Long Tianyu thought he heard something from within the room before he had gone too far.
Frowning, he quickened his steps as he returned to the room.
“Mengya! Zuo Qiuyu, someone come!”
He spotted Lin Mengya, who had been paralyzed on the ground the moment he entered through the door.
Long Tianyu tensed up the moment he saw the fresh blood at the corner of Lin Mengya’s mouth.
There was an unusual ruddiness to Lin Mengya’s cheeks. Long Tianyu pulled up Lin Mengya’s sleeves and as he expected, there was a red patch made up of wriggly lines like earthworms on her right arm. The sight brought great pain to Long Tianyu’s heart.
“What’s happened? What’s happened?”
Zuo Qiuyu rushed over the moment he heard the commotion. Apparently, he was flabbergasted when he saw the Lin Mengya in Long Tianyu’s arms.
“This is… Quick, Long Tianyu, lay her on the bed!”
How would Long Tianyu be willing to put her down? He continued holding Lin Mengya in his arms while he sat down on the bed, looking solemn.
Zuo Qiuyu immediately felt her pulse and as he did so, the expression on his face turned solemn too.
“How could this be? There’s no pulse! Breathing… Why isn’t she breathing too?”
The situation turned extremely bizarre.
Lin Mengya, who was completely well just a moment ago, was not showing any signs of breathing and no pulse at all.
Nevertheless, the red lines on her right arms appeared to be dancing around vigorously.
By this time, Zuo Qiuyu was drenched in sweat, but he still had no inkling of what was happening to Lin Mengya.
“Go get Chang Tianhua for me! This medication had been prescribed by him. He will know!”
The bizarre situation, however, had made Long Tianyu calm down in that instant.
Although there was no pulse or breathing, he was certain that Lin Mengya was still alive.
He once heard his master mentioned that there was something the people who practiced martial arts did, which was to lapse into a state that appeared to be dead. Someone in this state would appear perfectly normal, except that he would have no breathing and no pulse.
From Lin Mengya’s appearance, she had perhaps lapsed into a state of fake death.
This was the only reason that explained the ruddiness on her cheeks even in the absence of breathing and pulse.
At this moment, Zuo Qiuyu had rushed off to look for Elder Chang. Cautiously, Long Tianyu held on to Lin Mengya, fearing that he would miss anything while she was in this state.
Not long after, Elder Chang arrived with Zuo Qiuyu in a hurry.
By this time, the ruddiness on Lin Mengya’s cheeks had subsided considerably. At the same time, the red marks on her right arm appear to slow down in their movements.
However, Lin Mengya’s breathing and pulse had not returned.
“Elder Chang, although Mengya always suffers excruciating pain when she ingests your prescription, nothing like this had ever happened. Did something go wrong?”
Chang Tianhua did not dare to slight Zuo Qiuyu after hearing his words. He immediately felt for Lin Mengya’s pulse.
He frowned while he felt for her pulse in silence. It was only after some time that he exhaled and started to speak slowly.
“The princess was pulsing in a strange pattern that was extremely rare in the world. Although there’re no breathing and pulse on the surface, she is still alive. There should not be any problem with my prescription. Nevertheless, there are signs that show that the princess’s arteries and veins had been injured before. The effect of the medication I prescribed must be too powerful. Not to worry, I’ve researched into another new medication which has a much gentler effect.”
Chang Tianhua wiped away the perspiration on his forehead. He was afraid that the two important guests would take it out on him.
However, both Long Tianyu and Zuo Qiuyu were reasonable and rational. They had not displayed any signs of violence towards him.
“Does that mean my cousin’s life is not at risk?” asked Zuo Qiuyu severely.
Chang Tianhua pondered carefully before he nodded solemnly.
In that instant, the two men finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Look, Mengya has started to breathe!”
Zuo Qiuyu’s excited voice instantly made Long Tianyu nervous once again.
He fixed his gaze on Lin Mengya until she gradually opened her eyes.
It appeared that she was struggling very hard just to come out of darkness.
The protection precaution of the Shen Nung system on the human body had been too sensitive.
She had vomited a mouthful of blood because of the powerful effect of the medication, and the Shen Nung system had automatically been activated. Moreover, the system needed time to make a diagnosis, making sure that the life of the body was not in danger before shutting down the system.
Lin Mengya was aware of such a safety measure, but there was nothing she could do to control it.
The moment she opened her eyes, she realized that she was staring into Long Tianyu’s anxiety-filled eyes.
She dazed for a moment, then she broke out into a smile. She supposed he had been flabbergasted.
“I’m fine, Long Tianyu. Don’t worry.”
A simple statement from Lin Mengya made Long Tianyu’s expression froze.
He gazed deeply into her eyes and the coldness in his own eyes faded. What took over was a look of deep affection.
She could not recall the moment this man with bone-chilling temperament started to give out warmth to her.
Lin Mengya seemed to be captivated by his deep, dark eyes which were like a start that was most difficult to come by. It seemed to attract her heart and suck it in.
“Cough… my dear cousin, how are you feeling now?”
The enchanting atmosphere was broken in that instant. Lin Mengya turned around and saw that Zuo Qiuyu and Chang Tianhua seemed to have a mutual agreement. They had turned their heads in opposite directions simultaneously.
