Chapter 4: The Most Difficult to Endure the Favor of a Beauty

Sai Huatuo heavily placed the dustpan on the table in the hall, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her outside, saying, "Go, go, go, you are not welcome here!" Yun'er opened her throat and shouted, "Unlawful behavior, unlawful behavior!" Startled, he quickly let go, puffing his cheeks and glaring at her.

Dongfang Qi helped her up, repeatedly saying, "I am unworthy, I am unworthy, Miss Caihe, please do not perform such a grand gesture." Even the notoriously sharp-tongued Sai Huatuo stood by to comfort her

Dongfang Qi ignored his mockery and said, "Open the door quickly." He replied in confusion, "Haven't you already climbed over the wall to come in? What do you need to open the door for?" Dongfang Qi was too lazy to say much to him, unfastened the door bolt, and led Yun'er and Cai He inside

Oh, I see, no wonder. If you were to be absent for a day, wouldn't she end up suffering from the cold and turning into an ice person? Haha, this woman is sharp-tongued and bitter; turning her into an ice sculpture for others to admire is quite a good idea indeed

Yun'er, infuriated and breathless, abruptly overturned the table and said darkly, "What does it matter who I am to him? Is it forbidden for others to follow him? What can you do about it? If you have the ability, then defeat me!" As she spoke, she cracked her knuckles and looked at him menacingly

After a night of commotion, he did not rise until the sun shone through the window the next day. As he draped on his clothes and stepped out, he caught a whiff of medicinal herbs and shouted as he rushed into the kitchen, "Ah ah ah ah ah... my century-old Changbai Mountain ginseng..." After a while, he yelled again, "Dongfang Qi, do you even know how to brew medicine? With such a big fire, the ginseng soup is going to boil dry..." While he scolded Dongfang Qi, he could not bear to watch the precious century-old ginseng being ruined, so he helped him brew the ginseng soup, his heart bleeding with every moment.

The East remained silent for a long time before saying, "This matter is a long story." He did not wish to elaborate further.

Upon sensing that the situation was amiss, Dongfang Qi, caught in the middle and feeling conflicted, immediately slipped away discreetly.

Cai He's eyes turned red, "Cai He comes from a lowly background, having been sold into a brothel since childhood. Yesterday, I was fortunate to be rescued by the young master and young lady, and from now on, I have escaped from the sea of suffering. I no longer wish to return to that shameful place, where I was subjected to beatings and insults."

In a moment of helplessness, Dongfang pointed a finger at his mute acupoint. To the still chattering Sai Huatuo, he clasped his hands and said, "Sai Huatuo, my brother, I apologize. It is late at night; after a good sleep, the acupoint will naturally be released." With the absence of his buzzing noise, the ears felt much clearer.

Dongfang Qi saw this and felt quite a headache. He shouted, "Yun'er, do not act recklessly, hurry and follow me inside to circulate your energy and dispel the cold!" Yun'er had no choice but to reluctantly withdraw her hand, huffing, "With your thieving eyes and a body as thin as a bamboo pole, you still claim to be a good young man from a respectable family? You are nothing but a rogue!" Serves him right, who told him to speak carelessly! Before she could finish her words, she suddenly shivered, feeling a chill in her heart, and the cold air from beneath her feet surged up again.

Before he could finish speaking, Yun'er kicked him in the knee and coldly said, "Alright, since Miss Caihe is so pitiful, you can take her in." Without waiting for him to respond, she turned to say, "Miss Caihe, Sai Huatuo has said that he is willing to take you in." Sai Huatuo was startled and repeatedly waved his hands, saying, "No, no, no, Miss Caihe, you should stay with Dongfang Qi; he is more good-looking—" After saying this, he screamed and ran away. This kind of fortune was something he could not afford.

Yun'er was infuriated to see her calling Dongfang Qi "Brother Dongfang." She huffed, "Miss Cai He, it is most detestable for a person to be ungrateful. We saved your life last night, yet how can you now say that we would stand by and do nothing? If we truly stood by and did nothing, you might have already disfigured your appearance, been shackled, and exiled to the frontier. Moreover, I have the final say regarding Dongfang Qi; it is useless for you to plead with him!" After saying this, she forcefully pulled Dongfang Qi away, "Go wherever it is cool, why are you making a fuss here!"

Seeing this, Sai Huatuo felt sympathy in his heart and interjected, saying: "Hey, I say to you, a young girl is crying like this, how pitiful it is. Just accept her, after all, a man can have one wife and one concubine anyway"

The expressions of the three people were strikingly different. Dongfang Qi heavily punched him, saying, "It seems you are still not awake—if you dare to speak nonsense again, be careful that I will dry you out and use you as herbal medicine!"

