Chapter 758: As free as the wind, as dazzling as the ligh (1/2)
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It was true, Han Yunxi had gone days without hot food. She’d tried to minimize stopping at all during her travels because Gu Beiyue was waiting for her to save him! Corpse Cripple poison would be fatal if left unattended in his body for too long. She’d have more trouble curing it later.
As she stared at the fresh food now, she wasn’t sure whether the steam was too strong, but her vision had suddenly turned blurry. Unlike Long Feiye, who preferred simple meals, Gu Qishao was a classic foodie. Despite being a lunchbox meal, everything was fine and exquisitely made. Their combined scents formed an olfactory bouquet.
He personally ladled out some soup and handed it to Han Yunxi, who glanced between the bowl and the canteen before asking, “Which one should I drink first?”
“Drink a sip of water to wet your whistle, then drink the soup,” Gu Qishao said seriously, his voice exceptionally soft. Han Yunxi wasn’t used to him acting this way at all. It made her feel awkward and unable to relax. She took a few sniffs until her vision grew clearer and her heart became calmer.
“I’m in a hurry! What’s with all these particulars?” So speaking, she accepted the hot soup and gulped it down. This was her first time accepting Gu Qishao’s good intentions: a single bowl of soup in the barren countryside. The soup was very common, just pork ribs with corn, but its fresh flavor was something she’d never forget in her lifetime.
Gu Qishao watched her drink his soup and felt excellent. He quickly helped to get her some rice next. Forget rice, he’d even pluck the moon from the water or the stars from the sky if she’d accept them from him. Before he could hand her the rice, Han Yunxi moved to nimbly help Xu Donglin onto the carriage and asked, “Old Fiend, can you help him treat his wounds?”
Gu Qishao glanced at the man with disdain. “Useless thing.”
“I don’t need his help!” Xu Donglin yelled back. “I’d rather die than accept aid from him!”
Of course, Han Yunxi understood why Xu Donglin was angry. He had heard everything Gu Qishao told Qi Zonglin back then. She knew that Gu Qishao had a venomous tongue, but his heart wasn’t quite so poisonous. He must have gotten there just in time, or else he never would have waited until all of the shadow guards were dead before he acted. Meanwhile, Gu Qishao was too lazy to bother with Xu Donglin’s protests. In truth, Han Yunxi didn’t understand him as well as she thought. He was a decisive extremist. If he liked you, he’d sacrifice everything for you without every changing himself. If he disdained you, he wouldn’t even care if you died in front of his face.
He was a good person, but at the same time, he was someone completely heartless. It was true that he’d arrived only after all the shadow guards died, but even if he had come earlier, he would only move to save Han Yunxi, not her guards.
“Idiot! You believe the words he used to trick Qi Zonglin? Without his help, we both would be dead by now!” Han Yunxi glared at Xu Donglin. Only then did he wilt and stop speaking. Gu Qishao didn’t fuss with the man. After treating Xu Donglin’s wounds, he handed the hot bowl of rice to Han Yunxi again.
“Poison lass, eat it while it’s hot, quick.”
Although Gu Qishao’s kind intentions were hard to deny, Han Yunxi had no appetite. She looked at the ground full of dead bodies, then at the Poison Corpses lingering nearby, and felt as numb as a stone. It was as if she’d been plopped into a deep lake and was sinking endlessly into the waters without end.
After a while, she looked back at Gu Qishao. “Old Fiend, how about helping me bury these men?”
Gu Qishao had no comment. Once he was sure Han Yunxi couldn’t stomach any food, he tossed the fragrant bowl of rice aside and rolled up his sleeves to get to work. Using a sword as a spade, they dug a huge pit to lay the 50 shadow guards to rest with their weapons. There was no time to grieve. Gu Qishao sent the Poison Corpses scattering while they made haste on their journey. He became Han Yunxi’s driver and left the small paths for the main road. Since he’d come to personally pick her up, he wasn’t afraid of anything, Medical City included!
“When did you make so many Poison Corpses?” Han Yunxi finally asked. From what she knew, even raising one was a difficult task.
“I’ve been raising them back at Pill Fiend Valley. This time I brought them out specially just so everyone can see!” Gu Qishao chuckled icily.
“You’re hurting esteemed wangfei by doing this!” Xu Donglin rebuked him.
The fact that esteemed wangfei was a Poison Sect descendant was already hot news around the continent. The medical academy was doing all sorts of things already, so Gu Qishao’s interference would just cement her guilt. Who in the world didn’t fear Poison Corpses or poison gu?
“What’s there to fear? It was this young gentlemen who made these Poison Corpses. I’ll shoulder the blame!” Gu Qishao said breezily.
“Just what are you planning to do? You don’t need to be my scapegoat!” Han Yunxi was displeased.
She was quite clear that Gu Qishao was trying to divert the world’s attention off her and onto himself. If anything, he probably wanted to shoulder her guilty status in her place. After all, he used to be the foster son of the medical academy’s head elder. If news of this spread, the medical academy would never forgive him. Han Yunxi didn’t want to hide her status forever like a shrinking turtle in its shell, but she didn’t want to be labeled as a scourge like the Poison Sect descendant. She couldn’t afford to be rash or impulsive now.
Their patient forbearance all this time wasn’t from cowardice, but to seize a chance to expose the truth and acquit themselves of their criminal name. From what Han Yunxi understood of the medical academy now, those old men weren’t saints at all!
Gu Qishao turned back and chuckled. “Poison lass, if Qi gege wanted to be your scapegoat, I would’ve told my Poison Corpses to kill those Carefree City lads! Qi gege only wanted to warn certain people not to go too far. You’ll see!”
“You’re provoking the medical academy!” Han Yunxi came to a realization.
“No, your Qi gege is provoking Qi Yuntian.”[1] Gu Qishao’s bright eyes flashed with the sinister joy of anticipating revenge as he spoke. He had never revealed his army of Poison Corpses before, having prepared them all for his eventual face-off against Medical City. Although the time wasn’t ripe, he wouldn’t spare anyone there if they dared to touch a hair on Poison lass’s head!
Soon enough, Carefree City would spread the news until it reached Gu Yuntian’s ears. He’d understand what he meant. He hadn’t killed those fellows because he didn’t want Han Yunxi to be labeled as cruel or ruthless, much less smear the Poison Sect’s name. He couldn’t stand to see the world cursing Poison lass. He’d rather she acknowledge her ancestors while being as free as the wind, as dazzling as the light!
A flash of surprise fitted through Han Yunxi’s hart. She had the faint sense that Gu Qishao should know about the medical academy’s secrets if he was once their illustrious ‘fiendish genius.’
“You…” she was about to ask when he suddenly turned towards her.