Ink Burns

Chapter 197 Sing a Buddhist Song
In late May, when the weather gets even hotter, the old locust tree in Nanfu blooms with pale yellow flowers and bright green stamens. When the wind blows, the stamen powder is sprinkled on the smooth, square black bricks, like mung bean cakes sprinkled with brown sugar powder.

There was also a plate of mung bean cakes on the table.

Made by Granny Su.

The old woman was so old that she could hardly straighten her back, but she insisted on going into the kitchen to make her specialty pastries to entertain her crying sister-in-law.

My sister-in-law doesn't eat it.

The sister-in-law, however, couldn't eat anything.

All night long, Shui Guang wore a mournful face, hugging the west wing's arched pillar like a stone gazing at her sister, her heart aching as she wiped away tears.

Unfortunately, his two hands were wrapped in fine white silk gauze, making them look like two large rice dumplings.

He raised his hand, misjudged its position, and punched the corner of her eye.

"Wah—" Shui Guang cried even louder.

Beside the shimmering water was Wang Erniang, who was peering inside.

Second Aunt tucked Shanyue in, cursing: "Damn it, once she wakes up, whether she believes it or not, I'm taking her to the temple to burn incense! — She never comes back from going out in a whole carcass!"

Beside the Second Aunt was Zhou Liniang, who was leaning against the warm couch, secretly shedding tears.

Ma Mao'er cried rather elegantly, her delicate figure swaying in the breeze, her shoulders hunched inward, tears streaming down her cheeks one by one. Even the broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted young man in black under the old locust tree in the courtyard had no interest in watching.

Zhou Liniang was crying so intensely when a long feather suddenly brushed against her face, making her feel a little itchy.

Zhou Liniang looked over with teary eyes.

A plump, round white parrot, its claws gripping the edge of the bed, hopped sideways across.

"Mountain Moon—Mountain Moon—" The white-feathered parrot opened its beak, its voice hoarse, sounding like a street thug. It looked up and greeted Zhou Liniang familiarly, "Excuse me!"

Zhou Liniang sniffed and kindly made way for the plump white parrot.

As dawn broke, the pale light seeped through the cracks in the window frames.

Xue Xiao stepped inside, carrying a tray in both hands. His eyes were immediately drawn to three human heads and a bird's head, forming a straight line with their necks outstretched around the bed.

Xue Xiao: The room, which wasn't big to begin with, is now too crowded.

"Cough—" Xue Xiao coughed in a low voice.

No one responded.

Even the white-feathered parrot didn't turn around.

I heard hurried, dragging footsteps behind me.

"Have you woken up?" Cheng Xingyu leaned against the door frame with one hand, stepped over the threshold, and his voice was like the splashing water on a stream.

The three heads and the bird's head all turned their heads at the same time.

Xue Xiao: How could such a small room be so cold in the sweltering heat of June?

Shui Guang spoke with a sob in her voice, "At 3:15 PM, she opened her eyes briefly, but didn't wake up; at 5:00 PM, she let out two soft sobs, and when I asked my sister, she didn't answer."

“It should hurt.” Xue Xiao added in a low voice, “My left shoulder has been bleeding. I helped Shan Yue bind the meridians on her shoulder tightly. The knife wound was bound and pressed down, so it stopped bleeding, but it still hurts.”

Cheng Xingyu nodded, took two quick steps, his breathing slightly short. After taking his pulse, he kept frowning and said in a very soft voice, "...You should have called me over when you came back last night."

"A fire broke out at the river dock on the outskirts of the city. Calling for medical help late at night might arouse suspicion from those with ulterior motives." Xue Xiao's brows furrowed even deeper: "Is the situation very bad?"

Cheng Xingyu withdrew his hand from taking Shan Yue's pulse, his fingers lightly pressing down on Shan Yue's neck, making her cheekbones and jawline more distinct. Yet, his gaze, contrary to her sharp features, held a gentle calm: "The injury isn't too serious. One injury is to her collarbone. When the force struck, Shan Yue likely neutralized it, preserving the bone. She only needs a few days of rest to recover."

