138. The So-Called Divine Calculation

Zhan Lianjing said nothing more, while Yuan Tianci still appeared to be deep in thought.

Leaving Yuan Tianci to calm down by himself for a while, Zhan Lianjing walked back to Le Qianxue's side.

Curious, Le Qianxue looked at Yuan Tianci and asked, "What on earth did you say to him? Why does he look like that?"

"Nothing, just a minor matter," Zhan Lianjing replied. "Aren't you going to visit the Medicine King now?"

Le Qianxue thought for a moment. Yuan Tianci's father was not in the room, which likely meant he had already gone up the mountain.

She shook her head gently. "No need, let's just wait. Or perhaps you can come with me to gather some medicinal herbs."

Zhan Lianjing had no objections and left the decision entirely up to Le Qianxue.

After a busy afternoon of this, Le Qianxue returned with a bountiful harvest.

By evening, the Medicine King had also returned. He had gathered quite a few herbs and was already in a cheerful mood, which only brightened further the moment he laid eyes on Le Qianxue.

He immediately rushed over and grabbed her sleeve. "Ah, lass, you've come! You've finally come!"

Le Qianxue nodded with a smile. "Indeed, I've arrived. I even brought a family member along. I trust the Medicine King won't mind?"

Her smile was so charming that the Medicine King's spirits soared instantly.

He nodded repeatedly. "Welcome, welcome! By the way, did you bring your alchemy cauldron? I've missed it terribly and almost went all the way to the capital to find you."

Le Qianxue replied, "I was in a rush when I left this time, so I didn't bring it. However, I brought another gift."

With that, she produced the Ice Soul Needles. The Medicine King's eyes lit up once more as he let out an exclamation of awe: "The Ice Soul Needles, actually!"

Le Qianxue said, "These are quite rare, so I'm presenting them to the Medicine King."

The Medicine King carefully examined them for a long moment, let out a sigh of admiration, and then handed them back into Le Qianxue's hands.

"These Ice Soul Needles would only be wasted in my hands," he said. "You should take them back."

"Why so? Medicine King, your medical skills are profound, surely you can use them," Le Qianxue protested.

The Medicine King waved his hand dismissively and said in a solemn tone, "One cannot look at it that way. To be completely honest, while my research into pharmacology is quite detailed, I still lose out to your alchemy cauldron. Furthermore, I don't spend much time cultivating the art of acupuncture, so having these Ice Soul Needles would be of no use to me."

For a moment, Le Qianxue was left speechless, a look of helplessness crossing her features.

Yet the Medicine King cared not a whit. As someone who lived apart from the mundane world, would he really fuss over such things?

He continued, "Take them back. If you don't, I shall be angry."

With a sigh, Le Qianxue had no choice but to nod. "Medicine King, you are truly too kind."

"That goes without saying! The herbs all over this mountain are yours to pick, but tonight you must accompany me to study some matters, and tomorrow you must accompany me up the mountain," the Medicine King demanded.

Le Qianxue was more than willing; finding a kindred spirit who shared her passions in this mortal realm was no easy task, so she readily agreed.

Just then, the aroma of food drifted over from the small kitchen.

The Medicine King glanced over and remarked, "It seems your family member has some hidden talents, actually knowing how to cook to please you. I suppose you are simply too capable, leaving him with nothing to do but play the handyman."

Le Qianxue laughed despite herself and said, "How could he possibly be a handyman? Haha, though I suppose if he were, it wouldn't be so bad."

"Does he possess any formidable renown, then?" The Medicine King sounded slightly dismissive. After all, given Le Qianxue's extraordinary abilities, the man she chose could not possibly be mediocre.

Le Qianxue replied, "He is Zhan Lianjing."

The Medicine King's expression changed instantly. He stared fixedly in the direction of the small kitchen. "What?"

After a brief moment, he managed to compose himself. "Zhan Lianjing? Prince Zhan? The crippled prince? No wait... could it be that you cured his legs, and now he is willingly serving you like a beast of burden?"

"Not quite. He is afflicted with bone-deep poison," Le Qianxue explained. "Whenever the waning moon arrives, he loses the ability to walk."

A dark shadow crossed the Medicine King's face. Bone-deep poison!

While not necessarily the supreme poison under heaven, it was undeniably a most agonizing affliction.

The Medicine King pondered this and said, "At this rate, he doesn't have many years left to live. Have you found the antidote?"

Hearing this, Le Qianxue knew the Medicine King had no immediate solution, for every strain of bone-deep poison required a distinct method of treatment.

She shook her head. "We are searching, but the prospects are somewhat illusory."

"This is terribly troublesome," the Medicine King said gravely. "There are thousands of formulas for bone-deep poisons, and they are difficult to compound. Make a mistake with even a single herb, and there is no saving him."

Her own mood turned heavy upon hearing this, but the sound of approaching footsteps alerted her that Zhan Lianjing was bringing out the dishes.

At last, a few simple side dishes and a freshly caught, freshly steamed fish were arranged upon the table, making for a quite decent meal.

Yuan Tianci, who had been wandering outside for a long time, also came in to eat. However, his eyes were red-rimmed, and he didn't even glance at the Medicine King, simply focusing entirely on his own meal.

Le Qianxue was hardly proficient in cooking and had no great demands regarding food; the only things she was particular about were pastries.

Yet, once the meal was finished, Zhan Lianjing emerged bearing a plate of pastries.

The facilities here were crude, and the pastries had been made using very ordinary ingredients. Le Qianxue stared wide-eyed at Zhan Lianjing and asked, "You even know how to make these?"

Zhan Lianjing replied, "Have a taste and see how they are."

Le Qianxue took a bite and felt a sweetness melt straight into her heart.

Yet, as she chewed, she realized these tasted remarkably similar to the pastries Yueyue used to send to the General's Estate every morning in the past—precisely these.

