3: Third, talk with Lin Qingxue

"The Master ordered me to bring some food for the Young Master."

The maid lowered her head, her voice soft. "If the Young Master needs anything else, please do not hesitate to ask."

Ye Chen stepped aside to let her in.

The porridge was lean meat porridge, boiled until thick and sprinkled with chopped green onions; its aroma wafted directly into his nose.

One side dish was pickled cucumbers, and another was cold-tossed dried tofu. The steamed buns were white and plump, still steaming hot.

Only then did he remember that he hadn't eaten a single bite since this morning.

"Thank you," he said.

The maid set down the tray but didn't leave. She shot him a quick glance before lowering her head again.

"The Young Miss has awakened. The Master says that once the Young Master has finished his meal, please head over."

Ye Chen's hand holding the porridge bowl paused. "How is... Miss Lin?"

"She is better."

The maid's voice grew even lower.

"The doctor just left. He said the cold Qi has been temporarily suppressed, but..."

She didn't finish, but the meaning was obvious.

Ye Chen didn't ask further and lowered his head to drink the porridge.

The porridge was hot, but he drank it quickly, finishing half the bowl in a few gulps. He also ate two steamed buns with the side dishes.

Only after eating his fill did he feel some strength returning to his body.

The maid cleared the dishes and withdrew.

Ye Chen sat by the table, watching the sky gradually darken outside the window, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

What must come will eventually come.

...

The quiet room was still the same quiet room, but there was one more person.

Lin Qingxue had already sat up, leaning against a soft cushion, with a moon-white outer robe draped over her shoulders.

Her face was still pale, but much better than it had been in the afternoon; at least her lips had some color.

She didn't look at Ye Chen; her gaze was fixed on the potted orchid on the windowsill, lost in thought.

Lin Zhentian stood by the bed with his hands behind his back.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around and looked at Ye Chen.

"Sit," he said, pointing to a nearby chair.

Ye Chen didn't sit, remaining standing. "Is Miss Lin alright now?"

"She is fine for now." Lin Zhentian sized him up, his gaze like a scale, weighing something.

"That prescription you used, where did it come from?"

Ye Chen had long since prepared his explanation.

"My father was a merchant in his early years and met a Traveling Doctor, from whom he learned some folk remedies. This prescription is one of them, specifically for treating cold-related illnesses."

"A Traveling Doctor?"

Lin Zhentian clearly didn't believe him.

"Qingxue's condition is no ordinary cold illness. The best doctors in Qingyun City have examined her and said her Physique is unusual, but they couldn't explain why. With just one dose of your folk remedy, thirty percent of the cold Qi in her heart Meridians dissipated."

Ye Chen kept his head down and didn't respond.

The quiet room fell silent for a moment.

A breeze blew outside the window, causing the bamboo leaves in the courtyard to rustle.

"What do you want?" Lin Zhentian suddenly asked.

Ye Chen looked up.

"You saved Qingxue's life."

Lin Zhentian looked at him, his voice flat.

"The Lin family does not owe favors. Speak, do you want money, medicine, or a job? I can put in a word with the Ye family."

The words were spoken clearly.

A life-saving debt, wiped clean; from then on, they would be even.

Before Ye Chen could speak, Lin Qingxue, sitting by the bed, suddenly spoke up.

"Father."

Lin Zhentian turned his head.

"I want to speak with him alone for a few moments."

Lin Qingxue said, her gaze finally shifting from the orchid to Ye Chen's face.

Her eyes were very dark and calm, revealing no emotion.

Lin Zhentian frowned but said nothing, only glancing at Ye Chen before turning to leave.

The door was gently closed, leaving only the two of them in the quiet room.

The light of the setting sun slanted in from the west window, cutting the room into halves of light and shadow.

Lin Qingxue sat in the light, while Ye Chen stood in the shadow.

"There is something... on you," Lin Qingxue suddenly said.

Ye Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't let it show on his face. "What are you referring to, Miss Lin?"

"This afternoon, on horseback."

She spoke slowly, as if weighing every word.

"When I woke up, I felt a surge of heat flowing out of my body and into yours."

She paused and looked at Ye Chen. "That was not the Qi that the Green Wood Art should have."

Ye Chen's fingers curled inside his sleeve. He hadn't expected Lin Qingxue to notice.

Then again, her cultivation was far higher than his; it was only natural that she would be sensitive to the flow of True Qi.

