Over the next few days, Qin Muye let the puppet roam around, hoping it might find a suitable fate to conquer. The results weren't great, but if he cast his net wide enough, he was bound to find the right one.
Every now and then, he could visit the pleasure quarters and listen to some music. The audio quality was just as good as being there in person.
Pretty thrilling!
As for Qin Muye himself, he stayed home and focused on recovering.
He had to admit, the young lady had some real skill. After her treatment, that feeling of weakness had definitely eased.
But his body was simply in terrible shape.
After all these days, his physique had fallen back to Eighth Rank (-57/40) and stopped moving altogether.
He borrowed a stack of medical books from the Imperial Hospital and searched for similar cases. In the end, he reached a conclusion: the worst cases were those where one's vital energy had been severely depleted, but one's cultivation realm hadn't fallen.
At least those whose realms fell could return to being ordinary people and live out their days in peace.
But if they still retained the empty shell of a high realm, they would waste a great deal of their vital essence and spirit.
People like that generally shared two traits: they died young, and they couldn't have children. Even if they could get it up, they still couldn't father any.
Heh!
Just perfect!
At this rate, as long as he didn't actively spend points, he would probably still be stuck in the same place three or five years from now. He wondered how anxious Bai Yuji would get.
As it happened,
Bai Yuji was already getting anxious. "What's going on? Why is your pulse weaker than it was a few days ago?"
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Qin Muye quickly raised both hands. "Don't suspect me! You've been watching me all these days. When would I have had the chance to tamper with anything?"
"I'm not suspecting you!"
Bai Yuji waved her hand helplessly. If he had tampered with anything, she really would have noticed.
But why was this happening?
It was normal for qi and blood to fluctuate, but if they kept falling for several days in a row, it could only mean one thing: her treatment had reached its limit. If she wanted to truly cure him, she had to find another way.
Treating Qin Muye was a race between how quickly his blood and qi dissipated and how quickly they could be replenished.
But this was already the treatment plan she had the most confidence in. Where could she find a better one?
Qin Muye poured her a cup of cooled tea and consoled her. "You don't need to blame yourself. The imperial physicians have been working on this for years without solving it. If you fixed it with ease, what would become of them? Would they still have a reason to live?
"And besides, I'm not even worried about my own body. Why are you? Where there's a mountain, there's a way through. Relax..."
Bai Yuji's mood improved inexplicably. She took the tea and sipped it. "This is the first time I've seen a patient comforting his doctor."
Qin Muye gave a self-mocking smile. "If I needed someone to comfort me every day, I wouldn't have made it this far."
Bai Yuji: "..."
She suddenly felt sorry for him.
After spending these past few days together, she really felt that Qin Muye was an exceptionally pure-hearted person.
Every day, he did nothing but receive treatment and read. His only leisure was chatting with his family, and, to maintain their sweet public image, taking her shopping.
Over the past few days, she hadn't seen the slightest trace of a nobleman's arrogance in Qin Muye. Even when dealing with servants or shop assistants, he never looked down on them.
A man like that,
had still been driven by those spoiled brats to extort people with the Brocade Guard at his side.
And he often acted fierce and aggressive in front of her, too.
Bai Yuji often felt as if she were the villain.
Though, she was a villain.
When it came to the hatred of a destroyed nation, there was only a choice to be made, not a question of good or evil.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"Then let's go shopping. A new hu bing shop opened in the west of the city. Their lamb-stuffed flatbreads are amazing. Let's go try them!"
"Sure!"
At last, a hint of a smile appeared on Bai Yuji's face.
Before, shopping with Qin Muye had just been routine, a way to maintain the identity she needed.
Now, shopping with Qin Muye genuinely helped her relax.
She felt that Qin Muye was even more at ease than she was, as if he'd completely forgotten she was his kidnapper.
The two of them didn't even bring a maid. They climbed into a carriage and headed west.
After leaving the carriage beneath a willow tree beside the inner river, they walked hand in hand toward the hu bing shop. They drew plenty of curious looks along the way.
Everyone had heard that the Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression had found himself a wife as beautiful as a celestial maiden, and that the two often went out together at dusk to shop and eat. Seeing them today, the rumors had been true. She really was as beautiful as a celestial maiden.
And it didn't even feel like a flower stuck in a pile of cow dung.
Qin Muye had lost a lot of weight. Though he still looked somewhat weak, he now looked like a handsome scholar. The two even seemed well-matched, a talented man and a beautiful woman. Their conversation was overflowing with sweetness.
