The Sickly Senior Sister Ran Away After We Got Intimate - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: This Method Might Work on Your Senior Sister

The late fourteenth Hall Master of Xinglin Hall, Weng Ting, accepted eight inner disciples during his lifetime. Among them, Lei Feng, Chang Nong, Yan Zhuqing, and He Ye possessed the highest medical attainments. However, He Ye met Yan Jiming, gave birth to a pair of twins, and died during a difficult labor, thus missing the selection for Hall Master.

Roughly twenty-odd years ago, while Weng Ting was still the Hall Master, a stranger broke into the forbidden Spring Hall one day, leading to the theft of the secret book Scripture of No-Thought. Subsequently, a catastrophic fire razed the Spring Hall to ruins. This period caused several inner disciples to point fingers and shirk responsibility; afterwards, many chose to leave the sect and go down the mountain to seek their own livelihoods.

Xinglin Hall suffered a heavy blow from then on. Not long after, Weng Ting passed away, and Chang Nong succeeded him as Hall Master.

Shortly after Weng Ting’s death, Lei Feng, Chang Nong, and Yan Zhuqing had a severe conflict due to personal grievances. Ultimately, Lei Feng and Yan Zhuqing both voluntarily left the sect to establish their own sects on Mount Yunlao. From then on, there was no contact between them.

After Chang Nong took over as Hall Master, she was in no hurry to recruit inner disciples. On one hand, after the tribulation Xinglin Hall had faced, its reputation in the martial world had diminished, resulting in very few people coming to seek apprenticeship. On the other hand, Wen Yingyi, He Chen, and Yan Junhua were still young and required her full care, leaving Chang Nong no time to attend to other matters until they grew older and she could begin working on reviving the sect.

Although Wen Yingyi was afflicted with an unknown miasma poison, she had been intelligent since childhood. She was the first to become Chang Nong’s head inner disciple directly without going through outer disciple training. Shortly after, Xiang Qingqing and several other women came to Xinglin Hall together. Their backgrounds were tragic, but their hearts were sincere; moved by their earnestness, Chang Nong decided to take them as disciples. After a few years of training, Xiang Qingqing stood out and became the second inner disciple, and the first to enter the inner sect from the outer ranks. Bu Lanfang, after five years as an outer disciple, passed the assessment two years ago to become the third inner disciple.

He Chen and Yan Junhua entered the inner sect after Wen Yingyi but before Xiang Qingqing. The reason their seniority was ranked lowest was that the two had been raised by Chang Nong since childhood; since there were no outer disciples at that time, they were taken directly into the inner sect. Later, with the arrival of Xiang Qingqing and Bu Lanfang—whose attainments were both below theirs—the seniority was rearranged based on knowledge and age.

To this day, Chang Nong has five inner disciples, and previous Hall Masters were always selected from the inner disciples. Under Chang Nong’s efforts, Xinglin Hall has regained its former glory; besides the five inner disciples, there are dozens of outer disciples.

The Hall implements a monthly assessment system, consisting of a listening test, medicinal field inspection, and transcription check. Both outer and inner disciples must participate, and they are graded into three ranks: A, B, and C, with each rank further subdivided into “Upper” and “Lower” positions. At the end of each year, a year-end exam is held. If an outer disciple wishes to be promoted to the inner sect, they must not only achieve excellent results in the monthly exams but also rank at the top of the year-end exam to have the chance to be apprenticed as an inner disciple.

Two days after Chang Nong emerged from seclusion, the day of the monthly assessment arrived. Originally, the order was transcription check, listening test, and then medicinal field inspection. However, on this morning, when dozens of disciples gathered in the study with books and bags waiting, the sun had only half-risen when Chang Nong appeared. Considering that if the inspection were held last, it would be near noon and Wen Yingyi’s body wouldn’t be able to handle it, she swapped the order.

As the sun slowly rose, Chang Nong and Wen Yingyi led the way. He Chen was supported by Xiang Qingqing and Bu Lanfang, following closely behind, while the rest of the disciples followed in an orderly fashion. The morning sun was not yet fierce, and a gentle breeze brushed past, the air filled with the scent of fresh dew and the fragrance of vegetation. The summer cicadas began their new day of chirping. The disciples walked in pairs, either reciting to one another, quizzing each other, or sharing what they had learned recently.

