Missing Thoughts Literature

Mei Chengyu laughed at Yu Sui's answer. "You'd better remember what you just said."

Yu Sui nodded enthusiastically. "Mm-hmm."

She focused on eating. Seeing that she had recovered from her fatigue and was full of energy again, Mei Chengyu left her to it. He stood and said, "Clean up after yourself. I'm leaving."

"Okay," Yu Sui replied.

She ate slowly, taking small bites. It took her a while to finish everything in the food box. Then she tidied up and put the lid back on.

Yu Sui took out her Listening Wind Ruler and opened it. She had quite a few messages, the latest from Zhongli Que.

She seemed to be in a hurry.

"Suisui, are you okay?"

"I couldn't sleep after I divined. I keep feeling like something bad is going to happen."

"Are you studying?"

"Suisui!"

Yu Sui lightly rubbed the edge of her Listening Wind Ruler, gazing at the messages for a long time. At last, she replied, "I'm fine."

Qingyang Imperial Capital.

Before noon, the Second Master of the Zhongli Family's youngest daughter had suddenly fallen gravely ill. She had collapsed while dining with her mother and was now unconscious. The day before, her cousin had arranged to go to the Military School Chongtai with Zhongli Que today. When Zhongli Que heard that she had fainted, she immediately set out for the Second Master's residence.

Quite a few women from the Zhongli Family were already waiting outside.

When Zhongli Que arrived with her mother, she saw her Second Aunt sitting by the bed, eyes red from crying as she wept over her unconscious daughter.

Zhongli Que's mother, Madam Sun, sat beside her Second Aunt and placed a hand on her back to comfort her. In a gentle voice, she asked, "What did the physician say?"

The maid beside them hesitated, as if she had something to say.

Her Second Aunt looked at Madam Sun with tear-filled eyes, clutching her sleeve tightly as she choked out, "The physicians in the residence examined her, but said this isn't something a Normal Practitioner can treat. We need to invite a practitioner of medicine. But if word gets out that Xu'er was treated by one..."

She couldn't bear to imagine what might happen next.

Madam Sun soothed her gently. "This is a matter of life and death. If we let those concerns stop us from getting her treated, that would be absurd."

"Where's the Second Master?" she asked.

Her Second Aunt wiped her tears. "He's still teaching at the Military School Chongtai. I've already sent someone to notify him."

Madam Sun looked at Zhongli Xu's pale face and dry lips. Even her breathing had grown faint. She felt they couldn't afford to delay and decisively said:

"Invite a practitioner of medicine. Xiang Lin, send someone to ask Miss Chu whether she's free. If she isn't, go invite Practitioner Zhang."

Zhongli Que was startled. Miss Chu?

Was that the Little Medical Saint who had been the talk of the capital lately?

Xiang Lin had only been gone a short while before she returned. "Madam, Miss Chu said she'll come right away."

"Send someone to meet her," Madam Sun said.

Xiang Lin acknowledged her and went to fetch Miss Chu.

Madam Sun held her Second Aunt's hand and reassured her. "This Miss Chu is the Little Medical Saint everyone in the capital has been talking about. Her name is Chu Jin. I knew her before people started calling her the Little Medical Saint. She's kind-hearted, discreet, skilled in medicine, and very responsible toward her patients. Don't worry. Everything will be all right."

Her Second Aunt looked at her unconscious, deathly pale daughter and nodded through her tears.

Zhongli Que stepped forward and asked quietly, "Mother, how do you know Miss Chu?"

Madam Sun rose and led her to the side before explaining softly, "Last spring, your Third Aunt and I went to Antan Mountain to pray. A sudden downpour brought out the mountain miasma, and it entered our bodies. We could barely breathe and nearly lost our lives. Miss Chu saved us. At the time, she was still practicing on Antan Mountain and hadn't yet come to the capital."

Zhongli Que had had no idea that Miss Chu and her mother had met under such circumstances.

"The old injury I got saving your father also improved quite a bit under Miss Chu's care," Madam Sun sighed. "She's a poor thing, too. It's not easy for her to make her way alone in the capital. I trust her character. Whatever happens to your cousin today, she won't tell anyone."

Zhongli Que nodded.

The wait was agonizing. Everyone kept glancing toward the door until Xiang Lin led a figure in white inside. Only then did the tightness in Madam Sun's chest ease.