Sai Huatuo looked at the two of them under the moonlight, one as beautiful as the morning glow, graceful and elegant; the other resembling a pure lotus emerging from clear water, untainted and pristine. One approached from the left and the other from the right, and the humble abode suddenly radiated brilliance. He was so astonished that his mouth fell open, and after a while, he murmured, "Dongfang Qi, are these your two wives?"

At this, Sai Huatuo was so enraged that she jumped up, shouting, "Only women and petty people are difficult to nurture!" She refused to eat and stormed out in a huff. She glanced at Cai He, who was timidly standing at the door, feeling a wave of annoyance, and then she flung her hand and left.

Cai He revealed a shy and timid smile, delicately saying, "The young master of the East is the savior of this little girl." After speaking, she lowered her gaze to her toes, unable to contain her bashful demeanor

Yun'er paused for a moment, then replied with a heavy "hmph," and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I won't die. Haven't you heard that disasters can last for a thousand years?—By the way, where is that Sai Huatuo? Why isn't he here?" The two then went outside and saw Sai Huatuo squatting under the corridor, gathering herbs. Dongfang Qi then asked, "What about that girl picking lotus?"

Cai He, reflecting on her tragic background and uncertain future, could not help but burst into tears. Sai Huatuo had never witnessed such a scene; feeling at a loss, he said, "Miss Cai He, please do not cry. Let us discuss whatever is on your mind; there is nothing in this world that cannot be talked about—" Cai He, choking on her sobs, replied, "All I ask is for you, young master or young lady, to take me in, to serve tea and water, and I will have no complaints!"

Yun'er followed behind him, deliberately making jokes and saying, "Isn't it even better to be dewy? Absorbing the essence of the heavens, the earth, the sun, and the moon, as well as the quintessence of mountains and rivers, naturally leads to miraculous healing and the cure of ailments—" Seeing him suddenly turn around and glare at her fiercely, she couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Gone? Amitabha, thank heaven and earth!" She cheerfully ate her meal and said with a smile, "Doctor Sai, thank you for treating me for free and even making ginseng soup for me. I—" As she thought about how she had nothing to repay him with, she felt a bit embarrassed, so she picked up a piece of chicken leg and enthusiastically said, "Here, here, this is for you—" Before she could finish her sentence, she caught a glimpse of a figure gracefully walking in from outside the door, holding a large bag of items. Wasn't it Cai He?

Dongfang Qiting found his words increasingly nonsensical, to the point that he even mentioned his beautiful wife and concubines. He hurriedly said, "Sai Huatuo, what nonsense are you talking!" His mouth was like a sieve, leaking a thousand or eight hundred holes, and he couldn't gather them back. No wonder Yun'er was giving him a hard time. Sai Huatuo, having let slip his tongue, could not stop and continued to babble, "Now you are coveting my precious herbs again. Don't even think about it; there is no way in! You should take your two wives and hurry up and leave tonight. Don't say I am ungrateful or lacking in sentiment later!" He kept on babbling, "Now you are coveting my precious herbs again. Don't even think about it; there is no way in! You should take your two wives and hurry up and leave tonight. Don't say I am ungrateful or lacking in sentiment later!"

Cai He, in tears, said: "My parents have both passed away, and now I am all alone, without anyone to rely on—" As she spoke, she suddenly knelt down with a thud, "If the young master or young lady does not mind, I am willing to be a servant for life, serving the young master or young lady to repay the life-saving grace." Saying this, she lay on the ground and began to cry softly.

Yun'er was taken aback and said, "If you are not going back to Tianxiang Courtyard, where do you intend to go?"

Cai He then said, "Sister, are you cold?" Seeing her face pale, her lips dark blue, huddled with her shoulders shivering into a ball, he felt somewhat puzzled. Although the night was cool as water, it was early autumn, and it shouldn't be like this; after all, she was not standing in the icy cold wearing only a thin garment.

Sai Huatuo hummed: "Do you think this is just a scar from a knife or a wound from a sword, that applying a medicine will suffice? You must understand, the cold and sinister energy within her is not something that formed overnight; it has long since invaded her lungs and penetrated deep into her bones. It is a tremendous miracle that she has not perished. Who allowed her such good fortune, being nurtured by your true energy every day! With your pure Yang child technique, you are invincible across the world; even the King of Hell can only stare in astonishment at her."

