Chapter 226: This Preference Really Leaves One Speechless
"My meridians are in shambles and my bones are also broken. You still think that I can stand up again like this?" asked Wen Qing before she let out an uninhibited laugh. "That Master Luo outside also does not have a solution. What kind of solution would you have?" Although Wen Qing was smiling, Ling Chuxi could tell that there was a hint of bitterness and helplessness in her smile.
"Let me try. Perhaps I can come up with something," said Ling Chuxi as she approached Wen Qing, directly knelt in front of her and lifted the blanket that was covering her motionless legs to inspect them. Wen Qing wanted to avoid this inspection but she could not, neither did she have any means of rejecting it. She felt a jolt of surprise in her heart. She could sense that this young maiden actually had such strong cultivation. What level of Battle Qi was she at?
Just as Wen Qing was about to say something, Ling Chuxi had already started speaking, "It's curable. However, you really are an outstanding woman. You've been enduring this kind of pain every day without flinching." After checking Wen Qing's legs, Ling Chuxi secretly exclaimed in her heart. Indeed, Wen Qing's meridians were in shambles and her bones were broken in a few places just as she had said. Although her bones were reconnected, they had not been reconnected properly. Therefore, her bones did not heal well but still, that would not cause her such pain. The cause of her pain and the most important thing was that her meridians were in shambles. It was fearful to think of how great the pain she had been enduring every day.
"You care cure me?" asked Wen Qing after hearing Ling Chuxi's words, she was stunned but instantly laughed. "Little lady, don't tease me anymore. You also don't need to comfort me like this. My legs... how is it possible... that they can be cured..." When she came to the end of her sentence, her voice became softer and softer and her expression had also dimmed. There was even a hint of a sob in her voice. Indeed, she was enduring the pain of having her meridians in shambles daily. Every day and every night, no one knew the depth of her pain and no one could share her burden. In the dark of the night when all was quiet and still, she felt that her suffering could not get any worse. There were many times she thought of committing suicide just to be free of the pain, but the moment she thought of how Cao Zhibai, that idiot, would end up all alone in this world after she was gone, she swallowed the pain and withstood it all. She had always endured this pain by herself. Yet today, a young maiden who was a complete stranger had acknowledged her pain in a single sentence.
"I can. Trust me, I really can do it!" affirmed Ling Chuxi with a smile and great confidence.
Wen Qing instantly raised her head to look at Ling Chuxi, and she saw that there was self-confidence written all over her face. The assurance was so dazzling that it made one unable to look away. A gleam of light slowly arose in Wen Qing's heart, and it became brighter and brighter. Perhaps, the girl in front of her could really heal her?!
"I can cure you. I think that the reason you were able to silently endure such enormous pain and suffering was all because of the strength you got from the person you call an idiot, isn't it?" said Ling Chuxi, smiling slightly as she turned to look at Cao Zhibai who was still outside the courtyard. Cao Zhibai was covered in dirt and dust and he was patting away the bits of dried grass stuck on him. Then, he and Luo Li looked over in the direction of the wooden house. When they heard no further movement in the house, there was a puzzled expression on their faces. Luo Li himself also found it strange. He knew that Cao Zhibai's lady was a tigress who knew martial arts. The last time, he was also driven out mercilessly. Fortunately, he did not care about such matters. It was just that the house is still so quiet even now. Could it be that Ling Chuxi could really cure Wen Qing? It was impossible! How could it be!
Cao Zhibai trod carefully as he slowly moved forward. When he finally reached the door and poked out his head inside to take a look, he saw that Ling Chuxi and Wen Qing were chatting away happily, discussing what to have for dinner!
"I feel that the essence of a roasted chicken is in the wings. Then the thighs come second," said Ling Chuxi very seriously as she put a hand to her chin.
"No, no. The essence is in the bishop's nose!" retorted Wen Qing seriously with a shake of her head.
Ling Chuxi was speechless. This lady who appeared so beautiful on the outside actually liked to eat the part of a roasted chicken like the bishop's nose.
