“Mm,” Shi Cuiyan smiled smugly. Not seeing guests? She didn’t believe that she wouldn’t be seen after giving her name. Turning around, she saw Xi Fuhong timidly hiding behind her, and she softened her voice, “Don’t be afraid, little sister Xi, the Divine Doctor will detoxify you, and you won’t feel hot anymore.”
The two of them went upstairs, and as Shi Cuiyan removed her disguise, she saw a young boy standing in the corridor, who was the calm Mu Er. Upon seeing Shi Cuiyan, she cupped her hands and said, “Are you Miss Shi? Master has been waiting for you, please come this way.” She led the two to the last room, opened the door, and invited Shi Cuiyan and Xi Fuhong inside. The room was filled with the strong scent of burning herbs, and amidst the swirling smoke, a seductive woman was half-reclining on the bed. She lazily put down the cup handed to her by Cao Er and looked at Shi Cuiyan with half-closed, charming eyes.
“…Indeed, bright eyes and white teeth, delicate and charming,” Xue Baihua adjusted her sleeves and slowly sat up.
“Divine Doctor Xue is also unparalleled in beauty, graceful and enchanting,” Shi Cuiyan smiled lightly.
Xue Baihua lowered her eyes with a smile, walking barefoot off the bed. She approached Shi Cuiyan, her eyes fixed on Xi Fuhong hiding behind Shi Cuiyan. Just as she was about to reach out to grab the hidden medicine person, her arm was caught by Shi Cuiyan, who pulled her into an embrace, holding Xue Baihua’s soft, boneless body.
“Divine Doctor knows why I’m here, right? To detoxify little sister Xi, we have important business to attend to.” Holding what felt like a block of ice in her arms, Shi Cuiyan released her grip after speaking. At this moment, Cao Er quickly stepped forward to support Xue Baihua, glaring fiercely at Shi Cuiyan for teasing her master.
“…What if I refuse?” She patted the arm Shi Cuiyan had grabbed, speaking indifferently with lowered eyes.
“I know the Divine Doctor has been searching for medicinal herbs for years, and I know the whereabouts of the Niu Ling Grass. Would the Divine Doctor like to make a deal with me?” Shi Cuiyan smiled slyly, “It’s said that Divine Doctor Xue is afflicted with sixty-five types of deadly poison, and the Niu Ling Grass can cure one of them. Is what I said wrong?”
Cao Er looked at Shi Cuiyan in surprise. The fact that her master was afflicted with sixty-five types of deadly poison was only known to those close to her master. How did she know so clearly, even understanding what kind of poison her master had?
“…But Ah Fu has two types of poison in her body. Are you willing to exchange two pieces of information?” Xue Baihua’s eyes lost their charm, leaving only a cold stare at Shi Cuiyan.
Two types of poison? No wonder little sister Xi was so sick.
“Two it is, just detoxify little sister Xi,” Shi Cuiyan gritted her teeth, painfully agreeing. Her most valuable asset was her insider information, and it usually took a fortune to pry gossip from her, unlike now, where she casually promised two.
“…Ah Fu, come to me,” Xue Baihua raised her hand and said.
Unexpectedly, Xi Fuhong refused to come forward. She shrank behind Shi Cuiyan, not even daring to look at Xue Baihua. Seeing this, Shi Cuiyan quickly pushed her forward, but she struggled desperately, finally throwing herself into Shi Cuiyan’s arms, clinging to her and refusing to let go.
“Be good, little sister Xi, Divine Doctor Xue is going to detoxify you,” Shi Cuiyan’s heart softened at her behavior, speaking gently, “Aren’t you feeling hot and in pain all over? Once the Divine Doctor detoxifies you, it won’t hurt anymore, be good, go over.”
“No! No! Bad person!” Xi Fuhong shouted like a child.
Xue Baihua stared at her stubborn profile, watching her cling to Shi Cuiyan coquettishly, and a fire of anger ignited in her heart. How could her medicine person be so close to someone else! And so shamelessly clinging to someone else’s arms! Suddenly clenching her fist, she angrily stepped forward, roughly separating the two, and pulled Xi Fuhong into her arms.
“Let go! Let go of me! No!” Xi Fuhong struggled violently, but Xue Baihua was determined not to let go.
“All of you, get out,” Xue Baihua said coldly. Cao Er, seeing her master truly angry, quickly left without a word, but Shi Cuiyan, seeing Xi Fuhong so unwilling, felt a pang of pain in her heart. She was about to ask the Divine Doctor to let her stay in the room when she was suddenly met with a murderous glare.
“Get out!”
“You’ve worked hard,” Cao Er said, standing outside the door and immediately stepping forward to support.
“Where is Shi Cuiyan?” Xue Baihua blinked, looking a bit tired.
“In the guest room next door,” Cao Er said, supporting Xue Baihua’s slightly trembling arm with concern. She thought that her master’s cold poison was not yet resolved and shouldn’t have exerted herself by treating others, yet she spent an hour and a half detoxifying the medicine person before coming out.
“Alright, take me to talk to her,” Xue Baihua said softly, but Cao Er was unwilling.
“Master! Your body can’t take it. You should be soaking in medicinal herbs and resting now, not overexerting yourself,” she said, thinking of Shi Cuiyan’s teasing of her master and feeling even more uneasy. She muttered, “That Shi Cuiyan is no good person. It’s dangerous for you to be alone with her. How about… I accompany you?”
“Cao Er, take me there,” Xue Baihua’s voice turned cold, and Cao Er immediately fell silent. Seeing that her master seemed to be in a bad mood, she dared not say more and quickly helped her master to Shi Cuiyan’s guest room. She stood outside the door, her face dark, knowing that her master wouldn’t let her in, so she had to stay outside, ready to rescue at any sign of danger.
Inside the bedroom, Shi Cuiyan was pouring herself a drink from a wine pot, while Xue Baihua sat opposite, her wine glass untouched. The atmosphere wasn’t exactly oppressive, but it wasn’t conducive to drinking and chatting either. The two of them wouldn’t have had any interaction if not for a little girl from Wu Feng Valley.
“There is only one cowbell flower left, in the hands of the Dai family on Huang Xi Mountain. I’ll send a letter, and you can go get it. As for the dust furnace flower you mentioned, I heard there’s a farmer by the Luo River who specializes in growing it. If you want it, you can ask them,” Shi Cuiyan said, finishing her pear wine, which was spicy and sweet.
“Truly worthy of being called Emerald Exquisite in Jianghu,” Xue Baihua said with a tired smile after a few coughs.
“Not at all, just a means of making a living, nothing worth mentioning,” Shi Cuiyan said, pointing to her head with a proud smile. She poured herself another glass of wine, but the pot was empty, so she set it aside with a sigh. “Since Ah Fu’s poison is resolved, we should be on our way. Sorry for disturbing Divine Doctor.”
As Shi Cuiyan stood up, Xue Baihua reached out to press down on her arm.
“Miss Shi, you misunderstand. Ah Fu cannot go with you,” Xue Baihua said, looking directly at Shi Cuiyan.
Raising an eyebrow, Shi Cuiyan’s eyes sparkled as she said, “Divine Doctor Xue, are you pretending to be ignorant? A beauty can’t go back on her word.”