At this moment, Sai Huatuo felt a pain in his heart as if his life was being taken away, making it impossible for him to eat; he felt as if he had lost his heart. He caught a glimpse of the elixir in Yun'er’s hand, which was like adding insult to injury, igniting a fury within him. This, this, this was not the Dragon Tongue Pill he had concocted last year, was it? It took eighteen medicinal herbs and a painstaking forty-nine days to produce! Ah—he wanted to kill Dongfang Qi; perhaps he could even use it as medicine.

Although the tone was cheerful and the expression seemed indifferent, to Dongfang Qier, the meaning was rather desolate. He thought for a moment and said: "Not being able to recall the past is not necessarily a bad thing; being able to let go of the past and start anew is even better. Those who abandon me, the days of yesterday cannot be retained; cherish the present, be content with the now, and live well. Nothing is more important than this."

He furrowed his brow and said, "Yun'er, you must not be so negligent. The coldness within you has accumulated over many years; as the saying goes, 'Three feet of ice does not form in a single day.' It cannot be resolved in a moment. My internal energy can only temporarily suppress the coldness that roams within your veins; it is merely a symptomatic treatment, not a cure. The icy chill remaining in your marrow must be resolved by you, bit by bit. If you do not take it seriously, I fear—" He did not finish his sentence. The icy chill remaining in your marrow must be resolved by you, bit by bit. If you do not take it seriously, I fear—" He did not finish his sentence. If you continue to allow the coldness to invade your body, it will accumulate and erode your bones, and in the long run, it may threaten your life.

Dongfang Qi sat down on the chair with a loud thud and laughed, saying: "You claim to be the 'Second Hua Tuo', yet you haven't heard that inviting a deity is easy, but sending them away is difficult!" Immediately, his expression turned serious, "What do you think of her?"

Yun'er listened, sighed, and helped her up, "Miss Cai He, it is not that we do not wish to take you in, but each person has their own fate, and we must each accept our destiny. You should leave now." She remained unmoved.

Sai Huatuo brushed him off and walked in, saying, "If there is none, then there is none." Seeing that he still wanted to use his eloquence, he raised his hand to interrupt, "Even if there is, I won't give it to you; this matter is off the table. Dongfang Qi, you say we have known each other since childhood, but when have you ever come to me without being covered in wounds? Not only do you not pay for medical fees, but you also expect me to provide you with food and shelter. And when you leave, you even want to casually take a couple of bottles of healing and detoxifying elixirs with you. Over all these years, have you ever given me even a single coin? Let that be aside; who told me, Sai Huatuo, to be so unfortunate to have known you since I was in open-crotch pants! Now, it has gotten worse; not only do you enjoy the blessings of a full family, but you even bring your beautiful wife and concubines, along with your entire family, to my place to eat and drink for free...

Unprepared, Sai Huatuo was struck in the mute acupoint by Dongfang Qi, causing his face to turn pale with anger and his body to tremble. He grabbed a chair and hurled it at Dongfang Qi's head. Seeing this, Dongfang Qi quickly fled. Unable to make a sound, Sai Huatuo had no choice but to return to his room and go to sleep.

Seeing him like this, Sai Huatuo found it inappropriate to ask further and instead said: "How did she survive?"

Yun'er rarely had the chance to sit quietly and breathe deeply. When she opened her eyes, she found the sun directly overhead, warming her face. She touched her stomach and realized no wonder she was hungry; it was already noon. Upon returning to the room, she saw several sets of chopsticks and bowls laid out on the table. She plopped down and asked Sai Huatuo, who was bringing in dishes, "Where is Dongfang?" Sai Huatuo replied, "He has gone out." She looked around and asked again, "What about that girl Cai He?" Without lifting his head, Sai Huatuo said, "She has left."

Dongfang Qi held her hand and said, "Alright, you can use the mental techniques I taught you to meditate and circulate your energy, and the cold will be suppressed." Yun'er jumped off the bed with a roll, smiling and saying, "I am not cold anymore, so I don't need to meditate and circulate my energy." She returned to her lively self.

She was surprised and put down her chopsticks, saying: "Sai Huatuo, didn't you say she left?" Sai Huatuo innocently replied: "Oh, I forgot to mention, she just went back to Tianxiang Courtyard to get some clothes and jewelry."

Dongfang Qi knocked on the door a few times but received no response, so he simply kicked it open and shouted, "Sai Huatuo, open the door quickly." He squeezed Yun'er’s fingers, which were icy to the bone, and couldn't help but frown, remaining silent.

