Yan Zhanjin stood on the cliff, gazing out over the valley. In the distance, across the expanse of air and rock, was the home he had desperately tried to escape years ago. A sudden breeze hit him, and he tasted the familiar salty air. He stood there for a moment, weighing the appropriateness of involving Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie in a rescue that carried immense risk.
Ultimately, his commitment as a healer defeated his personal caution. He took out the bamboo whistle and began to blow. After the tenth piercing note, he saw a man dressed in black emerging from the other side of the cliff. Even before he saw the man's face, Yan Zhanjin knew it was Zhu Mingyang.
As Zhu Mingyang approached the cliff edge, Yan Zhanjin's heart began to beat rapidly. He stared at Zhu Mingyang, who looked exactly the same as he had the last time they had said goodbye.
Zhu Mingyang shouted across the gap, "Long time no see."
Yan Zhanjin kept staring, momentarily lost in thought about how handsome Zhu Mingyang was.
Zhu Mingyang, sensing his friend's distraction, spoke again. "Zhanjin, are you here to see me?"
Yan Zhanjin sighed and returned his smile, forcing a light tone. "Nonsense." He chuckled lightly. "Where is Yingjie?"
"He is feeding the chickens," Zhu Mingyang replied.
Getting straight to the point, Yan Zhanjin said, "Mingyang, I need your and Yingjie's help."
Zhu Mingyang's demeanor instantly shifted to seriousness. "What kind of help?"
Yan Zhanjin quickly explained the desperate situation and his plan. "Such help will not involve you and Yingjie returning to the martial arts world. I have a patient who voluntarily poisoned himself. I hope you and Yingjie can go down the mountain with me to help this person."
Zhu Mingyang was skeptical. "If he poisoned himself voluntarily, then it means he wanted to die. Why should we save him if he wants to die?"
Yan Zhanjin stressed the noble sacrifice. "He doesn't want to die; he just doesn't want the one he loves to die. He took a stronger poison before he sucked out the poison from his lover's arm, in order to save his lover. I need Yingjie to use his Silver Leaf technique to help guide the poison inside his body to the left arm, and you use your internal energy to force the poison out from his body. I used this method back then when I was curing Batu." He looked at Zhu Mingyang, emphasizing the security. "This will not reveal any news about you and Yingjie."
Zhu Mingyang nodded, seeing the necessity and the safety precautions. "You wait; I'll talk to Yingjie." He walked back and disappeared down the mountain path.
Yan Zhanjin waited anxiously. He knew that Zhu Mingyang was intensely protective of Gu Yingjie and wouldn't agree to anything that might put him at risk. After a long wait, Yan Zhanjin finally saw both Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie walking back toward the cliff.
Gu Yingjie smiled warmly at Yan Zhanjin and said, "Zhanjin…" He then looked pointedly at Zhu Mingyang. "Mingyang, raise the bridge."
The night was agonizing for Yongzheng. He pushed away the bowl of congee Xue Horan gently held for him. The Seven Steps Poison was already attacking his senses, twisting every flavor.
"Horan, I can't taste anything," Yongzheng spoke weakly, his voice hollow. "The congee you feed me tastes very bitter, even water tastes bitter." The internal turmoil was evident as he suddenly coughed, turning his head to vomit a mouthful of bright blood onto the earth. He wiped his mouth, his strength visibly failing.
Xue Horan looked at him, his face etched with sorrow but determined to honor his friend's final, simple wishes. "Yongzheng, what would you like to do?"
"I want to watch the sunrise in my favorite spot on the mountain," Yongzheng whispered, a fragile hope in his eyes.
Cao Yanmei arrived then, interrupting the painful exchange with a bowl of stabilizing medicine from Yuan Xiurong. She frowned at the fresh blood on the ground. "Stinky Taoist, Yuan jiejie said you need to drink this. This will help with your red blood." She began feeding him the foul-tasting draught.
Meanwhile, Xue Horan retreated to the kitchen. Looking down at the remaining congee, he confirmed his worst fear: blood was mixed in it. He sighed, a desperate plea hanging in the air. "Yan ge, please hurry up."
