Like Gu ShuBai a Little More (Part One)
The carriage stopped in front of the prime minister’s manor. Seeing the bright-yellow sign on the carriage, the servant from the prime minister’s manor immediately stepped forward to receive them.
“Not knowing that Princess ZhenJiang would be visiting, we could not prepare a welcome in advance. This servant has already sent someone to report to master. Princess, please come inside to sit and wait for a while.”
Yu Fu thought for a bit but did not follow him inside, “Coming without being invited was rude of me. We can wait here for a while.”
Yue Hu secretly observed the expressions of the servants from the prime minister’s manor. It did not look like they were receiving the daughter of a rival family, and they were treating her with even more respect than was due to a princess.
It seemed that Yu Fu’s name carried great weight in Eastern Ling’s court scene. Even the prime minister’s manor did not dare to treat her with any disrespect.
Not long later, they saw a handsome man personally come out to receive them. He warmly cupped his hands and greeted Yu Fu, and Yu Fu nodded in response, explaining to Yue Hu: “Senior disciple sister, this is the former prime minister of Eastern Ling and current leader of the cabinet, Lord Yin.”
Yin Shuo heard Yu Fu refer to the person at her side as senior disciple sister and was surprised, “So it was an immortal practitioner of medicine. Please excuse me for not coming out to welcome you sooner.”
Yue Hu looked at him with a smile, her eyes filled with dangerous intent, “No worries, no worries, cabinet leader Yin is young and handsome with outstanding abilities. This one has heard of you since long ago.”
Heard that you were a total bastard who is rotten to the core. It was a complete waste of such good looks.
Yin Shuo felt a little uneasy from being stared at so closely, but he could not say anything to object on account of her being Yu Fu’s senior disciple sister, “Immortal practitioner of medicine is being too kind. Please come inside.”
After saying this, he stepped to the side and then retreated next to Yu Fu. His voice then instantly became softer, “For you to personally come today, is something the matter?”
He knew that Yu Fu would not visit the prime minister’s manor for no reason.
Yue Hu’s ears perked up. Even if Yin Shuo had done an excellent job of concealing it, she still immediately noticed that his voice was gentler.
They had just left Ning ChengZhi, who treated her with absolute respect, and they had now arrived at Yin Shuo, who was profoundly affectionate. Could it be said that all noble and influential people in Eastern Ling liked Yu Fu?
Yu Fu took a step back to create some space between her and Yin Shuo, “I came today with senior disciple sister to see JiYao. Senior disciple sister is an immortal practitioner of medicine, and she is far better at treating facial injuries than I am. I was just thinking that if I could take this chance to have senior disciple sister treat her injuries, things might change.”
Yin Shuo’s expression immediately became stoic once more.
He initially thought that Yu Fu had come looking for him, but it turned out that he had overthought it.
He would rather have Yu Fu come and accuse him of being responsible for the decree sending Gu ShuBai to battle than for her to not even think of him.
Princess DanYang heard that Yu Fu had come to the manor and immediately became nervous. Unable to control herself, she ran out to take a look and happened to see Yin Shuo’s dejected expression.
In her eyes, Yin Shuo had always been arrogant and domineering. He was either cold and distant, or absolutely ruthless.
She had thought that Yin Shuo would never express any interest in the feelings of love between men and women, but it turned out that he just never revealed this expression in front of her. In front of the person that he was interested in, he could get heartbroken and dejected.
This person was none other than Yu Fu.
Yin Shuo waved to the servants and ordered them to bring Yin JiYao out. When he raised his hand, he saw Princess DanYang standing there and immediately frowned with displeasure.
He could not say anything too excessive in front of Yu Fu, thus he simply said: “You still haven’t fully recovered. There’s no need for you to take care of things here. Quickly go back and rest.”
Princess DanYang faced Yu Fu and Yue Hu. Both of them were dressed in clothes that were without embroideries but were still radiant and attractive. Their beauty made her feel like a wilting flower.
She subconsciously took a step back, wanting to hide herself, but the moment that she turned around, her wrist was grabbed.
“What illness do you have? Let me see!”
She turned back in shock. Yue Hu was holding her wrist and frowning, “Oh dear, this illness…”
Princess DanYang pulled her hand back as if she had been shocked. Worried that her condition would be exposed, she anxiously looked at Yin Shuo. Yin Shuo was also a little nervous, not wanting these things to be exposed in front of Yu Fu.