Chapter 227: Wager
Cao Zhibai and Luo Li stood at the door with their eyes popped open and mouths agape. What was going on? Why were the two people before them discussing food in such a relaxed manner?
"Hey, Cao Zhibai, what are you staring at from over there? Go and buy two chickens. Tonight, we're making roasted chicken. Little Sister Ling said that she will be making them for me tonight." Wen Qing looked at Cao Zhibai timidly poking his head through the door and ordered him to do the marketing without being courteous.
"Ah, is that so? Sure, sure. I'll go and buy them immediately! At once!" it was clear that Wen Qing's tone was fierce, but Cao Zhibai acted as if he had received spoken instructions with great grace, and immediately headed out the door to go to town obediently to buy the ingredients necessary.
"Wait, come back here!" Wen Qing shouted from behind again.
"Coming!" replied Cao Zhibai as he immediately turned around and stood still, awaiting Wen Qing's next line of instructions.
"Go and change your clothes first. If you caught a cold and died, I'd have to deal with your corpse and that'd be annoying to death!" barked Wen Qing.
"Ah, okay! I will immediately go and change!" agreed Cao Zhibai. When he heard these words, it was as if he had just eaten honey. He laughed happily as he turned back around to obediently return to his own home for a change of clothes first.
Luo Li looked at Cao Zhibai's departing back with a stiff expression on his face. Then he turned around and looked at the two people who were happily talking once again in the wooden house.
"About that, I think it is if better Elder Sister Wen Qing calls me Chuxi, Little Sister Ling sounds quite awkward," suggested Ling Chuxi with an embarrassed smile. Of course, Little Sister Ling was awkward, it made her naturally think about the fairy known as Little Sister Lin, or Lin Daiyu, who fell from the sky in the classic novel, 'Dream of the Red Chamber'!
"All right, all right. Chuxi it is then," agreed Wen Qing readily with a nod.
Luo Li finally could not take it any longer. How could he not have noticed the hope between Wen Qing's brows? Wen Qing's emotions were totally different from what they were in the past when he visited. What did this imply? It implied that Ling Chuxi had given her a heart-calming pill by guaranteeing that she could cure her legs. Luo Li could not help but ask, "Miss Ling, so can you really cure Miss Wen's legs?"
"Yeah, I can," replied Ling Chuxi simply as she looked at Luo Li who was standing by the door. "Master Luo, please come in and take a seat. I know you do not believe that I can cure her. Then, you may personally witness the things that will happen next."
"All right. I want to see Miss Ling's ability. If Miss Ling is truly able to cure Miss Wen's legs, then I will admit defeat." Luo Li felt angry inside. This Ling Chuxi had actually said such exaggerated words. Nobody had ever said such exaggerated words to him before. He really wanted to open his eyes wide and take a good look at exactly how capable this teenaged young maiden was!
"Aiya, Master Luo. And what if Miss Ling can cure my legs? Aren't you going to show us a little something?" At this time, a sly smile appeared on Wen Qing's face. "Then, if so, wouldn't that mean that your skills are not as good as hers, Master Luo? Why don't we place a bet?"
Luo Li was stunned. He was so angry that his blood was boiling. Without waiting for Ling Chuxi to say anything, he spoke up without thinking. "If Miss Ling is able to cure a disease that I am incapable of dealing with, I'll admit defeat and admit that my skills are not as good as hers. And I, I... will definitely provide an explanation! I will tell the whole world I am not as good as Miss Ling!"
"Ah, but this is not necessary," said Ling Chuxi. She actually admired Luo Li's proud personality and his attitude when dealing with such matters. She did not wish for Luo Li to be shamed and immediately raised her hand. "It's not necessary Master Luo. Really, you don't have to do this!"
"Indeed, this is meaningless." Wen Qing had also taken Ling Chuxi's cue and put her hand to her chin. "If that were to happen, besides making Master Luo ashamed, it will also bring unnecessary troubles for Chuxi. Master Luo, your level of fame is extremely high. Just think about it. If you announce that you are not comparable to Chuxi, then there will definitely be a lot of people with ill intentions who will seek out Chuxi. Either to challenge her or to beg her to save people."
