The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #162

The physician ended up leaving behind some calming medicine. She quieted down after drinking the brewed medicine and woke up around the time when the sky was beginning to brighten. 

Seeing him, she smiled tiredly and muttered: “Did you…beat me up in the middle of the night? Why else would you be so tired?”

Seeing that she is still in the mood to joke around, Jin Siyu could only play along and twitched the corner of his mouth upward. After being silent for a few moments he said “No hardship in this life is more difficult than death, yet you don’t seem to have much desire to keep on living?” 

She didn’t say anything to answer him but her expression was one of clear disagreement. After a long moment, she finally said: “…you can’t bear to kill me?” (So in English, the wording of “bear” gives a very strong emotion of caring/love but here, while the Chinese word can mean exactly that, but it also can mean “You can’t bear to kill me because you are afraid that I could be a valuable prisoner”. So it’s a word that can go either way. Most of the time it is used in a positive way though.)

Jin Siyu didn’t reply right away but then suddenly smiled “The human mind is really a difficult thing to predict. Some people are dying and are struggling to live. Some people have the chance to live but they are willing to just give up and die.” 

She closed her eyes, looking as if she was too lazy to answer him. 

But this time, Jin Siyu didn’t want an answer from her and just clapped his hand. The guards carried a person in and placed him in the outer room. Jin Siyu explained: “This is a friend of yours. He is about to die but he doesn’t want to and has been struggling to live. You are both sick like this so I am not going to worry about propriety. I am just going to put him in the outer room, let you see how some people are fighting for their life. Hopefully, this will encourage you and help you get better.”

“My friend?” She opened her eyes, thought for a moment, and asked “Hua Qing?”

“His name is Kelie.” Jin Siyu said nonchalantly, “He knelt in front of my manor and pleaded for three days and three nights after finding out that you were captured but ended up getting bit on the throat by the guard dogs. Till this day he is still unconscious and is unable to speak. Who knows if he will make it but I admire this man’s loyalty and he has committed no big crimes so I would be willing to give him a chance to work for me…but of course he will need to be alive first to enjoy this great opportunity.” 

Listening to him, she let out a tired smile and said: “Kelie…is it? Then please save…him.” 

“I too want to save him and see what he will say when he wakes up.” Jin Siyu gets up “I heard there is a village physician in the Puchan western mountain whose ancestors had a medicine prescription that have had miraculous effects on many difficult illnesses. I will order my men to go seek this physician and bring him here for you two.”

“I think…you are a good person.” She smiled, held on to his sleeve, and said in a low voice, “Why can’t I remember…why I should be your enemy?” 

“You will have to ask yourself that.” Jin Siyu gently pulled back his sleeve with a smile as he tapped his own head with a finger before gingerly tugging the blanket around her, “Sleep, that Kelie whose throat was bitten through will often let out some weird noises, don’t be frightened.” 

She nodded calmly. There was even a hint of pity in her expression. After looking at her for a bit, he walked out briskly but lightly. 

Nestled in among the blankets with her eyes open, she listened as the footsteps gradually faded. 

In the outer room, the sound of Kelie’s labored and strange breathing, came. 

Kelie’s breathing was indeed very strange. The sound is like a tattered accordion being pulled apart, emitting a frightening hollow crackly sound, causing one to wonder if the accordion will fall apart soon. 

Or…perhaps it will fall apart with just a push. 

 The maids passed by back and forth, all averting their eyes to avoid looking at the person on the bed. None have ever seen a person injured to this extent. To still be alive even after having a hole torn out of one’s throat. A piece of flash on his face was also bitten out but one can still see the beauty the face must’ve been before. The more stunningly beautiful something is, the more shocking it is to see it after it was shattered. 

“So frightening…” Two maids whispered together, “Such good looks, what a shame…”

“He ended up like this because he was trying to save someone? What a hero…”

“That person seems to be in such urgency. He seems to want to say something but then couldn’t move, so pitiful…”

She opened her eyes, listened, and smiled. 

“Miss, would you like to go see?” A middle-aged woman with a kind face came over. Judging by her clothes, she has a high status among the maids. “That friend of yours, not sure how much longer he will be alive.” 

She gave a soft “En”. The woman immediately summon people to bring in a bamboo bed to carry her into the outer room and placed her right next to Kelie.  (En, is a sound indicating agreement.)

She turned her head and looked at the man who was a foot away from her. The expression in her eyes was one of unfamiliarity and gratitude. 

When her gaze fell on the torn throat, her eyes narrowed and something flashed across it but no one could see it. 

When they looked at her again, her expression was still one of shock and regret.

The middle-aged woman who had been taking care of her suddenly said, “Ah, there was a herb in Miss’ medicine that His Highness was not satisfied with and had ordered me to go get a better one from his room. I almost forgot. Wan Chun, Hu Xia, you guys follow me to go fetch it.” 

The two maids followed the middle-aged woman out and the maids in the inner room are still busy changing bedding so for the moment, there is no one around her. The only ones left are the third-class maids who are not allowed indoor and are standing outside the door. (The maids are separated into classes according to their duties/station. They can be promoted or demoted.) 

