The white smoke from the incense stick dissipated, and the flame flickered dimly.
Unnoticed, a few faint lights appeared in the pitch-black distance, like a few stars shining in the night sky—faint yet bright.
Footsteps sounded in the courtyard, and someone reported from under the corridor, “Master, Young Master Chen is outside the countryside manor, requesting an audience.”
Gu Zhizhuo’s expression instantly softened, and small dimples appeared on her cheeks.
She tossed aside the black piece in her hand, her body leaned slightly forward toward the direction of the door, and her heart suddenly beat fast, filled with nervousness akin to the unease of returning home after a long time.
Sheng Jiang couldn’t help but glance at her—she actually got it right? Could this Young Miss truly be skilled at fortune-telling?
Then what she said earlier about Duzhu…
His heart skipped a beat. He felt as if he had just learned something incredible—maybe he wouldn’t make it through the night?
Shen Xu’s gaze fell on Gu Zhizhuo’s face.
Just a moment ago, her gaze had been entirely on him, but now she didn’t even glance his way.
Interesting. He smiled lightly: “If he dares to come, of course I’ll meet him.”
“Bring him in.”
A voice responded with a “yes” from outside.
Gu Zhizhuo clasped her hands together, her fingers involuntarily tightening slightly.
This moment, she had waited for a very, very long time—an entire lifetime.
In her previous life, on the road to exile, the entire Gu family had been infected with an epidemic. They first developed red rashes and then suffered high fevers, their bodies burning hot, and within just a few days, they began to fall one after another.
The escorting officers and soldiers kept cursing their bad luck. Afraid of getting infected themselves, they locked all of them inside a public morgue filled with corpses.
At that time, they were still alive.
There was no food, no water, and no medicine.
Her Aunt secretly used hidden jewelry to pull some strings, hoping they would at least send some medicine.
In the end, the jewelry was taken, and her aunt never returned alive.
Later, her Grandmother died.
Gu Zhizhuo could only watch helplessly as the Gu family struggled in agony, and her younger cousins breathed their last in pain and hunger.
One by one, they died in front of her, their bodies rotting and reeking.
She was powerless.
She was so sick she could no longer move, lying in darkness waiting for death.
Just when she thought she would close her eyes forever in this place filled with the stench of decay, sunlight broke into this dark hell.
The tightly locked doors of the public morgue were opened.
She saw him standing in the light and then heard a voice that was etched into her soul—
“I’m here; don’t be afraid.”
“Master, Young Master Chen is here.”
This sentence pulled Gu Zhizhuo out of her memories.
The door was pulled open from the outside, and the light from the glazed lantern fell on a young man.
His jet-black hair was tied up and adorned with a white jade crown. His features were as refined as jade, graceful and gentle in demeanor. Although he didn’t have Shen Xu’s breathtaking beauty, he possessed a noble bearing that words could hardly capture. In his every gesture, he exuded elegance, ease, and composed confidence.
It’s Young Master!
Gu Zhizhuo stood up instinctively, her face filled with joy and deep admiration.
Anyone could sense her good mood.
Xie Yingchen lifted his robe and stepped inside. His slightly scrutinizing gaze landed on her for a brief moment before turning to Shen Xu, smiling as he said, “So it’s Shen Duzhu himself.” His casual demeanor was as if he were greeting an old friend he hadn’t seen in years.
Shen Xu clapped his hands nonchalantly and said, “Young Master Chen, you truly have some nerve.”
Xie Yingchen cupped his hands in greeting, and just after saying, “You flatter me,” he raised his sleeve to cover his mouth and began coughing lightly, coughing a full seven or eight times.
His pale face showed obvious signs of illness, which made Gu Zhizhuo frown deeply.
On the way back from Liang Country, Young Master must have been physically and mentally exhausted.
What he needs now is proper rest!
“Shen Duzhu,” Gu Zhizhuo pointed at the incense stick, “the incense has burned out.”
At that moment, the last faint glow of the incense stick was completely extinguished.
Gu Zhizhuo tapped lightly on the chessboard with her finger, lifted her chin, and said proudly, “I told you—I’m a Divine Fortune-teller.”