Chapter 228: Ordering Around a Generation's Master
Luo Li choked and pondered this point. Indeed, it was a logical one. He could not help but say with a little defeat in his voice, "Then, taking Miss Wen's point into consideration, how should this matter be handled? What should the wager be?"
"If Chuxi can cure me, how about you help fulfil three of Chuxi's wishes? Just do the best within your abilities. If I'm not cured, then vice versa," proposed Wen Qing as she smiled like a fox.
"Agreed," said Luo Li after he heard her proposal. He felt that it was not too much and thus, he agreed.
A corner of Ling Chuxi's mouth twitched. These two had decided on a wager just like that. Even though she was the person directly involved in the matter, it was as though she was an uninvolved party.
When night fell, Ling Chuxi roasted two chickens as she promised she would. The other dishes were all made by Cao Zhibai. Cao Zhibai's culinary skills were actually not bad. He served Wen Qing very well, bringing her chopsticks and a bowl as well.
The thing that most left everyone speechless at the dining table was when both Luo Li and Wen Qing reached out for the most sensitive part of the roasted chicken-the bishop's nose. Both their eyes had widened and narrowed as they looked at each other and understood that the other party was actually someone who had shared the same interest in this matter. In the end, they used their gazes to communicate and made allocations as to whom got how much. As there were two roasted chickens, each one was to have one bishop's nose each.
When he saw both Luo Li and Wen Qing with their mouths all oily from eating their respective pieces of the bishop's nose part of the roasted chickens, Fu Chengyu quietly lowered his head to focus on his own food. The Master Luo who was loved and respected by the masses actually had eating habits like this. He wasn't sure how the people who admired him would feel if they saw this. It was too image-shattering.
After dinner, Ling Chuxi and Luo Li stayed behind. Luo Li wanted to watch Ling Chuxi's treatment methods on Wen Qing. Fu Chengyu and Cao Zhibai on the other hand, were locked outside the house.
"Big Brother Fu, don't let Cao Zhibai rush in. If he insists on trying to rush in, just knock him out," instructed Ling Chuxi to Fu Chengyu especially before entering the house.
Fu Chengyu nodded. "Rest assured."
"Why are you saying such a thing? What will happen? Could it be that the treatment will cause Wen Qing to be in great pain?" asked Cao Zhibai anxiously and worriedly when he heard such instructions being given from the side.
"Right now, she is enduring great pain every day. Don't worry, these kinds of days will pass very soon. I am worried that if you hear Wen Qing's screams later on, you'll be unable to control yourself and come rushing over and disrupting our treatment. If that happens, it'd be terrible," answered Ling Chuxi in a serious tone.
"What?! Ah! Oh, no... I..." just as Cao Zhibai was about to say something, Ling Chuxi disappeared into the house as quick as a flash and slammed the door shut. All that was left outside was Cao Zhibai standing alone, thinking of scratching the door, but he was easily dragged away by Fu Chengyu.
Cao Zhibai was waiting outside anxiously. Shortly after, there seemed to be movement in the house. It was Luo Li who yelped in surprise, but very quickly things quietened down. Not long after, Wen Qing's muffled groan could be heard. It was a sound she had let out after being unable to withstand the pain.
"Ah, ah... Wen Qing, are you all right?" asked Cao Zhibai from outside. He wanted to scratch the door again, but recalling Ling Chuxi's instructions, he withheld his own actions.
The house returned to silence again and Cao Zhibai returned to sitting in front of it with his eyes glued to the front door and his heart full of worry and anxiety. He did not know what was going on inside.
Shortly after, Luo Li's voice could be heard from inside the house. "Miss Ling, I have really never heard of, nor seen such a method. Really, it is truly eye-opening! I really admire you!"
"You really talk a lot. Go and wash this," replied Ling Chuxi's discourteous voice which could be heard through the door. She seemed to be ordering Luo Li to do things. After that, a pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard. They should belong to Luo Li who was doing things as instructed to by Ling Chuxi.
