"You've already tried, haven't you? If there were truly something wrong with her, she wouldn't be alive now."
Chen An asked in surprise, "How did you know I tested her with the wandering soul technique?"
The incident at the opera house last time was something only they two knew. Could this Guoshi actually predict the future?
"A trace of ghostly energy, I could sense it with a single sniff. Young man, you've only learned half your skills, so don't ask such foolish questions."
Chen An's expression darkened slightly, feeling displeased, yet he couldn't refute it. After all, the person before him could be considered the patriarch of Xuan Shu.
"Then... that person truly doesn't exist..."
A flicker of an unreadable emotion crossed Cheng Yichen's eyes. He smiled enigmatically and said, "They don't exist, and they never will. I'm quite curious, the events of that year should have been a secret. How did you find out?"
Chen An puffed out his chest. "When this young master wants to know something, I naturally have my ways."
"Knowing too much can lead to a fatal end."
"I'm not afraid."
He appeared utterly nonchalant, like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, but Rong Zhi had no idea what they were talking about.
Cheng Yichen, seeing this, urged them to leave again. "If you don't leave, I'll have to call for people. No one knows about tonight's events yet. If you want to get involved and lose your head, feel free to stay."
Chen An took it as a bluff. Not only did he not leave, but he sat down on a piece of collapsed earth wall nearby.
Rong Zhi also wanted to know the truth and was about to ask when a guard suddenly ran towards them. Upon closer inspection, it was a guard from Prince Xiao's mansion, heading straight for Chen An.
"Young Master Chen, the Grand Tutor requests your presence at home."
Chen An stood up, resuming his usual carefree demeanor. "What is it?"
"You'll know when you get back." The guard's expression was impassive, but his tone was grave.
Chen An sensed that something was amiss and looked back at Rong Zhi. Rong Zhi nodded to him, signaling him to go back. After all, she was determined to uncover the secrets she held, even if Chen An didn't ask. Chen An had no choice but to follow the guard.
After he left, Cheng Yichen was about to return to his room to check on the injured, but Rong Zhi stopped him.
"Wait a moment, Guoshi. I also have something I wish to ask you."
Cheng Yichen lowered his gaze. The impatience he'd shown earlier vanished, replaced by an air of weariness. He was like a different person from moments ago.
"I know what you want to ask. Come inside with me first."
Rong Zhi, filled with questions, had to suppress them for now and followed Cheng Yichen in. She watched as he examined each person's wounds, formed hand seals, chanted incantations, and gestured in the air above their heads. He did this for everyone. After more than half an hour, he finally concluded the strange ritual.
After it was over, the patients who had been groaning in pain from their wounds fell into a deep sleep. The two of them went out into the courtyard. There was no one around, and the night was quiet, as if they were isolated from the world.
Cheng Yichen looked at Rong Zhi with a complex expression, but his gaze seemed to be looking past her at someone else. Rong Zhi felt uneasy under his stare, inexplicably recalling some unpleasant memories. A confined room, heavily guarded, a suffocating, painful feeling overwhelmed her.
Rong Zhi had countless questions she wanted to ask, but when the words reached her lips, she only managed, "What did you mean by what you said to Chen An?" She couldn't bring up the matter of rebirth. Although he might provide the answers she sought, Rong Zhi wasn't sure if he was an ally or an enemy.
"Are you talking about the matter of the Yin Woman's Den? Are you asking why you were reborn?"
He revealed a smile. Rong Zhi felt her mind go blank, a cold sweat breaking out all over her body. She looked at Cheng Yichen, her voice almost unrecognizable. "What do you know?"
"I know everything. Your identity, the secret of your rebirth, everything..."
"Tell me quickly!" Rong Zhi suddenly grabbed him, holding on tightly, afraid that if she slipped up, he would vanish, taking the truth behind all of this with him.
"Ow! That hurts, that hurts!" Cheng Yichen shook Rong Zhi off, rubbing his painfully pinched wrist. "Is this how you treat your savior? I brought you back to life, shouldn't you be thanking me?"
"Was it really you? Why?"
"I was merely responding to the people's will." Cheng Yichen turned to look towards the imperial city, seemingly lost in thought. "The Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, Rong Zhi, a renowned physician. Not only the Emperor of Tianque Kingdom, but any monarch or commoner of any surrounding country would not bear to see you die. Since I had the ability, I naturally had to try."
It was really him. So, all of this was not a coincidence, but a deliberate act. Everyone didn't want her to die, yet Rong Zhi felt no joy upon hearing this. She only felt a heavy burden.
"What about those corpses? Why do they look exactly like me?"
At this moment, Rong Zhi felt this question was even more important.
Cheng Yichen smiled, a cold smile. "To achieve great things, sacrifices are inevitable. Bringing someone back from the dead is not that easy."
"Did they die because of me?" Rong Zhi clenched her fists tightly, feeling a heavy stone drop into her heart, almost crushing her.
"You shouldn't think of it that way." Cheng Yichen pondered for a moment and said slowly, "If they hadn't died, they would have been you."
Rong Zhi suddenly remembered the blizzard, the mass grave, the identical corpses on the snow, each with the same face. It just so happened that one of them opened her eyes and became her!
