In the blink of an eye, Rong Zhi's slender figure appeared at the doorway.
She shook the invitation in her hand, "Good news, Liu Hong and Gu Xinlan are getting married. Let's go to their wedding banquet! Oh, you're here too."
Rong Zhi suddenly saw Zhang Yajing, then looked at Chu Qingze's embarrassed face, and the broken medicine pot on the ground, and for a moment, she didn't understand what was going on.
"Divine Physician Lin." Zhang Yajing nodded politely, her previous enthusiasm completely gone, and she didn't explain why she was there.
Given this uncharacteristic behavior, Rong Zhi guessed it was probably due to the matter between Zhang and Chu, so she didn't pry further, only asked with concern, "How are you feeling? Have you had any discomfort lately?"
"Very well. Divine Physician Chu's medical skills are excellent, and he cures ailments with a single treatment."
"He is indeed a divine physician, but he's still a bit behind me. If you have any problems, you can also come to me."
"Oh, stop it. That's like a melon seller praising her own melons. You're just blowing your own horn."
Chu Qingze took the invitation and retorted, which somewhat eased the strange atmosphere in the mass grave.
"By the way, Yajing, you should come to the wedding too. It'll be lively, and it'll be good for your recovery. You can't just mope around alone."
It was a very ordinary remark, but Zhang Yajing heard the concern in it. She nodded and smiled, "Okay, I'll go and share in the joy then."
"Mm, the invitations have been delivered, so I won't disturb... Huh? What's that smell?"
Rong Zhi caught a whiff of blood and decay in the air and followed the source of the smell to the inner room. She saw the corpse that hadn't been dealt with yet, its chest split open, like a dissected lamb.
Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched.
"Chu Qingze, what is this?"
"A corpse." Chu Qingze didn't want to explain too much, but even though Rong Zhi had her back to him, he inexplicably felt a hint of killing intent. He added, "I found it in the mass grave. It died of illness, and its parents wouldn't claim it. I even gave them money for a coffin, but they refused, so I brought it back."
Rong Zhi clenched her fist. Upon hearing Chu Qingze's explanation, the coldness in her eyes subsided slightly. Her gaze fell on the several white skeletons in the room, and she nodded thoughtfully.
"So that's how it is."
"I was just about to bury this young lady. Help me out!"
"How?"
Chu Qingze washed his hands in the basin nearby and said to Zhang Yajing, "Please, would you tidy this up?"
"Leave it to me," Zhang Yajing replied with a nod.
Chu Qingze then entered the room and took out needles, thread, an oil lamp, and medicinal wine from a shelf, handing them to Rong Zhi. "Help me thread the needle and sterilize these tools."
Rong Zhi took the needle and thread and expertly threaded the needle. She then immersed the needle and thread in the medicinal wine. Noticing that Chu Qingze had already begun to clean up the bloodstains around the corpse, her eyes lit up, "You want to stitch up her wounds?"
"Naturally." Chu Qingze wiped away the bloodstains, then brought the edges of the wound together. He took out the needle and thread from the medicinal wine and began to stitch, working under the lamplight. His movements were quick and meticulous, showing that he treated even a corpse with great respect.
This careful action completely melted the ice in Rong Zhi's eyes.
She remembered she once had a disciple who, impatient with studying medical texts and refining his skills, took a crooked path, dissecting people everywhere. He was eventually expelled from the sect. Chu Qingze was much better than that disciple.
A healer who cannot show the most basic respect for life is not worthy of practicing medicine, nor is he worthy of being human.
"Don't just stand there. Start from the other side."
The corpse had more than one wound. Seeing Rong Zhi standing idly, Chu Qingze urged her.
Rong Zhi slapped him on the head, "You brat, who are you talking to? So rude."
Chu Qingze froze for a moment, his needle and thread stopped, and he looked Rong Zhi up and down.
"What are you looking at?"
Rong Zhi had already picked up another set of needle and thread and began to stitch from the other end.
Chu Qingze said, "In terms of age and height, you're not better than me. How can you call me rude?"
Rong Zhi: "..." Her old habit had slipped out.
"Ahem, what I meant was, one should be humble. If you ask for my help, you should at least be polite and say 'please'."
"Oh, then please don't stand around doing nothing."
"..." That was worse than before, and it even sounded sarcastic.
At that moment, a figure flashed outside. Zhang Yajing had cleaned up the broken pieces on the ground and was now brewing a new batch of medicinal herbs in a clay pot. The smoke rising from the pot blurred her features. She propped her chin on her hand and fanned herself, lost in thought.
Rong Zhi took all this in and a hint of worry crossed her face.
"How has Zhang Yajing been lately?"
"For now, there's no major issue, but her foundation is weak. If she continues to mistreat herself, even the best medicine won't cure her."
"I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about... her father has gone through so much, she's likely to be implicated too. She's just a young girl. If she has a moment of weakness..."
"..." Chu Qingze's movements slowed, as if he were also seriously considering the matter. He tied a knot at the end of the thread, cut it, and said with little confidence, "I'll watch her every step of the way."
"Divine Physician Chu, the medicinal herbs you wanted are ready. Can I look at the medical books on the shelf?"