Hours later, in the deep pre-dawn quiet, Xue Horan knelt by the daybed. He spoke softly, rousing the poisoned man. "Yongzheng, wake up."
Yongzheng opened his eyes, heavy with exhaustion and illness. "What's the matter?"
Xue Horan smiled, a peaceful, accepting smile. "Let's go see the sunrise together."
He helped Yongzheng sit up on the edge of the bed, then turned his back to the poisoned man.
"What are you doing?" Yongzheng asked, bewildered.
"If you can't walk, I will carry you on my back," Xue Horan replied simply. The young man, who had been brutally victimized just days ago, was now physically supporting his savior, completing the circle of sacrifice.
"I am heavy."
"It's okay."
Yongzheng gently leaned onto Xue Horan's back, trusting him completely. Xue Horan slowly lifted him and carried him out of the main gate, onto the dirt road, and up the winding mountain path. Along the grueling journey, Yongzheng kept asking if Xue Horan needed to rest. After over an hour of relentless, agonizing effort, they finally reached their destination: a lonely little pavilion on a lonely cliff—Yongzheng's treasured spot.
Later that morning, Yan Zhanjin returned, galloping up to his house with Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie in tow. But when he rushed to the daybed, he found it empty. In a fit of pure panic and anger, Yan Zhanjin began to curse furiously. His yelling and cursing instantly woke Rao Zhengsheng, Yuan Xiurong, and Cao Yanmei.
Cao Yanmei emerged from the house, rubbing sleep from her eyes, and complained, "What's wrong with you?"
Yan Zhanjin spun around, asking madly, "Where the hell is he?"
"Who?"
"Your stinky Taoist! Where is he?"
Cao Yanmei shoved past Yan Zhanjin to check the daybed, only to find it empty. She instantly turned back, her face mirroring Yan Zhanjin's panic.
As soon as Zhu Mingyang saw Cao Yanmei, he gripped Gu Yingjie's hand, ready to leave. Yan Zhanjin quickly grabbed Zhu Mingyang's arm to stop him.
"If your patient is Cao Wenyan, I will not help him," Zhu Mingyang stated firmly, his distaste for the Cao clan clear.
"Mingyang, my patient is not Cao Wenyan," Yan Zhanjin insisted.
"Zhanjin, I know that you are a doctor and your passion is to save lives, but when it comes to the Cao, I will not help them," Zhu Mingyang countered.
While Zhu Mingyang and Yan Zhanjin stood in front of the house arguing, Xue Horan, carrying a heavy, poisoned Yongzheng on his back, slowly approached.
"Yan ge, are these two people bothering you?" Xue Horan asked, exhausted but alert.
Zhu Mingyang immediately turned his head and stared at the young man. He was struck dumb by the resemblance. "Who is he? Why does he look so much like Mu Dishi?"
Yan Zhanjin, relieved that his patient had returned and seizing the chance to stop the argument, walked quickly to Xue Horan. "This is the patient I told you about. His name is Xue Horan. He is Yongzheng's lover."
As Rao Zhengsheng started to speak, Yuan Xiurong shot him a warning glance and shook her head. She understood why Yan Zhanjin had quickly claimed Yongzheng and Xue Horan were lovers—it was a necessary lie to motivate Zhu Mingyang, given his disdain for the Cao clan. She whispered to Rao Zhengsheng, "Don't."
"Where did you two go?" Yan Zhanjin asked Xue Horan, trying to sound casual.
"We went to watch the sunrise together," Xue Horan replied simply.
That morning, after a tense breakfast, Zhu Mingyang, Gu Yingjie, and Yan Zhanjin closed the door to the medicine room and began the perilous treatment on Yongzheng.
The other four—Rao Zhengsheng, Yuan Xiurong, Cao Yanmei, and Dong Lanying—waited patiently outside. The atmosphere was thick with worry, and none of them had the appetite for lunch.
Rao Zhengsheng tried to break the silence. "Horan, where is Lanying?"
"I don't know, but maybe in the kitchen," Xue Horan replied.