He had just landed when someone inside stretched and yawned as they came out. Suddenly, upon seeing a figure by the wall, they were startled and thought they had seen a ghost. Rubbing their eyes, once they could see clearly, they said irritably: "Dongfang Qi, it's you again! Instead of using the front door, you prefer to sneak around!"

Dongfang frowned and said: "It is not yet to that extent. She also knows a bit of internal martial arts, but the situation is still not optimistic. That is why I have taken the trouble to bring her to you. Is there a cure for this?"

Sai Huatuo jumped up with one foot, repeatedly saying: "No, no, absolutely not!" His head shook like a rattle drum, with a resolute expression on his face

Dongfang Qi hurriedly pulled her into the room, helped her settle on the bed, and placed both palms on her back. He focused his energy in the dantian, slowly channeling his internal strength into her extraordinary meridians. The true energy flowed from the Baihui acupoint at the top of Yun'er’s head down to the Yongquan acupoint at the soles of her feet, completing a full circulation before he withdrew his hands. Yun'er felt a warm sensation enveloping her entire body, as if lying under a freshly sun-dried cotton quilt, soft and melting, with her hands and feet feeling like they were cradled by a small basin of warm fire, unlike the usual years of being soaked in water, cold and chilling.

However, he cannot defeat Dongfang Qi. At the thought of this, Sai Huatuo despises himself for having studied medicine instead of martial arts in his earlier years. He truly does not understand what sins he committed in his past life that led him to meet Dongfang Qi in this life, to have unfortunate encounters, to associate with the wrong crowd, and to end up in such a tragic situation

Sai Huatuo did not lift his head and said, "I saw her face full of fatigue, so I sent her to sleep." He glanced at Yun'er, snorted, clearly still brooding over the earlier incident. Yun'er pretended not to know, squatted down beside him, and curiously asked, "Why are you fiddling with these flowers and plants in the middle of the night?" He replied in a rough voice, "There is dew at night, it needs to be collected." After saying this, he took a dustpan and went into the house.

The night is deep, and all is silent. A large full moon is embedded in the azure sky, casting shadows of trees that sway gently against the wall, while the flowers and trees create a cool shade. A gentle breeze blows, and the white dew has slightly fallen, making Yun feel a bit of chill as she rubs her arms and hops around.

Only Yun'er and Cai He remained, one standing with a cold expression, the other lying on the ground with red eyes. Yun'er cursed inwardly, truly a master of singing, reciting, acting, and fighting; no wonder she is an actress. Tears flowed down like water, incessantly. Seeing her still in such a pitiful and fragile state, Yun'er glared and said: "Miss Cai He, do not think that just because we saved you, we are good people. Let me tell you the truth, I and Dongfang Qi are renowned in the martial world as the 'Demonic Duo.' We kill without blinking, our evil deeds are notorious. The reason we saved you yesterday was merely because I was in a good mood, a momentary whim, and I did a good deed on a whim. Originally, I intended to see the matter through to the end, to send you back as a way of accumulating merit. If you do not appreciate this, heh heh—" With a sinister smile, she continued, "Then I will sell you back into a brothel, where you will entertain guests every day!" Let’s see if she dares to have any improper thoughts about Dongfang! After delivering her harsh words, she lifted her foot and went to the backyard to meditate.

Yun'er made a face at him, raised her chin, and said: "I insist on living here. If you dare to drive me away, I will tell others that you are bullying me!" After saying this, she swaggered off to sleep.

Yun'er was greatly shocked, her complexion changing dramatically

The person was so frightened that they curled up in a corner, trembling all over, begging for mercy and pointing at Yun'er, unable to speak, "You, you, you... you lewdly harass respectable young men... Dongfang, where did you find this shrew..."

Yun'er crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Then tell me, which one is the first wife and which one is the second wife?" Seeing his gaze lingering back and forth between herself and Cai He, finally resting on Cai He, she could not help but become furious. She rushed over, delivering a flurry of punches and kicks, cursing as she struck, "You blind fool, unable to distinguish between the two, yet you dare to speak disrespectfully and tease respectable women..."

Cai He saw that she was unresponsive, tears streaming down her face, and she collapsed to the ground, then clutched onto Dongfang Qi's sleeve, sobbing as she said: "Brother Dongfang, will you also stand by and do nothing?" Dongfang Qi, flustered, pulled her away, saying, "Miss Cai He, what are you talking about—" He was already overwhelmed with one Yun'er by his side, how could he possibly handle two? Wasn't this asking for his life?

