The Grace of That Sword

Ning Chen didn't know how to explain it, so he just responded helplessly, "I broke my leg."

The shopkeeper frowned, quickly stepped forward, grabbed Ning Chen's arm, and after taking his pulse, his expression grew increasingly grim.

"Can he be saved?" Ning Chen asked with a light laugh.

"Don't talk nonsense," the shopkeeper scolded with a frown. His internal organs were damaged, even his heart meridian. He could be saved, but it would be very troublesome indeed.

Ning Chen didn't seem to care, chuckling, "My injury isn't urgent, it's been a long time. You should check Miss Yue Ling's pulse first."

Only then did the shopkeeper notice the woman behind Ning Chen. His expression couldn't help but turn a little strange. This young man brought a different woman every time he came, and each one was prettier than the last.

Ning Chen didn't know what the shopkeeper was thinking, but seeing that peculiar smile, he could roughly guess.

"We just happened to meet," Ning Chen explained. This shopkeeper was a bit disrespectful for his age; he was quite old, yet his thoughts were still so uninhibited.

"Heh heh," the shopkeeper chuckled knowingly, almost saying he didn't believe it.

Ning Chen didn't explain further, giving him a big eye roll. If he didn't believe it, so be it.

"Miss, this way please," the shopkeeper politely extended a hand, no longer paying attention to Ning Chen, but looking at the beautiful woman in front of him.

Yue Ling followed the shopkeeper's arrangement and sat down at the examination table in the hall, covering her mouth and coughing a few times before extending her left hand.

The shopkeeper placed his hand on the woman's wrist, and after a long moment, his brows furrowed again.

"Well?" Ning Chen wheeled his chair forward, asking seriously.

He could tell Yue Ling wasn't well, otherwise, she wouldn't have traveled thousands of miles to the Imperial City to seek medical treatment.

"Miss, you should be prepared," the shopkeeper sighed softly, speaking tactfully.

Hearing the shopkeeper's words, Yue Ling's expression didn't change much. She was used to it; there was nothing left to be disappointed about.

"How much time do I have left?" Yue Ling asked softly.

"A year at most," the shopkeeper answered honestly.

Yue Ling furrowed her brows but said nothing. She knew her body well, and the year the shopkeeper mentioned was already the absolute maximum.

Over the years, the doctors she had seen were countless, and the elixirs and miraculous medicines she had taken were equally numerous, but unfortunately, they had little effect.

"Recently, the pharmacy acquired a Millennium Blood Ginseng King, but..." The shopkeeper paused, looking at Ning Chen with some difficulty. He had originally intended to give this ginseng to this young man.

"Give it to her. I don't have money," Ning Chen said flatly, pouring himself a cup of tea.

The Millennium Blood Ginseng King sounded very expensive, and it would be a waste to give it to him.

"How much money?" Yue Ling didn't decline, asking directly.

"One hundred thousand taels."

"Pfft!" Ning Chen spat out the tea he had just drunk, asking incredulously, "How much?"

"One hundred thousand taels," the shopkeeper reiterated seriously.

"Cough, cough." Ning Chen choked on the tea, coughing uncontrollably. No wonder that old rogue was so generous back then, giving him a small five-tael silver ingot. He had been so delighted, only to realize now that when others made a move, it was a business of tens of thousands of taels.

The shopkeeper looked at the woman in front of him and said no more. His price wasn't expensive; he had bought this ginseng king at this very price. Selling it at cost now was already out of consideration for Ning Chen.

Of course, if Ning Chen wanted to buy it, the amount of money wouldn't matter.

The pharmacy belonged to the Grandson family, and the medicinal ingredients naturally belonged to the Grandson family. He believed that between Ning Chen and one hundred thousand taels of silver, the Empress Dowager would definitely not choose the latter.

Yue Ling showed no obvious reaction upon hearing the price. She nodded and said, "Tomorrow, I will have someone deliver the silver. I hope the shopkeeper can hold this ginseng king for one day."

"Rich people," Ning Chen sighed inwardly. Comparing oneself to others could be infuriating. All the silver he had amounted to no more than a hundred taels, and that was after robbing many people.

The shopkeeper thought for a moment, then got up and went into the back room. Soon after, he emerged with an exquisite wooden box in his hand.

"Since you and Brother Ning are old acquaintances, you can take this ginseng king first, and the silver can be sent tomorrow."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper handed over the wooden box. Ning Chen's eyelids twitched as he watched. One hundred thousand taels... If Yue Ling ran off with the item, would the shopkeeper kill him?

Yue Ling looked at Ning Chen in surprise. She hadn't expected him to have such influence. One hundred thousand taels was not a small sum, and even she would need a day to prepare it for delivery.

Ning Chen smiled slightly, a little embarrassed. Good character.

The shopkeeper then prescribed another formula for Yue Ling, to be taken with the Blood Ginseng King. As for these other medicinal ingredients, they weren't worth much, so he simply gave them away for free.

Ning Chen waited patiently, unhurried, drinking cup after cup of free tea.

In his eyes, Yue Ling was a remarkable person; her indifference to life and death, yet her refusal to give up, truly impressed him.

After prescribing for Yue Ling, the shopkeeper picked up his brush and wrote a prescription for Ning Chen. There weren't many ingredients, but they were all very precious.

"Eight hundred taels," the shopkeeper said plainly, handing the prescription to Ning Chen.

"Ahem." Ning Chen took the prescription and stared at it for a long time. He pointed to the top ingredient, his voice lacking conviction, "This Snow Lotus Flower probably isn't very useful, is it? Should we just remove it?"

The shopkeeper looked at him with disdain. "That's the main ingredient," he said.

"..."