“Immortal practitioner of medicine, if you don’t mind, please come inside for some tea.”
Yin Shuo’s expression was solemn, as he gave Princess DanYang a look to have her retreat. Yue Hu pouted and thought to herself that it did not matter if she was treated or not. She could not be bothered with treating her illness!
“Yu Fu, who is this person?”
“She’s Princess DanYang.”
Yu Fu’s voice was a little uncertain. Even after Princess DanYang had left, she did not dare believe that the person whom she had seen was her.
In the past, Princess DanYang had been so proud and domineering, so noble and beautiful. Now, she had become a common housewife with a weak expression. She had lost all of her former glory.
No matter how radiant the clothes she wore were, she looked like a skeleton with skin draped on it.
Just what sort of torture did she have to endure to end up like this!
Yu Fu suddenly sneered, “It’s fortunate that the one to marry cabinet leader Yin back then wasn’t me; otherwise, I can’t even say for certain if I would still be alive today.”
Yin Shuo, who had been leading the way, felt his back stiffen upon hearing Yu Fu say this.
Yin JiYao heard the servants report that Yu Fu had come, thus she happily came out to receive her, but she ended up seeing this scene.
She froze in place, while Yue Hu shushed her, motioning for her to not interrupt. Yin Shuo slowly turned around to look at Yu Fu, “You clearly know that if the one I had married was you, I wouldn’t be as lonely as I am now.”
“Even if you don’t like Princess DanYang, she is still your wife. If a man is capable of doing this to his own wife, how can he have the nerve to talk about love. It’s truly contemptible.”
Yu Fu did not stay with him for a moment longer, turning to walk toward Yin JiYao, “JiYao, I brought my senior disciple sister here to treat your injury.”
Yin JiYao immediately accepted, “Understood, let’s go to my courtyard to speak!”
The three left, leaving Yin Shuo to remain rooted in place, while he slowly clenched his fists in his sleeves.
He could be emotionless when dealing with the people of the world, but Yu Fu was the only person for whom he had any affection. Why could she just not understand this?
…
Yue Hu examined the scar on Yin JiYao’s face and then checked her pulse. She was a little shocked.
Yin JiYao’s heart thunked, “Immortal practitioner of medicine, is it that my injury can no longer be healed?”
Yue Hu said: “No, no, I finally understand after seeing your scar why master likes Yu Fu the most of all my fellow disciples. You are an immortal practitioner of poison, yet you were able to treat young miss Yin’s scar to such a degree. Senior disciple sister is amazed. Master is proficient in both medicine and poison, and I believe that you will also be able to inherit that ability in the future.”
Yu Fu said: “Senior disciple sister, what sort of situation are we in, yet you’re still in the mood to joke around. I just used some prescriptions to remove decaying flesh and promote healing, but JiYao’s injury had lingered for too long, and no amount of medicine could completely get rid of the scar. Do you have anything that could work?”
Yue Hu helped her dress the injury once more and then shook her head, “The prescription that you used was correct. Even if I tried to treat it, I would use the same prescription. Her injury was not treated in a timely manner and penetrated too deep. No matter how you try to get rid of decayed flesh, it can’t deal with the damage to the flesh beneath the skin.”
Yin JiYao furrowed her brow slightly, feeling a little disappointed, “Immortal practitioner of medicine means that even if the skin on the surface is removed and allowed to grow back on its own, it will only grow back as scar tissue. Is that correct?”
“You’re very smart. That’s exactly what I mean.”
Yu Fu could not bear to let Yin JiYao feel disappointed and hastily said: “Senior disciple sister, you must have a better method than I had, right? Stop keeping us guessing.”
In her memory, Yue Hu had never been helpless when faced with an illness before. She was the head disciple of Immortals Valley and had followed Xun Chi for the longest. Her medical skills were exquisite.
Yue Hu laughed and said: “Very well, there is indeed a way, but it isn’t easy.”
Yin JiYao heard this, and her eyes immediately lit up. A small glimmer of hope started to burn in her heart, “What is the method?”
Yue Hu said: “The medicine to get rid of scar tissue is easy to obtain, but the medicine to restore muscle and skin is hard to make. There is a medicinal herb that grows in the mountains of Northern Li called snow lotus. This is rarely seen once every hundred years. Master had some, but it was used five years ago. To get that herb now, we can only rely on luck.”
“Northern Li?”
