Qin Jiuye felt that her yet-to-be-finished medical compendium ought to include a chapter specifically dedicated to analyzing the various spirits and wines of the provinces, past and present. It would list them from mildest to strongest, noting the "symptoms" of the drinkers for each as a warning to posterity.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she never would have believed that two jars of plum wine could reduce a man to such a state.
After their conversation in the dark alley, Qiu Ling had fallen completely silent, but this only made her more anxious. She was unversed in the social graces of officialdom, yet she understood well enough that letting a drunken Commander return in such a state was highly improper.
It would be one thing if they ran into Lu Zican and the others and endured a few jests; it would be quite another if someone with ulterior motives saw them and spun a tale. In these uncertain times, such a scandal would bode ill for both the case and the Qiu family.
With this in mind, she led him on a few circuits around the western part of the city, using the rain to help him sober up. Still uneasy, she eventually bought a jar of sobering soup and forced it down his throat before finally venturing back to the official residence.
The gates and courtyards were silent. Her fluttering heart finally settled as she led him through the darkness into the yard, not even disturbing the old dog on the neighboring street.
But they had barely taken a few steps into the courtyard when Qiu Ling suddenly brushed her aside and bolted toward the back garden. He refused to let her follow, his stern face flushed a deep crimson as he vanished into the night with a hurried stride.
Qin Jiuye stood there for a moment before realization dawned on her.
What goes in must come out, whether through the top or the bottom. The Lord of Broken Jade’s pride was as thin as a sheet of crystal gauze; how could he bear to let her hear such unseemly noises? At this thought, she could only creep closer to ensure he was safe before turning toward her own room in the rear courtyard.
The rain had stopped, but her soaked clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin. Seeing no one around, she began to loosen the ties of her outer robe as she walked, letting the breeze air out the damp inner layers.
She was only a few steps from her door when she happened to glance upward.
Was she seeing things? How many roof charms were supposed to be on the eaves? Why did it look like there was an extra one?
Her squinting eyes suddenly widened. Qin Jiuye froze, instinctively moving to turn around and pretend she had forgotten something elsewhere.
But it was too late. The "roof charm" perched atop the tiles had already come to life and leaped down.
The youth’s eyes shimmered in the darkness like those of a wolf.
"Qin Jiuye, didn't we agree you would be back before midnight? You broke your word."
"Why are you still awake at this hour?" Qin Jiuye asked, feigning surprise. Feeling a bit guilty, she pulled her robes tighter and fished a paper-wrapped bundle from her person. "I was discussing the case with the Commander and lost track of time. These are griddle cakes from the next street over. I was afraid they hadn't saved any food for you, so I picked some up. They’re from the last batch, still warm."
She was not a difficult person to read; whenever she felt guilty, she would offer small favors as compensation, her thoughts written clearly on her face before she even spoke.
Yet she was also incredibly difficult to understand. She had held him, kissed him, and told him she liked him, yet she turned around and embraced another man.
Li Qiao said nothing. He simply reached out, took the paper bundle, and hung it on a bare branch nearby.
Qin Jiuye rubbed her nose. "Aren't you hungry...?"
Before she could finish, her vision blurred, and she was pulled into her partially open room.
The room was unlit and pitch black, but that didn't stop her from clearly sensing his presence. The youth was very close to her. His slightly feverish fingers fumbled into her sleeve, taking her hand and slowly placing it against his chest.
"I'm not hungry, but it... hurts here. How could you leave a patient behind to go drink and talk with someone else?"
His voice was low and weak, yet the hand pulling hers was excessively strong.
Outside the window, someone walked past with a lantern, the faint sound of whispering drifting in—perhaps Lu Zican or one of the junior officers.
Qin Jiuye’s heart skipped a beat. Waiting until the voices seemed to fade, she hurriedly lowered her voice. "Even though you've cleared your name of the murder, the matter of the secret formula will come to light sooner or later. You should be more discreet while in this courtyard..."
"If being discreet worked, I wouldn't have had to kill Zhu Fuxue."
Qin Jiuye was momentarily silenced by his retort, but then a thought occurred to her.
"How can you compare someone like Zhu Fuxue to the Lord of Broken Jade? Qiu Ling acts with integrity; he focuses on the matter, not the person. If you are truly innocent, he will see justice done. But if you keep provoking him, he will have no choice but to keep you under strict watch..."
Focus on the matter, not the person? He didn't believe it for a second.
