The Sickly Senior Sister Ran Away After We Got Intimate - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Why is Your Neck All Red?

“Yes,” Wen Yingyi answered truthfully. She desperately wanted to clarify why the pill was so bizarre—seeming to have the effects of an aphrodisiac—yet she did not dare ask.

Having been raised by Chang Nong for twenty years, she viewed her Master as both a teacher and a mother. Chang Nong treated Wen Yingyi as her own flesh and blood and would never intentionally harm her, but the pill was indeed strange. It felt inappropriate to ask too abruptly.

Just as Wen Yingyi was hesitating, Chang Nong spoke first, asking, “After taking it, did your body experience any discomfort?”

At this, Wen Yingyi nodded and took the opportunity to reply, “After swallowing the pill, it took only a moment to suppress the chill in my body. However, for some reason, the medicinal effect was very peculiar, vastly different from the Mind-Concentrating Pill…”

As she spoke, Wen Yingyi observed Chang Nong’s expression. She thought that if the situation felt wrong, she would change the subject immediately so as not to displease her Master. She spoke cautiously, her voice smooth and her tone maintained in its usual calm, but upon realizing Chang Nong had no intention of interjecting, she closed her mouth and pursed her lips, lowering her head slightly, too ashamed to continue.

The development was as she expected; Chang Nong did not speak. Her expression seemed weighed down by concerns, and Wen Yingyi even caught a fleeting flash of panic in Chang Nong’s eyes. In that instant, she understood something.

Wen Yingyi stood quietly by Chang Nong’s side and helped her to a chair. The two remained silent for a long time. In the vast house, all was quiet save for the incessant chirping of the summer cicadas outside.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Chang Nong finally spoke slowly: “This pill is an ancestral recipe. Today, the technique is lost and no one can refine it anymore. As your Master, I did what I had to do out of necessity.”

Out of necessity.

Thinking deeply on these words, they seemed to carry a hidden meaning, further confirming her suspicion that there was indeed something wrong with the pill.

But why give her this specific pill? She had taken the Mind-Concentrating Pill for over a decade and her body had built up a tolerance; its suppression effects were worsening. However, combined with acupuncture, she could usually scrape by. She couldn’t help but wonder: Was it simply because the acupuncture element was missing this time? Was her Master so worried she wouldn’t survive that she resorted to this as a last resort?

While she was lost in thought, Chang Nong spoke again.

“You must have many doubts in your heart, wondering why I did what I did ‘out of necessity,’ right?” Chang Nong sighed, her thoughts drifting to the distant past.

It was an era so long ago that time could only be roughly estimated. The story had been passed down through generations of Hall Masters, and it was impossible to tell how much was truth or legend.

The founding ancestor of Xinglin Hall was named Zhong Sheng, a descendant of a former Imperial Physician. She was young but possessed extraordinary medical skills. Because she fell in love with a woman named Li Luo, she was forcibly separated by her family elders and pressured to marry into a prominent family. Fortunately, Li Luo was far-sighted; on the eve of the wedding, the two finally eloped to Dusu Mountain and founded Xinglin Hall together. They took in many girls orphaned by war, and the two companions spent a period of time so dreamlike that even the immortals would be envious.

However, the good times did not last. A man claiming to be from the Cloud-Mist Sect visited, breaking the peace. Shortly after, a rift grew between the two. Zhong Sheng misunderstood, believing Li Luo had shifted her affections and betrayed their vow. Out of love turned to hatred, she imprisoned Li Luo in the dark Spring Hall, locking her in iron chains away from the light of day.

She tortured Li Luo with miasma poison and fed her pills that made her wish for death, causing her to lose all dignity while suffering daily from the poison and the medication. Later, Li Luo, unable to bear the humiliation, bit her tongue and took her own life. Zhong Sheng fell into a deep depression. Years later, she finally learned the truth: it was all a ruse by the disciple of the Cloud-Mist Sect.

Filled with regret and inconsolable pain, Zhong Sheng’s hair turned white overnight, and she died in madness—but she left behind a peerless secret manual: the Scripture of No-Thought.

The Scripture of No-Thought was the fruit of many years of research after Zhong Sheng’s love turned to hate. It was divided into two volumes. The first volume detailed the art of cultivating miasma insects, which could cure incurable diseases but also control human hearts. The second volume contained the methods for saving people from those insects and the art of smelting medicinal pills.

The scripture was too sinister and bizarre, easily inducing evil thoughts in people. Subsequent Hall Masters sealed the scripture within the Spring Hall, and the Spring Hall itself was locked away, becoming a forbidden zone. For centuries, no one set foot there—until the accident twenty-odd years ago…

In that accident, the Scripture of No-Thought was stolen. Several disciples parted ways, each establishing their own sects.