Chapter 229: This, Acknowledging a Master was a Little Thrilling
The corners of Fu Chengyu's mouth curled up into a smile when he overheard the conversation going on inside. Although he did not personally witness it happening, he seemed to still be able to imagine the situation going on inside the wooden house now with Ling Chuxi discourteously ordering Luo Li to do things while rolling her eyes. Thinking about it, it was a pretty meaningful scene. Fearfully, the fact was that only Ling Chuxi would dare order around the pill master of a generation as if he were her subordinate.
Just as Cao Zhibai was sitting around worriedly, a terrible scream that made one extremely shocked to hear it rang out from inside the house. In his state of shock, Cao Zhibai did not bother about anything else and was about to rush inside. Fu Chengyu very quickly knocked him out then lay Cao Zhibai on the ground before continuing to wait outside calmly.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, the door of the wooden house finally swung open. Ling Chuxi came out with an exhausted look on her face and following behind her was Luo Li who had a complicated expression on his face. Luo Li's gaze was extremely complicated indeed. There was shock, amazement, joy and disbelief all tangled into one complex expression across his face.
"Chuxi, what happened?" asked Fu Chengyu in concern as he went over to them.
"There are no problems anymore. She just needs to rest well and after a month, she can try to walk slowly. After three months, walking shouldn't be a big problem anymore," replied Ling Chuxi tiredly. Then she lowered her head to look at Cao Zhibai who was slowly stirring and immediately understood that him being on the ground as such was definitely the result of Fu Chengyu's knocking him out.
"Ah, Chuxi, how is Wen Qing?" asked Cao Zhibai through gritted teeth as he touched the back of his head gingerly. Fu Chengyu's slap was really ruthless. It hurt like h*ll.
"She's asleep now. There aren't many problems anymore. You also heard it all. In the following days, you'll need to take care of her well. Just follow along according to my instructions and that will do." Ling Chuxi yawned before continuing, "Oh, I'm so tired. I'm going to sleep now. It would be good if you could go in and accompany her."
"All right, then. Chuxi, let's return to rest first," said Fu Chengyu as he looked at Ling Chuxi's exhausted face and felt a little ache in his heart for her.
"Okay," said Ling Chuxi with a nod before walking to exit the courtyard with Fu Chengyu. Luo Li immediately followed after them while Cao Zhibai went into the wooden house to watch over Wen Qing, shut the door and no longer came back out.
"Having seen that, Miss Ling, I assume you can also solve the matter of the frost poison in Ninth Prince's body, right? Can you tell me how you plan to do it?" asked Luo Li shamelessly as he followed closely by Ling Chuxi's side.
"I am too tired. Let's talk about it tomorrow. Ah, wait. I'll just go back and wash my face first. Cao Zhibai that rascal definitely did not boil hot water for us..." muttered Ling Chuxi in dissatisfaction as she walked away. The weather was so cold and yet he still made her boil her own water when he invited her here? Was this not asking for her life pretty much? How terrible of him.
"I will immediately go and boil hot water for you. Just wait," said Luo Li as he immediately went ahead of them to prepare hot water.
Ling Chuxi blinked and looked at Luo Li's retreating back as he ran agilely into the distance. A generation's master was working so hard to serve her, she should feel embarrassed, okay?
...
Early the next morning, Ling Chuxi slept till the sun was high in the sky. There was no choice. She was really too tired from doing the treatment last night. She squinted at the sunlight as she opened the door. The moment she did, she was given a fright by the person who was standing by the door.
"Master Luo, why are you standing here so early in the morning?" asked Ling Chuxi as she looked at Luo Li who was standing by her door without moving. She thought about it for a moment and understood why. Then, she smiled and said, "Master Luo, wait till after we have eaten. Once we have, I'll let you know the answers to the things you want to know. Is that all right?"
Luo Li slowly turned around and looked at Ling Chuxi seriously without speaking for a long time. That solemn look of his left Ling Chuxi feeling goosebumps in her heart. What was Master Luo going to do?