Yin JiYao immediately felt as if her hope had fallen through, “Northern Li and Eastern Ling have not had any interactions. This snow lotus grows in Northern Li, which already made it hard to get. Add on the fact that it’s a rare herb, and that must make it even harder to obtain.”
Yue Hu saw her pitiful appearance and immediately pulled her into a hug to comfort her, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, little cutey. Don’t worry. I promise you that I will do everything possible to help you find it.”
Yin JiYao was moved and hugged her back. The two looked like exceptionally close friends.
Yu Fu initially wanted to remind Yin JiYao that Yue Hu was a man, but Yue Hu motioned for her to swallow those words.
Forget it, forget it, if Yin JiYao knew that she was hugging a man other than Gu JiuGe, she would surely have vomited until she died. It would be better not to tell her.
Yin JiYao and Yue Hu hugged each other for a long time when she suddenly remembered something, “Right, Yu Fu, there’s something that I should tell you. This is all my fault.”
“What is it?”
Yin JiYao guiltily said: “On the night that you hit His Majesty, I accidentally blurted out the fact that eldest brother likes you in a fit of anxiety. DanYang now knows about it. I understand a woman’s jealous heart. In the past, I knew that the second young sir liked you, and I was also sick with jealousy. I was all too eager for you to disappear.”
Yue Hu eagerly listened, her expression showing great interest in the gossip, as she watched Yu Fu with a bright smile.
It turned out that Gu JiuGe also liked Yu Fu. Her little Yu Fu was really a flower beloved by all. As her senior disciple sister, she felt greatly honored.
Yin JiYao continued: “In the past, DanYang liked the eldest young sir. After finding out that the eldest young sir liked you, her attitude toward you was very bad. Now, she has finally started to like my eldest brother, but she suddenly found out that eldest brother also likes you… Hah, if I was her, I would surely feel completely lost and not know what I should do.”
Yue Hu casually picked up a piece of cantaloupe from the table and started eating. While eating, she listened to Yin JiYao and Yu Fu gossip.
Yu Fu quietly sighed, “I know. Don’t worry. Princess DanYang resides in the prime minister’s manor. She can’t hurt me.”
Yin JiYao thought about it and felt that it was reasonable, “I just hope that this is the case, but she is still His Majesty’s younger sister. It would be best if you were a little more cautious.”
It was also very difficult for Yin JiYao to talk about this sort of thing.
She and Princess DanYang sympathized with each other, and she had enjoyed Yu Fu’s benevolence. She was friends with both sides, thus it was natural that she would not hope for her two friends to become enemies.
Yu Fu comforted her a bit, while Yue Hu finished her fourth slice of cantaloupe. She wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief, “Have you two finished chatting? How about you two take your time, and I’ll go out for a leisurely stroll?”
Just as Yin JiYao was about to stand up to accompany them, Yue Hu pushed her back down into her seat, “There’s no need for you two to come along. I like walking on my own. I’ll be back in a moment!”
Saying this, her figure became a blur, as the door was pushed open, and Yue Hu disappeared.
Yin JiYao was dumbfounded, “This… This is the martial arts taught in Immortals Valley? Yu Fu, do you know how to do it?”
Yu Fu’s little face turned red. She left Immortals Valley at the age of twelve, and martial arts was one of her weak points. Yin JiYao clasped her hands together and enviously said: “Immortal practitioner of medicine Yue Hu is both beautiful and skilled in martial arts. Surely, nobody would dare to bully her if she set foot in jianghu, right? I really envy her.”
Yu Fu smiled and said: “Naturally, nobody would dare to bully her. It would already be good enough if she didn’t bully others.”
Yu Fu’s words were quite accurate. Yue Hu had not gone for a stroll around the prime minister’s manor. Instead, she had gone to bully someone.
After leaving Yin JiYao’s courtyard, she casually grabbed someone, “Where is cabinet leader Yin?”
The servant did not know who she was but guessed that she was an honored guest brought in by Princess ZhenJiang. She was both beautiful and charming, thus he pointed toward the outer study, “The young sir spends his days in the outer study, but the outer study is not a place that can be entered so easily. How about this servant go in and reports for you?”
“No need, no need, I will go on my own. While I’m at it, I’ll go for a stroll around the manor. If your young sir won’t let me in, I just won’t go in.”
Saying this, she headed toward the outer study while swaying her hips the entire time. The servant watched her from behind and could not avert his gaze, only leaving with a deep blush on his face a long while later.
