Chapter 608: Chapter 211 Tail-less 2
Burning bridges after crossing the river.
The old steward, carrying a piece of light gauze clothing, entered the room and draped the gown over Qi Qing’s body. It had been quite cool lately, especially in the mornings and evenings, and those of advanced age should certainly wear more to keep warm.
As Qi Qing adjusted the gauze gown on his body, the old steward stood to the side, bowing as he said, "My Lord, there’s news from Su Nan."
A few days ago, Qi Qing had sent someone to the Su Nan Medical Practice to inquire about a female doctor named Lu Tong.
Qi Qing asked, "Well?"
"The people at the Su Nan Medical Practice said that there indeed was a female doctor surnamed Lu who used to practice medicine in the city, appearing only sporadically and with unpredictable whereabouts."
Qi Qing paused.
He asked, "Any news from Changwu County?"
"Reporting back to my lord, the person sent to Changwu County also returns saying that the Lu Family has been wiped out, and there are no surviving relatives."
This was the second time they had inquiries about the Lu Family of Changwu County.
Qi Qing stared at the teacup in his hands, silent.
"My lord, do you still suspect that Lu Tong is a descendant of the Lu Family?"
The steward hesitated, "But there are no discrepancies in either place, and the age and time match up, too."
"The absence of discrepancies is the biggest discrepancy of all," Qi Qing narrowed his eyes, "It’s too deliberate."
"My lord means to say..."
"Keep an eye on her. If she really does have an issue—if she harbors such a lofty aspiration as an ephemeral mayfly shaking a tree—it’s rather extraordinary."
The steward fell silent again.
Qi Qing took a sip of tea, paused, then asked, "Has the young master been causing any disturbances lately?"
"Not at all. Since the last incident, the young master seems to have recognized his fault, and these past days hasn’t clamored to leave the manor. He spends his days reading and practicing his writing within the manor and is very sensible."
As the conversation reached this point, the steward looked at Qi Qing: "My lord, the young master is still immature. He was merely speaking out of turn in a moment of anger; there’s no need for you to take it to heart like a child would."
Ever since Qi Qing slapped Qi Yutai in the room, Qi Qing had not visited Qi Yutai’s courtyard for seven or eight days.
While this was partly because he was busy dealing with the Crown Prince’s house arrest, more of the reason was probably the undisguisable annoyance and complexity in Qi Qing’s eyes whenever he faced Qi Yutai.
"His illness is severe," Qi Qing closed his eyes and massaged his forehead, "I promised Shu Hui that I would keep him, and now, looking back, I don’t know if it was right or wrong."
The surroundings were silent.
Qi Qing opened his eyes and let out a sigh.
"Forget it, have a cup of the newly brewed Bailu tea sent to his room."
"Yes, my lord."
...
A maid had just brewed a fresh pot of Bailu tea and delivered it to Qi Yutai’s room, then bowed her head and backed out of the room.
In the tea room, Qi Yutai had removed half of his outer clothing, and Lu Tong stood behind him, administering acupuncture.
Qi Yutai, with his head down and his nose covered by his sleeve, seemed to be dozing off at first glance. But as his sleeve slipped past the tip of his nose, a small packet of powder was quickly licked into his mouth. He suddenly grabbed the large pot of Bailu tea and gulped it down, the warm liquid causing the powder to swell even more. A sensation of warmth instantly spread through his limbs, and Qi Yutai let out a comfortable shudder!
Behind him, the piercing of the silver needles seemed to make the pleasure even more acute.
With his eyes closed, he savored every moment of his body’s transformation, unwilling to miss even the slightest hint of sensation.
The room was silent.
After what seemed like a long while, a voice behind him said, "Young Master Qi, the acupuncture session is over."
Reluctantly, Qi Yutai opened his eyes.
Lu Tong stood up straight, holding her medical box as she walked forward. When she passed by him, she stooped to pick up the white paper that had just wrapped the powder from the floor and casually threw it into her medical box as if by accident.
Watching, a glint of interest flashed in Qi Yutai’s eyes.
Since Qi Qing had slapped him, Qi Yutai had been confined to the house with an intense craving for his addiction. He had previously heard Lu Tong mention an alternative powder to Cold Food Powder, so he simply blackmailed Lu Tong into making the powder for him.
After all, she was nothing more than Qi Family’s dog, and working for his father was no different from working for him.
Qi Yutai hadn’t held much hope initially since the powder Lu Tong spoke of sounded too unbelievable. However, his opinion changed when Lu Tong brought a dose of the powder to him.
Initially not trusting her, he decided to split the powder in half and had Lu Tong take it in front of him.
After Lu Tong had taken the powder, aside from her face turning slightly red, she showed no reaction.
Qi Yutai scorned inwardly, convinced that it was just the other party’s exaggeration; the powder had no effect—someone who used Cold Food Powder certainly wouldn’t be this calm.
Thus, he consumed the powder without worry.
To his surprise, the effect of the powder was beyond his expectation!
Once ingested, it tasted six or seven parts similar to the real Cold Food Powder; even this slight resemblance was enough for Qi Yutai to satisfy his craving.
Better yet, although the powder was perhaps not as harsh as the Cold Food Powder, after taking it, he felt excited and euphoric without losing his senses as one might with Cold Food Powder, which meant he wouldn’t raise any suspicion within the manor.