RPDPHW Chapter 24

Strange… Seeing Gu Qingyin’s expression, why did Zhong Shujin suddenly feel so guilty?

She twisted Gu Qingyin’s sleeve anxiously, trying to explain, “He always talks nonsense. Don’t listen to his ramblings…”

Ju Yuze opened his mouth to say more, but Zhong Shujin shot him a sharp glare, instantly silencing him.

Sensing the tension, Li Ziming quickly lowered his voice to warn, “Alright, enough. At least save some face for the teacher in front of outsiders. If you keep running your mouth, and she punishes you later, we won’t plead for you.”

Ju Yuze thought about it and decided it was best not to expose too many of their leader’s secrets—otherwise, she might really get angry out of embarrassment…

Meanwhile, a flicker of darkness passed through Gu Qingyin’s gaze.

Ah… to them, she was still just an outsider.

Gu Qingyin didn’t press further about the brothel, nor did she walk away out of stubborn pride. Instead, she obediently sat beside Zhong Shujin.

The moment that familiar scent of medicinal herbs surrounded her, Zhong Shujin finally smiled in satisfaction. But when she met Gu Qingyin’s gaze—one laced with amusement—her expression stiffened instantly. She forcibly suppressed the corners of her lips from curling up and quickly turned her attention to the food on the table.

Gu Qingyin remained silent, unsure of what to say. Instead, she simply poured herself another cup of wine to ease the brief moment of awkwardness.

But just as she lifted the cup, a warm hand pressed down on hers.

“Just recovered from poisoning, and you’re already drinking? Do you have a death wish?”

The words sounded like a warning, yet when spoken in Gu Qingyin’s soft and gentle tone, they carried a hint of indulgence.

A warmth spread through Zhong Shujin’s heart—it had been a long time since she’d felt this at ease.

She stared directly at the hand resting on the back of hers, refusing to let go, and responded cheerfully, “With you here, what’s there to be afraid of?”

Others might not know, but she did—Qingqing’s medical skills were unparalleled. How could she possibly let anything happen to her?

Gu Qingyin let out a helpless chuckle, then simply took the wine cup from Zhong Shujin’s hand and placed it in front of herself.

Seeing the way her eyes drooped in disappointment, Gu Qingyin couldn’t help but chuckle softly and coax, “Be good. Listen to me. Your wounds haven’t healed yet, so no drinking.”

Zhong Shujin pouted and asked, “Just a little bit, okay?”

Gu Qingyin only smiled and shook her head.

Zhong Shujin looked at Gu Qingyin in frustration, as if trying to negotiate further. But before she could speak, Leng Shaoying suddenly remarked in surprise, “Oh? Since when has our esteemed leader been this obedient? Usually, when we try to persuade her to drink less, she never listens!”

“Oh?” Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhong Shujin. “So, you have a habit of excessive drinking?”

“I…” Zhong Shujin had barely uttered a word before Jing Rong exposed her.

“Exactly! We still don’t know what happened to our leader the last time she disappeared. But ever since she came back, she’s been drowning her sorrows in alcohol. We were all so worried about her.”

Ju Yuze, who could never keep his mouth shut, quickly chimed in, “Yeah, yeah! Ever since then, she’s been so unhappy. That’s why she started dragging me along to the pleasure houses to drink with the courtesans!”

Leng Shaoying teased with a laugh, “Anyone who didn’t know better would think our leader must have fallen for some young gentleman on that trip and was heartbroken because she couldn’t bring him home.”

Hearing their words, a flicker of complex emotions flashed through Gu Qingyin’s eyes.

So… was she unhappy after returning?

“You all seem to be talking a bit too much today.”

Zhong Shujin’s face had already darkened.

The once lively atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Fortunately, Gu Qingyin spoke up in time, breaking the tension.

“A young gentleman? Then which young gentleman has Ah Jin taken a liking to, for her to be so unable to forget him?”

Zhong Shujin frowned.

The one she couldn’t forget was certainly not some young gentleman.