“Now that you’ve met the person, how about giving some thought to what I proposed, Duzhu?”
“A pool of water, if left still for too long, will become stagnant. Only when it’s stirred will the fish scramble to the surface.”
“Don’t you think so?”
Upon hearing this, Xie Yingchen seemed thoughtful.
From the moment he stepped through the door, he had taken in everything around him at a glance, and naturally, he also noticed the swords drawn and bows bent[mfn]剑拔弩张 (jiàn bá nǔ zhāng). It describes a tense and hostile situation, where conflict could break out at any moment.[/mfn] hidden within.
He glanced at the chessboard on the table, and as he listened to Gu Zhizhuo’s meaningful words, what more could he not understand?
A faint smile appeared on Xie Yingchen’s slightly pale face as he said with deep meaning, “Shen Duzhu, if fate allows, how about a drink together once we return to the Capital?”
Shen Xu looked over the sickly young man in front of him with interest. After a brief pause, he clapped his hands lightly, the prayer beads dangling between his fingers swaying gently with the movement.
“Interesting.”
He managed to survive under the Eastern Depot’s nose and make it all the way to the capital, which showed his strategic plan.
He dared to disregard the all-encompassing trap and stand here face-to-face with him, which showed his courage.
This Young Master Chen had piqued his interest.
“Young Master Chen,” Shen Xu stood up, flicked his sleeves, and said, “I’ll be waiting to see if you’re worthy to sit at the same table with me and drink that cup.”
Xie Yingchen replied with a smile, “I shall surely pay you a visit.”
Shen Xu nodded almost imperceptibly, then strode away with an upright posture.
The soft glow of the glazed lantern cast over his face, making the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye strikingly vivid. His slightly raised brow seemed to suggest he was in a good mood.
Sheng Jiang lowered his head and followed closely behind, not daring to speculate.
Shen Xu walked away briskly, taking everyone with him.
The countryside manor returned to calm once again, as if the earlier clash of swords and flashing blades[mfn]刀光剑影 (dāo guāng jiàn yǐng). It describes the environment as full of dangerous atmosphere[/mfn] never existed.
Did he really leave?
Alongside Xie Yingchen came a young man with clear, handsome features. He opened his mouth in disbelief but quickly shut it again.
When Young Master decided to make this trip himself, he had already said that since the other party was exposed, he would never act rashly again.
Young Master also said: this trip was first to clear up doubts and second for cooperation. Clearing doubts he understood — Young Master wanted to know who had secretly helped them. As for cooperation… he still hadn’t figured that out! He scratched his head, feeling that he was too dumb and came along for nothing.
Gu Zhizhuo’s tense heartstrings relaxed, and her brows and eyes softened with relief.
That living King of Hell had finally left!
She lifted her eyes, and when her gaze met Xie Yingchen’s, she couldn’t bring herself to look away.
Xie Yingchen had been watching her all along.
He had a faint feeling in his heart that she recognized him. He cupped his hands and said earnestly, “Thank you, Young Miss, for saving me.”
An indescribable emotion swirled in Gu Zhizhuo’s beautiful phoenix eyes. Her red lips parted slightly, countless words she wanted to say stuck in her throat, and in the end, it all turned into one sentence:
“Young Master Xie, you’re about to die.”
The young man: “……” He nearly said, If you can’t speak properly, don’t speak at all!
Xie Yingchen’s eyes and brows curved with amusement. In a relaxed tone, he replied, “Indeed.”
As soon as he finished speaking, he began coughing again — more violently than before. A flush of red appeared on his pale face.
Without a second thought, Gu Zhizhuo quickly walked over, and to his astonishment, she took his hand and began pressing on his acupoints. Her pressure alternated between light and firm, with a particular rhythm and technique. After just a few presses, Xie Yingchen’s coughing suddenly stopped.
The young man looked completely stunned.
Young Master caught a cold a month ago, which developed into a persistent cough. Along the way, they had consulted several doctors and taken various medicines, but none were very effective, and his condition remained unstable, sometimes better, sometimes worse.
She just pressed a few times… and he got better?
