The Sickly Senior Sister Ran Away After We Got Intimate - Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Elder Senior Sister, Junior Sister is Injured

It was midsummer in the Youzhou District at the main peak of Mount Susu. Dense forests offered shade, yet the summer cicadas chirped incessantly. The blazing sun scorched the earth, turning the world into a furnace—a scene of deathly stillness.

However, within the rooms of the inner disciples of the Xinglin Hall, things were far from peaceful.

The Elder Senior Sister, Wen Yingyi, was curled up under a winter quilt. Her body trembled slightly, her face was deathly pale, and beads of sweat soaked the fine hairs on her skin. Her jaw was clenched tight, blue veins throbbed slightly at her temples, and her eyes were rimmed with red. Her body seemed to be enduring endless agony.

Without waiting for their Master, Chang Nong, to emerge from his meditative seclusion, her “Gu” poison had flared up several days ahead of schedule.

It was a bone-chilling, heart-piercing pain. Despite experiencing it for twenty years, it remained an agonizing ordeal, and she wondered how many more seasons this body could endure.

She remembered that it hadn’t been this painful during her childhood. After her coming-of-age ceremony, the outbreaks had stabilized, occurring every month on the night of the full moon. She would suffer for an hour or so, and with her Master’s acupuncture and the suppression of Heart-Consolidating Pills, she would grit her teeth and pull through.

For some reason, however, the outbreaks had become increasingly frequent and erratic over the past six months, catching her completely off guard.

Muffled whimpers and labored breaths were clearly audible in the room. Trembling, Wen Yingyi extended her right hand and stared at the dark, melting medicinal pill in her palm, falling into deep thought.

She had never seen the name of this medicine in any ancient medical text. When Chang Nong handed it to her before his seclusion, his words were vague and his expression unusual. He only cautioned her to endure the pain if possible and not to take it lightly unless it was a matter of life and death.

The Ten Thousand Wonders Bone-Eroding Pill. The name alone suggested it was no ordinary medicine.

A shiver ran through her heart. Had her Master already foreseen that the Gu poison would trigger early?

Just as she was sinking into doubt and hesitation, a commotion drifted from outside—the sound of hurried, panicked footsteps drawing closer.

She forced herself to collect her thoughts, closed her eyes, and listened.

One, two, three…

Three people were heading toward her room. One had heavy footsteps and a much slower pace.

A moment later, they entered the courtyard.

“Elder Senior Sister—Elder Senior Sister, are you inside?” An anxious voice called out from outside.

Wen Yingyi recognized the voice as her second Junior Sister, Xiang Qingqing—someone who usually took a detour just to avoid her. Why would she come knocking of her own accord?

Her brow furrowed slightly, but her jaw remained clenched. With her body still in the throes of the Gu poison, she couldn’t help but ball her hands into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Receiving no response, Xiang Qingqing felt apprehensive. Like the others, she feared Wen Yingyi. Had it not been for Junior Sister He Chen’s insistence on finding her, she certainly wouldn’t have come looking for trouble.

“Second Senior Sister—” Sensing her urge to retreat, He Chen tightened her grip around Xiang Qingqing’s neck.

Xiang Qingqing stammered, “Ju-Junior Sister, I can handle your injury myself. Elder Senior Sister is likely not in her room.”

“Lou-Louder. Maybe she didn’t hear you,” He Chen persisted relentlessly.

Helpless, Xiang Qingqing bit her lip, took a deep breath, and said with a sob in her voice, “Elder Senior Sister, Junior Sister is injured.”

Among the inner disciples, Xiang Qingqing ranked second, followed by two female disciples, Bu Lanfang and He Chen. The outer disciples were mostly medicine boys; they did not address the inner disciples as “sisters” but used formal titles, while the inner disciples called them by their names.

It was currently the beginning of the hour of Si (around 9:00 AM). Usually, at this hour, He Chen would still be in the land of dreams. The injured person could only be the third Junior Sister, Bu Lanfang, who had just passed her assessment the year before last.

Wen Yingyi straightened her body slightly and let out a long breath. Suppressing her voice until it was as cold as ice, she said, “If it is not serious, Junior Sister can handle it herself.”

“Bu-But Junior Sister insists on being treated by you. I… I really couldn’t persuade her otherwise.”

After Xiang Qingqing finished speaking, her desire to leave grew even stronger. She turned to consult He Chen.

“Junior Sister, how about… how about we go back to my room? If you’re worried, we can invite Junior Sister Bu to come along. I definitely won’t let you leave a scar.”