The one she couldn’t forget was that charming young lady who had completely unsettled her heart.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t say it outright, so she could only stew in her own frustration.

“Don’t listen to their nonsense! What young gentleman could possibly make me unable to forget him?”

Gu Qingyin smiled as she gazed at Zhong Shujin. “Mhm, if it’s not a young gentleman, then who is it that you can’t forget?”

Zhong Shujin bit her lip. For some reason, hearing those words from Gu Qingyin made her temper flare instantly.

Others might not know, but could she really not know?

Watching Zhong Shujin’s angry figure storm off, the remaining members of the Bloodflame Sect exchanged bewildered glances.

“What just happened…? Why did the Chief suddenly get mad?”

“I have no idea either…”

Li Ziming couldn’t help but cast his gaze toward Gu Qingyin.

Their Chief had never lost her temper over their teasing before. For her to react this way today… perhaps, just maybe, it had something to do with this poison doctor.

“Miss, may I ask—when exactly did you and our Chief first meet? None of us have ever heard her mention you before.”

Li Ziming’s question piqued the curiosity of the others as well. They all paused their conversation and turned their gazes toward Gu Qingyin.

Back then, Zhong Shujin had remained tight-lipped about everything that had happened during her disappearance. Even Leng Shaoying, the only one who had some interactions with Gu Qingyin, knew nothing—simply because neither Zhong Shujin nor Liu Sanniang had ever spoken of it. No one realized that it was actually Gu Qingyin who had once saved her life.

At this moment, Gu Qingyin idly played with the wine cup that Zhong Shujin had just used. She wasn’t surprised by Li Ziming’s question.

During their time together, perhaps, for the amnesiac A-Jin, those days had been happy.

But for the now fully recovered and clear-headed Chief Zhong… perhaps it was nothing but a disgrace.

So, was that why Zhong Shujin never told them about it?

“Two years ago, I happened to rescue her at the bottom of a cliff when she was gravely injured.”

“Two years ago… at the bottom of a cliff…” Jing Rong suddenly realized something. “I see! Could it be that when the Chief went after that traitor, got severely injured, and went missing—that was when you saved her?!”

The others, reminded by Jing Rong’s words, finally put the pieces together.

“No wonder we couldn’t find the Chief no matter how hard we searched—she was with you all along!”

“That explains it! I always wondered how she returned completely unharmed, acting as if nothing had happened. But what’s strange is, why didn’t she order us to take revenge on those people back then…?”

“The Chief must have been thinking about her ties to her sect, which is why she didn’t let us go too far with revenge…”

“She only started acting strangely after she returned from that disappearance. She often seemed lost in thought and sighed a lot. I wonder if the lady knows anything about it?”

“That, I do not know.” Gu Qingyin didn’t elaborate further. Instead, she finished the cup of wine Zhong Shujin had been drinking, then stood up and said, “You all continue chatting. I’ll go check on her.”

As the knocking sounded at the door, Zhong Shujin was leaning against the window inside her room, absentmindedly staring at the street below.

“Who is it?”

Gu Qingyin didn’t answer. She simply pushed the door open and walked in.

Seeing the food Gu Qingyin had placed on the table, Zhong Shujin finally realized that her stomach did feel a bit empty.

She licked her lips, kept a straight face, and got up to sit by the table. Without saying a word, she silently picked up the chopsticks Gu Qingyin had placed in front of her.

“Eat something first. Once you’re done, I’ll check your injuries.”

Zhong Shujin’s hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly.

“The injuries… should be healed by now… Maybe we don’t need to check…”

Noticing Zhong Shujin’s nervous expression, Gu Qingyin found it amusing, though her face remained calm and composed.

“It’s better to check. If everything is fine, I can leave later with peace of mind.”

“Leave?” Zhong Shujin’s heart sank. “Where are you going?”

Gu Qingyin picked out some of Zhong Shujin’s favorite dishes and placed them in her bowl, speaking calmly, “Didn’t I tell you before? I came out this time to search for my family. Now that I’ve found some clues, of course, I have to go investigate.”

Zhong Shujin frowned, unconsciously poking at the food in her bowl.

