Chapter 2

The clear water quickly turned into muddy bloodwater. She called Ren Ling, who was guarding outside the door, to fetch another basin of water. While waiting, Qu Yan did not look at his face that she had just cleaned, but instead stared blankly at a red birthmark on his chest for a moment.

This was a symbol of male chastity, applied at birth as a virginity mark that would gradually fade after losing one’s virginity. However, the method of grinding and preparing this cinnabar mark was expensive, so men from humble backgrounds would not have it.

In her youth, Qu Yan had been curious about developing this method, and she had even managed to grind a small batch. But lacking a male infant to test it on, she had tried to apply it to her junior sister. When her master found out, she was severely scolded. That small batch was still stored in the warehouse to this day.

Later, when she traveled outside the valley, the men who allowed female doctors to treat them were all married. This was the first time she had seen a virginity mark on a man’s body up close.

Qu Yan’s fingertip lightly touched that spot, her expression extremely serious without a hint of frivolity, fully focused on studying how the cinnabar mark was firmly imprinted on the man’s body.

Several sharp dog barks mixed with Ren Ling’s shouts. Qu Yan’s finger paused, and she stood up to walk to the door to investigate the source of the commotion.

The moment she opened the door, a small yellow dog quickly ran in through the gap. Behind it, Ren Ling, carrying a basin of water, was anxiously trying to catch it.

“Senior Sister, I couldn’t stop Ah Huang. It insisted on coming in!”

Ren Ling was visibly agitated, causing the water in the basin to ripple dangerously close to spilling. Qu Yan raised her hand to take the basin, reassuring her, “It’s fine. The dog won’t cause any trouble. Give me the water.”

Ren Ling was clearly not comfortable with letting the dog in. In her memory, Ah Huang had always been fierce. But since her senior sister had said it was okay, she could only nod and leave.

By the soft couch, Ah Huang’s front paws were on the edge, its black wet nose sniffing around the man’s side. Seeing its owner sit beside it, it wagged its tail and whimpered, coming closer to seek attention.

Putting down the wooden basin, Qu Yan stared at the unconscious man on the couch while stroking Ah Huang’s fluffy little head, murmuring softly.

“You smell it too, don’t you?”

Ah Huang whimpered twice as if in response, then turned and jumped directly onto the couch to sniff.

If someone with a sensitive nose had been present, they would have detected a very faint unusual fragrance hidden beneath the smell of blood.

This was the scent that appeared before the ten-day poison took effect. As the time for the poison to activate drew nearer, this strange fragrance would become more pronounced. Ten days marked one cycle, and if the antidote wasn’t taken in time, excruciating pain that ate into the bones would set in.

Ah Huang could smell it because of dogs’ keen sense of smell.

And Qu Yan could smell it because this was the poison she had personally concocted five years ago. She was more familiar with the source of this strange fragrance than anyone else.

“Stop sniffing. Get down.”

Seeing Ah Huang seemingly intent on sniffing every inch of the man’s body, Qu Yan frowned, grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck, and tossed it off the couch. She then habitually curled her fingers to rest on the man’s pale, slender wrist.

As time slowly passed, Qu Yan raised an eyebrow, which was rare for her. The man’s internal meridians were severely damaged, his martial arts completely destroyed. Yet surprisingly, the ten-day poison wasn’t even the most potent toxin in his body.

She gazed at the man before her, as quiet as a corpse, a meaningful smile appearing in her eyes. Then she chuckled softly.

There was no need to go to the slave market anymore. Here was a ready-made test subject.

“What a fateful encounter indeed.”

Qu Yan murmured to herself, then picked up the badge she had tossed aside earlier. After wiping it clean with a damp cloth, she squinted and examined it for a while.

The badge was heavy, shaped like a round disc. All the information engraved on it had been deliberately destroyed by a sword. After a long look, Qu Yan could only vaguely make out the character ‘齐’ (Qi), which was likely his surname or code name.

Those controlled by poison were often in service to others.

The ten-day poison wasn’t particularly rare in the martial world, but judging by the extent of the man’s poisoning, he must have been given it soon after its development.

Qu Yan frowned as she tried to recall which sects or schools had purchased the ten-day poison back then. Unfortunately, too much time had passed, and she hadn’t personally handled the drug sales, making it difficult to remember clearly.

