Chapter 319: Chapter 274: Renowned
Clad in patient’s garments, Galuo lay on the bed by the wall, her gaze vacantly observing the drizzle outside the window through the glass.
This place was still Li Ang’s house, a residence in Golden City Square bestowed by Emperor Yu. The property actually covered a significant area, but it had only been inhabited by Li Ang and Chai Chai, leaving many annexes filled with assorted items—such as antiques and artworks worth thousands, even tens of thousands, of strings of coins.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
The knocking on the door resounded. Qiu Feng, by telekinesis, carried a tray bearing medicine and walked in with measured steps.
"How are you feeling?"
Qiu Feng set down the tray, removed the lid from the medicine jar, and the strong scent of herbal medicine immediately permeated the room.
"Not bad."
Galuo tilted her head, feeling her body. "It’s just that the wound on my stomach feels a bit itchy."
"Let me take a look."
Qiu Feng stepped forward and unwound the bandage from Galuo’s abdomen to inspect the wound. "It’s fine, the wound is healing, and itching is normal. Come on, drink your medicine."
"Okay."
Galuo frowned slightly, pinched her nose, and gulped down half a bowl of strangely scented concoction, casually asking, "Dr. Qiu, are my brothers still outside the square?"
"They’re not. Li Ang had them go back first, as this illness won’t just take a day or two to heal."
Qiu Feng paused momentarily, then added, "When they left, the Academic Palace Doctor also greeted the leader of your delegation, instructing them to keep an eye on your brother, to prevent him from doing anything foolish."
"Phew, that’s a relief."
Galuo breathed a sigh of relief. "The inn is in South City, and Haotian Taoist Temple is outside of town; they shouldn’t run into each other."
Seeing the hesitation in Qiu Feng’s expression, Galuo smiled and said, "My brother has been called the most talented Innate Martial Artist in Wolf Garden for the past ten years, the one in our family who is most likely to become a Grandmaster in the future. If nobody persuades him or keeps an eye on him, he might indeed sneak off to Haotian Taoist Temple and secretly kill Bian Chenpei, which would have severe consequences."
She paused and then mused, "I’m still alive now, just injured, didn’t die. The incident occurred during a match, and being outmatched leaves no room for complaint. Moreover, Bian Chenpei’s father is destined to become a Judicial Cardinal and even has a one in four chance of becoming the Haotian Sect Leader. It’s just not worth it, unnecessary."
The Ashina and Ashide families had ruled over the Turkic people for hundreds of years. Between the two families’ direct and collateral lines, they amounted to more than two hundred thousand people. Although Ashina Galuo was the grandniece of the Old Khan, among her peers in the family, many others had closer blood relations, numbering in the hundreds. The Turkic people wouldn’t go to war with Taihao Mountain over a noble scion who had suffered a severe injury and was unable to bear children in the future. In fact, on the level of military and national affairs, the Turkic still relied on Taihao Mountain for support, to resist the increasingly powerful influence of Yu Country. Therefore, it was even less likely that for Galuo’s sake, they would protest to Taihao Mountain and make the situation ugly.
"..."
Qiu Feng was left speechless, gazing at the younger girl lying on the bed with a sense of compassion, and smoothed her falling long hair. "You’ve had it tough."
"It’s really not that tough."
Galuo stuck out her tongue and said nonchalantly, "I don’t have to attend classes; I can just lie in bed all day and relax, completely at ease. Really, why does everyone think I would be so heartbroken? Not being able to have children isn’t a disadvantage at all. If you ask me, this injury will make things easier for me in the future. At the very least, I won’t have to worry about being married off by the Khan in a few years to someone I don’t like."
She looked up at Qiu Feng, whose expression was somewhat surprised, chuckled, and said, "The grassland environment is harsher than the Central Plains; many women have to herd and milk the day after giving birth. Because tribes need to migrate for nomadic movement, every few months, they must transfer to new grasslands. Pregnant women either ride horses or lie on carts, and the bumpiness brings them extra agony. Not to mention the terrifyingly high mortality rate when giving birth."
"AH?"
Qiu Feng opened his mouth and said, "I thought you Turkic people were generally robust, making childbirth somewhat easier."
"People all have two shoulders and a head; there’s no such thing as ’easier.’"
Galuo curled her lip and said, "So a couple of years ago on the grassland, when I saw the forceps sold by merchants from Yu Country, I was quite curious, wondering what kind of person could invent such a thing. With the forceps, difficult childbirths became less frightening. Some aunts and mothers in the family were less worried and afraid during pregnancy, fearing they might die and their sons and daughters mistreated by a stepmother. Later, I heard that the inventor of the forceps was a male doctor—and a young one, about the same age as me—which made me even more curious, so I pestered my brother to take me along."
"And the result?"
Qiu Feng asked with a smile, "Does meeting him not live up to the reputation?"
"It was alright."
Galuo rolled her eyes in thought. "I originally imagined he would be more... err, scholarly. Like those students from the Central Plains in the Wolf Garden, always appearing weak and crying at the slightest thing. But I didn’t expect..."
She hesitated, unconsciously recalling the image of Li Ang’s calm expression, applying iodine to her abdomen, comforting her softly, while using Mind Silk to puncture her skin without hesitation.
Unexpectedly, Galuo’s face turned red. She quickly coughed lightly, finished the remaining half-bowl of medicine, and covered her flushed face.
Qiu Feng, bewildered, pressed, "Didn’t expect what?"
"Nothing."
Galuo shook her head and lay down.
***
"What?"
In the pavilion next to the Academic Palace’s Martial Arts Arena, Xue Che, who was about to indulge in a roasted lamb leg, looked up in astonishment at the suddenly arriving Li Ang and said, "Risheng, you want to sign up for the tournament?"
"Yes."
Li Ang nodded his head, respectfully saying, "Xue Siye, I have carefully reviewed the tournament rules, and if a disciple advances to the Rain Listening Realm during the tournament period, according to the rules, they can join midway."
"..."
Xue Che furrowed his brow. As the Body Study Division Master, his personal relationship was not as close as that of Tantai Leshan or Su Feng with Li Ang. He seriously asked, "Why the sudden thought to sign up? If it’s about Ashina Galuo’s matter, don’t worry. We have established a rule that Taihao Mountain’s people can no longer use Starfall Weapons in the tournament. And those Turkic disciples in the tournament schedule will definitely go out of their way to give Bian Chenpei trouble; they won’t make it easy for him."
Li Ang was a once-in-a-century Natural Science genius of the Academic Palace. Based on his contributions so far, his portrait could be placed in the hallway of the School History Museum, right alongside the Great Virtue Doctors in history. Whether from the perspective of a Master or a common Yu Country person, Xue Che did not want to see Li Ang take risks—he believed other Doctors in the Academic Palace would feel the same.
"What’s more, have you reached the Rain Listening Realm?"
Li Ang didn’t respond but instead stepped forward, approached the corner of the office, and placed his hand on the crystal instrument used to test the martial arts competitors.
HUM—
A faint red light blossomed.