Please, Don’t Die - Chapter 53

Apricot Grove Clinic was once again packed with patients seeking medical treatment.

The entire clinic buzzed with noise, incessant coughing, groans, and cries mixed with the shouts of apprentices warning, “Hot medicine coming through, make way!” The chaotic scene resembled a bustling temple fair.

Amidst this crowded commotion, a young man in white robes held a medicine bowl, serene and composed, as if separated from the surrounding clamor by an invisible barrier.

He exuded a steady, reassuring presence.

Both the clinic’s owner and apprentices, as well as the patients, silently agreed: as long as this young man was here, nothing could go wrong.

A child lying on a simple cot had just been fed medicine by him. Sucking on a piece of candied fruit, the child looked up curiously, following the young man’s gaze out the window.

There was nothing there but buildings.

Yet the young man in white remained lost in thought until the clinic owner called out several times before he finally snapped back to reality.

“Divine Physician Ying, you’ve been working all day. Take a break.”

“It’s fine,” Ying Qujie replied, setting down the medicine bowl. “The medicine brewing in the backyard should be enough for today. Please distribute it, I have something to attend to and need to step out.”

“Divine Physician Ying, you’re too kind. This is our duty,” the clinic owner urged. “Go ahead, don’t worry.”

Watching the young man’s retreating figure, the owner stroked his beard and sighed in admiration. “Truly remarkable for one so young.”

A young apprentice carrying three full bowls of medicine passed by and pouted. “Master, you praise Divine Physician Ying every day. Why not praise your own disciple?”

“You little brat, do you even recognize all the herbs yet? How dare you compare yourself to him?”

Another apprentice chimed in teasingly, “He’s called a divine physician at twenty, while you’re still an apprentice at twenty-two. Don’t embarrass yourself.”

“Fine, fine, my heart is broken. Maybe I’ll quit medicine and take up literature instead.”

The clinic owner scolded with a laugh, “Nonsense! Stop fooling around and deliver that medicine.”

“Right away, Master.”

The other apprentice smirked. “So, no more quitting medicine?”

“Of course not. I still have to inherit my master’s legacy,” the young apprentice grinned. “Besides, Divine Physician Ying gave me a copy of his medical notes. I’m bound to improve rapidly now.”

The other apprentice’s expression instantly changed. “Good brother, let me take a look when you’re done, alright?”

Watching his apprentices banter, the clinic owner shook his head. Thinking of how Ying Qujie not only saved lives but also helped mentor his disciples, his fondness for the young physician grew even deeper.

Meanwhile, Ying Qujie had impulsively stepped outside, only to find himself standing on the quiet street, unsure where to go.

After that drunken night, He Qingsheng had vanished without a word.

Ying Qujie had searched everywhere, even visiting the Imperial Preceptor’s residence countless times, but found no trace of her.

Overnight, his life had returned to its former tranquility.

Malevolent spirits, demons, dark arts, all of it had completely disappeared from his life. If not for the blood-red jade bracelet on his wrist, he might have wondered if he had been like the scholar in folktales who encountered a ghostly beauty, merely dreaming up a fantastical illusion.

After Ying Wen left, the Black and White Impermanence, who usually came and went swiftly, lingered in the capital for three days.

Since then, the city had remained under strict martial law.

As for Yan Xingyi’s claim that the capital was undisturbed, Ying Qujie didn’t believe a single word of it.

The more he tried to conceal it, the more Ying Qujie became convinced of his suspicion: He Qingsheng was likely involved in this upheaval, alongside Yan Xingyi.

In the short span of just over two months they had spent together, He Qingsheng appeared cold and sharp-tongued, never yielding in speech, yet she always adhered to her own moral code in action.

He knew He Qingsheng was far from the ruthless and erratic persona she projected.

But recalling the dangers of the illusion and the turmoil in the capital, Ying Qujie couldn’t help but worry, could a mere wandering spirit like her protect herself?

He Qingsheng had once used his blood to restore her own strength.

Memories flashed rapidly through his mind, leaving behind a simple thought: As long as she had him with her, she wouldn’t be reduced to utter annihilation.

The red bracelet on his wrist suddenly burned with an alarming intensity.

Ying Qujie’s eyes brightened as he instantly pinpointed the direction.

…

The Radiant Silk expanded, stretched, and layered, forming an illusory, dreamlike barrier.

Unlike its gentle presence beneath the palace walls, every shift of the silk now exuded boundless lethality.

Turquoise venomous snakes lurked within, launching sneak attacks when least expected.

Yu Fu and Lan Shanqing coordinated flawlessly, this move was so vicious it could carve a fearsome reputation even among the Twelve Walls.

He Qingsheng swatted away another attacking snake, missing her old spear dearly.

Alas, the spear had snapped during the banquet where she killed Liang Qiuji. She hadn’t had time to collect the broken pieces, and now she had no idea which sect had gotten their hands on it.

“Little Martial Sister, still spacing out? Seeing your life flash before your eyes?” Lan Shanqing’s laughter echoed mockingly in her ears.

The snake’s venom burned a hole through the small wooden puppet.

He Qingsheng remained silent. At least she hadn’t taken Physician Ying’s newly crafted one.

Seizing the momentary opening as Lan Shanqing appeared, He Qingsheng struck abruptly, gripping the snake’s vital point. “Wrong. I’m seeing your death today.”

The baleful energy tightened, and the snake let out a hiss before crumbling into dust.

Distracted by protecting Lan Shanqing, the Radiant Silk also revealed a flaw, lasting no more than a thousandth of a second, if even that.

But it was enough for He Qingsheng to locate the heart of the formation.

At the formation’s core, Yu Fu swiftly formed hand seals to reposition himself, only to be intercepted by a surge of black-red baleful energy that locked onto his throat.