Ning Chen was speechless. His scalp tingled as he continued searching, then pointed to another ingredient, probing, "How about we remove this one?"

The disdain in the shopkeeper's eyes grew deeper. His tone was neither warm nor cold. "That's the medicinal guide. You decide."

Ning Chen had a headache. He hardened his heart, deciding to be like a pig unafraid of boiling water. "I don't have enough money," he declared.

The shopkeeper returned to the counter, clicked his abacus, and said without lifting his head, "How much do you have?"

Ning Chen reluctantly pulled out a small pouch from behind him, then poured out its contents with a rustle. He counted them, his voice weak. "Seventy-five taels."

The shopkeeper clicked the beads on his abacus a few times. "I'll leave you five taels. Give me seventy taels, and the rest can be put on credit."

Ning Chen was unwilling but had no choice. With a pained expression, he took out a small five-tael silver ingot, then pushed the remaining silver over.

"Ning Chen, owes seven hundred thirty taels."

The shopkeeper took out a ledger from the upper right corner of the counter and neatly wrote eight large characters on a single, prominent page.

Ning Chen's eyelids followed the shopkeeper's pen, each character a jump. In this short time, he had already accumulated such a massive debt.

He wasn't a rich man; he knew nothing but chopping wood. When would he ever pay this money back?

Ning Chen habitually zoned out, not even realizing when Yue Ling pushed him out of the pharmacy. He was worried about how to make some money.

As for the dividends in Li'er's hands, he hadn't even considered taking them back. He simply couldn't bear to lose face like that.

"Are you very short on money?"

From behind the wheelchair, Yue Ling spoke softly, a hint of curiosity in her voice. She found herself understanding the young man in front of her less and less; his way of thinking always seemed to be out of sync with most people.

"Hehe."

Ning Chen awkwardly scratched his head. He was so used to being short on money that he was practically afraid of it. Ever since he came to this world, his biggest worry had been not having money.

Back in the palace, Grandson had cut off all his sources of income, not leaving him a single coin. The money for his escape was a friendly loan from the shopkeeper, which Yue Hanyi eventually took to settle a debt.

"Where does Young Master Ning live?"

It was getting late, and Yue Ling needed to return to rest. If they weren't going the same way, she was prepared to part ways here.

"Lingyan Pavilion," Ning Chen replied.

"A brothel?" A strange expression flashed across Yue Ling's beautiful face as she asked.

"Uh-huh." Ning Chen nodded awkwardly. Both his meetings with Yue Ling seemed to be inextricably linked to brothels.

"Let's go."

Yue Ling continued to push the wheelchair. Coincidentally, their residences weren't far apart.

By the time the two arrived at Lingyan Pavilion, dusk was gradually settling. The area by the Yinshui Riverbank was the most prosperous part of the entire Imperial City, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. As night fell, the crowds grew.

Li'er stood at the entrance of Lingyan Pavilion, looking anxiously from east to west. Her small face was worried. It was so late, why hadn't that guy returned yet?

He couldn't have been caught by that fierce woman from the other day again, could he?

Before long, Yue Ling pushed Ning Chen over. Li'er saw them and immediately walked up fiercely, hands on her hips, and scolded in a clear voice, "Do you have any idea what time it is? You finally decided to come back!"

"Hehe." Ning Chen was even more embarrassed. Should he talk back? The other person was just a little girl. If he didn't talk back, letting a little girl scold him without daring to utter a sound, it would severely affect his image in Yue Ling's eyes, who was behind him.

Ultimately, Ning Chen decided to let his image die.

The little girl's barrage was fierce, transitioning from a light drizzle directly to a downpour, complete with thunder and lightning. It instantly extinguished the spark of rebellion that had just ignited in Ning Chen. It wasn't that his army was too incompetent, but that the enemy army was too powerful.

Li'er scolded for a long time and became a little thirsty. Only then did she notice Yue Ling behind Ning Chen. Her small face instantly took on an extremely strange expression.

This guy only went out once and came back with such a beautiful woman. That was too fast.

While the little girl was resting, Yue Ling finally interjected, her expression quite something. She said, "I'm going back."

"Until next time," Ning Chen nodded, bidding her farewell.

Yue Ling left. Li'er lowered her head and asked in a low voice, "Do eunuchs also like pretty women?"

"..."

Ning Chen instantly felt an internal injury and couldn't speak.

Was he a eunuch? No! No! No!

"You guess."

Ning Chen flung out a frustrated remark, then turned his wheelchair and moved forward. He had already escaped the palace, yet he still couldn't shake off the identity of a young eunuch. How tragic, how depressing.

When would he be able to stand atop the Imperial City and shout to the sky, "I am not a eunuch!"

Because he was in a bad mood, Ning Chen silently ate two extra bowls of rice that night, then returned to his room to rest.

The lively bustle of Lingyan Pavilion continued until midnight before gradually quieting down. After midnight, both guests and the women of the pavilion had returned to their rooms to rest, entangled in their affections.

The cold night was desolate, with the bright moon shining high above, silently casting down a cascade of chilling light. The winter moon was always exceptionally beautiful; perhaps it was that very coldness, that untouchable quality, that made hearts stir.

In the backyard, Ning Chen opened his eyes. He maneuvered his wheelchair to the door, his gaze colder than the moonlight.

Just then, a sharp sword light pierced through the air, brighter than the moon, faster than the wind.

Ning Chen retreated, pulling back into his room and slamming the door shut with a clang.

"Rip!"

The sword pierced through the door, but it could no longer reach Ning Chen, who had retreated.

At the same time, an Ink Sword shot out through the door, embedding itself in a warm body.

She couldn't see Ning Chen, but Ning Chen saw her, because the moonlight outside the door was truly bright...

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