Chapter 178: It Really Was a Mosquito
Inside the hut, the younger brother was trying to feed his older brother some of the barbequed meat.
Suddenly, Nan Xiaoxiang’s gentle voice came from behind him:
“Stop. Your brother’s stomach is still chilled from the poison. He can’t eat such greasy food.”
The younger brother turned around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he recognized her.
But remembering the food she had given them, he suppressed his hostility.
Nan Xiaoxiang placed the remaining skewers on the table.
“You must be hungry too. Have some.”
“I’ll take care of your brother’s food.” She picked up a bowl and carefully shredded the meat into small pieces with her chopsticks.
It was a tedious task.
As a mortal, Nan Xiaoxiang’s forehead was soon covered in sweat, her brow furrowed in concentration.
The younger brother watched her and mumbled, “L-let me do it…”
“I need to add some medicinal powder to the food. You wouldn’t know the correct dosage.”
Nan Xiaoxiang took out a small bottle and carefully sprinkled some powder into the bowl.
The younger brother hesitated for a long time, then grabbed a skewer and started eating.
Soon, only a pile of empty skewers remained on the table. Nan Xiaoxiang finished preparing the food, added some water to the bowl, and helped the older brother eat.
After eating, his complexion improved visibly.
Nan Xiaoxiang checked his pulse again, making sure he was stable, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“Give him this medicine once a day. Boil it for a while. He should be able to get out of bed within a week.”
The younger brother lowered his head silently, saying nothing.
Nan Xiaoxiang thought for a moment, then added, “By the way, that man… he didn’t mean to humiliate you earlier.”
“He’s not a bad person.”
The younger brother finally looked up, but his voice was still filled with resentment.
“Even if he isn’t, we still had to rely on their charity for a decent meal.”
His fists were clenched tightly. He clearly hadn’t forgiven her.
Nan Xiaoxiang didn’t argue. She gave him a few more instructions, then turned to leave.
As she reached the door, the younger brother finally called out, “Wait!”
“Why… why did you stop my brother?” he asked, his voice filled with a desperate plea.
Nan Xiaoxiang lowered her eyes and said softly, “If he could have survived the trial, I wouldn’t have intervened.”
“But he couldn’t.”
“H-how can you be so sure? What if he had persevered?”
“Because I’m a physician.” Nan Xiaoxiang looked at him seriously. “I’ve seen more death than you have.”
“If I had been even a moment later, he would be dead.”
The younger brother bit his lip, his head lowered.
Seeing his anguish, Nan Xiaoxiang’s voice softened slightly.
“You’re still young. There’s no need to risk your lives for such a fleeting chance at immortality.”
“There are other ways to live a fulfilling life. There are so many other paths you can take—”
“What do you know?!” The younger brother’s voice rose in anger.
“Our village… it took our village so many years to produce two children with the aptitude for cultivation!”
“The village chief gave us almost all the food in the village as provisions for our journey to the Wu Xuan Cave!”
“Our parents begged and borrowed from neighboring villages just to gather enough food for us! Everyone is hoping that we’ll become cultivators and bring prosperity to our village!”
His body trembled, his voice choked with tears. “We… we have the talent… we were just lacking in poison resistance…”
“We can’t go back… The hopes of our entire village rest on our shoulders!”
“How could you understand?!”
“I do.”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s calm voice made him freeze.
“I was also sent to the Wu Xuan Cave by my village when I was a child.”
And perhaps, her experience had been even worse.
She had been thrown into that hellish valley without a second thought.
Either die, or survive by consuming poison.
“In the end, I lost everything. My cultivation base was destroyed, and I was cast out.”
“I just… don’t want you to suffer the same fate.” Her voice was calm and even, as if she wasn’t talking about her own traumatic past.
The younger brother was stunned. He hadn’t expected this seemingly gentle and refined woman from the Central Plains to have such a past. He was speechless.
Nan Xiaoxiang continued calmly,
“Whether it’s hope or expectation,”
“No matter what burdens others place upon you,”
“Once you’re dead, it’s all over.”
“If you return now, at least your parents will have someone to care for them in their old age.”
She said softly, “Would they be proud of you if you died here for nothing?”
“They would only spend the rest of their lives mourning their lost sons, their tears flowing like an endless river.”