Yue Hu had never been one to consider another’s feelings. Once she had made up her mind to cause trouble, how could she care if Yin Shuo allowed her in or not?
She arrived outside of Yin Shuo’s outer study with a swagger and was about to head directly inside.
The guard standing outside stopped her, “You must be immortal practitioner of medicine Yue Hu? This is our young sir’s study. I’m afraid that immortal practitioner of medicine has taken a wrong turn.”
Yue Hu lazily fiddled with her fingernails, “There was no mistake. I came looking for your young sir.”
The guards looked at each other, “Then would immortal practitioner of medicine please wait. This subordinate will go in and report to young sir.”
“Apologies, I, Yue Hu, have never been one to wait for others.”
She quietly spoke these words, as she instantly rushed past the guards like a sudden gust of wind. The door to the study was instantly opened wide. Yin Shuo was seated on a sofa and felt a strong gust of wind rushing toward him.
By the time he reacted, the woman’s slender hand was already wrapped around his throat.
“Young sir!’
The guards reflexively rushed inside and found Yue Hu holding Yin Shuo by the neck. They did not dare take a step forward, “Immortal practitioner of medicine, please let our young sir go!”
Yue Hu ignored them and continued staring at Yin Shuo, “You don’t know martial arts, but did you know that if I put a little bit of force into my hands, your head would be separated from your neck?”
“I know.”
Yin Shuo did not panic. His throat was being held by Yue Hu and could barely squeeze out a response, “Since immortal practitioner of medicine did not snap my neck immediately, it’s evident that you don’t really want to kill me. What is there for me to be afraid of?”
Yue Hu seemed to be deliberately wanting to ruin his image, increasing the strength in her grip by a bit, “You’re wrong. Our Immortals Valley exists outside of the realm of normal people, and there have never been any rules in place for my actions. I don’t like killing people directly because that’s no fun. I like toying with my prey the same way that a cat toys with a mouse, and I will leave you begging for the release of death. If you dare to bully Yu Fu, that would be declaring war on our Immortals Valley. From the edge of the world to the ends of the seas, I will come to claim your life!”
The guards were exceedingly nervous, but they did not know how they should negotiate with this eccentric immortal practitioner of medicine. One person hastily ran off to Yin JiYao’s courtyard to look for Yu Fu.
Yin Shuo’s fair face slowly turned red until it gradually started to turn blue. His eyes bulged wide outside of his control.
He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Yue Hu would kill him on the spot.
The people from Immortals Valley did not belong to the world of normal people, but Yu Fu came to Eastern Ling and became involved with Marquis Gu’s Manor. Could it be that Yue Hu did not mind what was happening between Yu Fu and Marquis Gu’s Manor?
He did not believe it.
Just as his mind was starting to become hazy, and just as he was about to run out of air, Yue Hu reduced the strength of her grip, allowing him to breathe momentarily.
A contemptuous smile crept onto her beautiful face, “How is it? I told you that I would have you wishing for the release of death.”
Yin Shuo immediately understood.
She was an immortal practitioner of medicine who had studied under Xun Chi. It was natural that she would know how much strength was necessary to kill someone, and she knew when to ease her grip to increase his suffering while allowing him to continue living.
The idea of living being worse than being dead truly did apply.
Yin Shuo’s voice was hoarse, “Immortal practitioner of medicine’s martial arts is unparalleled, and I am wondering if there is anyone in the prime minister’s manor who could be your opposition. If you want to kill me, I have nothing to say, but I do have one thing I want to make clear. When have I ever bullied Yu Fu?”
He was all too eager to love Yu Fu, so how could he bring himself to bully her?
Yue Hu sneered, “Then when your little Emperor Ning wanted to make Yu Fu the empress, why did you, the dignified leader of the cabinet, not speak up to dissuade him? Don’t tell me that you are unable to persuade him. I know that little Emperor Ning listens to you the most.”
Yin Shuo was shocked for a moment, “There are other reasons for that matter. I have my own difficulties. I can only tell you that regardless of the situation, I would never allow another man to steal Yu Fu away.”
“Including your emperor?”
“Naturally.”
Yue Hu partially believed him and partially doubted him, slightly easing her grip. Yin Shuo was able to breathe a little easier when the grip around his neck suddenly tightened once more.
“Even if what you said was true, I can’t forgive you. After all, when comparing you and Gu ShuBai, I like Gu ShuBai a little more.”
