Married to a Villainous Minister - Chapter 141

Yu Qizhe shook his head and, almost instinctively, glanced at Lu Jin. Seeing the smile fade from Lu Jin’s face, he figured he must have heard Yu Jiao’s question too.

He replied softly, “Master Huijue senses that his time has come. He’s not ill.”

Noticing his somber expression, Yu Jiao gently tugged at his sleeve. Yu Qizhe turned and held her hand in return, warmth blooming in his heart.

Yu Jiao stiffened slightly. His hand, warm and steady, pressed against hers. She turned to look at him, his face was calm as if he were focused on the stone steps underfoot. After a moment of hesitation, she tried to pull her hand back.

But Yu Qizhe tightened his grip. When she failed to free herself, her almond-shaped eyes shot him a glare of irritation. Mindful of the two walking ahead, she whispered, “Let go.”

Yu Qizhe smiled and blinked his sparkling peach-blossom eyes. “Don’t be fussy. The downhill path is tricky, let your big brother hold your hand.”

Yu Jiao heard the teasing in his voice, and her cheeks flushed. But her strength couldn’t match his, and she didn’t want to cause a scene that might alert Yu Fuling and Lu Jin ahead of them. All she could do was glare at him, her gaze brimming with silent protest.

Yu Qizhe didn’t mind at all. He stubbornly kept hold of her hand as they continued down the steps. Fortunately, the long climb that had seemed so tiring earlier now passed quickly on the way down. Once they reached the base of the mountain, Lu Jin turned back. Startled, Yu Jiao quickly yanked her hand from Yu Qizhe’s grasp.

“There’s a hunter named Chen in the village below. I’ll be staying at his place for a few days,” Lu Jin said.

Yu Qizhe nodded. He knew that Lu Jin had stayed at Fahua Temple in his younger years and was familiar with the villagers nearby. Finding a place to stay wouldn’t be an issue.

“Sister Fuling, Sister Jiao, see you next time.” Lu Jin smiled as he said goodbye.

Yu Fuling found him very amusing and nodded with a smile. The three of them watched him leave, and as soon as he was out of sight, Yu Fuling eagerly turned to Yu Qizhe. “Little brother, when did you make a friend like him? I had no idea!”

Yu Qizhe explained, “He lived at Fahua Temple for a while when he was younger. I met him back then, when mother brought me here to pray.”

Since they had come down the mountain early and hadn’t eaten at the temple, Yu Jiao suggested, “Let’s go into town for a bit. I brought the medical book I copied and want to give it to Doctor Jiang.”

Yu Fuling, of course, had no objections. It was rare for her to get out, and she was more than happy to go wandering.

Yu Qizhe flagged down a donkey cart by the roadside. The driver lived near Qingshui Town and had also come to the temple to pray, so he offered them a ride.

Meanwhile, at the temple’s rear courtyard, a man in monk robes slipped into Master Huijue’s meditation room and respectfully reported to the elderly monk seated on the couch, “Lord Cheng, the two women who came with Young Master Yu have all gone down the mountain. Lord Lu is staying at a villager’s home and doesn’t seem to be returning to the capital any time soon.”

Despite the frail demeanor he’d shown earlier in front of Yu Qizhe and Lu Jin, Master Huijue now looked nothing like a dying old man.

He pulled off the white fake beard on his chin, his expression turning cold and sinister. Upon hearing the report, he said flatly, “Find out who cured Yu Qizhe’s poisoning.”

His voice was soft, almost whisper-like, but carried the chilling undertone of a venomous snake. It made one’s skin crawl.

The man bowed and silently slipped out of the room.

‘Huijue’ dipped a cloth into a basin of water and wiped off the makeup that had aged his face, removing the age spots and wrinkles. What emerged was the face of a strange and sinisterly handsome young man. The kindly features glued in place were gone, replaced by a pair of narrow, sharp phoenix eyes.

Leisurely, he peeled off the human-skin mask, smooth and marked with a branded “sacred scar,” and tossed it aside. His lips curled into a faint smirk as he looked into a blurry bronze mirror.

“Interesting. I’ve been playing this role for so long, it’s about time something stirred up the boredom.”

The donkey cart brought the three into town. After paying the three copper coins for the ride, they realized they were starving and found a noodle shop to grab a bite. But the meal didn’t go smoothly.

Just halfway through eating, a man at the next table, dressed like a servant in a short brown tunic, suddenly turned bright red in the face and started choking violently. Moments later, he collapsed. The young master dining with him immediately panicked and began shouting for the shop assistants, blaming the food and ordering his men to carry the unconscious man to the clinic.

The chaos left other diners too frightened to continue eating, and they all started yelling at the shopkeeper to refund their money. Yu Fuling, clearly uneasy, put down her chopsticks and tugged on Yu Jiao’s sleeve. “We should stop eating too. Do you think the food is bad?”

Yu Jiao frowned slightly. She saw a few people already trying to lift the unconscious man, then stood up after a brief hesitation.

“Don’t touch him yet. I’m a doctor,” she said clearly. Her words steadied the crowd, who’d been frantic and unsure what to do. They quickly stepped aside to give her room. But when they saw the voice belonged to a young girl, doubts arose about whether she really was a doctor.

“Sir, maybe we should just send your servant to the clinic first?” The worried shopkeeper suggested, afraid someone might die in his establishment.

Yu Jiao stepped forward and crouched beside the man. His face had turned a purplish hue, classic signs of an airway obstruction. She quickly loosened his collar and began performing chest compressions.

Shen Yu narrowed his eyes as he observed her movements. His brows furrowed. He couldn’t help but think of the “Miss Meng” that Doctor Jiang always talked about. A flicker of hesitation crossed his youthful, handsome face. “Are you really a doctor?”

Yu Jiao had no time to answer. She silently counted the rhythm and timing in her head. After about a third of a stick of incense’s time, the man finally began to stir. A wave of relieved gasps spread through the crowd.

Yu Jiao glanced at Yu Qizhe, who immediately stepped forward, understanding her unspoken request. “Help me turn him over,” she instructed.

Yu Qizhe obeyed without hesitation. With him stabilizing the man’s stomach with his knee, Yu Jiao pressed her forearm against the man’s chest, pinched the sides of his jaw, and used her other hand to support his neck, turning his face downward. Then, she firmly struck his back a few times.

But the object lodged in his throat didn’t come out as expected.

Seeing that the method didn’t work, Yu Jiao grabbed a chopstick from the table, pried open the man’s mouth, and inserted the stick, pressing down on the back third of his tongue.

It worked immediately.

The man gagged and vomited violently. Yu Qizhe reacted quickly, pulling Yu Jiao back just in time to avoid her getting hit by the mess.