Chapter 142 - 141: Confrontation, Gu Qingjin’s Discovery!
Chapter 142: Chapter 141: Confrontation, Gu Qingjin’s Discovery!
What kind of look was that?
It was like a wolf lying in wait in the shadows, glinting with the sharp, wicked light of swords and blades. Anyone caught in the sights of those eyes would become his prey. It felt as though in the very next second, he would tear out his prey’s throat.
Wuxian couldn’t help but gasp, taking a step back. On this freezing night, a fine layer of cold sweat actually broke out across his back, all just because of a single glance from Gu Qingjin.
Shaoyuan wore a mask, revealing only a pair of fox-like eyes that naturally held a hint of a smile. He was completely unfazed by Gu Qingjin’s intense gaze. Standing with his hands clasped behind his back, he simply smiled, completely unmovable. He was like an all-encompassing yet inviolable ocean; whether faced with roaring gales, torrential storms, or raging rivers, all would merely be swallowed by the sea.
A few seconds later, Gu Qingjin turned around, pushed through the crowd beside him, and walked toward higher ground—straight toward where Shaoyuan was standing.
This sudden move caused Wuxian’s expression to change, and he immediately prepared to step forward to block him. However, Shaoyuan raised a hand, stopping Wuxian and allowing Gu Qingjin to walk right up to him.
Gu Qingjin’s voice was low. "Are you from Qi Sha?"
Wuxian was slightly on guard. "That is not something Mr. Gu needs to know."
The Gu family was indeed a major family in Mingjing, but at the end of the day, they were merely an ordinary secular family that had built their fortune on business. Only hidden families would have contact with Qi Sha.
Gu Qingjin narrowed his eyes. Completely ignoring Wuxian, his gaze fell on Shaoyuan once again. He was too young. Gu Qingjin had only ever seen this kind of aura—that of an impossibly young yet deeply authoritative leader—in Shi Yaoguang. The era of dynasties had ended long ago; what kind of family or faction could cultivate a person like this?
Shaoyuan didn’t mind Gu Qingjin continuing to size him up. He was already thoroughly accustomed to the stares of others.
A moment later, Gu Qingjin withdrew his gaze. "When I have the time, I will pay a visit to the Seven Kills Headquarters." Without saying another word, he simply turned and walked away.
Wuxian was drenched in cold sweat. He took a deep breath. "This is my dereliction of duty. The Gu family’s influence needs to be re-evaluated." He realized that this Gu Lan was incredibly dangerous! Yet he was only the youngest son of Old Sir Gu. Who knew if the other Gu Family Members were hiding their true strength as well?
"There is no need to overreact," Shaoyuan said unhurriedly, the corners of his lips curling up. "He alone cannot represent the entire Gu family."
Wuxian paused, asking carefully, "Do you mean... everything proceeds as usual?"
"You handle the rest. I have other matters to attend to." Shaoyuan glanced at his phone, then turned and left.
At this moment, the old man was secretly snacking on spicy strips. Seeing Shaoyuan return, he instantly became highly vigilant. "What... what do you want now? I told you, she fainted from hunger!"
Shaoyuan didn’t bother wasting words with him. He simply asked, "Do I carry you, or are you walking yourself?"
The old man was rendered speechless. He hurriedly stuffed the last spicy strip into his mouth, grabbed his medical kit, and scurried after Shaoyuan.
Shi Changying had moved Ning Liuyu onto the bed and was now sitting on a stool nearby.
The old man stared blankly. "Didn’t you faint from hunger earlier, young lady?"
Shi Changying looked at him expressionlessly. "I did not faint from hunger."
The old man was very quick on the uptake. "Right, you didn’t. You clearly fainted from exhaustion. How could anyone in this world still faint from hunger after eating over a dozen meat buns? Impossible."
Shi Changying remained silent, wondering where her sword was.
Shaoyuan prompted, "Aren’t you going to examine her?"