Cheng Xingyu was noticeably weaker than he had been a few days ago. After speaking a few words, his chest heaved like a burning bellows. His weakness went unnoticed.

Everyone's attention was focused on Shan Yue, who was lying on the bed.

Cheng Xingyu took a deep breath and continued, "There is another wound on my left shoulder. The injury here is more serious. My shoulder was pierced by a sharp weapon, the flesh is rotten and the bone is broken, and I have lost too much blood."

Shuiguang's sobbing voice rang out.

Cheng Xingyu had not yet finished speaking.

Cheng Xingyu looked up at Xue Xiao, moved his lips as if he had something to say but couldn't say it.

Wang Erniang: "Oh dear! The meat in my kitchen is still burning!"

Zhou Liniang: "There are still two strokes left to finish in my painting."

Snowball, the white parrot, hopped back onto the wooden beam with its claws, raised its head, and cried out, "Eat! Eat! Eat millet! Eat wheat! Eat insects!"

Most of the three heads and one bird head disappeared in a flash, leaving only Shuiguang, who was crying her eyes out.

Shui Guang raised her white gauze-covered fist to wipe the corner of her eye: "I...I...can I stay? I want to protect my sister."

Xue Xiao nodded almost imperceptibly: It's good to let my sister-in-law hear it, so she'll know how much her sister has suffered and at least have some reservations before acting rashly next time.

Seeing Xue Xiao nod, Cheng Xingyu said, "Both injuries are external and won't fundamentally affect the condition. The important thing is that injuries bring cold. I've already figured out the 'drawing the mechanism' medicine, which mainly uses highly toxic poisons like five-step snake venom, cinnabar, and fiery rock. The shoulder wound is too deep and the cold is too severe, drawing out the poison hidden in the bone marrow—"

Cheng Xingyu's eyes darkened, as if he had made up his mind: "These days, I will first use acupuncture to stabilize my meridians and mind, and I will also work faster to try to extract the antidote as soon as possible."

"'Tethering the Machine'?" Shui Guang asked in astonishment.

Xue Xiao glanced sideways, his expression calm, his voice low: "'Qingfeng's' trusted men must first drink a bowl of poisoned soup before they can gain his trust."

Shuiguang's pupils dilated: "Poisonous soup? Poisoned medicine? Sister drank it?"

Xue Xiao did not answer immediately, but turned around and gazed at the layers of curtains, his eyes deep and tender.

The curtains were very plain.

A thin layer of gray gauze curtain hangs on the wall.

The entire west wing was very plain, without a single brightly colored or luxurious item.

When the North and South Prefectures were divided, the South Prefecture's warehouse was empty. The items left by his grandfather had long been looted by the North Prefecture. However, he had managed to accumulate a considerable amount of money and valuables over the years.

Shan Yue took over the Southern Mansion but did not take a single penny, and kept the old women and girls she brought with her content with their lives.

He understood her.

With the great revenge unavenged, all pleasures are a betrayal; only by practicing asceticism can one find a moment of inner peace.

The curtains were blown up by the wind.

Shan Yue's serene and jade-like face was partially hidden behind the curtain, her fair complexion as white as paper, her lips pale from blood loss, and the stray hairs scattered on her cheeks and behind her ears.
She was like a piece of porcelain, unbroken in the turbulent world, instead turning purgatory into a kiln for firing and glazing.

Suffering gilded her, and he willingly bowed his head as a believer.

“Your sister has suffered a lot along the way.”

Xue Xiao's gaze remained fixed behind the curtain, lingering and tender, his voice deep and heavy: "In this world, it's easy to be a good person, and it's easy to be a bad person. What's difficult is being like your sister—harboring boundless hatred, yet unable to be a truly evil person."

Xue Xiao turned to look at his sister-in-law, whose eyes were swollen from crying: "If you can upset her less, that would be a blessing."

He came from a Taoist temple, yet he was willing to chant ten thousand Buddhist verses for the mountain moon.