After a while, Luo Li seemed to have decided on something when he suddenly bowed in a gesture of respect. He bowed in a very serious manner to Ling Chuxi and said in a clear voice, "Almighty master, please accept a bow from this disciple!"
Ling Chuxi was immediately stunned and thoroughly solidified into a rock right where she stood!
Chapter 230: Live as You Like While You are Alive
"You-Master Luo, you, don't make these kinds of jokes so early in the morning. Jokes like this are not funny," said Ling Chuxi. She shuddered and even when she spoke, she was not fluent. She had thought that after Luo Li saw her medical skills, perhaps he would be shocked and might not react well, but she never thought that he would have such a reaction. This really gave her a fright!
"I'm not kidding. Learning never ends, and those who are capable can all be masters regardless of age. Master, I hope that you will not disdain me, a disciple who is so old. Please accept me as such," said Luo Li as he bowed and was not willing to rise. His words were simple, but his tone was stubborn.
Ling Chuxi stared at Luo Li and could not speak for quite a while.
"I mean, master, all those worldly standards are so ridiculous. Why do you care about them? Isn't living as we like and living for ourselves what it means to be alive?" Seeing Ling Chuxi not speaking for a long time, Luo Li raised his head, smiled slightly, and persuaded her further, "I remember an expert once told me that in martial arts, the strong are respected, and in some ancient and powerful sects, even if such individuals are disciples who entered the sect later than their predecessors, if their cultivation is stronger, then those predecessors will eventually respect them as senior brothers and senior sisters. Isn't it the same with medical skills as well? Master, your attainments are far above mine, and not to mention your character as well. So, why can't I acknowledge you as my master?"
Ling Chuxi was slightly stunned. She did not think that Luo Li would actually say such words. After thinking about it carefully, Ling Chuxi smiled. Indeed, when did she let herself forget? In this world, things have always been so. Luo Li's words were also a principle. Isn't living as we like and living for ourselves what it meant to be alive? Why should we be bothered about the judgement of others?
"Yes, that is true. It was I who thought of things wrongly," said Ling Chuxi as she smiled slightly. "However, whether or not I have the qualifications to be your master, I dare not say. But if you acknowledge me as your master, I will definitely do my best to teach you what I know. I can trust in your character, Master Luo." Although Luo Li was a little arrogant, his character still received the praises of the masses.
The moment Luo Li heard Ling Chuxi's words, joy could be seen in his eyes as he solemnly bowed in respect again. "Almighty master, please accept a bow from your disciple!"
"Ah, about that though, can I raise a request?" asked Ling Chuxi as she felt a little headache coming on. "Don't call me Master in front of others. Can we keep this matter a secret?" requested Ling Chuxi after thinking things through clearly. Luo Li was the number one saintly hand of Nan Xia Country. If it were to be made known that he had acknowledged such a young maiden as his master, that would definitely stir up huge waves. To Ling Chuxi, that was not necessarily a good thing. At least, for now it would not be a good thing. "I see. All right, then." Luo Li thought about it and understood the problems that this matter encompassed, therefore he nodded and agreed.
"Okay, then. Let's go and have brea
kfast first," said Ling Chuxi with a wave of her hand. She finally managed to settle something.
"Then master, can you tell me about what you plan to do about the frost poison in Ninth Prince's body?" Luo Li was constantly thinking about this question. He was helpless when it came to Wen Qing's ailment, but Ling Chuxi cured her. The Ninth Prince, Fu Chengyu's frost poison was also beyond him, but Ling Chuxi still had a way to cure him.
"Yup, sure. The Thousand Pearl Orchid is one of herbs needed to refine the antidote. There is still a need for a few other rare herbs before I can refine the antidote pill. We have yet to find them, though. I'm confident that the frost poison in Big Brother Fu's body is not incurable..." explained Ling Chuxi as she walked on while Luo Li obediently followed her, paying full attention to what she was saying. As he listened, he would also nod from time to time, with a look that showed he was enlightened.
Therefore, when Cao Zhibai returned to prepare breakfast for the group, he saw Luo Li following Ling Chuxi while uttering the word "master" every time he spoke to her.