The old man muttered under his breath, "Hmph. The young lady hasn’t even said anything, yet you’re the one getting anxious." He sat down and began to check Ning Liuyu’s pulse.
"A sudden shift from extreme grief to extreme joy almost caused a fatal shock to her heart," the old man said, stroking his beard. "Strange, very strange. Her heart meridian is actually completely unharmed. This little girl truly lives up to her background in medicine; she knows how to protect herself."
He took out his needles and began administering acupuncture to Ning Liuyu. The old man’s medical skills were clearly quite advanced. Shortly after a single round of acupuncture, Ning Liuyu slowly regained consciousness.
"Your Maj—" She sat up abruptly, but upon seeing Shi Changying, she finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that it was not a dream.
"Oh, dear! Oh, dear! You young people, why are you always so jumpy?" The old man clutched his chest, speaking with exaggerated anguish. "You need to respect the elderly. My old bones can’t handle all these scares. I’m leaving!"
Shaoyuan looked at the old man, showing absolutely no intention of letting him leave.
The old man had no choice but to sit back down. He checked Shi Changying’s pulse again and said, "I told you, she really is fine. She was just hungry. Look, after having a good meal, she’s as fit as a fiddle!"
Shaoyuan caught sight of the cuts on the back of Shi Changying’s hand and instructed, "Hold out your hand."
Shi Changying didn’t move an inch. "It doesn’t hurt. I can’t feel it."
She had only opened her mouth earlier for the sake of delicious food. But why should she listen to him when he told her to hold out her hand?
"Mhm," Shaoyuan said evenly. "It seems you don’t want to be ranked first in the grade after all."
Shi Changying immediately held out her hand, willing to do anything for her first-place rank.
Ning Liuyu watched Shaoyuan in silence, thinking that he had truly grasped one of the Empress’s few weaknesses. In the past, when Ye Yu tried to persuade the Empress, he had also used the concept of being "first" to convince her.
Shaoyuan then said, "Medicine."
The old man was momentarily bewildered, but the sheer pressure of Shaoyuan’s gaze compelled him to take out his healing ointment.
Seeing Shaoyuan apply a thick layer of the ointment over the back of Shi Changying’s hand, the old man felt even more heartbroken. "That is very expensive medicine! A little dab is enough. Why are you slathering on so much? Sigh! Oh, sigh!" He lamented what an absolute spendthrift the young man was.
Catching a whiff of the medicine’s fragrance, Ning Liuyu’s expression instantly brightened. "This medicine..."
"I got this medicine from the Xuan Sect," the old man snapped. "And now it’s just—"
Shaoyuan shot him a look, and the old man clamped his mouth shut. But he was entirely unwilling to concede defeat. He decided he would definitely force Shaoyuan to get him another hundred bottles or so in return!
"Young lady, your diet must be light from now on. Absolutely no junk food. Eat more meat, eggs, and dairy, and drink plenty of water," the old man advised earnestly. "You must take good care of your body, understand?"
"But you just ate spicy strips," Shi Changying pointed out.
The old man was speechless.
***
Outside, the older woman refused to leave and was still distributing food to the rescue workers. Her life had been saved by these young soldiers, so cooking a few meals was nothing in comparison. The events of the day had been a terrifying ordeal for her, and her heart still hadn’t fully calmed down.
"I was scared to death. If anything had happened to that young man, I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself for the rest of my life!" the older woman said, wiping her tears. "Then a little girl jumped in too. Thank goodness they both made it back up. That little girl is so small but incredibly brave. She said that since we are all Jiuzhou people, how could she not save him?"
Gu Qingjin interrupted her. "What did you say?"
The older woman paused. "I said... a little girl also jumped down to save someone today?"
Gu Qingjin stared directly at her. "The next sentence!"
"The... the next sentence?" the older woman stammered. "I... I heard her elder ask her why she went to save him, and she said it was because they were Jiuzhou people. Is... is it that sentence?"
Gu Qingjin closed his eyes. "That’s the one."