He Chen was listless and yawned repeatedly. Lately, whenever it was time to sleep, she couldn’t help but remember the ghost stories Bu Lanfang had told, scaring her so much she hadn’t slept well. Although she lacked energy, she still couldn’t sit still, holding a foxtail grass and playfully teasing the necks of her two senior sisters from time to time.

As the sun completely climbed over the mountaintop, she had to squint her eyes to look ahead. Seeing they had only covered half the distance and the medicinal fields were still some ways off, she began to plead with the person beside her, “Fourth Senior Sister, help me weave a straw hat, this weather is strangely hot.”

Bu Lanfang gave her a dry look but still walked to the side to gather vines. After seeing Bu Lanfang off, He Chen turned to Xiang Qingqing. Before she could speak, she heard Xiang Qingqing say helplessly, “Junior Sister, do you have any other instructions?”

He Chen smiled and asked, “Second Senior Sister, you finished writing my transcription for me, right?”

Hearing this, Xiang Qingqing breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest, replying, “Rest easy, when has your sister ever failed to do what she promised?”

“Thank you, Senior Sister! You really are the best to me.”

The group followed the winding path through a lush bamboo forest and finally arrived at the medicinal fields. Even though Chang Nong had been in seclusion for many days with no one to watch them, most people feared Wen Yingyi and dared not be negligent.

Chang Nong stood at the head of the fields. Looking out at the lush green vista, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly and she nodded, appearing very satisfied. She began the inspection from the west. As it progressed, the smile on her face grew wider; many disciples received an “A” grade, and everyone was immersed in joy.

However, the faces of Yun Li and Chao Ling grew increasingly grim as Chang Nong gradually approached the field He Chen was responsible for. Their brows were tightly knit, fine beads of sweat broke out on their foreheads, and their faces were pale. They frequently licked their lips, their eyes revealing helplessness and panic. The two held each other’s hands tightly.

“What do we do?” Chao Ling asked in a trembling whisper.

“Don’t panic, she shouldn’t be able to tell,” Yun Li said, feigning composure.

Just then, Chang Nong suddenly stopped and pointed to the field ahead, asking, “Who is responsible for this patch?”

“Third Junior Sister is responsible for it,” Wen Yingyi’s voice had just fallen when Bu Lanfang took a step forward and replied, “Replying to Master, I am responsible for it.”

Bu Lanfang’s gaze then turned toward her field, and she immediately felt something was strange. She had been busy reviewing her lessons these past two days and hadn’t come to check the field; she didn’t expect that after two days, the herbs would have become much thinner. On the day He Chen was injured, Bu Lanfang was not in Wen Yingyi’s room, so naturally, she didn’t know Wen Yingyi had instructed Yun Li and Chao Ling to replant the damaged herbs. And since Yun Li and Chao Ling knew this was a task that might offend people, they didn’t dare speak of it publicly. Bu Lanfang had no way of knowing, but Xiang Qingqing was aware of the situation.

“Master, the matter is like this,” Xiang Qingqing hurriedly explained. “Recently, wild rabbits have been rampant in the fields. This patch of Third Junior Sister’s is backed by a slope, making it particularly prone to being nibbled on by rabbits. I already had them pull out the damaged herbs, which is why it looks a bit sparse.”

Chang Nong pondered for a moment and said, “Though it was caused by rabbits, herbs are not easy to cultivate. One should inspect frequently, and once an abnormality is found, one should take shifts day and night to guard them. Lanfang’s field receives a ‘B-Lower’.”

“Yes, Master.” Bu Lanfang felt very wronged in her heart; she came to the fields most frequently, yet because she couldn’t come for two days due to other matters, she received the lowest score so far.

Hearing this, the weight in Yun Li and Chao Ling’s hearts finally fell. However, before they could be fully at ease, Chang Nong asked again, “The patch next to Lanfang’s—if I recall correctly—is yours, He Chen?”

“Yes, Master,” He Chen replied, not noticing that the smile on Chang Nong’s face had flattened and her expression had become serious.

Chang Nong asked again, “Then I ask you, what species of herb are you growing?”

“Master, you know already, that’s Atractylodes,” He Chen was puzzled; one could see the species with a clear eye, so why ask her?

Chang Nong gave a cold laugh and asked again, “Look more closely. Besides Atractylodes, are there any other medicinal herbs?”

“Only Atractylodes. How could I not know what I planted?” He Chen said, holding her waist as she walked into the field. When she saw clearly, her eyes couldn’t help but widen. There, mixed in, was Schizonepeta… why was there Schizonepeta?!

