Early the next morning.
Gu Qing woke up early. After washing up, he stood in the courtyard for a moment, then headed toward the leftmost room.
There were three rooms in the small courtyard. One was where Gu Qing lived, one was used to settle the girl he had bought yesterday, and the last one was filled with various odds and ends and herbs, serving as a storage room.
The room Gu Qing was heading to now was Qiu Niang’s.
Qiu Niang was the girl’s name, though it was most likely just a casual nickname.
He reached the door and gently pushed it open.
The faint morning light, carrying a hint of winter warmth, spilled down beside the bed.
The girl was curled up, her waterfall-like black hair spread across the pillow. A row of long, delicate eyelashes rested lightly over her closed eyes, her sleeping face peaceful and serene.
As expected, Qiu Niang had slept very soundly through the night.
As for how Gu Qing knew… it was because he had added a bit of calming medicine to the food he gave her last night.
As a pharmacist, that was perfectly reasonable.
Of course, he had no ill intentions. He simply wanted her to have a good night’s sleep, so she wouldn’t spend all day in fear and anxiety.
Gu Qing gazed at the girl’s quiet sleeping face. The corners of her lips curved slightly upward, and who knew what she was dreaming of, but it was likely a pleasant dream.
He watched her for quite a while. Perhaps only at times like this would she reveal a side that matched her age. The cold sharpness in her brows and eyes was gone, replaced instead with a faint trace of youthful innocence.
Suddenly, her long eyelashes trembled slightly.
Not wanting to be mistaken for a pervert again, Gu Qing turned and left before the girl could fully wake up.
What he didn’t notice, however, was that the moment he turned around, the girl had already quietly opened her eyes and was watching him leave.
“Pervert…”
She bit her lip, pulled the blanket up to cover her face, and muttered in a voice only she could hear.
…
Breakfast was, as usual, porridge, sprinkled with a bit of salt and chopped scallions. It wasn’t anything luxurious, but it was light and pleasantly tasty.
Today, the little girl didn’t make a fuss. She quietly drank her porridge without needing Gu Qing to coax her.
Just after breakfast, there came a knock at the courtyard gate. Someone outside could be heard calling, “Is Mister Gu in?” and the like.
Gu Qing frowned slightly, scraping the edge of the bowl with his spoon before setting it on the bedside table and getting up to answer the door.
“I’ll go take a look.”
It was something he said casually, not expecting any response, yet he actually heard a soft “Mm” from behind him.
Gu Qing paused for a moment, then smiled silently to himself, thinking that in the end she was only a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child. How much wariness could she really have?
What he didn’t realize was that, for a little beggar who had already sunk deep into the mire of despair, how could she possibly withstand everything he had done from yesterday until now?
He stepped into the courtyard.
The one knocking was Steward Xu, who had come once yesterday.
His request was simple. It was to invite Gu Qing to the residence for a visit and help treat the madam’s illness.
Gu Qing thought back for a moment, recalling the various hints from that mature woman during his first visit, and couldn’t help but think to himself that the supposed illness was just a pretense. What she really wanted was him.
He couldn’t exactly expose it outright, so he simply wrote another calming prescription and sent him away.
In truth, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened in his memory. Gu Qing was rather tired of it. He had even specifically asked the Heavenly Book before if it could help conceal his appearance a bit.
After sending Steward Xu off, Gu Qing returned to the room, preparing to apply medicine to Qiu Niang as usual.
It was a delicate task. There were simply too many wounds on the girl’s body, and on her back were two horrifying long bruises, shocking to behold.
“Your injuries are severe. I can’t help your eyes or your leg for now. I can only treat these external wounds first, so they don’t continue to worsen and become life-threatening.”
The courtyard in the early morning was especially quiet. There was no snow, no wind. Only the man’s calm, gentle voice as he spoke.
Qiu Niang pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing.
The pain from the medicine being applied made it impossible for her to speak, and she didn’t know what she should say anyway. Just as even now, she still didn’t understand why this man had saved her, why he was treating her so well.
Could it really be just for the sake of having a cheap plaything?
She had once read in books that there were people in this world who were simply perverse by nature, who took pleasure in watching others suffer, their pained expressions, their involuntary moans, and their desperate pleas for mercy.
Many of the powerful figures in the imperial city were said to have such tastes, especially a preference for young boys and girls.
Thanks to her past family background, she had heard a thing or two about such matters.
On the other side, Gu Qing continued speaking.
“…As for your eyes and your leg, I can’t treat them, but I do know of a place that can.”
Hearing this, the girl suddenly lifted her gaze. Beneath the cover of her hair, her one intact eye fixed tightly on Gu Qing.
Her lips moved as if she wanted to ask something, but the moment she opened her mouth, her brows knit together slightly, and it turned into a soft groan instead.
Gu Qing paused in applying the medicine. Meeting the girl’s aggrieved and indignant gaze, he let out a sigh and said helplessly, “I didn’t expect you to suddenly be willing to speak…”
“If you have questions, you can wait until I’m done applying the medicine. For now, just listen.”
After saying that, without waiting for her agreement, he continued on his own, “The Donghua Scripture records that to the north of Xiqi, there lies a vast river stretching tens of thousands of miles. Its waves are fierce, cutting across half of the Eastern Continent. It is called the Red River.”
“Legend says that at the source of the Red River stands a divine mountain. On that mountain grows a spiritual herb that can bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh upon bones. Even regenerating severed limbs would be no difficult feat.”
“When your injuries improve, I’ll take you there.”
By the time he spoke that last sentence, the man’s tone hadn’t changed at all. It was still as calm and indifferent as when he first bought her.
I’ll cure you.
Five simple words. Rather than a promise, they sounded more like a casually uttered, clumsy lie.
Time passed slowly. Half an hour later, Gu Qing finally finished applying the ointment.
“Why… are you helping me?”
The girl’s voice was somewhat hoarse, tinged with a trace of coldness. This question had clearly been buried in her heart for a long time.
“Treating the sick and saving people is my duty.”
Nonsense.
There were so many sick and suffering people in this world. Why choose her?
But she wasn’t foolish enough to ask that. Instead, she raised another question.
“If that herb is really as miraculous as you say, how could it possibly still be there until now?”
Gu Qing caught the implication in her words and replied, “It’s said that place is a forbidden zone for immortals. No matter how powerful a cultivator is, once they enter, they become no different from a mortal.”
“And that herb is extremely rare and precious. Only those with great fortune are destined to obtain it.”
The girl glanced at him and fell silent.
If such a thing as fortune truly existed, then how could she have brought such a catastrophic disaster upon her family back then…
At that thought, her eyes dimmed.
However, Gu Qing saw it completely differently. He thought to himself that while he didn’t know whether his own fortune was deep or not, she was someone who bore the so-called “Heavenly Fortune”. How could her fortune be anything but profound?
Seeing the girl’s dim expression, he reached out and gently ruffled her hair. He smiled and said, “No matter what, we have to try, don’t we?”
Looking at the faint smile on his face, Qiu Niang couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.
In truth, that face of his was genuinely handsome, and paired with such a smile… As she thought this, she suddenly felt her cheeks grow warm for no reason. Lowering her head, she let her long hair fall to cover her face.
After quite a while, her voice sounded again.
But it came out haltingly.
“If you really can cure me, then after I take my revenge, I-I’m willing to become your plaything.”
“Mm, as long as you can regain your spirits…Mm?!!!”
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