He Chen’s eyes were tightly shut, but she snapped them open upon hearing this. Weakly, she replied, “No—I want Elder Senior Sister—”

A quarter-hour had passed since the injury, yet she still felt the world spinning. Her limbs were cold, her breathing was shallow, and her consciousness was gradually fading…

It’s her? Wen Yingyi thought. But she isn’t usually awake at this hour. How did she get hurt?

Listening to the exchange between the two, Wen Yingyi’s frown deepened.

Driven to desperation, Xiang Qingqing closed her eyes and exaggerated wildly: “Junior Sister’s waist is sprained, she can’t move, and her arm was sliced open by a hoe. It’s… it’s actually quite serious.”

How could she be so badly hurt?

Upon hearing this, Wen Yingyi rose immediately. She flung aside the winter quilt and swallowed the pill without hesitation. Though her frame was frail and her steps unsteady, she tottered to the cabinet and asked, “Are Yun Li and Chao Ling present?”

The outer disciples Yun Li and Chao Ling looked at each other in shock before answering in unison, “We… we are here.”

“The two of you go to Junior Sister He’s room and get a set of clean clothes, then prepare some warm water.”

Wen Yingyi lightly tidied her hair, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and took her medicine chest from the cabinet.

Hearing a response but seeing no door opening, and having carried He Chen under the scorching sun all the way, Xiang Qingqing felt her strength failing. She said urgently, “Elder Senior Sister, Junior Sister is about to collapse.”

Of course, she was about to collapse too, but she didn’t dare say it.

“Come in.”

Wen Yingyi glanced at He Chen, seeing that her complexion was similar to her own, before shifting her gaze to the girl’s arm.

The cloth strip was only faintly stained with red; it shouldn’t be a deep cut. Most likely, the girl was faint from the sight of blood.

Thanks to the Ten Thousand Wonders Bone-Eroding Pill, her body recovered to seventy or eighty percent of its strength in a very short time. Although her complexion remained poor, everyone’s attention was on He Chen. Out of a sense of wariness toward Wen Yingyi, they failed to notice anything amiss.

Although Xiang Qingqing rarely dealt with Wen Yingyi directly, she knew she was a neat freak. Upon entering the room, she reflexively took off her muddy shoes. Now she stood by the bed, hesitating. He Chen’s clothes were covered in mud and blood; she didn’t dare place her down without permission.

Actually, He Chen’s injury was ultimately her fault. Thinking of this, her heart felt even more uneasy. Yesterday, she had mentioned that a few rabbits were stealing herbs from the medicine field. He Chen had actually woken up at dawn today—a rare occurrence—to follow her to the field to “wait for the rabbits.”

Unexpectedly, despite her confident vow to catch a rabbit to “nourish Elder Senior Sister’s body,” she didn’t catch a rabbit and instead sprained her waist and cut her arm with a hoe.

“Is there anything else?” Wen Yingyi’s face was like frost. Holding gauze and medicinal alcohol, she looked toward the bed, signaling Xiang Qingqing to set He Chen down.

“But—” Xiang Qingqing started to speak but stopped.

“Elder Senior Sister, the clothes and warm water are ready.”

At that moment, Yun Li and Chao Ling returned. One carried a wooden basin while the other held the clothes. They stood at the door, both looking down at their cloth shoes covered in black soil.

Clearly, they also knew about Wen Yingyi’s obsession with cleanliness. Since they were accomplices in the event that led to He Chen’s injury, their fear was no less than Xiang Qingqing’s.

“Come in.” Wen Yingyi glanced at their shoes, then addressed Xiang Qingqing: “Put Junior Sister on the bed. I will clean the wound.”

No way? Xiang Qingqing was stunned. How can Elder Senior Sister tolerate someone covered in mud lying on her bed?

Shocked as she was, since the order had been given and she was both terrified and exhausted, she stopped worrying about the dirt. She sat on the edge of the bed, gently laid He Chen down, and then retreated to the side while rubbing her aching shoulders and back.

After taking the yellowish pill given by Wen Yingyi, He Chen’s breathing gradually steadied. Her body was still weak and her limbs felt limp, and her waist throbbed with pain, but she could only stare at the Wen Yingyi before her, unable to even blink.

She was five years younger than Wen Yingyi and had grown up by her side. Although Wen Yingyi was cold and taciturn, He Chen knew in her heart that she wasn’t as unapproachable as others claimed.

The icy indifference that kept people at a distance was mostly a facade. They had shared a bed for twelve years; she knew her temperament inside out.

A face like frost, a slight furrow of the brow, and lips pressed tight.

When these subtle expressions appeared simultaneously, wasn’t that exactly how Wen Yingyi looked when she was angry?

He Chen’s heart jumped. She suddenly felt that things were about to go south.

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