The older brother on the bed trembled, tears streaming down his face.
The younger brother also started sobbing.
Indeed, no child could imagine such a scene without being moved.
Nan Xiaoxiang watched them silently, waiting for their cries to subside, then finally said,
“If you’re unwilling to return home, I can offer you another option.”
“I run a medical clinic in Yanxia Province in the north, and I have connections with several cultivation sects.”
“You both have decent aptitude. You’re qualified to become disciples of ordinary sects.”
“If you’re interested, come with me to Yanxia Province, and I’ll introduce you to a few.” Her voice was gentle and soothing, like a celestial maiden’s.
The younger brother stared at her for a long moment, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, kowtowing frantically.
His forehead slammed against the floor with such force that Nan Xiaoxiang was startled.
“I’m sorry.”
“You saved my brother’s life, your kindness is immeasurable.”
“But I… I was so ungrateful, I insulted you…” His forehead was bleeding, his lips bitten raw.
Nan Xiaoxiang looked at him silently, then shook her head slowly.
“I’m not a saint.”
“I was just doing my duty as a physician.”
Inside the small hut, the brothers embraced each other, their bodies shaking with sobs, while Nan Xiaoxiang stared out the window, lost in thought.
She remembered Chen Yin’s words.
…If you truly want to save him, it’s not enough to just keep him alive…
…You have to give him a reason to live.
“Indeed,” she chuckled wryly, “even the most skilled physician can’t save someone who wants to die.”
“Perhaps… he’s more suited to be a physician than I am.”
When Nan Xiaoxiang returned to her room, Chen Yin was squatting outside, a skewer of meat in his mouth.
Seeing her, he grinned. “Yo, how did it go?”
Nan Xiaoxiang simply nodded silently.
“As expected of the clever Miss Nan, you caught on quickly.”
Chen Yin’s mouth was full of grease as he offered her a skewer. “You didn’t eat much earlier, have some more.”
Nan Xiaoxiang hesitated for a moment, then took the skewer and nibbled on it delicately.
They squatted there by the railing, enjoying the evening breeze and the barbequed meat, their demeanor casual and unrefined.
After a while, Nan Xiaoxiang said softly,
“…Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For helping me.”
“I’m just glad you didn’t think I was meddling.”
Chen Yin continued eating, seemingly unconcerned by her words.
“You were right. I hadn’t truly saved them before.”
Nan Xiaoxiang’s voice was filled with a quiet sadness, her head lowered. “Perhaps… I wasn’t really trying to heal them, just satisfying my own shallow sense of compassion, preventing them from dying before my eyes.”
Chen Yin stopped eating and looked at her seriously.
“You’re wrong.”
“The desire to save a life is never wrong.”
“The outcome doesn’t negate your kindness. If you had hesitated even for a moment when you saved his brother, I wouldn’t have intervened.”
“I’ve met many hypocrites. But you’re one of the few genuine ones.”
“In this matter, you’re the most admirable person I’ve ever met.”
Nan Xiaoxiang was stunned, her cheeks flushing slightly under his intense gaze.
Chen Yin, realizing he was staring, quickly looked away and continued eating.
But this time, Nan Xiaoxiang didn’t seem to mind his gaze.
Usually, she would retort or at least roll her eyes at him.
She lowered her head and said softly, “Your words are too kind, Young Master Chen. A simple ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem enough.”
“Then what? Offer your body?”
“…Are there any other options?”
“Then kiss me.” Chen Yin said without thinking, without even looking up.
He had been teasing her, expecting her to scold him.
But this time, she remained silent.
Chen Yin continued eating for a while, then, sensing something was off, he turned to look at her.
Nan Xiaoxiang had turned her head slightly, her expression hidden from view.
“…How’s the moon tonight, Young Master Chen?” she suddenly asked.
Chen Yin looked up, surprised.
The sky was overcast, the air thick with miasma. There was no moon.
But as he looked up, he felt a soft, tingling sensation on his earlobe.
A light, fleeting touch, like a dewdrop, soft and moist, carrying a faint fragrance.
He froze, then turned to look at her.
Nan Xiaoxiang’s expression was calm as she sipped her tea.
“There was a poisonous mosquito on your ear, Young Master Chen. I killed it for you.”
“…Was it really a mosquito?”
“…Yes.”
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