He dodged, but the moment he moved, a sharp crack sounded from his collarbone. The baleful energy that touched him coiled like vines, instantly sealing all his meridians.

Lan Shanqing hurriedly materialized to support him. “Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t he be? Unlike you two, I’m not here to kill.” He Qingsheng approached with a smile.

Lan Shanqing glared at her hatefully, raising her hands to chant a spell.

He Qingsheng knew she was trying to summon her doppelgänger from the Tower of Heavenly Revelation. With a casual flick, she severed Lan Shanqing’s arms, cutting off all means of communication.

“Little viper, I have questions for my martial brother. You’d best stay quiet.”

The severed arms dissolved upon hitting the ground, while baleful energy swiftly engulfed Lan Shanqing’s body, devouring her flesh.

Lan Shanqing, a creature of wickedness among wickedness, had committed countless atrocities. Now, as the energy fed back, even though He Qingsheng immediately stopped drawing baleful energy from the tomb, the malevolence around her surged severalfold.

A piercing scream tore through the sky.

Recognizing the danger, the Radiant Silk risked corruption, gathering itself into strands to forcibly extract Lan Shanqing’s soul.

A tiny wisp of soul flickered like a firefly.

The relentless baleful energy pursued it, only to be blocked once more by the Radiant Silk.

“Go, now!” Yu Fu barked harshly, using his own body to momentarily hold back the baleful energy.

He Qingsheng watched the small cluster of fluorescent light, unhurried, as if teasingly, she separated a wisp of baleful energy to follow it.

The once pristine and beautiful silk of the Radiant Silk was now mostly stained black. He Qingsheng felt a faint pang of regret. “Junior Brother, the Radiant Silk was the most beautiful among all our weapons.”

She reached out to touch it. With one final desperate struggle, the Radiant Silk tried to bind her hands but only managed to hover midair before completely losing its luster.

“What a shame.”

Yu Fu stared in astonishment at the woman enveloped in the dark baleful energy. The familiar white hem of her dress was soaked in blood, her pale face and fathomless black eyes exuding an eerie, ghostly aura.

He Qingsheng was not herself.

For the first time, he truly felt that his senior sister was no longer human.

Like Lan Shanqing, his body was also entangled in baleful energy, the icy cold sensation like a dull knife scraping flesh, bringing waves of dense, agonizing pain wherever it touched.

What was truly despairing was that Yu Fu could sense this terrifying devouring, and it was even the result of his senior sister holding back.

Her crimson lips parted slightly. “Yu Fu, if you speak the truth with your own mouth, you might spare yourself the pain of a soul search before death.”

Her voice was faint, her slender finger pressing against Yu Fu’s forehead.

The baleful energy surged, completely enveloping the surroundings. The space fell into dead silence, pitch-black and devoid of light.

The current environment was extremely dangerous, yet in a way, it was also extremely safe for Yu Fu: neither Lan Shanqing nor Mian Rihui could monitor him here.

He stared straight at He Qingsheng, his mouth opening and closing several times. Before, he could still mix truth with lies, but now his tongue felt utterly sealed. He couldn’t defend himself at all.

Gazing into He Qingsheng’s eyes, brimming with malice, he had no doubt about her killing intent at this moment.

After waiting briefly, as if having completely lost patience, the baleful energy coiled around her fingertips moved with the wind.

At that moment, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Yu Fu clearly heard the slow thud of his own heartbeat, once, twice, followed by a sudden, urgent…

“He Qingsheng.”

The white-robed youth seemed entirely unaffected by the baleful energy. The dark mist merely parted obediently as he approached swiftly, a faint light accompanying him. The red bracelet on his wrist swayed slightly with the motion of his raised hand.

“Found you.”

A bloodstained hand grasped at the soul, the blood merging into it.

He Qingsheng wasn’t flung far back as before. It was as if only her chest trembled slightly backward before her senses returned.

The chaotic soul around her drew the baleful energy back.

The energy surging toward Yu Fu withered like a deflated bone, reluctantly coiling back around He Qingsheng’s fingertips.

She hadn’t intended to kill Yu Fu in the first place. With her senior brothers and sisters gone and her master missing, Yu Fu was the only one left with a traceable presence.

No matter what, Yu Fu held a “get-out-of-death-free” card in her eyes.

Yet just moments ago, the malice in her heart had been overwhelming, so much so that He Qingsheng couldn’t even recall her own state of mind.

Or rather, she hadn’t been in her right mind at all.

Thankfully, Ying Qujie had arrived just in time.

Ying Qujie stood so close that He Qingsheng worried the blood on her skirt might stain his white robes.

She subtly avoided him, a faint blue light healing the wound on his hand.

“What a coincidence, Physician Ying. Out for a stroll in the countryside?”

The winter mountains were barren, the waters dried up, with only a lone branch remaining.

Ignoring her nonsense, Ying Qujie cut straight to the point. “Whatever you and Yan Xingyi are planning, take me with you.”

If it had only happened once or twice, Ying Qujie might not have arrogantly believed he held any significance to He Qingsheng beyond being mere bait. But given the current circumstances, he was absolutely certain that his blood could repair, or rather, heal, the female ghost.

She needed him.

His gaze was too direct, fixed unwaveringly on He Qingsheng.

He Qingsheng teased, “What, Physician Ying, does your Hippocratic oath extend to female ghosts now?”

Ying Qujie hummed in agreement.

He Qingsheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

She should have refused, or deflected, or pressed further for answers.

But staring into his earnest eyes, she fell silent.

Their conversation jumped erratically, spanning wild tangents that left Yu Fu utterly bewildered.

The wounds gnawed at by the malevolent energy throbbed faintly, and Yu Fu shamelessly piped up, “Senior Sister, since he’s a physician, why not have him treat me first?”