Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 20

Ying Qujie took a deep breath, his tone stiff. “No, I know my own physical condition very well.”

“Oh, really?” He Qingsheng leaned in with a smile, the temperature around them suddenly dropping. “Mortals who spend too much time with ghosts do suffer physical harm, and we’ve been together day and night.”

“Physician Ying, you shouldn’t hide your illness for fear of treatment.”

A swirl of black-red ominous energy loosely coiled around Ying Qujie’s waist, while the red bracelet on his wrist stretched and twisted, pinning both his hands behind his back. Where it touched his skin, the heat was scalding.

With a clatter, the brush stand fell to the ground.

The still-damp brush smeared a wet patch across the pristine rice paper.

His chin was lifted by an icy hand, the chill piercing to the bone.

The owner of that hand looked down at him with a lazy, unfocused gaze, as languid as a well-fed cat basking in contentment.

“Shall I examine you instead, Physician?”

Ying Qujie shivered slightly from the cold and leaned back, she was too close.

Even if she wasn’t alive, even if she didn’t breathe, she was still too close.

Close enough that he could almost count her long, butterfly-like lashes.

“No need. I monitor and exercise daily. I won’t… I won’t suffer from kidney deficiency. No need for Miss He to worry.”

“Oh, is that so?”

He Qingsheng drew out her words, her cold fingers sliding down from his jaw, over his Adam’s apple, and further down. Ying Qujie’s body trembled involuntarily. His ears flushed crimson, his mind nearly floating away, completely oblivious to why He Qingsheng could suddenly touch him.

“Well then.”

The restraining force loosened, and Ying Qujie’s sore neck, from leaning back, finally found relief.

The mischievous cat, having had her fun, found new amusement elsewhere, darting to another corner without a second glance, leaving only a graceful silhouette behind.

She really was too capricious, Ying Qujie thought.

He Qingsheng stood with her back to him, seemingly fiddling with the asparagus fern on the clinic shelf, but in reality, she was gritting her teeth against the pain, refusing to let a single curse slip out.

The fingers she had used to grip Ying Qujie’s chin now bore circular wounds at their tips, the soul energy there so faint it was nearly gone.

Yan Xingyi’s earlier words had made it clear, even mortals in the imperial capital could see her now and might interfere. Naturally, mortal cultivators wouldn’t ignore her either. Given their creed of eradicating evil to save the world, it was undeniable they’d pose a threat.

And as a spectral entity, she was bound by too many limitations. She couldn’t afford to die in the mortal realm before even returning to the cultivation world.

At this thought, the suppressed malice she had held back for days surged uncontrollably within her.

Almost instinctively, the idea of possessing Ying Qujie resurfaced.

So, she thinned out her ominous energy, spreading it over her soul’s surface, using it to create the illusion that she could touch him.

But the moment she withdrew the energy and made direct contact, she would be deemed a threat attempting possession, burned by some inexplicable force.

Only when the pain struck did He Qingsheng snap out of it, hastily releasing Ying Qujie and deliberately putting distance between them.

The grudge against Zhenyuan Sect, she could settle it herself, even as a ghost. She didn’t need to possess someone else to fulfill her unfinished business.

She had never truly intended to possess Ying Qujie in the first place.

Judging by past incidents, it seemed that whenever her malice grew unbearable, she would lose all reason and throw herself at Ying Qujie like a moth to flame, only to be mercilessly repelled.

He Qingsheng gathered some baleful energy to mend the gaps at her fingertips. After a while, the baleful energy diminished significantly, and her soul was restored to its original state.

Fortunately, she had been extremely restrained this time. Even if she failed, it didn’t drain her as much as the first two attempts when they had initially met.

Ying Qujie silently picked up the fallen brush stand behind her, and the room fell into silence.

“Ah, Young General Ying! The miracle doctor’s quota for today is full. He said he won’t see anyone else, he really means it! There’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Whether he sees me or not is my business. Your job is to stay out of my way and let me meet him!”