"That wasn't heat."

Ye Chen looked up and met her gaze.

"It was the cold Qi inside your body being absorbed by me."

"Absorbed?" Lin Qingxue raised an eyebrow slightly.

"I have a special Physique."

Ye Chen said, half-truthfully.

"I was born with the ability to absorb cold Qi. But that's all. That prescription was left by my father, who said it could temporarily alleviate cold-related illnesses when used in conjunction with my Physique."

He wasn't entirely lying.

The jade pendant absorbing and converting the cold Qi was essentially the same as him absorbing it himself.

As for the prescription, there was no way to prove otherwise anyway.

Lin Qingxue didn't speak, quietly watching him.

Her gaze wasn't oppressive, but Ye Chen felt as if he were being seen through.

"You didn't save me for nothing."

She suddenly said.

"Yes," Ye Chen admitted bluntly.

"I need Spirit Stones to treat my younger sister's illness."

"How many?"

"Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones and one wenmai pill."

Lin Qingxue nodded. She didn't ask why, nor did she say whether she would give them.

She pulled something out of her sleeve and tossed it over.

Ye Chen caught it.

It was a small white jade bottle, warm to the touch.

"This is a Sun-Warming Pill."

Lin Qingxue said.

"Its medicinal properties are mild, perfectly suited for your Physique. Taking one pill every day will help you refine the cold Qi you've absorbed."

Ye Chen gripped the jade bottle and didn't move.

"I will have my father prepare the reward," Lin Qingxue continued, her voice lower.

"But I have one condition."

"Name it."

"On the first and fifteenth of every month, you must come to the Lin Manor."

She looked at Ye Chen.

"The cold Qi in my body hasn't been completely uprooted. That prescription can only temporarily alleviate it, not cure it. I need you to use your Physique to help me channel it out."

Ye Chen was silent for a moment. "What do I get in return?"

"Besides the Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills."

Lin Qingxue said slowly, "I can guide you in your cultivation."

Ye Chen looked up.

"You are sixteen this year, at the Meridian Opening Second Level."

Lin Qingxue's voice was flat, as if stating a fact.

"In the Ye family, you would at most reach the fourth or fifth level of Meridian Opening in your lifetime before hitting a wall. But your Physique is special; if you use it well, you might have a chance to go further."

She paused.

"Of course, if you are unwilling, I will not force you. The reward will still be given, and we will be even from then on."

The light of the setting sun shifted another inch westward, shining on Ye Chen's face.

He held the bottle of Sun-Warming Pills; the bottle was warm and smooth, like a piece of warm jade.

"Fine."

Ye Chen said.

Lin Qingxue nodded and said nothing more, looking back at the orchid on the windowsill.

Ye Chen turned to leave, and just as his hand touched the door bolt, her voice came from behind him again: "Ye Chen."

He turned back.

"Do not tell anyone about what happened today."

Lin Qingxue looked at him, her gaze deep. "Including my father."

Ye Chen nodded and pushed the door open.

LinZhentian was standing under the corridor, his back to the room.

Hearing the movement, he turned around. "Finished talking?"

"Yes," Ye Chen said.

Lin Zhentian didn't ask what they had discussed; he simply pulled a silk pouch from his sleeve and tossed it over.

The pouch was heavy, filled with items.

"Fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones and one wenmai pill."

Lin Zhentian said, "Qingxue asked me to prepare them."

Ye Chen took the pouch, his fingers tightening around it.

"You saved Qingxue's life; the Lin family will remember this."

Lin Zhentian looked at him, his tone softening slightly.

"In the future, if you encounter difficulties in Qingyun City, you can come to the Lin Manor."

The words were polite, but the meaning was clear.

This time was a transaction; next time, it might not be.

Ye Chen didn't say much. He bowed and followed the Scar-faced Guard waiting outside.

...

By the time he left the Lin Manor, it was completely dark.

Lamps were lit on the street, sparse and scattered, illuminating the bluestone road in patches of light and shadow.

Ye Chen clutched the silk pouch and walked quickly toward the West Courtyard.

The jade pendant on his chest was warm, no longer burning hot.

After walking for a while, he suddenly stopped and turned into a dark alley.

He looked around to ensure no one was there before pulling the pouch from his robe and opening it.

The Spirit Stones were neatly stacked—fifty of them, shimmering with a soft luster in the dim light.