The young woman Xiang Lin brought wore white, a white sash trailing against her dark hair. She moved with an ethereal grace. Passing around the screen, she entered the bedroom. Through the gauze curtain, the others caught a glimpse of Miss Chu's arched brows and almond-shaped eyes. She smiled without saying a word.

At her first sight of Chu Jin, Zhongli Que felt that the woman was naturally kind. When those clear, dark eyes fell on you, just one glance and a faint smile were enough to make you like her.

Chu Jin bowed to the two Zhongli Family madams.

Her Second Aunt stood up, tears streaming down her face. "Miss Chu, please save my Xu'er."

"Madam, please don't worry," Chu Jin comforted her gently. At the sound of her voice, it was as if a spring breeze swept through their hearts, brushing away their vexation and filling them with a renewed sense of calm.

Chu Jin went to the bedside and sat down. She reached out to feel Zhongli Xu's forehead, gathering a wisp of golden Five Elements Qi at her fingertips. She lightly tested Zhongli Xu by touching her forehead, the bridge of her nose, her eyes, her cheeks, and the area beside her ears.

Zhongli Que had been watching curiously as Chu Jin treated her cousin when her Listening Wind Ruler suddenly buzzed. She hurried out of the bedroom and went behind the screen to open it. Yu Sui had messaged her to say she was fine, and only then did Zhongli Que breathe a sigh of relief.

"Are you all right?" Zhongli Que asked.

Yu Sui briefly told her what had happened last night, then replied, "I've recovered my energy now."

Zhongli Que's eyes widened slightly as she read. She cursed the people from the Agricultural School for having no shame, pressing the characters in her writing grid harder than usual. "How could he say something like that to you? He has no manners at all. And he even took Lady Su's side, when Lady Su never once bothered to explain anything to them."

Her upbringing and good manners kept her from using harsher words. No matter how angry she got, she could only repeat the same one or two insults.

Every time Yu Sui saw Zhongli Que cursing, she wanted to laugh.

Zhongli Que couldn't hide her anger when she was upset. Sometimes, when she got especially worked up, she even stammered as she cursed, stumbling over her words while her cheeks puffed up with rage and indignation.

Yu Sui stared at Zhongli Que's repeated messages calling him shameless. She could imagine exactly what expression Zhongli Que was wearing and couldn't help laughing for a good while, one hand propping up her head.

Zhongli Que told Yu Sui that her cousin, Zhongli Xu, had fallen ill and that the Little Medical Saint from the capital, Miss Chu, was examining her.

"She doesn't look much older than us, yet she's already so capable." As Zhongli Que talked about Chu Jin, her fingers pressed more lightly on the writing grid. "My mother says she's trustworthy, but could you keep an eye on your Listening Wind Ruler for me, just in case?"

"Okay," Yu Sui replied.

After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Didn't this Little Medical Saint go to the prince's residence to see Lady Su before?"

Zhongli Que replied, "Word from the prince's residence was that she only stayed a short while. Since she couldn't treat Lady Su's old ailment, she left."

Lady Su's old ailment was caused by Xirang. She wondered whether the Little Medical Saint had noticed.

But since the prince's residence had been willing to let her leave, she probably hadn't.

Yu Sui rolled her eyes and opened Old Man Yan's message window to send him a message.

Zhongli Que heard Chu Jin say to the two madams, "The Five Elements Qi in her body is in disarray. It seems to have been affected by some kind of poison. Has she eaten anything unusual these past two days?"

Her Second Aunt pulled herself together. "Bring everything the young lady has eaten over the past two days."

Chu Jin gently pressed Zhongli Xu's abdomen with Five Elements Qi. Zhongli Xu furrowed her brows and let out a muffled groan of discomfort. But as Chu Jin continued pressing, her expression gradually improved, and her tightly knitted brows slowly relaxed.

"I'll first calm the disorder in her Five Elements Qi. That should make her feel better." Chu Jin pondered for a moment, then looked at Madam Sun. "Madam, may I speak frankly?"

Madam Sun sent the maids away, leaving only her Second Aunt and Zhongli Que in the room. Then she turned to Chu Jin. "Go ahead."

"Miss Zhongli has a Five Elements Light Core, but she has never practiced, so she still has Five Elements Qi in her body. Her breath carries a faint Lan Fragrance, her eyes are clouded, and her Five Elements Qi is in disarray. These are signs that she drank Earth Spirit Water," Chu Jin said softly. "And Earth Spirit Water is the main ingredient used to make Lan Poison."