He Qingsheng glanced at Ying Qujie and teased, “The fish has taken the bait. Physician Ying is quite busy today.”

Over the past few days, ever since Ying Qujie started practicing at a local clinic and cured several critically ill patients, his reputation as a “miracle doctor” had spread like wildfire in the capital, growing more legendary by the day.

Most commoners were unaware that the eldest son of the Zhenyuan General’s household had recently passed away. However, the more politically astute officials had already begun whispering about the new miracle doctor in the capital, who just happened to share the same name as the late eldest son of General Ying Song.

Ying Qujie had deliberately spared the lives of the two waves of assassins, sending them back without any proof to report to their masters.

His reason was simple: he had administered two different types of poison to each group.

Individually, the poisoned individuals would show no symptoms. But if they came into contact with someone from the other group, the two poisons would react violently, causing the victims to collapse into a coma.

Even the most experienced physicians wouldn’t be able to detect the cause.

He had long anticipated that the Ying household would eventually send someone to fetch him.

Ying Yuanqi pushed open the door and found himself staring directly into Ying Qujie’s eyes. The face before him was indescribably beautiful, the sheer visual impact nearly freezing him in place.

A sudden realization struck him, somewhere deep in his memory, he had seen those same eyes and brows before.

He Qingsheng leaned close to Ying Qujie’s ear and whispered, “Is this your elder brother? His looks are… well, hard to describe. He’s not even one ten-thousandth as handsome as you.”

“No.”

Ying Qujie’s voice was flat.

He Qingsheng understood. The man before them had plain, unremarkable features, inoffensive but utterly forgettable. Dressed as a military officer, he lacked any of the imposing presence one would expect. Among ordinary people, he might pass as decent-looking, but if he were truly Ying Qujie’s blood brother, then the heavens had been truly cruel.

“I am Ying Yuanqi, here to seek an audience with the doctor,” the man at the door said, snapping out of his daze and clasping his hands in salute.

Behind him, an elderly steward carrying a tray of gold, silver, and deeds followed inside, only to nearly drop the tray the moment he caught sight of Ying Qujie’s face.

Ying Yuanqi steadied the tray for him. “Steward Le, what’s wrong?”

The old steward stared at Ying Qujie, lips trembling uncontrollably. “It’s… it’s him. He looks exactly like Lady Ling Yu, as if carved from the same mold.”

Ying Yuanqi was stunned, immediately matching the name to the memory of a breathtakingly beautiful face.

“What?!” He looked up sharply, scrutinizing Ying Qujie. In terms of appearance alone, this man could indeed be the child of that very lady.

But just days ago, their household had hastily held a funeral for his supposed elder brother.

What in the world was going on? Ying Yuanqi turned to Steward Le, hoping for an explanation.

But the old man was already weeping, his voice shaking before he could even speak.

Ying Qujie took a calm sip of tea. “Gentlemen, I am not seeing patients today. Please leave.”

“Young master… don’t you remember me? I’m Steward Le. My poor young master, I knew it was you. I knew you’d be alright, good fortune favors the virtuous!”

The old steward made as if to kneel and kowtow to Ying Qujie to beg for forgiveness, but was stopped by Ying Qujie himself.

“There’s no need for that, elder. Today, I’ve already seen three patients, rules are rules. Please return.”

“It’s not about that. Young master, your name ‘Qujie’ was given by your mother on her deathbed, hoping you would be spared from calamity. You were meant to grow up safely in the general’s residence! I failed your mother’s trust, I disobeyed the old master’s orders…”

The old steward wept uncontrollably, his words incoherent from overwhelming emotion.

Behind him, the clinic owner craned his neck, eavesdropping with the furtive curiosity of someone who wanted gossip but feared trouble.

Ying Yuanqi vaguely grasped some of the truth. To prevent the old steward from revealing too much, he stepped forward and interrupted earnestly:

“Physician Ying, you must be someone from our general’s residence. My father is currently unwell and unable to come fetch you himself. Having heard of your exceptional medical skills, I humbly ask you to accompany us back.”

