She took out a delicate fish-shaped tassel pouch in peacock blue and emerald green from her body and handed it to Si Zhan: “This is a peace charm I just prayed for my uncle at the temple. I chose an elegant pouch, hoping it can bless him with peace and long-lasting good fortune.”
Si Zhan looked at the pouch, stunned. So she had been so devout in her prayers for him?
Noticing Si Zhan’s motionless stare, Ning Wanwan wondered if he might not like carrying incense pouches, as he always dressed simply, wearing only jade and fewer accessories. “Uncle, do you not like this…?” “No.” Si Zhan quickly took the pouch and tied it to his waist belt, then looked up at Ning Wanwan and said, “I like anything you give me.”
That night, at the Yi Wang Mansion, in the Quiet Water Deep Room. Si Zhan sat alone behind the pearl curtain in a rosewood armchair, the pouch hanging from his waist. His left hand held an exquisite hand warmer, while his right arm rested on the lingzhi tea table. His long fingers unconsciously traced the edge of the Ru kiln tea cup, lost in thought. “Creak——” The door opened from outside. Yuan Bi escorted a white-haired man in a blue robe, his eyes covered with a black cloth, using the sword hilt to guide him.
This was the traveling doctor Ning Wanwan had seen. The doctor looked panicked, his hands bound behind his back. He stumbled over the threshold, stammering, “Great hero, where are you taking me?”
Yuan Bi pushed the doctor to kneel and quickly drew his sword, pressing the cold blade against the doctor’s neck. The doctor trembled, pleading, “Great hero, spare me!”
Yuan Bi threatened, “Repeat what you said before, and if there’s a lie, be careful of losing your head.” The doctor immediately responded, “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. Today, a strange girl brought me a medical record to analyze the illness. I glanced at it and saw it was the pulse of a dying person. I didn’t want to look, but the girl stuffed me with silver notes, so I had to.”