Just as she was about to stand up and leave, the man on the bed suddenly coughed lightly. His eyes remained closed, his brows tightly furrowed in discomfort, and a trace of fresh blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Qu Yan propped him up against her, her hand gently patting his back. Coughing out the accumulated blood in his throat from the fall off the cliff would make him feel much better.

The man seemed to have some consciousness. His palm was tightly clenched into a fist against the edge of the bed, his body extremely tense, as if enduring some kind of torture. Qu Yan looked at the blood seeping through the soft cloth on his waist and abdomen, a trace of helplessness flashing in her eyes.

While patting his back, Qu Yan coaxed, “Don’t be afraid. You’ll feel better after coughing it out.”

It wasn’t clear if he had heard her, but when she saw that the man wasn’t improving and the body in her arms even started to tremble slightly, Qu Yan only pondered for a moment before taking out a silver needle from her sleeve and inserting it into one of his acupoints.

The tense body instantly went limp in her arms. With the man’s strength gone, it became effortless to pat out the congested blood. Qu Yan wiped clean the blood from the corner of his lips, looked at the man’s pale little face, and tucked him back into the covers.

“Sleep easy. Now that you’ve encountered me, I won’t let you die.”

Qu Yan tucked in the corners of his blanket and turned to leave with grace. This man’s physical condition was much stronger than she had imagined. If it had been someone else who fell from the cliff, they probably wouldn’t have lasted until she arrived.

Summer days were long, and when Qu Yan came out of the courtyard, it was still bright. She walked straight to the front hall where Liang Jiqian was already waiting, playing with the dog. When she saw Qu Yan coming, she grinned, but as soon as she spotted the small yellow figure at Qu Yan’s feet, she quickly stepped into the room ahead of her.

“Senior Sister, here are this month’s account books from the shop at the foot of the mountain.”

“How is it?” Qu Yan casually took them and flipped through a couple of pages.

Liang Jiqian shook her head and said with a sigh, “Same as previous years. Everyone crowds in on the free consultation day. The silver coming into the valley is less each year than the last. If this continues, in a few years, people in the valley will have nothing to eat.”

“It won’t come to that. Today, the canteen even has braised pork.”

Seeing Qu Yan joking with a straight face, Liang Jiqian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Today, Manager Li asked me if we had developed any new medicine in the valley. Apparently, there’s a medicine called ‘Hundred Poison Cure’ that’s all the rage now. It’s said to cure a hundred poisons in the body after taking it, a life-saving medicine for those who roam the martial world. It’s highly sought after, with one pill equaling two years of income from our medicine shop.” At this point, Liang Jiqian’s eyes showed indignation, and her tone turned cold.

Seeing her like this, there was a hint of amusement in Qu Yan’s eyes. She knew Liang Jiqian wasn’t jealous of the so-called ‘Hundred Poison Cure’, but rather dissatisfied that it could be sold at such a high price.

“If our valley made something like a ‘Thousand Poison Cure’, we could sell it for a hundred taels a pill, and people would still want it.”

Qu Yan chuckled lightly, put the account book on the shelf, and said slowly, “Since when has our valley been so short of money? We may not have a Thousand Poison Cure, but we do have several poisons.”

Liang Jiqian was startled, then said happily, “Really? Senior Sister was in seclusion for three months. Have you made any new discoveries?”

Qu Yan nodded, her fingertips caressing the account book. “It’s just that the efficacy is not yet certain. I’ll decide after I’ve improved it.”

Hearing Qu Yan say this, the medicine was probably almost ready. Liang Jiqian smiled, remembering what Qu Yan had said when leaving the valley in the afternoon, and her heart stirred slightly.

“Senior Sister, did you find a suitable person today?”

Qu Yan shook her head, then turned to find a record book from a few years ago on the bookshelf and started reading. She was quite curious to know which sect or school the ten-day poison in that man’s body came from.

Seeing that her senior sister didn’t want to say more, Liang Jiqian promptly stopped asking. Most doctors were unwilling to let others know about keeping test subjects. If it were some beneficial medicine, it would be fine, but those requiring test subjects were almost always deadly and dangerous drugs or poisons. If exposed to others, it would involve too many complications.