Like Gu ShuBai a Little More (Part One)
The carriage stopped in front of the prime minister’s manor. Seeing the bright-yellow sign on the carriage, the servant from the prime minister’s manor immediately stepped forward to receive them.
“Not knowing that Princess ZhenJiang would be visiting, we could not prepare a welcome in advance. This servant has already sent someone to report to master. Princess, please come inside to sit and wait for a while.”
Yu Fu thought for a bit but did not follow him inside, “Coming without being invited was rude of me. We can wait here for a while.”
Yue Hu secretly observed the expressions of the servants from the prime minister’s manor. It did not look like they were receiving the daughter of a rival family, and they were treating her with even more respect than was due to a princess.
It seemed that Yu Fu’s name carried great weight in Eastern Ling’s court scene. Even the prime minister’s manor did not dare to treat her with any disrespect.
Not long later, they saw a handsome man personally come out to receive them. He warmly cupped his hands and greeted Yu Fu, and Yu Fu nodded in response, explaining to Yue Hu: “Senior disciple sister, this is the former prime minister of Eastern Ling and current leader of the cabinet, Lord Yin.”
Yin Shuo heard Yu Fu refer to the person at her side as senior disciple sister and was surprised, “So it was an immortal practitioner of medicine. Please excuse me for not coming out to welcome you sooner.”
Yue Hu looked at him with a smile, her eyes filled with dangerous intent, “No worries, no worries, cabinet leader Yin is young and handsome with outstanding abilities. This one has heard of you since long ago.”
Heard that you were a total bastard who is rotten to the core. It was a complete waste of such good looks.
Yin Shuo felt a little uneasy from being stared at so closely, but he could not say anything to object on account of her being Yu Fu’s senior disciple sister, “Immortal practitioner of medicine is being too kind. Please come inside.”
After saying this, he stepped to the side and then retreated next to Yu Fu. His voice then instantly became softer, “For you to personally come today, is something the matter?”
He knew that Yu Fu would not visit the prime minister’s manor for no reason.
Yue Hu’s ears perked up. Even if Yin Shuo had done an excellent job of concealing it, she still immediately noticed that his voice was gentler.
They had just left Ning ChengZhi, who treated her with absolute respect, and they had now arrived at Yin Shuo, who was profoundly affectionate. Could it be said that all noble and influential people in Eastern Ling liked Yu Fu?
Yu Fu took a step back to create some space between her and Yin Shuo, “I came today with senior disciple sister to see JiYao. Senior disciple sister is an immortal practitioner of medicine, and she is far better at treating facial injuries than I am. I was just thinking that if I could take this chance to have senior disciple sister treat her injuries, things might change.”
Yin Shuo’s expression immediately became stoic once more.
He initially thought that Yu Fu had come looking for him, but it turned out that he had overthought it.
He would rather have Yu Fu come and accuse him of being responsible for the decree sending Gu ShuBai to battle than for her to not even think of him.
Princess DanYang heard that Yu Fu had come to the manor and immediately became nervous. Unable to control herself, she ran out to take a look and happened to see Yin Shuo’s dejected expression.
In her eyes, Yin Shuo had always been arrogant and domineering. He was either cold and distant, or absolutely ruthless.
She had thought that Yin Shuo would never express any interest in the feelings of love between men and women, but it turned out that he just never revealed this expression in front of her. In front of the person that he was interested in, he could get heartbroken and dejected.
This person was none other than Yu Fu.
Yin Shuo waved to the servants and ordered them to bring Yin JiYao out. When he raised his hand, he saw Princess DanYang standing there and immediately frowned with displeasure.
He could not say anything too excessive in front of Yu Fu, thus he simply said: “You still haven’t fully recovered. There’s no need for you to take care of things here. Quickly go back and rest.”
Princess DanYang faced Yu Fu and Yue Hu. Both of them were dressed in clothes that were without embroideries but were still radiant and attractive. Their beauty made her feel like a wilting flower.
She subconsciously took a step back, wanting to hide herself, but the moment that she turned around, her wrist was grabbed.
“What illness do you have? Let me see!”
She turned back in shock. Yue Hu was holding her wrist and frowning, “Oh dear, this illness…”
Princess DanYang pulled her hand back as if she had been shocked. Worried that her condition would be exposed, she anxiously looked at Yin Shuo. Yin Shuo was also a little nervous, not wanting these things to be exposed in front of Yu Fu.