They looked as if they were carefully studying the decorations in her room.
Blushing only a little, Lin Mengya, who was an unusual girl, did not feel especially embarrassed over such trivial matters.
Anyways, she and Long Tianyu were a pair of lawfully wedded husband and wife. Would their gestures not be counted as affection between a pair of loving couples?
She braced herself and got up with the help and support of Long Tianyu.
She did not feel any bodily discomfort and other sensations apart from feeling strengthless in her legs.
She jiggled her body and realized that her right arm felt much better. Elder Chang’s medication was indeed out of the ordinary.
However, the moment she steadied herself, she saw Long Tianyu frowning as he looked awkwardly at Elder Chang.
She supposed Long Tianyu thought Elder Chang’s prescription was the cause of the painful episode a moment ago.
If so, he would have wronged Elder Chang.
“Actually, it’s all my fault. Elder Chang’s prescription was indeed amazing. It’s all because I couldn’t wait for my arm to heal, so I overdosed a little. Given my body is different from that of others, I’ve made everyone anxious. It’s all my fault. I’m sorry.”
Lin Mengya bowed after she finished speaking.
It was only then that Long Tianyu’s furrowed brows eased.
He clearly knew that Lin Mengya’s intention was to give credit to Elder Chang.
Rightfully, he should not blame Elder Chang and be angry with him.
“That’s right. I’m deeply grateful to Elder Chang for studying into this medication and prescribing it to my wife.”
Upon hearing Long Tianyu’s calm tone of voice, the tension in Chang Tianhua’s hearts finally eased.
He quickly smiled and waved his hand, saying, “It’s nothing. It’s all thanks to the princess for trusting me so much as to try my prescription. However, the effect of this medication is way too strong. I’ve studied further and created another pill with a much gentler effect. If you take this new medication, it will also be as effective.”
Immediately, the atmosphere became much more harmonious.
Chang Tianhua may be an oddball, but he had a good impression of both Lin Mengya and Zuo Qiuyu.
He might appear to be old-fashioned, but he was actually a perceptive and sensible person.
He was about the only person in the Pavilion of Herbs who managed to earn some trust from Lin Mengya and her companions.
“Princess, although you have been implicated by what happened to Du Zhong, this may not all bad after all.”
Back in the conference room, the few of them had settled down for tea when Chang Tianyu spoke up after pondering for some time.
“Oh? Why is that so?”
Lin Mengya turned to Chang Tianhua with a quizzical look on her face.
What happened had resulted in the three of them being locked up in her small courtyard.
This would mean many more inconveniences for them going forward.
Chang Tianyu paused for a moment before starting to speak.
“On the surface, Qian Yuming and Nan Rui may appear to be on the same boat. However, they had already become enemies due to disputes over personal interests. The Duanmu brothers are smart enough not to offend anyone. As for me, I’m just an idle person who doesn’t pose any threat to them. However, Du Zhong, who was Qian Yuming’s trusted disciple, had lost his life on this occasion over the box with an abstruse secret. In reality, he did not die because of neglect, rather, someone was intent on adding fuel on the fire.”
Sensing that there was hidden meaning in Chang Tianhua’s words, Lin Mengya and her two companions exchanged looks, then they kept silent as they waited for Chang Tianhua’s explanation.
“Both Qian Yuming and Nan Rui are eyeing the position of the Chief Elder, but they both lacked the level of attainment. Do you know why the elders of the Pavilion of Herbs insisted on holding this medical skills competition?”
The corner of Lin Mengya’s mouth curled up into a scornful smile as she could somewhat guess the reason.
“The reason is that they wish to repossess the music score for the green stringed instrument and the Hundred Herb Seal!”
Chang Tianhua’s words did not come as a surprise to Lin Mengya.
The reason for holding such a great fanfare was not simply for electing the Chief Elder of the Pavilion of Herbs.
One ought to understand that the Pavilion of Herbs was able to grow to such a grand scale relying on the direction given by the music score for the green stringed instrument.
Now that the music score for the green stringed instrument had been lost and the Chief Elder who was the only person who knew about it had disappeared. Without the music score for the green stringed instrument, naturally it had lost its attraction for talents.
Lin Mengya finally understood the reason her mother hid the music score for the green stringed instrument.
People were getting into trouble on account of this cherished item. This item seemed like a treasure, but was in reality a hornet’s nest.
“But… the music score for the green stringed instrument had already been destroyed and the Hundred Herb Seal had gone missing.”
Zuo Qiuyu said slowly after stealing a glance at Lin Mengya.
At this moment, Chang Tianhua also looked toward Lin Mengya with earnestness in his eyes. However, the tone of his voice was so low that only the few of them could hear him.
“Princess, back then, everyone said that the Chief Elder had handed down the music score for the green stringed instrument to the Eldest Princess. I am not eyeing the position of the Chief Elder, which I don’t deserve, but I’ve been in this for so many years. I am earnestly hoping to have a look at the amazing music score for the green stringed instrument.”
Chang Tianhua sounded so earnest that it seemed that he was sincere.
Lin Mengya pondered for a moment. She would have done a disservice if this book were to be ruined in her hands.
However, the content of the book was stored in her brain. She could not possibly put her brain into another person’s body.