Liang Jiqian ranked fourth in the Medicine Immortal Valley. Although she became an apprentice early, her medical skills were unremarkable. Instead, she was passionate about studying mathematics, which led to her managing all matters related to finances and medicine sales in the valley. After Qu Yan put down the book in her hand, she spoke up.

“I heard from the junior sisters that you rescued someone and brought them back. Is their life in danger? Do you need me to move them to the disciples’ courtyard to avoid disturbing your rest?”

“Not necessary for now.” Qu Yan paused for a moment, realizing that this book didn’t contain the information she wanted, so she looked at Liang Jiqian’s face uncertainly and asked.

“Do you remember who the first batch of buyers were when the ten-day poison was circulated years ago?”

Liang Jiqian was stunned by this sudden question. After a few moments, she frowned slightly, “Ten-day poison… that was years ago. That kind of medicine was sold through the dark medicine pavilion, and the buyers’ identities were always kept confidential. Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

The Medicine Immortal Valley’s transactions had always been cash for goods. The master had expressly forbidden them from having private contacts with medicine buyers, maintaining a neutral stance in the martial world. Good medicines for treating illnesses were sold through open accounts, while poisons were sold through secret accounts. Both parties tacitly agreed not to investigate each other’s identities, so Liang Jiqian didn’t know much more than Qu Yan.

Qu Yan lowered her eyes, that strange fragrance seemingly lingering at the tip of her nose. She rubbed her fingers together, “It’s nothing. I just remembered and asked casually.”

Fortunately, Liang Jiqian didn’t pursue the matter further. She just went through the usual routine of checking the account books with her before leaving.

…

On the day the man woke up, Qu Yan was pinching his cheeks, about to put a spoonful of medicinal soup into his mouth. She looked up to see his eyelashes flutter, and the next moment, his eyes suddenly opened wide.

Those pitch-black eyes looked at her coldly. Even though he was seriously injured, the piercing coldness and wariness in his eyes were enough to startle anyone at first glance.

However, that only applied to ordinary people. For Qu Yan, it had no intimidating effect at all. She looked at the man’s glaring expression, inwardly sighing that his eyes were quite lively, though his appearance was too sickly. Then, she casually let go of her hand and curled her lips into a smile more pronounced than usual.

“You’re finally awake.”

From the moment he jumped off the cliff, Qi Ying never thought he would open his eyes again. He had been prepared to die at the bottom of the cliff, eaten by wild beasts. But it certainly shouldn’t be like this, lying on a soft bed with a smiling young woman in front of him.

Qi Ying instinctively tried to draw his sword to defend himself, but as soon as he moved his wrist, he realized it was tightly bound by something. His heart jolted, and he stared even more intently at the woman before him.

Was it a former enemy… He had carried out too many missions and couldn’t remember who he might have offended.

Now he couldn’t even die if he wanted to, instead falling into someone else’s hands. This person had gone to such lengths to save his life, and he didn’t know what kind of torture awaited him. Qi Ying recalled the punishments he had endured in the Floating Pagoda before, and a chill instantly pierced through to his lungs.

Seeing the man remain silent, the smile in Qu Yan’s eyes gradually turned to confusion. “Why aren’t you speaking? Are you mute?”

She didn’t remember the man having this condition, so she raised her hand to grasp his jaw for a closer look. Before Qu Yan’s fingertips could touch him, the man suddenly turned his head away, followed by a light hiss of pain. He endured the pain that felt like his body had been shattered and coldly looked at the person in front of him.

“You… are…”

Qi Ying struggled to utter these two words, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, like someone who hadn’t had a drop of water for days and nights.

Qu Yan interrupted him before he could form the word “who,” and said directly, “I’m a doctor from this mountain. I saw you fallen at the bottom of the cliff while gathering herbs, so I kindly brought you back to save you.”

Seeing the man still staring at her, his eyes clearly filled with wariness, Qu Yan smiled helplessly, “I’m not lying to you. Your old abdominal wound hasn’t healed, your right arm is fractured, and moving recklessly will tear open your wounds. Let me help you sit up.”

She raised her hand to help the man sit up, but as soon as her hand touched the edge of the blanket, she realized a major problem.

The man’s original clothes had long been discarded by her, and later, for the convenience of changing his bandages, Qu Yan hadn’t put any more clothing on him. Therefore, apart from the underwear covering his modesty, he was almost naked under the blanket.