“Immortal practitioner of medicine, if you don’t mind, please come inside for some tea.”
Yin Shuo’s expression was solemn, as he gave Princess DanYang a look to have her retreat. Yue Hu pouted and thought to herself that it did not matter if she was treated or not. She could not be bothered with treating her illness!
“Yu Fu, who is this person?”
“She’s Princess DanYang.”
Yu Fu’s voice was a little uncertain. Even after Princess DanYang had left, she did not dare believe that the person whom she had seen was her.
In the past, Princess DanYang had been so proud and domineering, so noble and beautiful. Now, she had become a common housewife with a weak expression. She had lost all of her former glory.
No matter how radiant the clothes she wore were, she looked like a skeleton with skin draped on it.
Just what sort of torture did she have to endure to end up like this!
Yu Fu suddenly sneered, “It’s fortunate that the one to marry cabinet leader Yin back then wasn’t me; otherwise, I can’t even say for certain if I would still be alive today.”
Yin Shuo, who had been leading the way, felt his back stiffen upon hearing Yu Fu say this.
Yin JiYao heard the servants report that Yu Fu had come, thus she happily came out to receive her, but she ended up seeing this scene.
She froze in place, while Yue Hu shushed her, motioning for her to not interrupt. Yin Shuo slowly turned around to look at Yu Fu, “You clearly know that if the one I had married was you, I wouldn’t be as lonely as I am now.”
“Even if you don’t like Princess DanYang, she is still your wife. If a man is capable of doing this to his own wife, how can he have the nerve to talk about love. It’s truly contemptible.”
Yu Fu did not stay with him for a moment longer, turning to walk toward Yin JiYao, “JiYao, I brought my senior disciple sister here to treat your injury.”
Yin JiYao immediately accepted, “Understood, let’s go to my courtyard to speak!”
The three left, leaving Yin Shuo to remain rooted in place, while he slowly clenched his fists in his sleeves.
He could be emotionless when dealing with the people of the world, but Yu Fu was the only person for whom he had any affection. Why could she just not understand this?
…
Yue Hu examined the scar on Yin JiYao’s face and then checked her pulse. She was a little shocked.
Yin JiYao’s heart thunked, “Immortal practitioner of medicine, is it that my injury can no longer be healed?”
Yue Hu said: “No, no, I finally understand after seeing your scar why master likes Yu Fu the most of all my fellow disciples. You are an immortal practitioner of poison, yet you were able to treat young miss Yin’s scar to such a degree. Senior disciple sister is amazed. Master is proficient in both medicine and poison, and I believe that you will also be able to inherit that ability in the future.”
Yu Fu said: “Senior disciple sister, what sort of situation are we in, yet you’re still in the mood to joke around. I just used some prescriptions to remove decaying flesh and promote healing, but JiYao’s injury had lingered for too long, and no amount of medicine could completely get rid of the scar. Do you have anything that could work?”
Yue Hu helped her dress the injury once more and then shook her head, “The prescription that you used was correct. Even if I tried to treat it, I would use the same prescription. Her injury was not treated in a timely manner and penetrated too deep. No matter how you try to get rid of decayed flesh, it can’t deal with the damage to the flesh beneath the skin.”
Yin JiYao furrowed her brow slightly, feeling a little disappointed, “Immortal practitioner of medicine means that even if the skin on the surface is removed and allowed to grow back on its own, it will only grow back as scar tissue. Is that correct?”
“You’re very smart. That’s exactly what I mean.”
Yu Fu could not bear to let Yin JiYao feel disappointed and hastily said: “Senior disciple sister, you must have a better method than I had, right? Stop keeping us guessing.”
In her memory, Yue Hu had never been helpless when faced with an illness before. She was the head disciple of Immortals Valley and had followed Xun Chi for the longest. Her medical skills were exquisite.
Yue Hu laughed and said: “Very well, there is indeed a way, but it isn’t easy.”
Yin JiYao heard this, and her eyes immediately lit up. A small glimmer of hope started to burn in her heart, “What is the method?”
Yue Hu said: “The medicine to get rid of scar tissue is easy to obtain, but the medicine to restore muscle and skin is hard to make. There is a medicinal herb that grows in the mountains of Northern Li called snow lotus. This is rarely seen once every hundred years. Master had some, but it was used five years ago. To get that herb now, we can only rely on luck.”
“Northern Li?”