She hurriedly turned around, trying to block Chang Nong’s line of sight, stammering, “Ma-Master, you saw wrong. There is no Schizonepeta, it’s all Atractylodes, really. I know I didn’t maintain the herbs well; getting a ‘B’ this time would be about right.”

Hearing this, Xiang Qingqing was startled and suddenly understood. Her face turned red with anxiety as she turned toward Wen Yingyi with a pleading look.

As it turned out, Yun Li and Chao Ling, in order to save trouble and considering that the damaged area of He Chen’s field was far from the ridge—and since Chang Nong was getting on in years and usually stood on the ridge for inspections without walking into the fields—they had moved some Schizonepeta from Xiang Qingqing’s field.

Wen Yingyi pursed her lips and admitted, “Master, there is indeed some Schizonepeta mixed into Junior Sister’s field.”

“Senior Sister!” He Chen looked at Wen Yingyi in shock, not expecting her to expose the matter in public.

Wen Yingyi shook her head slightly, signaling He Chen to stop talking, and then continued to explain, “Fourth Junior Sister’s field is right next to Second Junior Sister’s. Perhaps during sowing, the Schizonepeta seeds accidentally blew over to her patch with the wind, which is why some grew there.”

He Chen hurriedly nodded and echoed, “Right, right, it must be that! The wind is to blame!”

Xiang Qingqing also felt she had caught a lifeline and added quickly, “I just remembered, there was a gust of strong wind during sowing, I could barely keep my eyes open. The seeds must have blown over then.”

Chang Nong’s face became increasingly stern, and her voice suddenly rose, “In over a month, you, He Chen, didn’t notice Schizonepeta growing in your Atractylodes field?”

“I-I noticed,” He Chen lowered her head, restlessly rubbing her fingers. “I kept Master’s words in mind at all times—that herbs are not easy to cultivate and should be cherished—so… so that’s why I left the Schizonepeta there.”

“You all! Every one of you has disappointed me! I may be getting old, and my eyes aren’t as sharp as you young people, but I am not blind yet!” Every trace of gentleness on Chang Nong’s face was gone. Her voice was filled with disappointment and anger as she turned to look at Wen Yingyi. “I didn’t expect you to be like this as well, Yingyi!”

As it happened, Chang Nong had noticed at a glance that the growth in the back half of He Chen’s field was significantly poorer. Looking closely, the herbs appeared somewhat dehydrated, and she saw loosened soil in the gaps—this was a clear mark left behind after replanting.

Chang Nong asked sternly, “Speak, why has this situation occurred?”

“I… I tripped in the field and accidentally crushed the herbs. I was afraid of being punished by Master, so I transplanted Schizonepeta from Senior Sister’s patch. I was wrong, Master, I promise I won’t ever do it again.” He Chen’s voice trembled, her face full of fear.

Chang Nong sighed helplessly and asked, “Is the food in the Hall truly so poor that you need to catch wild game to improve it?”

She suddenly remembered that two days ago when she emerged from seclusion, He Chen had complained about the food, and connecting it to Xiang Qingqing’s mention of rabbits in the fields, she understood the cause and effect of the situation. From this, she deduced that He Chen was likely injured while catching wild rabbits to improve the food, and the herbs were crushed then.

He Chen’s fear of punishment was the truth, but besides that one sentence of truth, how much of the rest was real? Considering He Chen’s injury, she definitely couldn’t have replanted them herself. From the questioning just now, seeing her expression, it was clear she hadn’t known the details; obviously, someone had secretly helped her handle all of it.

Without waiting for He Chen’s reply, Chang Nong asked again, “Who helped you plant them?”

“I didn’t catch rabbits, I… I replanted them myself.” He Chen hurriedly denied it. She was afraid of implicating Wen Yingyi and insisted that no one had helped.

“I didn’t mention wild rabbits, yet you blurted it out yourself.” Chang Nong couldn’t keep a straight face and asked with a cold laugh, “Tell me then, with a waist injury, how did you walk here alone, and how did you overcome the pain to bend over and replant them?”

“Master—I know I was wrong, I really know I was wrong, please let me off this time.” He Chen was left speechless by the questioning and could only obediently admit her fault. Her attitude in admitting the mistake was upright and her tone was sincere.

But Chang Nong had seen her tricks many times, and her exposure of them was not ambiguous. “Acting cute is useless. This method might work on your Senior Sister, but your Master isn’t falling for it.”

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