo Zhan Bai tightened his grip on his cup, took a deep breath, and responded with a grunt to avoid revealing too much of his shock.
How could he not have heard of them!
The Xue family of Chang’an was a famous medical family with a history spanning hundreds of years, renowned in the imperial capital as the personal physicians of the royal family. The head of the family had always held the highest position in the Imperial Medical Institute. However, unlike the Mojia in the Dinging Sword Pavilion, the Xue family prided themselves on their status and rarely associated with martial artists. The only known exception was when, a century ago, a woman from the Xue family treated the Lord of the Tingxue Tower.
"That year, the ten-year-old crown prince died. My grandfather, who had treated him, was beaten to death on the spot. The family was executed, and our property was confiscated. The men were beheaded, and the women were exiled three thousand miles to serve as slaves to soldiers," Xue Zi Ye murmured, her gaze distant. "It’s absurd… a palace conspiracy, yet they claimed publicly that the Imperial Physician had prescribed the wrong medicine. Serving the emperor is like living with a tiger—our family’s century-long glory was destroyed in a single day."
She swirled the wine in her cup, staring at her reflection in the liquid. "At that time, I really envied the Mojia, wandering free in the wilderness."
"Was it during the exile that you met the Master of the Medicine Valley?" he asked, trying to suppress his surprise.
"No." Xue Zi Ye reclined on her couch, staring up at the sky. "My mother and I were being escorted when we passed through a remote village called Mojia. Later…" She suddenly stopped and turned her head sharply, staring directly at Huo Zhan Bai. "What, are you trying to pry information out of me?"
Caught off guard by her question, he was silent for a moment before replying, "I want to know if there’s anything I can do to help you."
"Hmm?" Xue Zi Ye seemed slightly surprised. She rested her chin in her hand, studying him. Her expression shifted, and then she squinted her eyes with a mischievous smile. "Alright, then you’d better hurry up and make more money to pay off that six hundred thousand tael medical bill. There’s a whole group of people in the valley waiting for rice in their bowls!"
This stumped him. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Well… you could just see a few more patients to make up for it! Why do you, being so stingy about money, refuse to see more patients in a year?"
"That," she tossed a piece of dried fruit into her mouth, "my body can’t handle it."
Her words left him in silent surprise. All along, his impression of her had been of a strong, vigorous woman—someone who could stay up all night caring for patients, handle wounds with more speed and precision than a top swordsman, and command an entire group of servants with authority. Even the master of the Dinging Sword Pavilion and the abbot of Shaolin had to obediently follow her orders when in her care.
—No one would have guessed that this physician herself was also a patient.
"Besides, I don’t like these people from the martial world," she continued mumbling, completely disregarding the fact that one such person was lying right next to her. "These people who waste their lives in pointless conflicts aren’t worth saving. I’d rather spend my time treating the villagers for their colds and fevers."
Huo Zhan Bai was taken aback, feeling unexpectedly flattered. "Then… why did you agree to save me?"
"Well…" Xue Zi Ye tilted her head back, looking up at the gray sky. Then, she burst into laughter, leaning forward to playfully scrape his cheek with her finger. "Because your face is quite pleasing to the eye! The valley is full of women—it’s so boring!"
He watched her flushed cheeks with a helpless expression, knowing full well that this clever woman was deliberately dodging the subject.
Sitting up on his couch, he slapped the frame. With a crisp clang, his ink-black sword, Mohun, leaped out of its sheath and landed in his hand. He tapped the tip of his foot and, in the blink of an eye, transformed into a streak of light, darting away.
In that moment, the wind froze.
When the wind resumed its flow, the plum blossoms on the nearby tree had silently fallen.
He returned to his couch with a graceful turn, bowing slightly to her and extending the sword. Upon the blade, twelve neatly arranged plum blossoms bloomed, their fragrance filling the air.
"Zi Ye," he gazed at her, deciding to be direct for once, "if you ever run into any trouble, you must tell me."
It was the first time he had called her by name. Xue Zi Ye paused, then suddenly burst into laughter. "What a waste of a beautiful plum tree... Are you trying to prove how skilled you are?"
He pouted. "I am skilled."
"Alright." She agreed readily. "If I ever need your help, I’ll be sure to tell you, without holding back."
"Promise?" He was still a little uneasy, knowing how complex her mind could be.
"Promise." She smiled, looking carefree, as though the wine had made her happy. Suddenly, she sat up, slapped the table, and said, "Huo, weren’t you just trying to get me to talk? What is it you want to know? How about this—" She raised her hands, forming a gesture for rock-paper-scissors. "If you can beat me, just once, I’ll answer one question. How does that sound?"
Without thinking it over, he immediately agreed.
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