In the middle lay a small jade box. Upon opening it, he found a Medicinal Pill the size of a longan, pale yellow and emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.

A wenmai pill.

Xiaoyu's illness could finally be cured.

He took a deep breath, carefully tucked the pouch back into his robe, and placed it against his chest.

Just as he was about to leave, several figures suddenly appeared at the entrance of the alley, blocking his path.

Ye Chen recognized the leader.

Ye Hu stood there with his arms crossed, followed by his two lackeys on either side, completely blocking the alley entrance.

"Yo, isn't this our great Ye Genius?"

Ye Hu grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Coming out of the Lin Manor? Not bad, have you managed to climb up to a high branch?"

Ye Chen didn't speak, taking half a step back.

"What's that in your hand? Let me have a look."

Ye Hu took a step forward and reached out to grab it.

Ye Chen sidestepped to dodge, and with a flick of his wrist, he tucked the pouch deep into his robe.

"Quite the treasure, huh?" Ye Hu's smile turned cold.

"You stole something from the Lin Manor; where do you think you're going to hide it?"

"I didn't steal it."

Ye Chen said, his voice flat.

"Didn't steal it?" Ye Hu sneered.

"Then what's that tucked in your robe? Did the Lin family suddenly become charitable and reward you?"

The two lackeys behind him laughed along, their laughter sounding particularly harsh in the empty alley.

Ye Chen watched them, unmoving. The True Qi in his Dantian began to stir again, surging up through his Meridians.

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.

"Get out of the way," he said.

"And what if I don't?"

Ye Hu took another step forward, almost pressing right up against Ye Chen.

He was half a head taller than Ye Chen, and his shadow cast down, completely enveloping Ye Chen.

Ye Chen looked up at Ye Hu's fleshy face.

The True Qi that had been rampaging in his chest earlier that afternoon suddenly calmed down.

It hadn't dissipated; it had sunk down, settling into his Dantian and condensing into a single stream.

He remembered the cold Qi that had surged from Lin Qingxue's body into his when he caught her that afternoon.

He remembered the scalding temperature of the jade pendant. He remembered that cold Qi circling once in his Dantian, turning into a warm current and breaking through the Bottleneck.

Ye Hu's hand landed on his shoulder, giving it a hard squeeze. "I'm talking to you, are you deaf?"

Ye Chen didn't move.

He raised his right hand and pressed it against Ye Hu's chest.

Ye Hu froze for a moment, and before he could react, a powerful force erupted from his chest.

The force wasn't massive, but it was cunning, like a needle piercing through his flesh and striking deep into his internal organs.

He groaned, staggering back two steps until his back hit the wall, shaking loose a shower of dust.

The two lackeys were stunned.

Ye Chen withdrew his hand, his palm still slightly numb.

The True Qi had surged through his Meridians to his palm and then flowed back, circulating through his body before finally settling back into his Dantian.

He looked down at his hand, then up at Ye Hu, who was leaning against the wall with a look of disbelief.

"Get out of the way."

He said it again, his voice still flat and devoid of emotion.

Ye Hu opened his mouth to say something, but a metallic, sweet taste welled up in his throat.

He forced it back down and stared intently at Ye Chen, his gaze as if he were looking at a monster.

Ye Chen didn't look at him again and walked past. The two lackeys instinctively stepped aside, not daring to stop him.

The alley was long; at the end, turning out led to the street of the West Courtyard.

Ye Chen reached the alley entrance and glanced back.

Ye Hu was still leaning against the wall, his two lackeys huddled around him, whispering.

Ye Hu looked up and met Ye Chen's gaze from halfway down the alley.

Ye Chen turned back and continued walking forward.

In his robe, the silk pouch was pressed against his chest, and the faint medicinal fragrance of the wenmai pill wafted out in delicate threads.

The jade pendant was warm, like a piece of warm jade.

The sky had turned completely dark, and stars began to twinkle one by one.

Ye Chen pushed open the drafty wooden door of the West Courtyard. Inside, an oil lamp was lit, casting a dim, yellowish glow.

Xiaoyu was asleep at the table. Hearing the movement, she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Brother?"

"Mm."

Ye Chen gave a soft response, pulled the silk pouch from his robe, and placed it on the table.

Xiaoyu looked at the pouch, then at Ye Chen, her eyes widening bit by bit.

"A wenmai pill."

Ye Chen said, his voice slightly hoarse, "Your illness can finally be cured."