“Do you have to go…”

Gu Qingyin propped her chin on her hand, watching her movements with a smile. “Mm.”

Hearing this answer, Zhong Shujin immediately lost her appetite.

Suddenly recalling what people had mentioned earlier that day, she quickly put down her chopsticks and locked eyes with Gu Qingyin.

“By the way, the poisoned dart you removed from me last night—where is it now?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Gu Qingyin was momentarily stunned.

“I threw it away.”

“Threw it away? More like throwing it at Zhu Xing’an, right?”

Seeing the slight awkwardness on Gu Qingyin’s face, Zhong Shujin was certain of her guess. She frowned and asked, “Why did you poison him?”

Gu Qingyin lowered her gaze. “Why ask so many questions? I just didn’t like him.”

Hearing this, Zhong Shujin angrily stood up. “How could you be so reckless?! Sichuan is Tangmen’s stronghold—have you considered what would happen if they found out? The Tangmen are also skilled at poison; they’re not opponents you can easily deal with! Your martial arts aren’t strong, and if they catch you, you—”

Before Zhong Shujin could finish scolding her, Gu Qingyin interrupted.

“Ah Jin, are you worried about me?”

The faint smile on Gu Qingyin’s face made Zhong Shujin’s cheeks flush red. She quickly turned her head away and declared righteously, “As the leader of my sect, I always repay kindness. No matter what, you did help me this time—I can’t just ignore it.”

“Repaying kindness, huh?” Gu Qingyin let out a bitter smile and stood up alongside Zhong Shujin, offering reassurance. “Don’t worry, I hid myself well. No one knew it was me.”

“Who’s worried…” Zhong Shujin pouted slightly, furrowing her brows. “No matter how well you hid, I still figured it out. If Tangmen learns you’re here and connects it to Zhu Xing’an’s poisoning, they’ll suspect you.”

The Poison Doctor was already well-known in the martial world. If Tangmen discovered her presence, whether she was truly responsible for Zhu Xing’an’s death, they would inevitably associate it with her.

After all, to poison someone like Zhu Xing’an, the skill had to be extraordinary.

And that meant Tangmen would likely place the blame squarely on Gu Qingyin.

“Hmm, our Ah Jin is still the smartest—she even figured this out.”

Unlike Zhong Shujin’s worry, Gu Qingyin remained calm and unafraid, as if the matter was of little consequence.

But such a casual attitude was too perfunctory. While it did ease Zhong Shujin’s anxiety, it also made her unhappy. She let out a soft huff. “Brushing me off.”

She was only bothered by Gu Qingyin’s dismissive attitude, not the way Gu Qingyin had said “our Ah Jin.”

Because of that, Gu Qingyin’s smile deepened.

Within just a few breaths, she had already stepped closer.

Before Zhong Shujin could react, she found herself pulled into Gu Qingyin’s embrace.

Although it was an embrace, the posture didn’t quite feel like one.

Gu Qingyin’s hands rested lightly on Zhong Shujin’s lower back, yet the distance between them hadn’t reached the level of true intimacy.

There was something between them—a gap that seemed to be called restraint.

Zhong Shujin struggled slightly, only to hear a voice tinged with disappointment whisper in her ear.

“Ah Jin, are you afraid of me?”

She froze for a moment and eventually stopped resisting.

The hands on her waist began to move.

With just the right amount of pressure, they kneaded the soreness in her lower back.

“Did I hurt you last night?”

That voice, that touch, that careful gentleness—it was so tender that it almost felt heartbreaking.

Zhong Shujin lifted her head, meeting those eyes that were so close, pressing her lips together before shaking her head.

“It didn’t hurt.”

The distance between their breaths was dangerously close.

She could clearly feel her own heartbeat growing erratic, and with those wandering hands on her waist, her breathing became even more uneven.

Yet, the person in front of her only continued to smile faintly.

Those eyes, which once always held undeniable emotion, were now unreadable.

Those eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist, making it impossible for her to see through them anymore.

Really, it was a little heartbreaking.