Yun'er held a bowl of ginseng soup and ate it with red dates, smiling as she said: "Sai Huatuo, why aren't you eating? Is your stomach uncomfortable? Just take a Baijin Dan and you'll be fine. I have some, here, take this—" As she spoke, she handed him a round pill the size of a mung bean, reddish-brown in color.

Yun'er was taken aback, her eyes fixed on her. Seeing her wanting to speak yet hesitating while looking at Dongfang Qi, with a face full of shyness and eyes filled with affection, she understood in her heart. It seemed that she intended to repay this life-saving grace by offering herself. Indeed, as Wu Butong had said, one should not easily save others, lest there be endless troubles later. Suddenly, she stood up and firmly refused: "No. Miss Caihe, Dongfang and I do not need you to be our servant or maid; you should find a good family to marry instead."

Yun'er trembled as she spoke, "No, my constitution is rather cold, it has always been this way—" Dongfang Qi grasped her wrist, continuously channeling his profound internal energy into her body. She let out a long sigh, halting the waves of cold energy that surged from her feet. Seeing her in this state, Dongfang Qi felt a twinge of anxiety and said, "Is Sai Huatuo still asleep? Why hasn't he come to open the door yet?" He turned his head and said, "Yun'er, please bear with it for a moment." With a push of his toes against a branch, he leaped into the air and flipped into the courtyard.

Yun'er slammed the table and pointed at him, saying: "If you dare to encourage Dongfang Qi to take her in, I will set fire to your herbs!" Sai Huatuo, enraged, retorted without thinking: "You are not even related to Dongfang Qi; you are merely the girl he rescued. She is more beautiful than you and willingly chose to stay, so why wouldn't Dongfang Qi want her?"

Dongfang Qi smiled slightly, leaning on his shoulder with a friendly expression and said: "Is there any way to delay it? For example, ginseng, deer antler, bird's nest, and He Shou Wu, all of which are excellent for nourishing the body, replenishing energy, and providing aid in times of need—"

Sai Huatuo trembled with anger at her back for a long time before finally managing to speak, "Dongfang Qi, how did you attract such a wicked woman? Hurry up and send her away..." No wonder Confucius said: "Only women and petty people are difficult to nurture."

Yun'er then asked, "Do you still have parents or relatives in Lin'an? It would be good to go home." It is certainly better than staying in a brothel, pure and clean.

Yun'er waved her hand and impatiently said, "I understand, I understand. For the sake of my own life, I will practice diligently day and night. After all, this life was saved by you, so I might as well consider it a stolen favor from the King of Hell. As long as I live one more day, what is there to complain about or blame heaven and earth for?"

After Yun'er finished the ginseng soup, she tossed the last red date from the plate into her mouth and said to Cai He, who was drinking porridge, "Miss Cai He, after we finish eating, Dongfang and I will escort you back to Tianxiang Courtyard." Cai He widened her beautiful eyes, slowly set down her bowl and chopsticks, and biting her lip said, "I escaped, and I can never return to Tianxiang Courtyard."

Only then did Sai Huatuo reveal his true identity as a divine physician. He pondered and said: "When I held her wrist just now and felt her pulse, I found that her limbs and body were as cold as frost, and there was a chilling energy stagnating in her internal organs. It does not seem like an injury, but rather something innate. How strange!" If a person were born like this, they would have long succumbed to the cold energy invading their bones and heart vessels, leading to an obstruction of qi and blood, resulting in death.

Dongfang Qi pressed his shoulder and said: "Sai Huatuo, as a healer, you should dedicate yourself to saving lives; saving a single life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. Your backyard is filled with such things, why be so stingy!"

Cai He wiped away her tears, knelt on the ground, and grasped her sleeve, pleading: "Sister Yun'er, Cai He is all alone, without any possessions. Although the world is vast, there is no place for me to belong; sold into a brothel since childhood, I have been looked down upon by society. Now, I find it extremely difficult to survive. I can only hope that you, sister, can show some kindness and take me in. I will be eternally grateful and will not hesitate to sacrifice my life in return."

As Yun'er just reached the doorway, she suddenly heard a chaotic sound of footsteps from outside. Peering through the crack of the door, she saw numerous officials and soldiers surrounding the entire courtyard from inside to out. These soldiers, armed with weapons, secured all the exits of the courtyard, surrounding it tightly, leaving no room for escape. Their movements were extremely swift, and in no time, they had completed the encirclement, demonstrating their well-trained skills.

I use my internal energy daily to dispel the cold for her, safeguarding her heart's pulse