Yin JiYao immediately felt as if her hope had fallen through, “Northern Li and Eastern Ling have not had any interactions. This snow lotus grows in Northern Li, which already made it hard to get. Add on the fact that it’s a rare herb, and that must make it even harder to obtain.”
Yue Hu saw her pitiful appearance and immediately pulled her into a hug to comfort her, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, little cutey. Don’t worry. I promise you that I will do everything possible to help you find it.”
Yin JiYao was moved and hugged her back. The two looked like exceptionally close friends.
Yu Fu initially wanted to remind Yin JiYao that Yue Hu was a man, but Yue Hu motioned for her to swallow those words.
Forget it, forget it, if Yin JiYao knew that she was hugging a man other than Gu JiuGe, she would surely have vomited until she died. It would be better not to tell her.
Yin JiYao and Yue Hu hugged each other for a long time when she suddenly remembered something, “Right, Yu Fu, there’s something that I should tell you. This is all my fault.”
“What is it?”
Yin JiYao guiltily said: “On the night that you hit His Majesty, I accidentally blurted out the fact that eldest brother likes you in a fit of anxiety. DanYang now knows about it. I understand a woman’s jealous heart. In the past, I knew that the second young sir liked you, and I was also sick with jealousy. I was all too eager for you to disappear.”
Yue Hu eagerly listened, her expression showing great interest in the gossip, as she watched Yu Fu with a bright smile.
It turned out that Gu JiuGe also liked Yu Fu. Her little Yu Fu was really a flower beloved by all. As her senior disciple sister, she felt greatly honored.
Yin JiYao continued: “In the past, DanYang liked the eldest young sir. After finding out that the eldest young sir liked you, her attitude toward you was very bad. Now, she has finally started to like my eldest brother, but she suddenly found out that eldest brother also likes you… Hah, if I was her, I would surely feel completely lost and not know what I should do.”
Yue Hu casually picked up a piece of cantaloupe from the table and started eating. While eating, she listened to Yin JiYao and Yu Fu gossip.
Yu Fu quietly sighed, “I know. Don’t worry. Princess DanYang resides in the prime minister’s manor. She can’t hurt me.”
Yin JiYao thought about it and felt that it was reasonable, “I just hope that this is the case, but she is still His Majesty’s younger sister. It would be best if you were a little more cautious.”
It was also very difficult for Yin JiYao to talk about this sort of thing.
She and Princess DanYang sympathized with each other, and she had enjoyed Yu Fu’s benevolence. She was friends with both sides, thus it was natural that she would not hope for her two friends to become enemies.
Yu Fu comforted her a bit, while Yue Hu finished her fourth slice of cantaloupe. She wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief, “Have you two finished chatting? How about you two take your time, and I’ll go out for a leisurely stroll?”
Just as Yin JiYao was about to stand up to accompany them, Yue Hu pushed her back down into her seat, “There’s no need for you two to come along. I like walking on my own. I’ll be back in a moment!”
Saying this, her figure became a blur, as the door was pushed open, and Yue Hu disappeared.
Yin JiYao was dumbfounded, “This… This is the martial arts taught in Immortals Valley? Yu Fu, do you know how to do it?”
Yu Fu’s little face turned red. She left Immortals Valley at the age of twelve, and martial arts was one of her weak points. Yin JiYao clasped her hands together and enviously said: “Immortal practitioner of medicine Yue Hu is both beautiful and skilled in martial arts. Surely, nobody would dare to bully her if she set foot in jianghu, right? I really envy her.”
Yu Fu smiled and said: “Naturally, nobody would dare to bully her. It would already be good enough if she didn’t bully others.”
Yu Fu’s words were quite accurate. Yue Hu had not gone for a stroll around the prime minister’s manor. Instead, she had gone to bully someone.
After leaving Yin JiYao’s courtyard, she casually grabbed someone, “Where is cabinet leader Yin?”
The servant did not know who she was but guessed that she was an honored guest brought in by Princess ZhenJiang. She was both beautiful and charming, thus he pointed toward the outer study, “The young sir spends his days in the outer study, but the outer study is not a place that can be entered so easily. How about this servant go in and reports for you?”
“No need, no need, I will go on my own. While I’m at it, I’ll go for a stroll around the manor. If your young sir won’t let me in, I just won’t go in.”
Saying this, she headed toward the outer study while swaying her hips the entire time. The servant watched her from behind and could not avert his gaze, only leaving with a deep blush on his face a long while later.