Zhang Yajing poked her head out from outside, a smile on her face as she spoke, no different from her usual lively self.
"Yes."
Chu Qingze nodded, and Zhang Yajing clasped her hands and said, "Thank you," before eagerly searching for medical books.
"This girl is acting a bit strangely." Rong Zhi snipped the thread and saw Chu Qingze's calm expression, as if he had already noticed. "Keep a closer eye on her."
"Mm." Chu Qingze looked at the area Rong Zhi had stitched and was somewhat surprised, "So the renowned Divine Physician Lin's stitching skills are this poor."
Rong Zhi looked down. The stitches she had made were a bit thick, and compared to Chu Qingze's work, hers were indeed a bit rough, though still remarkably fine for someone else.
She cupped her fist towards Chu Qingze, "I concede defeat."
She didn't have the luxury of practicing on corpses. In her two lifetimes of practicing medicine, she had always treated illnesses with drugs and acupuncture. Stitching was always done by her disciples.
After stitching the wound, Chu Qingze handed Rong Zhi a shovel. The two of them went to an open space in the mass grave and began to dig a hole, shoveling turn by turn. Once they had dug a pit waist-deep, Chu Qingze and Rong Zhi together carried the corpse out and buried it.
They worked in perfect silence.
Just as Rong Zhi thought it was over, Chu Qingze took out three sticks of incense, stuck them in the grave, and bowed three times.
Rong Zhi's heart was slightly touched. She looked at Chu Qingze with a hint of approval. She even felt an urge to pat his head, but managed to restrain herself.
"Don't forget to attend the wedding."
After delivering the invitations, Rong Zhi left the mass grave.
When Chu Qingze returned, Zhang Yajing was engrossed in a medical book. She didn't even notice Chu Qingze passing by. He didn't disturb her.
He returned to the ghost mansion as dusk was settling in, and the aroma of cooked food wafted from the kitchen.
Xia Yunting's subordinates had been returning one after another these past two days. Gu Xinlan had stayed to help with the cooking, and Liu Hong had also stayed.
The ghost mansion had become lively again.
When Rong Zhi entered, Liu Hong was carrying water from the well. He smiled when he saw her.
"Miss Lin, you're back."
"Mm, it smells so good. What's for dinner tonight?"
"Xinlan said that everyone has injuries, so she's making pork rib soup to nourish everyone."
The aroma of meat wafting from the kitchen made Rong Zhi's mouth water.
"I didn't expect Xinlan to be such a good cook. You'll have a great fortune after you get married."
Liu Hong smiled shyly and went back to carrying water, seemingly embarrassed.
Rong Zhi entered the room and found Xia Yunting sitting on the bed, looking at the bandages on himself, trying to find where they were tied.
"I'll change them for you."
Rong Zhi had tied the knots on his back, making it very inconvenient for him to change them himself.
"Xiao Mo, you're back." Xia Yunting released his hands, allowing Rong Zhi to untie the bandages. At the same time, he subtly tucked the bag of sweets under the bed.
Rong Zhi's eyes flickered, and she pretended not to see as she removed the bandages. She found that Xia Yunting's wound on his back was already starting to heal. What a constitution! Such a serious injury was healing so quickly.
She took out the wound medicine and applied it to his injury, her hand gently rubbing his back. She asked casually, "Xia Yunting, does your tooth still hurt?"
"Mmm, it's much better now, Xiao Mo. Thanks to your medical skills."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Yunting stiffened, his brows furrowing slightly.
He glanced towards where the bag of sweets was hidden, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Xiao Mo, be gentler, the wound hurts."
"Oh..." Rong Zhi looked at her hand, which had already left his back, and shook her head slightly.
He's really disobedient.
"Miss Lin, dinner is ready."
Liu Hong's voice sounded from outside, the smell of meat growing stronger. Rong Zhi said to Xia Yunting, "Don't move. I'll bring you your food. You're too injured to move right now."
"Xiao Mo, I'm fine..."
"Wait for me..."
Before Xia Yunting could finish speaking, Rong Zhi had already gone to the kitchen.
"Miss Lin, the ribs are stewed. Xinlan said that since everyone can't move around much, she asked me to serve it to them. This bowl is for Brother Xia."
Liu Hong was holding a large bowl of fragrant pork rib soup, about to take it out.
Rong Zhi took it from him, "I'll deliver it."
"Hey, be careful, don't burn yourself."
Liu Hong was thinking how loving this young couple was, when he suddenly noticed Rong Zhi turn around and go to the place where seasonings were kept by the stove. She casually scooped a handful of something from a jar into the bowl.
"Huh? Miss Lin, what is that?"
"Oh, this is some medicinal herb I picked on the mountain. It clears heat and reduces fire."
Without further explanation, she carried the pork rib soup back to the room.
Liu Hong's gaze fell on the jar. "Has Brother Xia had a fever these past few days?"
Just then, Gu Xinlan was distributing pork rib soup into each bowl. Liu Hong suddenly stopped her, "Xinlan, I noticed that a few of the brothers also have some inflammation on their lips these past few days. Why don't you add some for them too?"