"My lady is joking, surely?" the innkeeper asked, looking at Zhong Li as if she were a monster, then shifting his gaze to Lu Wuxie. "Aren't you accompanying your husband to see the physician?"
Zhong Li nodded. "We are here to see the physician."
It was the truth. After all, only by solving the case could Lu Wuxie possibly be treated.
"Then why aren't you going? If you're lucky and favored by the goddess, a single longevity pill will bring you wealth and a long life!" the innkeeper urged.
Zhong Li ignored his words and instead asked, "I noticed the people who rushed out earlier were each holding a small token. What are those for?"
"You don't know?" the innkeeper replied.
Zhong Li shook her head. "We've only just arrived in Yuxian and are unaware."
"That explains it," the innkeeper said, scratching his head. "Every three days, at dawn, the people from the Goddess's sect distribute wooden tokens. Only those with a token can enter the goddess's sacred grounds. If you arrived at night, you'll have to wait two more days."
"Speaking of which, have you seen anyone who has been cured and left?" Lu Wuxie asked the innkeeper, who was busy counting the silver in his hands.
The innkeeper's movements paused upon hearing this. The smile that had been on his face moments before turned stern. "Are you doubting the goddess?"
Lu Wuxie narrowed his eyes, observing the man's expression change as quickly as a flipped book. After a moment of thought, he said, "No, I'm just asking. It's our first time here, and with my condition so grave, if I were to leave and leave my wife behind, I would feel terrible."
As he spoke, he took Zhong Li's hand.
The innkeeper's expression softened slightly. "The goddess's elixirs are limited. Not everyone is favored by the goddess. Some people die in Yuxian without ever receiving one. As for those who do, most choose to remain in Yuxian, dedicating themselves to worshipping the goddess for generations."
After the innkeeper finished speaking, Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie exchanged glances. They asked no further questions, finished their meal, and booked two separate rooms to rest and recuperate.
Zhong Li and Lu Wuxie would share one room. Given Lu Wuxie's current condition, no one knew how much longer his body could hold up.
Zhong Li sat by the candlelight, dividing the powdered Tian Hua Fen given to her by Qi Lei into seven equal portions.
Lu Wuxie sat opposite her, watching her. After nearly two months apart, he thought she looked thinner than before.
"Li'er," Lu Wuxie murmured, resting his chin on his hand and looking at her with deep affection.
Zhong Li smiled. The bright candlelight made her already beautiful face even more radiant. "What is it?"
Lu Wuxie shook his head. "Nothing. It's just... I missed you."
He then leaned back, resting on his arm, and watched the busy woman without a word, without disturbing her.
Zhong Li could feel his gaze on her. Her cheeks flushed, and she tried to remain calm, nearly misplacing the medicine several times. After a long while, she finally finished her task. When she looked up again, the man opposite her had fallen into a deep sleep.
She stood up, placing the divided medicine into the medicine box. She picked up the blanket from the bed to cover Lu Wuxie. Her fingertip brushed lightly across his cheek, and a sudden sense of panic washed over her.
Why was Lu Wuxie so hot? Did he have a fever?
She placed her hand on his forehead to test, and indeed, her fears were confirmed. His condition had worsened.
"Mo Cang, Mo Cang!" Zhong Li called out softly. But the man slumped on the table seemed not to hear her, a smile on his lips, completely unresponsive.
Zhong Li quickly took a packet of the divided medicine from the box, preparing to administer it to Lu Wuxie.
"No..." Lu Wuxie, disturbed by her movement, barely opened his eyes and reached out to refuse the medicine. "This medicine only has seven portions. According to my current condition, if taken regularly, it will only last for three days. This case has no leads yet, and if any unforeseen circumstances arise, we need to be prepared.
Moreover, I have been poisoned with other toxins that even you are unaware of. Taking this would be like a drop in the ocean."
"But!" Zhong Li started to say more, but Lu Wuxie raised his hand to stop her. "Li'er, judging by my current state, those people in Liaocheng wouldn't be treating me in a way that would immediately kill me. With the help of the medicine, I can temporarily control my body. We still have time."
Zhong Li lowered her head, saying nothing more. She simply clasped his hand, which was near her lips, and guided him towards the bed.
Within a few steps, Lu Wuxie had fallen into a deep slumber.
Zhong Li tucked him in and checked his pulse. Looking at the slightly gaunt face of the man on the bed, a wave of heartache washed over her. "Mo Cang," she whispered, "I will definitely cure you."
The next morning.
Zhong Li was awakened by a series of soft knocks on the door.
As soon as she opened her eyes, Lin Jin's low voice reached her from outside.
"Is Miss Zhong awake?"
Zhong Li glanced at the still sleeping Lu Wuxie, confirming that his vital signs were stable. Only then did she get up and open the door.
"What happened?"
Lin Jin made a shushing gesture and gestured for her to look down to the first floor.
Zhong Li looked down with confusion. It turned out that the people who had gone to the Goddess's sect the previous evening had returned at some point. However, they had not rested. Everyone was unusually gathered in the main hall, doing something.
"It's a bit strange," she murmured, scanning each of their tables. She noticed they were all clean, indicating they weren't waiting for a meal, which deepened her confusion.
Lin Jin nodded and pointed to one of the tables.
As Zhong Li focused on the table he indicated, she saw that the people seated there were dressed in opulent robes and carried an air of sophistication. One of them slammed the table and stood up, exclaiming, "Just tell me, are you giving the immortal elixir or not?"
At a table not far from them, a few individuals dressed in simple clothes slammed their own tables and retorted, "That was bestowed upon us by the goddess! Why should we give it to you?"
"What if I offered a large sum of money?" the first person pressed.
"We still won't give it. This is a matter of life and death."
"Life and death? Let me tell you, the poor have no right to live." As he spoke, he beckoned behind him. Instantly, over a dozen men in tight-fitting attire rushed out, drawing their swords and charging towards the other group.
Seeing this, the opposing group showed no intention of surrendering. They roared, "For the goddess, charge!"
With that, the two groups clashed, swords clashing and bodies grappling.
In an instant, the sounds of clanging steel, overturning tables, shattering chairs, and hacking filled the main hall, layer upon layer, unceasingly.
Watching the people below engage in combat, Zhong Li's heart sank. If her memory served her correctly, while these people had appeared desperate for the elixir yesterday, their eyes at least showed sympathy and concern for their companions.
But now, after just one night's absence, the humanity in their eyes had vanished completely, replaced by madness and cruelty.
"How could this happen?" Zhong Li murmured.
Lin Jin nodded. "I was in the adjacent room last night, monitoring everything here. I noticed they returned at midnight. When they returned, they seemed normal, yet something felt off."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Li asked.
"Miss Zhong, have you ever seen someone sleep with their eyes open?"