He asked impatiently, “Little girl, quick, tell me how you did that?”
Xie Yingchen: “Qin Chen, don’t be rude.”
Qin Chen obediently cupped his hands and lowered his gaze in deference: “…Young Miss, may I ask how you pressed the acupoints?”
Gu Zhizhuo glared at Qin Chen.
Young Master’s body was frail—even a minor cold can leave him sick for a long time, even endanger his life. For him to be coughing like this, it must be that they didn’t take good care of him along the way!
Qin Chen felt bewildered by the glare and scratched his nose awkwardly.
“I’m surnamed Gu. My late father was the Duke Zhenguo — surname Gu, given name Taotao.” Gu Zhizhuo briefly introduced her identity, then made a ‘please sit’ gesture. “Young Master Xie, allow me to take your pulse.”
Qin Chen exaggeratedly said, “Girl, how old are you? Do you really know medicine? Who did you learn it from? The Gu family made their name through martial arts—how did Duke Zhenguo’s daughter end up learning medicine…”
“Shut up,” Gu Zhizhuo snapped irritably.
This guy was so noisy — just one look and she could tell he wasn’t reliable.
Xie Yingchen looked thoughtful.
He considered himself quite good at reading people, but he couldn’t see through Gu Zhizhuo.
In her dark, clear eyes, he saw no trace of ulterior motives, only pure kindness without any selfishness.
“Thank you, Young Miss.”
Xie Yingchen readily took a seat. He lifted his long sleeve and extended his hand.
His wrist was very thin, with an unhealthy pallor; even the veins beneath his skin were clearly visible.
Gu Zhizhuo steadied her emotions and gently placed three fingers on his pulse.
In her previous life, they had invited all the renowned physicians of the time, yet when it came to the Young Master’s illness, all of them could only shake their heads and sigh.
She refused to accept fate and diligently studied medicine.
But in the end, it was too late.
She couldn’t save her face that had been ruined beyond recognition.
She couldn’t save the Young Master’s life either.
Gu Zhizhuo’s eyes began to sting, her thick lashes lowering slightly to hide the tears welling in her eyes.
Her fingers on Xie Yingchen’s pulse trembled, leaving Qin Chen utterly baffled. He thought, What kind of medical technique was this girl using that she had to tremble when taking the pulse?
Gu Zhizhuo felt the pulse beneath her fingertips.
Once, twice, three times…
With each pulse count, her heart grew calmer. By the time she had fully grasped the pulse pattern, her fingers were as steady as a rock.
Gu Zhizhuo withdrew her hand and spoke with precision: “Young Master, you’ve been poisoned.”
Qin Chen’s slightly contemptuous expression suddenly froze upon hearing the words, almost unable to believe his own ears.
Many people knew that the Young Master was frail and often ill, yet over all these years, no one had ever been able to diagnose that he had been poisoned just by a simple pulse reading.
Xie Yingchen responded with a smile, “Yes.”
Gu Zhizhuo continued, “The poisoning was inflicted six years ago. At the time, Young Master managed to survive by relying on rare medicinal treasures. But the residual poison was never cleared, and the chronic illness hasn’t healed, draining your energy and shortening your lifespan with every passing moment.”
Her eyelids lowered, and as her eyelashes trembled lightly, they cast a faint shadow.
“On the journey back to the capital, you exhausted your mind and spirit[mfn]殚精竭虑 = a formal idiom meaning “to exhaust one’s energy and thoughts”; it implies complete mental and physical fatigue due to worry or effort[/mfn], greatly damaging your vital essence[mfn]元神 refers to one’s “primordial spirit” or “vital essence”—a term from traditional Chinese medicine or Taoist philosophy, related to the health of the body and soul[/mfn].”
She said seriously, “You’re enduring this with your own life—this is not acceptable.”
Xie Yingchen could indeed feel his body deteriorating day by day.
He knew that he didn’t have many years left to live.
He also knew that he couldn’t die yet.
His life or death concerned the lives of many others.
He admitted it without hesitation: “Young Miss, you’re absolutely right.”
“Young Miss, do you know how much longer I have left to live?”