Seeing the woman begin her tireless defense of the Lord of Broken Jade’s noble image again, Li Qiao lowered his gaze, his grip on her hand tightening involuntarily.
Qin Jiuye peeked at his expression. The youth’s brow was slightly furrowed, making him look quite pitiable. She couldn't tell if he was acting or not, and after a long moment, she finally "surrendered."
"Does it really hurt that much? Let me see."
The moment the words left her mouth, he began to untie his belt and shed his clothes with practiced ease. Qin Jiuye was struck with alarm and quickly pressed her hand over his, asking with difficulty, "W-what are you doing?"
Li Qiao looked at her, his eyes filled with a perfectly measured innocence. "Didn't you want to check my injuries?"
Not far away, the whispering and footsteps returned, and the faint glow of a lantern flickered through the night.
With her back against the half-closed door, Qin Jiuye’s face paled. She felt that if they were caught now, her hard-won image of being impartial and cold-blooded would utterly collapse. She wouldn't be able to explain this away even with ten mouths.
She silently mouthed to the youth: *Pulse! Just check the pulse!*
Li Qiao’s movements slowly stopped. He stood there with his robes half-open until the sounds in the courtyard vanished once more.
This time, Qin Jiuye dared not be careless. She carefully shut the door tight and turned to the person in the room, saying sternly, "Put your clothes on properly. Where is your sense of decorum?"
Li Qiao didn't move, looking at her with some dissatisfaction. "Haven't you seen it many times before?"
Before was before. Back then, she hadn't yet recognized her "wicked intent" toward him, and they hadn't reached the point of "sharing their hearts."
Qin Jiuye’s face flushed. She paced the room with her hands behind her back until she found a stool to sit on. "Hand."
He stepped forward and obediently extended his left hand. She expertly began to take his pulse.
For a while, no one spoke in the dark room. Qin Jiuye’s face remained calm, but her heart sank bit by bit.
The further removal of the Qingfeng Powder seemed to have disrupted some kind of balance. His pulse had changed; at first touch, it felt like *Jue* syndrome, but upon closer inspection, it was neither *Hui Jue* nor *Zang Jue*. Aside from this, he seemed to have no other symptoms—no fever, no chills, and no disordered breathing.
But the more normal he seemed, the more unsettling it was.
Qin Jiuye felt as though she were back on that blood-scented ship. She knew the monster she was hunting was hiding somewhere on board, and though she could always smell that something was wrong, she could never find its tracks no matter where she searched.
Qin Jiuye slowly withdrew her fingers, her face betraying no emotion.
Though she couldn't claim to be an old physician with decades of experience, she had been tempered by her years at Guoran Residence. No matter what strange or difficult illness she diagnosed, she could keep a straight face.
This was the basic requirement of a healer. Often, the physician was the patient's last straw; if even the healer looked troubled and helpless, the patient would fall into total despair.
However, the youth before her was sharper than most, his ability to read people second to none. He had already sensed her emotions from the slight quickening of her fingertips.
"Am I beyond cure?"
Qin Jiuye paused, then flashed her trademark business smile. "You should worry more about whether you have enough silver for the consultation fee. I am the proprietress of Guoran Residence; if I didn't have some skill, you would have died in that ditch on Xizhu Mountain long ago."
He was silent for a long while before asking in a low voice, "What you said before about liking me... does it still count?"
Qin Jiuye froze, silent for a moment.
She suddenly realized that he must have sensed something, and the reason he asked this was because he feared she would reject or fear him because of this "illness."
The question seemed somewhat sentimental, but it wasn't hard to understand if one put themselves in his shoes. She had seen many families drift apart due to the strain of chronic illness. She didn't know if she would feel hesitant if she weren't a physician, but she could only judge based on what the current "Qin Jiuye" knew and felt.
She didn't find him repulsive at all, nor did she fear him.
She had no experience wielding a blade to fight for her life, but the number of malignant diseases and plagues she had battled could not be counted on both hands.
He was lucky to have met a physician like her—one who liked taking risks and was a bit stubborn.
With that thought, she extended her pinky and hooked it around his left hand, shaking it like a child. "Of course it counts. If you're worried, we can make a pinky swear."
Li Qiao finally looked up. His eyes sparkled in the darkness, almost lighting up the entire room.
He felt as though he had eaten toxic mushrooms from the wilderness; his bleeding wounds no longer hurt, and his mind was entirely lost in the illusion she had constructed.