Previously, she had assumed they were ordered by Zhan Lianjing through his subordinates, never imagining they were crafted by his own hands.

Seeing her pause with a trace of confusion on her handsome face, Zhan Lianjing asked, "Are they not to your liking?"

Recovering her wits, Le Qianxue shook her head. "They're delicious. You should have some too."

As the pair exchanged these tender affections, Yuan Tianci's mouth twitched uncontrollably, feeling as though he were being tormented by a relentless display of romance.

That entire night, Le Qianxue and the Medicine King talked without sleep, entirely engrossed in the study of medicinal herbs and formulas. Early the next morning, the two of them headed up the mountain once again, leaving Zhan Lianjing without even a glimpse of her.

With a helpless sigh, Zhan Lianjing accepted that roaming the Medicine King's Valley for a few days aligned with Le Qianxue's wishes, though he could not help wondering what on earth was happening back in the capital.

After lingering in the Medicine King's Valley for two full days, Le Qianxue finally gathered a large bundle of herbs and reluctantly prepared to leave.

However, the moment the two of them departed, Yuan Tianci secretly followed behind.

"Tianci, aren't you going to stay behind? Your father seemingly doesn't wish for you to go out," Le Qianxue pointed out.

Yuan Tianci let out a huff. "I have important business to attend to. I'll only be traveling the same road as you for a short while before we part ways."

Le Qianxue asked, "What important business? Is there anything I can help with?"

Yuan Tianci shook his head, looking quite resolute. "I must handle this myself."

With no other choice, Le Qianxue let the matter drop, nodded, and allowed Yuan Tianci to do as he pleased.

Upon leaving the Medicine King's Valley and reaching a nearby small town, the two donned human-skin masks. They intended to map out their return route, but Zhan Lianjing received a carrier pigeon message. A single glance at the note darkened his expression completely.

"What has happened?"

"We failed to capture Yu Yao," Zhan Lianjing replied, profound reluctance evident in his voice.

Le Qianxue fell into a brief daze; Yu Yao was undeniably formidable and counted as a top-tier expert.

Zhan Lianjing then stated, "Let us drop the pursuit of Yu Yao for now. The aged emperor apparently has news regarding the imperial archives. Let us hasten back to the capital immediately."

Le Qianxue nodded, and the two resumed their journey.

Along the way, she and Zhan Lianjing discussed the whereabouts of the folding fan once more. Zhan Lianjing remarked, "That fan is of paramount importance; the aged emperor would not simply leave it lying about anywhere. However, I already suspect a particular location. We shall verify it once we return."

Le Qianxue murmured her assent. Zhan Lianjing's intelligence network was remarkably efficient; she could only hope this endeavor would not turn out like their fruitless trip regarding Master Wen Zhi.

During their travels, the two rendezvoused with Yueyue. Having spent a considerable amount of time pursuing Yu Yao, Yueyue had grown noticeably thinner.

Feeling she had failed in her duty and let Zhan Lianjing down, she continuously begged for forgiveness.

Zhan Lianjing, however, paid it no mind. "Yu Yao is a cunning individual; it is only natural that you could not catch her. Let us return first. Did Zhuixing manage to escort Yun Ge safely back?"

A troubled look crossed Yueyue's face as she reported, "The young miss... the young miss managed to drug Zhuixing and ran away."

Zhan Lianjing's countenance instantly turned icy.

Yueyue dared not raise her head.

Zhan Lianjing said, "That cleverness of Zhuixing's will be the death of him one day. Don't think I am unaware of it."

Yueyue dropped to her knees to plead for mercy. "My lord, Zhuixing was merely momentarily blinded by infatuation. Please spare him this once! He is already out searching for the young miss."

"Is she someone who can be found so easily? Otherwise, how do you suppose she managed to leave the Xuan Clan and travel all the way to Tianlong's capital?" Zhan Lianjing was thoroughly exasperated; Zhan Yunge was truly a source of endless worry.

Le Qianxue offered words of comfort, saying, "Yun Ge is clever, she should be fine. Let us return to the capital first; perhaps she has already gone back there."

Zhan Lianjing remained silent, though he would never vent his temper on Le Qianxue, so he simply nodded.

Only then did Yueyue breathe a sigh of relief, looking as though she had narrowly escaped fainting on the spot.

While Zhan Lianjing returned to the Prince Zhan's Estate, Le Qianxue headed back to the General's Estate. Having been away for many days, and with the events in Night City having caused a widespread uproar, everyone in the General's Estate had been nearly frantic with worry.

Hua Tao had cried until her eyes were swollen and refused to subside.

The moment she saw Le Qianxue return, tears welled up anew with gratitude.

"What are you doing? Stop crying and help me sort out these medicinal herbs," Le Qianxue said.

Hua Tao nodded vigorously while still sniffling, "My lady, you have no idea how worried this servant was about you..."

Le Qianxue sighed helplessly. "What is there to worry about? Didn't I return safe and sound? I'm not that fragile; meeting an untimely demise is hardly my destiny."

She began methodically sorting through the herbs she had brought back from the Medicine King's Valley, with Hua Tao assisting.

Hua Tao chatted as she worked: "But that person was the tyrant Ziye! Everyone under heaven speaks ill of him. I was so terrified that the lord would kill you! When the master learned you were missing and might have met with misfortune, he rushed straight to Night City. However, halfway there, he received word that the tyrant Ziye had captured you, so he turned back and headed straight for the Western Mountain military camp. The master is truly resourceful—he somehow knew his young lady would return safely."

These words struck a chord in Le Qianxue's mind. It was strange—Ziye's behavior had been odd, but Le Yongcheng's actions were equally peculiar. This certainly did not sound like mere foresight.

...

(Tianjin)