The bizarre-sounding breathing became louder as Kelie’s eyelid twitched slightly, showing signs of waking up soon.

This person, if he wakes up, what will he do? 

Tilting her head on the pillow, she examined Kelie carefully. Her eyes were seemingly shrouded behind layers of dark clouds, as deep as a bottomless abyss. 

A long time passed before she finally stretched out a hand.

Her hand reached to the side of Kelie’s throat…

….to carefully tucked in the corner of Kelie’s blanket. 

By the time the middle-aged woman came back, what greeted her was the sight of her sleeping peacefully by Kelie’s side. Her breathing even, Kelie’s blanket carefully tugged in, quiet peacefully in his unconsciousness. 

The middle-aged woman stood by the door, turned slightly, and revealed Jin Siyu’s pensive face behind her. 

He stared at her that is peacefully sleeping by Kelie’s side. It is difficult to tell if the expression in his eyes is one of relief or concern. Gently, he sat down by her side and brushed away the stray hair that was matted to her forehead by sweat. 

After a few moments, he said in a low voice “Send more men. Be sure to bring the physician immediately!” 

———————————–

Pucheng mountain is the highest mountain outside of Pucheng city. The weather in the mountain is very cold and according to the rumors, poisonous fog will even appear quite frequently. Yet, the hunters who hunt in the mountain rarely get sick. 

This is all thanks to physician Ruan Zheng who supposedly had an ancestor that was a palace physician that later retired to his hometown. It is said that physician Ruan Zheng possesses many secret medical prescriptions that could cure many ills but his personality is very odd, never leaving the mountain, and insisting on living on the lonely cliff top. 

A few black shadows shot straight up the cliff, soon arriving at the top. 

The visitor knocked gently. The owner came slowly to answer the door but upon opening found it to be empty of visitors. Just as he was wondering if he was perhaps dreaming, he immediately heard another knocking sound coming from behind him. Turning around, the owner only then realized the visitor had knocked on the window and not the door. 

There was no road under the window, just ten thousand feet of the cliffside. 

Physician Ruan shivered. In that instant, words like ghost and mountain spirits flashed across his mind but the visitors were already coming in uninvited. 

Three figures, surrounding him, one of them flashed a grin showing his bright white teeth and asked: “Do you wish for us to freely throw you down this window or tie you up and send you out the door?”

Naturally, one can guess what Physician Ruan’s choice was. 

The physician and the medicine boy in the next room were tied up and sent down the mountain in the night, to a place that no one can find. The remaining three people changed their clothes, disguised their faces, and squatted down to begin arguing. 

“There is only one medicine boy, so naturally I will go.” The one with very white teeth waved his fist, “I am good at fighting, have quick reflexes, I speak…”

*bang*

A muffled sound returned the room to silence. 

The one who delivered the punch said somberly “My fist can speak better.” 

The one who is sitting on a chair sipping tea frowned and said “Nan Yi, I still think Helian would be better, you…”

The yellow-clothed young man turned his head, his ordinary looking face mask was a good match with his flat voice “If I cause failure, I kill myself.” 

Zong Chen stopped talking and sighed. He knows that the person in front of him is unique and possesses a determination that most people can’t match. 

He once buried himself in the sand for five days and five nights for his martial art training and almost died of suffocation. It was all just because someone had told him in passing that five days and five nights would be the most effective but the person had forgotten to tell him that length of time would cause death. 

He has never been one to think too much of consequences. He only does the things he wants to do. 

Without the scheming and worries that beset the common men, then there are also no retreats and fears. 

A person like him, once he vowed to protect Feng Zhi Wei for life, then he will never voluntarily leave her. 

Not waiting for Zong Chen’s answer, Gu Nan Yi tied Helian up, stuffed his mouth with Physician Ruan’s unwashed stinky socks, and stuck him under the bed. 

The two then immediately lay down on top of the guy’s head to sleep comfortably– The security in Puncheng is very tight with lots of checkpoints. With a large army outside and the prince’s personal guards inside, it is truly the most dangerous place right now. To avoid drawing too much attention, the men they’ve brought with them have mostly been sent out to wait outside of the city. Only the most elite are staying inside the city. Even with all that, they don’t dare to send the elite into the prince’s manor, in fear that they are not good enough to deal with Jin Siyu and end up alerting the enemy. Since they want to deal with everything personally out of caution, both of them are a bit tired right now. Moreover, they know that it will be even more tiring from this point on. Tonight is the last night they can have a restful sleep. When tomorrow comes, there will be no more sleep. 

Even knowing this, someone is still unable to sleep, turning over and over in bed. Zhong Chen finally sighed and said “Nan Yi, she will be fine. You need to trust her. Even if everyone in this world died, she will not die so easily.” 

The person turning in bed in the dark stopped but didn’t say anything either. At the break of dawn, a still half asleep Zhong Chen heard him mutter:

“You are always leaving me behind.” 

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