The feeling was too wonderful, far more invigorating and addictive than the Qingfeng Powder. To lose it would bring a thousand times more pain.
The sweetness in his heart took on a different flavor. He suddenly asked, "Will A-jie like me forever?"
Qin Jiuye was silent for a moment before answering truthfully.
"I don't know." She paused, then said word by word, "I only know that I like you right now."
The youth could not hide his disappointment. But after bowing his head for only a moment, he looked up again.
"It's okay. I can like A-jie forever."
He had liked her even before he understood what liking someone meant. Now, before he even knew what "forever" implied, he was already eager to promise it.
Qin Jiuye felt like laughing at the absurdity of it, but beneath that urge, she felt a pang in her heart.
From childhood until now, no one had ever been willing to say the word "forever" to her. Even Qin Sanyou refused to say it.
Because that was how people were; sometimes they knew something didn't exist, but if they said it enough, they would start to believe it. And the more they believed, the more painful the moment it failed to come true would be.
She withdrew her hand and picked up a charcoal pencil from the table. As she quickly scribbled a prescription on the hemp paper she used for her formulas, she spoke softly.
"Don't throw around the word 'forever' so casually, and don't make promises lightly. Otherwise, if someone takes you seriously, they'll come looking for trouble later."
The youth seemed to want to say something more, but his mouth opened and closed before he fell back into silence.
The scratching of the charcoal pencil stopped. Qin Jiuye folded the paper and pressed it into his hand, giving her final instructions.
"I had Jinbao bring some herbs. You should recognize everything on this list. If I'm too busy these next few days, go get them yourself. If you're unsure about anything, come ask me directly. Don't let Jinbao handle it, and definitely don't let him know the details. I'll give you the antidote for the Qingfeng Powder after I re-formulate it in a day or two. In the meantime, don't eat anything reckless. I won't be responsible if you poison yourself."
Both the Qingfeng Powder and the secret formula were incredibly dangerous. Jinbao was a man of little fortune and a thin life; he shouldn't be involved in these matters. Yet he had a meddlesome, inquisitive nature. The best course of action was to keep him in the dark.
Her intentions were clear. Li Qiao nodded and tucked the prescription away against his chest.
"Wait." Qin Jiuye suddenly spoke up, a hint of dissatisfaction on her face. It seemed she had been holding it in for a long time and finally needed to vent. "I've noticed you're getting bolder. You actually dared to call me by my full name just now."
"What else should I call you?" The youth showed no sign of remorse, maintaining his innocent facade. "Now that everyone knows my identity, am I supposed to keep calling you A-jie?"
Qin Jiuye was momentarily speechless.
He wasn't wrong. The final layer of pretense between them had vanished; why waste effort on a title to maintain a false peace?
Yet for some reason, it felt awkward. Especially when he called her by her name, something deep inside her would involuntarily tremble. It was a sensation she rarely experienced, and it felt wrong in every way.
His clothes were still loose. Qin Jiuye’s gaze swept over the gap in his collar, and her reddening face immediately turned stern.
"You are younger than me. Calling me A-jie isn't exactly a loss for you."
As if he had been waiting for this, he immediately countered, "He calls you Miss Qin, and you call him San-lang, yet I can only call you A-jie. How is that not a loss?"
In her desperation that day, she had called out to Qiu Ling by his familiar name, hoping he would maintain his reason. Her intent had been to save this youth, but now it was being used as leverage against her.
Qin Jiuye’s stubbornness flared up.
"I'm the one paying your wages! Have you ever seen a hired hand dare to call their boss by their full name? In any case, the rules of Guoran Residence cannot be discarded. If you insist on this, then don't stay at Guoran Residence. Our three-month contract is up anyway. I might as well let you go find another path, lest word gets out that Guoran Residence is stifling talent."
Having said her piece, she waved her hand as if finished with the matter and turned to walk out.
Panicked, he moved swiftly to block her path. "Where are you going?"
She glared up at him. "Qiu Ling is drunk. I'm worried, so I'm going to check on him. Are you going to stop me?"
He lowered his head.
He didn't just want to stop her; he wanted to go interrogate that Xu Qiuchi—why reveal their connection now of all times?
And if revealing it wasn't enough, they had to go and drink.
He wanted to cut off Qiu Ling’s hands so the man could never again use the excuse of wine to hold this woman and pour out his heart.
The veins on the back of his clenched fists bulged. After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice.