"I killed them. I caused their deaths..." she murmured, her hands hidden in her sleeves trembling uncontrollably.
"They did it willingly." Cheng Yichen sighed. "The technique of resurrection requires a suitable body, a vessel. Back then, to complete the resurrection, we searched all over the country for suitable vessels. But guess what? When the common people heard that they could revive the renowned physician of Medicine King Valley, they voluntarily offered their own children. Then, as news spread, people flocked to Qianji Pavilion, offering individuals. The resurrection technique was thus successfully performed. Rong Zhi, your revival was not just my idea, but the collective wish of the people everywhere."
"Is that true?" Rong Zhi heard her own trembling voice. "You say they were willing, but those who were willing were parents. Did those children truly want to die?"
She now understood why there were mass graves outside all four gates of the imperial city, why so many corpses were buried there, leading to a far greater number of corpses when the zombie tide approached Qianji Pavilion than before. Why they all looked alike, it was because of the resurrection technique. Why Chen An said she was more likely to attract those corpses than Chu Qingze, because they were originally the same, one alive, one dead.
"Cheng Yichen, don't you think you've committed a sin? Killing so many children, aren't you afraid of retribution?"
"Retribution? Don't you want to live?" Cheng Yichen was somewhat surprised by Rong Zhi's reaction. He had expected she wouldn't thank him, but he hadn't anticipated she would show no joy at the news of her rebirth.
"This life is too heavy. I'd rather not have it."
Cheng Yichen quickly spread his arms to block her. "You can't commit suicide! If you die, all my efforts will be in vain."
Rong Zhi stared at him hatefully. If she had known this would happen, she would have preferred never to be reborn. With a twist of her wrist, a silver needle silently entered her throat. Her eyes, once filled with hatred, gradually became unfocused. Rong Zhi slumped down weakly.
"Hey! Don't die!" Cheng Yichen was startled. When had she moved? He hadn't noticed at all. He laid her down and touched her throat. It felt hard, but he had no idea how to treat it. Cheng Yichen's face turned pale. He didn't know any medicine. What should he do? He shouldn't have been so blunt earlier. Checking her breathing, she was barely alive and would likely die soon.
"Hey! Rong Zhi! Divine Doctor! My dear Grandma!" He shook her vigorously twice, but it had no effect. Cheng Yichen's pupils contracted. It was over. He had caused a huge problem now.
"Let me." A figure suddenly descended and scooped up Rong Zhi. With a flick of their toes, they sprinted towards the imperial city, their figure quickly shrinking to a black dot. Cheng Yichen was somewhat bewildered. "Meihua Guard? How could they be here?" But he didn't have time to think and quickly followed.
Xiao Jianli carried Rong Zhi all the way to Gushen Hall. Without time to knock, he kicked the door open. Soon, Chu Qingze came out, dressed in his clothes.
"Who's kicking down doors in the middle of the night..." He was about to get angry when he suddenly saw Rong Zhi in Xiao Jianli's arms, her eyes closed and her face already ashen. Chu Qingze was shocked. "What happened? Hurry and bring her inside!"
In a flurry of activity, the two carried Rong Zhi inside and laid her down. Chu Qingze, without time to ask for the cause and effect, quickly began examining her. Finally, he located the problem at her throat. "It's her specialty, the silver needle. If the needle isn't removed within fifteen minutes, she's beyond saving."
Seeing the situation, Xiao Jianli's expression turned as dark as well water. Such a decisive move. What had she experienced to be so willing to die without hesitation? Recalling the shadow beside her earlier, it seemed... somewhat like the Guoshi.
After determining the situation, Chu Qingze actually breathed a sigh of relief. "It's not a major problem. As long as we cut open the throat and remove the silver needle, it will be fine."
"Cut open her throat? Won't she die then?" Xiao Jianli had never heard of such an absurd procedure. Cutting open someone's throat was only done when killing, but now they were trying to save a life!
"It's fine. After removing the silver needle, we'll stitch up the wound, and she'll still be able to live."
Without further delay, Chu Qingze prepared himself, quickly fetching a small knife and several medicine bottles, ready to begin. Seeing this, Xiao Jianli immediately stepped in front of Rong Zhi. "No! If you don't have a hundred percent certainty, you can't do it!"
"If we don't act, she has no other path but death."
Chu Qingze's expression was firm, and Xiao Jianli did not back down. As the atmosphere grew tense, Cheng Yichen suddenly walked in. "What are you waiting for? Hurry and save her. No matter the method, she must be saved. Otherwise, there won't be a second chance."
Chu Qingze was startled. "Who are you?"
Xiao Jianli stared intently at Cheng Yichen, his eyes filled with disbelief. So much time had passed, yet his appearance hadn't changed at all. It truly was Guoshi Cheng Yichen!
"Who I am is not important. Do you still want to save her?"
"Of course, we do." Mentioning this, Xiao Jianli's hand tightened on the knife at his waist. The next moment, he suddenly went limp and fainted. Cheng Yichen caught the collapsing Xiao Jianli and urged Chu Qingze, "Hurry up and act, or it will be too late."