Of course, there were jealous people, too.
But whenever someone let out a sour remark, they were promptly challenged: "What kind of monster are you?"
The Heir to the Marquis of Southern Suppression might not have been popular among the powerful and wealthy.
But after sacrificing his own marrow to save his father, his reputation among the common people was untouchable.
Bai Yuji could feel all those gazes. Every time people stared at her, she felt the urge to flee. After getting their hu bing, she quickly pointed to the elegant restaurant beside them. "Let's eat there!"
Qin Muye frowned. "You're getting more and more corrupt. That restaurant's the most expensive one on the whole street."
Bai Yuji rolled her eyes at him. "There are fewer people there! We won't have to be surrounded and ogled like monkeys."
"Let them look. We're so sweet together. If they enjoy watching, we can treat it as doing a good deed."
"If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll let my venomous bugs bite your tongue tonight!"
"Are they pale-skinned, beautiful, curvy venomous bugs with the surname Bai...? Don't glare at me. I'll take you there, okay?"
Qin Muye took her hand and headed for the restaurant.
Bai Yuji tried to pull her hand back. She could accept linking arms, since there was clothing between them, but holding hands was a little too intimate.
Qin Muye had a firm grip, though, and she couldn't break free when she tried.
Afraid outsiders would notice something was off, she simply gave up. She pinched his waist lightly instead. He was so annoying, always taking every chance to cop a feel.
Fortunately, she was vigilant. She hadn't given him a chance to steal a kiss these past few days.
Second floor of the restaurant, private room.
No prying eyes.
Bai Yuji was just about to say something when a commotion suddenly rose from downstairs.
She looked down and saw two figures chasing each other, zipping across the street in a flash. Their shouts rang out one after the other.
"You little brat! They've dragged your father's good name through the mud, and you can't even listen to me just this once?"
"Give it a rest! They're all rotten fish and shrimp. Wouldn't this just get in the way of my cultivation?"
The two sped off like the wind. All that remained was the dust swirling along the road and a crowd of onlookers.
"Those two..."
Qin Muye thought for a moment. "Huh? Aren't they the father and son from the Gongshu Clan? What's going on?"
Bai Yuji smiled and lowered her voice. "Isn't it because they lost face at the auction last time? Now all the top puppet masters in Great Gan have gathered in the Capital City, each hoping to rise to prominence by stepping on the Gongshu Clan.
"The Gongshu Clan's patriarch can't bring himself to compete personally, so he can only beg his own son. I heard that the young master of the Gongshu Clan has an incredible talent for crafting puppets, but he turned to cultivation because he felt there was no one left who could challenge him. The two of them have been arguing for days."
Qin Muye raised an eyebrow. "You're pretty well-informed."
Bai Yuji pressed her lips together. "The whole city knows. You're the only one who spends all day thinking about food and shopping."
Hmph!
How could I, a participant in the Puppet Assembly, not know about this?
But...
Qin Muye stared in the direction the father and son had disappeared. Their fates really were interesting!
[Main Fate: Last Master Craftsman]: A generation-spanning master, the Gongshu Clan's final masterpiece.
[Fate Rank]: Second Rank (771/2560)
[Annotation]: His mastery of craft reached the divine. He was bound to the fate of an entire nation, and dreaded by demons. Three years after he was assassinated, the empire fell.
[Prompt]: When Fate reaches over 2000, you can obtain the Fate Skill Craftsman Heart.
This was the father's fate. Given Gongshu Songting's ability and prestige, he certainly deserved to be called a master craftsman of his generation.
The Gongshu Clan's weapon crafting was highly destructive, and their military weapons were a fearsome asset. By comparison, puppets were merely a sideline. A man like him... no wonder he'd been assassinated.
What a pity.
But his son's fate was even more outrageous.
[Main Fate: Lost Lamb]: Gifted beyond compare, yet lost and unaware.
[Fate Rank]: Ninth Rank (19/20)
[Annotation]: A crafting prodigy, peerless among his generation from a young age. But success had come too easily, and he lost interest in crafting. After his country fell and his family was destroyed, he tried to take up his family's legacy again and save the empire from ruin, but his talent was gone, and he became ordinary.
[Prompt]: When Fate reaches over 500, you can obtain the Fate Skill Divergent Path.
Qin Muye: "..."
Looks like these father and son's fates could both be worked with!
Before you continue