"Don't go. I'll go. I'll go bring him some water."
With that, Li Qiao stepped around her and walked into the courtyard.
However, he had only gone a few steps when he heard a burst of laughter behind him.
He finally snapped out of it and spun around, only to see the woman had already regained her serious expression.
He narrowed his eyes. "You lied to me?"
She was perfectly righteous. "What? You're allowed to lead me in circles, but I, the boss, can't turn the tables once?"
Knowing he was in the wrong, he could only retreat.
After a while, seeing him still standing there motionless, Qin Jiuye sighed softly. "Aren't you going back to sleep?"
He turned his face away slightly. "I can't sleep."
Forget sleeping; just thinking about everything that had happened tonight made him so angry he couldn't even sit down. He wished he could draw his Qingwu Blade and trade another hundred blows with that Jitian Sword.
Seeing through his thoughts, she said slowly, "What if you start a fight with him? In his current state, he might vomit while he's fighting you."
She pulled over a tattered book basket. "Young people certainly have plenty of energy. Since that's the case, stay and help me work. These are the books and records I collected from Lady Feng; help me organize them."
He obediently took the basket and muttered after a moment, "Fine."
She nodded in satisfaction and produced a stack of ledgers from somewhere. "The account books from Guoran Residence have arrived. Help me look over them, will you?"
"Fine."
She looked around and, finding no other chores, put her hands on her hips. "If I have to discuss matters with the Commander tomorrow, will you wait for me here?"
The youth immediately fell silent, the atmosphere around him turning sour again.
Qin Jiuye couldn't help but chuckle, her desire to tease him thoroughly satisfied.
The laughter drifted out of the half-open window into the silent night sky.
After a long time, the courtyard fell silent again, save for the sound of a small moth fluttering its wings.
The moth skimmed along the wall, turning several corners before heading toward a dark nook.
Lu Zican stared at the oil lamp in his hand, which had already been refilled once. His messy beard trembled with indignation. The moth circled his lamp restlessly, mirroring his own unsettled mind.
Just as he was about to take the lamp and make another "conspicuous" pass by the room in the rear courtyard, Gao Quan’s voice sounded behind him.
"If you don't sleep, you'll mess up your duties tomorrow."
Lu Zican turned and saw Gao Quan’s face, puffy from lack of sleep. He remained silent for a moment before saying with sudden determination, "First thing tomorrow, I'm going to find Miss Qin and beg her to let our Commander go."
Gao Quan yawned, leaning against a pillar with his eyes half-closed. "Didn't you want to play matchmaker for them before? You even bet the silver you saved for building a house back home on it."
Lu Zican’s face turned red behind his beard, and his voice grew hurried. "That's because... because the Commander is the type of person who... a normal person might have many chances for love in a lifetime, but I know very well that a man like him might never meet someone who moves his heart again. I can't bear to see him finally moved, only to be tortured like this and ultimately miss his chance."
Gao Quan lowered his head, slowly shooing away mosquitoes. "In this world, not all feelings are reciprocated. The Commander is only human, and humans cannot escape these things. It's not that Miss Qin won't let him go; it's that the Commander himself cannot escape this ordeal."
Lu Zican could only repeat himself. "What's so good about that Li Qiao anyway? I think Miss Qin is either blind or birds of a feather. To pass over a man like the Commander just to associate with an assassin from the World's Number One Villa... That boy’s eyes are full of cunning and deceit. Not only is he no good as a partner, he's not even fit to be a friend, a colleague, or even an opponent to spar with!"
"Since you think Miss Qin is so blind and self-destructive, why don't you say the Commander is the one who's blind?"
Lu Zican was stumped. After a long while, he grumbled, "If the Commander likes her, she must have her merits."
"If you can't even explain what this 'liking' is yourself, you'd best stop worrying about other people's business," Gao Quan said, looking down at the thin calluses on his fingertips—the kind one only gets from years of flicking abacus beads. "In this world, only debts of the heart can never be balanced. If you don't believe me, feel free to try."
Lu Zican glared at him for a while, finally defeated by the other man’s calm composure.
Though this man named Gao always said irritating things, Lu Zican knew he was right. As a bystander and an outsider, there was really nothing he could do right now except stomp his feet and fume.
He stood there for a moment before "cursing" quite pettily, "Since Adjutant Gao is so enlightened, I hope you never find yourself in the same situation, lest you end up with a heavy heart."
***
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