Yue Hu had never been one to consider another’s feelings. Once she had made up her mind to cause trouble, how could she care if Yin Shuo allowed her in or not?
She arrived outside of Yin Shuo’s outer study with a swagger and was about to head directly inside.
The guard standing outside stopped her, “You must be immortal practitioner of medicine Yue Hu? This is our young sir’s study. I’m afraid that immortal practitioner of medicine has taken a wrong turn.”
Yue Hu lazily fiddled with her fingernails, “There was no mistake. I came looking for your young sir.”
The guards looked at each other, “Then would immortal practitioner of medicine please wait. This subordinate will go in and report to young sir.”
“Apologies, I, Yue Hu, have never been one to wait for others.”
She quietly spoke these words, as she instantly rushed past the guards like a sudden gust of wind. The door to the study was instantly opened wide. Yin Shuo was seated on a sofa and felt a strong gust of wind rushing toward him.
By the time he reacted, the woman’s slender hand was already wrapped around his throat.
“Young sir!’
The guards reflexively rushed inside and found Yue Hu holding Yin Shuo by the neck. They did not dare take a step forward, “Immortal practitioner of medicine, please let our young sir go!”
Yue Hu ignored them and continued staring at Yin Shuo, “You don’t know martial arts, but did you know that if I put a little bit of force into my hands, your head would be separated from your neck?”
“I know.”
Yin Shuo did not panic. His throat was being held by Yue Hu and could barely squeeze out a response, “Since immortal practitioner of medicine did not snap my neck immediately, it’s evident that you don’t really want to kill me. What is there for me to be afraid of?”
Yue Hu seemed to be deliberately wanting to ruin his image, increasing the strength in her grip by a bit, “You’re wrong. Our Immortals Valley exists outside of the realm of normal people, and there have never been any rules in place for my actions. I don’t like killing people directly because that’s no fun. I like toying with my prey the same way that a cat toys with a mouse, and I will leave you begging for the release of death. If you dare to bully Yu Fu, that would be declaring war on our Immortals Valley. From the edge of the world to the ends of the seas, I will come to claim your life!”
The guards were exceedingly nervous, but they did not know how they should negotiate with this eccentric immortal practitioner of medicine. One person hastily ran off to Yin JiYao’s courtyard to look for Yu Fu.
Yin Shuo’s fair face slowly turned red until it gradually started to turn blue. His eyes bulged wide outside of his control.
He refused to believe it. He refused to believe that Yue Hu would kill him on the spot.
The people from Immortals Valley did not belong to the world of normal people, but Yu Fu came to Eastern Ling and became involved with Marquis Gu’s Manor. Could it be that Yue Hu did not mind what was happening between Yu Fu and Marquis Gu’s Manor?
He did not believe it.
Just as his mind was starting to become hazy, and just as he was about to run out of air, Yue Hu reduced the strength of her grip, allowing him to breathe momentarily.
A contemptuous smile crept onto her beautiful face, “How is it? I told you that I would have you wishing for the release of death.”
Yin Shuo immediately understood.
She was an immortal practitioner of medicine who had studied under Xun Chi. It was natural that she would know how much strength was necessary to kill someone, and she knew when to ease her grip to increase his suffering while allowing him to continue living.
The idea of living being worse than being dead truly did apply.
Yin Shuo’s voice was hoarse, “Immortal practitioner of medicine’s martial arts is unparalleled, and I am wondering if there is anyone in the prime minister’s manor who could be your opposition. If you want to kill me, I have nothing to say, but I do have one thing I want to make clear. When have I ever bullied Yu Fu?”
He was all too eager to love Yu Fu, so how could he bring himself to bully her?
Yue Hu sneered, “Then when your little Emperor Ning wanted to make Yu Fu the empress, why did you, the dignified leader of the cabinet, not speak up to dissuade him? Don’t tell me that you are unable to persuade him. I know that little Emperor Ning listens to you the most.”
Yin Shuo was shocked for a moment, “There are other reasons for that matter. I have my own difficulties. I can only tell you that regardless of the situation, I would never allow another man to steal Yu Fu away.”
“Including your emperor?”
“Naturally.”
Yue Hu partially believed him and partially doubted him, slightly easing her grip. Yin Shuo was able to breathe a little easier when the grip around his neck suddenly tightened once more.
“Even if what you said was true, I can’t forgive you. After all, when comparing you and Gu ShuBai, I like Gu ShuBai a little more.”