Suddenly, a terrifying scream erupted from the medicine room. Yongzheng began to scream wildly for a good five minutes before abruptly stopping. Cao Yanmei shot to her feet, ready to rush in, but was instantly stopped by the combined efforts of Rao Zhengsheng and Xue Horan.
As Cao Yanmei reached for the door, Dong Lanying rushed from the side and grabbed her hand tightly. "Do not disturb them! If you barge in, he might lose concentration and die!"
Inside the room, Zhu Mingyang pulled his hand from Yongzheng's back, exhaustion visible. "Zhanjin, put him over there and let him rest," he instructed.
Yan Zhanjin looked at Zhu Mingyang's pale face. "Mingyang, are you okay?"
"I'm fine, go get us something to eat," Zhu Mingyang dismissed him.
"Wait, I will go get food and boil medicine for Yongzheng," Yan Zhanjin insisted, slowly closing the door behind him.
The instant Yan Zhanjin left, Zhu Mingyang coughed violently and vomited blood.
Gu Yingjie rushed to him. "Mingyang, what's wrong?"
"Yingjie, quickly pull out the needle on my back," Zhu Mingyang gasped.
Gu Yingjie tore off Zhu Mingyang's robe and found a red thread needle embedded in his back. He used his internal strength to forcibly withdraw it and showed the needle to Zhu Mingyang.
Gu Yingjie's face hardened. "Cao Fengge..."
"It's not Cao Fengge," Zhu Mingyang countered, wiping the blood from his lips. "If it is Cao Fengge, then right now, my internal energy would've backfired already, and I will be paralyzed from the neck down."
"Whoever uses it, the internal strength is not strong," Gu Yingjie concluded, gently wiping the sweat from Zhu Mingyang's forehead. "Are you alright?"
Zhu Mingyang smiled, the fear passing. "Kiss me and I will be."
Gu Yingjie smiled back, fixing his robe. He wiped the blood from Zhu Mingyang's lips and placed a gentle kiss on them.
As soon as Yan Zhanjin walked out of the medicine room, he was besieged by questions. He held up his hands. "Yongzheng is out of danger, but he needs to rest." He then looked at Yuan Xiurong. "Xiao meimei, you don't mind cooking dinner for us, do you?"
Yuan Xiurong smiled, relieved. "I don't mind."
Xue Horan stepped forward. "I will help you."
Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie then emerged from the room. Cao Yanmei immediately rushed past them to check on Yongzheng. Yan Zhanjin walked over to his friends.
"We are leaving now," Zhu Mingyang announced.
"Are you two going home?" Yan Zhanjin asked.
"Not yet," Gu Yingjie said. "Since we are out, I will go visit my mother's grave, and then we will go home."
"You two won't stay for dinner?"
"No," Zhu Mingyang said, glancing at the worried people nearby. "Zhanjin, send us out."
When the three men reached the front gate, Zhu Mingyang spoke quietly to Yan Zhanjin. "Just a little while ago, Yongzheng almost went mad because someone secretly attacked me with a needle."
"Who?" Yan Zhanjin demanded.
"We don't know," Gu Yingjie admitted, handing the needle to Yan Zhanjin. "I guess that person didn't want Yongzheng to get better, or maybe one of our old enemies took the opportunity to kill us."
"In that case, then you must stay!" Yan Zhanjin urged.
"I'm fine," Gu Mingyang said. "You should be careful; there are mice living among the rabbits."
"I will be careful," Yan Zhanjin promised. He looked at Gu Yingjie. "Xiao Bai is here. You want to take him?"
Gu Yingjie smiled, taking Zhu Mingyang's hand. "No, you keep him. I'd rather walk slowly with Mingyang hand in hand, creating memories together, so when we are old, these memories can accompany us through our lonely time." The two men walked out of the front gate, their hands linked.
Yan Zhanjin shouted after them, "You two take care!"
Zhu Mingyang's voice echoed back, "You know where to find us, if you need our help."
Yan Zhanjin watched Zhu Mingyang and Gu Yingjie walk away from him, a wistful smile on his face. He murmured, "You two are truly made for each other."