FMT 31

Chapter 31 Blue Flower Poison

After Chen Shuangning left, Liandan developed a fever. His whole body trembled with chills, and his teeth chattered. His body ached to the extreme, with a dull pain pressing at the center of his back, radiating through his whole body, leaving him unable to move.

He was worried about the child napping beside him and tried to open his eyes, but he could not do it at all. He did not know how much time passed when he felt the child’s small hand pawing at him, but he still could not wake up.

After a while, he heard Xiaodan’s, at first it was a soft whimper, then loud sobs.

Liandan’s mind was hazy. He wanted to raise his hand to comfort the child lying on him, but he could not even do that. At that moment, in his dim state, the weight on his body lightened, Xiaodan was lifted away.

Liandan’s whole body tensed. A gentle female voice spoke by his ear.

“Sleep well. Sleeping more will help you recover faster. Don’t worry, I’ll watch over the child.”

Xiaodan’s crying gradually softened, leaving only small sobs. The female voice coaxed softly.

“Xiaodan, don’t cry. Let’s go eat an egg yolk, alright?”

The voice did not sound exactly right, but it should be Sister Tingzi from Aunt Wu’s family next door.

As the footsteps faded, Liandan’s body finally relaxed. He let himself sink into unconsciousness.

….

When he woke again, it was already dark outside the window, and an oil lamp burned on the table in the room.

A young girl sat with her back to the bed at the table. She held Xiaodan, who babbled in her arms, and was showing him a picture book. As she turned the pages, she gently told him the stories inside.

Liandan looked at them. His gaze grew fully clear, his eyes widened, and his dry throat barely squeezed out a hoarse question.

“You… who are you?”

The girl paused, put down the book, held Xiaodan, and stood up. She turned around, revealing a young face with a faint smile at the lips.

She looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, with pale skin, bright eyes, and striking features.

Liandan had never seen anyone this beautiful before. He stared blankly. The girl smiled at him again, walked over, placed the heavy Xiaodan into his arms, then gave him a graceful bow.

“Someone asked me to take care of you.”

Hearing this, Liandan froze again. Then he quickly realized who that person might be.

His expression turned cold. He lowered his eyelids and kept silent. The girl saw his refusal and said softly.

“The Blue Flower poison is very strong. You won’t be able to get up for several days, let alone take care of the child. I will leave on my own when you recover, and I won’t disturb you again.”

Liandan glanced at her quickly, then turned his head away. He did not say no, and the girl knew that meant he had not refused again. She smiled.

“Xiaodan already drank his milk. You must be hungry. I’ll get you some porridge.”

With that, she left the room. Liandan watched her back warily until her figure disappeared beyond the door. Then he hugged Xiaodan tightly and pressed his face into the child’s small neck.

….

The girl brought porridge and set it on the small table beside the bed. She arranged the pillows and bedding at the head of the bed so Liandan could lean comfortably while eating.

When she reached over to the bedside, Liandan’s eyes brushed across her without meaning to. He quickly pulled them back, held them there for a moment, then carefully looked away.

This porridge was different from what Liandan usually ate, prepared with more care.

It was a simple bowl of white rice porridge, but with green vegetables and minced pork added, and sesame oil drizzled on top. The aroma was rich.

Xiaodan, though already full, still ate a few spoonfuls along with him. After they finished, the girl cleared the bowls.

Liandan listened to the sounds of washing from the outer room while playing with Xiaodan. But he was still doubtful.

After a while, the noise outside stopped. The door creaked open, and the girl came back in, carrying a basin of water and a cloth. She took Xiaodan from Liandan’s arms.

“Wiping your face with hot water will make you feel better.”

Liandan thanked her and looked again at the wrist she stretched out when handing him the cloth. The girl smiled as she watched him. After he finished wiping, she said slowly.

“You recognized me, didn’t you?”

Liandan was startled. He saw the girl raise her hand to stroke an imaginary long beard, then walk around with square steps on the floor. Liandan’s eyes widened. He pointed at her.

“You’re the old village doctor!”

The girl nodded with a bright smile.

“How did you do it?” Liandan was shocked, and in his eyes there was also fear he could not hide.

The girl only smiled without speaking. From the bundle she had brought and set on the table, she took out a wooden box, opened it, and carefully lifted out a mask as thin as a cicada’s wing. She placed it lightly on her face. Even though it was not properly adjusted and did not fit snugly, the old village doctor’s appearance was already there. With a false beard added, it would be exactly the same.

Liandan watched as her fingers searched along her cheek and hairline. Soon she peeled the mask off again, revealing her original pale and beautiful face.

She laid the mask flat, closed the lid of the wooden box, and put it back into the bundle.

After doing this, the girl came to the bedside, sat on the chair, and looked at Liandan’s still shocked face. She said, “It had only been a few days since you came back from Lingyun Mountain when I occasionally came over. After I found out you were pregnant, since you had Blue Flower poison in your body, your situation was special, and ordinary doctors could not treat you. So I disguised myself as the old doctor in your village and came to see you when necessary.”

Liandan touched his belly and recalled the dreamlike nights during his pregnancy. He muttered, “So it was all you.”

