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“Ruyi, can you tell me how you helped Shengzi exorcise the spirits?”
Seeing that Xing Ruyi had merely taken Shengzi's pulse and his previously weak breathing had become smooth, Old Liu felt as anxious as a cat on hot bricks, wishing he could master this method of exorcism himself.
Xing Ruyi glanced sideways at A-Ling and smiled, “In broad daylight, under the clear sky, how could there be any spirits causing trouble? I was just putting on a show.”
“Is Ruyi unwilling to reveal the method of exorcism?” Old Liu widened his eyes. “Don’t worry, if there ever comes a time when exorcism is needed for treatment, I, Liu Jisheng, will never compete with you for it.”
“Old Liu is joking.” Xing Ruyi could see through Old Liu's thoughts and smiled slightly. “Everyone knows you, Old Liu, are the Hua Tuo of our Luoyang City. Although I, the Fox Demon, have some knowledge of medicine, I wouldn’t dare compare myself to you. Just now, I was merely trying my luck with a dead horse as if it were a live one, fearing that if I couldn’t treat him well, it would be a great embarrassment. That’s why I used the excuse of spirits.”
“Really?” Old Liu looked at Xing Ruyi suspiciously.
“Of course it’s true.” Xing Ruyi spread her hands to show Old Liu. “Look closely at me from head to toe; where do I look like someone who can exorcise spirits?”
“If you’re not exorcising spirits, then how did you treat Shengzi?” Old Liu pulled Xing Ruyi to Shengzi's bedside and pointed at his noticeably improved breathing.
“You are a physician, so you naturally know that there are many meridians in a Daoist's body, which led to the development of acupuncture methods. Earlier, you already noticed that Shengzi was afflicted by miasma and used corresponding methods. While it was appropriate for the symptoms, it couldn’t keep up with the speed at which the miasma spread within him. The Fox Demon learned a method of treating illness with qi in her early years and just now took a bold chance to use this method to expel the miasma from Shengzi’s meridians. Unexpectedly, it worked.”
“A method of circulating qi? Why have I never heard of such a method?” Old Liu stroked his beard and fell into thought.
“In fact, this method is quite common. For example, Brother Chang learned internal skills while practicing martial arts; that belongs to the method of circulating qi. However, common martial artists focus on sinking their qi into their dantian and strengthening their bones, while what I learned is about healing people—that’s all there is to it. By the way, isn’t Brother Chang supposed to accompany Old Liu to Jisheng Hall to fetch medicine? Since I'm here, I can help take care of Consort Sheng and Shengzi.” Xing Ruyi explained while changing the subject quickly before her story fell apart and pushed Chang Tai along with Old Liu out into the courtyard.
Once both men had disappeared from sight, Xing Ruyi took a deep breath and said, “It turns out lying isn’t an easy task; spinning a lie requires even more wit.”
“Ruyi.” A-Ling helped Madam Sheng into the main room, then turned back to Xing Ruyi and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Ruyi, for helping A-Ling cover up, and also for assisting in treating Brother Sheng.”
“It’s not really covering up for you. As for Shengzi, he is a friend of mine, and as friends, how could I stand by and do nothing? However, there are some questions I must ask you.”
“Ruyi, please ask. A-Ling will tell you everything without hiding anything.” A-Ling lowered her head slightly. “I can see that Ruyi is a good person.”
Regarding the title of a good person, Xing Ruyi seemed reluctant to accept it, wrinkling her nose slightly as a response. “First question: How did your remains end up in the forest near Rouge Shop? From what I can see of your soul, it seems intact, so it shouldn’t be a case of murder. However, there is a heavy aura of death around you, as if you died unjustly. Can you tell me why?”
At first, a hint of confusion flashed in A-Ling's eyes, then she shook her head. “Ruyi, honestly, A-Ling cannot remember.”
“Cannot remember? You actually can’t remember such an important thing?” Xing Ruyi placed a hand on her forehead. “Isn’t it the most important thing for a vengeful spirit to remember how they died and who harmed them? If you don’t remember any of that, how will you seek revenge after becoming a ghost?”
“A-Ling has never thought about revenge.” A-Ling spoke softly. Her red dress fluttered in the cold wind, making her appear quite beautiful. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be dark patterns on the red dress; however, the color was similar to that of the dress itself, making it hard to notice unless blown by the wind.
In her memory, such a vibrant red dress should be worn by a young lady on her wedding day. Yet the patterns on A-Ling's dress were not the usual magpies or phoenixes but resembled bats instead. The choice of pattern was strange enough, but the color was even more peculiar. Typically, wedding dresses are adorned with gold and silver threads to appear luxurious; even in poorer families, they would seek similar colors. But the patterns on A-Ling's dress were embroidered with deep red silk thread that carried a faint scent of blood.
Initially, she thought it was just the malevolent aura emanating from A-Ling, but seeing her innocent demeanor and lack of desire for revenge made her wonder where all this resentment and ghostly aura came from.
Bringing the hem of the dress to her nose for a gentle sniff, Xing Ruyi was suddenly chilled by the malevolence radiating from the patterns. Closing her eyes, an image resembling a hellish scene appeared in her mind.
This red wedding dress was dyed with human blood, and the embroidery threads had passed through living skin.
Suddenly startled, Xing Ruyi quickly collected her thoughts and loosened her grip on the red wedding dress she had been holding tightly.
“Ruyi, what happened to you?”
“A-Ling, where did you get that red wedding dress?” Xing Ruyi looked into A-Ling's eyes, her voice unexpectedly cold.
“The clothes we are wearing?” A-Ling pointed to her red shirt and skirt. “Father gave them to me.”
“Your father?”
“Yeah.” A-Ling nodded slightly. “My father is a doctor who saves lives, just like that Mr. Liu from earlier. However, he doesn't have a nice title like Hua Tuo, and his medical skills are just average, so our family isn't as wealthy as Mr. Liu's. I remember it was a very sunny day, and the chrysanthemums in the yard were blooming beautifully. Mother was planning to pick some chrysanthemums in a few days to brew chrysanthemum wine for us to drink.”
A-Ling's eyes glistened with tears, reflecting a hint of red.
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