No one had ever actually taken the “Ten Thousand Wonders Bone-Eroding Pill” before. Chang Nong only knew it had aphrodisiac qualities and had given it only after deep deliberation. Considering Wen Yingyi’s residence was far from others, that she lived alone, and possessed extraordinary self-restraint and willpower, Chang Nong calculated that if she were forced to take it, she wouldn’t cause any trouble.

Seeing the bite marks on Wen Yingyi’s hand just now, the worries Chang Nong held during her seclusion vanished.

“What is Master thinking about?” Wen Yingyi asked.

The sudden voice pulled Chang Nong back from her reverie. She remained silent for a moment before replying, “I was thinking of a regret.”

“A regret?” Wen Yingyi asked.

The regrets in Chang Nong’s heart were actually twofold: first, the ancestor Zhong Sheng, who believed slanders and killed her beloved; and second, the accident twenty years ago that left the nameless miasma poison in Wen Yingyi’s body beyond cure.

Chang Nong let out a long sigh and spoke slowly: “The Ten Thousand Wonders Bone-Eroding Pill is the King of Ten Thousand Pills, passed down since the founding ancestor. It is a superior pill. Though it cannot root out the poison, it can suppress it. However, this pill contains aphrodisiac components and should not be taken frequently.”

She paused, then added, “I imagine you noticed as well. Fortunately, you endured it safely. As long as you do not take it again in the future, the harm is minimal. Do not worry too much.”

Wen Yingyi opened her mouth to ask more, but suddenly He Chen’s voice drifted in from outside.

“Master—” He Chen called out loudly. Supported by Bu Lanfang, she finally arrived at Chang Nong’s residence. Seeing the door closed, she knocked and waited. “Congratulations to Master for emerging from seclusion! Your disciple has come to offer congratulations and brought some snacks.”

As soon as she finished speaking, He Chen turned and took the dried fruits from Bu Lanfang’s hand, waving her off. Bu Lanfang understood and stepped back, no longer supporting her.

Chang Nong knew He Chen had a persistent personality; if she weren’t allowed in, she would pester them endlessly. So she instructed, “Open the door and let her in.”

With a “creak,” the door opened.

Wen Yingyi stood to the side, her gaze falling on Bu Lanfang behind He Chen. She reached out to support He Chen, but He Chen pushed her away. He Chen scanned the room and whispered to Wen Yingyi, “Eldest Senior Sister, it’s fine. I can walk on my own.”

“I have already informed Master that you slipped on the road. Don’t push yourself. Third Junior Sister, help her.” Wen Yingyi intentionally emphasized the words “slipped on the road,” intending to remind He Chen that Chang Nong already knew about her fall.

Seeing that He Chen didn’t want her help, she didn’t persist, withdrawing her hand and walking back.

Hearing this, He Chen’s head slumped. She didn’t catch Wen Yingyi’s true meaning and felt miserable instead. Senior Sister really is very angry; she even complained to Master about me.

“Careful, Junior Sister.” Bu Lanfang stepped forward to help, and the two walked slowly into the room. Seeing Chang Nong, they bowed and stood to the side.

He Chen endured her discomfort and placed the dried fruits on the tea table. Perhaps out of a guilty conscience, fearing Chang Nong would ask about her schoolwork, she tried to curry favor first. She peeled a pine nut and hurriedly offered it to Chang Nong, saying pleasingly, “Master, these are freshly roasted. Try some—”

Before she could finish, she felt her foot slip. Her body stumbled, the peeled nut flew from her hand, and she lost her balance, lunging toward Chang Nong.

“Watch out—” Wen Yingyi witnessed He Chen stepping on the banana peel. She didn’t have time to shout a warning, but as her voice left her lips, she stepped forward quickly. Just as He Chen was about to fall, Wen Yingyi caught her in her arms.

Because of this sudden embrace, Wen Yingyi’s hair, which had been draped over her chest, fell back behind her, leaving the red marks on her neck completely exposed.

“That was close—” He Chen gasped, her heart still racing. She was about to complain, but looking up, she saw she was nestled in Wen Yingyi’s arms. Seeing the concern in Wen Yingyi’s eyes, she felt a sudden surge of joy. Senior Sister does care about me, otherwise why would she have saved me?

He Chen indulged in Wen Yingyi’s embrace, staring up in a daze. A sliver of joy quietly climbed into her heart—an inexplicable emotion that filled her being. Her heart pounded uncontrollably as if it wanted to leap out of her chest. Amidst the panic was a sense of anticipation; this feeling was entirely unprecedented, and though she didn’t understand it, she didn’t dislike it.

Suddenly, He Chen caught a glimpse of the stark reddish-pink marks on Wen Yingyi’s neck. Without thinking, she asked, “Eh? Senior Sister, why is there a red patch on your neck? Were you bitten by a mosquito?”

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