As for why the girl had taken such care of him, Liandan no longer needed to guess. It must have been by someone’s request.

When he thought of that person, Liandan’s expression dimmed and he lowered his head.

The girl raised her hand and put it on his shoulder, just about to comfort him. But Liandan suddenly lifted his head, as if he had just remembered something, and grabbed her wrist that rested on his shoulder. He spoke quickly.

“Chen Shuangning’s face, could it also be…?”

Before he finished his question, the girl already nodded with certainty.

Liandan blinked. His expression was first blank, then he suddenly understood, then again it became a flat, confused silence.

No wonder Chen Shuangning’s face had looked so similar to the portrait in his mother-in-law’s hands, except for those eyes. They had already… and yet he did not even know what the other person really looked like.

Liandan lowered his head and asked softly, “He… is his name also not Chen Shuangning?”

The hand on his shoulder slipped down. The girl’s soft hand held Liandan’s hand, the strength slightly firm.

Liandan lifted his head to look at her. He saw her eyes gazing at the ceiling, as if she was recalling something. In her eyes there was nostalgia, and also heavy sorrow that would not fade.

She was silent for a short while, then looked back at Liandan’s face. She exhaled lightly and said, “He told you his name was Chen Shuangning. Then you can call him that.”

Liandan’s face showed sadness.

The girl noticed it, paused, looked at him, and said softly, “About his name, he did not lie to you.”

Liandan lowered his head and did not speak. It was unclear whether he believed her or not.

After a while he finally raised his head to look at her and asked, “I still don’t know what your name is.”

The girl clearly hesitated before she said, “I… just call me Xue Ming.”

….

Xue Ming was very familiar with the Chen household. She did not need Liandan to tell her where things were.

Her way of doing things was different from Chen Shuangning’s, but faintly similar too.

For example, she cooked very well and paid much attention to presentation and color.

When Xiaodan took his afternoon nap, she would go out to buy many expensive ingredients and come back to make soup, stir-fry dishes, cook porridge, and so on, not minding the trouble.

The meals she prepared for Xiaodan were also especially delicate. She shaped food into little animals so the child would like eating it even more.

She was very close to Xiaodan and extremely patient.

At night, even though Liandan urged her to lie down in the next room and rest properly, she firmly refused. She stayed in the room, meditating like Chen Shuangning.

Outside, at the slightest noise, even a stray cat stepping on the courtyard wall, she would open her eyes in alertness and look out through the window crack for a long while.

During these days, Tang Hua and Tingzi both came to the house. Before they even entered the courtyard, Xue Ming had already noticed. Just like Chen Shuangning, she made no sound when walking. The only sound was the creak of the window frame, and then she was gone.

When the visitors left, she returned quickly.

Liandan actually liked being around this girl. But every time their conversation grew closer, he would remember that she was someone sent by Chen Shuangning, and perhaps she carried other intentions. Then he could not help but distance himself again.

Xue Ming had a good temper. When she saw he suddenly did not want to talk, she did not feel slighted or angry. She simply busied herself in the outer room, making good food for him and the child.

….

After five or six days of such care, Liandan had almost fully recovered. That day, Xue Ming sat with him to do needlework. The two chatted as they worked.

“What is Blue Flower poison?” Liandan suddenly asked. “Am I poisoned?”

Xue Ming stopped her work and sighed. “I thought you would never ask.” The smile disappeared from her face, and she frowned. “It is a very vicious poison. That night at the temple, the false Yuanjing used exactly that on you.”

Mentioning that night made Liandan a little embarrassed. He turned his head away and said in a low voice, “Was it that white powder?”

Xueming said, “Yes. Once you inhale it, you are poisoned. The cruelest part of it is that after use it not only creates irresistible heat, but more terrifying is that within the time it takes one incense stick to burn, if the poisoned person does not copulate, the body will explode.”

Liandan suddenly raised his head, his face showing sudden realization and horror.

So it was like that…

Xue Ming said, “But even if the poisoned person has intercourse within that time, it doesn’t mean it is over. On every full moon night after that, the poison will flare up, causing unbearable pain. Each attack will be worse than the last. Only intercourse can ease it, but it only treats the symptom, not the root. The final result is still the body exploding and death.”

Liandan’s face went pale, his whole body trembling.

Xue Ming held his hand and squeezed gently. “Don’t worry. He already gave you one antidote. Once I make a second antidote, you will be fine.”

Liandan was still afraid. “How long will it take? Will… will it be too late?”

Xueming shook her head. “Your pregnancy with Xiaodan is a blessing. Being pregnant slowed down the poison’s progress.”

She looked at Liandan and gave a serious assurance. “He said it himself. You were dragged into this without cause. He will not let anything happen to you.”

Liandan blinked. His expression suddenly changed as if he thought of something. First red, then white, finally he bit his lip, his face showing difficulty.

Xueming was very perceptive and already understood.

She thought for a moment, then spoke plainly. “Your body is weaker than ordinary people’s. Each flare of Blue Flower poison will hurt more than the last. On the next full moon, you absolutely will not survive it.”

Liandan lowered his head and stayed silent.

Xueming said, “He has to leave for something very important. But on the fifteenth of next month, he will definitely come back.”