On the Xuangu Continent, among the six nations, there was a prohibited substance called Lan Poison.

It devoured a person's reason and sense of self, offering a brief moment of peace and bliss. It made you addicted, then took everything from you.

Neither Normal Practitioners nor Nine Schools Practitioners could resist the temptation of its poison. That was why the six nations had banned it, trying to destroy every trace of Lan Poison in the world. Hiding, selling, or absorbing Lan Poison was a serious crime, one that could even bring an entire clan down with you.

Even if Zhongli Xu hadn't taken Lan Poison itself, but only the Earth Spirit Water used to make it, the news would still send shockwaves through the capital.

Madam Sun's expression changed slightly as she looked at her Second Aunt. Her Second Aunt swayed and murmured, "Impossible. How could she? I clearly..."

Chu Jin continued, "Fortunately, the amount was small. Perhaps she regretted it as soon as she drank it, or perhaps she drank it by mistake. I'll first purge the remaining poison from her body today. After that, she'll be fine with proper care."

Her Second Aunt covered her face with both hands and began to sob.

Madam Sun held her by the shoulders and helped her calm down.

When the Second Master of the Zhongli Family returned and learned what had happened, he had a huge argument with his wife.

"I told you ages ago to keep a close eye on her! To stop her from running around! And now she's even dared to touch something like this!" The Second Master of the Zhongli Family was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged. "You've spoiled her until she thinks she can do whatever she wants. I told her not to go out, but you kept making exceptions for her. When she went against all reason and did something like this, didn't you ever think about the consequences?!"

Her Second Aunt was already crying too hard to speak.

Madam Sun signaled to Zhongli Que to see Chu Jin out. Zhongli Que obediently did as she was asked and went over to escort Chu Jin away.

Chu Jin smiled faintly at her, then rose and followed.

As Zhongli Que led Chu Jin outside, she said, "I didn't know before that you'd saved my mother on Antan Mountain. Now that I do, I must thank you, Miss Chu."

Chu Jin smiled, lips pursed. "Madam Sun is kind and compassionate. She's helped me a great deal, too. If anything, she's done more for me, so I should be thanking you and Madam."

Hearing her speak, so gentle and soothing, Zhongli Que felt she could listen to her forever.

"I'm grateful to you for helping my cousin today, too, Miss Chu." Zhongli Que looked at her with an elegant bearing. "If you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to ask."

"Since you've brought it up, there is something I'd like to ask of you." Chu Jin laughed, a little bashful. "Madam Sun has an old injury from when she was young. She often suffers from aches in her lower back and legs, especially on rainy days. When it gets bad, she can hardly walk. Having her come to me for massages and acupuncture regularly would be inconvenient, and it's difficult for her to travel when the pain flares up."

"Why don't I teach you a set of techniques? You're often by your mother's side, so you can give her massages to ease her pain and help her suffer less."

Zhongli Que was taken aback. "That's all you wanted to ask?"

Chu Jin nodded lightly, her eyes smiling as she looked at Zhongli Que. "What do you think?"

"But I..." Zhongli Que had yet to finish expressing her concern when Chu Jin continued, "It's just a common massage technique used by ordinary physicians. It has nothing to do with the Nine Schools Techniques. You're learning it for your mother's sake. No one can use it to gossip about you or find fault with the Zhongli Family."

"All right," Zhongli Que said with a nod. "I really can't bear to see my mother suffer during the rainy season."

Chu Jin's eyes curved with her smile. "To avoid gossip, I'll have to trouble you to come to my clinic in the future."

It really wouldn't be convenient for her to visit the Zhongli Family often; that would only invite suspicion. It was better for Zhongli Que to go to her clinic to learn. There were plenty of people coming and going there, and it would make clear that Zhongli Que hadn't learned the Nine Schools Techniques—she had only picked up a few massage techniques to ease her mother's pain.

Zhongli Que lowered her head slightly. "It's no trouble. Then it's settled."

The sunlight disappeared behind a sea of clouds, leaving deep shadows across the ground.

Chu Jin climbed into the carriage and said goodbye to Zhongli Que, who stood at the gate.

Zhongli Que watched the carriage disappear into the distance for a long while. She was so gentle and considerate. No wonder my mother liked her so much.