Brother?

So, Ying Qujie was actually older than him? It wasn’t apparent at all.

He Qingsheng found his words rather slick, ambiguous and evasive, much like the doublespeak of officialdom.

If Ying Qujie were to follow him back to the general’s residence under such unclear circumstances, who knew if he’d walk in and out unscathed?

Ying Qujie retreated half a step without a change in expression. “Sir, I’ve heard plenty of claims about kinship these days. Words alone prove nothing.”

The old steward suddenly remembered something and hastily added, “A token! Lady Ling Yu left you a longevity lock engraved with protective charms. You must have it with you, it’s why you’ve grown up safely all these years.”

He Qingsheng thought back. When the little puppet had been stuffed into Ying Qujie’s arms earlier, she had indeed glimpsed an exquisitely crafted silver longevity lock.

The protective incantation carved on it shimmered with golden light. Though it couldn’t repel her, it still held some minor demon-dispelling power.

Ying Qujie remained unmoved, smiling faintly at Ying Yuanqi. “Sir Ying, I heard that the eldest son of General Ying’s residence recently passed away. If the token was still outside, how was the funeral arranged?”

Ying Yuanqi felt a headache coming on. Though he was a military man, his mother was far from honorable, he had witnessed plenty of harem schemes between wives and concubines growing up.

When his mother suddenly began arranging his elder brother’s funeral days ago, he found it suspicious. But stationed at the imperial guards’ training grounds, he couldn’t be bothered to pry into matters that didn’t concern his own interests.

Now it seemed his mother was deeply involved in this affair. He had truly lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

“This is all a misunderstanding,” Ying Yuanqi stammered, nearly biting his tongue. Even he didn’t believe his own words. “Physician Ying, my father fell gravely ill after suddenly receiving news of the death. Now that we know it was a mistake, seeing you might help him recover from his grief.”

He Qingsheng nearly laughed aloud. “Suddenly received news of the death, fell gravely ill” not a single word about his own mother, who was also sick but had nothing to do with Ying Qujie.

Who said military men lacked finesse? His words were masterfully crafted.

Had Ying Qujie not been the very reason for this “grave illness,” he might have been slightly moved.

Unfortunately, He Qingsheng knew Ying Qujie wasn’t as gentle and kind as he appeared, beneath that refined exterior lay a pitch-black sesame filling.

As expected.

Ying Qujie declared with righteous indignation, “Lord Ying, your words are mistaken. Without proof, there can be no conclusion. If General Ying were to be disappointed again and his condition worsened, would that not be my fault? My decision is final. Please return, my lord.”

Ying Yuanqi grew frantic and reached out to grab Ying Qujie, but before he could even touch him, a bone-chilling cold froze his hand mid-air.

Ying Qujie cast him a glance, an icy, piercing one. Ying Yuanqi found himself at a loss, unsure whether to withdraw his hand or continue reaching out.

Yet the imperial physician had declared that his father and mother’s mysterious illness would become untreatable within three days. Today was already the second day!

Ying Yuanqi burned with anxiety. His eyes darted to the gold, silver, and deeds in Le Bo’s hands, and he nearly hurled them at the back of Ying Qujie’s head, but he couldn’t afford to truly offend the man beyond repair.

As he watched the other man walk further away, a wild suspicion rose in his heart: Had Ying Qujie already learned the truth and was deliberately acting this way?

Seeing that Ying Qujie was about to leave, Le Bo struggled to steady his emotions and called out loudly to his retreating figure, “Young master, with your celestial bearing, the old madam would surely recognize you at a glance. It’s just that in recent years, she has grown somewhat confused, her health frail, confined to her bed and withdrawn from affairs.”

“Young master, I beg you to return. The old madam misses you dearly.”

Ying Qujie’s steps faltered slightly.